Roland EM-55 Value Kbd Velo, Performance functions, Keyboard Velocity, Pitch Bend and Modulation

Page 33

EM-55 Owner’s Manual

11. Performance functions

Keyboard Velocity

The EM-55 is velocity sensitive, which means that the volume and brightness of the Upper 1/2 and Lower notes depend on the force/speed with which you strike the keys.

All acoustic instruments (piano, violin, flute, drums, etc.) are velocity sensitive. The harder you play, the louder and brighter the resulting notes will be, which creates a perfectly natural effect. (That explains why the KEYBOARD VELOCITY function is on every time you power on the EM-55.)

If the EM-55 is your first musical instrument ever, you may feel distracted by the volume and timbre variations of the notes you play in the Upper section.

(1)Press and hold the [FUNCTION] button, while pressing the BANK/NUMBER [1] button.

FUNCTION

1

This selects the “KbdVelo” function:

VALUE Kbd Velo

(2)Use the [TEMPO/DATA] dial to select one of the available options:

Off: The EM-55 does not respond to changes in playing dynamics. All notes you play will have the same volume and timbre (tone colour).

Low: Choose this setting if only significant differences in playing dynamics should pro- duce noticeable changes.

Med: This setting corresponds to standard velocity sensitivity, i.e. the most natural response.

Hig: Choose this setting for maximum expression. Though you will have to hit the keys harder than usual to play loud and bright notes, this setting allows for precise control of the volume/timbre (even though it may require some training).

(3)Press [SONG], [STYLE], [TONES], [USER PROGRAM], or [MUSIC ASSISTANT] to

leave this page.

Note: Quite a few Tones use “velocity switching”. This means that your striking force sometimes selects a different sound. So only switch off this parameter if doing so makes you feel more com- fortable.

Note: Keyboard Velocity applies to all parts you can

play yourself (the “Keyboard parts”): Upper 1/2, Lower, M.Bass (page 43), and M.Drums (page 18).

ENGLISH

Pitch Bend and Modulation

The BENDER/MODULATION lever to the left of the EM-55’s keyboard can be used to add two kinds of effects to the Keyboard part notes. You can even use these effects simultaneously if you like.

(1)Press the lever towards the rear of the EM-55 to add a vibrato effect (“wobble”) to the notes you are playing.

 

MODULATION

Lowers the

Raises the

pitch

pitch

(2)Turn the lever to the left to temporarily lower the pitch of the notes you are play- ing. Turn it to the right to raise the pitch of your notes.

(3)In either case, you can release the lever if

you no longer need the effect.

Note: If desired, you can change the Pitch Bend interval. See “PB Range (Pitch Bend Range)” (p. 43).

BENDER

The Modulation axis can also be used for switching between the slow and fast Rotary speeds (if the “Rotary” effect is assigned to the M-FX).

33

Page 32 Page 34
Image 33
Page 32 Page 34
Contents EM-55 Features Important notes Contents Panel descriptions Style button Keyboard Mode buttonsTone button User PROGRAM/WRITE buttonRear panel First steps Setting upDemo songs Playback of a Tone demo songDJ Pad function Playback of a Style demo songPress START/STOP to stop demo song playback Choosing other sets Musical GamesGuess Chord Guess NoteChord Finder To specify the RootTo specify the Type Playing with accompaniment Press the KBD Mode Arranger button its indicator lightsStarting/stopping the Arranger Play another chord or note to change the Arranger’s keyChanging the tempo Selecting other Music StylesStopping Arranger playback Automatic playback start Sync StartSelecting sounds for the right hand Style selection via EZ SearchWorking with Music Styles on a floppy disk Tone selection via EZ Search Piano HeavenKeyUsing the metronome Playing one sound PianoPlaying a different sound with the left hand Split Selecting other Drum Sets Drumming on the keyboardPress the M.DRUMS button Drumming on the keyboardUsing the D Beam Controller Listening to your song Recording your musicStart recording in one of the following ways SionAdditional Music Style functions Session Partner functionsMuting Arranger parts Track Adding yet another Arranger part Style Pad Value PopSelecting another phrase set Use the TEMPO/DATA dial to select one of the following setsUsing the EM-55’s Music Assistant One TouchPress the Music Assistant button Bass Inversion Bass Inv Melody IntelligenceChanging the Melody Intell harmony type Press and hold the Function buttonStyle Morphing OrchestratorSelecting another B Style Working with Styles on floppy diskStyle Disk Press the Style button the Style icon appearsLink To Tempo More Music Style functionsAssigning other Music Styles to the Disk Link memories Select the desired KBD Mode Arranger or Piano Using the Upper 2 partHarpsi More Keyboard part functionsPress the Upper 1 button indicator must light Using the multi-effects processor M-FXValue Rotary Selecting another M-FX typeReverb and Chorus Value HallReverb Assigning the M-FX to other Keyboard partsBalance Value ChorusChorus This selects the CHR functionKeyboard velocity see p Volume of the Keyboard parts see pOctave transposition of the Upper 1, Upper Lower parts see p Master Tune see pPerformance functions Value Kbd VeloKeyboard Velocity Pitch Bend and ModulationFootswitch Footswitch/ExpressionBeam functions ExpressionPitch and chords of those patterns depend This case, the D Beam will play musical notesAbout the recording modes Recorder functionsModes What are tracks? Recorder memoryMore about ALL mode Keyboard recording modeYou can also record without metronome if you like Single recording mode Punch I/OPress START/STOP to start playback of the old Song data Selecting the Song mode Using a footswitch for punching in/outValue Sustain Playback functionsPlayback before using the √ button Fast Forward, Rewind, and ResetLoop playback Repeat To fast forward jump to a measure later in the song, pressPress the Song button to switch to the Song mode Playing back Standard Midi FilesChanging the song tempo Function menu Editing parameters general procedureShortcuts General Function parametersVolume Upper Rev Reverb Type FX UP1, UP2, LWR FSW Footswitch AssignRev UP1 Chr UP1Resume Mode selection Writing your settings to a User ProgramWorking with User Programs Meaning of the Edit messageSelecting a User Program To actually select a User Program…Working with User Programs Midi Function parameters Midi functionsChannels Sync Rx Midi synchronizationLyrics Tx Transmit Lyrics messages Style PC Style Select TxRx ChannelPitchBnd Pitch Bend Modulatn ModulationUsing the outputs and an optional pedal Disk functions Possible error messagesLoading User Programs from disk Saving files to diskDeleting files on disk Repeat steps 4 and 5 to enter the remaining charactersDEL Sng This allows you to delete a song file on disk Disk Copy copying an entire disk Possible error messages when using Disk CopyFormat Functions for educational purposes MiscellaneousInitializing your EM-55 Factory Deactivating the ArrangerMusic Styles 64 in ROM SpecificationsDisk Link via floppy disk OthersIndex IndexVol Metronome
Top Page Image Contents