Roland SPV-355 User manual

P/V SYNTHESIZER
The SPV-355 is anew non-keyboard
synthesizer using asuperior pitch-to-
voltage converter for never-before con-
trol stability and accuracy. Now a
guitarist or wind instrument player, or
even avocalist can use their instru-
ment to control asynthesizer.
FEATURES
•Four sound sources can be freely
mixed: Two VCO's, sub osillator, and
the direct (original) sound.
•VCO-2 can be set tor two independ-
ent tunings and switched back and
forth remotely with afoot switch.
•The enevelope follower can be used
to produce many delicate nuances of
sound.
•Input and output connections are
easy because the input and output
levels are the same.
•Most of the important functions can
be remote controlled, afeature very
important in live performance.
•Provision for external CV (1V/oct)
and gate pulse inputs for control of the
SPV-355 from an external source such
as a sequencer or even asynthesizer
keyboard controller.
BEFORE STARTING
•Make sure that the line voltage in your
country meets the requirements given in
the specifications (p. 19).
•Check with your local Roland dealer
if you want to use the SPV-355 in a
foreign country.
•Plug the SPV-355 in before turning
on the power switch.
PRECAUTIONS
•Do not open this unit.
•Unplug this unit when it is not to be
used for long periods of time. Unplug
by grasping the plug rather than pulling
on the cord.
•Be careful not to place heavy objects
on the power cord.
•Avoid using this unit in very high or
low iempera:ure locaiions. Also keep
away from heaters and ar-conditicners
since this lype of equipment may affect
circuit and pitch stability.
•Avoid using this unit in very dusty or
humid places.
•If it is necessary to use this unit in an
area with neon or fluorescent lights,
keep it as far away from these lights as
possible since they will induce high
levels of noise. Sometimes changing
the angle of this unit in relation to the
lights will help reduce noise.
•When connecting this unit, plug the
cord into the external amplifier first,
then plug the other end of the cord into
the SPV-355 Output. To disconnect, re-
move the cord from the SPV-355 first,
then from the amplifier.
•To clean this unit, wipe with acloth
dampened with aneutral cleanser. Do
not use solvents such as paint thinner.
*
CONTENTS
#
CONTROL Names
Front Panel 3
Rear Panel 3
Connections
Front Panel 4
Rear Panel 4
External Control 4
Operation
Basic Setting 5
Input Section 5
Synthesizer Section 6
Dual VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) 6
Portamento 7
Audio Mixer-1 8
Envelope Generator 8
VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter) 8
About the Envelope Follower 10
VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) 10
Audio Mixer-2 10
Pedal Control 1
1
Rear Panel *
1
1
Obtaining Good Results with the SPV-355 .... 12
Sample Sounds ^
SPV-355 Block Diagram 18
Rack Mounting the SPV-355 iq
Specifications jg
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INPUT Jack (p. 5)
INPUT SELECTOR Switch (p. 5)
THRESHOLD ControMp. 5)
INPUT LEVEL INDICATORS ip. 5)
MASTER TUNING Control (p. 6)
RANGESwich(p.6)
WAVEFORM Switch (p. 6)
REMOTE A/B SWITCHING Jack
(p. 6)
ATUNING Control; BTUNING
Control (p. 6)
PORTAMENTO Control (p. 7)
PORTAMENTO REMOTE
SWITCHING Jack (p. 7)
VCO-1 SUB LEVEL Control (p. 8)
VCO-1 LEVEL Control (p. 8)
VCO-2 LEVEL Control (p. 8)
A(ATTACK TIME) Control ip. 8)
D(DECAY TIME) Control {p. 9)
S(SUSTAIN LEVEL) Control (p. 8)
VCF CUTOFF FREQUENCY
Control (p. 9)
VCF RESONANCE Control (p.9>
VCF PITCH FOLLOW Control (p. 9)
VCF ENVELOPE SELECTOR
Switch (p. 9)
VCF ENVELOPE LEVEL Control
(p. 9)
VCA ENVELOPE SELECTOR
Switch (P. 10)
SYNTHESIZER LEVEL Control
{p. 10)
DIRECT LEVEL Control (p. 10)
MIX/DIRECT SELECTOR Switch
(p. 11)
MIX/DIRECT REMOTE
SWITCHING Jack (p. n)
CV& GATE HOLD Jack (p. 11)
OUTPUT Jack (p. 11)
VCO SENSITIVITY LEVEL Control
(p. 11)
VCF SENSITIVITY LEVEL Control
(p. 11)
FOOT VOLUME Jack (p. 11)
POWER Switch
9
®EXT EFFECT SEND Jack {p. 11)
®EXT EFFECT RETURN Jack (p. 11)
©CV OUT Jack (p. 111
®GATE OUT Jack (p. 11)
©ENVFOL'R Jack (p. 11}
©CV IN Jack (p. 11)
GATE IN Jack (p. 11)

CONNECTIONS
FRONT PANEL
SPEAKER SPFAKER GUITAR AVP
REAR PANEL
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1)
Effect units such as rever-
beration, echo, phase
shifter, etc
When controlling the
SPV-355 from an exter-
nal source such as a
sequencer or another
synthesizer, be sure that
'he VCA ENVELOPE
SELECTOR switch $is
setatENVGEN.
