Designing
Part 1 1930-1978
The Future
The Roland name is
almost synonymous with
music technology there
cant be an SOS reader
who hasnt made use of
their instruments at some
time. As founder Ikutaro
Kakehashi approaches his
75th birthday, we begin
a journey through the
companys extraordinary
history...
Gordon Reid
think that it was one of the staff who wrote
I for Rolands in-house magazine in the
1980s who first posed the question, What
have the Rolands ever done for us?, with
apologies to John Cleese. The Judean Peoples
Front (or was it the Peoples Front of Judea?)
might well have replied as follows
Activist 1: The Jupiter 8?
Stan: What?
Activist 1: The Jupiter 8.
Stan: Oh yeah, yeah... they did give us that,
thats true.
Activist 2: And the Space Echo.
Activist 1: Oh yeah, the Space Echo
remember what echo units used to be like?
Stan: Yeah, all right, Ill grant you that the
Jupiter 8 and the Space Echo are two things
the Rolands have done.
Activist 3: And programmable rhythm units.
Stan: Well, yeah. Obviously programmable
rhythm units, programmable rhythm units go
without saying, dont they But apart from
the Jupiter 8, the Space Echo, and
programmable rhythm units?
Activist 2: Boss effects units?
Activist 1: Guitar synthesis?
Activist 4: Playable electronic drum kits?
Stan: Yeah, yeah, alright fair enough.
The History Of Roland
Activist 1: and sample-based synthesis.
Activist 4: Yeah, yeah, thats something that
we would really miss if the Rolands left.
Activist 2: Jazz Chorus amplifiers
Activist 1: And they made analogue
synthesizers that were reliable!
Activist 3: Yeah, they certainly know how to
keep things working. Lets face it, they were
the only ones who could in the 1970s
Stan: All right, but apart from the Jupiter 8,
guitar synthesis, sample-based synthesizers,
playable electronic drum kits, Boss effects
units, programmable rhythm units, reliable
analogue synthesizers, the Space Echoes and
Jazz Chorus amplifiers, what have the Rolands
ever done for us?
Activist 5: ...MIDI?
Stan: Oh, shut up!!!:
Clearly, the Rolands have done a great deal
for us, and it seems high time that we looked
back at some of the milestones in the
companys (and, therefore, the electronic
music industrys) history. But this is the story
of a man as much as a company, so well start
by turning our clock back to a time long
before the birth of the hi-tech music.
Watches & Other Beginnings
Born in 1930, Ikutaro Kakehashi was just two
years old when his parents died from
tuberculosis, and he spent much of his youth
living in Osaka under martial law. He studied
mechanical engineering and simultaneously
worked as a schoolboy worker in the Hitachi
shipyards where Japans midget suicide cannibalising broken sets to create working
submarines were built. As a result, he
witnessed a great deal of destruction in the
last months of the war.
Once World War II was over, and after
failing on health grounds to enter the citys
university in 1946, Kakehashi moved to the
southernmost of Japans four major islands,
Kyushu. This offered a far more rural
existence and, to survive, he took a day job as
a geographical survey assistant. But, at just 16
years old, he noticed that, with no watch or
clock industry in post-war Japan, there was
a thriving business to be had repairing
existing timepieces. He was unaware of it at
the time, but a chap named Torakusu Yamaha
had also started out as a watch repairer, as
had Matthias Hohner. Even the Hammond
Organ Company started out as a sub-division
of the Hammond Clock Company!
Kakehashi was offered a part-time position
in a watch repair business, but after a few
months he had to leave when he asked to be
taught everything in a few months, thus
attempting to short-circuit the traditional
seven-year apprenticeship.
In response, Kakehashi bought a book on
watch repair and set up the Kakehashi Watch
Shop in direct competition with his former
employer. This was a success, and he next
decided to turn his enthusiasm for music into
Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland, at the 1964
NAMM show with the Ace Electronics R1 and Canary.
a business venture. It was no longer illegal to
own a short-wave radio or to listen to foreign
broadcasts and, scanning the airwaves for
new music, Kakehashi learned the basics of
how radios worked. He was soon
ones, and his repair shop started handling
broken radios in addition to watches and
clocks. Nonetheless, he still supplemented his
income with agricultural work.
Kakehashi spent four years in Kyushu, but
when he heard that he could go back to
Osaka, he liquidated his business to fund his
entry into the citys university. Still just 20, he
returned but was struck down by tuberculosis
in both lungs, the treatment for which quickly
consumed all the money he had earmarked
for his education. So, as the months in
Sengokuso hospital turned into years,
Kakehashi supported himself by repairing
watches and radios for the staff and other
patients.
november 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 107
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
At this time, Japan was about to broadcast
its first television signals, and Kakehashi was
determined to receive the first test
transmissions. He borrowed enough money to
purchase a cathode-ray tube and, still
confined to hospital, assembled his own
receiver. Amazing though this was, it is
almost incredible when you understand that
Kakehashi had by this time spent three years
in hospital. Indeed, his condition was
gradually becoming terminal when he was
selected as a guinea-pig for the newly
developed drug, Streptomycin. Kakehashis
improvement was immediate; within a year he
had left hospital. In retrospect, he was
extremely lucky the cost of Streptomycin
was such that he could never have afforded it,
and had he not been selected, its likely that
he would not have survived.
The Ace Years
In 1954, unable to find employment,
Kakehashi opened an electrical goods and
repair shop which he named Kakehashi Musen
(Kakehashi Radio), and this grew rapidly over
the next six years. He changed the name to
the Ace Electrical Company, and was soon
employing around 20 staff. But as early as
1955, he had decided to branch out,
combining his electrical skills and his interest
in music to develop products for the music
market. Like Bob Moog in the USA, his aim
was to produce an electronic instrument
capable of producing simple monophonic
melodies, so he started by building
a Theremin. However, he was disappointed to
find how difficult this was to master. Later,
exposure to an Ondes Martenot convinced
him that a keyboard-based instrument was
more likely to be successful, so he built
a four-octave organ using parts from a reed
organ, bits of telephones, and simple
transistor oscillators. Kakehashi admits that
Prototype No. 1 sounded rather different from
how he had hoped, so it never entered
production.
In 1959, he designed and built a Hawaiian
Guitar Amplifier, but he also persevered with
his organ developments, and, in 1960 the
year in which he founded Ace Electronic
Industries he designed an organ that was
to become the Technics SX601. Sure, his
contact with Matsushita (who owned the
Technics brand name) came courtesy of
a friend of a friend, and it was unlikely that
Ace could have raised the capital to
manufacture and distribute the instrument, so
Kakehashi must have leapt at the chance.
Nonetheless, the birth of the SX601 was no
small achievement, and Ace Electronic were
up and running as a manufacturer of musical
equipment. Three years later, in 1963, the
company added guitar amplifiers to its
product range, but Kakehashis ambitions lay
108 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
Milestone: The Ace Tone FR1 Rhythm Ace
Its hardly surprising that
the FR1 was successful.
Long before rhythm
machines became
commonplace, it offered 16
preset patterns that you
could mix together simply
by pressing two buttons
simultaneously, so more
than one hundred rhythm
combinations were just
a button press (or two) away. Whats more, four
additional buttons allowed you to defeat the
cymbal, claves, cowbell and bass-drum sounds,
thus allowing you to modify the sound still
further.
But perhaps most innovative of all were the
FR1s sounds, now recognisable as archetypically
Roland, and which were later destined to shape
rock and pop music from the late 70s onwards.
elsewhere
Like Tsutomu Katoh, the man who
founded Korg in 1963, and whose life has in
some ways paralleled his own, Kakehashi was
intrigued by early electro-mechanical
percussion instruments such as the Wurlitzer
Sideman. So, in 1964, he developed the Ace
Electronics R1 Rhythm Ace, and took it
along with the Canary, a simple
monophonic instrument heavily influenced by
the Clavioline to the NAMM show in
Chicago. The Rhythm Ace was possibly the
worlds first fully transistorised rhythm
machine but, despite interest and sample
orders from American
manufacturers, Kakehashi did
not seal any manufacturing or
distribution deals.
The reason for the failure of
the R1 is obvious; it produced
sounds when you pressed
buttons, much like todays drum Ace Electronics first
pads, but it offered no commercial product, the
pre-programmed patterns. The unsuccessful R1 Rhythm Ace.
technological problems of
producing repeating rhythms
were themselves non-trivial, but Kakehashi
and his colleagues overcame them by
inventing a diode matrix that determined the
Everything About Electric And Electronic Instruments
In the 1960s, Japan had strange patent laws
that allowed foreign manufacturers to import and
patent technology even if it were in the public
domain in other countries. This loophole, caused
by a need for prior Japanese publication of
a given idea, was a severe impediment to the
fledgling Japanese manufacturers of the time. So
Kakehashi and 16 colleagues (including Tsutomu
Katoh, President of the Keio Organ Company,
later to become Korg) collated all the information
they could, and in January 1966 published two
Ace Electronics successful FR1 Rhythm Ace.
Indeed, the FR1 is the precursor of all Rolands
great analogue rhythm machines. Whats more, in
an era of sometimes shoddy manufacturing and
poor reliability, the FR1 was built like a tank, and
also to last. Mine is approaching its 40th
birthday, and its little heart beats as strongly
today as it did back in the Summer of Love.
position of each instrument in a pattern.
Having done so, they were able to release the
FR1 Rhythm Ace, which appeared in 1967 (see
the above box). The positive response was
immediate, and the FR1 was adopted by the
Hammond Organ Company for incorporation
within its latest line of organs. Ace Electronic
were on their way...
The relationship between Hammond
International (the worldwide distributor of the
organs built by the Hammond Organ
Company) and Ace was a good one and, soon
after they embarked upon their technical
collaboration, Ace became the Japanese
importer and distributor for
Hammond organs. The
following year (1968) the
companies formed a joint
venture called Hammond
International Japan, and in 1969
Kakehashi raised the capital to
take over a derelict piano and
organ manufacturer, Zenon
Gakki Seizou, in Hamamatsu.
This factory was soon to
become a major source of
Hammond organs and, of course, the sole
source of Ace Tone organs.
By this time, Kakehashi and his team were
books, Everything About Electric Instruments
and Everything About Electronic Instruments.
This stopped foreign manufacturers from
patenting anything except genuinely new ideas
and techniques, thus allowing Japanese
companies to design and build products using
technology in the public domain, and thereafter
to improve upon it.
The two books became the first Japanese
reference books for electric and electronic
musical instrument design.
heavily involved in designing new guitar
amplifiers and effects units as well as
rhythm machines, but it is perhaps for
their combo organs that Ace are best
remembered. These included the TOP3
(1965), the TOP1 (1969), TOP5, TOP6,
TOP7, TOP8, and TOP9, plus the more
complex, dual-manual GT7. Of these, the
GT7 is the most interesting, because it
appears to be the direct precursor of the
Hammond X5. Furthermore, it was
perhaps the only Japanese organ to use
sine waves as the building blocks of its
sounds rather than the brighter sawtooth
and pulse waves favoured by the likes of
Lowrey, Baldwin, Wurlitzer, Vox, and,
indeed, all previous Ace instruments.
In 1971, Kakehashi became involved in
a highly secretive development that
Hammond codenamed Mustang. The
project was later unveiled at the NAMM
show in Miami, and the Piper Organ the
worlds first single-manual organ to
incorporate a rhythm accompaniment unit
became one of the most successful
products ever produced by Hammond.
Unfortunately, continued infusions of
capital eventually diluted Kakehashis
shareholding in Ace Electronics to the
point where he had become a minority
shareholder in his own company. This had
not been a problem when the major
investor was a company named Sakata
Shokaim, because Kakehashi and Kazuo
Sakata shared an interest in organs, and
enjoyed a good professional relationship.
Unfortunately, an industrial company,
Sumitomo Chemical, accidentally acquired
Ace when it purchased Sakata Shokai.
Sumitomos staff had no understanding of
or sympathy for the music industry, and
Kakehashi found the situation intolerable
so, despite 18 years of hard work and
commitment, he decided to resign and
walk away. He did so in March 1972,
leaving Ace Electronic by now
a company with a turnover approaching
$40m per annum and Hammond
International behind. It was time for
something new.
1972 The Birth Of Roland
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
EFFECTS
AF100 Bee Baa Fuzz & Treble undertake assembly.
Booster.
AS1 sustain pedal.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
TR33.
TR55.
TR77.
Just a month later, on 18th April 1972,
Kakehashi established the Roland
Corporation. However, he did not choose
the name because of the French romantic
poem, Chanson de Roland. This is an
oft-repeated story repeated in dozens of
places on the Internet. In fact, Kakehashi
chose the name for phonetic reasons: he
wanted two syllables with soft
consonants, and Roland satisfied his
criteria nicely.
Almost immediately after establishing
the company, Kakehashi received an offer
from the Hammond Organ Company; they
wished to buy a 60-percent shareholding
in the new business. However, he had no
wish to be the junior partner in his own
company for a second time, so he decided
to forge ahead on his own.
Roland started life in a rented shed,
with funds of $100,000 and seven staff
culled from Ace Electronics, but neither
products nor customers. Using his
considerable reputation as collateral,
Kakehashi managed to persuade parts
suppliers to offer 90-day payment terms,
and then aimed for the unbelievable target
of designing, manufacturing, and
exporting a rhythm unit before the bills
fell due. The decision to export was not as
strange as it may seem. The dominance of
Yamaha and Kawai in Japans music
markets made it impossible for Roland to
compete if the new company launched an
established type of product, and it was
unlikely that an innovative product could
make an impact in time for Roland to earn
enough cash to survive. Therefore, foreign
markets offered more hope, provided that
Kakehashi could find distributors capable
of delivering Roland products across the
key markets of the USA and Europe.
Kakehashi travelled first to Canada to
obtain orders for his as-yet non-existent
rhythm unit. Next, he visited the Multivox
Corporation in New York, the US importer
for Ace products (and the company which,
somewhat later, would be linked to the
somewhat cloudy Multivox copies of
Roland instruments). In Europe, he
contacted Brodr Jorgensen, a Danish
company that had subsidiaries in the UK,
Switzerland and Germany, and which
distributed Ace across the continent. In
each case, he obtained orders for
a number of units, sufficient for him to
start purchasing components and
Although Kakehashi lived in Osaka, and
Roland were established there, he had had
extensive business dealings in Hamamatsu
in his Ace days, and was convinced that
this was the right city in which to
manufacture Roland products.
Consequently, he rented a small factory
there, and production of Roland products
started in both locations. Roland were later
november 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 109
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
The first Roland product, the TR77 rhythm box.
to move in their entirety to Hamamatsu,
establishing a number of factories in the area,
but for the first few years, Kakehashi would
commute overnight by train between the two.
Rolands first product was the TR77, one of
three short-lived rhythm boxes; the TR33,
TR55 and the TR77 itself. This is not
surprising; Kakehashi had extensive
experience in designing such products, the
development cycle was short, and the costs
were low. The organ-industry heritage of
these products was obvious, and the TR33
had the cut-out body shape that showed that
it was intended for mounting underneath
a piano or organ keyboard. The TR55 was
more of a tabletop design, but the long, flat
TR77 (which was, if truth be told, little more
than an updated version of the Ace Tone
FR7L) was the pick of the bunch. It allowed
you to merge rhythms, it offered two- and
four-beat patterns that you could superimpose
on the more traditional Latin and other
patterns, it had a very nice fade-out feature,
and there were independent volume sliders
for the kick drum, snare, guiro and
Milestone: The Roland SH1000
Rolands first synthesizer was Japans first
synthesizer, predating the Korg 700 by a handful of
weeks. It was a strange instrument, offering 10
preset tones to which you could add vibrato, growl
and portamento. Alternatively, you could select any
combination of eight waveform/footage options
ranging from a 32 sawtooth to a 2
square wave, plus noise, and shape
sounds using the envelope generator,
some preset envelope shapes,
a self-oscillating resonant filter, and
modulation.
At the time, the fat, punchy patches
of Moogs and ARPs were the preferred
sounds of a generation, so the little
Roland was considered weak and
uninspiring. Whats more, it lacked any
redeeming qualities such as pressure
sensitivity, performance controls,
duophony, a spring reverb, or
110 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
maracas/cymbals/hi-hat. When
Hammond rebadged the TR77 as
the Hammond Rhythm Unit, it
was clear that Kakehashi had
made the best use of his
contacts, and that
Roland were on their
way.
Alongside these,
Roland also continued to
develop effects units. The first of these
were the AF100 Bee Baa (a fuzzbox with four
knobs on the rear panel, perfectly positioned
for maximum awkwardness) and the AS1
Sustainer, the ancestor of todays
compression/sustain pedals. In October 2003,
I saw a Bee Baa for sale in Canada, with
a price tag of C$500 plus tax, which at the
time was about 250. Given the units rarity,
I could understand the shops desire to cash in
on it, but as for the sound The most polite
one can be is to say that it wasnt worth 250.
1973
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
EFFECTS
AD50 Double Beat fuzz/wah pedal.
AG5 Funny Cat distortion/sustain pedal.
AW10 wah pedal.
RE100 tape echo.
RE200 tape echo.
PIANOS
EP10.
EP20.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
SH1000 monosynth.
SH3 monosynth.
Rolands turnover in their first year was
remarkable; $300,000 was not a trivial sum in
the early 1970s. However, the problems
Kakehashi faced as he tried to grow the
company were not inconsiderable.
interconnectivity with other synths, all of which
had appeared on other manufacturers instruments
over the previous three years.
Nonetheless, two things made the SH1000
special. Kakehashi understood that electronic
music products needed to be affordable and
Establishing domestic and export markets is
hard enough without your former employer
trying to block your efforts to create
a distribution channel, but this is what Ace
did, threatening to disenfranchise any
dealership that carried Roland products.
Fortunately, most refused to be bullied, and
Kakehashi was able to continue marketing
and selling his products in Japan, North
America and Europe.
The following year was to see a number of
product launches that with Rolands
distribution network in place would cement
their position in the marketplace. Least
amongst these were the AW10 wah pedal, the
more advanced AD50 Double Beat (which, by
virtue of combining wah, fuzz and a simple
phaser, was possibly the ancestor of all
todays multi-effects pedals), and the AG5
Funny Cat auto-wah. Then there were the
EP10 and EP20, Japans first fully electronic
pianos. These proved to be sturdy and
reliable, but in common with other electronic
pianos of the 1970s, they sounded truly
horrid. They were no competition for the
Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos that
dominated the era so, despite their places in
history, they are probably best forgotten.
However, you wouldnt want to forget the
other four products launched in 1973
Kakehashi had originally designed the
RE100 as a machine to reproduce long
announcements, but he became aware that
while they were prone to poor performance
tape-echo units such as the Echorec and the
Echoplex were becoming popular with
musicians. His announcement machine was
quickly modified, and the RE100 and RE200
tape-echo units became the precursors of the
landmark Space Echo products that were
soon to appear.
Then there was Japans first synthesizer,
reliable as well as creative. So he designed his
synthesizer to use fewer op-amps than other
synths, and this enabled him to reduce the cost
considerably. The yen/dollar exchange rate then
made it possible for Roland to sell the SH1000 for
around US$800, which was a fraction of the price
of Moog and ARP synths. Secondly, the
SH1000 was well built, and it exuded
reliability. At the time of writing, mine is
almost 30 years old, but looks as good
as it did the day it was built, and still
performs faultlessly. All of the knobs and
slider heads are present and correct,
without a single crackly pot to indicate
the instruments age. It has never
needed tuning or servicing either. If
anything justifies Rolands ensuing
success, it is this.
The first Roland synth, the monophonic SH1000.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
The Roland SH3. Any resemblence to the Ace Tone
SH3 is purely coincidental... or is it?
the SH1000 (see the box on the previous
page) and its more powerful sibling, the SH3,
which appeared as both the Roland SH3 and
the Ace Tone SH3, and remains highly
sought-after to this day. An instrument of the
synth-in-its-own-flightcase school of design,
the SH3 shared the SH1000s ability to mix
waveforms, offering sawtooth, pulse and
square waves, freely mixable in any
proportions at each of the 32, 16, 8 4 and 2
footages. But unlike the SH1000, it offered
user-programmable Chorus (which was
pulse-width modulation or PWM of all
three waves at the 8 setting) and there was a
pink/white-noise generator that you could
direct to either the VCF or VCA control inputs.
The SH3 sported two conventional LFOs (the
PWM had its own, dedicated rate control) with
a neat routing system for pitch modulation,
filter modulation, and tremolo. Whats more,
there was a sample-and-hold section,
portamento, a self-oscillating filter, a full ADSR
contour generator, and two preset envelope
shapes one brassy, one percussive for
the VCF and VCA.
As you might imagine, the SH3 was
remarkably adept at producing interesting
noises so, although it could never attain the
bite or depth of multi-oscillator synths such as
the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey, it became
Milestone: Roland Space Echoes
Before the advent of the Space Echo, the range of
effects available was very limited. Distortion,
wah-wah and phasing existed, but chorus and
ensemble effects were still in the future, as were
the complex delay, modulation and spectral effects
that we now take for granted. So when Roland
released an affordable tape echo with three input
channels, a three-spring reverb, 12 reverb/echo
modes, and independent EQ of the affected sound,
its no surprise that it was a success.
OK, the RE201 was not the first Space Echo,
having been preceded by the RE100 and RE200,
but both of these seem to have disappeared without
trace. It was also launched alongside the RE101,
but this lacked six of the modes, the EQ and the
all-important reverb, so it was the RE201 that
became the Space Echo. That it looked superb, and
was as rugged as a Chieftain tank were added
bonuses that ensured that the RE201 became de
rigueur on the road as well as in the studio.
Later Space Echoes offered extra controllability
and a modified range of effects. The RE301 added
112 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
the earliest Japanese example of
a classic synthesizer. But this is
not quite the impressive accolade
that it might seem After all, the
SH3 was only the third synth
manufactured in Japan, the Roland
SH1000 and Korg 700 being the others!
1974
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
BOSS PRODUCTS
B100 preamp.
EFFECTS
AP5 Phase 5.
RE101 Space Echo.
RE201 Space Echo.
PIANOS
EP30 touch-sensitive electronic piano.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
SH2000 preset monosynth.
SH3A monosynth.
Thats not bad for something designed to sit
Not everything was plain sailing, and it
appears that Kakehashi infringed one of Bob
Moogs filter patents when he designed the
SH3. So a new version appeared in 1974.
Externally, the SH3A was almost identical to
the SH3, but it sported a new VCF and VCA,
and it was this model that Vangelis and
a handful of other famous keyboard players
adopted in the mid-1970s.
Alongside the SH3A, Roland released the
SH2000, a pressure-sensitive preset synth
designed to compete directly with the ARP Pro
Soloist. This offered a number of facilities that
made it more flexible than other
single-oscillator synths of the era. For
example, the VCO waveform passed through
an octave-divider, enabling players to build
complex voices using a mix of octave
footages from 32 to 2. Four families of
waveform were available sawtooth, five
chorus and a sound-on-sound head, while the
RE501 and the rackmount SRE555 added chorus,
sound-on-sound, a fourth echo head and
a balanced (XLR) input. There was even
a cut-down model, the RE150, but this
stepped all the way back to the RE101
specification (ie. no reverb and no EQ)
and even lost one of the three playback
heads. But it was the RE201 that
embodied the perfect combination of
price, facilities, and performance. It was
a classic and, amazingly, it remained a current
product until 1990. A digital version, the RE3, was
launched in 1988, and, although it was a good unit
in its own right, it was not a great success.
But when, and where, does the Ace Tone EC1
fit into this story? In many ways, its a dead ringer
for the RE101, with the same three-channel input
configuration and prominent VU meter. Sure, the
Aces controls are different, with buttons rather
than the rotary knobs of the Space Echoes, but the
family resemblance is unmistakable...
widths of pulse (including square), PWM, and
noise although only one could be used at
a time. There were two LFOs (one with delay),
three levels of filter tracking, a fixed filter that
could be overdriven, a fully variable
12dB-per-octave resonant filter, and two
independent envelope generators. While you
could access all of these facilities more
flexibly on the SH3A, the SH2000 was the
more expressive, thanks to its five parameters
of aftertouch sensitivity.
Like the SH3, early SH2000s seem also to
have infringed a patent, so a revised version
with a new filter (serial numbers 578050
onwards) appeared somewhat later. A second
revision (serial numbers 608900 onwards)
featured an updated power supply. But
whichever version was used, the SH2000
sounded good, and it eventually became
widely used in mainstream rock and pop.
on top of a domestic organ. Furthermore, like
the SH1000 and SH3A, the SH2000 was still
available in 1981, nearly a decade after its
introduction. Clearly, Kakehashi had got
things right first time.
The same year also witnessed the launch
of the EP30, the worlds first velocity-sensitive
electronic piano, but the year was equally
notable for the introduction of Rolands first
classic effects pedal, the Phase 5 (at least
one of which mine is still in use) and the
RE101 Space Echo. But all of these were
overshadowed by the launch of a product that
remains a standard to this day the Roland
RE201 Space Echo (see the box below).
A design classic that looks as good now as it
did when first unveiled, the RE201 used
a much longer tape loop than its predecessors
or competitors, reducing wear on the tape,
which in turn improved the sound quality and
The heart of an echo an RE201 seen from above
with the cover removed, revealing the tape and
associated control circuitry.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
prolonged the useful life of the tape itself. The
Space Echo was an instant hit, and remained
in the Roland catalogue for the next 16 years.
It was also the first Roland product to cross all
the boundaries of popular music. A decade
before the introduction of affordable digital
multi-effects units, its combination of reverb,
multi-tapped echo and EQ proved to be
The famous RE201 Space Echo tape-based delay.
equally attractive to guitarists, vocalists and
keyboard players, and it soon became
impossible to avoid the ubiquitous box,
whether on the road or in the studio.
Nowadays, tapes for these are becoming
harder to find, and owners are prone to
forgetting that they need periodic servicing to
maintain good performance, but youll still
find numerous RE201s in use.
Nonetheless, it is for another, (ironically)
long-forgotten product for which 1974 should
be remembered
A number of Kakehashis former staff at
Ace Electronics had chosen to follow him to
his new company, but there was no room for
all of them in Rolands company structure, so,
on 13th March 1973, Kakehashi established
another company, the Music Electronics
Group, or MEG Electronics.
MEGs first product was a ceramic contact side of the split offered a Tone control, and
microphone for an acoustic guitar, sold
together with a strange battery-powered
preamp. However, just before the product
launch, somebody in Japan realised that Meg
is a common girls name in the west, so
Kakehashi changed the brand name to
something with leadership connotations.
I doubt that anybody reading this remembers
the product in question, and it would now be
of no interest but for one thing: Kakehashis
new brand name was Boss, and when the
Boss B100 guitar preamp was released,
another legend was born.
The sadly under-appreciated RS101 ensemble
keyboard. It might have been a leap forward for
keyboard-based string sounds, but the mid-70s
synth-buying market didnt notice.
114 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
1975
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
JC60 Jazz Chorus guitar amp.
JC120 Jazz Chorus guitar amp.
Revo 30 Leslie simulation system.
Revo 120 Leslie simulation system.
Revo 250 Leslie simulation system.
EFFECTS
AF60 Bee Gee fuzz box.
AP2 Phase II.
AP7 Jet Phaser.
RHYTHM MACHINES
TR66 Rhythm Arranger.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
RS101 string ensemble.
SH5 monosynth.
The following year saw Roland push further
into all manner of music markets, and marked
the companys first appearance at the
Frankfurt Musikmesse. Many of the new
products shown were destined to be
significant, although it was not always
obvious at the time.
Take the JC120 Jazz Chorus guitar
amplifier This was the first amp to include
dual amplifiers and a chorus effect, but
I doubt anybody realised in 1975 that this was
to become one of the most popular amplifiers
of all time. Yet a classic it quickly became, and
spawned a dynasty of JC amplifiers that are
still in production today.
And what of the RS101 Strings? This was
a nice ensemble keyboard that failed to cause
much of a ripple upon its release. It offered
independent Strings I, Strings II, and Brass
presets either side of a keyboard split. Each
independent Slow Attack, variable Sustain and
Volume Soft options, thus allowing you to
play bi-timbrally. There was also vibrato but,
more importantly, the RS101 marked the first
appearance of what was soon become to
Rolands trademark: its Ensemble effect.
Furthermore, the RS101 offered individual
VCAs and envelopes for each note, so it could
articulate sounds correctly. This was a huge
improvement over the market leader, the
ARP/Eminent Solina. Physically, it was
compact and sturdy, and much lighter than
the Solina, so it was also the more convenient
of the two. Yet it sank almost without trace.
Nearly 30 years later, I still dont understand
why this happened, and I suspect that its
designers felt the same way.
Similarly, the SH5 was a splendid
synthesizer, packed with innovative features,
and another of Rolands early synths that was
destined long after its demise to become
a sought-after classic. But at the time, its
Japanese sound proved to be more of
a disincentive than the appeal of its dual
oscillators, PWM, sync, ring modulator,
multi-mode low-pass/band-pass/high-pass
Rolands Ensemble Effects
Unlike the chorus effects in the JC amps and
the later Boss CE1, Rolands early keyboard
ensemble effects used either three or four
delay lines (depending upon model) based on
a 512-stage BBD (bucket-brigade device)
chip called the MN3002. By determining the
amount of delay, the modulation rate and
depth, and the relative phases between the
three signal paths, Rolands designers could
have selected between a wide range of delay,
reverb, tremolo, vibrato, phasing and chorus
effects, all of which can be generated by
these chips. However, it seems that they got
it just right The sound of the Roland
ensemble became a distinguishing feature of
the companys synthesizers, and although the
exact nature of the circuitry changed over
the years, the sound remained consistently
desirable, and continues to be so nearly three
decades later.
filter, second band-pass filter, multiple
routing, dual envelopes and extensive CVs
and Gates. That it sold in moderate quantities
has added to its collectability, and the fact
that it is undoubtedly the prettiest of Rolands
early synths only helps in this regard.
Next, there were the effects units.
Foremost among these were a couple of
superb phasers: the AP2 Phase II, and its more
advanced sibling, the AP7 Jet Phaser, which
offered four Jet modes alongside two
conventional phasing modes. These were
complemented by another fuzz box, the AF60
Bee Gee.
Finally, there were three Revo systems
designed to imitate the sound of a Leslie
rotary speaker system. The smallest of these,
the Revo 30, appeared to be little more than
a stereo amplifier with a built-in chorus unit,
but you could use this with a standard
line-level input or, as with many Leslie
conversions on vintage Hammonds, by
tapping the amplified signal within the organ
itself. Each Revo 30 came with a pair of
lightweight, bookshelf Revo 30S speakers,
and even these were novel, having a baffle
that bounced the sound projected by their
cones, damping the high-frequency response,
and generating a more organ-like timbre.
Designed for the home rather than studio
or stage, the Revo 30 was perhaps the
companys earliest attempt to create a spatial
effect which was something that was later
to become a major area of its research and
product development. But if this was an odd
product, the larger Revo units were stranger
still. In an attempt to imitate the rotating
speaker effect using a single, heavily
amplified cabinet, these incorporated
a semi-circular array of high-frequency
speakers similar to some of Don Leslies
earliest experiments, and the internal
electronics panned the signal from across
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
The RS202 string ensemble made good on the
failure of the RS101, using Rolands rich chorus to
fine effect.
these, thus creating an effect similar to that of
a Leslie cabinet but with no moving parts.
Lacking the subtlety of the Doppler and
amplitude-modulation effects produced by the
Leslie, the imitation was not great, but was
nevertheless an interesting effect in its own
right.
1976
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
JC160 Jazz Chorus (160W).
BOSS PRODUCTS
CE1 Chorus Ensemble.
EFFECTS
DC50 Digital Chorus.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
RS202 String Ensemble.
System 100 semi-modular synth.
System 700 modular synth.
From the moment he had formed Roland
Corporation, Ikutaro Kakehashi had been
looking to the future, establishing with his
dealers and distributors relationships that he
might later be able to convert into 50/50 joint
ventures. This bore fruit when he and
Geoffrey Brash, Rolands Australian
distributor, agreed to form Roland
Corporation Australia, launching the company
with a party at the Sydney Opera House on 2
April 1976.
That years new products didnt disappoint
either. The RS101 had been commercially
overlooked, but its successor, the RS202
String Ensemble was a landmark, introducing
the Ensemble Off/I/II switch that was to
become Rolands trademark for the next
decade. Indeed, the Ensemble defined the
Roland sound, with the II setting introducing
a rich chorus, whereas I produced the faster,
deeper ensemble effect that remains widely
used to this day.
The RS202 proved adept at producing
subtle timbres with a character all their own.
Easily distinguished from other
manufacturers ensemble keyboards, it had
a transparent quality that sat beautifully in
a mix, complementing other instruments, yet
never proving uninteresting. Nevertheless, it
faced strong competition from the Solina, as
well as numerous ensemble keyboards hailing
116 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
from Castelfidardo in Italy.
Many of these sold under
well-known Italian brand
names the Logan String
Melody, the Elka
Rhapsody 490, and so on
but many would later
appear with German and
even American names,
such as the Hohner String Performer, the
Wersi String Orchestra, and the ARP Quartet.
However, there was soon to be another Italian
manufacturer producing string synths.
Established in 1976, SIEL would eventually
produce a large range of instruments some
under their own name, some rebadged for
manufacturers such as Sequential Circuits.
Many of these, such as the SIEL Orchestra,
would compete directly with Rolands
products. Its impossible that Kakehashi could
have known the role that SIEL would
eventually play in the development of Roland,
but the company became highly significant
The 103 Mixer, part of Rolands System 100
semi-modular synthesis setup.
a decade later, as well see in a later part of
this history.
Another Roland monosynth that would
become sought-after long after production
ceased, the System 100 comprised five
semi-modular products; the 101 Synthesizer,
the 102 Expander, the 103 Mixer (which
Rolands truly modular synth, 1976s System 700. The one here, shown in a picture taken in 1998, was a complete
system owned by the then-boss of independent UK record label Mute, Daniel Miller. It was used extensively on
the first three Depeche Mode albums.
Milestone: The Boss CE1
Although the Boss B100 predated it, the CE1
was the first Boss effects unit, and therefore
occupies a unique place in history.
The effects circuitry was based on
a single modulated BBD delay line and was
lifted in its entirety from the previous years
JC (Jazz Chorus) guitar amplifiers, which had
been almost instant successes. But the price
of the CE1 was high many times that of
existing effects such as fuzz, wah and phaser
pedals and at first it sold slowly. Very
slowly. Furthermore, whereas the JC
amplifiers were stereo, and boasted a lush,
spatial sound, many people ignored the
all-important right output on the rear of the
CE1, using it as a mono effect, and thus
seriously compromising its performance.
The turning point came in the late 1970s,
when prog-rock keyboard players and
jazz-rock (or fusion) guitarists started to use
stereo amplification on stage. Suddenly, the
chorus effect came into its own, and, within
weeks, the mountain of unsold units had
started to shrink. By the time Tony Banks of
Genesis had decided to use a CE1 in
preference to a Leslie cabinet, Boss were
already well on the way to selling their one
millionth effects unit.
incorporated a simple reverb), the 104
Sequencer (two channels of 12 steps each),
and the 109 Monitor Speakers. These fitted
neatly together to produce a system that, in
retrospect, was rather more interesting than it
seemed at the time. Apparently, there was
even a stand for the complete system, and
rumours suggest that Roland planned to
expand the range further, although this never
happened.
What there was, however, was the System
700. This huge modular beast marked Japans
entry into the synthesiser market of the,
umm 1960s. Costing in excess of 10,000
(a figure that it still commands today) this was
the instrument that placed Roland among the
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
big boys and, although relatively few
systems were sold, its user-list started to take
on the form to which the company would
soon become accustomed.
A complete System 700 comprised six
cabinets arranged in two levels of three, plus
a five-octave duophonic keyboard. It included
nine oscillators, a selection of four
voltage-controlled 12dB-per-octave and
24dB-per-octave filters, five voltage-controlled
amplifiers, four envelope generators, three
LFOs, a mixer, a sequencer, a reverb unit,
a delay and a phaser. Fortunately, you didnt
need to invest in the complete System in one
go. The main cabinet was usually configured
as a stand-alone three-oscillator synthesizer,
and the other five cabinets added the extra
VCOs and LFO (lower left), extra VCFs and
VCA (lower right), pitch-to-voltage interface
and mixer (upper left), effects (upper right),
Milestone: The GS500/GR500 Guitar Synth
The GS500 and GR500 were a remarkable
achievement. Not that Roland built every
component, of course
The GS500 was a heavily modified Ibanez
guitar, with a single humbucker plus
a hexaphonic pickup for driving the GR500,
individual on/off switches for each of the four
synthesis sections, switches to select the sound
of the guitar itself, the synthesizer, or both
simultaneously, plus EQ. All this appeared as
a beautifully crafted, but very heavy instrument
whose body contained magnets that fed the audio
output back to the strings, thus creating an
infinite sustain system. The GS500 really was
far more than just a guitar plugged into a sound
generator!
The GS500 modified Ibanez guitar used to control
the GR500, and the unique multicore cable and
connector that linked them together.
If the GS500 had a limitation, it was that you
could only connect it to the outside world using
a heavy, multi-core cable unique to the
GS/GR500 combination (shown in the above
picture). Without this, you owned nothing more
than a large, heavy paperweight. Given that there
are now no spares left, you cannot even build
a new one, and the similar-looking cable used for
future Roland guitar synths was wired differently
and does not work correctly. While players were
to find this very frustrating, it had a huge benefit
for Kakehashi and Roland when the prototype was
stolen and then returned as unusable just only reason I know of its existence is because
hours before its world launch in Australia.
118 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
and the huge three-channel, 12-step
sequencer that dominated the centre of the
upper row. Apparently, Roland were happy to
provide alternative selections of modules, but
on the rare occasions that you see System
700s today, they seem to conform to the
standard configuration.
Yet, despite the size and stature of the
System 700, the most significant Roland of
1976 measured just a few inches across, sat
on the floor, and wasnt even a Roland. It was
the Boss CE1 Chorus Ensemble, an effects
pedal that would spawn the most successful
product dynasty the music industry would
ever see (see the box on the previous page).
This was accompanied by the Roland DC50
Digital Chorus, a chunky table-top unit that
owed much of its design to the Space Echoes,
but which was not a digital processor at all; it
was a BBD delay line and chorus effect! Almost
The synthesizer module (shown below) was
amazing, with five sound generation sections
G, P, B, M and S that you could play
individually or in any combination. These were the
The GR500 sound-generating unit for the GS500
guitar-synth system.
straight-through Guitar, Poly-ensemble, Bass,
Melody, and an external Synthesizer section
designed to interface with and control an SH5,
System 100 or System 700. The Poly-ensemble,
which treated the independent outputs from the
hex pickup, was interesting, and produced what
would later become Rolands signature bowed
guitar sound, but it was the Melody section that
captured players imagination because it was
here that the real synthesis took place.
Sounds were generated by a conventional
VCO/VCF/VCA architecture reminiscent of the
earliest SH-series synths, but with a number of
very important bonuses. For example, the VCA
was touch sensitive, and the output from the
Poly-ensemble was an input in the solo synths
mixer, so you could inject the polyphonic sound
into the VCF/VCA signal path. Another superb
innovation was the output buss system that
allowed you to direct the sounds generated by
each of the sections to any one of three outputs
as well as a global Mix output. In addition, the
PC50 Preset Controller was a floor unit that
allowed you to set up three mixes for the P, B, M
and S sections and select between them using
stomp switches. A fourth switch returned control
to the guitar. I have never seen mention of the
PC50 in any of Rolands documentation the
the whole music industry.
I own one!
unknown today, the DC50 was not a great
success.
1977
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
GA-series 20, 30, 40, 60, 120W guitar
amps.
GB-series 30, 50W bass amps.
JC60A and JC120A Jazz Chorus amps.
SB-series 100 bass amp.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BF1 flanger.
GE10 graphic EQ.
OD1 overdrive.
PH1 phaser.
SP1 spectrum.
EFFECTS
DC10 analogue echo.
RE301 chorus echo.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GR500 & GS500 guitar-synth system.
PIANOS
MP700.
MPA100 amplifier for MP700.
ORGANS
VK6.
VK9.
SEQUENCERS
MC8 Micro Composer.
By the beginning of 1977, Rolands annual
turnover had reached nearly US$30 million,
which was approximately one hundred times
its 1972 turnover. This made the Roland
Corporation almost as large as Ace Electronics
had been at the height of their success, but
introduced problems of its own, with
Kakehashi and his management team
seriously overworked, and lacking adequate
time to control growth and direction.
Kakehashi decided that, rather than impose
limits on Rolands activities, he would bring in
the extra people that he needed, including
senior administrators, a financial controller
and most radically a Head of Research
and Development. In principle, this meant that
a greater diversity of ideas and products
would start to make their way to the market.
In addition to these changes, Kakehashi
continued with his plan to form a Group of
related companies, with each specialising in
a given area of music technology. Although
these boundaries have blurred over time, the
idea was sound, and on 20th April 1977, he
founded Roland ED. Not visible to end-users
for many years, the ED name was later
associated with some of the Corporations
most revolutionary products.
But long before these changes would have
a visible effect on the product range, Roland
were already expanding into new areas, and
in 1977 they launched a string of products
that would have profound repercussions on
The first of these was the MP700,
a 75-note electronic piano in a domestic-style

