Roland System-8 User manual
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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I’ve been having difficulty getting this report off the ground. A Roland System-8 has been standing around here in
my studio for months at less than arm’s length, intimidating me with its very presence.
There was no way I was going to feel motivated to really and actually examine the thing. A couple of pics here, a
couple of sound samples there. Then, dispair. Enough of those fleeting impressions, enough lighting orgies. What
followed was the firm intention to just chuck it … not chuck it … chuck it … not chuck it.
This went on for a long time. From today’s point of view, this is about more than just the System-8. The paralysis
stems from deeper down. It has to do with the unequivocal turning point the Roland Company has taken. A turning
point that the tried-and-true synthesizer enthusiast (and Roland fan of many years) has difficulty just coping with.
But the world keeps turning, and so we accept things as they now are.
New Products — Re-orientation — A new set of Values
Occasional Roland products have given cause for thoughtful frowns for some time now. And it is doubtful that
company founder Ikutaro Kakehashi would have approved of present company philosophy. Overworked SH- and
Jupiter-clones clothed in digitalia, bright TB-303 imitations, chic little plastic synths, lightweight turntables with a
909-logo. Where to put it all? In a professional studio?
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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Part of the problem has nothing to do with Roland, of course, but with the heightened expectations of the users. For
many musicians, Roland and musical life are two sides of the same self-minted coin — accountable for the
characteristic sounds of whole bands and entire generations.
Up to a few years ago, unique accoustical behaviour conveyed the (former) Roland rock-bottom concept of always
giving the artist the very best. Juno-60, Jupiter-4, Jupiter-6, Jupiter-8 … SH-5, SH-7, VP-330 Vocoder and the great
Modular-Synthesizer Systems 100, 100M und System 700: every one a posh instrument, every one Crème de
la Crème. And even the small Roland analog aynths — as for instance the SH-2 and the cute SH-09 — are of
exceptional musical and constructional quality (underlined by the fact that a lot of them are still doing good service
today). Later digital classics like the Roland D-50, D-70, JD-800, JP-8000 or V-Synth – all the way up to the Jupiter-80
– round off the generally positive picture of the noble synth smithy from Japan.
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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So, in the face of such a glorious past, how are we now to cope with that new Roland generation of lightweight
plastic instruments made in China? Inscrutable static coming out of nowhere, inexplainable chirps and clicks. By all
due respect: The SOUND simply isn’t what it once was. It’s maybe OK, but it isn’t what the purist is looking for. And
it isn’t what it was. Rather MID-Fi than HI-FI. And even when casting a mild eye at modern construction
compromises (external power supply, plastic chassis, …), SOUND should not be compromised on.
Changing one’s point of view
Now, casting woeful eyes back into the past and making comparisons with the present is one thing. Reclassifying
mental priorities is another. Then again, we have to be fair: The Roland System-8 is a relatively inexpensive
Instrument, and it can do a lot. Which in these digital times is admittedly not the great challenge. The System-8 is a
well-rounded package deal: arpeggiator, sequencer, Plug-Outs for even more synth-sounds, a variety of details for
sound designers, customer-friendly optics and robust control elements.
We’ll get back to some special features and a couple of quirks later on …
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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The Roland System-8
features a:
classic (analog) signal path
– OSC 1 / 2 / 3 / noise
– mixer
– filter (multimode)
– amplifier
– LFOs
–
– filter-envelope (ADSR)
– amplifier-envelope (ADSR)
– pitch-envelope (AD)
–
a maximum of 8 voices
Plug-Out 1 / 2 / 3
64 patches and 64 performances
a comprehensive effect-section (3 effect paths)
arpeggiator, step-sequencer and vocoder
4-octave keyboard
Now, this is all very impressive. In addition, there are some little goodies to be found among the ports, especially for
the analog-synth enthusiasts among you.
Audio out R/L
Audio in R/L (for connecting a mic, rhythm device or external synth)
Trigger in (for control of the internal step-sequencer via an external analog signal)
CV/Gate OUT (for control of an external OCT/V analog synthesizer – System 1M, e.g.)
PEDAL and CONTROL jack
MIDI (IN/OUT) and USB
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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An SD-card-slip enables the creation of simple back-ups. That is of course very practial and would seem to be a fast
(and secure) solution for archiving data, seen in the light of the great sound diversity available on the System-8.
Sound-design in detail
Refined details of the sound architecture are what make the System-8 stand out. Filter resonance, for example, is
rich in overtones — to a certain degree a real accomplishment for a device with analog character, even if it is just, in
fact, the emulation of a voltage controlled filter. “Variations” give you just that, technically or sound-wise, in
connection with oscillators, filters and the LFO.
