The Roland CR-68 is a non-programmable mono analog rhythm machine from the late 1970s. It shares the CR-78’s sound set and 54 preset rhythms but removes all user programming. Its controls — tempo, level, accent, balance — shape playback in real time. Fills trigger automatically or manually. It has no MIDI, no keyboard, no memory. Its sounds are now more often sampled than played live. Add N To (X) used it.
The Roland CR-8000 is a non-editable analog drum machine from 1980/81. It gives you 13 fixed drum sounds, one mono output, eight user-programmable patterns, and a unique groove knob that alters timing and timbre simultaneously — especially in the hi-hats. That groove cannot be sampled. Everything else is compromised: the sequencer is poorly programmed, the control panel fails under external use, and there are no built-in effects. Artists including Fluke, BT, Jimmy Edgar, and Blondie used it. It belongs in a collection, not a production chain.
The Roland Juno-2 (Alpha Juno-2) is an 80s hybrid synth: analog filters and voice path, digital control over oscillators, envelopes, LFO, PWM, and chorus. It has 64 factory and 64 user patches, a velocity-sensitive 61-key keyboard, and a single digital wheel for editing. It lacks computer update capability and rack-mounting. Real-time sound switching is slow. It was built for studio use — not live performance.
The Roland MKS-70 is a 1986 2U rack-mount analog synthesizer module. It combines two JX-8P engines for 12-voice polyphony and dual-tone layering. It stores 100 patches, each built from two of 64 tones. Chorus has only off/slow/fast settings. Chase-play enables delayed voice repeats. Front-panel editing is cumbersome and tedious. Full SysEx control and PC editing require firmware v1.08. It has three stereo outputs: one per tone and one mix. It lacks arpeggiator, sequencer and keyboard.
The Roland RE-201 Space Echo is a non-rackable desktop analog tape echo unit with three inputs (two mic, one instrument), five magnetic tape playback heads, 1/4" wet/direct outputs, footswitch input, and controls for time, feedback (intensity), low/high EQ, dry/wet mix, and reverb. Its reverb has a compromised tonal character ('trs CRADA'). It uses an actual reel of tape — distinguishing it from imitators. It does not offer precision, stability, or clean reverb. It does deliver saturated, decaying, pitch-wobbling repeats no digital model fully replicates.
The Roland Alpha Juno-1 is a 1986 6-voice analog synth built for techno and rave. It delivers sharp bass and noise, improved MIDI, and chord memory — but sacrifices warmth and hands-on editability.
The Roland Alpha Juno-2 is a 1986 6-voice subtractive synth with velocity and aftertouch, 64 presets, 64 user patches, chord memory, portamento, transpose, and a 24dB analog low-pass filter. It uses membrane buttons and the Alpha Dial for editing. It was built for stage and studio bass and rhythmic work — not for deep, fast sound design.
The Roland Cube-60 is a 60-watt solid-state modelling combo guitar amplifier introduced in 2004. It uses COSM processing to deliver eight amp models on the drive channel. It has two channels — clean and drive — each with independent gain and volume, sharing a four-band EQ. Built-in effects and a combined headphone/line-out jack support private practice and simple recording. It offers no footswitching, no per-model EQ recall, and no pre-model effects routing.
The Roland D-10 is a 1988 digital synthesizer using LA Synthesis. It has 61 keys and 32-voice polyphony. It is available as both a keyboard and a rack module. Factory sounds are basic and dated. Editing is required to achieve usable tones. It includes built-in sequencing and nine-part multitimbrality. Onboard effects are limited.
The Roland D-110 is a 1988 rackmount sound module — the upgraded rack version of the D-10 and rack counterpart to the D-20. It delivers Linear Arithmetic synthesis, second-generation D-50 style, using tones, partials, and timbres. It has 32-voice polyphony, on-board drum sounds, reverb, internal/external memory, and six individual outputs. It requires external MIDI control. Programming is tricky but yields characteristic LA textures. Its filter resonates but does not self-oscillate. It is a cheaper alternative to the D-50, offering decent acoustic and synthetic sounds — but no keyboard, no sequencer, and no intuitive interface.
