Roland System-100M

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System-100M
Roland-cmu-800r c64 hg.jpg
A Roland System-100M (top left) controlled by a Commodore 64
Manufacturer Roland Corporation
Dates1979-c.1984 [1]
Price£1242 for 5-module system with monophonic keyboard [1]
Technical specifications
Polyphony Depends on chosen modules. Usually monophonic or 4-voice polyphonic.
Oscillator Each VCO has triangle, falling sawtooth, and pulse output (110, 112 modules)
LFO Each voltage-controlled LFO has sine, triangle, square, rising sawtooth, and falling sawtooth output (140, 150 modules); the manually set LFO has triangle output only (172 module)
Synthesis type Analog subtractive
Filter low-pass (110, 121 modules)
Effects Phase shifter and BBD-based audio delay available (172 module)
Input/output
Keyboard 32 keys, monophonic (180 keyboard); 49 keys, monophonic (181 keyboard); 49 keys, 4-voice polyphonic (184 keyboard)
Left-hand control Pitch bend (181 and 184 keyboards only); portamento on/off (181 only); automated arpeggio (184 only)

The Roland System-100M was a modular analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was the successor of the Roland System-100, a semi-modular keyboard.

Contents

In the 1980s, shortly after its introduction, Richard Burgess of Landscape called the 100M "one of the best synthesisers on the market, with so many control functions available independently, whereas most synths only have one or two LFOs to do all the modulating." [2] Ian Boddy considered the System 100M "an almost ideal introduction to the world of modular synthesis," [3] and praised its oscillator sync sound, especially when sampled to achieve polyphony. [4]

By the 1990s, although digital synthesizers were starting to replace analog ones, several prominent musicians still enthused about their 100Ms. Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto said "the best thing about it is that it's modular and it uses a patchbay, so you can send things back on themselves and get, like, analogue feedback, you really can... You can do cross-modulation, too. It's pretty good for external sound sources, as well." [5] Chris Carter called it "as versatile, expandable, and affordable a system as you can get without going the DIY route" in 1995. [6]

Components

A Roland System-100M with 3 modules Roland-100M-07 hg.jpg
A Roland System-100M with 3 modules
ModelTypeReleased [7] Description
110Module1979VCO / VCF / VCA
111ModulePrototypeVCO / VCF
112Module1979Dual VCOs
120ModulePrototypeVCF / VCA
121Module1979Dual VCFs
130Module1979Dual VCAs
131Module1980Output Mixer / Tuning Oscillator / Headphone Amp
132Module1980Dual CV / Audio Mixers & Voltage Processors
140Module1979Dual ADSR Envelope Generators / LFO
141ModulePrototypeDual Envelope / Gate Delay / Inverter-Adder
150Module1979Ring Mod / Noise / S&H / LFO
160ModulePrototypeComputer Interface
165Module1983Dual Portamento Controller
170ModulePrototypePitch to Voltage converter / Envelope Follower / Amp
172Module1980Phase Shifter / Audio Delay / Gate Delay (with LFO)
173Module1983Signal Gate & Multiple Jacks
174Module1983 Parametric EQ
180Keyboard197932-key Controller Keyboard
181Keyboard197949-key Controller Keyboard
182Module1980 Analog Sequencer
184Keyboard198149-key 4-note Polyphonic Controller Keyboard
190Rack1979Three-Module Rack
191JRack1979Five-Module Rack

New Modules

ModelTypeReleasedDescription
185Module2009/2021 [8] Multi-stage Sequencer by RYK Modular. Updated version released 2021
175Module2022Triple Vactrol Resonator by RYK Modular

Hardware re-issues and recreations

Behringer System-100M clone Behringer System-100M clone.jpg
Behringer System-100M clone

In 2020, Behringer announced a series of Eurorack format modular synthesizer modules based on the original Roland System-100M modules: [9]

Notable users

References

  1. 1 2 Forrest, Peter (March 2003). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, Part Two: N-Z, Revised and Expanded. Susurreal. pp. 137–139. ISBN   0-952437-73-2.
  2. 1 2 Beecher, Mike (Nov 1981). "Landscape Explored". Electronics & Music Maker. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 6–10. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  3. 1 2 Boddy, Ian (Mar 1984). "Roland System 100M". Electronics & Music Maker. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 80–82. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  4. 1 2 Gilby, Paul (Dec 1986). "Ian Boddy: Phoenix". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. pp. 37–41. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  5. 1 2 3 Ward, Phil (May 1993). "Message In A Sample". Music Technology. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 36–42. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  6. Carter, Chris (April 1995). "Roland System 100M". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  7. Reid, Gordon (December 2004). "The History Of Roland: Part 2: 1979-1985". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  8. gearnews.com
  9. musicradar.com
  10. Robinson, Dave (Apr 1993). "The Aphex Effect". Future Music . United Kingdom. pp. 22–23.
  11. Murphy, Scott (February 2003). "Nick Launay Interview". Fodderstompf. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  12. Industrial music pioneer Chris Carter with gear, 1980, Boing Boing