upgrade possibilities

Highly unlikely for two reasons:

1. This is not what Roland intended for this instrument.
2. Roland typically designs the hardware to run at near 100% load, so additional processor load of a sequencer will simply not work well.

If you need a sequencer, buy another instrument. Or, like professionals do, use a computer-based production package.

EVEN IF you had a sequencer...how sucky would it be to program it with just the knob and one or 2 buttons? Unless we are talking about midi record and edit...and the import of midi....hmmmm.
ACTUALY!!!!!!!!!!! a sequencer would be awsome.
lets see........128 note polophony or...........74 note polophony when sequencer is used.......
Honestly folks how the hell are you going to reach 128 note polophony without a sequencer...i dont even think liberachi on chrystal meth could realize that kind of polophony without a sequencer.
It is like having a sweet sports car with a performance chip that will alow it to go 214 miles per hour...however the standard shift only allows one gear.
I dont believe artemly at all about the upgrade being impossible!
!. lets be perfectly honest...this synth was DESIGNED to have a sequencer...128 notes polyphony....come on....10 fingers maybee you can hold 2 keys down each finger....roland did NOT MAKE 128 key polyphony so people could just hold the sustain pedal and run liberachi arpegios at light speed.
This gear does not come close to runnig at 100 percent.
2. lets think about what processor power may be sapped if we had a sequencer.....hmmm im going to say you would loose polyphony...
Polyphony that is meaningless with out a sequencer.
Soooooo how a sequencer option that reduces polyphony to 64 notes...honestly who is going to use that much without a sequencer?

Soooo if there was an upgrade....it would be a sound bank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hehehehe gimme the drums!!!!!!!!!!
so i can reach max Polyphony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
no seriously i do respect artemly saying that this synth was designed to NOT have a sequencer.

It was desgined that way so it would not compeat with the phantom line.

the price dropped about 300 dollars in 2 months folks....soon we will be looking at a 799 juno gi.
just to get the juno gi overstocked warehouses clear for the new phantom?....sorry guitar center...musicians friend....it really wasnt the bigest thing since sliced bread was it? Roland still got thier money on the deal though HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

I think 128Note polyphony was designed for one of two reasons:

Computer sequencing (the Computers CPU takes the load off the synthesizer, so it can focus on giving 0 Latency sound)

4 Layer Split/layers. 128p is good for this as say you have a pad sound and you want it sustained and you have 4 sounds ontop of eachother polyphony is down to 32 notes, play a few chords and goodbye mr Pad. Honestly, My Di drops sometimes on 128p on just a 2layer duel patch.

i STAND CORRECTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Im just a noob, and i thought 128 note polyphony was ridiculously huge!!!!!!

but still holding down 32 notes at once?

i really dont get it i dont see how it is possible...i mean there is the sustain pedal....the juno Gi has 4 layers...what you are saying is that one layer ex. a piano counts as a note...an organ another note..a pad another note a bass another note....so with the layer im actually playong 4 notes when i press one key?

Forgive me i just imagined rob liberatchi playing light speed with the sustain pedal to reach max polyphony....I suppose when you have only 32 note polyphony you can easily go over that limit.

a sequencer would be futile on the gi anyway...seeing how you can only have one instrument playing one sequence at a time...unless you do a keyboard split.

Honestly i dont think there will be any update on the G.I.
Mainstream users have no care at all for in depth sound design, and on all of the videos it is proclaimed a great TRAVEL SYNTH.
translation- its kind of good for rough scketches but not production.

I would think that too, or a guy having 128 fingers and 2 88key midi keyboards hooked up
Yeah 4 sounds plus one key = 4 notes gone. I think a sequencer would be a good idea, because look at the Juno g, as i believe that had 128 notes of polyphony and that coped fine, but like Art was saying, usually they are already stretched to the limits. I am currently looking for a worthwhile workstation with audio/midi but I was shocked to find out that the GI has no midi, Thus leaving no mid range keyboard on the market with midi and audio sequencing capabilities. I think if i were to see an update, it would be for better management of audio editing, and maybe sampling, as the keyboard is over capable of doing this.

yeah sampling would be great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will get my drums!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

polyphony 101:

The polyphony of 128 notes is frequently misunderstood as the equivalent of 128 note/patches but it is in fact 128 note/tones.. and note that each patch can be made up of, and use simultaneously, up to 4 tones....although it is rare for a patch to use all four tones at the same velocity level.

So it is quite possible to get very close to the polyphony limit at with a 16 part sequencer playing the sound generator plus a live performance.., this is why they have a setting in most synths as to how you want to deal with exceeding polyphony level.

@ djw,

i would go for a juno G at <$700 new, or a used fantom X6 for about $800 in your shoes, and unless you really want to buy new the Fantom X is the way to go.

@Mystic38

Sorry Yes I also forgot about the patches being made up of individual tones, therefor having quite possibly (rare but could happen) 4 patches each made up of 4 tones you can only press in total 8 keys before dropping happens.

And thankyou for the suggestions, I really do like the look of the fantom X6, i was thinking about stretching out and buying a used X8 with a supreme Dance SRX card

Honestly, My Di drops sometimes on 128p on just a 2layer duel patch.

That seems a bit exceptional. You'd have to have long released notes in there and playing just the right(read:wrong) thing. The way I figure it, 5 notes per hand, a split, both using 4 tones, still only adds up 40 tones total. That gives you a three chord change window before something would even start dropping out.

IMO, modern synths polyphony is more of a pissing match, especially irrelevant here considering the Gi and Di are not even workstations.

+1 on the X6. X8 is nice only if you have the space and need the piano action.

Have to agree tho, if a basic workstation is what you're after, the Juno-G is still the way to go.

I would say,

Roland would plan to upgrade the OS with audio/midi sequencer only if the sales of Juno Gi drops and until there is a tough competition from other keyboard makers.

So just keep praying, like am doing

Zobby,
if you dont wish for the Juno G, then take a hard look at the GW8 arranger workstation.. it also has the fantom G derived sound engine and now has a reasonably comprehensive sequencer after the v2.0 upgrade.. plus it has styles and arranger capabilities.. given that audio recording is easily achieved off-board its a better buy IMO than the Gi.