Roland VA-76 owner manual Expression clinic, Beam Controller, Example Flamenco Roll

VA-76 – Expression clinic

4.4 Expression clinic

Allow us to introduce the VA-76’s performance func- tions. Also called Controllers, they allow you to add expression to your playing, which is a very important aspect for simulating glissando’s, bendings, and other changes to the timbre that will make your melodies even more convincing.

Note: See page 91 for details about the VA-76’s velocity sen- sitivity and related possibilities.

D Beam Controller

The D Beam Controller is no doubt the most exciting and spectacular performance function of your VA-76. You can use it to modify various aspects of your V- Arranger Keyboard, such as bending the notes, inten- sify their vibrato, change the filter frequency (to make the sound brighter or mellower), and even to play arpeggios or chords.

The D Beam Controller has two sensors that detect motion (such as your hand or body movements) in front of it. These “sensed” positions are translated into MIDI messages that can be assigned to a variety of parameters. See page 186.

1.Press the D Beam Controller [ON/OFF] button (button must light) to activate the D Beam Control- ler.

2.Activate the UP1 part.

The easiest way to do so is by pressing the Keyboard Mode [ARRANGER] or [PIANO] button. See also page 34.

Note that the D Beam Controller also applies to the other Keyboard and the VariPhrase parts, while it also allows you to control certain Arranger functions. Here, however, we’ll keep things simple by showing you how it influences the UP1 part.

3.Move your hand over the “eyes” while playing something.

Listen to how the UP1 sound becomes brighter and mellower as you move your hand up or down. Fur- thermore, the sound becomes more synthesizer-like. That is because the “Cut & Reso Up and Formant Up” function is assigned, which means that you can change the filter setting. (If you activate the VariPhrase part, this function allows you to change the characteristics of the selected phrase by turning it into a man’s or woman’s voice, see page 48.)

4.If you no longer need the D Beam Controller, press its [ON/OFF] button again (indicator goes dark).

Example (Flamenco Roll)

Here’s another spectacular use for the D Beam Con- troller:

1.Assign the A41 <9> V FL GtrRoll Tone to the Lower2 part (LW2).

2.Press the [CONTROLLERS] button. On the dis- play page that appears now, press the [Hand] field, followed by the [D Beam] field.

3.Use the [o][k] fields to select the following dis- play page:

4.Press the [Chord 2] field.

5.Press the Keyboard Mode [ARRANGER] button so that it lights.

6.Switch on the D Beam with its [ON/OFF] button, play a note in the left half, hold your hand over the D Beam… and olé!

Depending on where the chord recognition area is located (see page 101), you can change the pitch of the rolls by playing single notes in the chord recog- nition area (probably in the left half of the key- board).

Note: Be sure to switch off the LW2 part so that you can’t trigger it via the keyboard.

Note: The values generated by the D Beam Controller can be recorded by the Composer and are transmitted to the VA-76’s MIDI OUT port.

51