The Roland D-20 is a 1988 digital synthesizer using Linear Arithmetic synthesis. It offers 32-voice polyphony, 8-part multitimbrality, a 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard, an 8-voice sequencer with rhythm track, a built-in arpeggiator, reverb effects, and internal/external memory storage. LAS programming revolves around tones, partials, and timbres—a method that is difficult to learn but capable of unique results when mastered. It was produced from 1988 to 1992.
The Roland DEP-5 is a mid-1980s multi-effects processor. It gives you reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, double, and a three-band parametric EQ. Its interface is direct — one button, one function — but some parameters demand layered adjustment. Program 5 delivers a long, arching reverb. Its midrange tone is distinctive and hard to replicate. It does not do clean, neutral processing. It does not offer recallable presets. It does not suit users who need precision over character.
The Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Plug-In is a software amp simulator released by Roland in January 2025. It models the JC-120’s sound for use inside a DAW. Nothing in the source describes its controls, signal path, tone-shaping options, or how closely it matches the hardware. It offers convenience and consistency — not physicality or unpredictability.
The Roland MC-09 PhraseLab is a compact sampling sequencer built as a simplified, budget counterpart to the MC-909. It integrates monophonic synthesis, a TB-303–style 2×16-step sequencer, and a 4-track looper/sampler. Its sampler sounds like an 8bit unit and introduces audible crackle when tempo changes. It supports only four independent audio loops. Its monophonic synth produces FAT acid bass and lead tones. It is suited for live phrase capture but limited by low screen clarity, slow sample loading, and constrained user memory.
The Roland MSQ-100 is a sequencer with no documented technical specifications. It exists only as a named object with alternate spellings. Nothing is verified about its function, capacity, interface behaviour, or sonic role.
The Roland MSQ-700 is an 8-track MIDI sequencer with lithium battery-backed memory, step-time and real-time recording, punch-in, merge, quantization, chaining, and analog tape sync. It stores 6500 notes per track. It has no screen, no file export, no velocity editing, and no USB.
The Roland MV-8000 is a 2004 sampling sequencer built for producers who want to record, edit, sequence, and master full tracks without a computer.
The Roland MV-8800 is a sampling sequencer. It hosts VSTs internally. It requires external video monitoring. It accepts a USB mouse. It is complex. Its hard drive is slow. Its manual is poor. One user tested it for three hours in a retail store and found it capable of handling many music production tasks.
The Epiphone PR-100 is a Chinese-made, US-designed dreadnought acoustic guitar with 22 frets, a mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and plastic bridge. It has no electronics or controls. It is built for unamplified play only.
The Roland R-70 is a 1992 full-sized, sample-playback drum machine from Roland’s R series. It offers up to 210 drum sounds across Rock, Jazz, Electronic, and Ethnic kits. It stores 100 programmable patterns and chains them into 20 songs. Its positional pad changes sound by strike location. It includes reverb, flanger, delay, chorus, and humanization. Sound editing is limited to attack, sustain, and pan. Its built-in sequencer is complex—users prefer external sequencing. Kick and cymbal sounds emulate the TR-808. It is a popular, all-purpose drum machine.
The Roland S-750 is a 1992 hardware sampler built for deep, routed, real-time sampling work—not convenience or compatibility.
The Roland S-760 is a 1990 rackmount sampler. It samples at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz with 16-bit stereo resolution. It supports 24-voice polyphony across 32 multitimbral parts. It uses no synthesis method beyond sampling. It has built-in filters but no effects.
The Roland SDE-1000 is one of the first digital delay rack units. It delivers up to 1.5 seconds of breathless, crystal-clear delay. Four front-panel keys store delay time and on/off state. Modulation knobs do not memorise—but their activation does. A footswitch controls global on/off. It was bought in 1983 or 1984.
The Roland SDE-3000 is a mono digital delay unit introduced in 1984. It delivers up to 4500 ms of delay with 10 Hz–17 kHz frequency response and low distortion. It has wet/dry outputs, time loop, and TRS footswitch support. It is built for reliability, not versatility.