cabinet, which incorporated the first weighted
keyboard action on an electronic instrument.
Weighing in at 65kg, this was made even less
portable by its optional MPA100 amplifier,
which produced 120W through four 10-inch
speakers. Unfortunately, the sound of the
MP700 never justified its size, weight or cost.
Lacking touch sensitivity, and with just two
analogue piano sounds, a weedy harpsichord
and two bass settings on the lowest two
octaves, it made no impact on the sales of the
electro-mechanical Rhodes, Hohner and
Wurlitzer pianos that dominated popular
music. However, it was hugely significant
because it was the ancestor of the Roland
Digital Pianos that would in 1986 create
and then come to dominate the
then-non-existent market for domestic,
electronic pianos.
Alongside the MP700, Roland released
a pair of electronic organs. Until recently, it
was not widely known that, in 1971,
Hammond had offered to transfer the
Rolands first
sequencer, the
computerised
CV- and
Gate-based
MC8, which
sported a truly
staggering
16K of note
memory.
manufacture and distribution of the B3 and its
siblings to Ace Electronics in Japan, but that
Kakehashi had turned down the offer due to
rising costs and dwindling sales. But with the
launch of the Roland VK9 and VK6, it was
clear that he felt that the market for
a Hammond-style organ still existed.
The VK9 was the flagship of the pair, and
was modelled on Hammonds B3. With a pair
of five-octave keyboards, four sets of
drawbars that you could access from either
manual, electronic chorus/vibrato effects,
percussion, a 25-note pedalboard, an optional
stand and an optional bench, it also offered
a number of innovations such as a 62/5
drawbar in the first group, and a Bright 8 huge leap forward that it represented, its
drawbar for the pedals. There was even
a converter kit that allowed you to connect it
to a Leslie speaker or a Roland Revo.
The VK6 was the Spinet version, with dual
49-note keyboards and two sets of drawbars,
no 62/5 drawbar, no stand, and a 13-note
pedalboard. However, it offered the Leslie and
Revo sockets as standard and, surprisingly,
CV and Gate outputs which meant that you
could play a suitably equipped monosynth
without taking your hands from the organ
itself. This feature alone should have ensured
some success but, since there seem to be no
VK6s in circulation today, it appears that
like the VK9 it was, at best, a limited
success. So maybe the big news lay
elsewhere
Firstly, there was the revolutionary MC8
MicroComposer, the first sequencer with
a microprocessor. This let you enter note
information using a keypad, and must have
looked very modern at the time. But although
its heart beat digitally, and the note
information was stored in a then-massive 16K
of RAM, it spoke to the world in pure
analogue, with eight CV and Gate outputs
complemented by six pulse outputs for
synchronising drum machines, or for using as
switching pulses for modular synths.
The maximum sequence length was 5200
notes, which represented a huge step forward
from the eight-, 12- and 16-step sequencers of
the day. The MC8 even allowed you to
allocate multiple pitch CVs to a single Gate
channel, thus creating polyphonic parts within
the overall sequence. Since it cost around
eight thousand dollars, its not surprising that
only 200 were sold worldwide, but, given the
equally unsurprising that many players
expressed their awe of it.
But this was as nothing compared to the
raised eyebrows that greeted the GS500 and
GR500, the worlds first guitar-synthesizer
system (see box opposite). Launched just
a month before the ARP Avatar, the GS/GR
november 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 119
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 1: 1930-1978
One of the first
of Bosss
guitar-effects
products to
come in pedal
form, 1977s
OD1 distortion.
combination was far from perfect but, unlike
the ill-fated Avatar, it tracked moderately well
and was capable of producing a huge range of
sounds previously available only to keyboard
players. Perhaps because it required guitarists
to develop a specific technique to avoid
glitching and tracking errors, the GR500 was
of limited commercial success. Nevertheless,
there were a handful of famous users, of
whom the most prominent was perhaps Steve
Hackett, who later went on to become
a devotee of Rolands seminal guitar synth,
the GR Ah, but Im getting ahead of myself.
As the ancestor of all Rolands guitar synths,
the GS500 and GR500 hold a special place in
history.
Oh yes, and lets not forget the Boss
products launched in 1977. After a few more
experiments with Roland-style effects units
such as the BF1 Flanger, this was the year that
Boss launched their classic Boss stomp-box
format, as shown above in the picture of the
OD1 released that year. Its a huge testament
to the design that, nearly 30 years later, the
same metal chassis, rubber foot, recessed
knobs and FET switching are to be found on
Milestone: The CR78 CompuRhythm
Nobody paid much attention to the CR78 when it
first appeared. Kakehashi claims that it was the
first musical instrument to contain one of those
new-fangled microprocessor thingies but, at first
sight, it seemed no more interesting than any of
a host of other manufacturers rhythm boxes. It
offered just 14 sounds and four-note polyphony
and, while it was nicely designed, its numerous
bossanova, samba, mambo, beguine, rhumba and
waltz presets did little to dispel the home organ
impression. Nevertheless, there were a couple of
bits of magic about the CR78. These were
Program Rhythm and the WS1 Write Switch,
which made the little box the first drum machine
that allowed you to devise, store, and replay
user-programmed patterns.
For three years, the CR78 remained almost
120 SOUND ON SOUND november 2004
the huge range of Boss pedals now in markets on the West Coast so, in 1976,
production. Kakehashi had appointed a Los Angeles
company, Beckman Musical Instruments, to be
1978 its West-coast distributor. With both
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES companies working in parallel, it became
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS apparent that Tom Beckmans BMI was the
Cube 40 guitar amplifier (40W). more successful so, in 1978, Roland and BMI
GA-series 50 guitar amplifier (50W).
formed Roland US, with each owning 50
JC50, JC200 and JC200S Jazz Chorus
percent of the new joint venture. Although
amps.
RD125L Revo. adverse financial conditions and
RD155L Revo. a fundamental difference of opinion about
SB-series 200 bass amp (200W). how to deal with them were later to force
BOSS PRODUCTS Roland to buy Beckmans share and make
CS1 Compression Sustainer. Roland US the companys first wholly owned
DB5 driver.
subsidiary, the joint-venture strategy was
DM1 Delay Machine.
DS1 distortion. close to Kakehashis heart, and it seemed like
GE6 graphic EQ. a good move at the time.
TW1 wah pedal. The same year also saw the first results
EFFECTS from 1976s expansion in the development
DC20 analogue echo.
team, and witnessed an explosion in Rolands
DC30 analogue delay.
product range. There were more amplifiers,
GE810 graphic EQ.
GE820 graphic EQ.
more Boss effects units, two new ranges of
PH830 stereo phaser. rackmount and desktop effects units, more
RV100 reverb. synths, another piano, more speaker
RV800 reverb. systems and some now-classic instruments
PIANOS that included the JP4 Jupiter 4 Compuphonic
MP600 Combo piano.
polysynth, the SH09 monosynth, and the
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
now-legendary CR78 CompuRhythm (see box
CR68 Human Rhythm Player.
CR78 CompuRhythm. below).
SYNTHS & HI-TECH Released as part of Rolands Compu
JP4 (Jupiter 4) polysynth. range (see the box on the opposite page) the
MRS2 Promars monosynth. Jupiter 4 was the companys first true
RS09 Organ/Strings keyboard. polysynth, born into a world dominated by
RS505 Paraphonic Strings.
the Sequential Circuits
SH1 monosynth.
SH7 monosynth. Prophet 5, the
SH09 monosynth. Oberheim OBX, the
Korg PS3000-series
Throughout the and the Yamaha CS80.
mid-1970s, Roland Its unlikely that
had supported two Kakehashi and his
distributors in the team had designed
USA. Multivox had The first true Roland polysynth, the Jupiter 4. the JP4 to compete
been doing against any of these
a reasonable job on the East Coast, but had because, like the SH1000 and SH2000, it was
little penetration into the huge and important designed to sit on top of an organ. Whats
unknown, but in 1981, Phil Collins released In
The Air Tonight, and the little Roland instantly
became an essential part of almost everyones
musical vocabulary. Indeed, its limited
capabilities have stood the test of time, and the
CR78 is still used on all manner of recordings,
primarily in ambient music and other forms of
electronica. Many surviving units are now
equipped with MIDI retrofits, but the provision of
an early 12ppqn (48 counts per measure)
external clock input means that you neednt hack
the case of your vintage treasure if you dont
want to.
The CR78 had a little brother, the CR68. This
shared the sounds and rhythms of its (eventually)
illustrious sibling, but lacked many of its The forerunner of all the great Roland drum machines,
performance features, and was not programmable. the CR78.

The Compuphonic System
Until the development of the Compuphonic
system, the controls of all Rolands synthesizers
formed part of the synth circuits themselves. In
contrast, those of the microprocessor-controlled
JP4 and Promars reported their position to
a computer. This computer then determined the
voltages that controlled the VCOs, VCFs and
VCAs. You might surmise, therefore, that there
is at least one A-D and one D-A converter in
each model, and that all the controls would
exhibit audible stepping of parameters. And you
would be right. Like all analogue synths with
memories, the Jupiter 4 and Promars were
The 64-note successor to the MP700, 1978s MP600
electronic combo piano.
more, with just a single VCO per voice
(whereas each of the others offered two or, in
the case of the PS3300, three) it was always
going to be the poor relation. It was also a bit
of a loser in the keyboard department: its four
octaves compared poorly to the Americans
five. Furthermore, its four-voice maximum
polyphony was half the Yamahas eight, and
was dwarfed by the 48-voice polyphony of the
Korg PS-series. It also lacked the CS80s
velocity- and aftertouch- sensitivity. And with
just 10 presets and room for only eight
programmed patches, its memory seemed
rather meagre, even in 1978. Whichever way
you looked at it, the JP4 was a bit of
a lightweight.
On the other hand, its secondary facilities
put its competitors to shame. It sported
Rolands trademark chorus and three Unison
options that made it a powerful monosynth
provided, of course, that you didnt want
more than one pitch in your sound. And there
was an excellent arpeggiator, perhaps used
most famously by Nick Rhodes of Duran
Duran. But it wasnt only the electro-pop
bands of the early 1980s that eventually
adopted the Jupiter 4, and a list of its fans
now reads like a whos who? of the era.
The JP4 had one more
The Compuphonic partner to the Jupiter 4, the MRS2
Promars.
hybrids of analogue signal paths and digital
control.
The processor used was a primitive eight-bit
device called the Intel 8048. Roland
multiplexed the data from the knobs, sliders and
switches so that the fully variable controls
utilised six bits each, and the switches utilised
the other two. This meant that there were just
64 possible positions for each knob or slider.
The limited resolution exacerbated parameter
quantisation problems, but speeded data
handling and reduced the memory requirement
of the whole synth to just 128 words of RAM.
trick up its sleeve its price. At just 1800, it
was much cheaper than its competitors, and
appealed greatly to those for whom Prophet
5s and OBXs were simply unaffordable.
If the reputation of the Jupiter 4 has
improved over the years, that of its
Compuphonic partner, the MRS2 Promars
monosynth, has not. In part this may be
because its two oscillators were not truly
independent, or because the slightly squelchy
VCF and VCA retained an archetypically
Roland ie. clean and precise character,
and in 1978 most players were still wedded to
the fatter sounds of Moogs and ARPs.
Nevertheless, with powerful modulation
capabilities and performance controls, the
Promars was a good instrument, and one that
has been unfairly overlooked.
Roland released seven other keyboards in
1978. Of these, we can safely ignore the
MP600 piano shown above, a 64-note
successor to the MP700. The RS09
Organ/Strings, which combined a very basic
organ sound with a limited string ensemble
section, was only slightly more interesting.
One of Rolands finest string synths, the
paraphonic RS505.
Better was the RS505 Paraphonic Strings,
which replaced the RS202, and combined
strings, a basic polysynth section, and a bass
section. Very similar to the ARP Omni released
three years earlier, the RS505 was hobbled by
the use of a single filter and filter envelope for
the entire instrument, rather than one for each
note. However, in true Roland style, there was
an unexpected bonus: an audio input that
allowed you to pass external audio through its
glorious quadruple-BBD ensemble effect.
And what of Rolands monosynths? The
SH1 was a surprisingly useable
single-oscillator instrument that later became
popular with synth-pop bands such as
Depeche Mode and Erasure. In contrast, the
unwieldy SH7 was the most complex
integrated monosynth ever produced by the
company. It offered duophony and plenty of
synthesis features, but it was a turkey. For
some reason, it sounded thin and uninspiring,
and few players were beguiled by its size or
promise. But then there was the SH09, which,
despite being the cheapest, lightest and
ostensibly least powerful of the three, was to
become another minor classic with yet
another whos who? of fans and users. Like
the SH1, this offered just a single oscillator,
with sample & hold, delayed vibrato,
a self-oscillating filter and an external signal
input with an envelope follower all of which
were nice. But to concentrate on the
feature-count was to miss the point: the SH09
was one of those rare instruments in which
the whole was somehow greater than the sum
of the parts.
Epilogue
By the start of 1979, Roland had become one
of the primary names in rock & roll instrument
The single-oscillator SH1.
manufacture. Guitarists loved the Jazz Chorus
amplifiers, and Boss effects were already
digging deeply into markets previously
dominated by Electro-Harmonix and MXR.
Similarly, the Space Echoes had become de
facto standards. Then there were the
GS500/GR500 guitar synth, the CR78 rhythm
machine, the MC8 MicroComposer, and the
huge System 700 modular synth. Sure, the
market for conventional monosynths was still
dominated by Moog and ARP, while Sequential
Circuits and Oberheim seemed to have the
polysynth market neatly sewn up. But it
seemed that nothing could stop the progress
of Kakehashi and his team, and for another
couple of years this would prove to be the
case. But even in 1978 the signs were there
a crisis was looming, one that would nearly
put Roland out of business. As we know, the
company survived, but there were some
serious difficulties to be overcome which is
where we will pick up this story next
month.
Thanks to the Audio Playground Keyboard
Museum, Florida (www.keyboardmuseum.com),
Roland US and Roland UK for help with sourcing
many of the pictures for this article.
november 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 121
Designing
The Future
Gordon Reid
n the first part of this history, I described
I the history of Roland from their inception
in 1972 through to 1978, a year in which
everything was looking rosy for Ikutaro
Kakehashi and his team. Sales were
growing, and, with a string of world firsts
under its belt, the company had gained
respect throughout the music industry. By
the end of 1978, no fewer than 120
products graced the companys portfolio,
and although some of these did not appear
in the UK until the next year, this was
a remarkable achievement for a business
formed with no premises and limited capital.
And for over a year after that, the
impressive achievements kept on coming,
before the company hit a rocky patch.
1979
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
GA-series 15 guitar amp (15W).
Bolt 60 tube guitar amp.
PA150/80 stereo mixing amp.
Cube 60 bass guitar amp.
VX120A vocal mixer.
BOSS PRODUCTS
CE2 chorus.
DR55 rhythm machine.
NF1 noise gate.
PD1 Rocker distortion.
PW1 Rocker wah.
SG1 Slow Gear.
EFFECTS
RE150 Space Echo.
SBF325 stereo flanger.
SDD320 Dimension D.
SIP300 guitar preamp.
SIP301 bass guitar preamp.
SPA120 stereo power amplifier.
SPA240 stereo power amplifier.
SPV355 PV synth.
SVC350 vocoder.
ORGANS
VK1 combo organ.
SEQUENCERS
CSQ100 digital sequencer.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
SH2 monosynth.
System 100M modular synth.
VP330 vocoder.
Its a reflection of Rolands remarkable
progress in the seven years following their
The History Of Roland
Part 2 1979-1985
This month, well see how Roland survived some tricky
times at the start of the 1980s, and how founder
Ikutaro Kakehashi ensured that they were well placed
to take advantage of technological developments over
the following few years.
foundation that theres insufficient room three-module rack, and the 191J
here to discuss some of the important five-module rack which also provided
products that the company launched in power to the 180, 181 and later the 184
1979. On another day, the SH2, a super little keyboards, as well as to internal keyboard
dual-oscillator monosynth, would deserve CV, gate and trigger lines, which
more respect, as would numerous Boss considerably simplified patching.
pedals, the innovative SPV355 synth (which The list of modules was impressive (see
was in some ways a Promars without the box on next page for more details), with
a keyboard) and the superb SBF325 combined units such as the 110
flanger/chorus/doubler. We even have to VCO/VCF/VCA that made it possible to
skip over the highly affordable Boss Dr create complete voices in very little space.
Rhythm DR55, the first handheld unit that In fact, you could even create a basic
allowed you to program, arrange, store and four-voice polyphonic synth with just a 191J
recall your own 12- and 16- step patterns, rack, four 110s, a 131 output mixer, and
and theres no space to discuss the the four-voice 184 keyboard. Add a second
microprocessor controlled CSQ100, rack stuffed with 140 LFOs and dual
a 168-step single channel CV/Gate envelope generators, and you had an
sequencer developed from the MC8 Micro instrument much like the larger, heavier,
Composer. Sure, there was a turkey, too more expensive, but far less stable
the VK1 combo organ was truly horrible. But Oberheim Four Voice.
such failures were rare, and there were three There were originally just six modules in
products in 1979 that we simply cant the series, with a further four released over
overlook. These are the System 100M the next five years. Despite plans for
modular synthesizer, the VP330 Vocoder a further nine modules, Roland shelved
Plus and, of course, the most famous of all plans for five of these, and a final four the
Roland effects, the SDD320 Dimension D. 141, 165, 173 and 174 appeared just
Not to be confused with the earlier before the company deleted the range five
System 100, the System 100M was a superb years later.
modular synth, far neater than the American Less impressive at first sight, the VP330
monstrosities that hung over from the late Vocoder Plus made a far greater impression
1960s and early 1970s, and it garnered on popular music. There were two revisions;
passionate devotees who would attempt to the first with large, friendly rocker switches
cover entire walls with its small but to activate the voices, the second with LED
powerful modules. These modules could be momentary switches, although both
housed in two sizes of frame the 190 sported the same four-octave keyboard, and
A selection of System 100M
modules, seen in the synth
collection of the boss of
Mute Records, Daniel
Miller, in 1998. And yes...
hes still the boss!
december 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 129
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
The System 100M Modules
Despite the relative paucity of modules that exist for the System 100M, it has become one of the
enduring modular synthesizers, and many are still used by aficionados worldwide.
MODULE CONFIGURATION
THE BASICS (1979)
110 VCO/VCF/VCA
112 Dual VCO
A complete System 100M setup, as seen in 121 Dual VCF
a contemporary brochure, with the 184 controller
keyboard at the heart of the system. 130 Dual VCA
140 Dual envelope/LFO
offered the same selection of sliders and
knobs to control the instruments three 150 Ring mod/noise/S&H/LFO
sections.
Three sections? Firstly, there was
ADDITIONAL MODULES (1980)
a strings section. Whether it was purely
131 Four-channel output mixer
a marketing ploy (if we include Strings,
maybe well sell more Vocoders!), or
whether Roland appreciated how good the 132 Dual CV/audio mixer
Strings would be, we can only guess. Second
came the Human Voice (the Chariots Of Fire
172 Phaser/delay/gate delay
sound) with the basic
waveform heavily
182 Analogue sequencer
ADDITIONAL MODULES (1983)
165 Dual portamento
173 Quad gate /multiple
174 Parametric EQ
The VP330 Vocoder Plus. If anything is to blame for NOT RELEASED?
talking synth-style robot voices, it is this product. 111 VCO/VCF
120 VCF/VCA
filtered to generate a somewhat nasal 141 ???
sound. On its own, this didnt sound like
people singing, but with the Ensemble
engaged, the result was extremely useable 160 Computer interface
and, for the first time, choral voices were 170 External signal processor
heard emanating from a keyboard that
didnt weigh a hundredweight and need to
be handled like a Ming vase. The VP330 was
hailed as the replacement for the Mellotron, sliders, middle C split point, Upper and
and used as such. But neither of these were Lower on/off controls, Vibrato and Ensemble
its raison dtre but whereas the Strings and Human Voice
The Vocoder section offered 10 sections created their sounds by treating the
There were three products in 1979 that we cant
overlook: the System 100M modular synthesizer, the
VP330 Vocoder Plus, and the SDD320 Dimension D.
frequency bands plus a blue-noise sibilant internal oscillators, the Vocoder enabled
generator, and maintained enough clarity for players to modulate the oscillators with the
lyrics to be understood following treatment. input from a microphone. Even greater
This shared many features with the other flexibility was provided by the External
sections variable attack and release Synth input, which allowed you to vocode
130 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
COMMENTS
The basic synthesizer module, with internal connections
that made monophonic (and, with multiple modules,
polyphonic) synthesis practical.
Multiple CV inputs per oscillator, strong and weak sync,
plus pulse-width modulation.
Three audio inputs, three CV inputs, and an integrated
high-pass filter in each resonant, low-pass VCF.
Multiple, internally mixed CV inputs, and the ability to
switch each VCA between linear and exponential response.
A dual ADSR contour generator, plus an LFO with delay
and keyboard trigger sync.
A versatile unit offering four modules in one, none of
which were short on features.
A stereo mixer with individual left/right panning for each
channel, a headphone output, and a tuning reference
oscillator.
Another four-channel mixer, but monophonic. Designed to
handle audio and control voltages. Offered positive and
inverted outputs.
A powerful phaser/flanger module. Two of these,
controlled using the external CV inputs, provided
remarkable spatial effects.
A two-channel, eight-step sequencer with a series
mode for one-channel, 16-step operation.
Two, independent portamento controllers with voltage
control of the slew rate.
Connected and disconnected patch connections
electronically, allowing users to reconfigure patches using
control voltages.
A single channel, four-band parametric EQ.
-
-
One reference describes this as a VCO/VCF/VCA, while
others suggest that it was a dual envelope generator,
gate delay and inverter/adder.
-
A combination of a pitch-to-voltage converter, an
envelope follower, and an amplifier.
any sound source. Widely adopted on its
release, the VP330 has never fallen out of
favour and a quarter of a century later
it remains a highly sought-after cult
instrument.
In contrast to the flexible VP330, the 2U
rackmount Dimension D offered no controls
other than selectors for its four preset
chorus effects, some of which were so
subtle that a few people claimed that they
couldnt hear whether it was operating or
not. But used correctly (which always meant
in stereo) this was a hugely desirable unit,
providing width and animation without
imposing a new character upon the sounds
it treated. Consequently, the D became part
of the standard equipment in top-quality
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
recording studios and, today, the the TR808 Rhythm Composer and the
second-hand prices they command reflect GR300 series of guitar synths.
the reverence in which they are still held. Despite its current place in history, the
TR808 did not even warrant a mention in
1980 Rolands 25th Anniversary commemorative
catalogue, published in 1997. As we now
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
know, it was eventually to spawn a whole
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
PA250 stereo mixing amp. industry of clones and sample libraries, but
SMX880 mixer. its heyday began years after its short
VCA800 voltage-controlled amp. production run had ceased, at which point
BOSS PRODUCTS producers in the emerging house and
BF2 flanger. techno genres discovered its unrealistic but
DM100 Delay Machine (analogue delay).
compelling kick, snare and hi-hat sounds.
DM300 Delay Machine.
FA1 FET amp.
The company later cashed in with digital
PH1R phaser. recreations of the sound the
PV1 Rocker Volume. Grooveboxes but the TR808 itself was
EFFECTS never the commercial success that its
RE501 Chorus Echo. current popularity suggests. In 1980, it was
SEQ315 stereo graphic EQ.
merely Rolands latest drum machine, with
SEQ331 graphic EQ.
32 programmable patterns, a maximum of
SPH323 phase-shifter.
SRE555 Chorus Echo. 768 measures, and 16 sounds that sounded
GUITAR SYNTHS nothing like the real thing. Sure, it offered
GR300 guitar synth. 12 independent outputs offering
G303 guitar controller. independent levels and tuning where
G808 guitar controller. appropriate, and was the first rhythm
G33 GR bass guitar controller.
machine with non-volatile
GR33B bass guitar synth.
G88 GR bass guitar controller. user-programmable pattern memories, but
PIANOS this wasnt enough to ensure its success
EP09 61-key piano. against the existing Linn LM1 and the
RHYTHM PRODUCTS LinnDrum that emerged shortly thereafter.
TR808 Rhythm Composer.
In contrast, Roland launched the GR300
SEQUENCERS
with the strap-line, Roland invented the first
CPE800 Compu Editor.
CSQ600 mono sequencer.
true guitar synthesizer. Now, weve made it
SYNTHS & HI-TECH obsolete. This wasnt strictly true the
SA09 Saturn. previous GR500 and GS500 offered many
features that the GR300 lacked, but in one
By the end of the 1970s, Roland were firmly way, it was correct. While the GS500s
established as major manufacturers. They tracking had been at best iffy, the
had never cracked the top end of the synth dedicated G303 (bolted-on neck) and G808
market, but their Space Echoes, Boss effects, (through neck) controllers were far better,
guitar synths, Jazz Chorus amplifiers, and and they still offer perhaps the best tracking
CR rhythm boxes were pre-eminent in their of all dedicated guitar synthesizers. The
respective fields. The following year same accolade is also true of the bass guitar
continued in much the same vein, although version, the GR33B, which had a slightly
there were, perhaps, only two major different voice structure and a choice of two
products launched, neither of which caused controllers, the G33 and G88.
much of a stir on their release. Nonetheless, The GR300 allowed you to decide which
both would become classics. strings fed signals to the synth. Kakehashi
Im referring, of viewed this as a natural stage in the
course, to evolution of the guitar, from its acoustic
beginnings, through the rapid development
of the electric guitar in the 1930s, 40s, 50s
and 60s, to the next level, wherein each
string can be treated as a separate
instrument. Indeed, the GR300 featured
a unique hexaphonic distortion that treated
each string independently, which is very
different from distorting the combined
sound produced by all the strings. Sure,
there was only a single filter in the GR300,
and virtually no enveloping of the sounds,
These days, its a techno mainstay, but back in
1980, the TR808 was just another Roland drum but the synth had an instantly recognisable
machine, and was expected to be used on character that elevated it to the status of an
everything from rock to, well, Planet Rock. instrument in its own right.
132 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
1979s replacement for the original GR500 guitar
synth, the GR300.
The following year, Roland released two
Fender-style controllers for the GR300, the
G202 (with dual humbuckers) and the G505
(the most common GR300 controller, with
three single-coil pickups and a tremolo arm).
This was a good move because, like the
GR500, the GR300 could only be controlled
by Roland guitars with their dedicated
multicore cables. However, unlike the
GR500, you could also plug a quarter-inch
jack into any of the 300 series
guitars and basses, and play it as
a conventional instrument.
Surprisingly, Rolands
reputation and enviable success
The GS202 guitar controller
promoted (along with the G505)
for use with the GR300.
did not guarantee financial
stability. The Yen had been
increasing in value from
310 to the US Dollar when
Roland were established in
1972, to a temporary low
of about 180 to the
dollar in 1978/79.
Although it recovered
briefly in 1980, it was soon
to rise in value again. Unfortunately,
the strength of the Yen had
a near-catastrophic effect on Roland,
because their European distributor, Brodr
Jorgensen, had been unable to cope with the
increased cost of importing Japanese goods
and, in 1980, they unexpectedly declared
themselves bankrupt. This meant that
Roland who had themselves only just
become cash-positive suddenly found
themselves without a European distributor,
with one third of their worldwide business
evaporating, and their European stock
millions of pounds of product in the
hands of Brodr Jorgensens liquidators.
Furthermore, $1,500,000 of unpaid product
was in transit for Europe, and all this would
be lost if Kakehashi could not move quickly.
For the first time since establishing the
company, he faced a crisis. And it was
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985

a huge one.
Kakehashi immediately shut down all
production of Roland products, and blocked
delivery of the goods in transit. This didnt
improve matters, but it stopped the
situation from getting any worse. He then
approached three banks for the credit
necessary to continue trading, only one of
which was prepared to help. Nevertheless,
with a two-million dollar credit line from
Daiwa Bank, the company was able to
continue.
In many ways, this couldnt have
happened at a worse time, because during
the course of 1980, Roland had been
completing their gradual migration from
Osaka to Hamamatsu, coping with all the
problems and disruption that this must have
entailed. Kakehashi himself spent the
autumn and winter of 1980 criss-crossing
Europe in an attempt to save his distribution
network. By the time the new year arrived,
Roland were at a crossroads.
1981
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMDEK PRODUCTS
CHK100 chorus.
CMK100 compressor.
DMK100 delay.
DMK200 delay.
DSK100 distortion.
FLK100 flanger.
GEK100 graphic EQ.
OCK100 Octaver.
PHK100 phaser.
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
Cube 60 keyboard amp.
Cube CK40 keyboard amp.
MA15A micro monitor wedges.
MS100A monitor speaker wedges.
RM1200 console mixer.
RM1200B console mixer.
RM1600B console mixer.
BOSS PRODUCTS
CS2 Compression Sustainer.
DM2 delay.
FV100 volume pedal.
FV200 volume pedal.
GE7 EQ.
SD1 Super Over Drive.
EFFECTS
GR100 electric guitar unit.
SDE2000 digital delay.
ORGANS
VK09 combo organ.
PIANOS
HP60 electronic piano.
HP70 electronic piano.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
CR5000 CompuRhythm.
CR8000 CompuRhythm.
TR606 Drumatix.
SEQUENCERS
MC4 Micro Composer.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Jupiter 8 (JP8) polysynth.
TB303 Programmable Bass Line.
AMDEK (Analogue Music Digital Electronics Kits)
Although Roland were based in Hamamatsu by
the early 80s, Kakehashi established the AMDEK
Corporation in Osaka. Their main product lines
were small effects units and computer monitors
manufactured for Roland (but not by Roland) in
Taiwan. For a couple of years, the company
proved to be surprisingly successful but, as
competition mounted, Kakehashi decided not to
In early 1981, Kakehashi was invited to
rescue Brodr Jorgensen, but the scale of its
debts to other manufacturers made this
impossible. However, he managed to
repossess the huge inventory of Roland
products held by Brodr Jorgensens
liquidators, thereby stopping the world
market from being flooded by cheap
equipment that would have undercut
Rolands own sales. Simultaneously, he was
filling the hole left by his distributors
demise. Building upon the joint-venture
model he had already established elsewhere,
he opened four new companies in the space
of just three months. Roland UK opened
their doors in January 1981, as did Roland
GmbH (Germany), followed in March by
Roland Scandinavia and Musitronic AG in
Switzerland. Remarkably, Kakehashi also
found the time to establish a new Japanese
division, which he opened in May 1981.
Called AMDEK (Analogue Music Digital
Electronics Kits) this was a conduit through
which Roland would market and sell
Taiwanese products to its worldwide
distribution network (see the above box).
So, having averted disaster, the company
was able to face the future with something
approaching confidence. Nonetheless, there
must have been some point in 1981 when
Kakehashi wondered if he had lost the
magic touch. Roland and Boss launched
more than 30 significant products during
the course of the year yet, despite critical
success, few seemed to catch the publics
eye. Take, for example, the companys first
big, polyphonic synthesizer and its toy bass
machine. The former made little impact,
while the other was soon to end up in the
bargain bins, sold off cheaply for whatever
dealers could get for it. But hindsight is
a wonderful thing, as was Kakehashis belief
in his company and its designs. The
polysynth was the Jupiter 8 (see the box on
the next page). The toy was the TB303
Programmable Bass Line.
Before 1981, Rolands incursions into the
field of polyphonic synthesis could at best
be described as tentative. The Prophet 5
and Oberheim OB-series dominated, so
perhaps its not surprising that the original
JP8 made little impact when it was launched.
compete with the large computer companies
entering the market, and in 1983 he ceased
supplying monitors, simultaneously discontinuing
the effects units. But this was not the end for the
company. Kakehashi renamed it the Roland DG
Corporation, and then used it as a vehicle to
release a range of the companys own computer
and music peripherals.
revered of all synthesizers, the icon against
which all Rolands subsequent polysynths
have been measured (and, for many
aficionados, found wanting...).
At the far opposite end of the scale, the
TB303 seemed to have few redeeming
features. Initially marketed as
a computerised bass machine, it and its
stable-mate, the TR606 Drumatix, were
intended for use as replacements for a bass
guitarist and drummer, tasks at which they
were singularly unsuccessful. It had a single,
unremarkable oscillator, a primitive
envelope, and few facilities other than
a built-in sequencer. Had it not been
The TB303 and TR606 were clearly designed to be
used together, as can be seen from their physical
resemblence. But one went on to defy all
expectations and become the sonic heart of
thousands of dance classics, years after the
deletion of the product, while the other is a now
largely forgotten drum machine.
adopted for the first acid house tracks later
in the 80s, its possible that the TB303
would have been no more than a footnote in
Rolands product history. And why was it
used? Largely because it was cheap and
easy to understand.
Nowadays, of course, the TB303 is
a staple of all types of dance music, able to
chain user-programmed patterns into longer
tracks, enlivened by Accent and Slide, and
by the inevitable tweaks on its unusual
resonant filter. Connected to a TR606 or
TR808, or even the CR5000 and CR8000
CompuRhythm machines launched the same

