Roland SH-7 User manual

.oian<
SYNTHESIZER
SH-7 INSTRUCTIONS
The Roland SH-7 Synthesizer employs newly developed VCO and VCF circuits. It
incorporates two VCO's which enable you to perform two note intervals. The SH-7
uses the pitch standard of 1volt/1 octave which is fast becoming an industry standard,
particularly with studio type equipment. This means that the SH-7 is compatible with
most types of studio equipment and with many stage type synthesizers.
The SH-7 provides inputs for external control voltage and gate for control of the
synthesizer by means of an external keyboard controller, organ keyboard (such as the
VK-9 or VK-6), guitar synthesizer, computer (such as the MC-8 MicroComposer).
Control voltage and gate outputs are also provided so that the SH-7 can be used to
control other synthesizers.
The SH-7 incorporates an envelope follower and asix mode multi-bender to give
remarkable versatility to the SH-7.
It is possible to control pitch, tone color, and/or volume by means of the LFO for
unique vibrato and tremolo effects. Agreat deal of planning went into the design of a
logical panel layout to give the performer greater ease and freedom during performance.

PRECAUTIONS &METHOD OF SETTING
PRECAUTIONS
•Avoid using the synthesizer in very high or low temperature locations.
Also keep it away from heaters and coolers since this type of equipment
tends to affect circuit and pitch stability.
•Avoid using the synthesizer in very dusty or high-humidity places.
•If it is necessary to play the synthesizer in an area with neon or fluorescent
lamps, keep the synthesizer as far away from these lamps as possible since
they will induce high levels of noise. Sometimes, changing the angle of
the synthesizer in relation to the lamps will help reduce noise.
•When connecting the synthesizer, plug the cord into the external amplifier
first, then the other end into the SH-7 output. To disconnect, remove the
cord from the synthesizer first, then from the amplifier.
•To clean the synthesizer, wipe with acloth dampened with aneutral
cleanser.
Do not use solvents such as paint thinner.
BASIC SETTINGS
COMBINING WITH ELECTRONIC ORGAN CONNECTING TO AMP
ID* <
Id 11 1
i•>l«luui <t— mi 1
.ill • • 1•m11 11 11111
linn. '1
B:
i;l!!ll ! 1
1
III! mil
*Tune to unison with middle Con the organ.
IIIIIO ••^H51!ilIlil--]-IS-iW -Url n-m\l 'BBS S
-*• --Ai
mm
III III! if 1
||
Dill "
When playing an electronic organ in combination with the SH-7,
set the units as illustrated above. Connecting the SH-7 to an amplifier.

CONTROLS &BLOCK DIAGRAM
TOTAL TUNING &MODE SWITCH
page 8.
RING MODULATOR -NOISE GENERATOR -AUDIO MIXER
page 12.
VCF
page 13/14 ENVELOPE GENERATOR
page 15.
fVCA
page 14.
'CONTROLLER
page 18. KEYBOARD
page 7.
SIMPLIFIED BLOCK DIAGRAM OF SH-7
CONTROL ifSOUND \
'X
VOLTAGES,|SOURCES 'CONTROL
IVfll T4RC5 ENV-1 ENV-2
i-k. 'VCO-1A -^ i
AUTO
jBEND i"K WW MIXING i
v
A-J-yS.
ii,VCO-1B I
MIXER
I'_^^, __ _^. _^
I l
(-»-(
—
HPF —
—
VCF —p>-j—VCA
S/H VCO-2
1'I'
ITONE
.
ii
NOISE
GENERATOR
,'--
|'vCOLORATION ;;vol UME
1
LFO
''
RING
MODULATOR -J EXTERNAL
SIGNAL
-- _y'
—
<—

THE ABC OF SYNTHESIZER
•BASIC BLOCKS MAKING UP ASYNTHESIZER
PITCH,
determined by TONE COLOR
determined by
CONTROLLED
CONTROLLER vco
LFO
MODULATION
SIGNAL
OSCILLATOR
~T
VCF
/*\-
J^.
Auto
Bend r*- Env-1
i.j
VOLUME
determined by
VCA
_A^
Env-2
OUT
w77,
SOUND
SIGNAL
CONTROL
VOLTAGE
>
GATE
VOLTAGE
THE THREE QUALITIES OF SOUND
The three qualities of sound are: pitch, tone
color, and loudness.
Sound is the result of physical vibration in
objects. The pitch produced depends on the
vibration rate. Fig. 1shows that the higher the
vibration rate, or the higher the frequency. of
the vibrations, the higher the pitch is. Frequency
is measured in unit called the Hertz (Hz). If a
sound source vibrates at a rate of 100 vibrations
per second, it is said to have afrequency of
100Hz. The normal human ear can hear sounds
with frequencies from about 20Hz to about
16,000Hz.
In synthesizers, pitch is controlled by the VCO
(Voltage Controlled Oscillator). An oscillator is
an electronic circuit which generates awave-
form, or in this case, sound. Voltage controlled
means that avoltage is used to control the
frequency (pitch, in this case) of the oscillator;
the higher the voltage, the higher the frequency.
This, then, is the first quality of sound: pitch.
Fig. 1shows what are known as sine waves,
the simplest mode of vibration. The sound of
asine wave is very clean and pure. Most sound
sources vibrate at many frequencies at the same
time, however. The lowest of the vibrations,
and usually the strongest, is the one which we
hear as the musical pitch of the sound source.
The presence of these other frequencies is what
gives asound source its second quality: tone
color.
The frequencies produced by the complex
vibrations of asound source are called har-
monics. Harmonics are usually multiples of the
pitch frequency. For example, consider asound
source which vibrates so as to produce apitch
with afrequency of 200Hz. The first harmonic
would be 200Hz (1 x200 =200). The first
harmonic is also called the fundamental because
this is the frequency which gives the sound its
musical pitch. The second harmonic would be
2x200, or 400Hz. The third harmonic would
be 3 x 200, or 600Hz; the fourth harmonic
4x200, or 800Hz, etc.
Fig. 2shows asquare wave. Square waves
produce atone colormuch like that of aclarinet.
Square waves contain only the odd numbered
harmonics, or in other words, those frequencies
which are one, three, five, nine, etc. times the
frequency of the fundamental, or pitch frequen-
cy. The even numbered harmonics are missing.
Tone color, then, is determined by the harmonic
content of the sound; the more harmonics
there are, the brighter the tone color. In the
synthesizer, tone color is controlled by the
VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter). The VCO
produces abasic sound wave rich in harmonics.
The VCF is used to remove (or filter out)
some of these harmonics thus controlling the
harmonic content of the finished sound. The
amount of the harmonics removed is control-
lable by acontrol voltage.
The third quality of sound, loudness, is de-
termined in asynthesizer by the level or ampli-
tude of the waveform, as shown in Fig. 3, and
is controlled by the VCA (Voltage Controlled
Amplifier).
The loudness of asound changes during its
production. Strike apiano key and the sound
jumps the maximum loudness. Hold the key
down and the sound slowly dies. away. This
pattern of loudness in asound is called its
envelope. The output of the envelope generator
is acontrol voltage. This control voltage is used
to control the VCA, thus shaping the loudness
pattern of the output sound of the synthesizer.
FIG. 1-SOUND PITCH
=FREQUENCY
HIGH LOW
FIG. 2-TONE COLOR
=HARMONICS CONTENT
SQUARE WAVE
with three of its ciiup wave
harmonics shown °c*"c
FIG. 3-VOLUME
=AMPLITUDE
BIG SMALL