The Roland SH-2 is a monophonic analog synthesizer introduced in 1978. It has two detunable VCOs, a resonant self-oscillating 24dB lowpass filter, one envelope, one LFO, and a 3-octave keyboard. Its one-button-one-function interface is simple and effective. It produces fat, aggressive, authentic vintage analog tones—especially when the oscillators are detuned. It shares sonic traits with the SH-101 but adds detunability and thickness. It is flexible enough for punchy basses, leads and squelchy sounds. Every sound—including drums—has been made on it in at least one documented case. It is simple, programmable, and sonically aligned with Roland’s high-end SH series.
The SH-2000 is a 1973 monophonic analog preset synthesizer. It is Roland’s second synth and a simplified version of the SH-1000. It was built for home organists needing expressive, portable tone colour without synthesis theory.
The Roland SH-5 is a monophonic analog synthesizer introduced in 1976. It has two VCOs, two LFOs, two multi-mode filters, two VCAs, a 5-source mixer, stereo panning, portamento and ring modulation. It is no longer manufactured. No technical specifications are available.
The Roland SH-7 is a 1978 duophonic analog synthesizer built to expand on the SH series with greater flexibility and sonic aggression.
The Roland SRV-2000 is a 1984 digital reverb unit with pseudo-stereo I/O, 16-bit resolution, and 10 kHz bandwidth. It offers 32 programs — including hall and room — with editable reverb time, pre-delay up to 160 ms, high-frequency attenuation, and a 3-band parametric EQ (+12 dB to −24 dB). It delivers coherent, homogeneous stereo imaging and eliminates breath, snap, and flutter even at high signal levels. It is rated sonically between the Yamaha REV 7 and Lexicon PCM 60 — less refined than the latter, more universal.
The TR-626 is a 1987 digital drum machine. It upgrades the TR-606 and TR-505 with 12-bit sampled sounds, individual tuning and mixing, eight outputs, a basic sequencer (48 preset + 48 user patterns), a TR-505–style matrix display, and strong MIDI implementation. Its samples are drab and low-quality. Its routing and MIDI are its strengths.
The Roland XV-5080 is a 2000 rack-mount sound module built for studio composers needing stereo sample playback, deep modulation via Matrix Control, and expandability through SRX and SR-JV80 boards. It reads Akai S1000 and Roland S-700 CD-ROMs via SCSI, supports up to 128MB of sample memory, and includes COSM effects and digital outputs — features the XV-3080 lacks. It offers no keyboard, no sequencer, no USB, and demands physical navigation. It belongs in a fixed studio with legacy hardware — not on a laptop stand.
The Roland JX-10 is a 12-voice analog keyboard synthesizer introduced in 1986. It combines two independent 6-voice Tone Modules for layering and splitting. Its 76-note velocity-sensitive keyboard includes aftertouch. Internal memory holds 64 patches, each configurable as one 12-voice tone or two 6-voice tones. Original firmware lacks SysEx for Tone or Patch data—but updating it restores that capability. PWM was omitted despite existing hardware resources. Its architecture differs sonically from the JX-8P due to distinct chorus and amplifier sections.
The Roland JX-3P is a six-note polyphonic synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation of Japan from 1983 to 1985. Its name stands for 'Programmable Preset Polyphonic'. It uses two digitally controlled oscillators with sawtooth, 50% and 10% pulse waveforms plus noise. It stores 32 factory and 32 user programs. It features a built-in 128-step polyphonic sequencer synced to external clock pulses — not MIDI clock. Its MIDI implementation supports only note on/off, pitch bend, hold, modulation and program change. The PG-200 programmer enables deeper editing but disables MIDI while connected.
The Roland MC-303 is the first groovebox: a fixed-palette, preset-only instrument built for house DJs and amateur home musicians. It combines a JV-80-derived rompler (28-note polyphony) with an 8-track pattern sequencer and real-time phrase tools. It lacks sampling, MIDI-transmittable knob control, and sound editing — making it fast for sketching but inflexible for production.
The Roland MKS-80 is an 8-voice, rack-mount, fully analog subtractive synthesizer made from 1984 to 1987. It is the only MKS-series unit with voltage-controlled oscillators—not digitally-controlled ones. Its voice architecture mirrors the Jupiter-6 but adds an HPF, a low boost circuit in the second VCA, and a DC supply current boost. A February 1985 revision introduced updated VCOs, VCAs, and a filter later shared with the JX-8P, JX-10, and MKS-70. Each voice uses two Curtis CEM3340 VCOs. It has no keyboard, no sequencer, and minimal front-panel editing—requiring SysEx tools for deep programming.