CSQ-100
Voltage-to-
pitch relation:
1V/'oct.
REMOTE CONTROL
•REMOTF DP-2 Depress: ATuning; Release: B
tuning
1P&
i
A/B Sw.
-
FS-1
DP-2
AI:ornates between Aand B
tuning witn each depression
•PORTAMENTO Depress: Portamento ON
REMOTE Sw FS 1Alternates between ON and OFf-
with each depress on p. 7
•MIX/DIRECT DP-2 Depress: MIXIS *Dl, Release:
DIRECT only
P. 11
pn
REMOTE Sw. FS-1
Alternates botwoonMIXtS iD)
and DIRECT with each
deoression
•CV &GATE
HOLDSw DP-2 Depress: HOLD; Release
NORMAL
•VCOSENS FV 1
Amount of control depends on
position of VCO slider #above
jack p. 11
VCF SENS FV-1 Amount ol control depends on position of VCF slider above
jack

OPERATION
BASIC SETTING
1. Turn on the POWER Switch
only after making alt connections to
other equipment.
•The internal circuits require approxi-
mately 15 minutes of warm-up time be-
fore they become completely stable.
2. Volume Adjustment
(1). Set the AUDIO MIXER-2 MIX/
DIRECT SELECTOR switch ©at
DIRECT.
•In this condition, the input sound
passes through the SPV-355 without
being affected by any of the other con-
trols and the output level is the same as
the input level.
NAMES AND FUNCTION OF THE
CONTROLS
•INPUT SECTION
In addition to providing the audio input
to the SPV-355, the INPUT SECTION
performs two important functions:
(1).Pitch-to-voltage conversion :
The input audio signal is anlyzed and
converted into acontrol voltage for
controlling the SYNTHESIZER SEC-
TION pitch.
(2). Gate pulse generation:
When the input signal level goes above
acertain predetermined point, agate
pulse is generated for triggering the
synthesizer functions.
•The SPV-355 uses the standard of
IV/oct. This means that apitch shi*t
of one octave in the input signal wilt
cause aone volt shift in control voltage.
12). Play the instrument connected to
the input and adjust the external amp-
lifier for the desired sound level.
3. Set the INPUT SELECTOR switch
©to match the input and adjust the
THRESHOLD control ©so that the
red INPUT LEVEL INDICATOR O
lights occasionally on loud notes.
4. Set the remaining controls as shown
above and try producing sound
•With this setting, the VCO-1 output
is the 8' square wave.
•The DIRECT sound does not appear
at theoutout.
INPUT
OINPUT JACK
For connecting inputs such as an elec-
tric guitar or vocal microphone.
©INPUT SELECTOR Switch
Set this switch to match the input in-
strument being used.
E(electric) GUITAR :for electric guitar
VOICE: for vocal microphores
WOOD/BRASS: for acoustic instru-
ments equipped with apickup
•Bass instruments cannot be used
(seep. 12).
©THRESHOLD Control
The synthesizer requires agate pulse
for triggering sounds. Since the input
level or loudness of the SPV-355 input
sound varies greatly, it is necessary to
decide on alevel above which the gate
pulse will be ON and below which it will
be OFF. This is the purpose of the
THRESHOLD control ©.Use the
INPUT LEVEL INDICATITORS ©to
set the THRESHOLD control ©at its
optimum position (see below).
•The threshold level for the start of the
input sound is slightly higher than the
threshold level at the end of the sound
.
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•Whenever you have trouble pro-
ducing sound while experimenting with
the SPV-355, it is usually agood idea
to return to this standard setting and
start again.
5. Try producing various sounds with
the SYNTHESIZER SECTION (see
Sample Sounds, p. 13).
