GAIA Improvement Suggestions - FIRMWARE UPDATE

With the SH-201, when I hold a chord and change the patch, the chord continues to play the old patch, while the other hand plays with the new patch.

With the Gaia there is a big silent gap when changing the patch.
So this funktion is more or less useless.

A few suggestions for a firmware update:

1. Remove the monophonic crippling when the oscillators are in sync modulation.
2. Programmable arps. If not possible to do on the keyboard, then at least enable it in the editor. And please publish a list of how the 64 preset arps are set up.
3. Add FM modulation by using all three oscillators. Perhaps by shift + MOD button to enable. You could have two different algorithms.
4. Add an additional bank of filter variations by using shift + MODE
5. Enable audio processing of the EXT-IN for at least the filter and effects.
6. Enable keyboard split/layer of two patches. It would be nice to preserve each patch's effects settings, but that may not be possible. Key hold of one split would not affect the other. So you could latch an arp rhythm in a low octave and solo in the higher octaves.
7. Enable a basic multitimbral mode based on the splits in suggestion 6.
8. If a phrase is playing for a given patch, enable the ability to change to a new patch for playing live on top of the looping phrase.
9. Add the ability like the Lucina to play SMF files from a USB key on the GM engine. Allow the Gaia VA engine to be played over the top of it.

Oh, and one more thing...

10. Add waveforms and transients like the JP800. Enable the selection by Shift+WAVE, then while holding shift, play a key. In this mode each key would be mapped to a waveform. This is a simple way to add 37 additional choices to the oscillator WAVE selection. The octave key could be used to select from more than 37 waveforms.

@Vibrations: Actually patch remain works without gap, just as long as both the original patch and the new patch have their effects panel turned off (bottom right button).

@JnC: You can look at the preset configurations using my tool: http://www.grauw.nl/projects/gaia-tool/. Either just select the patch you want to look at and then view the temporary patch parameters, or back up your patches and settings temporarily and then do a factory reset to look at them all at once.

I also hope to add support for programming arpeggios in the future. Earlier was mentioned a library function, I hadn’t considered this but it sounds like a very useful thing, so that’s also on my mind.)

It’s surprising that I don’t see these GAIA issues mentioned here, that are all over the net:

1. ASDR sliders should send MIDI control messages like all the others.
2. Ability to turn off the GM MIDI channels, or put it on a single channel.

Nice new features aside, I hope if they release a firmware update it will at least address those.

Holding the Tap Tempo button and using the eight Patch Numbers and eight Banks section, manually enter a tempo rate.

Aaron

Erase non-saved recorded phrases with one button functionality. Dump previously recorded phrase. Hold Cancel+Rec.

After writing a patch that has an enabled Arpeggio the Arpeggio Number button does not display the arpeggio assigned. It would be beneficial that after writing a patch that pressing Arpeggio displays the Arpeggio number and holding Bank and Arpeggio displays which Bank.

Looks like roland has pretty much ignored all of these customer firmware update requests...however, I truly believe this one can be quick, easy, and very functional.

Roland, please allow for those ASDR faders to send midi CC on the next firmware update.

I think improving the GAIA as a midi controller will make it much more marketable now that people are getting wise to the fact that its sound is very thin compared to certain popular analog polysynths of the 80's. This may also help to improve the GAIA in the aftermarket where their value has been significantly declining over the past few months...