Time machine: Exploring the classic Roland SH-101
A voyage into the heart of the Roland SH-101 from the year 1983. Exploration by Marko Ettlich monophonic analog synthesis 1 VCO I Saw, Square, PWM, Noise Filter – 24dB lowpass step sequencer, arpeggiator It has been used by The Prodigy, 808 State, Apollo 440, Devo, Aphex Twin, Astral Projection, Nitzer Ebb, Chemical Brothers, Boards of Canada and many more.
The SH-101 is very cool, especially for techno, drum&bass and ACID! It’s a monophonic bass synthesizer. Its sound lies somewhere between the TB-303 and a Juno bass sound. It has a lot of simple but cool features. You can control the VCF, pitch, LFO or all from the pitch bender. It has a white noise generator, arpeggiator with up, down and up/down patterns and a simple real-time sequencer. The LFO offers random, sine, square or noise waveforms. And normal or auto portamento effects give you that elastic bass sound. There are external clock inputs for the sequencer and arpeggiator, CV/GATE inputs and outputs and a CV hold pedal.
Unfortunately there is no patch memory storage and although it has no MIDI there are upgrades available for it from many analog service companies that will allow you to incorporate it into any MIDI studio environment. It can also be controlled by MIDI using a CV/MIDI converter. It’s great for bass sounds or bubbly analog effects. They come in three different flavors – gray, blue or red (there was a VERY rare white version too)! It can also be strapped on like a guitar for live performance using the optional Hand Grip.
New programs for the Roland JV-880
The JV-880 is the rack-mount version of the JV-80 keyboard and features powerful multi-timbral capabilities combined with impressive sound editing capability, all in a 1U rack space. The immediate forerunner to the immensely popular JV-1080/2080, the 880 provides the same high quality sounds for which the entire JV line has come to be respected. And like its descendants, the JV-880’s sampled waveform memory can be expanded (to 14 Mbytes) using Roland’s series of SR-JV80 expansion boards and SO-PCM1 cards.
Editing sounds is done via the rotary encoder that lets you select parameters and set values at the touch of a button. When editing you can audition sounds right from the front panel by pressing the preview button. There are TVF (filter), TVA (amp), micro-tuning, and multiple LFOs. An onboard effects processor with various types of chorus, reverb, and delays rounds out the package. It is used by K.O.
Hi!
Here are some of my new programs for the Roland JV-880!. Every patch was initialized, then saw waves/square waves are chosen then the programming is started from all zero-set parameters. The JV-880 (1992) is very similar to the Roland D-50 (1987) with 4 partials that can be turned on or off, individually programmed. Each of the partial’s parameters can be filtered in several ways. There isn’t a limit to what is sent through the TVF as there is with the D-50. JV-880 is tricky to program with just one knob and 7 buttons, but its so rewarding! Although the JV is digital, the JV can be very lush if programmed with some diligence and patience as all synths require.
Closer lookat Mininova, Integra-7, Krome and Kamouflage
A new episode from the guys at Sonic:
“We talk MiniNova, Krome, Integra-7, New Maschines and Raspberry Pi Synths
Guests: Gaz Williams, Rich Hilton and Dave Spiers join sonicstate.com editor Nick Batt”
Miami Vice remix on Roland Alpha Juno 2 & Roland R8
Listen to Chipbeat’s take on the old Miami Vice song “Step back”
“only hardware used / ROLAND Alpha Juno 2 & ROLAND R8 — listen an Download here : http://soundcloud.com/crizdian/step-back-80s_mix_preview“
Roland INTEGRA-7 — Motional Surround with iPad Editor
This demo video was recorded on the Roland INTEGRA-7 SuperNATURAL® Sound Module using “Motional Surround” (2-channel headphone mode). Please use headphones for the full effect.
Roland JUPITER Legacy Collection Trailer
JUPITER Legacy Collection. Coming soon to http://www.JUPITER-80.com
New gear from Roland announced – MIDI keyboards and Synth modules
Roland has announced the A-88 and A-49 MIDI Keyboard Controllers, two all-new controllers that combine pro playability with mobile convenience. The piano-action A-88 and synth-action A-49 feature high-quality keyboards along with a slim, light design that’s ideal for today’s on-the-go musicians. They also offer USB, MIDI, and Apple iPad compatibility, as well as onboard control of Roland’s SuperNATURAL-powered synths such as the INTEGRA-7, JUPITER-80, and JUPITER-50.
There’s no shortage of keyboard controllers on the market, but most have playability that’s far below the quality found in high-end digital pianos and synthesizers. With the A-88 and A-49, Roland is pleased to offer keyboard controllers that play like pro-level instruments, giving musicians mobile convenience with no compromises. From the bedroom studio to the big stage, these controllers truly deliver inspiring playability and top-level performance.
The A-88 features 88 full-size weighted keys and Roland’s acclaimed Ivory Feel-G Keyboard with Escapement. This is the same Progressive Hammer Action keyboard found in many Roland stage and home pianos, and allows users to play software-based pianos, soft-synths, and sound modules with an authentic grand piano touch. In addition, the white keys are built with a moisture-absorbing material that replicates the feel of real ivory. Even with its premium hammer-action keyboard, the A-88 is light, portable, and easy for gigging musicians to transport.
