Roland Micro Composer MC-80EX User manual

Roland
MC-BD
MC-BDEX
MICRD CDMPaSER
OWNER'S MANUAL
Before using this unit, carefully rrad the sections entitled: "IMPORTANT SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS" (page 2), "USING THE UNIT SAFELV" (page 3}j and IMPORTANT
NOl'ES" (pages 11 and 12). These sections prondo important infonnation conccniing the
proper, operation of the unit. AdditionEdly, in order to feet assured that you iiaye gainiHl a
ji>t>od '^asp of cvxry feature provided by your new unit, Qiiick Start iind Owner's Manual
^ould be read in its entirety. '..,.',
Tlie manuals should be saved and IcEpt on haiid as aconvenient tsEerenc& -
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Copyright ©1999 ROLAND CORPORATION
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written pemiis-
sion of ROLAND CORPORATION.

ATTENTION: risque DE choc ELECTHIQUE NE PAS OUVRIB
CAUTION; TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. A
The lightning (lash with arrowhead symbol, within an
equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the
product's enclosure that may be of suffident magnitude to
constitute arisk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in ttie
literature accompanying the product.
INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO ARISK OF FIRE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING -When using electric products, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following:
3.
1
.
Read all the instructions before using the product.
2. Do not use this product near water —for example, near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in awet basement, or near
aswimming pool, or the like.
This product should be used only with acart or stand that is
recommended by the manufacturer.
This product, either alone or in combination with an amplifier
and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing
sound levels that could cause pennanent hearing loss. Do
not operate for along period of time at ahigh volume level
or at alevel that Is uncomfortable. If you experience any
hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an
audlologlst.
The product should be located so that Its location or position
does not interfere with its proper ventilation.
The product should be located away from heat sources such
as radiators, heat registers, or other products that produce
heat.
The product should be connected to apower supply only of
the type described in the operating instructions or as marked
on the product.
8. The power-supply cord of the product should be unplugged
from the outlet when left unused for along period of time.
9. Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids
are not spilled info the enclosure through openings.
lO.The product should be serviced by qualified service
personnel when:
A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the
product; or
C. The product has been exposed to rain; or
D. The product does not appear to operate normally or
exhibits amarked change in performance; or
E. The product has been dropped, or the enclosure
damaged.
11. Do not attempt to sen/ice the product beyond that described
in the user-maintenance instmctions. All other sen^lcing
should be referred to qualified sen/ice personnel.
-For the USA-
GROUNDING INSTRUCTIONS
This product must be grounded. If it should malfunction or breakdown, grounding provides apath of least resistance for
electric cun-ent to reduce the risk of electric shook.
This product is equipped with acord having an equipment-grounding conductor and agrounding plug. The plug must be
plugged into an appropriate outlet that is property installed and grounded in accordance with all local codes and ordinances.
DANGER: Improper connection of the equipment-grounding conductor can result in arisk of electric shock. Check with a
qualified electrician or serviceman if you are in doubt as to whether the product is property grounded.
Do not modify the plug provided with the product —if it will not fit the outlet, have a proper outlet installed by aqualified
electrician.
For the U.K. -
WARNING: THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED
IMPORTANT: THE WIRES IN THIS (vlAINS LEAD ARE COLOURED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING CODE.
GREEN-AND-YELLOW: EARTH, BLUE: NEUTRAL, BROWN: LIVE
As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus may not correspond with the coloured mari<ings identifying
the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured GREEN-AND-YELLOW must be connected to the tenminal in the plug which is mari<ed by the
letter Eor by the safety earth symbol®or coloured GREEN or GREEN-AND-YELLOW.
The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the lenninal which is marked with the letter Nor coloured BLACK.
The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the tenninal which is mari<ed with the letter Lor coloured RED.
The product which is equipped with aTHREE WIRE GROUNDING TYPE LINE PLUG must be grounded.

