Features
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The ease of Standard MIDI Files
Based on a thorough analysis of how most perform-
ing musicians work, Roland found that Standard
MIDI Files were the most popular accompaniment
(even on arranger-based keyboards), and so decided
to design an instrument that takes mere playback
one giant leap further.
The DisCover 5 is not just another Standard MIDI File
player with a keyboard: it’s a MIDI File wizard that
allows you to do all kinds of things to song material
you purchase or download from the Internet.
The DisCover 5 accepts 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB,
and 128MB SmartMedia™ cards. You should there-
fore be able to build yourself a vast repertoire in no
time.
Flexible song playback
Simply by selecting another “Cover” preset (of which
there are 72), you can change the orchestration of
the songs you are playing back, so as to transform,
say, the original country version into a Viennese ball-
room rendition.
It is also possible to just change the character of the
drum or bass parts, if you feel your songs will sound
better that way.
Of course, you can also program everything yourself
so as to add your hallmark to pre-recorded material.
The good news is that all changes can be carried out
on the DisCover 5 itself. You do not need to resort to
an external sequencer or software program.
Song Chain function and quick location of the songs
you need
Thanks to the DisCover 5’s Chain function, you can
program play lists for your performances. The advan-
tage of such song chains is that you won’t have to
look for the desired songs on stage.
But make no mistake: in the DisCover 5’s case, not
having to look for the next song to be played back is
only designed to help you avoid choosing the wrong
song, which can happen quite easily, as you may
know. Realtime selection of Standard MIDI Files is
indeed lightning-fast (courtesy of the Song Finder)
and convenient (Play & Search function).
Furthermore, you can already prepare the next song
while the current one is still running (NEXT SONG
function).
And finally, you can also link one song to each User
Program, so that the desired song will be loaded sim-
ply by recalling that User Program.
Professional Vocal Harmonizer
Another highlight of the DisCover 5 is its Vocal Har-
monizer that adds automatic harmonies to your
singing, while there are also several modes for trans-
forming your (or someone else’s) voice.
This implies, of course, that you can connect an
optional (Roland DR-10 or DR-20) microphone to the
DisCover 5. Other signal sources (synthesizers, etc.)
can also be connected.
The signals generated by your singing and/or the
Vocal Harmonizer can either be added to the signals
of the OUTPUT sockets, or transmitted directly to one
or two mixer channels (or additional amplifiers) via
the dedicated VOCAL HARMONIZER OUTPUT sockets.
Dedicated effects sections
The DisCover 5 has dedicated (and completely sepa-
rate) effects processors for the song and Keyboard
parts, on the one hand, and the microphone and
Vocal Harmonizer signals on the other.
These include: Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Compressor,
Gate, and 2-band parametric equalizer.
Three Keyboard parts
Of course, you can also play on the DisCover 5’s key-
board. To this end, your Realtime Orchestrator con-
tain an Upper, Lower, and M.Drums part. Upper and
Lower can be played together (“layered”) or via sepa-
rate keyboard areas (“Split”), whose split point is
adjustable.
Intuitive user interface
The large touch screen keeps you posted about the
DisCover 5’s status and allows you to set almost all
functions by touching the on-screen fields.
The DisCover 5’s panel layout is just as intuitive and
very cooperative indeed: it works hand-in-hand with
the touch screen.
D-Beam controller
The DisCover 5 has the acclaimed D-Beam Controller*
for intuitive song playback control and additional DJ-
like effects via movements over an invisible beam of
infrared light. And, of course, the BENDER/MODULA-
TION lever is also there, as are sockets for optional
footswitches and an expression pedal.
(* D Beam technology licensed from Interactive Light, Inc.)
Excellent sound source
The DisCover 5 comes with a 64-voice polyphonic
sound source with 1,422 instrument sounds and 44
Drum Sets that cover everything from incredibly
realistic acoustic instruments to cooking Techno
sounds. Never before has an electronic instrument
produced such true-to-life instrument and drum
sounds that include subtle tonal changes and all the
“noises” associated with acoustic instruments (scrap-
ing for guitar sounds, resonance for drum sounds,
etc.).
The DisCover 5 supports GS-, General MIDI2-, and
XG-format MIDI files.