N^CONTROLLE 3VCO
PITCH =FREQUENCY VCF
TONE COLOR =
HARMONIC CONTENT VCA
LOUDNESS =AMPLITUDE
CONTROLLER \
KEYBOARD The most common use of the key-
board control voltage is for the
control of the pitch of aVCO; the
pitch produced will correspond to
the key pressed.
The tone color of most instruments
will vary with pitch; higher pitches
often produce brighter tone colors,
lower pitches darker tone colors.
For this purpose, the VCF can be
controlled by the keyboard.
The control of loudness by means of
the keyboard is of little practical use;
the SH-7 has no provision for this
type of control.
ENVELOPE With some sounds, it is desirable to
incorporate pitch changes during the
production of each note.
The SH-7 contains aspecial envelope
generator (autobend) provided exclu-
sively for this purpose.
The tone color of many instruments,
particularly the wind instruments,
changes during the production of
each note. This effect can be produced
with envelope generator control of
the VCF. Raising the VCF RESO-
NANCE control will produce sounds
possible only on the synthesizer.
The loudness pattern (or articulation)
of asound is produced by using the
output of the envelope generator to
control the VCA.
LFO The LFO (Low Frequency Oscilla-
tor) produces low frequency wave
forms. Using the LFO sine wave out-
put to control the pitch of the VCO
will produce vibrato effects. The LFO
square wave output will produce
trills, and the sawtooth wave output
will produce pitches which sweep
downwards.
With some sounds, the tone color
will vary at the same rate as vibrato.
This can be done with LFO control
of the VCF. Raising the VCF RESO-
NANCE control will produce "growl"
effects.
The LFO output can be used to vary
the loudness of the sound output.
The most common form is to use the
sine wave output to produce tremolo
effects.
BASIC SYNTHESIZER THEORY
In the synthesizer, then, the three qualities of
sound are controlled by the VCO (pitch),
VCF (tone color), and VCA (loudness). The
tremendous versatility of the synthesizer is due
to the principle of voltage control. The above
table shows some of the possibilities.
The keyboard has two outputs: acontrol voltage
and agate pulse. The level of the control voltage
will correspond to the last key pressed. The
control voltage output is most often used to
control the frequency of the VCO, thus, when
akey is pressed, the VCO will produce the
pitch which is related to that key. The key-
board produces agate pulse each time akey is
pressed. The gate pulse is most often used to
trigger the envelope generator into operation.
The. control voltage output of the envelope
generator, then, "opens" the VCA to let the
sound wave out, thus the synthesizer produces
sound each time akey is depressed.
The shape of the envelope is controlled by the
envelope generator sliders. When the sliders are
set, the envelope generator will generate acon-
trol voltage which corresponds to the shape of
the desired envelope. When this control voltage
controls the VCA, it regulates the loudness level
of the sound so that the loudness will rise and
fall in the desired pattern. Fig. 4shows the
output sound wave when the envelope generator
controls are settoproduceaviolin-likeenvelope,
and Fig. 5shows the output sound for apiano-
or guitar-like envelope.
The tone color of many types of sound will
often change during the production of each
note. This can be done with the synthesizer by
using the output of the envelope generator to
control the VCF.
There are two other sources of control voltage:
the LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) and the
S/H (Sample and Hold), each of which can be
used to control various synthesized functions.
In the following pages, the functions of each of
the synthesizer elements is explained in detail.
When trying various sounds, try to analyze
exactly what is happening; this will give you a
better understanding of the synthesizer. Synthe-
sizer sounds are very much enhanced by the use
of effects units such as echo chambers, re-
verberators, chorus effects, phase shifters,
flangers, etc, thus their use is highly recom-
mended.
FIG. 4-VIOLIN-LIKE SOUND FIG. 5-PIANO-LIKE SOUND FIG. 6-PARTS OF ENVELOPE
=-A-*h-D-*

CONNECTION JACKS
1V/1 Oct
|1+3V or over
OV Q
5ATE TRIG IEXT SIG |PEDAL CONTI PHONES IOUTPUT
FREQ WIDTH IINPUT INPUT INPUT INPUT VCF
FREQ WIDTH IOUTPUT OUTPUT
1V/1 Oct JT+14V
OV
i
CONNECTION JACKS
1. OUTPUT
Connect to guitar amplifier, mixer, or audio
amplifier. If you use an effects unit like an
echo chamber, connect it between the output
jack and the amplifier. When using audio
amplifiers such as those in home stereo systems,
use caution with the volume control because
the synthesizer is capable of generating sound
levels high enough to destroy the speakers.
2. OUTPUT LEVEL
Set this switch to L, M, or Haccording to the
input sensitivity of the amplifier used. Set to
Lor Mfor an ordinary guitar amplifier and to
Hfor an audio amplifier or mixer.
3. PHONES JACK
Connect headphones to this jack. Use head-
phones designed for normal home stereo
systems. Roland RH-1 headphones are suited
for this purpose. The output level from this
jack is constant, independent of the TOTAL
VOLUME setting. Therefore, you can turn
down the volume from the speaker when
adjusting sounds with the headphones. This is
very convenient for setting sounds on stage.
4. PHONES OUTPUT LEVEL
This switch changes the output level at the
PHONES jack. Set it at the position to suit
the sensitivity of the headphones you use.
5. PEDAL CONT VCF
Apedal like the FV-1 or FV-2 can be connected
to this jack to control the Cutoff Frequency
of the VCF. The pedal functions as awah wah
pedal when the VCF RESONANCE control is
raised.
CAUTION: Be sure to use the foot pedal's
OUTPUT jack and not its INPUT jack. The
OUTPUT jack is on the right side of the FV-1
and on the left side of the FV-2.
6. EXT SIG INPUT
Connect external sources such as amicrophone,
electric guitar, electric piano, or strings to this
jack.
As the SH-7 incorporates an envelope follower,
the VCF can be controlled by the level of the
signal from the external source to use the
SH-7 as akind of effects unit like automatic
wah. When connecting the strings such as the
Roland RS-202, connect the gate output also
to make it possible to control the envelope
generator of the SH-7 from the strings key-
board. With this setting, the VCF can be
activated on brass chords producing sounds like
apolyphonic synthesizer.
7. EXT SIG INPUT LEVEL
This is alevel changeover switch for the external
input. Set to Hfor microphone, to Mor Hfor
an electric or electronic instrument. When
connecting atape recorder or other audio
devices, set to L.
If the output level is low even when the EXT
SIG control on the AUDIO MIXER is set to
maximum, set the EXT SIG INPUT switch a
step higher. If the sound is distorted by excessive
input, change to astep lower.
8. TRIG INPUT
This jack receives external trigger pulses. When
+1 5V pulse is fed to this jack, the SH-7 gate
is triggered.
9. GATE INPUT
This jack receives gate pulses from sources
such as the VK-6 or VK-9 Organ, the Model
104 (System 100) or Model 717A (System 700)
Analog Sequencer, the MC-8 MicroComposer,
the RS-202 String Synthesizer, etc.
10. CV INPUT
In the same way as the above Gate Input,
control voltages from external sources can be
connected to this jack.
When connecting external control voltages to
control the SH-7, be sure to set the KEY
MODE switch to EXT position. (See page'8).
11. GATE OUTPUT
The gate output from the SH-7 keyboard can
be taken from this jack. Connect to the gate
input of an external synthesizer or the MC-8
MicroComposer for control of such devices
with the SH-7 keyboard.
12. CV OUTPUT
This jack outputs control voltage from the SH-7
keyboard. Connect to the CV input to an
external synthesizer or the MC-8 MicroComposer
to control such devices with the SH-7 keyboard.