Today, of course, its one of the most year, the TB303 produces an instantly

134 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004

 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
Milestone: The Jupiter 8
Unlike any other synth of its era, the Jupiter 8
didnt impose its own character upon a sound: if
you wanted fat, you could have it; if you wanted
ethereal, you could have that too. Indeed, the
Jupiter 8 sounded as it looked sleek and
polished in exactly the way that the competition
didnt. Why this should have been so is one of lifes
little mysteries. After all, Sequential Circuits
Prophets, Oberheims analogues and the Jupiter 8
all offered two VCOs per voice, a low-pass filter,
a pair of ADSR envelope generators, and a range of
modulation options. But there it was: Prophets and
Oberheims were fat and imposing, whereas the
Jupiter 8 could more easily complement other
sounds without overpowering them.
Furthermore, the Jupiter 8 bristled with features
its competitors lacked. It had a split keyboard and
numerous keyboard assignments, so that you
could, for example, play unison lead lines above
left-hand pads, or electric pianos above grunting
bass lines. It offered oscillator sync, cross
recognisable sound that was eventually
copied (with greater or lesser success) by
almost every other synth manufacturer.
There was even a fad in the mid-90s for
clones, with names such as MAB303, FB303,
TBS303 and Tee Bee. The sincerest form of
flattery indeed!
The production run of the TB303 lasted
less than two years, but its rumoured that
in this time Roland churned out nearly
20,000 of them, so its likely that theyll be
with us for some time to come.
Before moving on, two other products
deserve mention. The first of these is the
SDE2000, Rolands first digital effects unit.
The other was the MC4 Micro Composer,
which was to be both the peak and the end
of the CV/Gate sequencing era. This was
available in two models, the MC4A and
MC4B, with an optional 32K memory
expansion to upgrade the A from 3900
notes to the 12,000 offered by the B.
Nowadays, the MC4 and its data-storage
cassette recorder, the MTR100, look
decidedly primitive, but for just a year or so,
its bright LED screen, numeric keypad and
The last CV/Gate sequencer, the MC4, with its cassette
tape backup recorder. Very 1981!
136 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
If youre looking for an
example of a classic
analogue polysynth, they
dont come much better
looking than the fabulous
Jupiter 8.
modulation, switchable
12dB-per-octave and 24dB-per-octave filtering, and
polyphonic portamento. It saved and loaded voices
reliably via its cassette interface, and it
incorporated a superb arpeggiator. Finally, there
was also a comprehensive complement of analogue
interfaces that controlled the arpeggio speed,
portamento, sustain, filter cutoff frequency, and
the VCA. Add the CV and Gate outputs (with the
pitch CV derived from the highest note played), and
the result was an impressive package of features.
Whats more, the Jupiter 8 was more reliable than
its competition, and its sound was more consistent
from model to model, which made it very attractive
the promise of true polyphonic sequencing
made it an electro-pop stars dream
machine.
1982
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS
Bolt 30 tube guitar amp.
BOSS PRODUCTS
CE3 Chorus.
OC2 Octave.
SCC700 SET Sound Control Centre.
VB2 Vibrato.
PIANOS
EP6060 dual-voice combo piano.
HP30 electronic piano.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Juno 6 polysynth.
Juno 60 polysynth.
Jupiter 8A polysynth.
SH101 monosynth.
Ikutaro Kakehashi worked tirelessly
throughout 1981 to re-establish Rolands
worldwide distribution channels and its
financial stability, and no doubt Daiwa Bank
were delighted to see that the company
required only one third of the credit
on offer. So, with their first
major crisis behind them,
Roland returned to
their business plan,
establishing yet
another
joint-venture
company, this time in
Belgium. Its not certain whether
the slim range of products introduced
in 1982 was a consequence of the previous
years difficulties (Kakehashi was, after all,
one of the chief designers, and had spent
much of the year travelling) or whether this
would have happened anyway. There was
for stage and studio use.
In 1982, Roland released an upgraded Jupiter 8,
the JP8A, which offered a number of
enhancements, including an improved DAC that
increased the resolution of the auto-tuning system
from 12- to 14-bit, plus a brighter LED screen. The
electro-pop community was convinced: Relax, by
Frankie Goes to Hollywood was dominated by
a Jupiter 8, Nick Rhodes relied heavily upon his,
and players such as Steve Luscombe
(Blancmange), Vince Clarke (Erasure), John Foxx,
and Martyn Ware (Heaven 17) were soon adopting
it. The path to classic status began here.
the usual crop of Boss effects, another
amplifier, the upgraded Jupiter 8, and
a couple of instantly forgettable electronic
pianos, but with just a handful of major
launches, its fortunate that the three new
synths were to be amongst Rolands most
successful products. They were the SH101,
the Juno 6, and its almost immediate
successor, the Juno 60.
To understand the background against
which the Junos were released, its
important to know something about
Frequency Modulation. This had been
understood for decades, and by the middle
of the 20th century, was employed as
a means of broadcasting radio
transmissions. It was not until the 1960s
that John Chowning, a researcher at
Stanford University, discovered that in
addition to providing a means of carrying
sound, FM could also generate audio
timbres unobtainable by other means.
Although the major thrust of his work lay
elsewhere, Chowning continued to develop
FM, and, in 1971, used it to synthesize
conventional tones including organs and
brass. Stanford subsequently approached
a number of organ manufacturers with
a view to licensing the technology. No
American company showed interest, so
Stanford turned to Yamaha. After a brief
evaluation, they licensed the technology.
It was not until 1981 that Yamaha
unveiled their first commercial FM
synthesizers. Named the GS1 and the GS2,
these were monstrously expensive, but
more affordable products soon followed in
the shape of the CE20 and CE25, both of
which were aimed at the home-keyboard
market. Then, in 1982, Yamaha
demonstrated an FM synth that you could
edit. It was the progenitor of the DX7, and
was to have a profound effect on all other
synthesizer manufacturers.
Kakehashi had known about Chownings
research long before the appearance of the
DX7, and had met him at Stanford years
before Yamahas FM synths appeared.
Unfortunately for Roland, this was six
months after Yamaha had agreed an
exclusive licence with the university. In his
book, I Believe in Music, Kakehashi admits
that Yamaha were the natural partners in
this venture, because they had the resources
to develop the chips needed to make FM
synthesis commercially viable. Nonetheless,
its interesting to speculate what might have
happened had Stanford turned to Roland
after Hammond and Wurlitzer rejected their
approaches.
The GS1 and GS2 were highly respected,
as were the contemporaneous Fairlight CMI
and the Synclavier, so it was apparent to
Kakehashi that digital sound generation was
the way of the future. Unfortunately, Roland
possessed no commercially viable digital
technology. Furthermore, the
metamorphosis of string machines into
primitive analogue polysynths had begun,
and it was apparent that the days of large,
expensive, analogue polysynths were
numbered. Roland needed to make
something affordable and polyphonic...
something which included the magic word
digital. And they needed it quickly.
Some of the pre-release marketing for the
Juno 6 implied that Roland had fully
embraced digital technology, but when the
instrument appeared, it was clear that this
was not the case. Everywhere you looked,
there was traditional analogue technology
Milestone: The Digital Communications Buss
Kakehashi realised that, alongside digital sound
generation, connectivity was going to be a vital
element in the future of music technology. So
Roland developed the Digital Communications
Buss (DCB), which first appeared on the Juno 60,
shortly followed by the Jupiter 8A. The company
even took care of the original Jupiter 8 by
releasing a DCB add-on board, the OC8, which
could be retrofitted to early models.
By making it possible for these synths to
communicate with one another polyphonically
(and, therefore, for players to play one from
another) DCB was a huge step forward. DCB even
allowed players to sequence the three synths
using one of the latest generation of Micro
Composers, such as the JSQ60. But if the
standard had a limitation (and it had), it was that
it was not a standard It was a hardware and
software protocol specific to Roland.
As we now know, a cross-manufacturer
communications standard was just a year away,
and Roland were to be a major player in its
development and implementation. However, the
company never let down its DCB users, because
a VCF, VCA, an LFO and a single
ADSR envelope generator per
voice. The only suggestion of
digital technology lay in its
DCOs its Digitally Controlled
Oscillators.
Today, DCOs are often derided when
The Juno 6 was
compared with VCOs, but this was not remarkable in many ways,
always the case. In 1981, the pitch stability but it did lack programmable
of many VCOs left a lot to be desired, and memories. The Juno 60, launched soon
their tuning was often thereafter, remedied this, and also offered
temperature-dependent, so you could end a rear-panel DCB connector, Rolands first foray into
digital interconnectivity (albeit a development rapidly
up adjusting your synths many times during
surpassed by MIDI).
a gig or recording session. Not so
annoying in the studio, this could
be a significant shortcoming
on stage. What we now
regard as organic was,
in 1981, simply a pain in
the posterior. It was,
therefore, not just the
sonic flexibility offered
by early digital synths
that appealed, but
also their ultra-stable
tuning.
Unfortunately, not
everybody could
afford the digital
technology of the day, Synth players everywhere slung it around their necks and used it for axe-replacement
therapy, while others noodled one-finger Vince Clarke knock-offs on it in their
so Roland developed
bedrooms. 1981s SH101 monosynth was an instant classic, and is still popular today.
the DCO; an analogue
oscillator controlled by
a digital circuit that ensured far greater instrument would be in tune. Moreover, it
tuning stability than was obtainable from offered a good-quality keyboard, well-placed
VCOs. It seems incredible today, but the performance controls, a powerful
Juno 6 was the first analogue polysynth that arpeggiator, and Rolands classic ensemble.
you could carry onto a stage, switch on, and Oh yes and it sounded superb and was
play with complete confidence that the excellent value. Roland had almost hit the
bulls-eye. The only thing that the Juno 6
lacked was memories.
Fortunately, less than a year later, the
another Roland product, the MD8, made it Juno 60 appeared. This was in most ways
possible for DCB to talk to MIDI. Consequently, identical to its predecessor, but its top panel
the Jupiter 8, Jupiter 8A and Juno 60 became sported 18 chunky buttons that offered 56
three of the first analogue synths with MIDI patch memories plus the saving and loading
communication capabilities, years before retrofits
facilities that went with them. Nevertheless,
became available for many of their
the most significant change lay elsewhere.
contemporaries.
To be precise, it lay on the back panel
alongside the analogue inputs and outputs.
It was the Digital Communications Buss (see
the box on the left).
Released the same year, the SH101
monosynth looked very much like
a one-voice Juno 6. It lacked the polysynths
chorus, but gained portamento and
a 100-step digital sequencer. But unlike
most of Rolands previous instruments,
which were chunky affairs designed for use
on tabletops and stands, much of the SH101
The companys first non-CV/Gate hardware sequencer,
the JSQ60, was, as the name suggests, designed to was constructed from high-density plastic,
interface with the Juno 60 via that synths DCB with the result that it was extremely light.
connector. Some players derided this, equating its
weight to its sound, but this was foolish.
december 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 137
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
The SH101 sounded excellent, and there
was a good reason for its construction. Lets
face it the ability to run on batteries and
the option of studs for affixing a guitar strap
was a dead give-away. The SH101 was
designed for posing. It was even available in
three colours: grey, blue and red. With the
optional MGS1 modulation grip a stubby
handle that provided LFO and pitch-bend
controls, and is shown in the picture on the
previous page it became the de facto
standard sling-on synth for the electro-pop
crowd, and remains one of Rolands
enduring successes to this day.
1983 The Birth Of MIDI
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
BN60 and BN100 amps.
Spirit 10A guitar amp.
Spirit 25A guitar amp.
SQ40/60/100 guitar amps.
SST120, SST80, SST60, SST40 speaker
system.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BX400 four-channel stereo mixer.
BX600 six-channel stereo mixer.
DD2 digital delay.
DE200 digital delay.
DR110 Dr Rhythm & Graphic.
HA5 headphone amp (Play Bus).
HM2 Heavy Metal.
TU12 chromatic tuner.
EFFECTS
SDE1000 digital delay.
SDE3000 digital delay.
PIANOS
HP300 electronic piano.
HP400 electronic piano.
ROLAND DG PRODUCTS
TDXY100R X/Y plotter.
ADA200R A/D/A converter.
CMU800R CompuMusic.
CMU810 synth.
RHYTHM MACHINES
TR909 Rhythm Composer.
SEQUENCERS
JSQ60 DCB Sequencer.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Jupiter 6 polysynth.
JX3P Programmable Preset Polyphonic
synth.
MC202 Micro Composer.
MD8 MIDI/DCB interface.
MM4 MIDI Thru box.
In 1981, Ikutaro Kakehashi had suggested to
Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits that they
jointly develop a standard that would allow
Roland and Sequentials synthesizers to talk
to one another. Rolands 14-pin DCB scheme
was not acceptable, because its connectors
and cables would have been too expensive
for a universal interface, and nor was
Smiths two-pin serial interface deemed
suitable because it exhibited serious
limitations in complex setups. So, in 1982,
a group of manufacturers that included
138 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
Yamaha, Korg and Kawai formed
a committee to develop a communications
standard that could be common to all
musical devices synths, rhythm
machines, sequencers, or anything else.
They eventually adopted the five-pin DIN
plug as the hardware interface, and by freely
sharing information about the proposed
standard, managed to interest other
companies. Thus, in the autumn of 1982,
they were able to announce the creation of
a new communications system to be
supported by the majority of hi-tech
manufacturers. It was the Musical
Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, and it
was soon to change the nature of the entire
music industry.
A few months later, Sequential Circuits
and Roland announced the worlds first MIDI
synths and demonstrated them talking to
one another over a MIDI cable. Sequentials
synth was a Prophet 600, but even
Kakehashi is unclear as to which Roland was
used, the JX3P or the Jupiter 6.
Unfortunately, because neither press nor
public attended this propitious moment,
other reports are third-hand and
inconclusive, although the consensus seems
to be that the Roland end of the cable was
inserted into a Jupiter 6.
If Rolands R&D engineers had posed
themselves the question of how they might
improve on the Jupiter 8, they would not
have designed the Jupiter 6. They would
have increased the polyphony. They would
have added velocity and aftertouch
sensitivity. They would have reintroduced
chorus and increased the number of
outputs. And they would have added more
sync and modulation options. But they
didnt. Perversely, the Jupiter 6 offered
a quarter less polyphony than its
predecessor, had just one output, and
replaced the Jupiter 8s proprietary
oscillators with the same Curtis chips used
by Moog, Sequential, and Oberheim. Had it
been more affordable, it might have found
a niche between the Juno 60 and the
Jupiter 8, but it offered too little and was too
expensive.
In contrast, the diminutive JX3P was
a winner. Named after its Programmability,
Polyphony and Presets, this was designed
and built by Rolands guitar-synth factory
and, unlike the Junos, it offered much of the
The JX3P was a great synth, but
was never a big success, as it
was launched at the same time
as the all-conquering
Yamaha DX7.
dual-oscillator sound
of big American
polysynths its
strings were lush, its brasses were punchy,
and it produced superb pads, fifths and
sync sounds but did so at a very
affordable price. The JX3P was also the first
Roland polysynth to feature a sequencer.
This was remarkably comprehensive for the
time, and it was capable of being triggered
by external sequencers and drum machines.
Offering 128 steps, each of which could be
up to six-note polyphonic, it could be used
for backing tracks (unused polyphony could
be played from the keyboard)
mock-arpeggiation or even loops. Of course,
the JX3P had limitations. In particular,
Roland had adopted a digital parameter
access programming system to reduce
costs, although they countered this with the
PG200, an optional programmer that
clamped magnetically to the top of the synth
and offered a knob or switch for each of the
32 voice parameters. But to concentrate on
the negatives was to miss the point. The
JX3P looked great, had the right balance of
simplicity and advanced features, and
offered MIDI. Im convinced that the JX3P
would have been an enormous success had
it not been for one thing
In 1983, Yamaha released the DX7. With
16-voice polyphony, velocity and aftertouch
sensitivity, and bonuses such as provision
for memory cartridges, this made Rolands
synths seem decidedly old hat. Moreover,
at just 1500 in the UK, it cost a fraction of
the price of a JP8 or JP6.
Within weeks of the DX7s release, it was
clear that the manufacturers of analogue
synths had a problem. Indeed, those who
derived their income solely from
synthesizers were in trouble, and the DX7
was in no small way responsible for the
eventual demise of Moog, Sequential
Circuits and Oberheim. Fortunately,
Kakehashi had anticipated this, and already
curtailed development of the System 100M
as well as production of lines such as the
System 700 to concentrate on smaller, more
affordable products. Furthermore, Roland
had never been a one-trick pony and, not for
the last time, this was when Kakehashis
foresight and the companys diversity really
paid off. Roland had been world leaders in
the effects market since the launch of the
RE201, as well as in the fields of guitar
amplifiers (the JC series), guitarists stomp
boxes, and rhythm machines. This meant
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
Milestone: The Roland DG CMU 800R CompuMusic
Not all milestone products are hugely successful,
as demonstrated by the CMU 800R, a small,
wedge-shaped synthesizer built into the same
case as the ADA 200R. But if any product can be
said to be the ancestor of todays multitimbral
rackmount modules, this is it.
Originally manufactured in Taiwan in 1982
under the AMDEK name, this became a Roland
DG product when Roland ceased marketing the
AMDEK brand in 1983. It offered four sound
generators; a monophonic lead synth,
a monophonic bass synth, a four-voice polysynth,
and a rhythm section with seven analogue drum
sounds. Apart from level for each of the sections,
little control over the sounds was provided just
decay rates for the tonal sounds, and a sustain
level for the lead sound. Whats more, the sounds
were incredibly basic, being just digitally
generated square waves, with no filtering or
complex envelopes.
Control was provided by sequencing software
running on either an Apple II, a Sharp MX80, an
NEC 8001 or, later on, a Commodore 64, and
delivered by an interface card plus a dedicated
multi-way cable. However, whereas the internal
sounds did no justice to the control software,
eight pairs of CVs and Gates on the back of the
box allowed you to drive up to eight analogue
that they could launch products in each of
these fields and be unaffected by the advent
of FM synthesis. What did someone buying
a Boss phaser or one of Rolands flatbed X-Y
plotters care about the DX7? Hang on
a moment X-Y plotters?
In the companys own words,
A computer by itself can do nothing, so
Rolands engineers set about designing
a family of peripherals that would enhance
a personal computers functionality. To
appreciate this in context, you must
remember that, in 1983, there were no PCs,
Apples flagship was the Apple III, and most
computer enthusiasts used machines such
as the Apple II, the Apple IIe, one of the
Commodore PETs, or the Sharp MZ series.
These were exciting and anarchic times for
computer printers (relatively speaking, of
course); no protocols other than the RS232
and Centronics communications standards
were used to connect printers to the
processor units. It was into these turbulent
waters that Roland DG (the renamed AMDEK
Corporation) launched their first
four products. These were the
DXY 100R plotter, the CMU 800R
CompuMusic, the CMU810
monosynth, and the ADA 200R
A-D-A converter (the first two of
One-finger synth-pop in a box. Clearly
from the same design stable as the
SH101, the MC202 offered sequencing
facilities and a monosynth in
a compact, fun-to-use package.
140 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
monosynths using the CMU 800R as a secondary
interface. At the same time, the modules clock
input and output provided synchronisation with
drum machines and other sequencers, and
another box the CMU802 CompuSync
added Sync 24 and tape sync. Another synth in
the series, the CMU810, looked very similar but
was a variation on the SH101 monosynth.
Nowadays, its most unlikely that you will find
a CMU 800R or a CMU802 in working order, not
because the units have failed, but because they
have became separated from their interface cards
and software. Nonetheless, we should not
overlook the CMU 800R. It was the first sound
module to provide multitimbral voicing,
independent outputs for each section, control
over other synthesizers, and sequencing. As such,
it occupies a unique and important place in
history.
which are pictured above).
The plotter was quite a breakthrough in
its price/performance ratio, severely
undercutting the Hewlett Packards that had
previously dominated the market. But far
from focussing purely on the engineering
applications that were the raison dtre of
plotters, Roland DG suggested that the DXY
100R could be used for scoring music. No
doubt true in principle, this would have
been a nightmare in practice, and I doubt
that it was ever used in this way.
Alongside this, the A-D-A was designed
for industrial applications rather than digital
audio, although the literature made it clear
that Roland envisaged it being used as part
of a music system. But with just eight-bit
resolution, a maximum sample rate of
44kHz (not the 44.1kHz adopted for the CD
standard the previous year) and harsh
anti-aliasing filters that limited the
bandwidth to much less than 16kHz, it was
clearly not suitable for audio use.
In retrospect, while none of Roland DGs
Roland DGs DXY100R plotter, as seen on a 1983 flyer.
On the left is the CMU 800R, which was included on the
same brochure. Of course, no-one used these for
musical purposes, as had been intended but they
paved the way for greater things.
first family of products was a huge success,
they were all products of some remarkable
forward-thinking. Think about it
a multitimbral module with digital
oscillators, a digital converter, and a scoring
plotter, all available as long ago as 1983.
Their significance should not be
underestimated.
Before moving on, one more product
from 1983 deserves mention. Its not the
MC202 Micro Composer, which was a super
little synthesizer/sequencer based on the
SH101. Nor was it the SDE series of digital
delays, which still attract a surprising
following. It was the last of Rolands
analogue drum machines. Or rather, the last
Roland drum machine to include analogue
sound generation. It was the
analogue/digital hybrid, the TR909 Rhythm
Composer.
One of the first Roland instruments to be
equipped with MIDI, the TR909 combined
The first Roland rhythm composer to include samples
alongside those classic analogue drum sounds, the
TR909 became the drum machine for house music
a few years after its 1983 release, mainly because it
was so cheap by then!
analogue sound generation of its drum
sounds with digital samples for its cymbal
and hi-hat sounds. With a powerful
sequencer that let you chain 96 patterns
into songs of up to 896 measures,
numerous controls that let you tailor the
sounds, and extras such as shuffle and flam,
it undoubtedly sounded more realistic than
its predecessors, and was moderately
successful, even though the advent of
purely sample-based drum modules would
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
soon cause its demise. But, like the TR808
before it, nobody could have predicted the
reverence in which the TR909 would
eventually come to be held.
1984
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
Bass Super Cubes 40/60/100.
JC120H Jazz Chorus Head.
JC77 Jazz Chorus.
Spirit 10A, 25A, 40A guitar amplifiers.
SRA4800, SRA2400 and SRA1200.
Super Cubes 40/60/100.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BX800 eight-channel stereo mixer.
CE300 Super Chorus.
DB66 Dr Beat.
DF2 Super Feedback & Distortion.
DM3 Delay.
DSD2 Digital Sampler/Delay.
PH2 Super Phaser.
GUITAR SYNTHS
G707 GR guitar controller.
GR700 guitar synth unit.
PIANOS
HP20 Piano Plus.
HP350 Piano Plus.
HP450 Piano Plus.
MKS10 Planet P.
SEQUENCERS
MRC APL, MCP APL MIDI
composer/recorder software for Apple IIe.
MRE IPC recorder for IBM PC.
MSQ100 MIDI digital keyboard recorder.
MSQ700 MIDI/DCB multitrack digital
keyboard recorder.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
TR707 Rhythm Composer.
ROLAND DG PRODUCTS
DXY101.
DXY800.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Juno 106 polysynth.
JX8P polysynth.
MKB1000 MIDI keyboard controller.
MKB300 MIDI keyboard controller.
MKS30 Planet S synth module.
MKS80 Super Jupiter synth module.
MPG80 programmer for MKS80.
MPU401 MIDI processing unit.
OP8M CV/MIDI interface for MC8.
PG200 programmer for
JX3P/MKS30/GR700.
PG800 programmer for JX8P.
SBX80 sync box.
If Yamahas dominance of the synthesizer
market was causing Roland any harm, it
didnt show in 1984. Rolands affordable
analogue/digital hybrid synths were selling
well, the company had passed the
$100,000,000 turnover mark, and they were
steaming ahead with a slew of superb
releases in all its major product areas.
Most significantly, there was the worlds
first system of controller keyboards and
sound modules, the MKB and MKS series
(see the box above). There were also two
142 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
Milestone: Master Keyboards & MIDI Modules
In 1984, Roland pioneered a form of
music production that we now take for
granted, splitting the synthesizer into two
parts: the worlds first dedicated MIDI
controller keyboards (the MKB1000 and
MKB300) and a family of smart, 2U
rackmount sound modules (the MKS10
Planet P piano module, the MKS30
Planet S synth module, and the MKS80
Super Jupiter synth module).
The controllers were beautifully
designed, differing only in the number of
keys provided: 88 wooden, weighted keys
on the former, and 76 semi-weighted synth-action
keys on the latter. Both offered two zones, patch
selection from 1 to 128, variable velocity
sensitivity, transposition, pitch-bend and
modulation, multiple MIDI Outs, and dual pedal
inputs for the Upper and Lower zones. The only
thing that they lacked was pressure sensitivity,
but that hasnt stopped a handful of MKB1000s
remaining in service to this day.
The worlds first MIDI piano module, the
MKS10 was the baby of the rackmounts, in
facilities if not in size and quality. With just 16
analogue sounds, divided into four each of piano,
clavi, harpsichord and electric piano, it was
enlivened by onboard chorus/flanging and
tremolo effects. Two years before the arrival of
truly realistic electronic piano sounds, it proved
to be an interesting module, and one that still
produces a small range of distinctive, and
surprisingly useable, sounds.
Much more interesting was the MKS30, which
was in essence a velocity-sensitive JX3P with an
increased memory (an earlier version, the MKS3,
was perhaps the worlds first MIDI module, but
never made it into production). Then there was
the MKS80 Super Jupiter, the last and most
powerful incarnation of the Jupiter series. This
delivered everything that the Jupiter 6 had not:
velocity and pressure sensitivity, more memories,
and improved modulation capabilities. There were
superb new synths, the Juno 106 and,
although few remember it as such today, the
replacement for the Jupiter 8, the JX8P.
The Juno 106 looked quite different from
its older brethren, and the changes were
more than skin deep. Firstly, it offered
a remarkable MIDI implementation that
allowed players to record and sequence
movements of the programming controls
themselves. Secondly, the number of
patches leapt from 56 to 128, and there was
also the introduction of Rolands
now-standard left/right/push performance
lever for pitch-bend and modulation. Not
everything was roses the Juno 106 lost
Due to strong sales on
its release, many Juno
106 synths are still in
use in studios today.
Once MIDI had provided a standard way to
trigger and control synths thoroughly, there was
nothing to to stop the controller-keyboard and
sound-generating parts of synths being housed
in separate products hence the arrival in 1984
of , for example, the MKB300 master keyboard
and the MKS30 MIDI module.
eventually to be two incarnations of the MKS80,
one using proprietary Roland voicing chips, the
other with the CEM architecture of the Jupiter 6,
so arguments have raged for nearly two decades
about whether it was closer to being a souped-up
version of the JP8 or the JP6. Ultimately, these
arguments are pointless; the MKS80 was, and
remains, a hugely desirable synth, especially
when coupled to its dedicated MPG80
programmer, which gives every parameter
a dedicated knob, button or slider. The MPG80
also transmitted all your twiddles as SysEx
messages, thus making the MKS/MPG
combination one of the first analogue synths (the
other was the Juno 106) that allowed you to
sequence parameter changes within a patch.
Of course, more powerful master keyboards
would soon appear, as would a host of sound
modules from every synthesizer manufacturer. But
the Roland MKB and MKS families led the way by
being the first to separate the performance tools
from the sound sources.
the Juno 60s arpeggiator and one or two
minor programming capabilities but
Roland had hit the jackpot. At just 799 in
the UK, the Juno 106 quickly became
Rolands most popular product and it
remains one of the best-selling synths of all
time.
The JX8P (also, apparently, a product of
Rolands guitar-synth factory) was never
destined for the same success and, although
it was a far more powerful and flexible
synth than the Juno, it lacked the same
degree of mass-market appeal. In part, this
was caused by Rolands eagerness to
present their new flagship keyboard synth
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 2: 1979-1985
as competition for the DX7. However, this
meant that it fell between two stools.
Despite velocity and pressure sensitivity,
and many factory presets containing the
letters D and X in succession, it could pointed the way to all the grid-based drum
never be as bright or responsive as an FM
keyboard. Yet, by appearing to sacrifice
some of the depth and richness of
traditional analogue synthesis, it lost the
allegiance of those who were looking to
Roland to continue the Jupiter series.
Furthermore, its six-voice polyphony looked
horribly limited alongside the Yamaha.
In retrospect, the relative failure of the
JX8P is a shame. Together with its PG800
programmer, it was a flexible and accessible
synth, and thanks to innovative little tricks
such as the ability to link the volume of
DCO2 to the keyboard velocity (which is
particularly useful when the oscillators are
synced) it generated a wide range of new
and powerful sounds. It also excelled at
Rolands traditional strong suits strings,
brass and pads and many of its factory
presets have remained part of the
standard synth vocabulary for the
ensuing two decades.
The other product released by the
guitar factory was a guitar synth that
used the sound engine developed for
the JX3P. This was the GR700,
sonically a huge leap forward from
the GR300, but hobbled by a tracking
The G707 MIDI guitar controller a product that
could only have originated in the mid-1980s!
system that was inferior to that of
the previous generation. To
accompany this, there was also
a new guitar controller.
Lovingly (or perhaps not so
lovingly) dubbed the Daleks handbag,
the G707 came in red, black and silver, and
had an unusual body shape that was said to
eliminate unwanted neck resonances. It also
sported an unconventional stabiliser that ran
from the body to the headstock and this,
Roland claimed, eliminated dead spots and
improved tracking. But despite the striking
shape of the G707, and the vastly increased
synthesis capabilities of the GR700, most
players still lamented the passing of the
GR300.
Rolands first
MIDI sequencer,
the MSQ700.
144 SOUND ON SOUND december 2004
In the field of Rhythm Composers, the
big news was Rolands first all-digital unit,
the TR707. Its large LCD made pattern
programming easier than ever before, and
machines and software programs that were
to follow. In addition, thanks to its 15 PCM
samples and velocity sensitivity over MIDI, it
was arguably the most realistic drum
machine yet released. You could even
re-map the sounds to different MIDI note
numbers; something that we now take for
granted, but which was radical at the time.
Finally, I have to mention the MSQ700.
The unmemorable name doesnt promise
much, but in fact this was the worlds first
dedicated MIDI sequencer.
1985
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
DAC15X & DAC15 guitar amps.
BOSS PRODUCTS
DC2 Dimension C.
DSD2 digital sampler/delay.
FV60 volume pedal.
HF2 Hi Band Flanger.
OD2 Turbo Over Drive.
PCB4 power supply (Microrack range).
RBF10 flanger (Microrack range).
RCL10 compressor/limiter (Microrack
range).
RDD10 digital delay (Microrack range).
RGE10 graphic EQ (Microrack range).
RPH10 phaser (Microrack range).
RPQ10 preamp/parametric EQ (Microrack
range).
EFFECTS
SDE2500 digital delay.
SRV2000 digital reverb.
GUITAR SYNTHS
G77 bass guitar controller.
GR77B bass guitar synth.
PIANOS
EP50 combo piano.
HP100 Piano Plus.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
DDR30 drum sound module.
PAD8 Octapad.
TR727 Latin Rhythm Composer.
ROLAND DG
DXY880 A3 plotter.
DXY980 A3 plotter.
DPX2000 A2 plotter.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Alpha Juno 1 polysynth.
Alpha Juno 2 polysynth.
AXIS1 Controller keyboard.
EM101 Sound Plus module.
HS60 Synth Plus 60.
Juno 106S polysynth.
MKB200 MIDI keyboard controller.
MKS7 Super Quartet.
MPU101 MIDI/CV converter.
MPU103 filter/converter.
MPU104 MIDI selector.
MPU105 MIDI output selector.
PG300 programmer.
SBX10 sync box/converter.
In 1985, Roland established their first
joint-venture company for three years (in
New Zealand), and Roland DG took their first
independent steps towards becoming an
international corporation in their own right
by establishing their first joint venture,
Roland DG Benelux. But as far as products
were concerned, it was a year of evolution
rather than revolution, as the company built
upon existing product ranges rather than
releasing radical new ones. For example, the
Juno technology was re-used in four new
products: the Juno 106S (a Juno 106 with
speakers), the HS60 Synth Plus (which was
also a Juno 106 with speakers!), the EM101
desktop sound module, and the MKS7
rackmount module, of which more in the
box on the far right.
Likewise, the JX8P sound engine was
recycled in a bass guitar synthesizer, the
GR77B. This had its own controller, the G77,
which also featured a stabiliser bar and was
clearly a slightly larger partner to the G707
launched the previous year.
Roland were also expanding their range
of rhythm products. They had announced
the previous year that they were entering
the market for full-sized electronic drum
kits, but development of these had clearly
been slower than expected. When the PAD8
Octapad arrived, it was not a kit, but rather
a single unit divided into eight sections,
each of which transmitted a MIDI note
number. The pads offered programmable
velocity sensitivity, minimum velocity, and
gate times, which appealed to real
drummers, and the Octapad soon became
a fixture in the kits of the rich and famous.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said of
the DDR30 sound module that partnered it.
Offering just four variations on each of six
sounds kick drum, snare drum, and four
tom-toms it was far too limited, and
disappeared almost without trace.
Elsewhere, there was another keyboard
controller, the MKB200, Rolands first
sling-on MIDI keyboard controller, the
AXIS1, plus a plethora of useful little MIDI
boxes. Originally part of the Boss stable,
these first appeared as the Boss MI-10
MIDI/CV converter, the MI-30
filter/converter, the MI-40 MIDI selector, and
the MI-50 output selector. However, once
adopted by Roland, they became
world-famous as the MPU101, MPU103,
MPU104 and MPU105.
Another Boss product range worthy of
note, the Microrack series was a neat
combination of half-width units that you
could mount side-by-side on a dedicated
tray, the RAP10, or in their own miniature
rack, the BMR5. In addition to the PCB4
power supply, there were initially six units
in the range. These offered compression,