•The SYNTHESIZER SECTION oper-
ates just like any other voltage control-
led synthesizer. Synthesizer theory is
explained in the following pages.
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©INPUT LEVEL INDICATORS
The green indicator lights when the
gate pulse is ON, or in other words,
when the synthesizer is being triggered.
The red indicator lights for overloads
when the input level is too high.
Adjust the THRESHOLD control ©so
that while playing the input instrument,
the green indicator lights and the red
indicator flashes only occasionally.
•The SPV-355 is amonophonic instru-
ment and therefore cannot play chords.
•The SPV-355 will not operate cor-
rectly if more than one pitch is fed into
the input simultaneously.
•See "Obtaining Good Results with
the SPV-355", p. 12.
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• SYNTHESIZER SECTION
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•DUAL VCO
(Voltage Controlled
Oscillator)
An oscillator is an electronic circuit
which generates awaveform, or in this
case, sound. Voltage controlled means
that acontrol voltage is used to deter-
mine the frequency or pitch produced
by the oscillator. The control voltage
used to control pitch is derived from the
INPUT SECTION or comes from the
CV INPUT jack Fon the rear panel.
•MASTER TUNING Control
Used for simultaneously tuning VCO-1
and VCO-2. The tuning range is appro-
ximately ±250 cents (100 cents =minor
second).
•Tuning:
With the standard setting {top of p. 3),
move the MIXER-2 DIRECT LEVEL
control %up. The output sound wilt
consist of the direct sound Plus the
VCO-1 sound. Set the MASTER
TUNING control so that VCO-1 is
in unison with the direct sound.
ORANGE Switch
Determines the pitch range of VCO-1
and VCO-2. At 8', pitches will be the
same as the input signal pitches. At A',
VCO pitches will be one octave higher
than the input, and at 16' one octave
lower.
WAVEFORM Switch
Used to select the waveform to be
generated by the two VCO's (see box
at the right).
OREMOTE A/B SWITCHING
Jack
Using the Aand BTUNING controls
(below), the tuning of VCO-2 can
be instantly shifted by means of a foot
pedal (Roland DP-2). When the pedal
is depressed, VCO-2 tuning will be de-
termined by the ATUNING control,
when released, by the BTUNING con
trol.
•When there is no connection at the
REMOTE A/B SWITCHING jack ©,
VCO tuning will be determined by the
BTUNING control.
•If the Roland FS-1 Foot Switch is
used, VCO-2 tuning will alternate be-
tween Aand Btuning each time the
switch is depressed.
ATUNING Control; BTUNING
Control
Determines the tuning of VCO-2 in re-
lation to VCO-1; see REMOTE A/B
SWITCHING jacks above.
WAVEFORM DESCRIPTION
IMUMUW^^
Sawtooth
Wave
mr
Square Wave
The sawtooth wave is the
most often used waveform
because it is very rich in tone
color. It contains all har-
monics, as shown in the
graph at the right. Harmo-
nics are frequencies which
are multiples of the funda-
mental (ot pitch) frequency
of the sound.
JUU
Pulse Wave
The square wave is also rich
in tone color but contains
only the odd numbered
harmonics.
The square wave is also rich
in tone color but contains
only the odd numbered
harmonics.
The square wave sounds
much like aclarinet and is
often used to produce
woodwind instrument
sounds, or the sound of the
xylophone.
The harmonic content of the
pulse wave will depend on
the width of the pulses in
the wave. In the graph
at the right, the pulse ratio
is 33% or 1/3; therefore,
the third harmonic and all its
multiples (3, 6, 9, 12, etc.)
are missing from the sound
.
HARMONIC CONTENT
F: Fundamental
F2345678
PULSE WIDTH
at 33% 11/3)
F24578
6

•Tuning VCO-2
After setting the MASTER TUNING
control as shown above, set the
AUDIO MIXER-2 DIRECT LEVEL con-
trol •at "0':and raise the AUDIO
MIXER-1 VCO-2 LEVEL control ©to
produce both VCO sounds. Use the B
TUNING control to tune VCO-2 to
the desired interval in relation to VCO-1
.
Next, connect ai DP-2 Foot Pedal to the
REMOTE A/B SWITCHING jack
and while holding the pedal depressed,
use the A TUNING control £to tune
VCO-2.
*Effective. Use of the Tuning Controls
1. If the BTUNING control is set very
slightly away from perfect unison with
VCO-1. achorus effect is produced.
The accordion would be agood ex-
ample of asound using this effect.
