Roland RD-800 - Creating Organ Tones; Understanding Organ Tone Creation; Adjusting Organ Tone Parameters

Creating the Organ Tones
Some organ feature nine “harmonic bars” that can be drawn in and out, and
by using the bars in dierent combinations of positions, a variety of dierent
tones can be created. Dierent “Feet” are assigned to each bar, with the
pitches of the sounds being determined by these “Feet.”
You can create of tones using the Layer LEVEL sliders just as you operate the
harmonic bars.
What Are “ Feet?”
Feet basically refers to the lengths of pipe used in pipe organs. The length
of pipe used to produce the reference pitch (the fundamental) for the
keyboard is eight feet. Reducing the pipe to half its length produces a pitch
one octave higher; conversely, doubling the pipe length creates a pitch one
octave lower. Therefore, a pipe producing a pitch one octave below that
of the reference of 8’ (eight feet) would be 16’; for one octave above the
reference, the pipe would be 4’, and to take the pitch up yet another octave
it would be shortened to 2’.
NOTE
These settings are available only when a TW-Organ sound is selected.
1. While holding down the [SHIFT] button,
press the layer switch to which the TW-
Organ sound you want to edit is assigned.
The Tone Wheel & Designer Menu screen of the
selected layer appears.
MEMO
If a TW-Organ sound is selected as the Upper 1, you can also access the
Tone Wheel & Designer Menu screen by pressing the [ENTER] button from
the Tone screen.
2. If you move the LAYER LEVEL sliders, the sound will change in
tandem with the screen display.
You can use the cursor [ ] [ ] buttons to switch between harmonic bar and
percussion switch groups.
MEMO
Percussion adds a sound with a sense of attack at the beginning of
the note, giving the sound a crisper feel. The attack sound will change
depending on this value.
Parameter Value Explanation
Percussion
Switch
OFF No percussion is added.
2nd
Percussion sounds at a pitch one octave above
that of the key pressed.
3rd
Percussion sounds at a pitch an octave and a
fth above that of the key pressed.
Percussion
Decay
Slow
The percussion’s attenuation time is
lengthened. This softens the sense of attack.
Fast
The percussion sound decays more quickly.
This gives more of a sense of attack for a sharp
sound.
Percussion
Volume
Soft
The percussion sound is diminished, and the
harmonic bars produce their normal volume.
Normal
The percussion sound will be at its normal
volume, and the sound of the harmonic bars
is diminished.
NOTE
When percussion is on, the 1’ pitch will not be produced.
MEMO
• You can also use the cursor [
] [ ] buttons to move the cursor to the
Modulation FX or Tremolo/Amp Simulator menu items.
• When the cursor is located at Modulation FX or Tremolo/Amp Simulator,
you can go to the corresponding item by pressing the [ENTER] button.
Refer to “Editing the Modulation FX (Modulation FX)” (p. 35) and “Editing
Tremolo/Amp Simulator (Tremolo/Amp Simulator)” (p. 35).
• When a TW-Organ sound is selected, turning the [TONE COLOR] knob will
move all of the harmonic bars simultaneously.
Changing the Undulation of the Organ Tone (Rotary Eect)
While the Tone Wheel & Designer Menu screen is displayed, you can change
the undulation rate of the Rotary eect with the Pitch Bend lever.
The Rotary eect is an eect that recreates the sound of the rotating
speakers used to augment the sound of an organ.
Moving the pitch bend lever to left or right will toggle the Rotary eect
between fast and slow regardless, of the direction in which you move the
lever.
MEMO
This Pitch Bend Lever setting is eective only in the Tone Wheel screen.
Editing the Sound
22