CONNECTION METHODS
ELECTRONIC PIANO

KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD
The SH-7 keyboard has 44 keys for arange of
3-1/2 octaves, but by use of the VCO RANGE
switch and the CONTROLLER section TRANS-
POSE switch, the SH-7 has atotal pitch range
of over nine octaves which covers the full range
of human hearing.
With the RANGE switches at 8' and the TRANS-
POSE switch at M, the lowest Con the key-
board corresponds to middle Con the piano.
KEYBOARD VOLTAGE
The keyboard produces acontrol voltage which
corresponds to the key pressed. This control
voltage is most often used to control aVCO so
that it produces the pitch related to the key
pressed.
The SH-7 uses the relation of 1volt/1 octave
(one volt per octave) which means that aone
volt change in the control voltage will produce
aone octave change in pitch. The relation is
very common and is used on most synthesizers
and related equipment, including professional
studio equipment as well as stage type equip-
ment. This means that the SH-7 is compatible
with most equipment used in electronic music.
c?»af
f
440Hz
T
m-o-
AI
32.7Hz
-o-
A
5.4Hz
I
I
A
130.8Hz
4-
K=
III
32' (TRANSPOSE
II
32'
U
261. 6Hz
16'
-t-
523.2Hz
i
I
I
I
I
I
i
T
(TRANSPOSE
—r— -t-
1046Hz
M)
i
->l
A
2093Hz
A
4186Hz A
8372Hz A
16744Hz
2' (TRANSPOSE -H)
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
o'v
I
I
IMIDDLE C
ffl—
i
1V 2V
I
L
3V 4V
l
5V
I
II1H1IIMIIIIHI
SOUND RANGE
AVAILABLE BY SH-7
86 KEY PIANO
KEYBOARD
SH-7 KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD VOLTAGE
VK-9 ORGAN
KEYBOARD

TOTAL TUNING &MODE SWITCH
1. POWER SWITCH
Push Power switch and the LED (light emitting
diode) will light indicating the SH-7 is on.
NOTE: It requires about five minutes for the
SH-7 circuits to completely stabilize. Keep
this point in mind when using the SH-7 on stage
or in recording sessions.
2. TOTAL TUNING
This controls the overall pitch of the SH-7.
Both VCO-1 (A), and (B), and VCO-2 are tuned
simultaneously by this control.
The tunable range is +300 cents (300 cents =
minor third), thus if Cwere the center pitch,
the range would be from the Abelow to the
Ebabove. With this feature, the SH-7 can
play transposing parts such as for trumpet or
saxophone without having to rewrite the parts
or transpose mentally.
When first turning the SH-7 on, be sure to allow
enough time for the circuits to stabilize before
trying to tune accurately.
3. KEY MODE SWITCH
Set the switch at the TWO NOTE position for
ordinary performance. Normal one-note and
two-note performance is possible with this
position. Set the switch at the ONE NOTE
position to get excellent trills in one-note
performances. At the ONE NOTE position,
only one note is produced even when two keys
are depressed simultaneously. If two keys are
depressed simultaneously, only the higher note
will sound because it has priority. Fairly fast
trills are possible by keeping the lower key
depressed and striking the higher key intermit-
tently. For this trill performance, set the
TRIGGER MODE switch of the Envelope
Generator to the KYBD GATE +TRIG position
(see page 15).
Set the KEY MODE switch to EXT CV/GATE/
(S/H) when controlling the SH-7 with external
signals from an organ, guitar, second synthesizer,
sequencer, computer, string synthesizer (RS-
202), etc.
In performance, this switch is convenient
because it allows instant changes of control
of the SH-7 between by its own keyboard or
from an external source.
When nothing is connected to the GATE and
CV INPUT jacks, the EXT CV/GATE/(S/H)
position of the KEY MODE switch will give
control of the synthesizer to the S/H (Sample
and Hold) for automatic performance. Since
the S/H will repeatedly trigger the envelope
generator, this position of the switch can also
be used for rapidly repeating notes.
GATE [TV"
INPUT 1
1
cv nv
INPUT II
*§
S/H GA1
1I
ES/H
OUT
//???
S/H
*— 1
Ii
KYBD
GATE
o,-1 AUTO BEND
ENV.-1
ENV.-2
<
I9I
EXT CV GAT :<S/H)
!> A
UPPER
KYBD-CV
TWO NOTE iVCO-1
(A,B) —
Io
ONE NOTE
iS
LOWER
KYBD-CV
iVCO-2
<?