2. When the BTUNING control is set
at unison with VCO-1 and ATUNING
at aperfect fourth or perfect fifth
above, afoot switch can be used to add
the feeling of chords to the music.
3. When the BTUNING control is set
amajor third above VCO-1 and the A
TUNING control aminor third above, a
foot switch can be used to produce
major and minor chords in the music.
PORTAMENTO
*•PORTAMENTO
Portamento is the effect of sliding from
one pitch to another such as is some
times used in trombone or string in-
strument playing.
•PORTAMENTO Control
This slider dertermines the amount of
time required to slide from one pitch to
the next. At "0", there is no porta-
ment effect; at "10". portamento time
is maximum.
%PORTAMENTO REMOTE
SWITCHING Jeck
This jack is used for controlling the
ON/OFF function of the portamento
effect by means of afoot switch (DP-2
or FS-l). When the DP-2 Foot Pedal is
depressed, the indicator next to the
slider lights showing that the porta-
mento is in effect. When the pedal is
released, the indicator goes out show-
ing that the portamento effect is OFF.
With the FS-l Foot Switch, the effect
will alternate between ON and OFF
each time the switch is pressed.
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•AUDIO MIXER-1
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•VCO-1 SUB LEVEL Control
The VCO-1 sub-oscillator generates a
pitch one octave below the VCO-1
pitch. This slider determines the a-
mount of this lower level pitch which
is to be mixed with the synthesizer out-
put sound.
•The sub-oscillator produces asquare
wave only.
•VCO-1 LEVEL Control
Determines the level of the VCO-1
sound.
•VCO-2 LEVEL Control
Determines the level of the VCO-2
sound.
•AUDIO MIXER-1 serves the purpose
of mixing together the three synthesizer
outputs: VCO-1 SUB, VCO-1, and
VCO-2. The output of this mixer is sent
totheVCF.
ENV GENERATOR
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iVCF
(Voltage Controlled Filter)
The envelope generator is triggered into
operation by means of the gate pulse
and generates avoltage whose level
varies with time according to how the
controls are set. The most common
use of this control voltage output is for
control of the loudness of the synthe-
sizer output sound.
•A(ATTACK TIME) Control
This control determines the amont of
time required for output sound of the
synthesizer to jump to maximum loud-
ness once The envelope generator has
been triggered. At "0", the time is very
short (1 ms) and produces avery per-
cussive sound. When the control is
raised, the sound fades in much like a
violine which is bowed slowly.
•D(DECAY TIME) Control
The control determines the amount of
time required for the sound level to fall
to the level set by the SUSTAIN con-
trol •(below). At "0", decay time is
very short (2 ms).
twv FCH
8
•S (SUSTAIN LEVEL) Control
This control determines the output
level of notes which are sustained. At
"0", the output level will be minimum.
At "10", the output level will be the
same as the level reached at the end of
attack time.
The gate pulse triggers the envelope
generator into operation and the sound
rises (attack time) to its maximum level,
then falls (decay time) to the level set
by the SUSTAIN control #.This level
is then held until the gate pulse ceases.
The VCF (voltage controlled filter) is a
filter whose filtering characteristics are
controlled by acontrol voltage. The
VCF controls the tone color of the
synthesizer output sound by removing
and/or accenting harmonics contained
in the sound coming from AUDIO
MIXER-1.
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©VCF CUTOFF FREQUENCY
Control
The VCF is alow pass filter. This means
that it passes low frequencies and
blocks higher frequencies. The CUT-
OFF FREQUENCY control ®deter-
mines the rough dividing line between
those frequencies which are passed
and those which are not.
With the CUTOFF FREQUENCY con-
trol at "10", the VCF passes all
sound without affecting it. If the slider
is slowly moved downwards, the filter
will begin to slowly shave off the upper
harmonics of the sound coming from
AUDIO MIXER-1 .This has the effect of
rounding the sharp corners of the
waveform which passes through the
VCF. With the CUTOFF FREQUENCY
control ®at MIN (minimum), almost
all sound is removed by the VCF.
•VCF RESONANCE Control
The RESONANCE control ©serves to
accent the frequencies at the cutoff
point of the VCF. (The cutoff point of
the VCF is determined by the position
of the VCF CUTOFF FREQUENCY con-
trol •above). At "0", the
RESONANCE control $has no ef-
fect. The effect becomes stronger the
higher the control is rasied. At about
"8" or so, the frequencies at the cutoff
point of the VCF are accented so
strongly that the VCF starts to oscillate
by itself, or in other words, it begins
generating sound even with no input
to the VCF. The frequency or pitch of
this sound is determined by the position
of the VCF CUTOFF FREQUENCY
control ©.