The Roland R-8 is a 1989 PCM drum machine built for expressive, human-sounding rhythm programming—not raw sound design or live sampling.
The Roland RS-202 is a 1976 string synthesizer that uses sawtooth oscillators and frequency division for full polyphony. Its paraphonic architecture routes all notes through one envelope shaper—but assigns per-note articulation to prevent attack re-triggering. Split-keyboard controls allow independent top/bottom sounds. An analog chorus with LFO-modulated delay lines creates ensemble realism. It does not offer true polyphonic envelopes, per-voice filters, or digital memory.
The Roland S-50 is a 61-key 12-bit sampler keyboard introduced in 1986. It uses variable sampling rates (15–30 kHz), stores samples on a 3.5-inch DSDD floppy disk drive, supports external CRT monitor editing, and holds up to 32 samples. A rack-mounted version with expanded memory was also available.
Roland Corporation is a Japanese instrument manufacturer founded in 1972. It pioneered compact synthesizers, programmable drum machines, guitar synths, and early microprocessor sequencers — shaping electronic music through tactile, genre-defining hardware.
The Roland SH-1000 is a compact 1973 synthesizer — the first made in Japan and the first by Roland. It resembles a home organ, with 10 preset voices and a manually editable section. It has no user program memory. Its effects include white noise, portamento, octave transposition, two LFOs and a random note generator. It simulates multiple oscillators using 8 sub-osc keys; a ninth key triggers white or pink noise.
The Roland SH-3A is a monophonic analog synthesizer introduced in 1975. It supports both subtractive and additive synthesis. It includes two LFOs and a unique sample-and-hold section. It was Roland’s first non-preset based synth. It uses a transistor ladder-filter to produce Moog-like sounds.
The Roland System-100M is a modular analog synthesizer built in the late 1970s. It delivers independent LFOs, envelopes, and patchbay-enabled feedback—not convenience, not recall, not polyphony.
The Roland TR-606 is a fixed-voice analog drum machine built from 1981 to 1984. It generates bass drum, snare, toms, cymbal, and open/closed hi-hat sounds using analog synthesis—not samples—and offers no sound editing. Its 32-pattern sequencer includes accent controls and song chaining. DIN sync enables tight integration with the TB-303. It does one thing decisively: deliver unvarnished, immediate rhythm. It refuses everything else.
The Roland V-Synth is a 2003 polyphonic synthesizer combining multiple oscillator technologies and built-in sampling, featuring arpeggiation, COSM filtering, and expandable vocoder/vocal synthesis via VC-2; the XT variant is a rack-mount module.
The 'List of vocoders' is not an instrument. It is a sparse, unattributed enumeration of models and band counts. It contains no operational detail, no historical context for the devices, and no connection to the Roland Corporation. It is a footnote masquerading as a subject.
The Roland VP-330 is a 1979 paraphonic vocoder and string machine. It combines ten-band vocoding, electronic strings, and four synthetic choir sounds using seven shared bandpass filters. Its BBD ensemble effect thickens all three sections. Touring musicians adopted it as a lighter, more robust alternative to the Mellotron — despite its choir and strings being less realistic. It offers no patch memory, no MIDI, and no polyphonic independence.
The Roland JD-990 is a 1993 module-based, PCM sample synthesizer. It expands on the JD-800 with more ROM, multitimbrality, front-panel programming, and expansion support. It generates both vintage-analogue-remnant and modern-digital textures—but only from its fixed 6 MB of PCM waveforms, and only via menu navigation.
The Roland JV-1080 is a sample-based 2U rack sound module with 64-voice polyphony and 16-part multi-timbrality, introduced in 1995.
The Roland JV-2080 is a rack-mount, sample-based MIDI sound module released in early 1997. It supports 768 internal patches and can be stacked up to eight units for 512-voice polyphony.