USING THE UNIT SAFELY
INSTRUaiONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF FIRE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS
About AWARNING and ACAUTION Notices
zi^^WARNING
Used for instructions intended to alert
the user to the risk of death or severe
injury should the unit be used
improperly.
ACAUTION
Used for instructions intended to alert
the user to the risk of injury or material
damage should the unit he used
improperly.
*Material damage refers to damage or
other adverse effects caused with
respect to the home and all its
furnishings, as well to domestic
animals or pets.
About the Symbols
A
®
€
The Asymbol alerts tlie user to important instructions
or wamings.The specific meaning of the symbol is
determined by the design contained within the
triangle. In the case of the symbol at left, it is used for
general cautions, warnings, or alerts to danger.
The symbol alerts the user to items that must never
be carried out (are forbidden). The specific thing that
must not be done is indicated by the design contained
within the circle. h\ the case of the symbol at left, it
means that the unit must never be disassembled.
The •symbol alerts the user to things that must be
carried out. The specific thing that must be done is
indicated by the design contained within the circle. In
tlie case of the symbol at left, it means that the power-
cord plug must be unpluggeci from the outlet.
ALWAYS OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING
ZLWARNING ^WARNING
•Before using this unit, make sure to read the
instructions below, and the Owner's Manual. A
•Do not open or perform any internal modifications /^~\
on the unit. (The only exception would be where this \^
manual provides specific instructions which should
be followed tn order to put in place user-installable
options; see p. 111.)
•Make sure you always have the unit placed so it is aB
level and sure to remain stable. Never place it on ^^
stands that could wobble, or on inclined surfaces.
•Avoid damaging the power cord. Do not bend it /\N
excessively, step on it, place heavy objects on it, etc. Av_y
damaged cord can easily become ashock or fire haz-
ard. Never use apower cord after it has been dam-
aged.
•In households with small children, an adult should
provide supervision until the child is capable of fol
lowing all the rules essential for the safe operation of
the unit.
'.A
•Protect the unit from strong impact.
(Do not drop it!) A
•Do not force the unit's power-supply cord to share /\^
an outlet with an unreasonable number of other V3'
devices. Be especially careful when using extension
cords—the total power used by all devices you have
connected to the extension cord's outlet must never
exceed the power rating (watts/amperes) for the
extension cord. Excessive loads can cause the insula-
tion on the cord to heat up and eventually melt
through.
•Before using the unit in aforeign country, consult /|\
with your retailer, the nearest Roland Service Center/^
or an authorized Roland distributor, as listed on the
"Information" page.
•Always turn the unit off and unplug the power cord
before attempting installation of the circuit board
(VE-GS Pro; p. 107).
ACAUTION
•Always grasp only the plug on the power-supply Q^
cord when plugging into, or unplugging from, an out- V^'
let or this unit.
•Try to prevent cords and cables from becoming /In,
entangled. Also, all cords and cables should be placed ''
so they are out of the reach of children.
•Never climb on top of, nor place heav-y objects on /\\
the unit. V.V
•Never handle the power cord or its plugs with wet/
hands when plugging into, or unplugging from, an^
outlet or this unit.
•Before moving the unit, disconnect tlie power plug
from the outlet, and pull out all cords from external
devices.
•Before cleaning the unit, turn off the power and
unplug the power cord from the outlet (p. 107).
•Whenever you suspect the possibility of lightning in
your area, pull the plug on the power cord out of the
outlet.
•Install only the specified circuit board(s) (VE-GS MM
Pro). Remove only the specified screws (p. 112). ^^

Contents
Important Notes .11
Features of the MC-80 •13
Names and Functions •14
Chapter 1. Outline of the MC-80 •17
Overview of the MC-80 17
How the Sequencer is Arranged .....17
What is aSequencer ?17
What is aTrack ?18
What is aSong? 18
What is aMIDI Channel? 19
The MC-80 and Disks •19
Basic Panel Operations •20
Selecting Functions (Switching Screens) ..-^O
Changing Settings 20
Functions for setting avalue 20
Other Convenient Functions 21
Undo/Redo 21
Help Function 21
File Sort Function 22
Panic Function 22
Chapter Z.Setting the MIDI Connectors and MIDI Charmels 23
Selecting the MIDI IN Connector 23
Selecting the MIDI OUT Connector/Internal Sound Generator 23
Setting the MC-80 to Play Only Through an External Sound Generator 23
Setting the MC-80 to Use Both an External and the Internal Sound Generator 24
Setting the MC-80 So That Only the Internal Sound Generator is Used 24
Setting the MIDI THRU connector 25
Selecting the MIDI Channel for Each Track 25
Chapter 3.Playback Functions 26
Basic Settings 26
METRONOME Settings 26
Checking the Status of the Data on Each Track 26
Two Playback Methods 27
Quick Play 27
Song Play 27
Playing Back Songs or Patterns 27
Basic Playback Operations 27
Playing Back Songs Created in MC-80 Format 28
Playing Back XP-50/60/80 Songs 28
Playing Back Standard MIDI Files 28
Playing Back MC-50mkII Songs 29
4