Some of Bosss
Microrack series
of affordable
studio
problem-solvers.
The format was
a hit, and Boss
returned several
times to the
half-rack idea
over the years.
limiting, EQ, delay, phasing and flanging.
Never as successful as the stomp boxes,
these nonetheless spawned further series of
half-width modules that became mainstays
of the Boss range.
Roland also showed their intention to
compete at the upper end of the market for
digital effects by releasing the SRV2000
reverb and the SDE2500 delay, which have
remained popular to this day.
But perhaps the biggest news of the year
was the demise of the enormously
successful Juno synthesizers and their
replacement by two new low-cost
keyboards, the Alpha Juno 1 and Juno 2.
The Juno 1 was the baby of the pair, with
a four-octave keyboard that was neither
velocity nor pressure sensitive. In contrast,
the Juno 2 had a five-octave keyboard with
both. Both models offered many
improvements over the original Junos, with
new programming and performance
capabilities, backlit screens, an external
programmer (the PG300) and, on the Juno 2,
a cartridge slot for storing patches.
Sonically, they were very different from
their predecessors, with sophisticated DCOs
that offered 14 basic waveforms including
pulse-width modulation of both the pulse
and sawtooth waves, and six sub-oscillator
options. Many of these additional
waveforms were harmonically complex, and
they made possible timbres that sounded
more digital than any previous Roland
The Divergence Of Roland DG
In 1985, Roland DG moved from Osaka to
Hamamatsu, and entered two decades of growth
that would see it open subsidiaries in Belgium
(1985), Australia (1988), the USA (1990), and
the UK (2002). However, its products moved
further and further from the music industry during
that time; while you could argue that a small X/Y
plotter could be used musically (for scoring) the
same is not true for the larger DPX2000 plotter
released that year. Nor is it true for the modelling
machines, high-precision cutters, thermal-transfer
printers, wide-format ink-jet printers, and 3D
Milestone: The MKS7
Although Roland released numerous
products in 1985, many of which
remain popular well into the 21st
century, their most significant
product was probably one of the least known; the
MKS7 Super Quartet rackmount module.
An unassuming box supplied originally in black
and soon after in ivory in which form it was
designed to match a PC case, and came without
rack ears this was almost certainly the worlds
first integrated, multitimbral MIDI sound module.
OK, the Yamaha TX816 had appeared a year
earlier, but this was a modular system comprising
a case and space for up to eight TF1 synth
modules. In contrast, the MKS7 was a single unit
that offered four sections with independent
outputs: a duophonic lead synth, a monophonic
bass synth, and a four-voice polyphonic synth
(hence the name 2+1+4 = MKS7) plus a drum
machine with 11 PCM sounds drawn from the
TR707. If this specification looks familiar, it is.
The MKS7 was a more powerful version of the
CMU 800R.
However, unlike the CMU, the MKS7 was
useful, with 100 lead and polysynth sounds
generated by the superb Juno 106 synthesis
engine. The bass section drew upon a further 20
sounds produced by a subset of the Juno
specification. There was even a Whole mode
that combined the almost identical lead and poly
synthesizer. Nevertheless, the Alphas
retained the original Junos ability to mix
a pulse wave, a sawtooth and
a sub-oscillator for lush analogue sounds.
Unfortunately, their filters were unable to
self-oscillate, so several traditional Juno
sounds became unobtainable. Nonetheless,
both synths excelled at orchestral and string
patches, brass ensembles, and pads. They
also produced some remarkably useable
lead patches, surprisingly good organs,
a range of bright, percussive and FM-esque
sounds, and some very fat basses. Overall,
the Alphas were excellent packages, but the
world appeared unmoved and, despite
healthy sales, they were never held in as
high regard as their predecessors. However,
they did achieve something noteworthy. In
March 1986, they were the first Roland
scanners that would appear over the ensuing
years.
Today, Roland DG is a significant corporation
in its own right, listed on the Tokyo Stock
Exchange, with numerous joint ventures and even
a subsidiary of its own, the Modeling R
Corporation, in Japan. But despite the Roland
Corporation retaining approximately 66 percent of
the shares in Roland DG, it had by 1986 diverged
so far from Sound On Sounds area of interest
that well be saying no more about the company
in this history.
sections (the lead section included a noise
generator that the poly section lacked) into
a single six-voice polysynth, just like the Juno
106 itself. And, if you fancied a challenge, you
could even attempt to play the 11 percussion
sounds from combinations of the numeric keypad
and the transpose button.
The MKS7 was not just a preset machine, and
although it offered no onboard sound storage, it
had a voice buffer that you could edit using
a Juno 106 or HS60, storing the results as SysEx
on an external device. You could even edit it from
the front panel in Engineering Mode, typing the
parameter number on the numeric keypad and
using one of the sliders to alter the value. But its
real secret was velocity sensitivity. Both the VCF
and VCA responded to MIDI Velocity, thus making
the MKS7 the only dynamic incarnation of the
original Juno sound engine.
Unfortunately, Roland never marketed the
MKS7 as a professional synthesizer, relegating it
to the role of a domestic or educational product.
As a result, it was popular in schools and, in
Japan, as a karaoke machine. However, amongst
synth enthusiasts and the pro-audio community, it
has remained largely unregarded since the day it
was released.
products to be reviewed in a certain
UK-based hi-tech music magazine, which
had started publication five months earlier.
Epilogue
In 1979, Ikutaro Kakehashi published his
own translation of a book called Synthesis,
which had been written three years earlier
by Herb Deutsch of Moog Music. At the
time, Moog Music was still an icon of
synthesizer design and manufacture, even
though Bob Moog himself had left the
company some years earlier. But, by 1985,
Moog had gone out of business, whereas
Kakehashis Roland Corporation had
struggled against a tide of digital synthesis
to become and remain one of the dominant
forces in synth manufacture. Nonetheless, it
was obvious to everyone customers
included that Roland could not maintain
their position for much longer if they
remained wedded to analogue technology.
Inevitably, Ikutaro Kakehashi had
recognised this long before, and the wheels
had been turning in the research
laboratories of Hamamatsu for some years.
It was time for something new, and 1986
was to be a turning point for Roland, in
terms of both its product lines and its
corporate structure. It was also to mark the
start of a golden age for the company, one
that would last for half a decade until the
recession of the early 1990s. So thats where
well pick up the story next month.
december 2004 SOUND ON SOUND 145
Gordon Reid

I
n the first two parts of this history,
Designing
The Future
I charted the rise of Roland from humble
beginnings in 1972, through a financial
crisis in 1981, and then showed how they
survived the middle years of the 1980s by
offering attractively priced analogue/digital
hybrid synthesizers, as well as a diverse
range of amplifiers, effects, guitar synths,

The History Of Roland

and even computer plotters. This month,
well see what happened when Roland
jumped onto the digital bandwagon, and
enjoyed what proved to be a golden age for
the company. Part 3 1986-1991
1986
Roland made their name with analogue synths and
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS effects, but by the mid-1980s, they needed to go digital
DAC15B bass amp.
BOSS PRODUCTS
to remain competitive. It was a leap into the unknown
CS3 Compression Sustainer.
DD3 digital delay.
for the company but it ushered in a golden era...
DR DRP I, DRP II, DRP III Dr Pad.
DR220A and DR220E Dr Rhythm.
In 1986, the world was gripped by FM fever what-have-you to a single note.
DSD3 digital sampler/delay.
FT2 dynamic filter. and Roland lacked a flagship synth. The Unfortunately, it was still overshadowed by
RCE10 digital chorus/ensemble Jupiter 8 was gone, and the six-note Yamahas DX synths, a point not lost on
(Microrack system). polyphony of the JX8P looked dismal when Rolands president, Ikutaro Kakehashi who,
RDD20 digital delay (Microrack system). compared to the 32-note capabilities of in his autobiographical book I Believe In
ROD10 overdrive/distortion (Microrack Yamahas DX1 and DX5. There was only one Music, admits that he had to work hard to
system).
thing to do. The industry had long embraced maintain the morale of his partners, which
RPS10 digital pitch-shifter/delay
(Microrack system).
the two identical synths in a box concept, was in danger of being swept away on a tide
RSD10 digital sampler/delay (Microrack so Roland competed against two DX7s in of FM synthesis.
system). a six-octave keyboard by releasing two Alongside the JX10, there was the
EFFECTS JX8Ps in a six-octave keyboard. The result MKS70, a Super JX10 in modular form, which
DEP5 multi-effects. was the inappropriately numbered Super offered all the facilities of the keyboard
GUITAR SYNTHESIS PRODUCTS
JX10; possibly the holder of the Last Great version, with one notable difference it was
FC100 foot controller.
Analogue Polysynth award. capable of saving and loading patches over
GK1 synthesizer driver.
GM70 GR-to-MIDI converter The JX10 was a superbly playable MIDI. Nevertheless, when all was said and
PIANOS instrument that you could play in Whole done, this was simply repackaged JX8P
HP2000, HP3000, HP4500, HP5500,
HP5600 domestic pianos. Rolands last great synth to incorporate analogue
MKS20 digital piano module. technology, the Super JX10.
RD1000, RD200, RD250S, RD300 stage
pianos.
RHYTHM MACHINES
CR1000 digital drummer. The rack version of the JX10, the MKS70.
TR505 Rhythm Composer.
SAMPLERS (12-voice) mode, or Split
MKS100 digital sampling module. mode (two six-voice
S10 keyboard sampler.
synths), or as a layered
S50 keyboard sampler.
SEQUENCERS
six-voice synth. This was
MC500 Micro Composer. possible because the guts
MRC APL sequencer for Apple II and IIe. of a JX10 were truly two JX8P motherboards, technology. Likewise, 1986 was the year in
MRE IPC sequencer for IBM PC. plus a third board that controlled them and which Roland released a range of
SYNTHS & HI-TECH added a handful of additional synthesis repackaged Alpha Junos. These were the
HS10 (Synth Plus 10).
facilities. Consequently, it offered huge MKS50, an enhanced Alpha Juno 2 in a 1U
HS80 (Synth Plus 80).
pads, brasses, strings, lead sounds, and rackmount module, and the HS10 and HS80,
JX10 Super JX.
MKS50 module. monstrous basses... in fact, everything repackaged Juno 1s and Juno 2s with built-in
MKS70 Super JX module. a super-synth should. Indeed, when invoked amplifiers and speakers.
PG300 programmer. on a Super JX10, the JX8Ps Mono1 mode Elsewhere, more products ploughed

assigned all 24 oscillators, filters and existing furrows, but Roland also doubled

january 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 139

 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991
the size of the Boss Microrack range, and
launched their first digital multi-effects unit,
the DEP5. For guitarists, there was the GK1
pickup and GM70 guitar-to-MIDI converter,
which as well catering for Rolands own
G-series controllers removed the need for
a dedicated guitar synth, and allowed
players to control MIDI modules from their
favourite guitars. All of this was good stuff,
but none of it was going to take the world
by storm. Fortunately, something far more
significant was happening elsewhere: this
was the year that the company went truly
digital. However, Rolands first digital
keyboards were not synthesizers; they were
samplers and pianos.
By the end of 1985, sampling had been
The GK1 pickup and GM70 converter unit
combination freed MIDI-savvy guitarists from
having to use Rolands guitar synths for the first
time, allowing users to connect and trigger any
MIDI module from their guitars.
around for six years. The affordable end of
the market was dominated by the Ensoniq
Mirage, while Kurzweil, Emu, and Fairlight
ruled the high end. But there was a large
hole in the middle and, in 1986, Roland
plugged it with not one, but three 12-bit
samplers: the S50, the S10, and a modular
version of the S10, the MKS100.
140 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005
Milestone: Structured/Adaptive Synthesis
Its sometimes hard to remember that there was
a time when it was impossible to synthesize
a realistic acoustic piano sound. In fact, it was as
recently as 1984 that Kurzweil demonstrated that
it was possible to imitate the piano using
PCM-based synthesis. However, the K250 was
expensive and, while some players loved its
sound, few would have suggested that it was
almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Two
years later, Roland changed all that
When the SAS system appeared, it was
a revelation. With more than 30 keyboard zones
differentiated not just by pitch and brightness,
but also by individual formant structures and
string enharmonicities, it was far superior to any
straightforward sample-replay system. For the
first time, you could recreate acoustic and
electronic pianos on a range of stage
instruments, and most realistically of all on
the range of domestically styled Roland Digital
Pianos.
Of these, the most celebrated was the
RD1000 stage piano. Famously adopted by Elton
John, this featured a superb 88-note weighted,
wooden keyboard housed in a stylish case,
accompanied by a stylish pedal unit, and
supported by an even more stylish chrome and
black stand (the KS11), all of which looked and
sounded as good as anything since. It offered just
eight voices, but you could tweak these with
a three-band EQ, and add chorus and tremolo,
storing the results in a further 56 memories, or to
64 memories in an M16C cartridge. The
polyphony was stingy by todays standards just
16 voices for the acoustic pianos, and 12 for the
The S50 was the pro instrument, and
featured a number of innovations such as
96dB-per-octave anti-aliasing filters and the
type of graphical operating system
previously associated only with instruments
that boasted external processing units,
QWERTY keyboards and computer displays.
It was also, perhaps, the first affordable
keyboard that was upgradeable by the
simple process of loading new OS software,
and one of the first to offer a software
sequencer (the SYS503) which was,
apparently, the result of a home project by
one of
Rolands
software
engineers.
As an
Rolands S-series
samplers
innovatively offered
monitor output
options, so you
could attach a
monitor and a
mouse to make
editing and
keygrouping easier.
The RD1000 was a big breakthrough in the
acceptance of digital piano technology. Even
Elton John used one live on stage.
electric-piano emulations but par for the
course in 1986.
The same SAS system was available in a MIDI
module, the MKS20, which quickly became
a standard, but most interesting, perhaps, were
the remarkable HP-series domestic pianos, which
offered the same sounds without the editing and
memories. Instead, they came with dedicated
speaker systems built into heavy wooden cases
that emulated the resonances and rattles of
umm, heavy wooden cases.
Roland discontinued the original SAS sound
generator in 1990, replacing it with Advanced SA
Synthesis, and then replacing it again in 1996
with a 64-voice stereo implementation. Coupled
to improved acoustic design for the
domestic/concert pianos and, more recently,
a genuine hammer action, these developments
have kept Roland at the forefront of the digital
piano market for nearly two decades.
instrument, the S50 was 16-voice
polyphonic, multitimbral, velocity- and
pressure-sensitive, and offered splits, layers,
and velocity crossfading. Whats more, as
well as offering digital filters, amplifiers and
envelopes that allowed you to manipulate
samples at the point of replay, it provided
a limited form of resynthesis that made it
possible to manipulate the sample data
itself. There was also a superb library
supplied on 3.5-inch diskettes, and many of
these sounds have remained in use to this
day.
The S50 should have been a winner, and
the speed and elegance of its operating
system should have ensured that it became
the industry standard. Unfortunately, Roland
had come to the market just a little too late.
Akai launched their S900 rackmount
sampler the same year, and although this
was less slick, it established itself as the de
facto standard. Consequently, the first
question asked by many prospective S50
customers became, is it Akai-compatible?
Since it was not, the S50 was doomed to be
an also-ran.
Given the power of the S50, the
existence of the S10 is a mystery. It was not
only more limited than its big brother
which, given their respective price-points,
is hardly surprising but it felt as if it had
been designed and programmed by
a different company. It also sported
non-standard 2.8-inch Quick Discs,
a horrible experiment in low-cost drives that
were excruciatingly slow and of much more
limited storage capacity. Unlike the S50, the
S10 and the MKS100 deserve their
ignominy.
Elsewhere, the company had used their
mastery of sampling and digital technology
to develop a resynthesis system that they
called SAS or Structured/Adaptive
Synthesis (see the box opposite) This was
not a simple sample-playback system.
Instead, Rolands engineers had sampled
and analysed the timbre of various
instruments but primarily acoustic pianos
at many pitches and loudnesses, and
designed an algorithm that resynthesized
the necessary harmonics and noises each
time you played a note. For the first time,
SAS made it possible to synthesize a grand
piano with remarkable accuracy, and it
provided the engine for a huge range of
electronic pianos. Indeed, some acoustic
piano manufacturers felt so threatened by
Rolands flagship HP5500 and HP5600 that
they complained when the company used
the word piano to describe them, fearing
that it would confuse prospective
purchasers (this paralleled a similar
response to Laurens Hammonds use of the
word organ, and the US Federal Trade
Commissions assertion in 1937 that the
Model A and AB should be classified as
electrotones, because they did not have
pipes!). Kakehashi responded by adding the
word digital to every Roland Digital Piano,
sold thousands of them, and everybody was
happy especially the customers.
Another milestone was reached with the
launch of the MC500 Micro Composer. The
follow-up to the MSQ700, this five-track
MIDI sequencer offered a far larger memory
and greatly enhanced editing capabilities.
Initially marketed alongside the HP5500 and
MKS7 as part of the Roland MPU Music
System, it spawned a series of stand-alone
products, and its derivatives would later
Sturdy, quick to use and reliable, the MC500 was
the hardware sequencer of choice for many
mid-to-late-80s keyboard players.
provide the sequencing power for
Rolands keyboard workstations.
On the corporate front, Kakehashi
was again active, adding Roland Italy
S.p.A. and the Roland Taiwan
Electronic Music Corporation to his
growing list of joint ventures. The second
of these is today an important ingredient
in Rolands worldwide manufacturing
capability.
1987
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS & MIXERS
DAC 15D and DAC 15XD guitar amps.
M160 16-channel rackmount mixer.
M240 24-channel mixer.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BF2B bass flanger.
CE2B bass chorus.
DS2 Turbo Distortion.
FV50H volume pedal.
FV50L volume pedal.
GE7B bass EQ.
LM2 limiter.
MZ2 Digital Metaliser.
NS2 noise suppressor.
PS2 digital pitch-shifter/delay.
RPD10 digital panning delay.
RRV10 digital reverb.
RV2 digital reverb.
EFFECTS
DEP3 reverb/delay.
FC100 foot controller.
GP8 guitar effects processor.
SDE3000A digital delay.
PIANOS
HP600.
HP700.
HP800.
HP6000S.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
MDS1 stand for PD pads.
PD11 bass-drum pad.
PD21 snare/tom pad.
PD31 snare/tom pad.
PM16 pad-to-MIDI interface.
TR626 Rhythm Composer.
SAMPLERS
S220 sampling module.
S550 sampling module.
SEQUENCERS
PR100 sequencer.
SYS503 Director S software sequencer
for the S50 sampler.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
A110 MIDI display.
D50 synthesizer.
D550 synth module.
EV5 expression pedal.
MPD4 MIDI pad.
MT32 expander module.
PG1000 programmer for D50 and D550.
VP70 Voice Processor.
If 1986 had been a landmark year, it also
marked the passing of Rolands analogue
era. The Jupiter range had been
discontinued in 1985 and, while the
companys analogue/digital hybrid synths
For a year before the release
of the Korg M1, Roland ruled
the synth roost with the D50
workstation (seen here with
its optional PG1000
programmer), which became
the must-have keyboard
successor to Yamahas DX7.
continued to sell well, 1986 was in terms
of product launches the swansong for
these, too. Digital sampling and synthesis
was the way forward, and Kakehashi knew
it. So 1987 was to be the one in which
Rolands developments in digital technology
really bore fruit.
The company continued to expand their
existing digital product lines, with SAS
pianos, and two further sample modules;
the S550, plus an improved version of the
MKS100, the MKS220. But these were as
nothing compared to the impact of a new
Roland synth. In retrospect, 1987 was about
one thing, around which all else paled, not
just for Roland, but for all keyboard
manufacturers and players. It was the year
in which Roland redefined the concept of the
synthesizer. It was the year of the D50.
To dispense with the mundane, the D50
offered what had become Rolands standard
keyboard fare: velocity and aftertouch
sensitivity, with splits and layers. It was also
expandable, with options for ROM and RAM
cards, a good MIDI implementation,
a programmer, and eventually third-party
expansion boards that extended its range of
sounds and facilities. But there was another
reason why the D50 was a sensation,
toppling the DX7 from the throne it had
occupied for four years. It sounded
fantastic. For more reasons why, see the
box on the next page on LA synthesis.
The enormous popularity of the D50
caused a whole support industry to spring
up, and soon there were voice cards,
libraries, and powerful editors available for
it. For many owners, it was unnecessary to
learn how to program the instrument they
simply plugged in their favourite sounds
and played. However, for those with the
courage to dabble, Roland offered an
analogue-style control surface, the PG1000.
With this attached, the D50 avoided the trap
into which Yamahas occasionally
impenetrable FM programming system had
fallen. LA Synthesis, the technology that
powered the D50, not only sounded
amazing it made digital synthesis
accessible again.
Roland capitalised upon the success and
january 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 141
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991

Milestone: LA Synthesis The Birth Of S&S

Roland described the D50s Linear
Arithmetic Synthesis engine as
A new universe of sound beyond the
limits of conventional synthesis. For
once, the hyperbole was justified. The
D50 and D550 produced sounds that
nobody had heard before.
The first half of the secret was the
invention of the technique now known
as sample and synthesis, or S&S.
Rolands engineers had discovered
that much of the information that we
use to identify and categorise
a sound is contained in its first few
hundred milliseconds. They reasoned,
therefore, that synthesized sounds
would be more realistic if they had
snippets of the attack portions of
real instruments before the
conventional synthesis waveforms.
So the D50 contained a ROM that
held 100 PCM samples. Although
these were very short by todays
standards, they enabled the D50 to
produce imitative sounds that were
far snappier, interesting and
convincing than those from any
previous synthesizer. Furthermore, LA
synthesis provided two simultaneous
tone generators each comprising
a PCM snippet and what was
probably the first virtual-analogue
synth architecture and you could
combine each pair of these in any of
seven Structures that determined
how they interacted and were mixed.
The second thing that made the
D50 unique was the inclusion of
a digital chorus and delay/reverb
unit. With 32 different types of delay
and reverb effects, the D50 was the
first synth that sounded lush and
produced without the need for
expensive external effects.
Many of the D50s factory sounds
became overnight standards, almost
immediately appearing on every CD
and in every lift around the world.
Fantasia was everywhere, and has
appeared on almost every Roland
synth since. Likewise,
DigitalNativeDance, Soundtrack,
OK Chorale, Nightmare, Glass
Voices and Intruder FX became
staples of the modern sonic palette.
But none of the ensuing copies has
ever sounded quite like the original.
The D50 had a unique character,
never since emulated even by
Roland.

growing reputation of LA Synthesis and,
later in the year, the MT32 appeared.
Designed for home use alongside an electric
piano or MIDI home keyboard, this used
a much more limited form of LA synthesis,
and its sound was in no way comparable to
the real thing. Unfortunately, Roland were
rather naughty with the MT32 and its
successors, advertising them in an
ambiguous way that implied that they
contained the D50s synthesis engine.
I think that this was a significant mistake,
and it may have backfired badly. If you had
heard an MT32 in 1987 and thought that
this was the sound of Rolands flagship
synth, you would have wondered what all
the fuss was about.
Had it not been for the D50, we might
now remember 1987 as the year in which
was the PM16 Pad/MIDI interface, which
offered 16 inputs catering for both the pads
and acoustic triggering. Hooked up to one
of Rolands samplers, or the DDR30, or one
of the MIDI-equipped Rhythm Composers,
the results could be surprisingly good,
although it was to be another five years
before Roland made electronic kits
completely self-contained, and good enough
to fool listeners into thinking that they were
listening to a real kit.
This was also the year in which Roland
established the Roland Tech Corporation,
a largely unseen company that designs and
builds the cabinetry for the more expensive
Roland products, and which develops the
finishes for them. It was also the year in
which Roland bought the Rhodes trademark
(see the box on the next page).
a majority shareholding in the Italian
company SIEL (see the box below). One of
a group of keyboard companies established
on the Adriatic coast of Italy, SIEL had built
ensemble keyboards for ARP and Sequential,
selling them under their own name as the
Orchestra (1980) and Orchestra 2 (1982).
They also manufactured two analogue
synths, the Cruise and Mono (1981) and
three ghastly electronic pianos, the Quattro
and PX (1983), and the PX Jr (1984). The
companys polysynths were also less than
rapturously received. The Opera 6 (1983)
might have been a success, but numerous
versions some with VCOs, some with
DCOs confused everybody. Following
that, the DK series (1984-1987) eventually
numbered four keyboard synths and three
expanders, which were universally

Roland introduced their first MIDI percussion Fender Rhodes and Rhodes instruments
system. You constructed your kit using had dominated the market for electric
a combination of PD21 or PD31 snare/tom pianos for more than 20 years, first under
pads (the latter of which offered four the ownership of CBS, and more recently
outputs the main pad and three edges for under the personal ownership of the head of
rimshots and so on) and PD11 bass drum CBS, William Schultz. However, the heyday
pads, all mounted on the MDS1 drum frame. of the electro-mechanical
The heart of the system piano had passed,
hastened in
no small
measure by
Rolands
SAS
technology. So
Kakehashi purchased the Rhodes
name from Schultz, no doubt with the
intention of combining Rolands piano
technology with one of the most famous
trademarks in the music industry. On paper,
it must have been a great plan. Two years
later, it would seem less so.
Not content with his acquisition of
Rhodes, 1987 also saw Kakehashi buy
A contemporary brochure (left) showing Rolands first foray
into complete electronic drum pad systems. Above: the
optional DDR30 module was one of the possible sources of
drum samples for the trigger pads.
unsuccessful, no doubt because companies
SIEL & Roland Europe
Why Kakehashi bought SIEL is not clear.
Whatever the reason, 1987 saw production of
all SIEL products cease, and its name slipped
quietly into oblivion. The following year, the
company was re-established as Roland
Europe SpA, and in June 1996, following
an Italian government scheme that offered
preferential tax treatment for publicly traded
companies, it became a listed company on
the Milan stock exchange. Nowadays, Roland
Europe operates from five plants and employs
more than 250 staff. It is the centre of the
Roland Groups European research,
development and production, designing and
building products such as digital pianos,
organs, MIDI controllers, sound modules and
amplifiers. But it is best known for the E-, G-
and VA-series Arranger keyboards that would
start to appear the year after acquisition.
Together with the HP-series digital pianos,
the KR-series Intelligent Pianos, and the
C-series harpsichords, these would form the
backbone of Rolands Contemporary
Keyboards division, which was destined to
become one of the most important elements
within the Roland empire.

142 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005

 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991

electric piano. Today, ISM is used

A Very Concise History Of Rhodes
Born in 1910, Harold Rhodes was just 20
when he found himself running a chain of
piano schools across the USA. A little over
a decade later, he was asked to provide
music therapy for wounded soldiers, and
designed a small piano using cut-down aluminium
pipes as the sound sources. It was a big success,
and many thousands of Rhodes pianos were
manufactured during the latter stages of World
War II.
Following the war, Rhodes established the
Rhodes Piano Corporation, and launched a strung,
3.5-octave instrument named the Pre-Piano.
However, this proved to be unreliable, so, in
1949, he invented a piano that used a form of
tuning fork as its sound source. He built
a 72-note instrument and demonstrated this
widely, attracting the attention of Leo Fender,
who was so impressed that he bought into the
company. Unfortunately, Fender was not
impressed enough to build the full-range pianos
that Rhodes was developing so, from 1959 to
1964, the Piano Bass was the only Fender
Rhodes manufactured.
News of Rhodes continuing experiments
reached CBS who, after visiting his workshop,
offered to buy Fenders stake in the company for
13 million dollars a huge sum in the mid-1960s.
Fender agreed and, in 1965, Rhodes began
manufacturing the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano,
which would remain in production for 16 years.
Other models, such as the Fender Rhodes Celeste
and the Student Piano would come and go, but
the Suitcase 73 and Stage 73, and their younger
siblings the Suitcase 88 and Stage 88 soon
became standard equipment for almost every
serious jazz and rock keyboard player in the
world.
Numerous technical upgrades followed, with
improvements to the hammer tips and tone bars,
and new electronics, amplifiers and speaker
systems. In 1974, the name
Fender was removed,
although there were no
physical modifications
associated with this other
than the change of the
nameplates.
In 1979, Mark II versions
were launched, and these
are easily recognised by the
flat tops that let you place
other keyboards on top of the piano. Then, in
1980, two new models appeared: the Rhodes 54,
and the Rhodes Mk III (also called the EK10),
which was a curious hybrid of a Rhodes piano and
a primitive synthesizer.
extensively in Japan, but is perhaps less well
known in Europe and North America.
1988
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, SPEAKERS & MIXERS
DA800 & DA1500 speaker systems.
DAC10, DAC50D, DAC50XD guitar amps.
M16E 16-channel rackmount mixer.
M24E 24-channel mixer.
MA12V micro monitor.
MS30BK, MS30WH micro monitor.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BE5 multi-effects.
BX40, BX60, BX80.
Sounds of the 70s BX8 & BX16.
the Fender Rhodes DC3 Digital Space D.
electric piano. This is a MkII Suitcase model owned EV10 expression pedal.
by Cian Cirn of Super Furry Animals, photographed ME5 guitar multi-effects.
in 2001. TM3 training monitor/line driver.
TU12P chromatic tuner.
The following year, CBS bought the bankrupt EFFECTS
synth manufacturer ARP, placed the final ARP E660 digital parametric EQ.
design into production, and marketed it as the R880 digital reverb.
Rhodes Chroma. Nothing to do with Rhodes, the GC8 remote controller for R880.
Chroma was hopelessly unreliable and was a huge RE3 Digital Space Echo.
flop. HARPSICHORDS
In 1983, William Schultz, the head of CBS, C20.
bought Rhodes and, in 1984, the new company C50.
released its only product, the Rhodes Stage 73 HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
Mark V, of which three were even equipped with E10 and E20 Intelligent synths.
MIDI. Then, in 1987, Roland bought the company, PIANOS
eventually producing the Rhodes MK80, MK60, P330 piano module.
Model 760, Model 660, and VK1000. Good RHYTHM PRODUCTS
though these were, Harold Rhodes did not like PAD80 Octapad II controller.
digital instruments, and entered negotiations with SAMPLERS
Roland to buy his name back. He did so in 1997, CD5 CD-ROM player for S550.
and founded the Rhodes Music Corporation. HD5 HDD for S550.
Unfortunately, no new instruments appeared, and RC100 remote controller.
Rhodes himself died from pneumonia in 2000. S330 sampler.
S550 sampler.
SYS333 Director S sequencer for S330.
SYS553 Director S sequencer for S550.
SEQUENCERS
MC300 Micro Composer.
MC500 MkII Micro Composer.
MT100 sequencer and sound module.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
A880 MIDI patcher/mixer.
D10 LA synth.
D20 LA synth.
D110 MIDI sound module.
The VK1000 was perhaps the most impressive PG10 programmer for D10, D20, D110.
Hammond-wannabe released while Rhodes was U110 RS PCM sound module.
owned by Roland, with real drawbars. It did TEACHING LAB SYSTEM
nothing to impress Harold Rhodes, however, and TL16 mixer.
the companies eventually parted. TM3 training monitor/line driver.
TP20 Teaching Lab electronic piano.

like Roland did the same thing better.
Another important development was the
creation of Roland ISM. This was an
abbreviation of Rolands Intelligent System
of Music, a method for teaching music,
keyboard and arrangement skills using
electronic instruments. Originally based on
the HP5500, the MT32 and the PR100
sequencer, ISM used software that ranged
from providing classical exercises for
Beethoven and Grieg concertos to backing
tracks for rock & roll, jazz and funk
improvisation. ISM developed rapidly. By
1989, there was ISM software for grades I to
V of the Associated Board Grade
Examinations, a significant exercise and
ensemble library, and a Teaching Laboratory
System that allowed a teacher equipped with
a Roland TL16 system console to monitor up
to 16 pupils playing the dedicated TP20
The start of 1988 must have been a happy
time for everybody associated with Roland
because, for perhaps the first time, they
could claim to be truly at the top of their
industry. Many famous competitors had
ceased trading during the 1980s, and more
were on the verge of doing so. Furthermore,
the sheen had faded on Yamahas FM
product lines, and the world was embracing
hi-tech musical products as never before.