Sounds which are particularly associ-
ated with the synthesizer are produced
by setting the VCF RESONANCE con-
trol 9high (but lower then "8") and
causing the VCF cutoff frequency to
sweep up and /or down when notes
are produced.
Raising the VCF RESONANCE control
©has the effect of lowering the level
of the output sound; with some set-
tings it may be necessary to raise the
external amplifier volume control.
VCF FREQUENCY RESPONSE
^CUTOFFHIGH
LEVEL
OUTPUT WAVEFORMS
IdB)
11
FREQUENCY 1Hz)
aCUTOFF MEDIUM
SQUARE WAVE
INPUT
juir
SAWTOOTH WAVE
INPUT
i
LEVEL
(dB)
i
FREQUENCY (Hz)
CUTOFF MEDIUM LOW JI
LEVEL
(dB)
—I 1i_
FREQUENCY <Hz)
VCF FREQUENCY RESPONSE OUTPUT WAVEFORMS
LEVEL
(dB!
NO RESONANCE SQUARE WAVE
INPUT SAWTOOTH WAVE
INPUT
FREQUENCY (Hz)
LEVEL
IdB)
*MEDIUM RESONANCF 4
fVw>
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LEVEL
(dB)
FREQUENCY (Hz)
*HIGH RESONANCE
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FREQUENCY (Hz)
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©VCF PITCH FOLLOWER Control
This control allows the VCF cutoff
frequency to be controlled by means of
the pitch control voltage derived from
the SPV-355 input signal. Tne tone
color of most instruments changes with
pitch; higher pitches are usually
brighter. This effect can be imitated by
raising the PITCH FOLLOWER control
©so that the VCF cutoff frequency
follows the VCO pitch chages. The tone
color will remain unchanged for all
pitches but because of the way we
hear, the higher pitches will sound
brighter. If the VCF PITCH FOLLOWER
control ©is set at "0", the VCF cut-
off frequency will remain fixed. Lower
pitches will be farther away from the
cutoff point, thus they will be brighter.
Higher pitches will be nearer the cutoff
frequency, or even above it, in which
case it is possible that ail or most of the
sound would be cut off.
•VCF ENVELOPE SLECTOR
Switch
Selects the envelope source to be used
for control of the VCF cutoff frequency.
At ENV GEN {envelope generator), the
VCF cutoff frequency will follow the
shape of the envelope produced by the
envelope generator (p. 8). At ENV
FOL'R (envelope follower, see p. 10),
the VCF cutoff frequency will follow
the envelope (loudness contour) of the
SPV-355 input signal.
®VCF ENVELOPE LEVEL Control
Determines the depth and polarity of
control that the envelope source will
have on the VCF cutoff frequency.
At the
center "0" mark, the envelope source
does not affect the VCF. Moving the
slider up will cause the VCF cutoff
frequency to follow the contour of the
envelope source. Moving the slider
down wifl cause the VCF cutoff fre-
quency to follow the envelope source,
but in the opposite direction. In other
words, when the envelope voltage
moves upward, the cutoff frequency
will move downwards.
•With the VCF ENVELOPE LEVEL
control ©up, the VCF CUTOFF
FREQUENCY control ©should be
kept low; with the VCF ENVELOPE
LEVEL control ©down, the VCF
CUTOFF FREQUENCY control ©
should be kept high. If this is not done,
the envelope source will have little or
no effect on the cutoff frequency.
9
.. .: .' ,,..':

r•About the ENVEOPE FOLLOWER
The tone color of many instruments will
change during the production of each
note. This effect can be imitated by
controlling the VCF cutoff frequency
with the envelope generator. Since the
SPV-355 uses an audio signal as its
major control input, it is possible to
extract the original envelope from this
signal and use it to control both the
VCA (explained below! and the VCF.
The result is avery natural sound.
Using the envelope follower to control
the VCF while using aguitar, for
example, can produce very effective
results since the tone color will vary
with and can be controlled by your
picking technique.
IWOT SIGNAL
EhVFOL*
OUTPUT
•As can be seen in the block diagram
of the SPV-355 (p. 18), the gate pulse
is derived from the input signal by
detecting the input signal level, where
as the envelope follower voltage is
derived from the input waveform itself.
If there is no input signal, as will usually
be the case when using the gate and
CV inputs on the rear panel, the enve-
lope follower will not work.