Simple Song Selection Fimctions in the SONG Screen 29
Switching On and Off the Display of Song File Types 29
Playing Patterns 29
Changing the Overall Tempo of the Song 30
Setting the Tempo to Change During the Song 30
Playing the Song at aFixed Tempo (Tempo Track Mute) 31
Playing Back aSong from aPoint Other Than the Beginning (MIDI Update) 31
Transposing During Playback (Realtime Transpose) 31
Transposing 31
Selecting Channel Not to Be Transposed 31
Use the Fadeout Function 32
SongFadeouts 32
Determining the Fade Out Time 33
Repeating Playback (Repeat) 33
Preselecting the Following Song During Playback (Next Song) 33
Turning Each Track On and Off 33
Muting aSelected Track (Track Mute) 33
Playing Only One Track (Solo) 34
Keeping Only One Track from Playing (Minus One) 34
Jumping to aSpecific Measure (Mark Jump) 34
Setting Markers/Using Mark Jump 34
Deleting Markers 35
Changing the location of amarker 35
Precisely Setting the Markers 35
Setting the Mark Jump Timing 35
Continuous Playback of Songs (Chain Play) 35
Creating aChain (Preparation of the Chain) 35
Using Chain Play 36
Saving Chains to Disk 36
Loading Chains from the Disk for Playback 36
Locating Songs Added to Chains 37
Changing the Sequence of Songs in aChain 37
Song Info 37
Chapter 4.Recording Functions 38
Basic Settings 38
Metronome Settings 38
Settings for Each Track 38
Before Beginning to Record 39
Song Initialize 39
Setting the Beat 39
Adding aCount Sound Before Recording Begins 39
Changing aTrack's Recording MIDI Channel 40
Recording Performance Data from Multiple MIDI Channels onto Tracks 40
5

Recording As You Perform (Realtime Recording) 40
Realtime Recording Settings -•• 40
Beginning Realtime Recording 42
Switching Tracks During the Recording (Nonstop Loop Recording) 42
Checking the Tones and Phrases During Recording (Rehearsal Function) 44
Deleting Unneeded Data During Realtime Recording (Realtime Erase) 44
Recording Song Tempo Changes 44
Deleting Recordings (Undo/Redo) 45
Inputting Data (Step Recording) 45
Inputting Notes and Rests with aMIDI Keyboard 45
Step Recording Without Using aMIDI Keyboard 46
Using aPattern as Part of a Song -. 46
Deleting Input (Undo/Redo) 47
Saving Songs to the Disk 47
Saving Songs 47
Creating Folders 48
Chapter S.How to Use Patterns 49
What is aPattern? 49
Differences between Pattern's Track and Song's Track 49
What You Can Do by Using Patterns 49
Using aPattern as One Part of aSong Performance 49
Using aPattern as One Phrase of aPhrase Sequence 50
Playing Back Patterns 50
Selecting aPattern from alist 50
Chapter 6.Playing Phrases with One Key (Phrase Sequence) 51
What is Phrase Sequence? 51
Making the Basic Settings •51
Phrase Sequence Parameters 51
Performing Using Phrase Sequence 52
Recording Performances with Plixase Sequence 53
Chapter Z.Automatic Arpeggio Function (Arpeggiator) 54
What is the Arpeggiator? 54
Basic Operation 54
Style 54
Changing Arpeggio Tempos 55
Making Even More Detailed Arpeggiator Settings 55
Combining with Other Functions 57
Holding Arpeggios (Hold) 57
Recording Arpeggiator Performances 57
Chapter S.Editing Songs and Patterns (Edit) 58
6

Loading Songs for Editing Into the MC-80 58
Making Settings for Each Song 58
Song Name 58
Adding Song Copyright Information 58
Pattern Name 59
Making Edits to Performances One at aTime (MICRO EDIT) 59
What is Micro Edit? 59
Displaying Only Specific Types of Data 60
Changing Performance Data 61
Changing the Tempo Change Recorded to the Tempo Track 63
Changing Data Recorded to the Beat Tracks 63
Changing the Beat of the Pattern 63
Changing the Tempo Within the Song 63
Changing the Beat Within the Song 64
Creating Performance Data (Create) 64
Deleting Performance Data (Erase) 65
Moving Performance Data (Move) 65
Copying Performance Data (Copy) 66
Editing Whole Measures and Tracks (Track Edit) 66
Erasing Phrases (Erase) 67
Deleting Measures (Delete) 68
Deleting Blank Measures from the Beginning of the Song (TRUNCATE) 68
Copying Phrases (Copy) 69
Inserting Blank Measures (Insert Measure) 70
Transposing Phrases (Transpose) 71
Changing Phrase Velocity (Change Velocity) 71
Changing aPhrase's MIDI Channel (Change Channel) 73
Changing Note Length in aPhrase (Change Gate Time) 74
Combining Two Tracks or Patterns Into One (Merge) 74
Extracting Specific Performance Data (Extract) 75
Shifting Performance Data Forward and Back (Shift Clock) 76
Thinning Out the Performance Data (Data Thin) 77
Exchanging Content Between Tracks or Patterns (Exchange) 78
Adjusting the Song's Playback Time (Time Fit) 79
Converting Data (Modify Value) 79
Correcting Performance Timing (Quantize) 80
What is Quantize? 80
Creating Uniform Timing (Grid Quantize) 81
Creating aShuffle Rhytimi (Shuffle Quantize) 81
Adding Different Kinds of "Groove" to the Rhythm (Groove Quantize) 83
Creating an SMF for use as aUser Groove Template 87
Loading an SMF as user groove template data 88
Saving User Groove Templates to the Disk as aGroup 88
Loading User Groove Template Files Into the MC-80 89

