Roland RS-50 User manual

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RS-50
Synthesizer
TurboStart
TBS195 ©2003 Roland Corporation U.S. www.RolandUS.com Faxback #20228 Page 1
It’s a Fact…
The RS-50 allows musicians to forget about MIDI and
focus on playing. It sports an all-new collection of
CD-quality sounds, cool performance features and
simple direct-access buttons for selecting patches.
Features include:
• Affordable 61-note synthesizer with easy access
to Roland’s latest sounds
• Hundreds of new patches based on CD-quality
waveforms
• Direct-access buttons permit easy sound
selection by category
• Phrase/arpeggio generator and Multi Chord
memory
• D Beam controller for expressive realtime control
• Rhythm Guide metronome with preset patterns
and variations
Playing the Demo Songs
Use the following procedure to play the three demo
songs:
1. Press DEMO—beneath MODE—so it’s lit.
2. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select the song
you wish to hear.
Note: If you want to listen to all of the demo songs
played in order, select All Songs.
3. Press ENTER to begin playback.
4. Press EXIT to stop playback.
5. Press EXIT again to return to Play mode.
Selecting Patches
The RS-50 has 640 patches organized in categories
such as Piano, Guitar, Orchestra, etc. Use the
following procedure to select and audition patches:
1. Press PATCH—under MODE—so it’s lit.
2. Press 0-9 to select the desired category, as
labeled beneath the buttons.
3. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to choose a sound
within the selected category.
4. You can:
• Play the keyboard
• Press AUDITION, under MODE, so it’s lit, to
automatically play a short sequence. Press
AUDITION again to stop playback.
Using the Phrase/Arpeggio Feature
The Phrase/Arpeggio feature plays musical motifs
and figures based on the note(s) you hold down.
1. Select a patch as previously described.
2. Press PHRASE/ARPEGGIO so it’s lit.
3. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a phrase or
arpeggio.
4. Hold down one or more notes on the
keyboard—the selected phrase or arpeggio
plays.
Note: A “phrase” is a musical motif that’s triggered by
holding down a single note—“Phr” appears in the
display as it plays. An “arpeggio” requires that more
than one note be held down, and is shown as “Arp” in
the display.
5. Press PHRASE/ARPEGGIO so it’s not lit when
you’re finished.
Using the Chord Memory Feature
Chord Memory lets you play a chord by touching a
single key. You can assign all 12 notes in an octave
to play different chords, and then save them as a set.
(There are several chord sets already stored in the
RS-50 at the factory.)
1. Select a patch as previously described.
2. Press CHORD MEMORY so it’s lit.
3. Press a key on the keyboard to hear the chord it
plays.
4. Try a few keys to hear the chords they play.
5. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select other chord
sets.
6. Press CHORD MEMORY when you’re finished
so it’s no longer lit.
Using the D Beam Controller
The three buttons directly below the D Beam lens
select what the D Beam does—here’s how they work.
Solo Synth
1. Press SOLO SYNTH so it’s lit.
2. Hold down several notes on the
keyboard—notice they don’t yet sound—and
then move your hand over the D Beam. The
notes you’re holding down play according to your
hand movements.

®ÂØÒňÎ
RS-50
Synthesizer
TurboStart
TBS195 ©2003 Roland Corporation U.S. www.RolandUS.com Faxback #20228 Page 2
Active Expression
1. Press ACTIVE EXP so it’s lit.
2. Hold down several notes on the keyboard and
move your hand over the D Beam. The volume
of the notes you’re holding down varies
according to your hand movements.
Assignable
1. Press ASSIGNABLE so it’s lit.
2. Play the keyboard and move your hand over the
D Beam. The currently assigned effect is heard.
3. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select another
effect. This setting is automatically remembered
the next time you turn on ASSIGNABLE.
4. Press ASSIGNABLE so it’s not lit to turn off the
D Beam.
Using the Rhythm Guide
The Rhythm Guide provides an easy way to produce
great-sounding rhythm patterns:
Selecting a Rhythm Pattern
1. Press PERFORM so it’s lit.
2. Press RHYTHM GUIDE so it’s lit—the rhythm
begins playing.
3. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select various
rhythm patterns.
4. Press RHYTHM GUIDE again to halt playback.
Note: You can select a pattern without playing it by
holding SHIFT when you press RHYTHM GUIDE.
You can then press ENTER to start playback.
Switching Sounds
5. While the pattern is playing, press PART
SELECT so it’s lit.
6. Press the RHYTHM & SFX button so it’s lit, and
use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a rhythm kit.
Changing the Tempo
7. Press TAP TEMPO so it’s lit—the current tempo
of the pattern is displayed in the screen.
8. Use the VALUE -/+ buttons to adjust the tempo.
9. Press EXIT to return to the previous screen.
Note: You can also press the TAP TEMPO button
three or more times to manually tap in the desired
tempo.
Splitting the Keyboard
Each patch on the RS-50 uses two tones called the
“upper tone” and the “lower tone.” The Key Mode
setting lets you determine how these two tones are
played from the keyboard. Use the following
procedure to split the keyboard and select sounds:
1. Press PATCH so it’s lit.
2. Press KEY MODE so SPLIT is lit. The upper
tone now plays in the upper part of the keyboard
and the lower tone plays in the lower part of the
keyboard.
3. Press PARAM beneath EDIT so it’s lit.
4. Press DESTINATION TONE so UPPER is lit,
and then use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a
tone for the upper part of the keyboard.
5. Press DESTINATION TONE so LOWER is lit,
and then use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a
tone for the lower part of the keyboard.
6. Press EXIT to return to the Patch Play screen.
Note: A good example of a split patch is Pf12: RS
Grand/Abs.
Creating a Layered Sound
Let’s set up a layer with a piano sound and a string
sound:
1. Press PATCH so it’s lit, and then press PIANO.
2. Press KEY MODE so DUAL is lit—both the
upper and lower tone play together across the
whole keyboard.
3. Press PARAM under EDIT so it’s lit.
4. Press DESTINATION TONE so UPPER is lit,
and then use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a
piano tone.
5. Press DESTINATION TONE so LOWER is lit,
and then use the VALUE -/+ buttons to select a
string tone.
6. Press EXIT to return to the Patch Play screen.
Note: A good example of a layered sound is Pf13:
RS Grand&Pad.