VCA
(Voltage Controlled Amplifier)
The VCA (voltage controlled amplifier)
is an amplifier whose output level is
controlled by a control voltage. Normal-
ly, the VCA is controlled by the enve-
lope source so that the loudness of the
synthesizer output sound will follow
the shape of the controlling envelope.
•VCA ENVELOPE SELECTOR
Switch
Selects the envelope source to be used
for control of the VCA. At ENV GEN
(envelope generator), the output sound
of the synthesizer will follow the lou-
ness contours produced by the enve-
lope generator; at ENV FOL'R (enve-
lope follower), the output level of the
synthesizer will follow the loudness
contours of the input signal
.
AUDIO MIXER-2 m
AUDIO MIXER-2 is used for mixing the
output of the synthesizer with the di-
rect signal before going to the SPV-355
OUTPUT jack ®
SYNTHESIZER LEVEL control
Controls the output level of the sound
produced with the synthesizer.
DIRECT LEVEL Control
This slider controls the output level of
the audio signai which is taken directly
from the input stage of the SPV-355.

•MIX/DIRECT SELECTOR
Switch
This switch allows simple and instan-
taneous switching between the synthe-
sizer +direct and direct only sounds.
At DIRECT, the signal at the OUTPUT
jack ®is exactly the same as the
signal at the INPUT jack #.At MIX
(S+-D) (synthesizer +direct), the indi-
cator above the switch lights and the
output of AUDIO MIXER-2 appears at
the OUTPUT jack #
©MIX/DIRECT REMOTE
SWITCHING Jack
This jack allows the MIX/DIRECT
SELECTOR switch •function to be
controlled remotely with apedal switch
(DP-2> or foot switch (FS-1).
•CV &GATE HOLD Jack
To use this function, set the VCA
ENVELOPE SELECTOR swtich #at
ENV GEN and connect apedal switch
(DP-2) to the CV & GATE HOLD jack
#.If the pedal is pressed while the
synthesizer is producing sound, this
note will be held until the pedal is
released. Pressing the pedal causes the
pitch control voltage to the VCO to be
held and holds the synthesizer gate
pulse ON.
Since the gate pulse is not used when
using the envelope follower function,
the gate hold function will not operate
if the VCA ENVELOPE SELECTOR
switch %is in the ENV FOL'R posi-
tion. If the pedal is pressed using the
envelope follower, the VCO pitch con-
trol voltage will be held so that all notes
produced will have the same pitch.
•OUTPUT Jack
Pi
it
PEDALControl ... ^,
>
**- VCO SENSITIVITY LEVEL
Control
This control determines the depth of
control afoot volume control will have
on the VCO pitch. At center '0", the
pedal will have no effect. If the control
is raised, pressing the pedal down will
cause the VCO pitch to rise If the con-
trol is lowered, pressing the pedal will
cause the VCO pitch to fall.
•VCF SENSITIVITY LEVEL
Control
Determines the depth of control a foot
pedal will have on the VCF cutoff fre-
quency.
•When using the FV-2 Foot Volume,
be sure to set the MINIMUM VOLUME
control at "0".
•FOOT VOLUME Jack
This jack is for using afoot volume
control (FV-21 to manually control the
VCO pitch and/or VCF cutoff fre-
quency.
; i
•REAR PANEL
AEXT (external) EFFECT SEND
Jack
When using an external effect unit,
connect this jack to the effect unit in-
put jack.
EXT (external) EFFECT RETURN
When using an external effect unit,
connect this jack to the output of the
effect unit.
•Since the external effect device will
be in series with the SPV-355, the ef-
fect device should be set for EFFECT +
DIRECT output.
•When not using an external effect
device, there should be no connections
at the EFFECT SEND Aand EFFECT
RETURN '& jacks.
CV OUT Jack
The output at thi-s jack is the control
voltage which is derived from the
pitch of the SPV-355 input signal. For
controlling an external synthesizer,
connect to the external synthesizer's
CV input.
GATE OUT Jack
The output at this jack is the gate
pulse which is derived from the SPV-
355 input signal. For triggering an ex-
ternal synthesizer, connect to the ex-
ternal synthesizer's gate input.
<£> ENV FOL'R (Envelope Follower)
OUT Jack
The output of this jack is the envelope
voltage derived from the envelope fol-
lower. For control of an external syn-
thesizer, connect directly to the ex-
ternal synthesizer's VCF and/or VCA
modulation inputs.