VCO- VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR
The VCO is the primary sound source of the
synthesizer and generates the basic waveforms.
The frequency or pitch of these waveforms
is controlled by acontrol voltage.
SH-7 incorporates two independent VCO's,
VCO-1 and VCO-2. VCO-1 produces five
different square waves of 2', 4', 8', 16', and 32'.
This feet-series output is distinguished as
VCO-1 (A). VCO-1 (B) is exactly the same as
VCO-2. When achord of two notes is played on
the keyboard, VCO-1 (A,B) produces the higher
pitch and VCO-2 the lower.
VCO CONTROL VOLTAGE INPUTS
The most important control of VCO pitch is
by means of the keyboard control voltage and
the BENDER control voltage. The keyboard
control voltage is internally connected to the
VCO through the KEY MODE switch. The
BENDER control voltage is connected through
the BENDER SENSITIVITY controls.
Other sources of control voltage for control of
the VCO are: the LFO, AUTOBEND voltage,
and the S/H. Each of these may be fed to the
VCO in the amounts needed to produce the
desired effects. Since (A) and (B) represent two
parts of the same VCO, they are both con
trolled by the same set of control voltage inpu
sliders.
With two note performance, it is recommende
that the input levels for one VCO be the same
as the corresponding effect for the other VCO.
1.LFO
This slider determines the depth of control the
LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) will have on
each VCO. It can be used for vibrato effects,
and for large sweeping pitch changes.
2. AUTOBEND
This control adds achange of pitch at the
beginning of each note played. By raising this
control, the VCO pitch is controlled by ay
shape or at_shape voltage envelope so that
the sound starts with alower or higher pitch.
When the Y" shaped bend is used, the human
voice, whistling, and other sound sources which
begin on lower pitches, will sound more real
and natural. When the K._. shaped bend is
employed, chirping sounds of birds can be
obtained.
3. S/H (SAMPLE &HOLD)
This is for controlling VCO pitch with the S/H
output. When this control is raised, random
notes of irregular pitches and staircase changes
of pitch for arpeggio-like effects can be pro-
duced. With the SH-7, the envelope generator
can be triggered with changes in the pitches
produced by the S/H. Set the KEY MODE
switch (see page 8) to EXT CV/GATE/IS/H)
to trigger the envelope generator with the S/H
clock pulses. For this mode of operation, there
should be no connection to the GATE INPUT
jack, otherwise the envelope generator will be
triggered from the external source.
4. AUTOBEND TIME
This controls the time required for the VCO to
return to its normal pitch when using the
AUTOBEND. Turning the knob clockwise
increases the time. Normally, this control is
set between and 5; special effects are obtained
with higher settings.
5. POLARITY
This switch changes the autobend polarity.
VCO-2
The sound will start with ahigher pitch when
set to the Jv_ position and alower pitch at
the yposition. The K_ shape bend is
normally used. The Vshape bend is used for
special effects like chirping of birds.
6. VCO-2 TUNING
This control is for the tuning of VCO-2 only
and is used to match the pitches of VCO-2 to
VCO-1; or for purposely mistuning, or to
produce tunings of musical intervals. The range
of this control is ±700 cents (700 cents =
perfect fifth), or, with Cas the center, from the
Fbelow to the Gabove.
7. SYNC SWITCH
Turning this switch ON will lock the frequency
of VCO-2 to that of VCO-1 so as to completely
eliminate beat frequencies caused by slight
mistuning. Besides unison, the VCO frequencies
will lock at various octave intervals also. Since
other intervals become impossible, the two
voice feature of the keyboard is no longer
operable.
8. VCO-1 (A) FEET SERIES MIXER
The (A) portion of VCO-1 simultaneously
produces five square waves which can be mixed
together in any desired ratio. As shown in
the drawing on the right, when the synthesizer is
set to produce the pitch of middle C, the
square waves produce pitches one and two
octaves above and below middle C.
Interesting sounds can be produced by mixing
the 2' output with the 8' output, or the 2'
output with the 16' output. The 2' +8' com-
bination produces avibraphone-like sound.
Using all of the outputs together produces very
large full sounds.
Raising and lowering these controls has no
effect on the total sound level at the output of
the synthesizer; the sound level will remain the
same whether one or all the controls are raised.
2'
fIZE
^-JUUU1T
-juu
-&- 16'
32'
2' —8' mixed.
9

9. RANGE SWITCH
This switch changes VCO range in one octave
jumps from 2' to 32', for atotal range of
five octaves. The 8' position of the RANGE
switch is used for sound in the middle sound
range; the lowest Con the keyboard will pro-
duce the pitch of middle C. The 4' position
produces pitches in the range one octave above
8', and the 2' position produces pitches two
octaves above 8'. The 16' and 32' positions
produce pitches one and two octaves below 8'
respectively.
4' WHISTLE PICCOLO
GLOCKENSPIEL
8' FLUTE OBOE VIOLIN
TRUMPET HARMONICA
16' CLARINET SAXOPHONE HORN
TROMBONE CELLO
32' TUBA DOUBLE-BASS
BASS GUITAR
10. WAVEFORM SWITCH
This switch selects the VCO output waveform.
•TRIANGLE WAVEFORM! /\ )
The triangle wave contains the same harmonics
as the square wave, but they are much lower in
intensity. For this reason, these harmonics do
not stand out and the triangle wave sounds
almost as clean and pure as asine wave. This
waveform is often used for flute-like sounds,
whistling, and similar sounds.
•SAWTOOTH WAVEFORM (A)
The sawtooth wave is very rich in harmonics
and therefore is used very often. It is particularly
suitable for brass and string sounds, and for
sounds which only the synthesizer can produce.
•SQUARE WAVE (I U)
The square wave is also rich in harmonics, but
it contains only the odd numbered harmonics.
The pure square wave has asound quality very
much like aclarinet. The clarinet and xylophone
are common sounds synthesized with this wave-
form, as well as sounds peculiar to the synthe-
sizer. One effect which is very often used is the
continuous sound of the square wave (without
envelope control) accompanied by portamento.
•PULSE WAVE (R_J)
When the top and bottom portions of the
square wave are unequal, the result is what is
called a pulse wave. The harmonic content of
the pulse wave will depend greatly on the width
of the pulses. It is possible to modulate, or
change the pulse width by means of the LFO
or the envelope generator.
PULSE WIDTH AND PULSE WIDTH
MODULATION
Pulse width refers to the ratio of the widths
of the top and bottom portions of the pulse
wave. Pulse width is measured in percentages
as shown in the drawing at the right. 10%
pulse width produces asound very rich in
harmonics and is often used for synthesizing
sounds such as the oboe, bassoon, and human
voice. Note that a50% pulse width is nothing
more than asquare wave.
In addition to using fixed pulse widths, it is
possible to modulate the pulse wave so that the
width of the pulses varies continually, as shown
in the drawing at the right.
Using the LFO to modulate the pulse width
produces chorus-like sounds. The output of the
envelope generator can be used to modulate
the pulse width to produce sounds very much
like those of pizzicato strings.
11. PWM MODE SWITCH
With this switch at MANUAL, the pulse widths
may be set manually by means of the PULSE
WIDTH MOD slider. In LFO, the pulse width
will be modulated by the LFO output, and
in ENV-1, by the output of ENVELOPE
GENERATOR 1.
12. PULSE WIDTH MOD SLIDER
With the PWM MODE switch at MANUAL, this
control allows manual adjustment of the pulse
width. Note that the lowest position, 50%,
will produce asquare wave. At the top is MIN
(minimum) which produces apulse width of
about 10%.
With the PWM MODE switch set at LFO or
ENV-1, this slider controls the depth of the
LFO or ENV-1 modulation.
50%
25%
10.0%
"PWM by LFO
iPWM by ENV-1
10

