What it is and what it was built for
It is a professional monophonic modular synthesizer for electronic music. It was built for studio and stage use by composers and performers requiring custom signal routing.
Roland released it in 1976, and it was followed by the System-100M in 1978.
How it works, in terms a player would use
It is a modular synthesizer. Players patch cables between modules to route signals. It is monophonic: one note at a time.
The range was sold as separate modules. It included the 701A keyboard controller, three oscillator modules (702A, 702B, 702C), filters (703A, 703B), amplifiers (704A, 704B), a dual envelope generator (705A), LFOs (706A, 706B), a noise and ring generator (708A) and a sample and hold (709A). Further modules covered a reverberator, a gate delay, a multi-mode filter with audio mixer, a 2-channel phase shifter, a 2-channel audio delay and an analog switch, and the list also includes a 717A analog sequencer. Roland also offered the modules as suggested combinations called blocks. Block 1 was the main console, built around the three oscillators, two filters and two amplifiers. Block 3 was the analog sequencer. Block 8 was a “Lab” configuration of three oscillators, a noise and ring generator, a filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an LFO, a sample and hold, an envelope generator and a power supply.
What it does better than anything else
It establishes a professional monophonic signal path with discrete, serviceable modules — more robust than many contemporaries.
What it does badly
It does not play chords. It cannot store patches; sequencing came from a separate module, the 717A. It offers no built-in keyboard or interface beyond its modules.
What people made with it
The sources do not state what people made with it.
Artists listed as System 700 users include Isao Tomita, Vince Clarke, Giorgio Moroder, Hans Zimmer, Eric Carmen, Matthias Becker, Eloy Fritsch, Rhett Lawrence, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Visage, Kim Wilde, and Richard Barbieri of Japan. It does not say which recordings they made with it.
Who should use it, and who should not
A working studio engineer or restorer with access to schematics, spare parts, and expertise in 1970s analogue electronics should use it. A beginner or casual player should not.
Is it worth your time
It is worth your time only if you need professional-grade modular synthesis from 1976 and can source, maintain, and patch it reliably.