144 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005


A Short History Of Rodgers Organs
Although nobody was aware of it at the time,
Rodgers Organs was conceived in 1952 when
Tektronix, a huge electronics manufacturer,
decided to design oscillators for unspecified new
products such as electronic organs. It took four
years for a team including Rodgers Jenkins to
design the circuitry but, in 1957, he and fellow
engineer Fred Tinker presented a business plan
for manufacturing transistorised church organs.
Strangely, having funded the research,
Tektronix rejected the plan. The reasons were
good ones the company was fully stretched,
and the directors realised that they knew nothing
about the church organ business, so in 1958 they
funded the establishment of the Rodgers Organ
Company, placing Rodgers and Tinker in charge.
By 1959, the new company was up and
running, and numerous innovations followed. In
1961, Rodgers introduced a single-contact keying
system that simplified the multiple buss systems
used by Hammond and others and, the following
year, the company introduced the worlds first
all-transistor organ and amplifier combination.
Commercial success followed and, in 1964,
the company bought retail premises in San
Francisco to set up the first Rodgers Organ store.
Soon after, they introduced a three-manual
theatre organ, the Trio and, in 1966, they became
the first manufacturer to use logic technology
within organs. In 1968, Kakehashi visited the
companys headquarters in Oregon to try to sell
There was a boom in progress, and Roland
were at the very heart of it. Yet, far from sit
back and admire their achievements, Roland
embarked upon the most fecund year in
their history, in terms of corporate
development as well as product launches.
Having acquired Rhodes and SIEL in
1987, and having opened yet another joint
venture (this time in Switzerland) in 1988,
Kakehashi fulfilled a dream to be involved
with the design and manufacture of classical
organs. He did so by buying Rodgers
Organs, one of the worlds most respected
manufacturers of electronic, pipe and hybrid
electric/pipe organs (see the box above).
This fitted his long-term strategy very well.
them the FR1 Rhythm Ace technology for their
theatre organs, but without success.
In 1970, Rodgers left his company, but this
seemed to have no adverse effects The
following year they concluded an agreement with
an Italian pipe organ builder, and became the first
electronic organ manufacturer to represent and
sell pipe organs in the USA. The company then
turned their attention to pipe organs in general,
designing improved stopping systems and hybrid
pipe/electronic organs for chapels and small
churches.
By 1975, the company had attracted the
attention of CBS which, in 1977, purchased
Rodgers to create a music group that included
Fender, Rhodes, Steinway, Gulbransen and Leslie.
A rapid period of research and development
followed, culminating in 1980 with the worlds
first microprocessor-controlled organ and, in
1982, the companys first all-pipe organ.
In 1985, CBS decided to sell off its musical
instrument companies, and Rodgers became part
of Steinway Musical Properties. Nonetheless, the
company continued to progress, and the following
year became the first to introduce MIDI on church
organs. But, just three years later, Roland
purchased Rodgers, re-establishing it as the
Rodgers Instrument Corporation, and upgrading
its extensive manufacturing capabilities to build
Roland digital pianos and keyboards as
well as Rodgers Organs.
As well as expanding the number
of niches that Roland occupied,
this move provided established
expertise in an area not previously
addressed by Roland, and increased
manufacturing capability in the companys
largest market. Furthermore, there seems to
have been a genuine synergy between the
two companies, and this was to make it
remarkably straightforward for the two to
work together successfully.
Whats more, at least one of Kakehashis
existing purchases was already paying off.
The E10 and E20 Intelligent Synthesizers,
designed by Roland Europe, would change
our perception of auto-accompaniment
instruments forever.
Shown for the first
time at the 1988
British Music Fair, and
powered by the
MT32s cut-down LA
Sample-based synthesis
technology permitted the
development of a new wave
of intelligent arranger/
auto-accompaniment
keyboards in the late 1980s.
Roland were far from the
only players in this market,
but the E10 and E20 were
two of the first.
synthesis engine, they offered numerous
rhythm arrangements, variations, user
choices of simple or complex, fills, chord
recognition, and two-track sequencing.
Professional keyboard players and hi-tech
users tend to look down on home
keyboards, but reviewers were impressed,
and we should recognise that, with the
launch of the E series, Roland had yet again
redefined a market, raising expectations of
what new technology might make possible.
The same synthesis architecture lay at
the heart of the D10 and D20 synths, and
their rackmount equivalent, the D110.
Again, these employed the limited LA
synthesis pioneered by the MT32 so, in
comparison to the D50, they sounded
uniformly uninspiring. Nevertheless, they
and their dedicated programmer, the PG10
(which also programmed the E10 and E20)
were hugely popular. Unfortunately, the
lacklustre sounds of the D20 have allowed
its significance to be overshadowed.
Launched the same year as Korgs M1, it
incorporated a multitimbral sound source,
a multitrack sequencer (eight tracks, plus
a dedicated rhythm track), a slot for memory
The D20 was overshadowed by Korgs M1,
released the same year, but spec-wise it was just
as capable a workstation synth. It was probably
the M1s superior presets that carried the day.
cards, a digital effects unit, and a 3.5-inch
disk drive. So, although the Korg was the
superior instrument, its unfair to say that
the M1 alone defined the shape and form of
the affordable workstation. The D20 shares
this accolade, and its time that credit was
given where it is due.
Alongside their LA synths, Roland took
a sideways step that took everybody else by
surprise; they released two digital
harpsichords which, in addition to a wide
range of authentic harpsichord sounds,
produced the tones of a lute, strings, and
two pipe organs, all programmed to suit the
baroque music at which the instruments
were aimed. The difference between the C20
and C50 was in the number of legs (the C20
had one more) and the number of speakers
(the C50 had one more, with five speakers
driven by four separate amplifiers).
Designed to look and feel as authentic as
possible, both models offered a selection of
medieval and baroque temperaments that
allowed players to perform early music with
the correct tuning, and also added coupling,
bi-timbrality (you could mix the harpsichord
january 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 145
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991
The C20 and C50 digital harpsichords (of which the C50 is
pictured, right) are some of the most obscure curios in
Rolands 1980s catalogue, aimed at early-music
enthusiasts.
or lute with either the strings or one of the
organs) and a modern digital reverb.
Beautiful to play, these instruments were
only ever going to appeal to a limited
market, but their quality meant that some
very highbrow music institutions eventually
accepted them.
As for pianos, the big news came in
a small package, the P330. This underrated
module incorporated an SAS engine that was
almost identical to that of the MKS20, but
added functions such as Attack Mute (to
soften the sound for accompaniment duties)
and Release Time, as well as Sostenuto,
Half-Damping, and MIDI overflow, which
allowed you to stack eight P330s to obtain
128-note polyphony.
Equally underrated was the S330
rackmount sampler. If the S50 can be said to
have had a rackmount equivalent, it was this
1U rackmount, with the same strengths as
the earlier keyboard, plus a few extras.
Again overshadowed by Akais samplers, the
S330 set a new price/performance standard,
but was never accorded the recognition it
deserved. Instead, it was the additions for
the previous years S550 that caught the
imagination of Rolands customers. With its
associated HD5 hard disk system, the
optional SYS553 sequencing software,
a mouse, a colour monitor, a DT100
Milestone: RS PCM Synthesis
The U110 (or, rather, its unreleased prototype,
the T110) is the ancestor of almost all Rolands
synths and workstations from 1991 onwards. This
makes it one of the most significant synths ever
released. Nonetheless, the launch of the U110,
which utilised what Roland called Resynthesised
Pulse Code Modulation Synthesis (or RS PCM)
was decidedly low-key, and the product was
positioned well to the back of the companys
catalogues. Perhaps this is not surprising.
Sample-replay machines (which, of course, were
to form the backbone of all synthesis throughout
the 1990s) were not really viewed as kosher
synthesizers, so Roland positioned the U110 as
a low-cost, low-kudos MIDI rackmount for (and I
quote from Rolands publicity of the day)
musicians who prefer to use available sound
libraries rather than create their own samples.
Yet the U110 was a capable sound source.
With 99 onboard samples, four PCM card slots
(and after a while a moderately extensive
library of cards to fill them), it could provide the
backbone of many musicians requirements. It
responded to velocity and aftertouch, and was
six-part multitimbral with individual outputs for
each part. It even provided stereo chorus and
reverb, allocating two outputs as a stereo pair to
take advantage of these.
146 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005
digitising tablet and the RC100 remote
control surface, the S550 had matured into
a truly professional sampler.
Yet, despite everything else that
happened in 1988, the most significant
development was contained in another
unassuming rackmount unit. Far from
impressive, this little synth lacked all but the
most basic sound-shaping facilities, didnt
have any filters, and was too hissy for
serious use. Roland didnt even release it in
its initial form, as the T110 (shown
overleaf), but as the U110, it proved to be
the ancestor of all Rolands PCM-based
synths, including the U, JV, XP and XV
series, and you cant get much more
significant than that (for a full explanation of
the family tree, see the box below).
Another product worthy of note, but
which was never sold outside Japan, was
Musi-kun, a desktop music system
comprising a PC, software, small powered
monitors and an MT32 sound source. Long
before such combinations became the norm,
Roland yet again demonstrated their ability
to anticipate the future of hi-tech
The problem with the U110 was that its
digital-to-analogue converters were rather noisy.
This was cured in 1989 with the release of the
U220, which sounded much more high-end.
Sure, it lost a couple of its predecessors slots,
but gained a larger ROM, and offered a better
editing system. Then there was the U20, possibly
the first affordable keyboard that you could take
on stage to produce convincing piano, organ,
strings, brass, drums as well as many other
pads, effects, leads, basses and other important
sounds. Leaping from the back pages to the front
of Rolands catalogues, the U20 was a winner.
These were the only three U-series
instruments, although it was apparently only
a marketing decision that stopped the D70 from
being launched as the U70. But if the Us had
a brief life, the same cannot be said of their
descendents. When, in 1992, Roland added
a filter to the U20s RS PCM sound generator, it
became the heart of the MV30 Music Production
System, and then metamorphosed into the JD800
keyboard synthesizer. Later, the JV80 synth
appeared, and the U220 was replaced by the
JV880. And, as history shows, the JV series and
its successors, the XP and XV series, were to
become some of the most successful and widely
used synths ever produced.
music-making.
Finally, in 1988, special mention must
also be made of the DSP2000, which was
perhaps Rolands only foray into the world
of high-end domestic hi-fi. This was
a surround system that took a conventional
stereo signal and created a 3D image by
delaying part of the signal and presenting
this to a second amplifier driving a pair of
rear speakers. A common concept in todays
5.1 surround world, this type of processing
was not greeted warmly in 1988, and the
DSP2000 wasnt imported or sold in
significant quantities in the UK. For once,
Roland had proved to be just a little too far
ahead of the times.
1989
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
CPM120 II compact powered mixer.
DAC80D guitar amp.
M120 mixer.
MG80 guitar amp.
PA400 & PA200 powered mixers.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BE5B bass multi-effects.
CH1 Super Chorus.
GE131 graphic EQ.
GL100 guitar driver.
MG10 mini guitar amp.
WS100 diversity wireless system.
EFFECTS
GP16 guitar effects processor.
GS6 guitar sound system.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GK2 guitar synth pickup.
GR50 guitar synth.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
Pro E Intelligent arranger.
RA50 real-time arranger.
PIANOS
HP2500S.
Rhodes MK60.
Rhodes MK80.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
PAD5 MIDI pad controller.
R5 Human Rhythm Composer.
R8 Human Rhythm Composer.
SAMPLERS
W30 sampling workstation.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
A50 keyboard controller.
A80 keyboard controller.
CA30 Intelligent arranger.
CF10 digital fader.
CM32L LA sound module.
CM32P PCM sound module.
CM64 LA/PCM sound module.
CN20 Music Entry Pad.
D5 LA synth.
FC100 MkII & RMC1 foot
controller/RRC-to-MIDI converter.
LAPC1 LA soundcard.
MCB1 MIDI box for LAPC1.
MPU IMC MIDI Interface.
RC3 MIDI program changer.
U20 RS PCM keyboard.
U220 RS PCM module.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991
The T110 (above) was the progenitor of all of the
hugely successful sample-based synth modules
Roland released in the 90s. However, the T110 was
never itself released the closest Roland came was
the similar U110.
By the time 1989 rolled around, Roland were
enjoying a golden age. However, despite
their great breadth of products, the
companys position as market leader was
not secure, if only because the Korg M1 had
now replaced the D50 as the synthesizer
with the biggest Wow factor. So Roland
responded, but in a way that caught the
entire industry by
surprise. Rather than
The W30 was a fine early
sampling workstation
but there were no
built-in effects! Still, this
didnt stop the likes of
Liam Howlett of the
Prodigy composing most of
his first three albums on it.
release an improved synth workstation to
replace the D20, the company released
a sampler-based workstation, the W30.
At the heart of the W30 lay a sampler
similar to, and fully compatible with, the
S550. This meant that it could take full
advantage of the S-series sample libraries
and, with a SCSI upgrade, it was also able to
handle hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives.
To complement this, an internal ROM
included many of Rolands most popular
samples, and you could edit and use these
just as on any other PCM-based synth. The
fully-speced 16-track sequencer was
compatible with Super MRC and Director-S
formats, so in many ways the W30 was
a combination of an S550, an MC500 and
a simple PCM-based synthesizer. But where
were the high-quality digital effects? Oh,
heck there werent any! If Roland had
hoped that the W30 would capture the
workstation market, they seriously
miscalculated. Above all else, the popularity
of the D50 and the M1 was a consequence
of the finished quality of the sounds, and
the W30, so capable in other areas, was
unable to provide this. As a result, it only
achieved a fraction of its potential, which
was a terrible shame.
More successful, perhaps, were the new
R8 Rhythm Composer and its little brother
148 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005
the R5. These included far more sounds
than any previous Roland drum
machine, and catered for conventional
kits, Latin percussion, and electronic
kits. But it was the quality and
expressiveness of their sounds that
made them special, and overnight
they made all previous drum machines
sound artificial and unrealistic. The R-series
also introduced the concept of human feel,
a timbral randomising parameter that added
an additional touch of realism to
programmed patterns.
Elsewhere, the MKB1000 and MKB300
were now showing their age, so Roland
replaced them with the A80 and A50 master
keyboards. These shared powerful MIDI
controller capabilities including multiple
zones, polyphonic aftertouch, four
assignable control sliders, and inputs for
four assignable controller pedals. They
differed only in the keyboards provided:
a wooden
88-note unit in the A80, and
a semi-weighted 76-note affair in the A50.
Likewise, the GR300 and GR700 were
now long gone, but Roland had not
forgotten their guitar synth customers,
releasing the GK2, the guitar/MIDI pickup
that remains a standard 15 years later. The
GK2 appeared alongside the GR50, the first
of Rolands digital guitar synth units. This
used yet another implementation of the
limited LA Synthesis found in the lesser
D-series synths, to the extent that you could
even use a PG10 programmer to edit it.
Indeed, Roland were showing no signs of
running out of ideas regarding the number
of ways in which they could repackage their
existing products. There was one, final,
low-cost throw of the D-series dice in the
form of the D5, but this is probably best
forgotten. There was also a catalogue for
computer sound modules and peripherals
that included the CM32L (a preset-only
module based on the D110), as well as the
CM32P (a preset-only module based on the
U110) and, with stunning logic, the CM64,
which integrated the two 32s into a single
module. Borrowing from the E-series, the
CA30 was an Intelligent Arranger designed
to complement the CM modules, while the
CF10 and CN20 were designed to ease
composition and mixing. Finally, there were
two expansion cards, one of which was, in
effect, an MT32 on a card.
With its repitchable drum samples and an
decent-sized LCD (which made making rhythm
programming using the established Roland
pattern-based method even easier), the R8 and its
smaller brother the R5 remain two of Rolands finest
ever dedicated drum machines.
Following the purchase of the Rhodes
name the previous year, 1989 was also the
year that the company released the first two
of only five Roland products that would bear
the Rhodes name. Its unlikely that the
company had ever intended to manufacture
an electro-mechanical piano, but history
suggests that when Harold Rhodes found
his name being sold for the fourth time
he had hoped that a large Japanese
corporation would revitalise the market for
his existing designs and ideas.
Unfortunately, Roland and Rhodes did not
see eye-to-eye, and legend has it that when
Rhodes first heard the digital MK80, he just
felt sick. This was a cruel over-reaction,
because the 88-note MK80 and its little
brother the 64-note MK60 were fine
instruments with excellent actions and
SAS-generated electric piano sounds that are
classics in their own right. Mind you, the
public seems to agree with Rhodes, because
neither instrument was the success that
Roland might have hoped.
The year is notable for one further
reason: the establishment of the Edition
Roland Corporation, or Edirol. Originally
The CM64 repackaged LA-synthesis and U-series
sound engines in a single compact module format,
and was designed for use with early computer-based
MIDI sequencing systems.
proposed by Roland Italy, Edirol was created
to satisfy the increasing demand for
Desktop Media Production (DTMP) products
such as audio and video editors. Kakehashi
realised that these might require a different
business model from that employed within
his music businesses, so Edirol was initially
kept separate from the rest of the Roland
business structure.
The companys first video system was an
ISA-format video-capture board plus
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991
software, which allowed users to perform
simple video editing on a PC. Called
Video-Kun, this (like Musi-Kun the year
before) never appeared outside Japan.
Nonetheless, Edirol itself was soon to
expand far beyond its native shores, and
further Edirol companies were later
established in tandem with Rolands joint
ventures, with Edirol North America being
established in 1994, Edirol Europe in 1998
and, most recently, Edirol Australia.
1990
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS & MIXERS
M12E 12-channel mixer.
M240R 24-channel rackmount mixer.
M480 48-channel mixer.
BOSS PRODUCTS
CL50 compressor/limiter.
DR550 Dr Rhythm.
EH2 enhancer.
GE21, GE131A, GE215, GE231 graphic
equalisers.
LM2B bass limiter.
NS50 noise suppressor.
OS2 overdrive/distortion.
PN2 tremolo/pan.
RE1000 multi echo.
RV1000 reverb.
SE50 effects processor.
EFFECTS
SN550 digital noise eliminator.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E30 Intelligent synth.
PIANOS
EP5.
HP2700.
HP3700.
KR100 Intelligent keyboard.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
R8M sound module.
SPD8 percussion pad.
SAMPLERS
S770 digital sampler.
MO7 magneto-optical drive for S770.
OMS770 memory expander for S770.
RAS770 expansion memory board for the
S770 sampler.
SEQUENCERS
MC50 Micro Composer.
MRM500 MIDI file converter.
MV30 Studio M music production
system.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
D70 Super LA synth.
PC200 MIDI keyboard controller.
PK5 dynamic MIDI pedal.
Rhodes Model 660 RS PCM synth.
Rhodes Model 760 RS PCM synth.
After the advances of the previous three
years, its fair to say that 1990 was quiet by
comparison, although on the corporate side
of things, the company opened two new
facilities in Hamamatsu, set up a joint
venture in Spain, invested in another
company (this time in Hungary), and
established the Roland Audio Development
150 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005
Milestone: The Acceptance Of Digital Pianos
In his autobiographical and philosophical book,
I Believe In Music, Kakehashi recounts how, in
1976, he was asked to predict the future of
electronic pianos. To much mirth, he suggested
that electronic instruments would one day
account for 50 percent of all the pianos sold
annually. Given that Roland was the only
manufacturer of such instruments in 1978, and
given their then-lacklustre sounds and poor
playing characteristics, this must have seemed
ridiculous. Nevertheless, Kakehashi was correct,
and Yamahas Clavinovas and Rolands HP-series
Corporation in the USA. However, few or no
products broke new ground. Instead, there
were further improvements upon existing
concepts and technologies. The Boss range
continued to grow, and even started to
encroach on traditional Roland territory with
a pair of rackmount reverb and delay
processors There were more mixers
There was a new Micro
Composer, the natty
MC50, and an
improved
arranger
keyboard
There was
a rackmount
version of the R8,
the R8M, and an
Octapad that combined
the pads themselves and
a sound generator There
were two repackaged
versions of the U20, the Rhodes Model 660
and the Rhodes Model 760 There was
a Noise Eliminator that borrowed DSP
technology from the E660 Equaliser and the
GS6 guitar processor There was also
a range of new digital pianos that adopted
a new Advanced SAS system. As well as
sounding better and introducing
sympathetic resonance for the first time on
a synthesized piano, the new system also
offered half-damping, all of which made the
new models more realistic and more
playable than previous instruments.
However, among none of the above was
there anything radically new. Nevertheless,
buried among the repackaged technologies
of 1990 were at least four products that
merit special mention.
The MV30 Music Production System was
not, in essence, particularly innovative,
because it merely combined sequencing and
synthesis in a way that had by now become
common. But its synthesizer engine was
a version of the U20s RS PCM sound
engine with filters. This places the MV30
in the direct line of descent from the U110
to todays PCM synths.
Elsewhere, the M series of
digital pianos started to make serious inroads
into acoustic piano sales in the late 1980s. In
1989, just 13 years after his prediction, unit
sales of electronic pianos overtook those of
acoustic pianos. The significance of this cannot
be overestimated, because these are the
instruments that people choose to have in their
living rooms. Digital music technology had truly
arrived.
Nowadays, the sales of digital pianos exceed
those of acoustic pianos in both unit sales and
earnings.
general-purpose and keyboard mixers
deserved a footnote in history. There were
two classes in the family: those with the
letter E as a suffix offered EQ and
microphone inputs, while those without
were line-level mixers with Aux busses but
no onboard equalisation. Both classes came
in tabletop and rackmount forms,
with 12-, 16-, 24- and 48-channel
configurations, so potential
users had a huge range of
options. Uninspiring
though such
products may
seem today, the
Ms became very
popular, and
The MV30 Studio M was an early example of
a sequencing workstation, combining MC-style
sequencing facilities with a U-series sample-based
sound engine.
many can still be seen gracing small PA
systems.
In contrast to the useful but rather dull
mixers, there was a great deal of excitement
about the D70 Super LA synth. Advertised as
the successor to the revered D50, this
promised much, and featured a unique
programming feature called DLM
(Differential Loop Modulation) that, in
principle, made some off-the-wall sounds
possible. Unfortunately, DLM seemed
capable of creating only harsh buzzes, and
the D70 lacked the appeal of the D50. Had it
achieved its potential, the D70 would have
deserved a far greater mention than this,
but it proved to be a nearly synth: nearly
a classic, and nearly successful.
Nevertheless, I doubt that Rolands
management were particularly concerned; in
1990, sales of D-series synths passed the
300,000 mark, almost certainly making
them the most successful synths yet
developed.
Most impressive in 1990 was the S770,
a 3U rackmount sampler that, nearly 15
years later, remains a superb instrument. It
was 24-voice polyphonic, incorporated an
internal hard disk drive, offered sample
RAM that was expandable up to 16MB, had
digital inputs and outputs, offered 20-bit
A-D and D-A conversion, supported all the
peripherals already launched, and was
compatible with the existing S-series
library. But it was not the S770s
specification that held the two secrets of its
excellence; these were rather more
intangible. Firstly, there was the sample
editing system, which was a hugely
powerful and elegant synth in its
own right, but which was
overlooked by the public at large.
Secondly, there was the audio
quality. Thanks to a new
reproduction method called
Differential Interpolation, the S770
eliminated the grainy distortion that
appeared when you played at low pitches on
other manufacturers samplers.
Unfortunately, just as they had on the W30,
Roland had missed a trick once again, the
S770s specification lacked the crucial words
Akai and compatible. Had it been able to
load and/or convert the Akai sample library,
it might have gone on to become the new
standard. But it didnt, so it didnt.
1991
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
BOSS PRODUCTS
AW2 auto-wah.
BE5M multi-effects pedal.
BL1 bulk librarian.
CE5 chorus/ensemble.
EH50 stereo enhancer.
FV300H and FV300L expression pedals.
FW3 foot wah.
LS2 line selector.
MT2 Metal Zone.
PQ4 parametric EQ.
EFFECTS
ADA8024 RSS A-D-A converter.
RSP550 stereo signal processor.
RSS8048 RSS sound space processor.
SSC8004 RSS sound space controller.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E70 Intelligent synth.
PIANOS
FP8 digital piano.
ORGANS
Rhodes VK1000.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
CR80 Human Rhythm Player.
SAMPLERS
S750 Sample module.
SEQUENCERS
PR1 player and recorder.
SOUND CANVASES
SB55 Sound Brush (SMF Sequencer).
SC55 Sound Canvas.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
A220 MIDI separator.
JD800 programmable synth.
JX1 performance synth.
SBX1000 MIDI cueing box.
The S770 was one of Rolands finest samplers, but its
incompatibility with the Akai S-series sample format, which was
fast becoming the industry standard, limited its appeal.
If 1990 had been a relatively unsuccessful
year in terms of groundbreaking product
launches, 1991 was to be its antithesis, with
three products of long-term consequence.
One was a synthesizer, one was a sound
module, and the other was an effects unit.
Lets start with the synth It cant have
escaped Rolands notice that its brief market
leadership in 1987 had been eclipsed by the
Korg M1 and its T-series successors, and
that the D20, W30 and D70 had singularly
failed to wrest the crown from their
competitors grasp. But when somebody in
Roland leaked the news of a new digital
synthesizer sporting a large, analogue-style
control surface, everybody raised an
eyebrow (or two). Whats more, rumours
suggested that it might be called the JD8,
which many assumed meant Jupiter Digital.
Was this going to be Rolands long
anticipated successor to the
Jupiter 8?
When it appeared, the JD800
appeared to be what everyone
had hoped; a state-of-the-art
digital synth with the appearance
and feel of a top-of-the-line analogue
polysynth. Many of the controls also
had their roots deep in the past, having first
appeared on the PG800 programmer for the
JX8P, but the bright orange LEDs, the dual
displays, and the large, knobbly buttons
were quite startling, and made the
instrument feel very modern.
The sound source drew upon 108 PCM
waveforms including the conventional cyclic
waveforms (often used with a touch of
random pitch to imitate analogue
instabilities), samples, and attack snippets
reminiscent of the D50s LA synthesis.
Filtering came in not one but three forms,
with low-, high- and band-pass modes, all
with resonance, while Rolands multi-stage
contour generators provided as much
flexibility as most programmers would ever
require. Likewise, the multiple effects
structure, which offered things such as
distortion and phasers as well as the usual
chorus and reverb, extended the JD800 far
beyond Rolands previous fare.
At first sight, the JD800 was 24-voice
polyphonic, but once you layered tones to
create its more complex and interesting
sounds, the polyphony could drop as low as
six notes, which was not impressive, even in
1991. This also made the JD800 of limited
use as a multitimbral instrument, as did the
limited onboard storage of just 64 patches
and a single multitimbral setup. More
impressive was the fact that you could
assign the onboard effects slightly
differently to the patches in multitimbral
mode.
With its large, friendly panel, impressive
programming depth and warm sounds, the
JD800 might have dominated the market
had it been launched a year or two before,
but it arrived just as Korg released the
similarly-priced 01/WFD workstation and the
Wavestation, both of which proved to be
more popular. Nonetheless, its the JD800
that still turns heads in the 21st century.
Despite the sexiness of the JD800, the
product that was to have the greatest
legacy, both financially and in shaping the
future of the music industry, was neither
large nor exciting, nor
Into the 90s! The JD800 was
a decisive break with the plain, one data
wheel and a two-line LCD design of Rolands
late-80s synths, and its slider-tastic control surface
means its still popular today.
did it sound particularly impressive. Yet, in
introducing General MIDI (GM) and General
Standard MIDI (GS), the SC55 Sound Canvas
made it possible for programmers to create
MIDI sequences that could be replayed
predictably on products produced by any
manufacturer, not just Roland. This was
a huge leap forward, and nowadays the
descendents of the SC55 dominate many
sectors of the music industry (see the box
on the next page).
Yet had it not been for the future impact
of GM and GS, an effects unit would have
earned the accolade of milestone product
for 1991
january 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 151
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 3: 1986-1991
Milestone: The SC55 & SB55
The SC55 was far from impressive, but it had
a huge impact upon Rolands fortunes an
impact that continues in full force to this day.
At first sight, (and second, and third...) there
was nothing special about it. Sure, it used both RS
PCM and the cut-down version of LA synthesis,
came with a neat little remote control, and its
complement of 315 patches, nine drum kits,
16-part multitimbrality and 24-voice polyphony
was reasonable for the day. However, its limited
editing capabilities precluded it from professional
use, and placed it firmly in the home music
market.
So what made it important? The answer lay in
the way that its patches were arranged and the
ways in which these could be modified, which
conformed to a new MIDI standard that the world
called GM (General MIDI) and which Roland later
extended to include additional commands and
called GS, or General Standard. Of course, this
would have been meaningless had the SC55 had
Roland had been using the acronym RSS
since 1978 to stand for Roland Studio
System but, in 1991, this changed to Roland
Sound Space, a system that (the company
claimed) made it possible to create
a three-dimensional sound-space using
conventional stereo speakers. In theory, this
meant that you could position a mono
sound anywhere in a three-dimensional
space around the listener.
The product launch was atypically
high-key for Roland. Having traditionally
exhibited at music industry shows such as
the Frankfurt Musikmesse and NAMM, the
company stepped into the audio engineering
arena by exhibiting at the Audio Engineering
Society (AES) Convention, building
a soundproof booth to demonstrate the
sound-space that RSS could wring from
a conventional stereo system.
A standard RSS system was neither small
nor cheap, comprising four units: a pair of
2U-rack ADA8024 analogue-digital-analogue
converters, the 2U rackmount RSS8048
Sound Space Processor, and the large,
tabletop SSC8804 Sound Space Controller.
Larger systems could comprise up to 16
processors!
The processor was the key to the system,
combining a simulation of binaural
processing (in which a performance is
recorded using microphones mounted inside
a dummy head) and something that Roland
christened transaural processing, a phase-
Rolands RSS was an innovative attempt at producing
surround-sound effects using psychoacoustic principles in
conventional stereo, rather than with multiple discrete
channels and speakers as is the case today, but this
meant that the efficacy (or otherwise...) of the effect
varied from individual to individual, dependent on their
hearing.
152 SOUND ON SOUND january 2005
been the only instrument to use GM or
GS but, right from the start, the
company promised a range of
compatible products that would use
the same memory and edit maps.
These would then be able to replay
sequences correctly, no matter which
you used, without having to move
patches, modify MIDI receive
channels, or change levels. It was The first of the now-enormous Sound Canvas range, the SC55.
a radical concept in 1991, and paved
the way for the scores of GM- and GS-compatible
products that have since appeared.
The SC55 was launched alongside a sequence
replay module called the SB55 Sound Brush.
Designed as an on-the-road device that let users
leave their computers in their studios, this was
compatible with Standard MIDI Files, which meant performers to alter the pitch and tempo of backing
that it could load and play songs originally saved
from Atari, Mac, PC, and MC-series sequencers. It
was also capable of loading one song while playing machines.
and amplitude-manipulation process
designed to overcome the limitations of
binaural playback. All of this was controlled
by the RSS8048 (the large unit shown
below), whose large rotary controls could,
so Roland claimed, position a sound above
or below the listener, in front or behind, and
to the left or the right.
RSS was a brave attempt to create an
ambience processor that made a 3D theatre
experience possible using a stereo playback
system. Unfortunately, many people were
unconvinced, myself among them.
I attended one of the AES demonstrations in
1991, and despite being told that I was
hearing the sound coming from above me or
another, which made it ideal for use on stage.
The combination of the SB55 and SC55
redefined the art of song playback, allowing solo
artists to perform with a full backing band that
occupied just a single rack space. The 55s also
changed the face of karaoke forever, allowing
tracks independently, which would have been
impossible using tape- and CD-based karaoke
behind me, I didnt. The effect was
interesting, but it didnt live up to its
grandiose claims, and Roland sold very few
of its first-generation RSS systems.
Nevertheless, the audio-processing
algorithms showed promise, and would
soon start to appear in the companys
effects units and synths.
Epilogue
Promoted to Chairman of the Roland Group,
Ikutaro Kakehashi had achieved many of his
aims by the end of 1991. With multiple
manufacturing companies, including Roland,
Boss, Rodgers and Roland DG, the Rhodes
brand name, and around 20 jointly held
distribution companies, his
position was secure as one of the
all-time great pioneers of the
synth and hi-tech music industry.
He had even been awarded an
honourary Doctorate in 1991 by
the world-renowned Berklee
College of Music.
However, Kakehashi could see
that the digital revolution was not
going to be limited to synths,
samplers, and effects units, and
that the separate businesses of
making music and recording
music were soon going to meet
head-on. His great rivals, Akai and
Korg, were already developing
high-value, high-technology
studio systems and, although the
public knew nothing about it at
the time, Roland were not far
behind. Clearly, 1992 was going
to be a significant year for the
hi-tech music industry, and thats
where well pick up this story next
month.

Gordon Reid
n the first three parts of this history,
I I described how Roland emerged from
Ace Electronics and Hammond
International in 1972, and grew in just two
decades to be one of the leading hi-tech
music manufacturers in the world. In this
part, well see how the company
sidestepped a dramatic slowdown in the MI
industry, and evolved into a corporation
very different from the maker of analogue
synths and organ rhythm accompaniment
boxes it had been in the early 70s.
1992
At the start of the 1990s, the world was
dipping into a severe recession. You may
remember this as an era of plummeting
house prices and negative equity, but
manufacturers remember it just as keenly as
the end of the boom of the 1980s, and the
start of a tough period in which it became
much harder to find customers and sales.
Some of the smaller companies in our
industry did not survive, while other
struggled on, hoping that there would
eventually be light at the end of the tunnel.
Those with the wherewithal to do so
diversified, looking for new markets and
new customers. This is the path that Roland
followed in 1992
Up until this point, there was a branch of
digital music production that still lay beyond
Rolands reach. This was multitrack hard
disk recording which, long before Pro Tools
and even cheaper computer-based systems,
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS & MIXERS
M160 MkII line mixer.
MA7 & MA20 micro monitors.
BOSS PRODUCTS
DR550 MkII Dr Rhythm.
DR660 Dr Rhythm.
DS330 Dr Synth GM/GS synth module.
ME6 guitar multi-effects.
ME6B bass multi-effects.
ME10 guitar multi-effects.
PQ3B bass parametric EQ.
PQ50 parametric EQ.
DIGITAL RECORDERS
DM80 multitrack disk recorder system.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
RA90 real-time arranger.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GR1.
MASTER KEYBOARDS
A30 keyboard controller.
AX1 keyboard controller.
PC150 keyboard controller.
PC200 MkII keyboard controller.
PIANOS
EP9.
HP2900G.
HP3800.
Designing
The Future
The History Of Roland
Part 4 1992-1997
The recession of the early 90s was difficult for many
companies, but not Roland. Diversifying still further
from their roots as a maker of synthesizers and organs,
they emerged stronger, encompassing almost every
area of hi-tech musical instrument manufacture.
was still the domain of high-end systems Once prices started to collapse in 1991
such as the AMS Audiofile and the DAR or thereabouts, companies such as Akai,
Soundstation. But by 1992, the cost of Korg and Roland decided that they wanted
random-access digital recording and signal to get involved. Korg did so while prices
processing was dropping rapidly. Hard disk were still in excess of 20,000, releasing
recorders and editors had started the a fully featured post-production system,
decade costing well in excess of 30,000, whereas Roland waited a few more months,
dropped below 20,000 in 1991, hit and released a considerably smaller and less
10,000 in 1992 and carried on plummeting powerful system aimed more at the music
to the amazing prices that we enjoy today. industry.
The DM80 appeared in two flavours:
HP5700. a four-track version with a single 100MB
HP7700 Micro Grand. drive, and an eight-track version with
KR650 Intelligent Piano.
double the storage and a sample-rate
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
FD7 hi-hat control pedal.
converter on one of the digital inputs. There
KD7 kick trigger unit. was also a software package for the
MDS7 drum stand. Macintosh, Track Manager. In principle, this
PD7 drum pad. allowed you to cascade four system units for
R70 Human Rhythm Composer. 32 channels of synchronised playback. The
R8 MkII Human Rhythm Composer.
TD7 sound module.
SAMPLERS
DJ70 workstation.
SP700 sample player.
SEQUENCERS
MC50 MkII Micro Composer.
MT200 music player.
SOUND CANVASES
SC7 GM module.
SC33 Sound Canvas.
SC155 Sound Canvas.
SCC1 GS/GM soundcard.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH Digital recording technology was changing and
CM300 GS sound module. becoming cheaper at a frantic rate in the early 90s,
CM500 GS/LA Sound Module. rendering many products obsolete overnight. The DM80,
JV30 synth. at around 10,000 for a fully equipped system, was
JV80 synth. a third the price of many existing systems of a similar
JW50 GM workstation. spec. Just four years later, Rolands own similarly
equipped VS880 cost less than a sixth that of the DM80.
february 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 117
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
DM80 also offered a limited form of
automation for its two-band EQs, level and
pan controls.
Unfortunately, the eight-track version
was merely two four-track systems, with
little interaction between them, and you
were limited to just 128 Takes per
system. Furthermore, the DM80
offered no waveform display, limited
crossfade facilities, slow and
cumbersome menus, no video
output for an external monitor,
TRS jacks instead of XLR
connectors, and was capable of
storing just 18 track-minutes per system! Oh
yes and with insufficient storage for
multiple projects, you had to back up
everything via the SCSI ports provided on
the back panel. Given these limitations, its
hardly surprising that the DM80 was not
a commercial success. Whats more, the UK
retail price of 7455 for an eight-track
The JV Series & Its Expansion Options
There were three families in the JV series and its
direct descendent, the XP series. The low-cost
instruments were all GS compatible, and there
were eventually to be four of these, the JV30
(pictured below), JV35, JV50 and the XP10.
Although the specifications improved as each
model was superseded by the next, these were all
limited to a single tone per patch, and they lacked
the sonic depth of their more expensive siblings.
They also lacked the slots for PCM Expansion
Cards, data cards, and Expansion Boards, although
The basic, entry-level JV30.
the JV35 and JV50 (and, strangely, the JV90) let
you install either the VEGS1 or VEJV1 board. As its
name implies, the first of these was a GS sound
card that added a further 28 voices of polyphony
and a further 16 multitimbral parts. The second
added 28 voices, eight multitimbral parts, and was
in many ways a JV80 on a card.
The second family was more powerful, and
included the original JV80, its successor the JV90,
the JV880 rackmount and, finally, the JV1000
workstation. These shared the JV80 sound engine,
although its worth noting that their internal ROMs
changed as each model replaced the previous. All
accepted 2MB PCM Expansion Cards and one 8MB
Expansion Board, as well as commercially
produced data (patch) cards that used the waves
in the internal ROM and Expansion Cards as the
basis of new sounds.
The third family replaced the second in its
entirety, and expanded hugely upon it. Polyphony
was increased to 64 voices and, depending upon
model, between one and eight Expansion Boards
could be accommodated. Furthermore, the
118 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
recorder with just 200MB of storage (or
nearly 10,000 if you purchased the
essential DM80F fader unit and DM80R
remote control options) quickly started to
look hugely overpriced and under-specified.
So why with more than 90 hard disk
The JV80, the first of the massively successful JV
synth range.
recorders already on the market in 1992
was the DM80 important? In itself, it
wasnt, but this was the missing link
between Rolands S-series samplers and the
VS recorders that form the backbone of the
companys range in the 21st century.
standard chorus/reverb effects structure was
improved to include an EFX (expansion effect) that
you could use in a primitive multitimbral way to
add effects to some patches, but not others. The
models in this family included the JV1080 (which
was the only one to retain the earlier PCM
Expansion Card and data card slots), the XP30,
XP50, XP60, XP80, the JV2080 (which offered
three EFX units) and the JV1010, which proved to
be the final model in the JV range.
At the time the JV80 was launched, there were
just two of the 2MB PCM waveform cards
available, Piano Selection and Guitar
& Brass. Roland promised that others
would soon become available, and
a further six were added before the
series was discontinued in 1996. The
additional cards included drums,
accordions, orchestral sounds, baroque
instruments, and country/folk/bluegrass, with
some of the sounds they produced remaining
unique to this day.
Shortly after the JV appeared, Roland started to
produce the 8MB Expansion Boards that, for many
years, formed the backbone of its synthesizers.
There were 21 of these, with the complete listing
running as follows:
SR JV80 (8MB) EXPANSION BOARDS
SR JV8001: Pop.
SR JV8002: Orchestral.
SR JV8003 : Piano.
SR JV8004 : Vintage Synth.
SR JV8005 : World.
SR JV8006 : Dance.
SR JV8007 : Super Sound Set.
SR JV8008 : Keyboards of the 60s & 70s.
SR JV8009 : Session.
SR JV8010 : Bass & Drums.
SR JV8011 : Techno.
SR JV8012 : Hip-Hop Collection.
SR JV8013 : Vocal Collection.
SR JV8014 : World Collection: Asia.
Were it not for the DM80, the big news of
1992 might have been the replacement of
the D and U series synths with a new
family of synthesizers, modules and
workstations. These were the JV series, the
first two of which were the JV80 and its little
brother the JV30.
Despite the similarity of their
designations, these were very
different synths. The JV80 was
the pro model, with
a powerful, 28-voice engine
that let you combine up to
four unique tones for each
voice. It sported a semi-weighted,
pressure-sensitive keyboard, eight editing
sliders, an external slot to take 2MB PCM
Expansion Cards, another slot for a RAM
card, an internal slot for one of Rolands new
range of 8MB PCM Expansion Boards, and
a competent set of master keyboard
functions. Consequently, it was an
SR JV8015 : Special FX Collection.
SR JV8016 : Orchestral 2.
SR JV8017 : Country Collection.
SR JV8018: Latin Collection.
SR JV8019: House.
SR JV8098 : Experience 2.
SR JV8099 : Experience.
Of these, SR JV8007 (Super Sound Set) is perhaps
the most interesting, because it contains most of
the waveforms and patches found in the 2MB Card
series. However, for collectors, SR JV8098
(Experience 2) and SR JV8099 (Experience) boards
are the most intriguing. These were bundled with
some synths, and contained a selection of waves
and patches from the other boards.
Such was the popularity of the JV/XP sound
sets that Roland released some of their sounds on
CD-ROMs for their samplers, and later based
a complete series of rackmount sound modules
the Sound Expansion Series upon them. Most
recently, many of these waveforms have
reappeared on the SRX expansion board series for
Rolands newer XV-series synths.
The themed card-based SR JV sound expansion libraries
(of which just a few of the earliest are shown here) were
compatible with nearly all of Rolands
sample-and-synthesis based products of the 90s, and
were hugely successful.