The Roland MC-202 is a monophonic analog synthesizer and music sequencer released by Roland in 1983. It was the first groovebox. Its synth is similar to the TB-303 bass synth and the SH-101 synthesizer, featuring one voltage-controlled oscillator with simultaneous saw and square/pulse-width waveforms. The internal synthesizer features one voltage-controlled oscillator with simultaneous saw, square/pulse-width and sub-octave square waveforms. Additionally there is a 24dB Low Pass filter, an LFO and a single ADSR envelope generator. In terms of circuitry, it is nearly identical to the earlier SH-101 synthesizers but lacks the noise generator, choice of LFO shapes and modulation/pitch bend controls. However, unlike the SH-101, it does include a delay on the LFO. The MC-202 includes a sequencer that can play back two separate sequences simultaneously.
The Roland MC-4 Microcomposer is a 1981 microprocessor-based CV/Gate sequencer with four output channels, programmable via numeric keypad or live monophonic keyboard input, using numeric pitch values (Middle C = 24), step time values, and gate time values; it features volatile memory requiring cassette storage, supports syncing to other MC-4s or Roland gear, and predates MIDI.
A 1998 groovebox that prioritises immediacy over depth. It bundles sequencing, synthesis, and classic Roland drums—but locks you into its architecture.
The Roland MC-8 Microcomposer is a pioneering CV/Gate sequencer from early 1977. It uses an Intel 8080A CPU and 16 KB RAM to store up to 5,300 notes. It enables polyphonic sequencing via CV/Gate allocation and precise, rapid control of VCOs, VCFs, and lighting. It was designed for large modular systems like the System 700 and System-100M. It does not support real-time recording well and lacks modern interface conveniences.
The Roland MC-909 is a 2002 groovebox built for live pattern performance. It merges ROM-based synthesis, sampling, and 16-track sequencing into one hardware unit. Its strength is immediacy: hands-on control, fast patch loading, and real-time pattern switching. Its limits are hard-coded: buggy OS, shallow sample editing, rigid pattern flow, and no true synthesis — only tone layering from fixed PCM waves. It belongs on stage, not in a modern production chain.
The SP-404 is a dedicated, tactile sampler built for speed and texture — not precision or polish.
The SP-808 is a self-contained sampling workstation built for immediacy—not convenience. Its limits are absolute: four stereo voices, Zip-only storage, no modern connectivity. Its strength is integration: sampler, synth, and sequencer in one tactile unit, holding over 1,000 samples internally while demanding physical media discipline.
The Roland System 700 is a professional monophonic modular synthesizer released in 1976 by Roland Corporation.
The TR-505 delivers rigid, punchy sequencing with integrated Latin percussion — but its 8-voice limit forces trade-offs no modern sequencer accepts.
The Roland U-20 is a 1989 PCM-sample keyboard that plays back stored sounds with no filtering. It uses ADSR envelopes and DSP effects like reverb and chorus for limited modification. It supports expansion via the M-256E RAM card and two ROM PCM-card slots. Its lack of filters and impractical aftertouch are documented drawbacks.
The Roland XP-80 is a 1996 76-key workstation using digital PCM subtractive synthesis, delivering 64-voice polyphony and 16-part multi-timbrality via a semi-weighted keyboard. It merges the JV-1080 engine with the MRC-Pro sequencer for tight internal composition—but offers no aftertouch, limited real-time sound control, and no modern connectivity.
The CR-78 is historically singular: the first microprocessor-based drum machine and the first to allow user-programmable pattern creation. Its analog synthesis yields 14 fixed drum sounds. Its four-note polyphony defines its rhythmic ceiling. It does not offer sound editing, velocity layers, or sample playback. It belongs in rooms where constraint is compositional strategy—not a flaw to be patched.
The Roland D-50 is a 1987 hybrid synthesiser that pairs 47 ROM-based PCM attack samples with subtractive synthesis to create realistic, bright, and instantly usable tones. Its architecture — two tones, each with two partials — delivers clarity and presence but imposes strict limits on timbral complexity and real-time control. It was built for affordability and immediacy, not flexibility or depth.
The Roland JD-800 is a hands-on, sample-based digital synthesizer manufactured between 1991 and 1996. It features many knobs and sliders for patch editing and performance control. Roland's intention was to return to the roots of synthesis. It employs sample-based oscillators and a fully digital signal path. It has 108 built-in sampled waveforms, expandable via PCM cards. A patch consists of up to four tones. In Multi mode it is possible to play five different patches over MIDI, plus a 'special' patch — which assigns different waveforms to the 61 keys for drums and percussion.
