User manual ROLAND SH-3

[. . . ] This feature allows you to verify sounds and play performances without having to connect a MIDI keyboard. The SH-3 User Interface 2 3 5 6 1 7 8 The SH-3's front panel is designed for easy editing. There are 17 sliders that control envelopes, etc. ; four large knobs that control filter, etc. ; four smaller knobs for selecting effects, etc. ; 49 self-illuminating buttons; six buttons and a 3-digit LED display. The rear panel contains all the basic connections: stereo outputs, MIDI In and Out, a headphone output, footswitch jack and power switch. The SH-3's compact, portable design makes it perfect for desktop use or for use in a DJ booth, while its retro-styled interface lets you tweak and program sounds with ease. ------------------------------------------ Wave Acceleration Synthesis ------------------------------------------ 4 9 10 The SH-3 contains the following: q 2 oscillators, a filter, amp and two LFOs per sound. [. . . ] Sound transitions are also very natural. The response when using filter envelopes and the Key Follow function is true to the analog tradition. You will no doubt feel just how smoothly and easily sounds change when following the direction specified by the knobs and sliders. The SH-3 provides a wide setting range for cutoff frequencies and resonance width. Whether it's a synth bass with a strongly boosted bottom range or a hard techno sequence, you'll get a response that's both aggressive and accurate. (To make the SH-3's filter scream, just crank up the resonance!) Even if you don't like to program sounds, we strongly encourage you to experiment with the filters. You'll like the results. ------------------------------------------ Filter and Modulation ------------------------------------------ This section explains the SH-3's filter section. The filter is what determines the timbre of a sound. By adjusting the cutoff, you can make a sound seem brighter or darker. Add some resonance and you get that distinct "electronic" characteristic synthesizers are known for. There are four filter types on the SH-3: low pass, band pass, high pass, and peaking. This is great for gigs and for polishing up musical ideas. inspired. Notable arpeggio styles include those in cutting-edge dance music as well as trance riffs. Rhythm styles include not only the standard house and techno patterns, but R&B, drum `n' bass, 2-step and even reggae. There are many parameters you can choose from. When playing preset patterns, you can change the beat or swing (Grid adjustment), change staccato and tenuto (Duration adjustment), change the pitch range (Range), or change the ascending/ descending variation (Motif). Note, in particular, the great number of Motif variations provided. Aside from the simple low-to-high and high-to-low, the ten types available include "UP. H", in which the arpeggiator plays, in order, from the lowest key pressed while both the lowest and the highest notes are played each time, and "rn. L", in which the keys pressed are played at random while the lowest note pressed is played each time. These fun variations alone are likely to keep you busy for quite a while. Now let's take a look at the setting variations for Duration. [. . . ] For synth sounds I relied on preset patches and edited them over and over. (For me, that was the fun part of using the SH-3). I made liberal use of features such as the ring modulation and pan effects, the auto arpeggiator, and chord memory. Starting from the top, in order, I somehow thought up the intro chord when playing the keyboard after creating this sound. [. . . ]