Milestone: The Compact Drum System
By 1992, electronic drums had been available for
more than a decade, but there had never been
a complete MIDI drum system that you could
assemble in the form of a conventional kit, play
like a conventional kit, and which when used
appropriately would sound similar to
a conventional kit.
Roland changed that when they launched the
Compact Drum Systems. There was just one type
of pad, the PD7, but this had dual sensors on
the pad and the rim and you could configure
as many of these as you wanted to provide the
snares, toms, hi-hats and cymbals that you
required. Meanwhile, kick-drum duties were
fulfilled by the dedicated KD7 pedal/trigger
units, and hi-hat control was provided by an FD7
pedal.
The heart of the system was the TD7,
a half-rack sound generator with hundreds of
samples, 32 programmable kits, a built-in phrase
sequencer, and nine stereo inputs for the trigger
signals generated by the pads.
With everything mounted on the dedicated
MDS7 stand and the pads hooked into the TD7,
you were ready to play. Unfortunately, the tactile
response of the PD7 pads was not good enough
for serious players, and after an initial surge of
excitement, sales collapsed, and the outlook for
electronic kits seemed bleak. Even the
introduction of a range of pad sizes the
7.5-inch PD7 was later supplemented by the
8.5-inch PD5 and 10-inch PD9 failed to
generate much interest.
immediate hit with Roland aficionados, and
it proved to be a fine workhorse. Sure, it
was not quite the workstation that many
had anticipated but, as the first of the
illustrious line of JV synths (see the box
opposite), it deserves its place in history.
Strangely, the company did launch
a workstation in 1992, but its largely lost to
history, because, as they had with the W30
a couple of years before, Roland had again
judged the market incorrectly. The JW50 was
a good idea in principle, taking the 16-track
sequencer technology from the MC50 Micro
Composer, and adding 30 music styles
derived from the MV30 Studio M Music
Production System. Unfortunately, its sound
source was a 24-voice one tone per patch
GS/GM (General MIDI) engine, which placed
the JW50 firmly in the domestic, pub and
karaoke class of keyboards, not the
professional end of the industry. In
retrospect, the JW50 was decent enough,
with a large screen, the ability to edit and
store user patches, a good selection of edit
Like their earlier electronic drums, Rolands
Compact Drum Systems looked great, but the pads
didnt play well enough to be considered attractive
to drummers, and they were unsuccessful.
Eventually, some players opted to add one or
more PD7s and a TD7 to their acoustic kits,
allowing them to augment the sounds they
obtained from conventional drums and
percussion. Roland didnt really reap the rewards
of their efforts until four years later, when they
released a much improved set of drum products.
faders, and the ability to record and replay
some surprisingly sophisticated sequences,
but it failed to take the world by storm.
The JV30, meanwhile, despite the JV
name, was very much an entry-level synth.
Another GM synth, it could produce only one
tone per voice, and offered just 24 voices. It
lost the semi-weighting and
pressure-sensitivity of the JV80 keyboard, as
well as all the other goodies mentioned
above. Roland seemed to be finding no end
of ways to repackage their GM engine.
There were two more Sound Canvases
released in 1992, two more CM
desktop music system (DTMS) products
to replace the aging CM32s and CM64,
a GM/GS sound card, and the SC7 sound
module. More repackaging was evident in
the SP700 Sample Player (which was, in
essence, an S770 without the sampling
capability, but with the ability at last to
read Akai S1000 disks) and the DJ70
Sampling Workstation, which drew both its
sampling and editing capabilities from the
S770.
Designed to make high-quality sampling
straightforward for DJs, the DJ70 offered
These days, there are countless similar devices, but
despite innovations such as the novel scratch wheel
controller, the DJ70 proved to be a little ahead of its time.
a number of innovations (not all of which,
such as the scratch wheel, worked quite as
well as hoped) but was rather limited in
other areas: there was no built-in storage,
and a maximum of just 4MB of RAM. Again,
the idea was good, but the implementation
was wide of the mark. So why does the DJ70
deserve anything other than a passing
mention? Well, ask yourself in these days
of cheap, ubiquitous Grooveboxes what
was the first product to combine real-time
sampling, real-time phrase sequencing, and
a device that lets you scratch samples?
Yes Roland had done it again, and
foreseen the way the world was going. Its
just that the DJ70 arrived a little too early to
be technologically mature or cost-effective.
Another idea that came just a little soon
was that of the digital grand piano. The
HP7700 was a beautiful instrument, with an
excellent hammer action and a speaker
system designed to imitate the soundfield
generated by a real grand. Nevertheless,
this technology, too, was immature, and the
idea would only come properly to fruition
a few years later, when improved DSP power
would make Rolands KR-series digital grand
pianos a reality.
Elsewhere, Boss were encroaching on
traditional Roland territory, with the DR500
MkII and DR660 drum machines. Together
with Rolands own R8 MkII and R70 Human
Rhythm Composer, these were doing brisk
business in the MIDI percussion markets. But
the biggest news of 1992 was probably the
demise of Rolands five-year-old PD11, PD21
and PD31 percussion system, and its
replacement with the worlds first complete
MIDI drum kits, the TBD and TBE Compact
Drum Systems. These arrived complete with
a sound-generating brain and pads that
could act as cymbals or
The Boss DR660 was a popular starter drum
machine, and remained in the catalogue for over
half a decade.
hi-hats as well as kick drums, snares and
tom-toms. Suddenly, a drummer could set
up an electronic system, plug it in, and play
a full kit without needing acoustic drums or
metalwork to fill the gaps (see the box
above).
february 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 119
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
1993
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, SPEAKERS & MIXERS
MA7/MA20/CS30 micro monitors.
RM106 & RM166 mixers.
SRA50 stereo power amplifier.
SV50R & SV100DR Solid Valve guitar
amps.
BOSS PRODUCTS
DR5 Dr Rhythm Section.
FZ2 Hyper Fuzz.
HM3 Hyper Metal.
MEX expandable multi-effects.
SD2 dual overdrive.
SE70 effects processor.
EFFECTS
SDE330 Dimensional Space Delay.
SRV330 Dimensional Space Reverb.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E16/E56/E86 Intelligent Synthesizers.
PIANOS
EP7II digital piano.
P55 piano module.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
AT4 acoustic trigger interface.
SPD11 total percussion pad.
SEQUENCERS
MT120 music player.
SOUND CANVASES
SC55 MkII Sound Canvas.
SD35 MIDI player.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
JD990 Super JD synth module.
JV1000 music workstation.
JV880 synth module.
SMPU/AT Super MPU interface.
SRC2 sample rate converter.
TA10 IBM-AT soundcard.
In contrast to the previous year, 1993 was
quiet by Rolands standards, although a slew
of new products continued to appear. There
were more JV synths, more Boss effects,
more amplifiers and mixers, more E-series
accompaniment keyboards (the most
expensive of which adopted the JV80 sound
engine), and new digital pianos, rhythm
products and sequencers. There were also
the first of a range of processors that
adopted elements of Rolands RSS (sound
space) technology, and used this to generate
effects that belied their modest price tags.
But, 1993 should be remembered as the
year in which Roland finally, finally released
their first true synth workstation, the
JV1000.
First to appear, however, was the JV880,
a rackmount version of the JV80 keyboard
synth. This shared its predecessors 28-voice
polyphony, eight-part multitimbrality, dual
effects, and its selection of PCM samples.
Likewise, it also accepted a single SR JV80
Expansion Board, and had slots for a PCM
Expansion Card and a Data card. Replacing
the U220, the JV880 became one of Rolands
most successful products of the early 90s.
Even better, and still respected to this
120 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
day, was the JD990. While similar to the JV
series, this was really an enhanced JD800 in
a 2U rackmount, to the extent that you
could program many of its parameters
directly from the JD800s front panel.
Sound-wise, it was a bit of a hybrid, being
based on the JD800s ROM, but with almost
double the number of waveforms courtesy
of much of the JV80s innards. It also had
the JVs ability to host a SR JV80 Expansion
Board, Expansion Cards, and Data cards.
There were many other enhancements. For
example, the filters were not merely
resonant but self-oscillated, the large LCD
provided graphics that showed exactly what
was happening to whatever you were
editing, there was oscillator sync and ring
modulation, and there were Structures that
let you combine Tones in different ways.
There were also lots of real-time control
options, and no fewer than eight outputs.
There was even an attempt to add limited
multitimbrality to the effects in
a Performance. When it appeared, the JD990
was described by Roland as their best synth
yet and, for once, the claim was justified.
Shortly after the JV880 and JD990, the
JV1000 arrived. Its synth engine was
another hybrid, with the standard 28-note
JV polyphony, but an enhanced set of
waves including a better set of piano
samples in its ROM, and far more patch and
preset memory than the JV80. Of course, the
JV1000 offered the now standard facility to
install an 8MB Expansion Board, and offered
slots for 2MB Expansion cards and Data
cards. There was also space for a VEJV1 or
VEGS1 board, either of which doubled the
Milestone: Atelier Organs
Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi admits that he
views the organ as the most complete musical
instrument. Despite this, or maybe because of it,
the first of Rolands home organs, the Atelier
AT70, was a strange hybrid of ideas. For example,
its lower manual was 76-notes wide, was
velocity-sensitive, and responded to a piano-style
damper pedal. Unlike traditional organs, the
Atelier also offered many of the rhythm and
accompaniment features found on Rolands
E-series accompaniment keyboards, and it even
accepted Rolands existing Style cards. In
addition, it included a 40,000-note sequencer.
However, it didnt incorporate some expected
organ facilities such as drawbars, and its
sound-editing capabilities were decidedly limited.
Nonetheless, there was no mistaking that the
complete package was a large home organ, and it
certainly packed a punch: a 240W punch, to be
precise.
The AT70 (which cost a hair under 10,000)
and its more affordable little brother the AT50
may not have been the most successful of
Rolands instruments, but they were to spawn
a dynasty that would become highly respected in
The JD990 was Rolands best
sample-and-synthesis sound module ever
in 1993, but Roland were on such a roll in the
early 90s that it was surpassed just one year
later by the JV1080.
synths polyphony to 56 voices, which was
a respectable total in 1993. Furthermore, as
I would discover a few years later, the
JV1000 would also (with a few glitches) host
the superb VERD1 piano board, even though
Roland claimed that it was not designed to
do so, and that it would not function.
Nevertheless, the thing that made the
JV1000 special was the inclusion of its
Super MRC sequencer; the first that Roland
had installed in one of their top-of-the-range
synthesizers. This offered all the power of
the MC-series sequencers, with eight
tracks, each capable or recording and
replaying all 16 MIDI channels, plus
a dedicated rhythm track for pattern-based
programming. Whats more, it was
compatible with Standard MIDI Files (SMF),
so you could write sequences to, or play
them from, all manner of other machines.
The sequencer even had its own screen and
a second MIDI output, so the JV1000 was
capable of transmitting no fewer than 32
MIDI channels to the outside world. There
were other goodies, too. For example, you
The first Roland Atelier organ, the AT70.
its field. The initial range was fleshed out by the
AT30 and the huge AT90 in 1996, and then the
AT80 in 1997. There were no fewer than four new
models in 1999 (the AT20R, AT60R, AT80R, and
AT90R) followed by the introduction of the
current range two years later. There are now
seven of these: the AT10S, AT20S, AT60S,
AT80S and the mighty 256-voice AT90S models
that appeared in 2001; plus the AT15 and the
baby of the range, the single-manual AT5
launched the following year.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
could automate real-time parameters such
as Level and Pan, and the big JV even
included a synchroniser so that you could
use it with other recording systems.
All this was hosted by a super-sleek
instrument based on Rolands excellent
velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive 76-note
keyboard, which featured eight assignable
edit sliders, and which offered numerous
master keyboard functions, Yet, despite its
length, the JV1000 was surprisingly light
and portable; indeed, an ideal live
instrument. If there was a limitation, it lay
with the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, which
served only the sequencer. This meant that,
to save patches and performances, you had
to record the data first as a SysEx file, and
then write this to floppy disk. Actually, there
was a second limitation rather than
adopting the more powerful effects section
introduced on the JD990, the JV1000
retained the JV80s limited chorus/reverb
effects structure. But these were minor
niggles. It was fair to say that five years
after their competitors Roland had finally
arrived in the workstation marketplace.
1994
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
BOSS PRODUCTS
PS3 pitch-shifter/delay.
RV3 reverb/delay.
RV70 stereo reverb.
EFFECTS
RE800 digital echo.
SDX330 Dimensional Expander.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E66 Intelligent Synthesizer.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GR09.
ORGANS
Atelier AT50.
Atelier AT70.
PIANOS
RD500.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
KD5 kick trigger unit.
PD5 pad.
PD9 pad.
TD5 percussion sound module.
SAMPLERS
MS1 digital sampler.
S760 digital sampler.
DA400 D-A converter for S760.
OP760 1 option board for S760.
SOUND CANVASES
SC50.
SC88.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
JV1080 Super JV sound module.
JV35 synth.
JV50 synth.
JV90 synth.
MCR8 MIDI controller.
RAP10 PC soundcard & ATW10 PC
software.
Rodgers W30.
122 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
Roland got the multitimbral rackmount synth concept just right with the JV1080, and sold them by the lorryload.
I think that it was in 1994 or thereabouts
that some people started to feel that Roland
were no longer at the forefront of
synthesizer design and manufacture. They
were right although the company were
making very popular, commercially
successful synths, they had begun to recycle
ideas. Each year, although the specifications
of their sample-and-synthesis synths
improved, with more sounds, higher
polyphony, more effects, and so on, the
underlying technology and synth engines
remained very similar (and have done so for
all the companys S&S synths until the
present day). Roland were hardly alone in
this similar developments had occurred at
Yamaha by 1994, and would occur at Korg
a year later, so you could argue that all
three arrived at
well-rounded
implementations of
S&S synthesis
that didnt
require
fundamental
changes. But this did mean that there was
less to distinguish the sample-based synths
that Roland produced as time went on.
Consider the three keyboard synths
launched in 1994. None of them was bad,
but none of them was groundbreaking or
exciting, either. The JV35 was merely a GS
synth that replaced the JV30. Sure, it had
more memory, and was able to host a VEJV1
or VEGS1 board, but it offered nothing new.
Likewise, the JV50 was merely a JV35 with
a sequence player. Then there was the JV90,
a 76-note version of the JV80 with more
memories and a larger ROM. This
astonishingly light synth was an excellent
gigging keyboard, but it lagged behind the
instruments being produced by other
manufacturers.
Yet another repackaging job, the Rodgers
W30 was a curious beast; it was a JV50 with
an expansion board dedicated primarily to
classical organ sounds. Aimed at small
churches, chapels and perhaps even
evangelical meetings, it certainly sounded
different from the other JV synths and, in
retrospect, its a shame that Roland did not
pursue the idea of voicing and branding
instruments for specific purposes.
Much more successful was the module
that replaced the JV880, the so-called Super
JV, the JV1080. This improved hugely on
Rolands existing PCM-based synthesizers,
with an internal wave memory of 448
waveforms rather than a hundred and
something, as found in all previous JVs and
JDs. It was also the first Roland synth with
a JV name that incorporated the advantages
of the JD engine, including multiple Tone
structures and ring modulators. In addition,
it introduced a new Boost facility that
generated overdrive, clipping, and distortion
for a range of more aggressive timbres than
would normally be associated with Rolands
digital synths. With 40 insert effects,
64-voice polyphony, six outputs, and space
for no fewer than four Expansion Boards, it
instantly rendered every previous Roland
samploid synth engine obsolete.
The S760 sampler was yet another new
The S760, with its OP760 1 video-output board and
optional mouse.
kid on the same
block, updating the
S770 engine with more RAM, an improved
editing system, and the ability to read Akai
S1000 samples (although only over SCSI, not
directly from floppy disks). The S760 was
much more affordable than its predecessors,
but it accomplished this in part by
dispensing with the digital I/O, the CRT
interface, and the mouse input. Fortunately,
these were available on an optional
expansion board, the OP760 1. Together
with the optional DA400 D-A converter, the
S760 and OP760 1 combination was
Rolands best sampler to date.
Elsewhere, there were numerous
improvements and extensions of other
existing technologies. These included the
SDX330, which was another in the S series
of effects units that used RSS technology,
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
more guitar products, another E-series
keyboard, more Sound Canvases, more pads
for the Compact Drum System basically,
just more, more, and more. So where was
the hot news of 1994? As it turned out,
there were some significant developments
and changes afoot, but not where you might
have expected them.
By 1994, domestic console organs were
becoming an endangered species; either
It was the emergence of COSM and the V products in
1995 that pointed the way forward. Kakehashi and his
teams had recognised that digital signal processing and
physical modelling were the future of the electronic audio
industry...
replaced by accompaniment keyboards, or
simply consigned to Grannys back room.
But in the view of Roland founder Ikutaro
Kakehashi, the home organ market had been
shrinking not because people were less
enthusiastic about playing this type of
instrument, but because manufacturers had
been failing to deliver what customers
wanted. So, at that years Frankfurt
Musikmesse, Kakehashi achieved another of
his dreams when Roland presented the first
of its large, Atelier organs (see the box on
the next page). However, he didnt do so
unaided, having gathered to the Roland fold
many experts in the field. For example,
Carlo Lucarelli once the Technical
Manager of Farfisa, and later one of the
founders of SIEL became the President of
Roland Europe following Rolands
acquisition of his company. Likewise, Dennis
Houlihan, now President of Roland US, was
once Vice-president of Marketing at Lowrey.
Then there was Alberto Kniepkamp,
a former Director of R&D at Lowrey, who
became the head of Roland R&D in Chicago
in the late 1980s. Its hardly surprising that,
when Roland entered the organ market, they
did so at the top, and far from tentatively.
The year also witnessed the launch of the
companys Video Canvas Desktop Video
System, although this was only released in
Japan. A precursor to todays PC-based video
editing systems, this was a subtle, but in
retrospect important pointer toward
Rolands view of the future of music
technology and hi-tech.
Roland and their subsidiaries also
opened a number of new companies in
1994. In Europe, Roland DG founded a new
division to market its products to France,
124 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
Italy and the Balkan countries. Meanwhile, in Japans Secretariat of the Associated Board
the USA, a second Edirol company was of the Royal Schools of Music, the British
established. But even bigger changes were organisation that provides the standard
happening in Japan framework for music grading and
Perhaps the most fundamental of these examination the world over.
was a new method for conceiving, designing
and manufacturing new products. Called the
1995
Producer system, this required that the
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
planning and design stages for each new
AMPS
product were carried out by just one team AC100 acoustic guitar amp.
BC30 Blues Cube.
BC60 Blues Cube.
MA100 powered speaker.
ST50R & ST100DR amps.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BD2 Blues Driver.
CEB3 bass chorus.
DD5 digital delay.
GEB7 bass EQ.
HR2 harmonist.
LMB3 bass limiter.
ME8 guitar multi-effects.
MX5 stereo mixer.
OD2R Turbo overdrive.
ODB3 bass overdrive.
TM7 guitar monitor.
under the management of a single DIGITAL RECORDERS
team-leader (or Producer). The team acted AR100 announcement recorder.
AR2000 announcement recorder.
almost as a separate company within
DM800 multitrack disk recorder.
Roland, but with access to the Groups
EFFECTS
corporate facilities. Then, when the planning AP700 EQ/feedback suppressor.
stages were complete, a new team was GP100 digital guitar preamp & FC200
chosen from within the Groups MIDI foot controller.
manufacturing base, and the product moved RSS10 Sound Space Processor.
into production. GUITAR SYNTHESIS
GI-10 guitar MIDI interface.
To complement this, Roland adopted an
VG8 V-Guitar system.
ambitious development strategy called the HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
301 Project. At the time, the company said E36 Intelligent Synthesizer.
of this project, its goals are to develop the E400R Intelligent Synthesizer.
number one product in each category with G800 Intelligent Synthesizer.
a 30-percent increase in value compared to KP24 acoustic keyboard pickup
RA30 real-time arranger.
previous models. Today, Roland claim that
RA95 real-time arranger.
the project has been very successful, and PIANOS
that products such as the XP80, VS1680, FP1 digital piano.
and V-Drum systems (of which more later in HP330.
this article) exist as a consequence of HP530.
adopting 301. RHYTHM PRODUCTS
TD5K affordable kit.
But not all the changes were designed to
SAMPLERS
increase revenue. In 1994, Kakehashi
JS30 sampling workstation.
established the Roland Foundation, with the SYNTHS & HI-TECH
intention of bringing music to people MPU401 AT MIDI processor.
worldwide. The Foundation opened music XP10 multitimbral synth.
schools, and funded competitions and XP50 music workstation.
concerts in all musical genres. One of the MDC1 dance sound module (Sound
Expansion series).
earliest examples of the Foundations work
MGS64 GS/GM sound module (Sound
was the exchange of three Japanese pieces Expansion series).
of music and three Spanish pieces of music, MOC1 orchestral sound module (Sound
all in Standard MIDI Format, between Expansion series).
schools in Japan and Spain. These were then MSE1 strings sound module (Sound
arranged by the other countries students Expansion series).
MVS1 vintage keyboard sound module
and returned to their original country for
(Sound Expansion series).
review and comments. The aim was not just
to encourage musical creativity, but also to
promote understanding of two cultures By the mid-90s, it was impossible to think
using music as the medium. More recently, of Roland as merely a synthesizer company.
in April 2004, the Foundation became In truth, they never had been this alone;
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
products such as the JC series of guitar
amplifiers had long demonstrated their
commitment to other types of customer.
Indeed, you could say that by 1995 Roland
no longer had a single main market, and
that they were just as committed to small
studio owners, pianists and organists as
they were to rock & roll musicians. Perhaps
it was for this reason that the years
offerings in its original fields of endeavour
were so unremarkable.
Firstly, there was the further evolution of
the JV series of synths and workstations
into the XP series. At first, there were just
two of these. The XP10 replaced the
short-lived JV35, adding extra memory and
an arpeggiator, but retaining the GS/GM
sound engine. More interesting was the
XP50, which was in many ways a JV1080
with a 61-note keyboard and a sequencer.
However, the XP50 lost the PCM card and
Data card slots that had existed since the
JD800 had appeared in 1991. It also lost two
of its pairs of stereo outputs, which made it
less suitable for studio use.
There was also the introduction of the
Sound Expansion Series modules which
were, in truth, little more than SR JV80
expansion boards in 1U rackmount boxes.
Initially, the series comprised five units, all
of them designed primarily for use as preset
Milestone: The VG8
The VG8 confused many when they first
saw it. Was it an effects unit? Not exactly.
Was it a guitar synth? Well, not exactly.
Was it a preamp? Yes and no. In fact, the
VG8 proved to be the precursor of what has
since become a common element in our
musical armoury: the physically modelled
guitar amplifier, speaker cabinet and recording
environment.
With the GK2A pickup mounted on your
existing electric guitar, the Virtual Guitar
Modelling (VGM) system in the VG8 allowed you
to decide whether the resulting sound would be
that of a single-coil or humbucking pickup, and
where that lay on the body or neck. You could
then choose which kind of amplifier the system
would model, and whether the output was
reproduced through a virtual 1x12, 2x12, 4x12,
or a stack. Finally, you could choose whether or
not the sound was DId, or recorded using one of
selection of virtual microphones positioned at
user-defined distances and angles from the virtual
speaker cab.
COSM provided a fair degree of control over all
of this, allowing you to obtain a good range of
rock timbres using standard pre-amp and amplifier
controls, as well as Boss-style dynamics
processing, overdrive, and effects. The factory
programs tended to concentrate on the
mainstream nature of the sounds thus produced,
with patches named Jimi Hendrix this and Jeff
Beck that, but the VG8 also offered the
hex-distortion that made the GR300 so
126 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
systems, although the JV1080s SysEx
commands were supported, so you could
edit them using appropriate software if you
wished. However, there were no onboard
memories in which to store your results.
There was also an addition to the E-series
range, and two new Arranger modules, the
more expensive of which (the RA95) was in
effect an E86 in a box. Roland even
produced a two-octave Acoustic Piano
Pickup, which detected key movements and
sent the information to any of the E and RA
series for conversion into backing tracks.
More interesting, perhaps, was the G800,
which was Rolands entry into the top end of
the home keyboard market. Like the E series
that continued alongside it, the
GS/GM-compatible G800 was an Intelligent
Synthesizer, but it sported a 76-note
keyboard, a large LCD, and more styles.
Unfortunately, it lacked a sequencer, and
there was little scope to edit sounds.
The same could also be said of the
DM800 which, despite being seeming very
appealing, ultimately failed to impress. This
long, slim box was perhaps the first fully
self-contained DAW, needing neither
a computer in tow, nor a bank of external
rackmount processors, nor even external
hard disk drives if you installed the optional
internal drives
The VG8, core of the V-Guitar system, the first of
Rolands commercially released (and highly
successful) V products (the V-Piano, supposedly
the first mooted V product, remains unrealised at
the time of writing...).
distinctive, so it was able to produce another
wide family of sounds not obtainable from
conventional guitar, amp, and speaker setups.
In addition to all the above, the VG8 included
a second form of DSP processing called Harmonic
Restructure Modelling, or HRM. This was
surrounded by quasi-scientific marketing
gobbledygook but, in essence, it was a means of
processing the string vibration in different ways
to produce new harmonic structures. Roland
pointed out that, because the actual string
vibration was the sound source, the results were
far more expressive and organic than using the
guitar to trigger synthesized sounds. This may
have been true, but few players made full use of
the brass, bowed strings, lead synths, bass, pads,
organs and all manner of weird sound effects
models that HRM offered.
that it supported. Whats more, it offered
real-time two-band EQ, time compression,
pitch correction, and even mix automation.
Add to this outputs for external video
monitors to augment the onboard graphic
LCD, a proprietary expansion buss, dual
SCSI ports, a slate of MTC and LTC
synchronisation options, project
management and backup to DAT or MO
drives, and everything looked pretty
hunky-dory. But the DM800 was not
a success. Perhaps this was because each
SCSI port was limited to just four channels
of recording/playback, or because the
digital I/O was limited to S/PDIF rather than
the more professional AES-EBU interface.
Perhaps it was because of the limited fade
and crossfading facilities, or more likely it
was because editing was clunky, and the
waveform display was of low resolution and
difficult to use. Whatever the reason, the
DM800 promised much, but survived just
a handful of months before Roland
announced a product that would sweep it
away at a stroke.
So, where was the big news in 1995? In
retrospect, there was one overriding
development that year, and it would soon
have an impact on all manner of Roland
products. It wasnt a keyboard, a synth,
a sound module, or an effects unit; it was
a digital signal processing technology that
Roland called Composite Object Sound
Modelling.
COSM was a method of combining the
physical modelling of various elements in
the sound generation chain, and reducing
the results to a single algorithm. It first
appeared in the GP100, which offered
emulations of Marshalls, Fenders and of
course Rolands own JC-series amplifiers,
and was perhaps the worlds first physically
modelled guitar preamp but, much more
notably, it was also the basis of the VG8
Virtual Guitar system (see the box on the
left).
Inevitably, the VG8 didnt quite live up to
its promise, and Roland were to improve the
V-Guitar system on numerous occasions
over the next few years. The VG8 would be
superseded by the VG8EX in 1998, followed
by the VG88 in 2000, the VGA series of
modelled guitar amplifiers in 2001, and the
V-Bass in 2002. Likewise, the GP100 would
soon make way for the GX700, and then the
floodgates would open, as COSM infiltrated
many of Rolands product ranges. Indeed,
the company now incorporate COSM
technology in almost every synth, organ and
multi-effects unit that they produce.
Even if it was in some respects one of the
companys less eventful years, at least one
thing must have put a smile on the face of
Rolands shareholders and bankers in 1995
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
this was the year in which the company
sold their millionth GS sound module. Given
that the format only appeared in 1991, this
was no mean achievement.
1996
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPLIFIERS & MIXERS
KC100/KC300/KC500 keyboard amps.
SRA260/SRA540/SRA800 power amps.
BOSS PRODUCTS
GT5 effects processor.
GX700 effects processor.
ME8B bass multi-effects.
PW2 Power Driver pedal.
SX700 effects processor.
SYB3 bass synth pedal.
VT1 Voice Transformer.
XT2 Xtortion pedal.
DIGITAL RECORDERS
VS880 digital multitrack & VS8F1 effects
board.
EFFECTS
EQ131/EQ215/EQ231 graphic EQs.
GUITAR PRODUCTS
VG8S1 system expansion for VG8.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E12/E28/E38/E68/E96 Intelligent
Synthesizers.
RA800 Intelligent Module.
MASTER KEYBOARDS
A33.
A90.
A90EX (plus VERD1 piano expansion
board).
ORGANS
Atelier AT30.
Atelier AT90.
PIANOS
HP135/HP235/HP550G/HP555G digital
pianos.
KR370/KR570/KR770 Intelligent
pianos.
SAMPLERS
DJ70 MkII workstation.
SOUND CANVASES
SC55ST.
SC88.
SC88ST.
SC88VL.
VSC55 Virtual Sound Canvas.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
MC303 groovebox.
PMA5 personal music assistant.
SN700 noise eliminator.
XP80 workstation.
VIDEO PRODUCTS
LVC1 lyrics video converter.
The VG8 marked the end of a fallow period
for Roland that had lasted from 1993 to
1995, and the next two years were to see an
explosion of advances, many of which were
fuelled by the magic letter V. Of these, the
first and one of the most significant was the
V-Studio, more commonly known as the
VS880. Announced in 1995, and
immediately nicknamed the digital
portastudio (although not by Tascam, who
had registered Portastudio as their
128 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
trademark), the VS880 brought digital
recording, mixing and multi-effects
together in an affordable,
self-contained package that was
portable enough to carry around
in a carrier bag (see the box
below).
Elsewhere, the evolution of
JVs into XPs was continuing apace as the
JV1000 was replaced by the XP80
workstation. This shared the big JVs 76-note
semi-weighted keyboard, but it was far
more than simply a wider XP50. It offered
a much larger LCD that could display
extensive graphics as well as menus,
and there were more real-time
controls, twice as many outputs,
inputs for twice as many
controller pedals, a more
powerful sequencer, and a new
arpeggiator. With its four
expansion slots, the XP80 was the
closest thing to a JV1080 with
a keyboard and, as such, it justified its
continued status as a powerful and popular
workstation.
Roland also expanded their range of
Atelier home organs with the AT30 and the
new head of the range, the AT90. This
offered the oversize manuals of its
predecessor, provided similar
auto-accompaniment facilities, stuck with
Milestone: The VS880 Digital Studio Workstation
A handful of Roland employees first saw the
VS880 in 1994, when it appeared as a Styrofoam
dummy called the VR88. Of course, the
development was highly confidential because,
had it leaked out, it would have killed sales of the
existing DM80 and the DM800 that was due to
be launched the following year. But when the
VS880 finally appeared in 1997, nothing in it was
new. We had all seen eight-track hard disk
recording before, as well as digital mixing,
automation, and digital effects. We had also been
introduced to Rolands Sound Space processing
(RSS) and COSM, so the optional VS8F1 dual
effects board did not cross any boundaries either.
Nonetheless, the VS880 and VS8F1 combined all
these elements in a new way that was both
affordable and simple to use.
With a 540MB drive installed, the VS880
offered around 100 minutes of audio at 44.1kHz,
but for applications where recording time was
With a built-in MC-style sequencer, JV1080 synth
engine (including effects) and 76-note keyboard, the
XP80 was a fine successor to the JV1000
workstation.
1996s A90, one of Rolands finest
controller keyboards.
the GS/GM
sound source, and again
blasted 240W through no fewer than
11 speakers! But there were many extra
features, and although theres no room to
discuss them here, one bears special
mention. Its the price: a mere 19,999. Its
clear that, when Kakehashi entered this
market, he wasnt messing around.
Perhaps the best keyboard launched in
1996 was the replacement for the A80
controller keyboard. The A90 looked
fantastic, and its superb 88-note piano
more important than audio quality, three
data-compressed recording formats were offered.
Not so critical in todays world of Terabyte drives,
this was a significant consideration when
external 1GB drives were not only state-of-the-art,
but seriously expensive.
The VS880 could only record six tracks at
a time, but each of its eight tracks could up to
hold eight Takes. A limited form of snapshot
automation was provided within the VS880 itself,
but by connecting it to an external MIDI
sequencer, you could enjoy dynamic automation
of many parameters.
The VS880 fell short in two areas. Firstly, its
editing model (unassisted by a waveform display)
was even less capable than that of the DM800.
Secondly, there was its inability to replay all eight
tracks when using the uncompressed audio mode.
In this case, just four tracks were available. But
as the healthy sales attested, many people were
happy to live with these restrictions, perhaps
because the VS880 was the cheapest way to
obtain all of these features in one package. And
though it lasted just a year before being
superseded, it was a seminal product for Roland.
It wasnt the first compact digital multitracker, but it was
the first really good one, combining random-access
digital recording, advanced COSM effects, and digital
mixing facilities in one sub-1500 product.
action simply begged you to play. In
addition, it had many unexpected and
sophisticated functions under its large, clear
controls and, with the VEGS1 or VEJV1 board
installed, it became a powerful GS/GM or JV
sound source in its own right, with limited
but nonetheless useful editing capabilities.
Nevertheless, the jewel in the A-series crown
was the A90EX, a standard A90 with the
VERD1 board pre-installed. This contained
what remains for some players the finest
digital piano yet developed, complemented
by numerous electric pianos, D50 and
JV-style sounds, all editable to a degree,
enhanced with EQ, chorus and reverb, and
reproduced with generous 64-note
polyphony.
The A90 was large, heavy, beautifully
built and expensive, but I suspect that 1996
will be best remembered for a product at the
opposite end of the spectrum. Small, light,
and relatively cheap, it was something that
Roland had spent more than a decade
claiming that it would never produce. It was
the successor to the chosen tools of the
techno brigade, the TB303, the TR808 and
the TR909. It was the MC303, which,
depending upon your perspective, either
helped to hurry the destruction of popular
music, or was a wonderful, liberating box
that brought Groove to the masses.
The MC303 comprised two major
sections: a synthesizer that included
numerous rhythm sets, and a sequencer.
The former was 28-voice polyphonic, and
many of its sounds were culled from the
TB303 and various TRs. There were
complete sound banks devoted to synth
bass, as well as whole banks of individual
percussion sounds such as kick drums,
snares, handclaps and so on. However,
there were also numerous pianos, organs,
brass patches, and guitars. Consequently,
you could use the MC303 to create far more
than just drum & bass. The sequencer
offered just eight tracks and a capacity of
14,000 notes, but it was
far more flexible
than it
Roland said theyd never re-introduce the TB303, as it
was too expensive to mass-produce its all-analogue
design in the mid-90s but eventually they did
concede and produce a digital version, the MC303, to
great success.
snippets of news in 1996. Firstly, after the
failed attempt to relaunch Rhodes pianos
and keyboards in digital form, it appears
that Roland transferred the brand name
back to Harold Rhodes, who said that he
hoped to restart production of
electro-mechanical pianos. Unfortunately,
Rhodes was an elderly man, and died just
four years later, aged 89, without realising
that dream. Secondly, there was the
appointment of Mr Katsuyoshi Dan as
President of Roland Corporation. Ikutaro
Kakehashi was to stay on as Chairman of the
Bosss VT1 was one of the first affordable Group and of the Roland Foundation, but his
formant-based vocal processors, allowing you to health had declined and, after 24 years,
transform male into female-sounding vocals and vice
Dans appointment signalled a lessening of
versa, as well as offering many vocal special effects.
Kakehashis involvement in the day-to-day
seemed, with phrase sequencing, an running of the company.
arpeggiator, several quantising functions,
a few hundred preset patterns and their
1997
variations, and space for a further 50
patterns of your own. MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
Roland had inadvertently helped to
GC405/GC408/GC405X & GC408X guitar
invent house, acid, trance, techno, and most amps.
other forms of 90s dance music, so it came JC90 Jazz Chorus amp.
as no surprise to find that the MC303 was KC100 keyboard amp.
an instant success. Analogue purists tried to SST151 & SST251 speaker systems.
claim that it sounded nothing like the real SSW351 subwoofer.
BOSS PRODUCTS
thing, but played through a 10,000W PA
AC2 acoustic simulator.
system producing little sound energy above AD5 acoustic instrument processor.
150Hz, its doubtful that anybody could CT6 guitar/bass tuner.
really tell the difference. So, despite a few DB12 Dr Beat.
anoraks moaning about how things werent DB88 Dr Beat.
as good as they were in the good ol days, FZ3 fuzz pedal.
ME30 guitar multi-effects.
the MC303 simultaneously defined the
OD3 overdrive pedal.
nature of the Groovebox and re-defined the
SP202 Dr Sample.
way in which many people produced dance TR2 tremolo pedal.
music. DIGITAL RECORDERS
A few other developments from 1996 VS880 V-Xpanded digital studio
deserve a quick mention. One was the Boss workstation.
VT1 Voice Transformer, which soon popped GUITAR SYNTH
GR30.
up in all manner of Roland products, and
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
provided endless hours of fun, turning men E14 Intelligent Synthesizer.
into women, women into children, children E500 Intelligent Synthesizer.
into robots, and robots into Bugs Bunny. G600 Arranger Workstation.
Then there was the LVC1 Lyrics Video MASTER KEYBOARDS
Converter, which read the lyrics that could A70.
ORGANS
be stored within the SMF data format, and
Atelier AT80.
displayed them on a video monitor. VK7 Virtual Tonewheel combo organ.
Compatible with the G800, RA800, the PIANOS
KR570 and KR770 Intelligent pianos, EP75 & EP85 digital pianos.
plus the E68 and E96, this allowed you to HP130 & HP730 digital pianos.
turn your expensive keyboard into RD600 digital piano.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
a karaoke machine. No doubt it was big in
PD100 V-Pad.
Japan! Finally, just to prove that Roland dont
PD120 V-Pad.
always think of the good ideas first, there TD10 V-Drums percussion sound module.
was the PMA5 Personal Music Assistant. This SOUND CANVAS
hybrid of a Palm Pilot, a sequencer and SC88 Pro.
a GS/GM sound source was a great little SYNTHS & HI-TECH
product that would have been worthy of far AF70 anti-feedback processor.
JP8000 analogue modelling synth.
more than a mere mention had Yamaha
JV2080 synth module.
not done something rather similar five years MBD1 sound module.
before. SMPUII AT MIDI interface.
There were a couple more important
february 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 129
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 4: 1992-1997
It was Rolands 25th birthday in 1997, and
whether through coincidence or otherwise,
it was to prove to be a bumper year for the
company. Despite Kakehashis departure
from the hot-seat, Roland continued to
establish new companies and joint ventures
worldwide, adding Roland France SA and the
Roland Taiwan Enterprise Company Ltd.
1997s VK7 was Rolands best tonewheel organ emulation to date.
(which is distinct from the manufacturer,
Roland Taiwan Electronic Music Corporation)
to the roster. Back in Japan, a new factory in
Miyakoda was opened, primarily to build
larger products such as Atelier organs.
Roland were very proud of this plant,
declaring that production was carried out
using a cell system in which each worker
assembled a single unit from start to finish.
Given that the rest of the world embraces
the production line (in which each worker is
responsible for a single element of all units,
rather than all the elements of one unit) this
is very strange Henry Ford would have
been dumbfounded.
This was also the year in which Roland
applied the letter V to three more areas of
music technology, with their first modelled
organ, a virtual analogue synth, and most
important of all, the V-Drums (see the box
opposite).
Given Kakehashis major contributions to
the development of electronic organs in the
1960s, its remarkable that Rolands efforts
in this field had never lived up to their
heritage. The company sold few VK6s and
VK9s (1977), and the later VK1 (1979) and
VK09 (1981) were horrid affairs. Released in
1990, the sample-based Rhodes VK1000
was a much finer instrument but, by 1997,
numerous companies had produced better
variations on a theme by Hammond, who
had themselves developed the XB2 and XK1
keyboards, plus the XM1 module.
Consequently, it was pleasing to discover
that the VK7 virtual tonewheel was superior
to these, chunky and robust, with a sound
that was thanks to its COSM overdrive,
Together with the earlier
JV1080, the JV2080 was the
bread-and-butter synth module
of the 90s, and can be heard
on thousands of records.
130 SOUND ON SOUND february 2005
amplifier, and rotary speaker effects even
closer to that of a vintage Hammond.
Unfortunately, the VK7 was let down by
a handful of minor niggles.
The year also saw the pinnacle of the
development of the JV series. The JV2080
was a better, more powerful JV1080 that
employed the XP80s large LCD, provided
three EFX
units, and
was capable
of hosting no
fewer than
eight
expansion
boards. With
more patches
and
performances,
and an improved operating system, the only
deficiency with respect to the earlier model
was the loss of the PCM card slot. But this
was an insignificant loss, and the JV2080
immediately became Rolands pro module,
one that remains highly desirable to this
day.
Powerful though the JV2080 was, it was
overshadowed by the launch of Rolands
first physically modelled analogue
synthesizer, the JP8000. And,
as had happened when
the company announced
the JD800, the rumours
began. It had a J in the
name, and an 8 was
this the long-awaited
digital Jupiter 8?
Certainly, its knobs and
sliders were in the grand
tradition of big analogue
polysynths and, in many ways, the JP8000
looked and felt vintage. Seven
analogue-style waves lay at its heart, and
these included the first appearance of the
Super Saw waveform that has since become
a standard ingredient in virtual-analogue
synthesis. Like the Jupiter 8, the JP8000
offered 12dB- and 24dB-per-octave filters,
and like the Jupiter 6, these were
multi-mode affairs, with low-pass, band-pass
and high-pass options. Other nods to the
past included an effects section with chorus
and delay (but no reverb), and an
arpeggiator. There was also Motion
Control, which was a grand name for
recording front-panel adjustments as
miniature eight-bar control sequences that
could then be replayed as loops, or output
to an external sequencer. Inevitably, not all
was rosy, and the JP8000 had its
deficiencies. Foremost among these was the
unfathomable decision and, in my view,
serious mistake to limit it to a four-octave
keyboard. Secondly, it could sound a bit thin
when compared to the Nord Lead and other
modelled analogue synths of the day and,
thirdly, its duo-timbrality and eight-voice
polyphony were already way behind the
times. Nonetheless, the JP8000 carved
a niche for itself, and many remain in use
today, not because they are the most
powerful tools for the job, but because
like some classic synths players simply
like their sound.
Elsewhere, Roland were continuing their
habit of recycling existing technology in
new ways. A sixth Sound Expansion
module, the MBD1 was a rackmount version
of the SR JV10 Drum & Bass Expansion
Board, while the RD600 stage piano
(a superb instrument, by the way) was
a hybrid of an RD500 piano, the A90s
VERD1 board, and a selection of sounds
from the SR JV80 expansion board
series. As always,
The JP8000 wasnt quite the Digital
Jupiter the synth fraternity had been waiting for,
but it was a sufficiently impressive physical
modelling synth that many of them remain in use
today, eight years on.
there were numerous new Boss pedals,
numerous guitar amplifiers and effect units,
another guitar synth, another Atelier organ,
another Sound Canvas, another master
keyboard, a significant redesign of the
E-series keyboards to create the E300 and
E500, and well, you get the idea.
There was even an upgrade to the
previous years VS880, which became the
VS880 V-Xpanded. This was the same
hardware with improved software, so
existing owners could upgrade the VS880 to
the later specification with the VS880 S1
System Expansion Kit. This included the new
software, new manuals, and stickers to
annotate the new functions on the front
panel. The improvements were not trivial.
Most notably, you could now replay six
tracks in the uncompressed audio mode,
and there were 10 new effects, including the
Boss Voice Transformer algorithm,
 Milestone: V-Drums
Throughout the mid-1990s, Rolands Compact
Drum Systems had proved to be
a disappointment, both to drummers and to
Roland, with sales far lower than anticipated.
However, Ikutaro Kakehashi remained committed
to manufacturing instruments in all the main
musical groups and, recognising that the problem
lay not in the sound generated by the kits, but
the way that they responded to the drummers
technique, he never gave up on the idea of
producing an electronic kit that both sounded and
felt like an acoustic kit.
After years of experimentation, Rolands
engineers developed a drum pad based on what
the company called a mesh drumhead. This
special fabric could be tensioned in the usual
fashion, and therefore adjusted to suit each
players taste. Most importantly, it responded in
a way that was much closer to that of a genuine
drum skin. Unfortunately, Roland did not know
how to manufacture these heads in quantity, so
Kakehashi turned to Remo Belli, the head of
Remo, the world-renowned manufacturer of
acoustic drums and percussion. Remos expertise
was crucial to solving Rolands problems, and
soon a new generation of electronic drum pads
were born: the 10-inch diameter PD100 and the
12-inch diameter PD120.
To complement the new heads, Roland
introduced the V-Drum brain, the TD10. Another
product based on COSM, almost overnight this
made all previous electronic drum sources
obsolete. The TD10 provided a huge selection of
drums (more than 600 of them) with detailed
editing and fine-tuning of the bass, snare and
tom-tom sounds, plus a wide selection of
accompaniment sounds, extensive effects, and
sequencing but it wasnt the specification that
made the V-Drums special. It was simply that the
TD10 and a selection of PD100 and PD120 pads
formed the basis of the most expressive
electronic kit ever created at that point, one
Drummers had failed to warm to Rolands
which provided the feel, controllability and electronic drums since the late 80s, but with
expression that professionals demanded. With 1997s V-Drums, the first COSM-based drum
a couple of KD7 kick drum units, a FD7 hi-hat system, Roland finally cracked the market. The
controller, plus a bunch of the earlier PD5, PD7 V-Drums have been revised a couple of times since,
and PD9 pads for cymbals and other metalwork and remain some of the companys most successful
the fully electronic drum kit had finally arrived! current products.