Chapter 9Handling Files and Disks 90
Disks That the MC-80 Can Use •90
Procedure for Saving Files (Save) 90
Data That Can Be Saved 90
Song Files (.SVQ)/Standard MIDI Files (.MID) 91
Procedure for Saving Chain Files (.SVC) --91
User Groove Template Files (.SVT) 92
Configuration Files (.SVF) •92
Procedure for Loading Files (Load) 93
Song Files (.SVQ)/Standard MIDI Files (.MID) 93
Chain Files (.SVC) 93
User Groove Template Files (.SVT) 94
Configuration Files (.SVF) 94
Loading Songs from Other Roland's Devices 94
Types of Song Files That Can Be Loaded (1) 94
Types of Song FUes That Can Be Loaded (2) 95
Types That Cannot Be Loaded 95
Using MC-80 Songs on Other Devices 95
Functions Related to Files and Folders 95
Copying Files and Folders (Copy) 95
Deleting FUes and Folders (Delete) 96
Moving Files and Folders to aDifferent Location (Move) 96
Changing File Names and Folder Names (Rename) 97
Managing Files with Folder (Folder) 97
Disk Functions 98
Checking the Content of a Disk (Disk Info) 98
Changing the Name of aDisk (Volume Label) 98
Copying (Disk Copy) •98
Formatting aDisk for Use with the MC-80 (Format) 99
Setting and Removing Overwrite Protection for Floppy Disks 100
Setting and Removing Overwrite Protection for Zip Disk 100
Addtiig aHard Disk or Zip Drive 101
Acceptable Drives 101
The MC-80's Internal Drive 101
About the MC-80's External Drive 104
Chapter 10 Overall Settings for the MC-80 106
Precautions When Turning Off the Power 106
Adjusting the Display Contrast 106
What is aConfiguration File? 106
Using aFootswitch 107
Setting the MC-80 to Ignore SpeciHc MIDI Data 108
Setting the Metronome 108
8

Chapter 11 Using the Internal Sound Generator (VE-GS Pro) Ill
Installing the VE-GS Pro Ill
Listening to the VE-GS Pro demo songs 112
Basic Setup of the VE-GS Pro 112
Basic Settings for Use of the VE-GS Pro 112
Setting the VE-GS Pro to the initial state 113
System/Mode Settings 113
Settings for Each Part 113
Editing Tones 115
Usii^g Insertion Effects 116
Saving VE-GS Pro Settings 117
Using VE-GS Pro As an External Sequencer/Sound Generator 117
Chapter 12 Connecting and Synchronizing with External Devices 119
Using the MC-80 with aMIDI Keyboard and External Sound Module 119
Wlien using aMIDI Keyboard Featuring No Local Control Function 119
When Connecting Two External Sound modules 120
When Connecting Three or More Sound Modules 120
Recording and Saving External Sound Module Settings on the MC-80 120
Synduonizing the MC-80 and Another Sequencer 121
Synchronizing the MC-80 and Roland's VS Series Devices 121
For More About the Synchronization Settings 124
Appendices 127
Troubleshooting 127
Parameters 129
List of Function Button Combinations 144
Message/Error Message 145
About SCSI 148
About MIDI 149
MIDI Implementation 150
MIDI Implementation Chart 156
Glossary 157
Specifications 160
Quick reference of displays 161
Index 165

*GS (^^ )is aregistered trademark of Roland Corporation.
*Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
*Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
*Windows® 3.1 is known officially as; "Microsoft® Windows® operating system Version 3.1."
*Windows® 95 is known officially as: "Microsoft® Windows® 95 operating system."
*Windows® 98 is known officially as: "Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system."
*Windows NT® is known officially as: "Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system."
*Apple is aregistered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
*Macintosh is aregistered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
*MacOS is atrademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
*IBM is aregistered trademark of International Business Macliines Corporation.
*IBM PC is aregistered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
*PC-9800 Series is atrademark of NEC Corporation.
*All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective own-
ers.
Conventions Used in This Manual
Button names are enclosed in square brackets. (Example: [PLAY])
Screen names are enclosed in quotation marks (e.g., "xxx Screen").
They appear in the upper left of the display.
When acertain screen is referred to in this manual, check tlie upper middle part of the display. The screen name
should appear there.
Screen name
10