The Roland JP-8000 is an analog modeling synthesizer released in early 1997. It sought to digitally reproduce the analog tonalities and power of its analog predecessors. Although it lacked somewhat in analog warmth due to its early digital architecture, it added many new features, such as RPS (Realtime Phrase Sequencing), which allowed short sequenced phrases to be assigned to keys, and such as motion control. It also featured the unique Supersaw oscillators and analog-style controllers such as an arpeggiator and an assignable touch response ribbon control. The Supersaw in particular was the reason why the JP-8000 was particularly successful as a main keyboard (along with the Virus) in the dance music market, especially for trance music.
The Juno-106 is a six-voice analog synthesizer released by Roland in February 1984. It features digitally controlled oscillators, 128 patch memories (up from the Juno-60’s 56), a performance lever for pitch and modulation, and early MIDI implementation enabling parameter change sequencing.
The Roland Juno-60 is an analog synthesizer introduced in 1982 as a lower-cost, more stable alternative to contemporaries like the Prophet-5 and Jupiter-8. It features digitally controlled oscillators for tuning stability, a single oscillator architecture compensated by a signature chorus effect, patch memory for 54 sounds, an arpeggiator, and performance controls.
The Jupiter-6 delivers focused, hands-on bitimbral control and waveform stacking unavailable on the Jupiter-8 — but locks you into rigid voice splits and omits expressive dimensions like aftertouch.
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland in early 1981. Each voice features two discrete VCOs with cross-modulation and sync, pulse-width modulation, a non-resonant high-pass filter, a resonant low-pass filter with 2-pole and 4-pole settings, an LFO with variable waveforms and routings, and two envelope generators (one invertible). It includes adjustable polyphonic portamento, a hold function for infinite sustain, an assignable bender for pitch or filter frequency, balanced XLR and unbalanced 1/4" outputs for Upper and Lower presets in Split mode, and a unique polyphonic unison mode where all 16 oscillators stack onto one note and divide down when more keys are pressed. Its arpeggiator syncs externally via DCB or CV. Tuning stability improved from serial #171700 onward.
The Roland JX-8P is a 1985 hybrid analog synthesizer with six-note polyphony, designed to bridge analog warmth and FM-style timbres using new modulation and a DX7-inspired interface. It features two DCOs per voice, software ADSR envelopes, dual filters, chorus, sync modes, multiple play modes, and a polished MIDI implementation — programmable via edit slider or optional PG-800, with limitations on real-time control.
The Roland SH-101 is a monophonic analog synthesizer made by Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1986. It features a single oscillator, sub-oscillator, low-pass filter, mixer, noise generator, arpeggiator and sequencer. An ADSR envelope controls the filter and VCA. The LFO modulates filter, VCA, pitch and pulse width. It can be played as a keytar using an optional handgrip and shoulder strap, and it can be powered via battery.
The Roland System 100 is an analog semi-modular synthesizer introduced in 1975. It consists of discrete rack- and keyboard-mounted units (101, 102, 103, 104, 109), each independently powered, supporting patch-cable reconfiguration of an otherwise fixed signal path. It forms an expandable two-oscillator monosynth with sequencing and effects, uses 1V/oct control, and avoids fixed oscillator footages for enhanced sound design flexibility.
The Roland TB-303 is a 1981 subtractive bass synthesizer with a 24 dB/octave low-pass filter controlled by an envelope generator and an internal sequencer for note programming. Designed to simulate bass guitars, it was commercially unsuccessful and discontinued in 1984 due to its unrealistic sound.
The TR-808 is a programmable analog drum machine introduced in 1980. It generated all sounds via analog synthesis—not sampling—and allowed full percussion track programming including breaks and rolls. It supported up to 32 patterns, chaining up to 768 measures, and beat accents. Roland discontinued it in 1983 after approximately 12,000 units due to semiconductor shortages. It was a commercial failure because the market preferred realistic drum sounds.
The TR-909 is a rigid, unyielding rhythmic engine. Its strength is timing, not texture. Its legacy is built on what it withheld—not what it offered.