a COSM-generated Mic Simulator, and
a Vocoder. To further improve the
usefulness of these and the previously
included effects Roland added new Insert
options, as well as on-board automation and
improvements to the editing capabilities.
With a host of other improvements, the
VS880 V-Xpanded was a much better buy
than the original VS880, so the V-Studios
deserved their continuing success.
Epilogue
At the start of the 90s, Roland were
emerging from a golden age in which it
seemed that they could do little wrong.
Then a recession hit and whether this
simply reflected the worldwide economic
slowdown or pointed to a malaise in the
music industry itself, the result was the
same: sales in the companys traditional
markets plummeted.
Roland responded to this by purchasing
existing companies, opening new
companies, and expanding into new
markets. They added home organs, General
MIDI Sound Canvases, electronic drum kits,
hard disk recorders and a huge range of
electronic pianos to their existing synth,
sampler, guitar synth, amps and effects
product lines. Nevertheless, it was the
emergence of COSM and the V products in
1995 that pointed the way forward.
Kakehashi and his teams had recognised
that digital signal processing and physical
modelling were the future of the electronic
audio industry, and Roland would soon be
applying these to everything from the
humblest sound modules and
dance-oriented Grooveboxes to their most
expensive digital mixers and audio
workstations. Which is, of course, where
well pick up this story next month...

february 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 131


Gordon Reid
or four months weve been charting the
F rise, narrowly averted fall, and further
rise of Roland, from their humble roots
in 1972 to the worldwide corporation they
had become in 1997. In the final part of this
history, Ill chart the companys course in
the DSP era, and see how they coped with
the retirement of their founder, Ikutaro
Kakehashi. Well start in January 1998
1998
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
DJ2000 DJ mixer.
SSM151 floor monitor.
BOSS PRODUCTS
AD3 acoustic instrument processor.
DR202 Dr Groove.
ME30 multi-effects.
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
VS1680 digital studio workstation.
VS840 digital studio workstation.
VS880 S2 upgrade for VS880.
VS880EX digital studio workstation.
GUITAR SYNTHS
VG8EX V-Guitar system.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E300 Intelligent Synthesizer.
G1000 arranger workstation.
MASTER KEYBOARDS
A70.
PIANOS
EP95.
HP136/HP236/HP330e/HP530e/
HP555G digital pianos.
KR75/KR375/KR575 Intelligent digital
pianos.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
SPD20 percussion pad.
KD120 V-Kick trigger.
SOUND CANVASES & AUDIO CANVASES
SC880.
UA100 USB audio & MIDI processing unit.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
JP8080 analogue-modelling synth module.
JX305 Groovesynth.
MC505 Groovebox.
MT80S/MT120S/MT300S sequencers
with built-in sound source.
SP808 sampling workstation.
SMPU64 MIDI processin g unit.
XP60 workstation synth.
VIDEO PRODUCTS
A6 Audio Station.
A6 OP1 digital interface for A6.
SI80S video/MIDI interface.
V5 video mix/title processor.
It wasnt obvious at the start of the year, but
1998 was to be one of the most fecund
years in the companys history, with more
than 40 major product launches. None of
these were particularly innovative, although
all built in meaningful ways on the
companys previous successes.
Consider the XP60, which replaced the
Designing
The Future
The History Of Roland
Part 5 1998-2004
As Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi celebrates his
75th birthday, we conclude our history of the company
by coming right up to the end of 2004...
The JP8080, the rack version of 1997s JP8000
analogue-modelling synth.
The MC505 vastly improved on the Groovebox
concept introduced with 1996s MC303.
1998s SP808 sampling workstation.
XP50 released three years before. This was
nothing more than a smaller version of the
XP80. Similarly, the G1000 Arranger
Workstation was a bigger, better version of
the G800. It sported new sounds, and some
nice touches such as its integrated Zip drive,
but at heart it was still a GS/GM Arranger
workstation. Likewise, the SPD20 improved
upon 1993s SPD11, the SC880 was an
improved GS/GM rackmount, the JP8080
was an enhanced rackmount version of the
JP8000, the VG8EX replaced the VG8, and
a range of superb digital pianos replaced the
previous range of superb digital pianos.
There was, perhaps, more innovation in
the shape of the MC505, SP808 and JX305.
The MC505 was an enhanced MC303,
adding an improved sound engine, and an
enhanced library of music patterns, but it
was also the first Roland to accept Smart
Media storage cards, and the first to boast
the new, infrared D-Beam controller that
Roland had licensed from Interactive Light.
The SP808 was a new variation on the
Groove idea, combining sampling and
recording in a single box designed for
remixing, tweaking, warping and triggering
phrases for techno music. Alongside the pair
of these, the JX305 Groovesynth was
derided by purists, but as a modified MC505
in a five-octave keyboard, without the
D-Beam but with an additional selection of
traditional sounds for playing or
sequencing, it appealed to people who
wanted to combine orthodox playing and
Groove sequencing.
But the most significant developments
were to be found in the V-Studio series,
march 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 81
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004

which expanded into a range of three a USB-equipped computer. Despite its

distinct products: the VS880 S2 with its
external CD writer option, the VS840, and
the superb VS1680, which set a new
standard for small studio workstations.
As the name suggests, the VS840 was
the baby of the family. Like the VS880, it
was an eight-track system limited to
recording just four tracks at a time, and it
lacked a number of its larger siblings more
sophisticated features. It also suffered from
severe limitations when using
uncompressed audio. Where it scored,
however, was in the provision of a built-in
Zip drive, although this offered just four
minutes of eight-track recording, even
without alternative takes.
The VS840 garnered some positive
reviews, but it was hugely limited and
limiting. The same cannot be said of the
VS1680, which proved that the VS format
was viable for serious composition and
recording. It had 16 tracks rather than eight,
16 virtual tracks per track rather than eight,
24-bit internal data resolution rather than
16-bit, a better screen and improved
operating system, effects as standard,
approximately four times the recording
capacity of the VS880, and the ability to
record directly to external drives. You could
even install a second VS8F2 effects card to
provide four simultaneous stereo effects
units, including a goodly selection of RSS
and COSM algorithms. No CD writer was
The mighty VS1680 multitrack recording
workstation, the first really serious VS recorder.
external unit and use it to back up the
internal drive or to create audio CDs of your
mixes.
Unfortunately, the VS1680 was let down
by three faults. Firstly, you could only use
eight tracks with uncompressed audio.
Secondly, it generated digital glitching if you
tried to adjust its EQ while replaying audio.
Thirdly (although this was cured in a later
upgrade) there was no dithering, so if you
were using the 24-bit recording modes,
truncation occurred when you output to
CD-R or any other 16-bit storage medium.
Nonetheless, the VS1680 became a big
success for Roland.
At the other end of the scale, Edirol was
about to become one of the most common
names in hi-tech music. In no small way,
this was thanks in part to the UA100 Audio
Canvas, an unassuming little box that
combined 20-bit audio interfacing over USB
interfacing with USB-based MIDI interfacing,
and which became a one-stop solution for
limited number of analogue inputs and
outputs, it offered dual MIDI Ins and Outs,
and nearly 70 digital effects, including the
now ubiquitous Boss vocal transformer
algorithm. Together with the bundled
control software, the UA100 simultaneously
let you record, playback, mix, add effects,
and synchronise your audio and MIDI
system.
The 1998 Edirol catalogue was stuffed
with other goodies such as mixers,
micro-monitors, keyboard- and module-
based Sound Canvases, controller
keyboards, CD burners, microphones,
headphones, MIDI interfaces, and nearly 50
The Edirol UA100, one of the first serious USB
MIDI and audio interfaces.
pages of software. But the most exciting
developments were buried in the middle of
the tome. These were the V5 Video Canvas
and A6 Audio Station (see the box below),
the release of which made Edirol the
Desktop Media Production company that
they had always aspired to be. No longer
a minor part of the Roland group, they were
about to become a major supplier in the
domestic and PC music markets.

supplied as standard, but you could add an recording and sequencing using Elsewhere, the Roland Corporation

Milestones: The First Video Canvases

Roland established Edirol in 1989 to create
and sell Desktop Media Production (DTMP)
products such as audio and video editors, but
it wasnt until 1998 (which, incidentally, was
the year that Edirol Europe was born) that
many of its products travelled beyond
Japanese shores. The V5 Video Canvas was
one of these, and was probably the most
significant stepping-stone in Rolands
transition from an audio company into an
audio-visual company.
With a resolution of only 640 x 480 pixels,
the V5s picture quality was inadequate for
broadcast or film applications, so it was aimed
at home-video creation, as well as low-cost
production for corporate conferences, company
demonstrations, and education. But despite its
limitations, the V5 was a fun box, and provided
many facilities that just a few years previously
had been the preserve of high-end video
studios. These included video mixing and
effects such as wiping, picture-in-picture,
solarising, and title generation. It even offered
a simple audio mixer capable of mixing the
sound from the two video sources, an auxiliary
in, and a microphone input that let you add
a voiceover. The importance of the audio
facilities cannot be overstated. In most video
production, audio is a very poor companion,
tacked on at the last minute once the picture
people have run hopelessly over-budget. By
combining sound and picture preparation in
a single box, Roland demonstrated that the
two justified equal status within the
production process.
If the audio facilities in the V5 were
inadequate for your needs, the A6 offered
eight-track hard disk recording and mixing,
with a clip-store that allowed you to paste any
of 1000 audio clips into the V5 at a touch of
an assignable button (Roland even provided
a library of clips and sound effects that you
could use free of copyright in your
productions). The A6 also provided a full
selection of digital audio effects, including
dynamics and reverb, plus creative tools such
as the Boss Voice Transformer.
The final members of the 1998 Video
Canvas family were the OP1 Multi I/O
expansion option that added digital audio I/O
plus a SCSI port to the A6, and the SI80S
Video/MIDI synchroniser. This converted the
timecode generated by some video recorders
into MIDI Time Code, thus making it possible
to synchronise the A6 with other video Edirols first big steps forward in the video
equipment. market, the V5 and A6 video mixers.

