Roland System 500 Series Modules
T
he modular
renaissance sees no
sign of abating, and
Roland, it seems, are
keen to ensure we
don’t forget their
significant
contribution to the patchable
synthesis pantheon. Although Roland
haven’t been shy of revisiting past
analogue glories, this has mainly
come in the form of a range of
digitally-modelled devices. Some of
this DSP research also went into
Eurorack units, but it was the
this means that previous ‘Complete
Set’ owners will have to start saving
again to complete their collection, it
is good news for us, and shows
Roland’s willingness to keep the
analogue flame alive.
This brings us to the Roland 500
Series. These are designed in
collaboration with Malekko in the US
and built in Japan, largely influenced
by the original System 100m
modules. The initial five modules
(512, 521, 530, 540 and 572) were
very closely aligned with their
forebears (112, 121, 130, 140 and
172), the second tranche however –
not including the 510 and 531 –
moves a little further from the
originals. The 505 VCF has no direct
vintage modular version, and takes its
cue from the filter section of the
Roland SH-5 synth. The 555
combines features found in the 150
and 165.
Remember: Eurorack modules are
much smaller than their ’70s Roland
counterparts. To facilitate this
shrinkage, and employ up-to-date
manufacturing techniques, they use
two piggybacked printed circuit
announcement in 2015 that Roland,
with the help of Malekko Heavy
Industry Corporation, would be
releasing some ‘real’ analogue
modules that really got the purists
excited. The first wave of Roland’s
modular rebirth introduced five
separate modules, and a ‘Complete
Set’ package with all of them built
into a powered wood and metal
Eurorack case, and supplied with a
bundle of patch cables to get you
started. Earlier this year, news came
that the range was to expand further
to include four new modules. While
THE PROS & CONS
+
High build quality,
close to the intent
of the original
100m modules
They sound great –
especially the two
filter modules
The 510 Synth
module distills some
of the best elements
into one module
-
There isn’t any spare
space on the front
panels of the
modules, which
leaves very little
room for descriptive
text and cables…
or fingers
The Complete
Set package would
have benefitted
from a module
with interconnected
multiples
Roland System 500 Series modules | Reviews
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