TWO VCO'S IN COMBINATION
Alarge variety of sounds is possible
when the outputs of both VCO's are
combined
1. THE SAME WAVEFORM IN THE SAME
RANGE
Usually the same waveforms in the same
ranges (as shown below) are used for two note
chords.
For the one note performance, the sound
becomes rich and soft with achorus effect
caused by the slight differences in pitch of the
two VCO's.
In both cases it is. recommended to set the
balance at equal levels with the AUDIO MIXER.
Set the SYNC switch at OFF except for special
purposes. Only one note will sound even when
two notes are played if this switch is on.
2. THE SAME WAVEFORM IN DIFFERENT
RANGES
The figure below shows the combination of
the triangular waveforms of 8' and 2', which
can be used to produce the sound of a vibra-
phone, for example. This combination is very
useful. It is often used for making organ-like
sounds, for example. For this purpose, the
combination of 22/3' or 11/3' will be effective.
These can be obtained by tuning VCO-2 a
perfect fifth above VCO-1 with the VCO-2
TUNING control.
Large sounds can be obtained with combinations
of the various square wave (as explained in the
description of VCO-1 (A)) as well as the sawtooth
waveform.
The correct adjustment of the AUDIO MIXER
controls is very important since the sound wiii
vary greatly with different balances.
3. DIFFERENT WAVEFORMS IN
DIFFERENT RANGES
Among combinations of this kind, the most
useful is to combine asawtooth or square wave
with atriangle wave of adifferent range.
The 8' sawtooth is added to the 16' triangular
waveform in the figure below; the tone color of
the sawtooth wave is retained but the sound
becomes heavier with the intensified bass.
Adding ahigher range sound of 2' or 4' can
produce special tone colors. In addition, com-
bination of sounds of two or three octaves
distant such as 8' and 32' or 4' and 32' is
effective.
PULSE WIDTH —
WAVEFORMS AND HARMONICS
All waveforms except the sine wave can be generated by acombination
of afundamental sine wave of the pitch frequency and agroup of
sine waves which are multiples of the fundamental; therefore, any
waveform can be synthesized by combining afundamental sine waveform
with aproper ratio of harmonics.
The drawing below shows afundamental with its harmonics. The white
notes are even numbered harmonics and the black notes are odd num-
bered harmonics. (True harmonics are actually slightly different from
the pitches produced by the equally tempered scale.) All waveforms,
except the sine wave, contain harmonics. It is this harmonic content
that gives each sound its particular tone color.
b-0- *-
v-o-
FUNDAMENTAL 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH
8' 4' 2-2/3' 2' 1-2/3' 1-1/3'
7TH 8TH HARMONIC
V
11

RING MODULATOR -NOISE GENERATOR -AUDIO MIXER
RING MODULATOR
The RING MODULATOR is used mainly for
metallic sounds like bells and gongs, and for
unrealistic effects sounds.
The RING MODULATOR has two inputs; the
output is the sum and difference frequencies of
the two inputs. The two input frequencies,
then, determine the qualities of the output
sound.
1. VCO-2/EXT SIG SWITCH
One input to the RING MODULATOR is the
output from VCO-KB). The other input is
determined by the position of this switch. With
this switch, it becomes possible to combine
an external signal with VCO-KB) for ring
modulation.
When combining the two VCO's, the resulting
sound will depend on the difference in pitch of
the two VCO's. The tuning of VCO-2 is im-
portant.
When the two VCO's are tuned to unison, very
little change in the tone color will occur,
although the pitches will be one octave higher
than normal. Tuning the VCO's to different
frequencies will produce the tone color charac-
teristic of the RING MODULATOR. Interesting
effects can be obtained using the two note
function of the keyboard, since, if different
intervals are played, the RING MODULATOR
will receive frequencies of different ratios.
Interesting effects can also be obtained with
S/H control of one or both VCO's, and by
varying the amount of S/H modulation of one
or both VCO's.
When using an external sound source, it is
important that the level of the external sound
which reaches the RING MODULATOR be
near the level of VCO-KB). This can be done
by first setting the EXT SIG INPUT switch on
the rear panel at the correct position, then
adjusting output level of the external source, or
by changing the distance between the sound
source and the microphone.
RING MODULATOR .NOISE GENERATOR
AUDIO MIXER
©©
NOISE GENERATOR
The NOISE GENERATOR is used as the sound
source for effect sounds like wind, surf, and
thunder.
To synthesize wind sounds, raise the VCF
RESONANCE control about half way and move
the VCF CUTOFF FREQ control slowly up
and down. Another way is to use the output
of the LFO to control the VCF cutoff frequency.
Or, for random wind patterns, use the output
of the S/H set at random.
To synthesize thunder, raise the VCF RESO-
NANCE control all the way up and modulate
this with noise.
2. WHITE/PINK SELECTOR
Two types of noise are available: white noise
and pink noise.
White noise is the random combination of all
frequencies. This kind of noise is like the hissing
sound which can be heard when an FM tuner is
set at apoint where there is no station broad-
casting. Pink noise is similar, but has some of
the higher frequencies filtered out to produce a
sound more like awaterfall.
AUDIO MIXER
This mixer mixes outputs of the VCO's, Noise
Generator, RING MODULATOR, and the
external input signal.
3. RING MODULATOR/EXTERNAL INPUT
SELECTOR
Set this Selector to RING position or to EXT
SIG as desired.
4. OVERLOAD INDICATOR
This indicator lights when the combination of
mixing levels is excessively high. To reduce
distortion at VCF and VCA, keep the output
low enough that this indicator does not light.
Pay particular attention to this indicator when
mixing signals from the RING MODULATOR
or external source.
12