82 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005

 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
opened another joint venture, Roland
Portugal SA, and Rodgers was expanding
further. But the founder of the company was
in no position to take heart at these
achievements. Following a prolonged fight
against cancer throughout the 1990s,
Ikutaro Kakehashi was hospitalised in 1998.
Happily, his treatment was a success,
although he then faced a prolonged
recuperation period. However, as
demonstrated in his memoirs, I Believe In
Music, he was still dreaming up ideas from
his hospital bed, such as the Organ Power
Concert that Roland staged at the NAMM
show in January 1999, and which has since
become an annual event.
1999
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
CPM300 powered mixer.
DB500 D-Bass amplifier.
DJ1000 DJ mixer.
DS90 monitors.
SRA200E stereo amplifier.
BOSS PRODUCTS
DR770 Dr Rhythm.
GT3 guitar effects.
PS5 Super Shifter.
VF1 24-bit multi-effects.
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
ADA7000 AD/DA converter
V7000-series V-mix modular digital mixing
system (VM7100 & VM7200 processors,
VMC7100 & VMC7200 consoles).
VM3100 V-Mixer.
VM3100 Pro V-Mixer.
VS840EX digital studio workstation.
VSR880 digital studio recorder.
EFFECTS
SRV3030 & SRV3030D reverb.
HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT PRODUCTS
E600 arranger keyboard.
EM10/EM20/EM30/EM50 arranger
keyboards.
EM50 OR oriental arranger keyboard.
EM2000 arranger keyboard.
ORGANS
Atelier AT20R/AT30R/AT60R/AT80R
& AT90R.
In 1999, there was another bumper crop of
Roland products. Indeed, the companys
ability to explore new markets seemed to be
expanding at an almost exponential rate,
but without affecting their ability to support
existing customers. Consequently, keyboard
players and synthesists were offered the
new XP30 and the last of the
JV range, the JV1010, another
Groove keyboard, two more
MicroComposers (the MC80
and MC80EX),
The last to date in the
honourable line of Rolands
MicroComposer hardware
sequencers, 1999s MC80.
84 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
a dual-manual
Hammond
impersonator, four more
Sound Canvases, five
digital pianos, five
improved Atelier organs,
and seven more E-series
arranger keyboards. There
was also a new V-Drum kit,
a rather neat hand-percussion
system (the HPD15), enhancements
for the VS V-Studio workstations, more
music players, more audio and MIDI
interfaces, more amplifiers, more mixers
and more effects units. But theres no space
to devote to any of these, because other
products broke important new ground for
C280 & C280P classic organs.
PK25 pedals for VK77.
VK77 combo organ.
PIANOS
EP70 & EP90 digital pianos.
FP9.
KR1070 grand piano.
RD100.
C80 harpsichord.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
HPD15 Handsonic percussion
controller/drum module/sequencer.
TD8 sound module.
TD8K standard kit.
SEQUENCERS
MC80 & MC80EX MicroComposers.
SOUND CANVASES
SC8820.
SC8850.
SC88ST.
SK88 Pro.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
EG101 Groove keyboard.
JV1010 module.
MC307 Groovebox.
MT300 music player.
U8 USB digital studio.
UA100G USB audio & MIDI processing unit.
UA30 USB audio interface.
UM2 USB MIDI interface.
VE GSPro expansion board.
XP30 synthesizer.
the company.
Most curious among Rolands new
products was the C280 classical
organ, which concealed a surprising
number of facilities behind its
reversed keys and eight stops. These
included two organ voicing types
one for Baroque- and the other
for Romantic-era
compositions plus
chimes, celesta and
two choirs. The C280P
variant which looked
like nothing so much as
a tiny 19th-century
chapel organ had an
additional cabinet affixed
The superb HPD15 Handsonic
percussion controller a pad
controller, drum sound module, and
drum sequencer in one box. Can there
be any air drummers who dont want
one of these?
to the top of the organ itself,
and this contained two ranks of
pipes. They may have looked
purely decorative, but the pipes acted
as resonators to make the sound even
more authentic. Not an instrument for the
average player, the C280 was, like the C80
Harpsichord, aimed at a specific and
demanding group of players.
At the other end of the musical spectrum
lay 1999s VM3100 digital mixers, the
V7000 series of V-Mix modular digital
mixers, and the VSR880, a rackmount,
eight-track digital recorder, all of which
marked Rolands attempt to enter the world
of serious digital mixing a market which,
in the late 90s, Yamaha dominated in the
project-studio sector with their 0-series
desks.
Lets start at the bottom of the range,
with the VM3100 and VM3100Pro, which
appeared in the middle of 1999. To call the
VM3100 a 24-bit V-Mixer was stretching
the spec to breaking point. It only offered
two digital inputs alongside its 12 analogue
inputs, and only eight of those analogue
inputs boasted 24-bit converters. With just
a single effects processor, and only
a sub-set of Rolands effects algorithms, its
best application was perhaps as an
eight-buss keyboard sub-mixer, where its
scene storage and recall could be useful.
However, there were cheaper ways to
achieve this! The VM3100Pro was a better
product, adding a second effects unit and
the full set of COSM effects to the package,
and digital inputs and outputs in the
proprietary R-Bus format (of which more in
a moment). But the so-called Pro shared
a significant flaw with its little brother:
neither offered dithering, so 24-bit digital
audio was truncated when output to a 16-bit
device.
The four 7000-series
products two controllers
and two mix processors
were to provide the top
end of the range. Aimed at
live sound applications, as
well as recording and
post-production, the
larger pair were the
Another beautiful (if hardly
cheap) emulation of a pipe
organ, 1999s C280P came
complete with resonator pipes
on top of the digital organ.
Despite strong efforts by
Korg (with their 168RC) and
Roland (with the V-Mixer
system shown here), nobody
ever really made a dent in
Yamahas dominance of
the project-studio digital
mixer market in the
late 90s.
VMC7200
console and the VM7200 mix processor. The
smaller ones were the VMC7100 console
and VM7100 processor.
Each console (which was merely a control
surface and handled no audio other than
talkback, a control-room input, and outputs
for control-room monitoring) could manage
two processors, and each processor could
be controlled by either one or two consoles,
so numerous configurations were possible.
Whats more, by separating the console(s)
and processor(s) in this way, they could be
as much as 200 metres apart, connected
only by the dedicated VM-Link cables, thus
eliminating the need for long runs of
unreliable and potentially noisy analogue
cables.
With a maximum of 94 channels, the
flexibility of the system was enormous, and
further enhanced by a routing system that
Roland called FlexBus. Then there were
extras such as the real-time spectral analysis
for room equalisation, support for 5.1
surround, MIDI control, scene memory,
moving faders, sample-rate conversion, and
a raft of expansion options including
a meterbridge and interfaces for up to 48
channels of ADAT and TDIF I/O. The
processors also included a full complement
of Rolands digital processes, including
powerful EQs and up to eight stereo effects
units derived from the previous years
VS1680, with all the expected COSM
algorithms.
Unfortunately, Rolands inexperience in
this area showed, and the 7000s exhibited
a number of problems, such as slow screen
response and a master control section that
was in places poorly thought-out and
counter-intuitive for anyone acquainted with
existing products of this type. Furthermore,
with all the add-on extras needed to bring
the V-Mixers up to full specification, the
final package worked out far more
expensive than the initial cost
suggested. Hard to learn, frustrating,
and expensive it was
a combination that even excellent
sound quality and flexibility were
unable to overcome. So, despite its
promise, the 7000 series was not
a great success, and there were no
more V-Mixers. Nevertheless, they
did mark the introduction of a lasting
technology, Rolands proprietary V-Mixers. These so Roland maintained
eight-channel RMDB2 Roland allowed you to monitor your mixes
Multi-purpose Digital Bus 2, or through a wide range of virtual speakers to
R-Bus digital audio interface. check mix compatibility for all
This was capable of environments. Of course, this was bunkum,
transferring up to eight because no small speaker can let you hear
channels of 24-bit audio how your mix would sound when played
between products such as through a set of half-ton Westlakes. All that
the V7000 series, the was possible was to shape the response into
AD7000 and the something approximating that of speakers
following years AE7000 R-Bus/AES-EBU less capable than the DS90 itself...
converter, and has featured on many of the
companys subsequent VS recording
2000
workstations.
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
Launched later in 1999, the VSR880
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
provided eight channels of simultaneous DB700 D-Bass amplifier.
24-bit recording, via either R-Bus, its DS50A monitors.
analogue inputs, or its conventional digital DS90A active monitors.
inputs. However, the VSR was far more than PM3 personal monitor system.
just a recorder, and its internal 16-channel RSM90 studio monitor.
VGA7 V-Guitar amplifier.
mixer allowed you to mix eight input
BOSS PRODUCTS
channels with the eight channels of audio AW3 dynamic wah.
playback. Whats more, it could also host BR8 digital recording studio.
a VS8F2 stereo effects processor, and you JS5 Jamstation.
could connect up to three VSRs to a single PH3 phase-shifter.
VM7200 to create a fully digital, automated DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
AE7000 AES-EBU interface.
24-track recording system.
VS840GX & VS890 digital studio
The ADA7000, an eight-channel A-D and
workstations.
D-A converter with an R-Bus interface, VS1880 24-bit digital studio workstation.
allowed you to expand the I/O capabilities VSCDRII CD recorder.
of the whole V-Mixer series (with the EFFECTS
exception of the VM3100). You could even SRQ2031 & SRQ4015 digital graphic EQs.
connect six of them to two VM7200s to GUITAR SYNTHS
GR33 guitar synth.
provide 48 channels of balanced analogue
VG88 V-Guitar system.
I/O alongside the 20 channels provided by HOME/ACCOMPANIMENT KEYBOARDS
each VM processor, for a massive VA5 V-Arranger keyboard.
88-channel automated, analogue system. VA7 V-Arranger keyboard.
Although not cheap, this was less expensive ORGANS
than a top-end analogue desk from C180 classical organ.
KSC180 classical organ.
manufacturers such as AMS Neve and SSL.
PIANOS
The final element in the mooted V-Mixer EP77 & EP97.
system was the DS90 powered monitor, HP137/HP147/HP237/HP337/HP557/
a compact bi-amped speaker for which HP737 digital pianos.
Roland claimed a super-flat frequency KF90/KR177/KR777 Intelligent digital
response. This was an overstatement; the pianos.
KR977 & KR1077Intelligent digital
DS90 wasnt bad, but its response was far
pianos..
from flat in the mid-range. Furthermore, it
MP300.
lacked sonic detail when compared to a true RHYTHM PRODUCTS
reference monitor. But the things that made PD80, PD80R V-Pads.
the DS90 interesting were digital inputs that KD-80 V-Kick.
allowed you to drive it directly from the TDW1 Expansion Board for TD10.
digital outputs of the V-Mixers. And the SAMPLERS
VP9000 Variphrase Processor.
things that made these interesting were the
V-Producer software for VP9000.
COSM-generated speaker SOUND CANVASES
models built into the SK500 Sound Canvas keyboard.
VS880EX, VS1680, SYNTHS & HI-TECH
VM3100Pro and 7000-series Edirol U8 USB digital studio.
EF303 Groove effects.
PC160A/PC180A/PC300/PC70 MIDI
The DS90 promised to be keyboard controllers.
SP808EX sampling workstation.
reconfigurable to sound like other
XV3080 synth module.
speakers. Not surprisingly for such
a small, budget monitor, it wasnt XV5080 synth/sample playback module.
wholly capable of delivering on this XV88 synthesizer.
promise!
march 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 85
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
The company that entered the next decade
was very different from the one that had
entered the 1990s. The letter V had
changed everything, from V-Guitar systems
to V-Drums, from V-Studios to V-Mixers. The
year 2000 illustrated this dramatically, with
three additions to the VS series (the
VS840GX, VS890 and VS1880), a new
V-Guitar system
(the VG88),
plus
2000s VG88
took the V-Guitar
concept to its most
developed form to date.
numerous additions to the V-Drums series.
At any other time, any of these might have
been significant enough to demand
extensive space in this history, but this was
a year in which Roland released two new
technologies that were to reshape their
presence in the synthesizer and hi-tech
markets.
If there was one area in which virtual
technology had yet to find a home it was
that of sampling. However, this was to
change with the arrival of another V, which
Roland called Variphrase, and which first
appeared in the VP9000 Variphrase
Processor (see the box on the next page).
The VP9000 held great promise, and Roland
were confident of its success at the time.
They must have been equally disappointed,
therefore, at the subsequent lack of it.
Nonetheless, the underlying technology
lent itself to numerous applications, and
Manual Override
Over the years, Roland have acquired something
of a reputation for the incomprehensibility of their
manuals. In truth, few manufacturers can claim
an unblemished reputation as far as product
documentation is concerned, particularly when it
comes to manuals hurriedly translated from
languages such as Japanese but for some
reason Roland handbooks have long been the
cause of particular amusement amongst
musicians (there was even a Sounding Off
devoted to the subject in SOS April 1999). On the
other hand, perhaps its due to the fact that you
can open any Roland manual at random and find
passages like the following (which, incidentally,
is exactly how the following passage was found):
The [system] that is able to arrange the sound in
plane space, by arranging many spakers back and
forth to this, calls with a surround system. There
are several method by the number and powsition
of the speaker in the surround. Three most
general piece of method are being supported in
the VS2480.
More seriously, Roland have also been
86 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
Variphrase soon appeared in a second
Roland product, the VA7 Arranger
keyboard, an auto-accompaniment
instrument that was aimed squarely at the
domestic and solo/live markets served by
the E and G series. Inevitably, the VA7s began to absorb the waveforms from the
version of Variphrase was more limited than
that of the VP9000, although it had 48 vocal
samples pre-loaded to allow players to add
backing vocals to the type of tracks that one
would expect to hear emanating from
a keyboard of this sort. And, if you
preferred not to embark upon
a sampling career, there were
separately sold Variphrase sample
libraries on CD in a variety of styles
such as Gospel, World music, and
Jazz/R&B. There were even libraries of sax
and scat jazz vocal phrases. Nevertheless, if
you wanted to use your own samples you
could do so, and, amazingly, the sample
time offered by the VA7 was longer than
that of the VP9000.
While the introduction of Variphrase
was important, there were three other
new products in 2000 that
represented the first significant
developments in PCM-based synthesis
since the JV80 had appeared in 1992.
The best of these was the XV5080,
a nominally 128-voice, 32-part multitimbral
powerhouse with a huge internal wave
memory (but see the box below about
manuals and specifications). This offered
four slots for SRJV80 boards, four more for
the new SRX-format synth expansion cards,
extensive sample-replaying capabilities,
a large screen, three MFX effects units, and
R-Bus. Admittedly, the XV5080s effects
section was still not fully multitimbral, and
somewhat free with the specifications quoted in
their manuals and documentation over the years,
sometimes verging on the downright naughty. For
example, when the company claim that a sound
engine offers 128 voices, and elsewhere say that
every note can be built up from up to four tones,
they nearly always fail to tell you that, when used
in this way, most such instruments are only
32-voice polyphonic. They have been playing
tricks like these for many years, but the
specmanship doesnt end there
Roland use roughly 2:1 compression for their
PCM-based synth samples, so when the spec tells
you that an instrument has, say, a 128MB ROM,
there is usually a tiny disclaimer that says
equivalent size if expanded to 16-bit linear
format, or something along those lines. Moreover,
when Roland specs tell you that a product is
a 16-track 24-bit recorder, its worth checking
further, as its often the case that a product
described in this way cannot offer 16-track, 24-bit
recording simultaneously, but offers fewer tracks
in 24-bit mode. You have been warned!
there were a number of shortcomings within
its operating system, but many of these
were overcome in subsequent revisions. In
every way, the XV5080 replaced the JV2080,
and it was not long before the SRX boards
SRJV80 collection.
If your ambition didnt reach to the
XV5080, there was a less capable (and more
affordable) version called the XV3080, but it
lost rather a lot of the spec that made the
XV5080 attractive. There were fewer
expansion slots, a two-line LCD, no sample
playback, fewer I/O options, just one MFX
processor, and no COSM effects.
The XV88 had much more potential; it
offered a beautiful, weighted 88-note
keyboard and was undoubtedly a players
instrument, but one has to ask If Roland
were going to build a flagship keyboard
synth, why did they then saddle it with the
emasculated synth engine of the
XV3080
The XV88 was a lovely keyboard, but its not clear
why it housed the synth engine of the cut-down
XV3080, and not that of the top-of-the-range XV5080.
when it could have been based on the
XV5080? It was a mistake that could easily
have been avoided.
In other areas, there were some excellent
additions to Rolands piano ranges,
especially in the area of digital grand
pianos. These had existed since the
company had launched the HP7700 in 1992,
but they had never been large sellers,
perhaps because pianists who appreciate
a nine-foot Bsendorfer are likely to be far
more critical of the touch and sound of
a digital emulation than those who would
otherwise play Grannys 100-year-old
upright. But the KR1070 and its smaller
brethren represented significant advances
over the earlier model, in terms of both the
hammer action and the sophisticated
speaker system that utilised a soundboard
to obtain a more authentic timbre. The
results were first-class, and although the
KR1070 was never likely to be a huge seller,
it deserves mention simply because it
sounded great and looked gorgeous.
Elsewhere, there were more Groove
products, and some rather attractive,
cheaper products. One of these was the
Boss BR8, an eight-track recorder that drew
much of its technology from the VS880, but
was presented in a simplified form aimed
squarely at guitarists. At the same end of
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
Milestone: The VP9000 Variphrase Processor
The basis of Variphrase is a combination of
pitch-shifting, time-warping, and formant
manipulation which, while perhaps appearing very
different from one another, are really aspects of
the same problem. Roland made a big deal of
Variphrase, claiming (for example) that the
formant-analysis and formant-shifting capabilities
of the VP9000 would allow you to distribute
a single sample across a whole keyboard without
munchkinisation (it didnt manage this, of
course). However, it did allow you to re-pitch
sung vocals and synchronise phrases without
worrying too much about the original pitch and
tempo at which they were recorded, allowing you
to shift the key and tempo of sampled phrases to
fit other elements of your music.
The VP9000 offered a maximum of 136MB of
RAM, an internal ZIP drive, two SCSI interfaces
(although no R-Bus digital interface) plus the
ubiquitous COSM and RSS effects processor. It
also had the ability to read Roland S770-series
and Akai S1000-series samples via SCSI
(although patch and performance data were lost),
plus AIFF and WAV files. But it had two Achilles
heels. In an era when 128 voices and 32 parts
were becoming the norm, the VP9000 was at
best six-voice polyphonic and six-part
Bafflingly, despite its innovative design and groundbreaking capabilities, the VP9000 Variphrase processor was
not a huge commercial success.
the spectrum, the Edirol U8 deserves
a mention, combining USB-based audio and
MIDI interfacing with a USB MIDI interface,
audio effects, and a basic eight-channel
control surface. Products such as this
demonstrated that it was no longer possible
to think of Edirol as merely a sales division
of Roland.
Happily, Ikutaro Kakehashi had by now
regained his health, and in 2000 he was
inducted into Hollywoods Rockwalk, with
his stone lying adjacent to those of Brian
Wilson of the Beach Boys, Dr Bob Moog,
Stevie Wonder, Smokie Robinson and Buddy
Guy. Now, theres an interesting guest list
for a dinner party!
2001
The next year was a big one for Roland. In
Japan, the company spent a considerable
sum upgrading the concert hall that formed
part of their Hamamatsu research facilities,
and acquired Victor Music Technique Ltd,
a network of music schools. Elsewhere, they
established Roland Brasil, and Roland
Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd, a Chinese
company that would quickly become an
important Asian manufacturing centre. But
in the midst of all this activity and growth,
88 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
multitimbral. Whats more, the stretchable,
repitchable samples that the VP9000 generated
after its analysis processing required nearly
double the RAM of untreated audio, so the
maximum sample length was just 25 seconds of
stereo audio. But despite these shortcomings,
the VP9000 made it possible to do things that
had never before been possible, or to be more
precise had only been possible at the expense
of a great deal of time and effort.
Later in 2000, Roland announced the V-Producer
software package, which allowed owners to control
up to six VP9000s from a Macintosh, thus creating
an amazing 36-voice, 36-part multitimbral
Variphrase set-up. However, the total cost would
have been more than 15,000, so its highly
unlikely that anyone ever did so!
The VP9000 suffered from being neither
a traditional sampler, nor a conventional
processor, nor a groove product. People werent
sure what it was, or whether they wanted one, so
the street price was soon falling, and it was
possible to find one in the UK at very reasonable
prices for a while. But although the VP9000 itself
never caught on, the technology it introduced
shows greater longevity, and youll now find
Variphrase in many disparate Roland products.
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMP, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
DB900 D-Bass amp.
DS90A monitor.
KC1000 keyboard amplifier.
VGA5 V-Guitar amplifier.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BF3 flanger.
BR532 digital studio.
DR670 Dr Rhythm.
EQ20 advanced EQ.
GP20 Amp Factory.
GT6 guitar effects.
GT6B bass effects.
MD2 Mega Distortion.
ME33 multi-effects.
OC20G poly octave.
RC20 Loopstation.
SP303 Dr Sample.
SP505 sampling workstation.
WP20G wave processor.
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
AR200 & AR3000 audio recorders.
CDX1 multitrack CD recorder/audio
workstation.
VE7000 edit controller.
VS2480 digital studio workstation.
EDIROL PRODUCTS
DA2496 audio interface.
MA10A/MA10D micro monitor speakers.
SCD70 Sound Canvas.
SD90 USB digital studio.
Ikutaro Kakehashi resigned as Chairman,
and was appointed instead as a Special
Consultant to the Roland Corporation.
Apparently, as a gesture toward Kakehashis
lifelong interest in astronomy, the company
gave him a telescope to mark his retirement.
Someone was heard to suggest that this
would enable him to keep a close eye on
things from his home overlooking
Hamamatsu.
Boss had been producing single-function
stomp boxes since 1976 and, by 2001,
millions had been sold worldwide. Later, in
1988, a new type of Boss effects pedal
appeared. The ME5 was perhaps the worlds
first programmable multi-effects processor
in a floor-standing unit, and spawned a huge
family of ME and BE (bass effects)
products. Alongside these, there were
numerous rackmount units, half-rack
micro-systems, drum machines, and
a plethora of smaller product ranges, but it
was for its compact stomp boxes and
multi-effects that the company remained
best known. Then, in 2001, Boss announced
a range of effects pedals, proclaiming
A New Era in Boss Pedals. These were the
Twin Pedals, so called because they were
slightly wider than the traditional compact
effects and had well, twin pedals. Initially,
there were five of these. The GP20 Amp
Factory was yet another incarnation of V
technology, offering 22 COSM amplifier
models and five speaker cabinet models, all
UA1A & UA1D USB audio interfaces.
UA3 USB audio capture.
UA5 USB audio capture.
UM1S & UM2E USB MIDI interfaces.
UM880 USB MIDI interface.
VSC MP1 virtual Sound Canvas.
HOME/ARRANGER KEYBOARDS
EM15 & EM25 creative keyboards.
VA3 V-Arranger keyboard.
MASTER KEYBOARDS
A37.
ORGANS
Atelier AT10S/AT20S/AT60S/AT80S
& AT90S.
PIANOS
F90.
FP3.
KR277/KR377/KR577S Intelligent
pianos.
RD150 & RD700 stage pianos.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
SPD6 percussion pad.
TD6K compact drum system.
CY12H/CY14C/CY15R V-Cymbals (V-Drum
add-ons).
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
D2 Groovebox.
FA76 (Fantom) synthesizer.
RS5 & RS9 synths.
VIDEO PRODUCTS
DV7 Video Canvas.
DV7C controller for DV7.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
coupled to a standard Gain/EQ/Master
control section. The second was the EQ20
Advanced EQ. The third was the RC20
Loopstation, a sampling pedal with 330
seconds of recording time, sound-on-sound
facilities, and time-stretching abilities. Later
in the year, the OC20G Poly Octave and
WP20G Wave Processor appeared. All of
2001 saw changes to the tried-and-tested format
of Bosss guitar pedals, with the arrival of the
Twin Pedal range.
these pedals offered more than Bosss
simple stomp boxes, but without the
seeming complexity of the companys
multi-effects units. It remains to be seen
whether the Twin Pedals will achieve the
cult status of their predecessors.
A second notable product appeared at
the end of the year, but many players did
The original Fantom. Even Roland admit that this one
couldnt compete with what other workstation
manufacturers had to offer at the time.
90 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
not view it kindly because, while it promised 2002
much, it delivered far less. It was the FA76
Fantom keyboard workstation. Roland gave MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
this a sleek new appearance, including AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
a large 320 x 240 LCD, but in truth, the M1000 digital line mixer.
VGA3 V-Guitar amp.
Fantom was like the entry-level RS5 and
DS30A monitors.
RS9 a repackaged XV synth with just 64 KC60 keyboard amp.
voices rather than 128. Moreover, while it BOSS PRODUCTS
claimed to offer 1024 patches, these BF3 flanger.
included 256 GM2 sounds and 640 presets, BR1180 & BR1180CD digital recording
which left just 128 memories for players studio.
CE20 chorus ensemble.
own patches. Then there was the Fantoms
DD6 delay.
ability to replay samples or, rather the GT6B bass multi-effects.
lack of it. Almost all the flagship MD2 Mega Distortion.
workstations from other manufacturers OD20 Drive Zone.
offered this, so Roland were at PW10 V-Wah.
a disadvantage at the very top of the synth RV5 reverb.
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
market.
VS1824 digital studio workstation.
In retrospect, the FA76 was merely
VS2480CD v2 upgrade.
a replacement for the XP80, with a similar EDIROL PRODUCTS
keyboard and a similar provision of HQ orchestral software synth.
controls, outputs, and slots for expansion Hyper Canvas HQ software synth.
boards. However, the Fantom could host MA5A & MA5D micro monitors.
two of the newer SRX boards, but only SD20 USB/MIDI Studio Canvas.
SD80 USB/MIDI Studio Canvas.
a single older SRJV80 board, so many XP80
Super Quartet HQ software synth.
owners would not have been able to UA20 MIDI/audio interface.
upgrade without deciding which three of UA3D USB audio interface.
their four SR boards they would have to UA700 USB audio capture.
discard. Just as with the XV88 the year UM550 USB MIDI interface.
before, the company got it wrong, and V4 video mixer.
EFFECTS
customers noticed; even Roland admitted
RSS303 RSS ambient system.
that the Fantom did not sell well. GUITAR SYNTHS
On the other hand, Edirols Video GK2B divided bass pickup.
Canvases were progressing nicely. The DV7 V-Bass modelling bass system.
offered native DV import and export, much HOME/ARRANGER KEYBOARDS
better resolution than the V5 (up to 720 x EM15D/EM25D creative keyboards.
EM55 interactive keyboard.
576 in PAL), a 60GB removable drive capable
VA76 V-Arranger keyboard.
of storing up to 250 minutes of video,
MASTER KEYBOARDS
a CD-ROM drive for loading bitmaps, JPEGs AX7.
and audio files, more real-time video effects, ORGANS
Rolands standard palette of audio effects, VK8 virtual tonewheel organ.
and titling. With sophisticated on-screen PIANOS
EP760.
editing and the optional DV7C controller,
F30.
the DV7 could create programmes to a far
HP1/HP2e/HP3e/HP7e.
higher standard than had been possible on HP11 mini grand piano.
the V5. But perhaps the DV7s most HPi5.
interesting feature was Rolands new V-Link KR3/KR-5/KR7.
interface, which allowed users to link video RHYTHM PRODUCTS
clips to musical events. This meant that you CY12R & CY12C ride & crash V-Cymbals.
RMP1 rhythm coach pack.
could use a synth or workstation equipped
TDA700 monitor system.
with a V-Link interface to control video TMC6 trigger MIDI controller.
parameters such as dissolve or playback SYNTHS & HI-TECH
speed, or even colour. The MC09 phrase lab.
company suggested that MC909 sampling Groovebox.
this would be an exciting MMP2 mic modelling preamp.
SH32 synthesizer.
development for clubs,
SI24 studio interface.
where DJs could trigger
XV2020 synth module.
video and audio clips XV5050 synth module.
and effects using
suitably equipped
keyboards and Grooveboxes. To this end, In 2002, Ikutaro Kakehashi received
many Roland synths and Groove products a Musikmesse International Press Lifetime
sprouted V-Link capabilities over the next Achievement Award (MIPA) in Frankfurt for
couple of years. his contribution to the music industry.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
However, he was no longer at the helm of
Roland, and, as had happened briefly 10
years before, it was beginning to seem that
the company had lost their way; there were
more new products than ever, but without
much in the way of the groundbreaking
developments that had forged Rolands
reputation. The years VA76 V-Arranger
keyboard was simply a development of the
VA7, and the big news for V-Drum users was
that you could now buy systems in three
colours! More interesting was the
VS2480CD, with its motorised faders,
64-channel mixer, dual R-Bus connectors,
optional meterbridge, CD-RW drive, 80GB
drive, support for a VGA monitor, plus
improved editing and waveform editing. But
while impressive, there was nothing actually
new here.
The AX7 strap-on MIDI controller
keyboard was similar; it added a D-Beam
controller and improved MIDI capabilities to
a design rather like that of the AX1 launched
10 years before, but again, this was
evolution, not revolution.
The VK8 organ was another problem
child. It should have been the more
powerful, more useable successor to the
VK7, but it proved to be both less powerful
and less useable. The main problem was
the lack of a screen, which meant
that you had to learn the
most impenetrable
key-presses
and control
combinations
to get any
2002s ill-starred VK8
tonewheel organ
emulation.
editing done. Even if you
managed to find the right parameter,
the instrument offered almost no feedback
about the existing value, nor any about the
new value that you were programming. The
VK8s organ generator sounded authentic,
but its other sounds were inferior to those
of the VK7, and it even lost the VK7s
performance controls. In the view of many
of its potential players, the VK8 had not
been thought out properly.
Elsewhere, the XV5050 was a more
affordable, if somewhat compromised,
sibling for the XV3080 and XV5080. Then
there was the XV2020, a neat replacement
for the JV1010. This made XV synthesis (of
the 3080 variety) available at an affordable
price, as long as you were prepared to work
with a computer-based editor. On another
front, the V-Bass brought modelling to our
low-frequency brethren. Here at least was
something new: Roland had developed
92 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
a new branch of COSM that they called
COSM Bass, and a new pickup the GK2B
specifically for four-, five- and six-string
bass guitars.
An attempt to look both backwards
and forwards, the SH32 resurrected
the SH name that had last appeared
on the SH101. A quick glance at the
controls confirmed Rolands intention to
market this as a return to its classic era,
although the connection between an
analogue monosynth and a four-voice,
four-part multitimbral virtual analogue with
pretensions of Groovedom was rather
tenuous. The engine at the core of the SH32
had a very silly name (Wave Acceleration
Sound Generation, or WASG), but it was at
heart a conventional modelled analogue
synth with lots of vintage-style waveforms,
a multi-mode filter, a couple of contour
generators, a couple of LFOs, and the
now-obligatory effects section. To this, the
company added a rhythm sound generator,
and an arpeggiator that included four-part
pattern generation. Unfortunately, despite
an appealing sound, the SH32 was built to
its affordable price, offering a diabolically
impenetrable two-digit display,
and a number of
unexpected
limitations. In
consequence, what
should have been a neat,
successful product did not
achieve its full potential.
Perhaps the neatest product
of 2002 was one of the smallest.
The MMP2 took the front end of the
V-Studios, and converted it into a neat
little preamp with COSM microphone
modelling, EQ, and dynamics. But this was
hardly new, either. So where was the
highlight of 2002? For me, it was the Boss
BR1180CD digital recorder. A cut-down
V-Studio, this was an affordable alternative
for players who had no need for the power
of the latest VS-series recorders.
Nevertheless, the thing that made it special
was neither its form nor function. It was
Rolands description of the 1180CDs
simplified recording and mixing system. In
a year otherwise bereft of excitement,
anything based on the manual shmanual
concept gets the vote for Product Of The
Year from me!
2003
Roland followed the previous couple of
quiet years with an explosion of important
releases in 2003 (see the panel at the top of
the next page). Moreover, they made
a serious attempt to regain their reputation
for producing innovative and desirable
synthesizers. Among many other notable
The SH32 harked back
to the analogue SHs of the
late 70s and early 80s, without
itself resembling them very much!
products, it was the year of the Fantom S,
the V-Synth, and the VariOS module.
The 61-note Fantom S and its 88-note
sibling, the Fantom S88, were important
because, for the first time in well over
a decade, they gave Roland a chance to
co-exist alongside Korg, Kurzweil and
Yamaha at the top of the keyboard pecking
order. The S-series Fantoms looked the part,
and although they offered just 64-voice
polyphony (which, in practice, meant as
little as 16 notes!) they included the full
complement of MFX processors, a handful of
innovative new COSM and RSS effects, a new
buss structure, and some new programming
functions. They also incorporated an
enhanced ROM with some improved
multisamples and some completely new
ones. The S88 even offered a dedicated
piano mode that allowed you to get the best
from its weighted 88-note keyboard.
If you wanted to expand the S series still
further, they offered four SRX slots (the
SRJV80 slots were finally consigned to the
dustbin of history). You could also increase
the sample RAM up to 288MB, although you
couldnt access both the boards and the full
memory simultaneously. Hang on
a second sampling? Indeed. Both Fantom S
models were powerful samplers, and their
audio outputs were routed internally to their
sampling inputs, meaning that you could
sample your musical performances (whether
sequenced or played from the keyboard) in
real time, and then manipulate these in all
manner of interesting ways. Unfortunately,
although they could import individual
samples, the Fantom Ss were unable to
import existing sample libraries and
multisamples, whether in Roland format or
otherwise. Once again, as far as an
important aspect of their spec was
concerned, Rolands flagship S&S synths
 MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
AC60 acoustic guitar combo.
Cube 30 bass amp.
KC150/KC350/KC550 keyboard amps.
BOSS PRODUCTS
AD8 acoustic guitar processor.
BCB60 pedalboard.
BR864 digital eight-track.
DD20 digital delay.
DR3 Dr Rhythm.
GS10 guitar effects.
ME50 multi-effects.
OC3 Super Octave.
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
VS2400CD digital studio workstation.
MV8000 production studio.
EDIROL PRODUCTS
M100FX mixer/USB audio interface.
M10E battery-powered mixer.
MA10 speakers.
MA20D desktop reference speakers.
PCR50 MIDI/USB controller keyboard.
PCR80 61-key MIDI/USB controller
keyboard.
UA1000 USB 2.0 audio interface.
UA1X USB audio interface.
UA3FX USB audio interface with effects.
UM1X/UM1SX/UM2C USB MIDI
interfaces.
UR80 USB recording system.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GI20 MIDI interface.
VG88 v2 V-Guitar system.
HOME/ARRANGER KEYBOARDS
Discover 5 & Discover 5M real-time
orchestrators.
ORGANS
VK8M module.
VK88.
PIANOS
F90/F100.
FP5.
KR11/KR15/KR15M/KR17M grand
pianos.
MP60/MP500.
RD170 stage piano.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
PCK1 practice conversion kit.
RT7K kick trigger, RT5S snare trigger, and
RT3T tom trigger.
SPDS sampling pad.
TD8KV V-Drum kit.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Fantom S/S88 workstations.
RS50 & RS70 synths.
V-Synth.
V-Synth software upgrade.
VariOS (including VariOS8 & VariOS303).
VR760 V-Combo.
were less desirable than those of their
competitors.
Three more releases made use of the XV
sound engine, COSM effects and V-Link.
These were the low-cost RS50 and RS70, and
the rather useful VR760, the last of which
combined the VK-series organ generator
with some very useable pianos, some
excellent electric pianos, and a limited
selection of synth sounds. But the second
One of Rolands most striking synthesizers ever, the V-Synth effectively
a Variphrase synth was a bold return to form.
big synthesizer of 2003 was the V-Synth was the curious VariOS, which Roland
which, at the time of writing, is still described as an Open System Module. This
a current model, and perhaps the natural was not, strictly speaking, a synthesizer,
successor to the Jupiter 8, the Super JX10 a sampler or an audio processor, but a DSP
and the D50. It makes few concessions to engine that performed no tasks until you
polyphony (just eight voices if used to the loaded the appropriate software, and then
full), few to multitimbrality, and none to controlled it from your PC or Mac. It arrived
being a workstation. The V-Synth is, above with three such modules: V-Producer,
all, a synthesizer, in the grand tradition. VariOS8 and VariOS303.
In short, the V-Synth combines powerful V-Producer provided sampling, a limited
S&S and virtual-analogue synth engines with implementation of Variphrase, sequencing
sampling and Variphrase. The last of these and effects. However, it was not the VariOS
is implemented in its full form, and you can itself that performed the sampling it was
use the encoded Variphrase samples just as the computer. But it was not the computer
you would use PCMs from the synths that produced the audio it was VariOS.
permanent memory. Not that the memory is While the concept of a computer-based
permanent in the conventional sense; the controller for a software-configurable
factory PCMs are held in a backup ROM instrument is not new, this division of tasks
which is loaded into RAM when you switch is uncomfortable, and undoubtedly
on. If you want to use only your own sounds contributed to the VariOSs lack of
(or a selection of factory and user sounds) immediate success. The VariOS8 and
you can do so, using a combination of PCM VariOS303 modules emulated the Jupiter 8
samples, your own samples, encoded and TB303 respectively. Like most other
Variphrase samples, and VA oscillators. Oh virtual software renditions of older
yes and you can use the external input as instruments, these offered additional
a real-time sound source, too. options that improved the functionality in
With its configurable oscillators, COSM sympathetic ways but, in my view, Roland
filters, COSM effects, a powerful missed the point with both of them. For me,
arpeggiator, extensive performance much of the appeal of the original
controllers, and even a touch-sensitive instruments was the way that they
screen, the V-Synth should be sweeping the
world by storm. So why isnt it? In part, this
may be because the polyphony is simply too
low for the 21st century. I hope that Roland
might one day deal with this by combining
the Fantom and V-Synth architectures into
a single, world-beating super-synth. But for
those players prepared to take the plunge,
the existing V-Synth is already a remarkable
instrument.
The third major synth released in 2003
VariOS was a bold experiment, a blank-canvas
DSP platform theoretically capable of much, but
reliant on somebody producing
applications to channel its
power into something
musicians could use. Without
this effort, it could not be
a success.
march 2005 SOUND ON SOUND 93
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
responded to real-time reprogramming of
their sound parameters (slider-pushing and
knob-twiddling, in other words), to the
extent that the VariOS implementation was
unsatisfying, no matter how accurate it
sounded. Nevertheless, theres an even
greater reason why VariOS has been
unsuccessful. By late 2004, when this was
written, Roland had released no further
modules for it, nor opened the platform to
external developers. I suspect that VariOS
at least in the form in which it was
originally released may already be a dead
duck. If it isnt, the last quack cant be far
away.
By the end of 2003, it was clear that the
music industry had gone into decline
following the collapse of the dot-com boom,
and sales of hardware musical instruments
in the project-studio sector were being
undermined by software instruments, which
were themselves failing to turn respectable
profits due to rampant piracy. Roland, who
had made a respectable profit of 32 million
dollars on a turnover of $580m in 2000,
were not immune to the effects of these
changes. In 2001, their profits deteriorated
to 6.4 million dollars, in 2002 to $2.3m, and
then, in 2003, the company made a loss of
$9.9m on a turnover that had diminished to
$528m.
2004
So, finally, we arrive at the last complete
year of Rolands history and it was
a challenging one for the company. But as
weve seen throughout this story, Roland
have been through similar difficult or fallow
periods before and recovered. And despite
the share of unsuccessful products released
over the previous few years, there was
much to praise in 2004. According to
Roland, the V-Drum systems continued to be
a major source of revenue for them. This
isnt surprising, as none of Rolands
competitors have yet developed better
electronic drum kits. And then there were
the still-current video products in Edirols
DTMP portfolio. The DV7DL Pro offers many
new video-editing functions when compared
with its predecessor, while the LVS400 adds
four-channel real-time video mixing,
transitions and picture-in-picture functions.
A simpler unit, the V1 Video Mixer, offers
similar facilities, while the P1 Photo
Presenter allows users to trigger still images
using V-Link or MIDI. If Roland prove right,
and video production one day becomes as
accessible as audio production is in the
project-studio market, the company will be
perfectly positioned to take advantage.
Another source of encouragement lies in
the 2004 release of the Fantom X6, X7 and
X8 workstations. One can summarise the
94 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
The Fantom X6. Following the uncompetitive
Fantom, and the much-improved Fantom S, it
looks as though the X series finally marks
the Fantoms coming of age.
evolution of the Fantoms as follows: the
original was poor, the S models though
suffering from the odd inexplicable flaw
were much better, and the recent X
models are really rather good. They offer
improved PCMs, double the polyphony,
almost double the sample RAM, a larger
sequencer, improved I/O, and a colour LCD
that makes programming clearer and easier
than before. The rackmount version, the
Fantom XR, loses the colour screen, the
sequencer and half of the user memory, but
gains another two expansion slots, allowing
it to host no fewer than six SRX boards.
Unfortunately, it seems that the X-series
Fantoms are still unable to import Roland or
Akai sample libraries directly, being limited
MAJOR PRODUCT LAUNCHES
AMPS, MIXERS & SPEAKERS
CM30 Cube monitor.
Cube 60 guitar combo.
CB100 bass combo.
DM10 and DM20 digital monitors.
DM2100 2.1 monitor system.
DS5 DS7 & DS8 digital monitors.
Micro Cube guitar amp.
BOSS PRODUCTS
BR1600CD digital recording studio.
DB60 Dr Beat metronome.
DR880 Dr Rhythm.
FS6 dual footswitch.
ME50B bass multi-effects.
RC20XL phrase recorder.
SYB5 bass synth.
TU80 chromatic tuner and metronome.
DIGITAL ACCORDIONS
FR5 & FR7
DIGITAL RECORDERS & MIXERS
MV8000 v2 update and MV8 VGA
expansion option.
VS2000CD digital recording studio.
VS2480DVD digital recording studio.
VS8F3 plug-in effects expansion board.
EDIROL PRODUCTS
DV7DL Pro and DV7DL video-editing
systems.
FA101 Firewire audio interface.
LVS400 video mixer.
P1 photo presenter.
PCR1 USB MIDI controller/audio interface.
UA1000 USB2 audio interface.
UR80 control surface.
V1 video mixer.
to WAV and AIFF files. To be
honest, the Fantom X needs a fully
developed sample-loading system, plus the
V-Synths touchscreen though the first of
these may be on the way in the form of
a sample data conversion tool that will
apparently be supplied with the bundled
editor/librarian.
At the other end of the keyboard
spectrum, Roland have also announced the
Juno D, resurrecting another revered name
from their history, just as they did with the
SH32. Looking like nothing so much as
a black RS50, this is Juno-esque in the sense
that it is low-cost and simple to use.
However, contrary to expectation, it
eschews the virtual-analogue technologies
of the V-Synth and VariOS, and is
a PCM-based synth. With lots of useable
sounds, good effects, an arpeggiator, and
bundled PC and Mac editing software, it
appears to be good value, but I think that
VMC1 video optimiser & video media
converter.
GUITAR SYNTHS
GK3 divided pickup.
GK3B divided bass pickup
GR20 guitar synth.
HOME/ARRANGER KEYBOARDS
EXR3/EXR5/EXR7 interactive arranger
keyboards.
ORGANS
Atelier AT45, AT60SL, AT80SL & AT90SL.
PIANOS
DP900.
F50.
FP2.
HP101/HP103/HP107 digital pianos.
HPi7 digital piano.
RHYTHM PRODUCTS
CY8 trigger pad.
FD8 hi-hat pedal.
KD8 trigger pad.
PD8 trigger pad.
PD105 and PD125 V-Pads.
TD3 V-Drum module.
TD3 V-Drum kit.
TD6V V-Drum module.
TD6KV V-Tour Series kit.
TD20 V-Drum sound module.
TD20K V-Pro Series kit.
VH12 hi-hat.
SYNTHS & HI-TECH
Fantom X6/X7/X8 keyboard workstations.
Fantom XR synth module.
Juno D synth keyboard.
SP606 Groovesampler.
VC1 D50 card for V-Synth.
 the histor y
feature of roland
PART 5: 1998-2004
The Magnificent Eight
ROLAND CORPORATION
With a turnover of around 350,000,000 per
annum and around 2000 employees worldwide,
Roland are one of the most highly respected
manufacturers in the music industry.
BOSS CORPORATION
Created in 1973 to keep Kakehashis staff
occupied, Boss were formed as a separate entity
to enable Roland to market diverse types of
products independently to keyboard players and
guitarists. They have notched up sales
approaching 10,000,000 units.
EDIROL CORPORATION
Edirols brief is to develop and market Desktop
Media Production products. They develop their own
audio products and computer music peripherals,
and their low-cost video-editing systems occupy an
important niche in a rapidly growing market.
Roland have made a mistake by raising
peoples expectations (Its the return of
the Juno!) and then dashing them again
(No, its not!). [The Juno D is reviewed on
page 196 this month Ed.]
More interesting, although unheard at
the time of writing, is the VC1 D50 V-Card
for the V-Synth. This purports to recreate
the D50 as a virtual synth within the V-Synth
itself, even to the extent of being able to
load original D50 patch data via MIDI. If it
truly recreates the feel and sound of the
original, I can see the VC1 becoming
a must-have add-on for V-Synth owners.
Nevertheless, it would be sad if the most
exciting product in 2004 were an expansion
board that recreates a technology from 17
years earlier, so where can we look to find
signs of Rolands innovative genius? To
answer this, we have to return to 1964, to
Kakehashis first NAMM show. While
investigating other companies activities, he
discovered that many were involved with
manufacturing and distributing accordions.
In 1967, while still CEO of Ace Electronics,
he travelled to Italy to gather information
and source parts that would allow Ace to
manufacture a new breed of instruments,
electronic accordions. For reasons lost to
history, this didnt happen, although several
Italian manufacturers later unveiled such
instruments. Nonetheless, Kakehashi
remained interested in the concept, and,
given the close proximity of Roland Europe
to the home of the accordion, Castelfidardo,
they were never far from his mind.
Amazingly, Roland have now applied the
letter V to create two V-Accordions, the FR5
and the FR7, which include an integrated
battery pack, amplifiers and speakers. These
boast a bellows pressure-sensor, a new
algorithm that Roland call Physical
96 SOUND ON SOUND march 2005
RODGERS ORGANS
Rodgers are one of the worlds leading
manufacturers of pipe organs and, thanks in part
to their adoption of Rolands RSS technology, are
perhaps the leading exponent of digital church
organs and digital/pipe hybrids.
ROLAND ED CORPORATION
Not to be confused with the transitional Roland
ED brand name which adorned early Edirol
products, Roland ED Corporation were formed in
1977, and are distant descendents of Rolands
guitar product group. In recent years, they have
been responsible for manufacturing products such
as the V-Guitars and V-Studios, which now
generate a non-trivial proportion of the Groups
income.
The FR5 V-Accordion, still unreleased at the time
of writing.
Behaviour Modelling, and physically
modelled voicing to reproduce the sounds
and nuances of the real instruments. The
company claim that the V-Accordions can
switch from Italian jazz to German folk,
French musette, or historic bandoneon with
complete authenticity. If so, they might
become successful in countries such as
those of central Europe, central and South
America, and Japan, where accordion music
is still an important part of musical culture.
Epilogue
Given that the FR5 and FR7 are unavailable
at the time of writing, we have reached the
end of what can be said about Rolands
history at present. And despite my best
efforts to keep things brief, the history has
run to more than 50,000 words. This was
inevitable thanks to Ikutaro Kakehashis
knack for finding new product niches and
creating specialist companies to fill them,
Roland are now a worldwide conglomerate
with more than 20 joint-venture sales
companies, research facilities and
manufacturing plants in the USA, UK, China,
Taiwan, Italy and Australia, not to mention
the laboratories and factories within Japan
itself. Consequently, it has been impossible
ROLAND DG CORPORATION
AMDEK Corporation were established in 1981 to
take advantage of the burgeoning market for
home-computer peripherals. In 1983, their name
was changed to Roland DG Corporation and today
they are world leaders in the fields of graphics,
engraving, milling, 3D scanning and 3D modelling.
ROLAND IP CORPORATION
A largely unseen wing of the Roland Group, the IP
Corporation license the Groups intellectual
property to develop and manufacture equipment
for companies in the wider entertainment
industries such as public address and karaoke.
ROLAND TECH CORPORATION
Established in 1987 to develop cabinetry and new
finishes for Rolands piano products, Roland Tech
now design office equipment and third-party
products for computer manufacturers.
to avoid omitting important products and
events, let alone minor details. If I have
dismissed your favourite product with no
more than a glancing mention, Im sorry.
So, what of the future? Approaching his
75th birthday (which he will be celebrating
on 7th February 2005, just before this
magazine comes out), Ikutaro Kakehashi
clearly believes that technology and music
will bond further, creating new
opportunities for manufacturers and their
customers. As he has said, The only way to
affect tomorrows news is to make
tomorrows news ourselves. Whether
Roland will be making the news quite as
frequently without the man who founded it
and guided it remains to be seen. Kakehashi
not only brought entrepreneurial flair, an
acute business acumen and technical
expertise to everything he did, but he
appears to have coupled these to an
understated wisdom and a keen
understanding of human nature a rare
combination. In the four years since he
retired, Roland have made some
uncharacteristic misjudgements, and that,
perhaps, is the measure of Ikutaro
Kakehashi and his achievements.
But Roland Corporation may have
weathered the storm. The most recent
annual figures, released just before this
article went to press, show that the
company increased turnover by nearly 15
percent in 2004, and made a profit of
10.6 million US dollars. So although there
are those who argue that Kakehashi should
be given a bigger telescope for his birthday,
we can already see that Roland have turned
an important corner and returned to
profitability without his involvement on
a day-to-day basis. To quote the company,
The future is still under construction.