Roland SH-09 - Operation; Blank Interfacing Guide; Voltage Controlled Oscillator Operation; Pitch Control Methods

Operation
Blank
Interfacing
The
easiest
way
to get familiar with the SH-09
is to
systematically explore
the
controls
and
their
effect
on the sound itself. Once the
basic
exploration
is
completed,
combinations
of
these controls will
be
used to
piece the information gained into
a
practical, useful whole.
Connect the SH-09
to
suitable amplification and
begin
your examination with the following settings:
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Set the Volume control
at
Zero, then
gradually
increase
it to a comfortable level. After exploring
each control, return it
to this basic setting
(patch)
to
assist the
rest of your
initial examination.
Voltage Controlled
Oscillator
The
Voltage Controlled
Oscillator is the primary
sound source of your synthesizer, where
the basic
pitch range
and tone color of your sound
must be
chosen. The
Voltage Controlled
Oscillator is the
second major section along the
top
of
the SH-09,
labelled VCO.
Pitch Control
The pitch
you are hearing may
be
switched
up
or
down manually in single octave increments with
the Range
selector. The pitch is also automatically
controlled
by
the keyboard
—
include pressing
both extremes of the keyboard with each
of
the
various range
selections to get an aural picture
of
how
the
SH-09
keyboard can fit into many different
instrumental ranges easily and accurately. It
is
helpful
to
understand
that
nearly all instruments
have
a useful range that
falls within
a single
keyboard length of
the
SH-09,
and by
selecting
that range thoughtfully your imitations will
be
more
authentic
and
your new creations
more believable
than if
those ranges
were
exceeded. Figure 1 will
assist in relating the SH-09 keyboard
and range
options
to
other musical references.
The SH-09
is a solo
instrument
—
as
are the vast
majority of other musical instruments.
It will play
only
one note at a time and its keyboard operates
accordingly. The SH-09 keyboard has low
note
priority
—
if more than one
note is played,
the
bot-
tom one
will
be sounded
by
the VCO. More details
on how
to
make maximum
advantage of the
SH-
09 keyboard
will follow.