Roland System 500 Series Modules
boards and surface-mounted
components (with the exception of a
lowly ‘full-size’ MN3007 delay IC on
the 572 module). The front board
hosts the pots, faders, buttons,
switches and sockets, whilst the rear
board takes care of the signal
generating and processing magic.
Some will balk at the use of SMDs,
though for them it will be a case of
paying a premium for original vintage
units or nothing at all. For the rest of
us, the components, when used in
nearly all audio frequency circuits,
can be thought of as effectively
equivalent. One big downside to
miniaturisation comes with the
front-panel elements. The bottom line
is that there is far less space within
which to work, and an increased
density of cables when patching,
which in turn makes reading and
accessing controls more fiddly. I also
missed the painted lines around
functional blocks within a module,
and more expansive descriptive text,
from the 100m. I get Roland’s
flexible. Switching to the Square wave
and introducing an external LFO
patched to modulate Pulse Width was
equally good, and allowed me to
conjure up some of the warm,
wavering, low tones reminiscent of my
beloved SH-02. So far so good, and if
you aren’t in the market for spending
huge sums on multiple modules this
should make a great buy.
If you’re looking at a self-
contained modular system package,
then the ‘Complete System’ makes a
decent option. It consists of the 512
Dual VCO, 521 Dual VCF, 530 Dual
VCA, 540 Dual Envelope & LFO and
572 Phase Shifter/Analogue Delay/CV
reasons for choosing the Eurorack
format, but this does mean
programming is trickier at times.
A good place to start within the
500 Series is the 510 SYNTH
module. This is a 20HP module
featuring combined VCO, VCF and
VCA sections. Some of the sockets
are internally patched, so you can get
a basic sound out with minimal fuss.
With only this module playing, results
were excellent from the start.
Patching the square wave though, the
(24dB/octave) filter delivered a
satisfying resonant squelch. Nudging
Resonance up eventually ends in
self-oscillation, making the filter very
ROLAND MODULAR SYSTEMS
Roland’s journey to the current 500 Series modules begins with their first synth, the
SH-1000, in 1973. By 1976, technology from the SH line went into the System 100, a
semi-modular setup with the Model-01 Synthesizer at its core. The same year Roland
released the System-700 modular system – a legendary nine-VCO colossus. Two years on,
the System-100M was developed as a more compact, consumer-friendly modular.
Available in a range of standard configurations, additional modules let you expand the
functionality to suit your needs and budget. Besides the various keyboard controllers and
‘computer interface’ modules, these are the remaining modules whose functions the
current 500 Series has yet
to incorporate:
132: Dual Mixer +
Voltage Processor
141: Dual Envelope, Gate
Delay + Invert/Adder
170: Pitch/Voltage
Converter, Envelope
Follower + Amp
173: Quadruple Signal
Gate + Multiples
174: Parametric Equalizer
182: Analog Sequencer
’Course, they may choose
to make modules based on
other areas of the Roland
catalogue – perhaps even
something perc-related?
THE ALTERNATIVES
Intellijel Atlantis
£649
Although inspired by
the non-modular
SH-101, this
Eurorack module
hosts an impressive
set of CV input and
output sockets
taking it closer to
500 Series territory.
intellijel.com
Frequency
Central System
X Modules
from £100
Frequency Central
currently produce
four Model 100m
clone modules –
Envelope, Filter,
Oscillator and
S&H/Noise.
frequencycentral.co.uk
Original 5 Module
Roland 100m
System (used)
from £2800
Configurations vary,
but a five-module
system with case is
now nudging towards
and over the £3k
mark these days.
ebay.co.uk
Don’t want to spend huge
sums on multiple modules?
This makes a great buy
Reviews | Roland System 500 Series modules
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