HIGH PASS FILTER
Before entering the VCF, the signals mixed in
the AUDIO MIXER pass through the HPF
(High Pass Filter). The HPF blocks low frequen-
cies and passes high frequencies.
With the CUTOFF FREQ control at its lowest
position, all sounds pass through the HPF
without change; this may be thought of as its
normal position. When the CUTOFF FREQ
control is raised, the HPF will remove the
lower harmonics from the sound source, thus
brightening the sound. It is normal for higher
positions of this control to produce lower levels
of output sound; compensate for this by raising
the TOTAL VOLUME control.
The HPF can be used for synthesizing harpsi-
chord and oboe sounds, for example.
HPF
VCF -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER
The VCF is alow pass filter whose cutoff
frequency (or filtering characteristics) can be
controlled by means of acontrol voltage. The
VCF, being alow pass filter, acts in away
opposite to that of the HFP. It passes low
frequencies and blocks high frequencies.
1. CUTOFF FREQ CONTROL
This control determines the frequencies which
will be removed by the VCF. At its highest
position, all sound passes through the VCF
without change, thus this may be considered
its normal position. If the control is slowly
lowered, it will begin to shave off the upper
harmonics of the sound passing through the
VCF. In its lowest position, the VCF CUTOFF
FREQ control will remove all frequencies so
that the VCF blocks all sound.
NOTE: If the synthesizer produces no sound,
this is one of the first things you should check.
2. RESONANCE CONTROL
This control accents the frequencies at the cutoff
point of the VCF. At "0", the RESONANCE
control has no effect. The effect will become
stronger the higher the control is raised. At
about "8", the frequencies at the cutoff point
are accented so strongly that the VCF starts
to oscillate by itself, or in other words, it
begins generating asine wave even with no
input to the VCF. The frequency of this sine
wave will depend on the position of the VCF
CUTOFF FREQ control.
•The VCF CUTOFF FREQ control gives
manual control over the cutoff frequency point
of the VCF. The following group of controls
allows the cutoff frequency to be controlled
by means of control voltages.
©©O©<D
VCF
IIII1
6©6<e> ©®
13

3. ENV-1 CONTROL
With this control raised, the cutoff point of the
VCF will change during the production of each
note, following the pattern dictated by the
setting of ENVELOPE GENERATOR 1. This
type of VCF modulation is very often used
with brass sounds.
The polarity of the envelope control voltage
which reaches the VCF is determined by the
ENVELOPE POLARITY switch (4). In the
positive (r~^ )position, the VCF cutoff
frequency point will rise, following the shape of
the envelope, each time the envelope generator
is triggered. Since the cutoff point rises, the
CUTOFF FREQ control should be kept away
from its HIGH position, otherwise the envelope
will have no effect.
With the ENVELOPE POLARITY switch in the
negative (V" )position, the cutoff point of
the VCF will fall, following the envelope
pattern, thus, for this position, the CUTOFF
FREQ control should be kept away from its
LOW position for the envelope to affect the
VCF.
5. LFO (S/H) CONTROL
This control allows the VCF cutoff point to
be controlled by either the LFO or S/H, de-
pending on the position of the LFO/S/H
switch (6).
In the LFO position, the VCF cutoff point will
follow the output of the LFO. Using the sine
wave ("\ )output of the LFO produces growl
sounds.
In the S/H position, the output of the S/H
can be used to produce tone color patterns
which change in steps, either randomly or in
fixed patterns.
Some of the above affects will not be noticeable
with the VCF CUTOFF FREQ control at one
or the other of its extreme positions. For
greater tone color variety, try raising the
RESONANCE control.
This control is also effective for processing of
external input signals. Continuous wah wah
effects and stepwise tone color changes can be
added to electric guitar or other electronic
keyboards.
7. KYBD/PEDAL CONTROL
This control allows control of the VCF cutoff
point by means of the keyboard control voltage
or an external foot pedal, depending on the
position of the KYBD/PEDAL switch (8).
The tone color of many instruments will change
with pitch; this effect can be produced by
means of keyboard control voltage control of
the VCF cutoff point. When the slider is set at
maximum, the VCF cutoff frequency will
change at the rate of 1volt/1 octave, and the
VCF CUTOFF FREQ control will have to be
set alittle lower than it would be without
keyboard control.
With the selector switch (8) at PEDAL, the
VCF cutoff point can be controlled manually
by means of afoot pedal. The slider will then
determine the margin of control obtainable
with the pedal. The PEDAL position also gives
control of the VCF cutoff frequency point to
the keyboard control voltage, but at the fixed
rate of 1volt/1 octave.
9. VCO-2/NOISE CONTROL
This control allows the VCF cutoff point to
be controlled by means of the VCO-2 output or
by noise, depending on the position of the
selector switch (10).
As examples of how these can be used, RING
MODULATOR-like sounds can be produced by
raising the VCF RESONANCE control to "10"
and modulating this with the output of VCO-2
(VCO-2/NOISE slider at "10"). If NOISE is
used instead of VCO-2, thunder-like sounds and
gun shots can be obtained. In both of these
cases (VCO-2 and NOISE modulation), all the
AUDIO MIXER controls should be set at "0".
11. ENVFOL'R CONTROL
(ENVELOPE FOLLOWER)
This control will allow the VCF cutoff point to
follow the level of an external audio signal.
With the POLARITY switch (12) at k_ ,the
cutoff point will be driven higher for louder
sounds and at V~ ,lower for softer sounds.
For good wah effects, set the VCF CUTOFF
FREQ control near LOW for K._ and near
HIGH for y.If the wah effect is insufficient
even with the ENV FOL'R slider at "10",
change the position of the EXT SIG INPUT
LEVEL switch (#7, p. 5) to the next higher
step.
The best wah effects are obtained with instru-
ments whose sounds decay slowly, such as
guitars and pianos. It is also interesting when
used with wind instruments and the human
voice.
The LED (13) lights whenever acord is plugged
into the EXT SIG INPUT jack on the rear panel.
VCA- VOLTAGE CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER
The VCA is an amplifier whose gain is con-
trolled by acontrol voltage. In other words, the
varying control voltage acts much like avolume
control to any sound passing through the VCA.
If the output of the envelope generator is used
to control the VCA, then the sound passing
through the VCA will take on aloudness pattern
corresponding to the shape of the envelope
voltage.
1. ENVELOPE SWITCH (ENV-1/ENV-2)
This switch decides which of the two envelope
generators will control the VCA. At ENV-1,
the envelope used for control of the VCF is
also used for the control of the VCA. The
ENV-2 position allows the VCA to be controlled
by aseparate envelope.
2. HOLD CONTROL
When there is no envelope, the VCA is "closed"
and will not pass sounds. Raising the HOLD
control will "open" the VCA to let sounds
through. It is most often used when it is desirable
to control the sound envelope entirely by
means of the VCF, or when tuning the synthe-
sizer, or when processing external sound sources.
3. LFO CONTROL
This is for controlling the VCA by means of the
LFO. By raising this control, you can obtain
tremolo effects.
VCA
0—5
14