©CV IN Jack
This jack allows control of the SPV-355
pitch from an external control voltage
source such as ar external synthesizer
keyboard controller or sequencer. The
internal connection to the INPUT
SECTION (p. 5) pitch circuits is cut
when using this jack.
QGATE.POT Jack
This jack allows triggering of the SPV-
355 from an external source such as a
synthesizer keyboard controller or a
sequencer. The internal connection to
the INPUT SECTION (p. 5) gate circuit
is broken when using this jack.
Mi
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•Obtaining Good Results with the SPV-355
If you use an oscilloscope to look at
the waveform produced by music in-
struments, you will find that it is ex-
tremely complex. This is because the
sound contains many harmonics in ad-
dition to the basic fundamental pitch.
Each instrument produces its own uni-
que waveform. The function of the in-
put section of the PV-355 is to eliminate
these upper harmonics leaving only the
fundamental from which the pitch can
be determined and converted into a
control voltage. Good results are esaier
to obtain when the input sound is mel-
low and contains few harmonics.
With very little practice, you should be
able to produce good results from the
SPV-355 using only ordinary playing
techniques. The following hints should
be helpful.
*Hints for Good Operation
Overall:
1. Use only amonophonic melody line
source for control.
2. Be careful of hum and noise from
the external sound source since these
can cause tracking errors (see "Track-
ing Errors" below).
3. Bass instruments (string bass, bass
guitar, tuba, etc.) cannot be used.
Electric Guitar:
1. Use apickup close to the neck.
2. Set the guitar TONE and VOLUME
control at maximum.
3. Prefer higher finger positions (above
the fifth fret).
4. Tracking errors become more dif-
ficult with higher pitches, so higher
pitches should be prefered.
5. Mute all strings which are not in use.
Each note should be produced only
after the previous note has been com-
pletely dampened.
6. Ahumbucking pickup is better than
asingle coil pickup.
7. Each guitar is an individual instru-
ment and will tend to produce its own
particular tracking error problems. The
key to this problem is experimentation;
know what can be done and what can-
not be done with the instrument in
question.
8. If you sit on top of an amplifier
while playing, this can cause hum and/
or tracking errors in the SPV-355.
Wind Instruments:
1. Use acontact pickup (connect di-
rectly to the INPUT jack •)
2. Avoid using avocal microphone.
Wind disturbances will cause tracking
errors.
3. Play with asoft tone and use a
moderate amount of tounging.
4. Striking keys or valves with great
force can cause the pickup to produce
thumps which in turn cause tracking
errors.
Vocal Microphone:
1. Do not use a microphone with a
built-in low cut filter. Dynamic micro-
phones will probably work best.
2. Open your mouth wide when
singing into the microphone.
•Tracking Errors
Tracking refers to the ability of the syn-
thesizer VCO to follow the pitch of the
input sound. With some instruments,
certain playing techniques can produce
sound with afundamental which is ex-
tremely unstable. This can cause the
synthesizer and direct sound to be of
different pitches, or can cause the syn-
thesizer to lose its sense of pitch al-
together, as happens when you try to
play chords on the input instrument.
*Input Pitch Limitations
The pitch-to-voltage converter has a
lower limit of 70 Hz below which the
pitch-to-voltage conversion will not be
accurate. Also, with pitches which ap-
proach this limit, tracking errors can
occur more easily. The second string
on the electric bass (D one ledger line
below the bass cleff) produces afre-
quency of about 73 Hz.
r
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12

SAMPLE SOUNDS
Clarinet
Since the square wave already sounds
very clarinet-like, it is used as the
foundation tor the clarinet sound.
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Oboe
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The oboe is very rich in harmonics and
uses the pulse wave. The VCF RE-
SONANCE control •is raised so as
to accent the frequencies at the cutoff
point of the VCF.
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Trumpet
The trumpet uses the sawtooth wave.
The envelope generator is used to con-
trol the VCF cutoff frequency to pro-
duce abrassy sound. Try various set-
tingsof the envelope generator ATTACK
control
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Violin
The violin sound uses the 8' sawtooth
wave output of the VCO. The VCF
CUTOFF FREQUENCY control *is
set high. Change the envelope genera-
tor ATTACK control •to match the
particular phrasing and playing style
desired.
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Cello
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Accordion
The 'cello sound uses the 16' pulse
wave. VCO-2 is used to give depth to
the sound. Tune VCO-2 to near unison
withVCO-1.
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Tune VCO-2 to near unison with VCO
1.Use the VCO-1 SUB oscillator to fat
ten the sound, if desired.
