Roland RS-202

The Roland RS-202 was a polyphonic combined digital/analog string synthesizer, introduced by Roland in 1976. It was the successor to the Roland RS-101, released in 1975. ^{[1] [2]}

The synthesizer operated using sawtooth wave oscillators, which used a frequency divider in a similar manner to an electronic organ to provide full polyphony across a five-octave keyboard. ^{[3] [4]} The signal was then fed through a single envelope shaper, making the instrument paraphonic. The front panel had two separate controls for the top and bottom of the keyboard, which could have independent sounds. ^[3] Each note could be assigned a separate envelope articulation, which was necessary to avoid re-triggering the attack if an extra note was added to an existing chord being played. To achieve a more realistic sound of an ensemble of string players, the output was fed through a chorus effect using a number of analog delay lines triggered by low frequency oscillators. ^[5]

An American company called Multivox manufactured a clone of the RS-202, called the MX-202. It used similar internal components, though the sound was weaker. ^[6]

Notable users of the RS-202 include Genesis' Tony Banks, Camel's Peter Bardens, Los Bukis and Tomita. ^{[6] [7]}

See also

• ARP String Synthesizer

References

Citations

1. Jenkins 2009, p. 89.
2. "A Tale of Two String Synths". Sound on Sound. July 2002. Archived from the original on 8 March 2005.
3. "ROLAND RS202". Hollow Sun. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
4. "Roland RS-202". Music Publishers Journal. 36–37. The Music Journal: 108. 1978.
5. "How do I re-create the sound of those old string synths?". Sound on Sound . March 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
6. "Roland RS-202 Strings". Vintage Synth Explorer. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
7. Jenkins 2009, p. 135.

Sources

• Jenkins, Mark (2009). Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Performing, Buying—From the Legacy of Moog to Software Synthesis. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-136-12278-1.