ENVELOPE GENERATOR
Depressing akey on the keyboard triggers the
envelope generator into action. The envelope
generator generates acontrol voltage which
varies with time according to the control settings.
This control voltage is used to control the VCF
cutoff frequency point so as to vary the tone
color during the production of anote, and/or
it is used to control the VCA to give the output
sound its loudness contour. The drawing on
the right shows the four parts of an envelope.
t
KYBD GATE r
+10
TRIG
\Sf1
KYBD
GATE =—
LFO
\J U<_l I.
^iW6ig
1. A(ATTACK TIME) CONTROL
This slider controls the amount of time which is
required for the voltage to reach its maximum
level after akey is depressed. This is called
attack time.
2. D(DECAY TIME) CONTROL
This slider controls the amount of time required
for the voltage to fall to the level set by the
SUSTAIN control. This time is called decay
time.
3. S(SUSTAIN LEVEL) CONTROL
This slider determines the level to which the
voltage will fall at the end of decay time.
Once this level is reached (at the end of decay
time) it will be held until the key is released.
Note that if the SUSTAIN control is set at
maximum, there will be no decay time since the
voltage level cannot fall to maximum. With the
SUSTAIN control at maximum, then, the
DECAY control has no effect.
4. R(RELEASE TIME) CONTROL
This slider determines the amount of time
required for the voltage to fall to minimum
level after the release of the key.
Note that ATTACK, DECAY, and RELEASE
control time elements and SUSTAIN controls
level.
The SH-7 incorporates two envelope generators
of this kind, with independently variable
envelope parameters. Usually, the VCF is
controlled by ENV-1 and the VCA by ENV-2.
Use ENV-1 when you want to control both
VCF and VCA with the same envelope.
*CAUTIONS FOR SETTING AOSR
When all the envelope controls are set at "0",
an extremely short pulse is produced. Note that
only aclick noise is generated if the VCF or
VCA is controlled by this kind of envelope.
5. GATE TRIGGER SELECTOR SWITCH
This switch selects the pulse which will activate
the envelope generator.
This switch is usually set at GATE +TRIG or
GATE for triggering the envelope generator
each time akey is depressed.
Agate pulse is aconstant voltage which is
produced when any key is in the depressed
position. The action of depressing akey gener-
ates ashort pulse called atrigger pulse.
The gate portion of the keyboard output
actually consists of two simultaneously gener-
ated pulses. The gate pulse is merely aconstant
voltage which appears any time one or more
keys are in the depressed position. In other
words, it is like the output of alight switch.
Depressing one or more keys turns the voltage
on; when all keys have been released, the
voltage goes off.
The trigger pulse is ashort pulse which is
generated when anew key is depressed. When
two or more keys are pressed, atrigger pulse
will be produced each time the highest key in
the group is depressed or released.
The KYBD +GATE position of this switch
might be considered its normal position. This
position will trigger the envelope generator for
each note in apassage played legato. It is also
useful for playing fast trills very easily. This is
accomplished by holding down the lower note
in the trill while repeatedly tapping on the key
for the upper note of the trill (the KYBD
MODE switch should be in the ONE NOTE
position).
The GATE position of this switch is useful in
legato passages where it is desirable to produce
only one envelope for the complete phrase.
This position is also better when playing two
notes (KYBD MODE switch in TWO NOTE
position).
In the LFO position, depressing akey will cause
the envelope generator to be triggered by the
LFO. This is useful for producing rapidly
repeating notes such as those sometimes used in
mandolin playing. In addition, this position
synchronizes the LFO output to the keyboard
so that the pattern of repeated notes will
always start the instant akey is depressed.
GATE &TRIGGER
KEY
GATE
ON OFF
J
TRIGGER
ENV OUTPUT WAVEFORM
(GATE +TRIGGER)
ADSR SETTING VS
ENVELOPE WAVEFORM
15

SAMPLE/HOLD
The S/H (Sample and Hold) produces voltage
sequences, either in fixed patterns or at random,
by sampling input waveforms from the LFO.
Each sample represents the voltage level at the
instant the sample mas taken. The HOLD portion
of the circuit holds this voltage level until the
next sample is taken. The result of this is a
control voltage output which changes stepwise.
When used to control aVCO, this produces
arpeggio-like runs of notes or notes with
random pitch patterns. When used to control
the VCF cutoff frequency point, it produces
interesting tone color patterns. These tone
color patterns can also be very effectively used
with external sound sources such as from a
guitar or string synthesizer.
1. MODE SWITCH
This switch decides which waveform will be
sampled. The ,1 and ,"\ positions sample
waveforms from the LFO, and the RANDOM
position samples the output of the NOISE
GENERATOR.
2. SAMPLE TIME CONTROL
This control determines the intervals of the
sampling pulses. The sampling rate can be
visually checked by means of the LED above
the MODE switch. Moving the SAMPLE TIME
control higher will produce a faster sampling
rate.
The drawing below shows afew of the patterns
which are possible when using the S/H output
to control aVCO. In these examples, the
SAMPLE TIME rate is several times faster than
the rate of the LFO. In the first two examples,
it is possible to produce agreat variety of
musical patterns by varying the frequency of
the sampled waveforms (by changing the LFO
RATE control) and/or varying the SAMPLE
TIME.
3. OUTPUT LAG CONTROL
Raising this slider will "soften" the voltage
changes so that pitches will have akeyboard-
like portamento effect.
iSAMPLE/HOLD
OUTPUT LAG=5
^\r^sr\J
OUTPUT LAG=10
»S/H OUTPUT WAVEFORM BY EACH SAMPLING MODE.
A
SAMPLED
WAVEFORM
SAMPLING
PULSE
S/H OUTPUT
WAVEFORM
#
lllllllllllllllllll
ARANDOM
_H Lr^ Lrr"rJ
k/\ /\
VV\
llllllllllllllllllll
\r^S r"i
^hi3L
iiimiiiiiiiiiinii
jfJl/"krJljlrLJj
a£ rrn flfi fffl^. ii Ffr*, j(\itn ffflL ji fffl fffl rm nrsz
16

LFO -LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR
The LFO is an oscillator which generates wave-
forms of alow frequency. The range is from
about 0.2Hz to about 25Hz. The output of the
LFO can be used for modulating the VCO,
VCF, or VCA, and for triggering the envelope
generators.
1. WAVEFORM SWITCH
This switch determines which waveform will be
used for VCO, VCF, and/or VCA modulation.
The r\jis the most commonly used waveform.
Controlling the VCO, it produces vibrato effects,
or pitches which sweep up and down. Controlling
the VCF, it produces growl effects (with faster
LFO rates) or tone color vibrato, which occurs in
some instruments in conjunction with pitch
vibrato. Controlling the VCA, it produces tremolo
effects, which is aslight varying of the loudness.
The other waveforms are more often used for
special effects. For example, using the square
wave to modulate the VCO pitch will produce
trills.
2. RATE CONTROL
The RATE slider controls the frequency of the
waveforms. Raising the control increases the
frequency. The frequency can be visually checked
by means of the LED. For vibrato-like effects,
this control is normally set at about "5"
3. DELAY TIME CONTROL
When this control is raised, pressing akey on the
keyboard will produce adelayed entry of the sine
.wave. This is especially effective for delayed
vibrato effects, such as in the musical example
shown below. Delayed sine wave is also useful
for delayed growl or wah wah, and for delayed
tremolo. If delayed entry of the sine wave is not
desired, then this control must be set at "0".
(The other LFO waveforms are not affected by
this delay effect).
4. KYBD TRIG (KEYBOARD TRIGGER)
SWITCH
The normal position of this switch is OFF.
When it is ON, the frequency of the LFO is
locked to the keyboard gate pulse. What this
means is that when akeyboard gate pulse appears,
it triggers the LFO to begin its wave generating
process from the beginning, or in other words
from the highest level contained in the waveform.
With some uses of the LFO, this is adesirable
feature. The drawing at the right shows what
happens to each of the LFO waveforms when a
gate pulse occurs.
When triggering the envelope generator with the
S/H clock (KYBD MODE switch in EXT CV/
GATE/IS/H) position), leave the KYBD TRIG
switch OFF.
i'LPfr
FUNCTION OF KEY TRIGGER
EXAMPLE OF DELAYED VIBRATO
Experiment it with 7. VIOLIN of SAMPLE SOUND PATCHES -GROUP 3. STRING INSTRUMENT.
17