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Xylophone
The xylophone sound uses the 4'
square wave. Adjust the sound using
the envelope generator DECAY #and
SUSTAIN #controls.
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Bass Drum
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Many percussion instrument sounds
can be imitated by raising the VCF
RESONANCE control •to maximum
and using the VCF as the sound source
instead of the VCO. The VCF CUTOFF
FREQUENCY control •determines
the pitch of the output sound and be
adjusted to produce other sounds such
as torn toms, congos, bongos, etc.
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With this sound, the envelope gene-
rator is used to control the cutoff fre-
quency of the VCF. With the RE-
SONANCE control •raised, this
causes the tone color of the sound to
change during the attack portion of the
sound. This sound is also good with
VCO-2 and/or VCO-1 SUB added. If
the envelope generator settings are
changed, there will be alarge change
in the tone color of the sound.
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This sound is produced by means of an
oscillating VCF. The frequency pro-
duced by the VCF is controlled by the
envelope generator.
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•
•Rack Mounting the
SPV-355
The SPV-355 can be mounted in a
standard 19" rack using 5mm screws
as shown in the drawing.
Washer
5mm screw
9
19" RACK
18

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•SPECIFICATIONS
SPV-355 P/V SYNTHESIZER
INPUT SECTION Controls
THRESHOLD Control t)
INPUT SELECTOR Switch
INPUT LEVEL INDICATORS
SYNTHESIZER SECTION controls
DualVC0(VC0-1,VC0-2>
WAVEFORM Switch (Anj n_j }%
RANGE Switch (4', 8', 16') £
MASTER TUNING Control (±250
cents) •
ATUNING Control! ±1200 cents) ©
BTUNING Control (±1200 cents)
TUNING INDICATORS (A, B)
VCO-1 SUB (1 octave down, iu)
PORTAMENTO Controls
PORTAMENTO ControM0-3s)
PORTAMENTO ON/OFF
INDICATOR
AUDIO MIXER-1 Controls
VCO-1 SUB LEVEL Control
VCO-1 LEVEL Control
VCO-2 LEVEL Control
VCF Controls
CUTOFF FREQUENCY Control
(10Hz-20kHz> •
RESONANCE Control (0 -self
oscillation) #
PITCH FOLLOW Control •
ENVELOPE SLECTOR Switch (ENV
GEN;ENVFOL'R) •
ENVELOPE LEVEL Control (fX v/)|
VCA Controls
ENVELOPE SELECTOR Switch (ENV
GEN;ENVFOL'R)#
ENVELOPE GENERATOR Controls
ATTACK TIME Control (1 ms-3.5s)€
DECAY TIME Control (2ms-7s>#
SUSTAIN LEVEL Control (0- 100%) (
AUDIO MIXER 2Controls
SYNTHESIZER LEVEL Control •
DIRECT LEVE Control •
MIX/DIRECT SELECTOR Switch e)
MIX/DIRECT INDICATOR
PEDAL CONTROL SECTION
VCO SENSITIVITY LEVEL Control •
VCF SENSITIVITY LEVEL Control •
CONNECTORS
Input and output
INPUT Jack •
OUTPUT Jack (input/output level =
1:1)»
Remote Controls
VCO-2 tuning: REMOTE A/B
SWITCHING Jack ©
PORTAMENTO REMOTE ON/OFF
SWITCHING Jack •
AUDIO MIXER-2: MIX/DIRECT
REMOTE SWITCHING Jack #
CV& GATE HOLD Jack •
PEDAL CONTROL: VCO/VCF FOOT
VOLUME Jack #
REAR PANEL
CV OUT Jack (1V/oct) ©
GATE OUT JacK (OFF: 0V; ON:
+15V)©
ENV FOL'R OUT Jack (0- +10V) ©
CVIN JackUV/oct)©
GATE IN Jack (Threshold: +3.8VJ©
EFFECT SEND Jack A
EFFECT RETURN Jack
POWER SWITCH
indicator with
Power Consumption: 13 W
Dimensions:
482(W) X92(H) x350(D) mm
19(W)x3%(H)x 13%(D)m.
Fits standard 19" rack IEIA-2U)
Weight: 5. 7kg/ 121b. 9uz.
Accessories:
Pedal Switch (DP-2)
2.5m Connection Cord (PJ-1)
OPTION
.
DP-2 FS-1 FS-2 FS-3
FV-2
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SPV-355 OWNER'S MANUAL '83 JAN. C-2 Roland Corporation &
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