Roland Octapad SPD-20X User Manual

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Reverb gives presence and spaciousness to any sound, whether solo or background. However,
excessively high effects levels and long effects times may make the performance difficult to follow
(because sounds are blurred), or make the rhythm less precise. There is a denite relationship between
eect time and eect level. Here are two hints on using Reverb, based on that relationship.
• Ifyouwanttousealongeecttime,decreasetheeectleveltoreducemuddiness.
• Ifyouwanttouseahigheectlevel,shortentheeecttimetoreducemuddiness.
Hints on Using Reverb
While Reverb creates a lingering resonance, Delay creates quite a dierent eect. For Delay eects, the
eect time setting can create signicant dierences in the resulting sound. For example, when playing
a melodic solo using a mallet-type Instrument, an extremely short Delay time can be used to thicken
the sound. On the other hand, a longer repeating Delay can be set to a Delay time of a half-note or
quarternote that matches the tempo of the song.
If you are listening to the SPD-20X in stereo, it can also be interesting to select eect type Panning Delay
and select a Pan setting of “random.”
Hints on Using Delay
For Chorus/Flanger eects, the Time parameter determines the rate (the speed of modulation).
For Chorus, lower settings of the time parameter will result in a more spacious sound, and higher
settings will result in a more tremolo-like effect. Flanging is often used on metallic sounds such as
cymbals or Hi-Hats to produce a frequently-heard eect.
Hints on Using Chorus/Flanger
Eects provide many possibilities, but if you always use the same heavily-applied Reverb or Chorus, all
the Patches will sound the same. It is important to choose eect settings that are appropriate for the
song or suited to the role of the Instrument (solo, backing, special eects, etc.).
The FX SEND in the SOUND parameter group allows you to set the eect depth independently for the
Instrument assigned to each pad, so it is possible, for instance, to apply anging only to the cymbals. In
the case of Reverb, higher settings of FX SEND will create the impression of the Instrument being played
further away, so you might set the FX SEND parameter to a dierent value for each Instrument to create
spatial contrast. By utilizing the Pan setting (the stereo position) and the Chorus eect, you can control a
vast performance space.
Hints on Making Parameter Settings
Speaking of contrast, it can also be very “eective” to not use eects. Some possibilities are as follows.
•ToapplyeectstocertainInstrumentsandnottoothers.
•Toswitchtoanon-eectPatchatastrategicmoment.
As an example of the rst possibility, you might try using an ethnic percussion Instrument—such as a
surdo—without any eects for a feeling of authenticity. As an example of the second possibility, you
could switch from a Patch with deep Reverb to a Patch with no eects (or vice versa) to reinforce musical
movement or development within a song.
Hints on Not Using Eects

Roland Octapad SPD-20X Specifications

General

Velocity Sensitivity	Yes
Pads	8
Presets	50
Effects	EQ
Display	LCD
MIDI	MIDI
Connectivity	MIDI
Outputs	Stereo (L/Mono, R)
Inputs	4 x External Trigger Inputs, Footswitch Jack
Power Supply	AC Adapter