CONTROLLER
PORTAMENTO
Portamento is the sliding of anote from one
pitch to another. The synthesizer is the only
keyboard instrument which can produce porta-
mento effects. Through the effective use of the
SH-7 portamento feature you can create porta-
mento effects like those sometimes used with
trombone and violin playing.
1. PORTAMENTO TIME CONTROL
This controls the time required for the change of
pitch. As this knob is turned clockwise (O), the
portamento time is increased. At the extreme
counterclockwise position no portamento is in
effect.
2. PORTAMENTO MODE SWITCH
In the UP position, portamento is effected only
when akey higher than the last played note is
depressed. In the DOWN position, it is effected
only when akey lower than the last played note
is depressed. At NORMAL, portamento is effected
in both directions.
3. TRANSPOSE SWITCH
The TRANSPOSE switch transposes the keyboard
pitches up or down one octave. L=LOW range;
M=MIDDLE range, and H=HIGH range.
4. TOTAL VOLUME
This controls the total volume of the output
sound from SH-7. Changing the tone color by
means of the VCF sometimes causes achange in
the volume of sound. In such cases, the TOTAL
VOLUME should be adjusted with this knob.
BENDER
This section functions for changing the pitch,
tone color, or volume by means of the BENDER
lever (5). The BENDER variation of the pitch is
very effective for imitation of guitar choking.
Also, by means of the mode switches, the depth
of LFO control of VCO (vibrato), VCF (growl),
and VCA (tremolo) can be controlled with the
BENDER lever.
5. BENDER LEVER
This is the lever which controls the bend effects.
It has aclick-stop at center with aspring return
to center. When using the BENDER for control
of LFO depth, the lever may be moved in either
direction, the effect is the same.
6. SENSITIVITY CONTROLS
These knobs control the sensitivity of the BEND-
ER on each effect.
7. CONTROL MODE SWITCHES
These switches decide which BENDER function
will be in effect. At OFF, the BENDER effect is
cancelled. At CV, the control voltage (CV)
output of the BENDER lever is used to control
BENDER
the effect, with the related SENSITIVITY knob
controlling the depth of the effect when the
BENDER is at either of its maximum positions.
For example, with the VCO section SENSITIVITY
knob at maximum, it is possible to get a±one
octave variation of VCO pitch. This section may
also be used for transposing parts during the
progress of the music. This can be done by tuning
the synthesizer in the normal way, then, with the
BENDER control at maximum ("+" or "—", as
the case dictates! and the MODE switch at CV,
use the VCO SENSITIVITY knob to tune the
VCO to the transposing pitch desired. With this
arrangement, asimple movement of the BENDER
lever will instantly transpose the synthesizer to
the desired key.
With the CONTROL MODE switches in LFO, the
SENSITIVITY knobs will control the maximum
depth o,f the LFO effect.
For example, with LFO control of the VCO, the
BENDER lever will determine the depth of
the LFO effect with the SENSITIVITY knob
determining the maximum depth available with
the BENDER lever. With this arrangement, it is
possible to control the depth of vibrato, for
example, by hand by means of the BENDER
lever.
BENDER effects on the VCO, VCF, and VCA
may be used completely independent of each
other, or simultaneously in any combination.
The connections between the BENDER section
outputs and the respective modules (VCO, VCF,
VCA) are made internally and have no relation
to the settings of other controls, thus BENDER
control may be quickly and simply put into effect
using only the SENSITIVITY knobs and the
CONTROL MODE switches.
EXAMPLE OF USE WITH PORTAMENTO "UP" MODE
^:cj jJj
18

CAUTIONS
(DWith two note performance, the two notes
are sounded separately while the two keys are
kept depressed, but after one of the keys is
released, only one note is sounded, depending on
which key is released first, as shown in EX-
AMPLES 2and 3on the right. For two note
performance, it is recommended to use ashort
envelope release time and to use an echo or
reverb unit to make the music sound more
natural.
KeyON KeyOFFCRelease Time Max)
EX-1
EX -3
Vna-1»O
ftp *I»
j
1
t^j ^^. ttisr,„r -
P^
(2) When the envelope generator TRIGGER
MODE switch is set at LFO, the envelope genera-
tor will be triggered by the LFO only when akey
is depressed.
With this arrangement, the LFO waveform always
starts over the instant akey is depressed, and the
envelope generator is triggered from the beginning.
(3) When controlling LFO effects with the
BENDER using the sine wave (r\J)output of
the LFO, the LFO DELAY TIME control should
normally be left at "0" since a delayed entry of
the sine wave is usually not desirable.
(4) When triggering the envelope generator from
the S/H clock, the LFO KYBD TRIG switch
should be in the OFF position.
KYBC
Gate
LFO
Gate
Env.
Gate
L
LruLnnrLJi
njuuuL
To control LFO
modulation depth
with the BENDER,
set DELAY TIME
control at minimum.
•If you cannot produce the desired sound, check the following items:
CONTROL SECTION
(1) Check to see if controls other than those needed are actuated.
Are VCO controls (LFO, AUTO BEND, S/H) set too high? Is the
LFO RATE control set properly (usually around "5")? Also
check the setting of the controls for controlling the VCF and
VCA with the LFO. Also, check the KEY MODE switch and
selector switch for the envelope generator.
(2) If no sound is produced at all, check to see if the mixer levels
are set at minimum and if the TOTAL VOLUME control is
too low. If the HPF control is set too high or if the VCF CUTOFF
FREQ control is set too low, no sound will be produced. Also
check the envelope generator settings.
(3) If sound is produced continually, lower the HOLD level.
OTHER POINTS:
(1 )Are the POWER switches of the SH-7 and amplifier on?
(21 Are volume controls of the external amplifier, mixer, etc.
raised?
(3) Are connections correct? (See page 5.)
(4j Are the cords defective?
19