Further mention deserve the following:
cross-modulation
ring modulator
(oscillator) synchronization
pitch envelope
Above and beyond this, the extensive performance sector is the second mainstay of the System-8. Among the
expression and playing enhancements:
various key modes (MONO / UNISON / POLY)
portamento
chord memory
velocity as well as the specifically dedicated Velocity OFF switch (in order, for instance, to come closer to the
characteristics of the Jupiter-8 / Juno-106)
octave Up / Down (which is – admittedly – absolutely necessary, when considering the reduced keyboard)
a comprehensive bender section
arpeggiator and sequencer
vocoder
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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The bender section is astounding. The combined pitchbend-modulation lever is typical of Roland and nothing new, of
course. Praise where praise is due: the bender is extremely stable and lies well in the hand. But it’s interesting: not
all performance results are close to what you’d expect. To be specific: filter frequency bending is just too gentle,
even at maximum settings (bender/FILTER slider all the way up – max. range of 255). The desired “filter sweeps” are
fairly tame, not even close to any sort of dramatic change in sound, whereas most users are looking for at least twice
or three times that effect. Anyway, that’s what benders are designed to do: both subtle AND dramatic changes in
sound.
Along with all the surprises, something to get used to: by a change of sound, the settings in the bender section get
“lost”. Which can be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage. Let’s look back to the Jupiter-8. Its pre-set sliders and
switches in the bender area (VCO at “exactly” one octave, VCF at maximum, or whatever) at the left side of the
keyboard remain continuously available until changed by the user. Which has the advantage that (the pre-set)
bender-performance remains available, regardless of what sound changes are made. Pre-set is pre-set, so to speak.
The disadvantage: the settings for the said performance are permanent and therefore “not” a component of the
archived sound (logically making an individual bender-performance per sound impossible).
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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Now, with the System-8 it’s the exact opposite: the pre-set controls of the bender-area (which you’re LOOKING at, so
to speak) reflect in no way the actual bender-performance which has been saved along with the sound. So our
question: what’s to be preferred? A permanent pre-set (always available, but not savable) … or individual settings
sound-per-sound (which may require constant correction of the faders, since their settings are not permanent)?
The more modern system (that of the System-8) may give you greater flexibility, since the required
bender/modulations-lever-settings will probably vary from sound to sound. What you lose, though, is spontaneity. If
you’re looking to use the bender for filter movements — jollyily switching here and there through the sound
programmes, for instance —, you’re going to find yourself having to constantly “correct” the slider settings in the
bender area (or, alternatively, to save the identical performance for all the sounds). That means putting in a lot of
extra work …
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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Analog Circuit Behaviour, or: on the quality of the sounds
“Powerful and deep, the SYSTEM-8 delivers a vast palette of sounds inspired by over four decades of legendary
Roland synths. Its next-gen Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) engine powers an eight-voice, three-oscillator monster
with stunning filters and effects, highly versatile LFOs, and a massive array of high-resolution knobs and sliders to
control it all. Support for three PLUG-OUT synths means the SYSTEM-8 can host spot-on recreations of numerous
Roland classics, and JUPITER-8 and JUNO-106 PLUG-OUTS are even included with purchase. Split and layer synths
for unheard of sounds, and tap into the integrated vocoder, arpeggiator, CV/Gate outs, and advanced polyphonic step
sequencer to fuel endless creative explorations.”
(source: Roland.com)
So much for publicity. Whether that engine is now called an ACB or something else won’t really make a big
impression on musicians, but the essence of what System-8 now stands for is visible here: a quailty emulation of
analog sound synthesis. Nobody, but nobody believes that the System-8 is meant to replace the Jupiter-8. Or the
Juno-106.
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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It’s not as easy as all that. And be assured, some of those sounds (we can only make comparisons on the basis of our
test candidate, the Jupiter-8 Plug-Out) were NEVER to be found on the original instrument. But then, that’s not the
point: to be fair, many of the System-8 sounds appear to be really useful. They inspire the player, in their own way, to
make music (creatively). Which is one very good argument in favor of a modern instrument.
Anyway, audio purists might discover some noise in the System-8 signal path, along with some (inexplicable) “ticks”
or drop-outs (listen to soundfile Electric Piano and you’ll know what we’re talkig about).
Special Assets and a couple of Question Marks
Now, stepping aside from all the sound details and conceptual extraordinaries, we reach the following fundamental
insight: the System-8 helps keep the good tradition of analog synthesis (here: virtual analog) alive.
Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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The next generation of musicians has the enjoyment of twisting and adjusting on instruments that follow the
classical, tried-and-true structure of OSC-MIXER-FILTER and AMP. Or of turning knobs, discovering the influence of
a ring modulator on the interaction of the oscillators and exploring the effects of cross-modulation. That in itself is a
very good thing. And should that nest-egg someday be big enough to fulfill the dream of a Jupiter-8, then the
System-8 user will already be familiar with the Jupiter’s basic sound architecture. So far so very good.
In addition, the System-8 has ist own very useful, musically effective basic sound. A battery of presets is at your
fingertips and the Plug-Outs do their own stuff, of course, to widen your musical horizon. Which means the System-8
is a very useful and sensible choice as a sound-designer-synth. Its strengths lie — just one opinion among many, I
know — in the experimental field and in the area of soundscapes and specially-colored solo sounds.
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3
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