Born for mobile use, the A-49 features road-tough construction yet is extremely lightweight (under six pounds). The 49 full-size velocity-sensitive keys have a rounded shape for a comfortable touch, along with many enhancements to reduce noise and increase playability. All these features add up to a premium keyboard that even the most discerning pros will appreciate.
Both the A-88 and A-49 include many performance features, including a pitch bend/mod lever, D-BEAM controller, user-assignable knobs and switches, and OCTAVE and TRANSPOSE buttons. The A-88 also has DUAL/SPLIT, UPPER, and LOWER buttons for splitting and layering tones on its full-size keyboard.
The dedicated SuperNATURAL mode button on the controllers unlocks a host of unique sound-selection features when connected to a Roland SuperNATURAL instrument such as the new INTEGRA-7 sound module or the JUPITER-80 and -50 synths.
The A-88 and A-49 offer USB and MIDI OUT connectors, along with jacks for connecting optional expression and hold pedals. Both controllers can be powered via a computer’s USB bus, while the A-88 can also be powered with an accessory AC adapter. Additionally, the A-49 and A-88 are three-OS compatible, with Mac and iOS music apps on the iPad via Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit, and a SONAR X1 LE DAW software bundle with both controllers, giving Windows users a ready-to-go music production environment.
The A-88 and A-49 come standard in a handsome black finish. The A-49 is also available in white, a perfect companion color for users of the white-finish iPad.
Roland says that, wth the development of SuperNATURAL sound and Behavior Modeling technology, they have blurred the boundary between acoustic and electronic instruments. Built upon these core technologies, they tell us that the new INTEGRA-7 gives musicians a gold mine of the latest SuperNATURAL sounds in a fast-access, fully stocked 16-part module. The powerhouse rack comprises a “greatest hits” collection of sounds from Roland’s flagship keyboards and V-Drums modules, plus a coveted lineup from the legacy SRX library. It also introduces a new technology called Motional Surround, a 17-part ambience engine that lets you graphically control the distance and position of each part within 360-degree sound field.
“With the immense power of the INTEGRA-7, you can create amazingly realistic and detailed orchestral arrangements, immersive, spatial sounds, and beyond.”
Features
- Flagship synth module with over 6,000 sounds built in
- The latest SuperNATURAL sounds with enhanced Behavior Modeling technology for expressive acoustic instruments and accurate reproduction of performance articulations
- Powerful SuperNATURAL synth engine with fat analog synth models and vintage filter types
- Dynamic SuperNATURAL drum engine with natural tonal change derived from Roland V-Drums
- Producer’s “must-have” SRX Expansion sound library built in; all 12 SRX titles included
- Dedicated multi-effects and EQ for each part (16 parts), plus dedicated COMP+EQ (use six simultaneously) for drums and ambience parameters for SuperNATURAL drum kits
- Innovative 17-part Motional Surround ambience engine for stereo, headphone, and 5.1-channel output
- INTEGRA-7 Editor for iPad and Motional Surround VSTi Editor for SONAR software
Quick Roland TR-808/Juno-60 Demo
New video from Jordan featuring the TR808 and a JUNO 60, description below:
Here is a quick demo of my Roland TR-808 and Roland Juno-60. No effects were used. They were both mixed on my mixing board and sent straight to my soundcard (Native Instruments Kore). The 808 is doing it’s thing and sending a pulse to the Juno’s Arp In jack. This video was done mostly to demo the Juno-60’s sound while in this mode (Youtube has a suspicious lack of videos demonstrating this). I consider this to be one of the best features of the Juno. It’s incredibly fast to build basslines and song structures this way. From start to about 3:40 I am kind of tweaking the 808 to get a drum pattern that feels right. From 3:40 on it is mostly improv lines on the Juno while the 808 rolls along.
Jordan Passmore Techno Demo – TR-808, MPC-60, SC-880
Jordan Passmore demo of the Roland TR-808, Akai MPC-60 and Roland SC-880. SC-880 is playing the rave patches, MPC-60 is loaded full of TR-909 samples and is also sequencing 909/synth, TR-808 is doing 808. All held together by a Garfield Nano Doc Sync/Clock adapter. All sounds are mixed live on an old Studiomaster mixing board; from there they pass through an Electra EQ, then finally into my Native Instruments Kore Audio Interface. The SCC-80 has an analog delay attached to it, which when I’m out of the shot, I’m usually messing with. I also have a Behringer Virtualizer Pro Reverb on an effects send (a bit of the 909 and SC-880 are send to this).
The MPC-60 loaded with 909 samples is pretty hard to beat for completely cutting through a mix. I personally love the 808 so of course I threw that on top as well. The SC-880 is very interesting and totally useful (multitimbral and full of many very usable effects). I found these patches on it and decided to do a short demo from there.
Jupiter-8, Roland Juno-60, Juno-106, Poly 6 – Analog synth song
Gear used is jupiter-8, juno-106, juno-60, Poly 6, td-30 V-drums. Recorded and mixed in Sonar X1. EFX from Sonar.
DATAMASKIN
