Roland System-8 Manual

Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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Other questions along the way: why does the oscillator COARSE TUNE range end at 11 (semi) tones? Sure, it IS
possible to reach that last half tone by the FINE tune knob, but that means two work steps instead of one. Why not
COARSE TUNE “12” from the very beginning? Which would also enable manual gliding from one octave to the next,
a must-have in terms of sound-design.
Our final question involves that ominous user’s manual. It should be called “The Pursuit Of Unhappiness” (with a
bow to Paul Watzlawick’s famous book). Extra-thin paper, horrible black-and-white illustrations, endless lists and
tables. Not a single friendly word in the direction of creative music making, and then – last but not least – that
friendly green blinking all over the instrument. No in-depth information, unless you want to download a PDF they
were kind enough to provide as an afterthought. But that’s how things are.

Roland System-8 Specifications

General

Product type	Digital synthesizer
Product color	Black
Keyboard number of keys	49
Maximum polyphony (notes)	8
Display type	LCD
Built-in display	Yes
Display number of characters	16
USB ports quantity	1
Compatible memory cards	SD, SDHC
Power source type	DC

Weight and Dimensions

Depth	364 mm
Width	881 mm
Height	109 mm
Weight	5900 g