From Mike Kent Sent Fri, Nov 26th 1999, 22:11
From Mike Kent Sent Fri, Nov 26th 1999, 22:11
>Anyway, I am dying to find a roland system 100m
>for sale- I have wanted one ever since I saw the sexy
>color photo of one in the vintage synth book...
>>Do yourself a favor - FORGET about buying an old, klunky,
>> out-of-production, unreliable modular like the 100M. Get
>> yourself a modern clean, bright, shiny, NEW modular like
>> the Doepfer or MOTM stuff. Something that won't break
>> down/go out of tune/flat out die on you next week.
Jim is a knowledgable guy and I agree that there are many times that a new
modular is a better choice than an old one (but not always). And you may
benefit by opening your search to other systems, there may be something
else out there that would suit you. But I disagree with labelling a
System-100M as either klunky or unreliable and Jim already restated his
point more clearly.
I have owned 4 modulars, 2 Roland, a Steiner Parker, and a 1976 Moog. The
build quality of the Moog and Roland are excellent. The SP design is rather
"funky" in a few ways. The user interface and panel design of a System-100
is quite good, too.
My Roland's have never failed since new (1976 and 1981). The SP and Moog
both were unworking when I bought them. The SP had several problems that a
previous owner could not fix (a non-tech trying to do his own repair), his
effort caused a few more problems. The Moog had a few blown parts as a
result of a bad rewiring problem. As far as I could tell, a previous owner
pulled the multipin keyboard connector cable hard enough to break some
wires and then resoldered them in the wrong places, causing a short and
blowing out parts in the power supply.
Old synths do get problems with age. Things like worn switches, bad key
contracts, and dirty connections in patching jacks are probably the most
common problems that I have dealt with on many synths. And insome cases
parts for older models may be harder to find.
But a System-100M that has been looked after should be a very reliable
synth. I really like mine and have never had problems, even the common
problems have not come up.
But these problems are more likely to happen with old synths than with a
new one if the new one is built well. Obviously there are some nice new
instruments our there. You probably get more features for your money buying
a new Doeppfer than buying a similarly priced System-100M.
But these are musical instruments, and each has it's own unique value, so
maybe the System-100M has values that are more worthwhile, depending on
your needs/desires. I could sell my System-100M to pay for a more capable
Doeppfer, and I have considered it, but I'm not sure that the user
interface and panel design suits my needs as well as the System-100M. So
for now I'm sticking with the System-100M. Many modules have internal
patching which i find useful for comkon types of connections, but can be
flexible enough with cables added to be as versatile as other brands with
no internal patching. One advantage is that there are mixers built into
most inputs, other modulars always seem lacking in mixers by comparison to
System-100M or System-700.
Someone mentioned problems with theirs in calibration and using with other
gear. I have no such problems, I always use mine connected to other gear,
runnng polysynths through it while driven from a midi-cv box, or integrated
with my other modulars and analogs. I've never had to calibrate it since I
bought it new and never had a problem connecting to other gear.
Sound is important. The System-100M is fine for sound, but not outstanding.
One other AH member already expressed his dislike of the sound, although I
like it myself. I think it is pretty typical analog synth sound, with no
strong character of its own. Whether that is good or bad is debatable,
often a unique character synth is wondeful, but sometimes the unique
character makes it stand out too much, IMHO.
A System-100M is a worthwhile synth with some very nice abilities and
sound, and I certainly wouldn't be overly concerned about its reliability.
But if you broaden your search there are other good options too. Good luck
in your search.
Mike.
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