Roland XV-88 User manual

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XV-88
Expandable Synthesizer
TurboStart
TBS116 © 2000 Roland Corporation U.S., 5100 S. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles CA 90040 Faxback # 20147 Page 1
It’s a Fact…
The XV-88 is an expandable, performance-oriented
synthesizer using Roland’s newest synthesizer
engine. Features include:
• 88-note precision hammer-action keyboard with
aftertouch
• Realtime control via 4 sliders and light-sensing
D-Beam* controller
• Accepts two SR-JV80-Series and two SRX-
Series wave expansion boards
• Advanced arpeggiator functions
• 128-voice polyphony, 16-Part multitimbral
*D-Beam controller technology has been licensed
from Interactive Light, Inc.
Initializing
Use the following procedure to initialize the XV-88
and restore its factory settings:
1. Press UTILITY.
2. Cursor down to Utility Menu 2.
3. Cursor right three times to select FACTORY RESET.
4. Press ENTER twice.
5. If Internal Write Protect is set to ON, turn the
VALUE dial to select OFF.
6. Press ENTER three times.
Playing the Demo Songs
Use the following procedure to play the built-in demo
songs:
1. While holding SHIFT, press PHRASE PREVIEW.
2. Turn the VALUE dial to select a song.
Note: There are two demo songs: “La Movida,” and
“Epic Passage.” You can also select Chain Play,
which will cycle through both songs.
3. Press ENTER to begin playback.
4. Press EXIT to end playback.
5. Press EXIT to leave the demo song mode.
Selecting and Auditioning Patches
The XV-88 comes packed with over 1100 patches,
and can be expanded to over 1700 patches using the
optional expansion boards. The Patch Finder makes
it easy to locate the sounds you need by grouping
them into 38 categories (Piano, Brass, Synth Bass,
etc.).
Use the following procedure to select patches using
the Patch Finder:
1. Press PATCH, then press PATCH FINDER.
2. Cursor up and down to select a category.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to select a patch in the
currently selected category.
4. Play the keyboard, or press PHRASE PREVIEW
to hear a short phrase with the selected sound.
5. Press PATCH FINDER—so it’s not lit—to exit.
Note: You’ll notice that Phrase Preview plays a
sequence appropriate to each sound category.
Realtime Control
You can quickly modify any sound you’re playing by
using the XV-88’s Sound Palette and D-Beam. Use
the following procedure:
1. Select a patch as previously described.
2. Press FILTER/ENV so it’s lit. As you play the
XV-88's keyboard, move the Palette Sliders to
change the nature of the patch’s sound.
3. Press the D-Beam On/Off switch so it’s lit, and
move your hand above the D-Beam lens as you
play the keyboard.
Try out these techniques with these patches:
• USER: 012 Square Roots
• USER: 059 Talking Box
• USER: 084 Solo SoprSax
• USER: 093 BOG
• USER: 121 5th Atm/Aft
• USER: 124 Tape Strings
Note: You can set up the Palette Sliders and D-Beam
to control other parameters in the XV-88 and in
external MIDI devices. See Page 66 in the XV-88
Quick Start for more information on using the Palette
Sliders, and Pages 63 and 64 in the XV-88 Quick
Start for more information on using the D-Beam.

®ÂØÒňή
XV-88
Expandable Synthesizer
TurboStart
TBS116 © 2000 Roland Corporation U.S., 5100 S. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles CA 90040 Faxback # 20147 Page 2
Using the Arpeggiator
The XV-88’s arpeggiator can add a dynamic element
to live playing. Use the following procedure to
activate and use the arpeggiator:
1. Press ARPEGGIO so it’s lit.
2. Hold down several keys on the keyboard.
3. While holding ARPEGGIO, cursor to Style, and
turn the VALUE dial to select the desired type of
arpeggiation.
Using the Favorite List
You can collect all of your favorite patches and
rhythm sets in a “favorite list” that allows you to get to
them quickly and easily.
Use the following procedure to store and retrieve
patches and rhythm sets using the favorite list:
1. Select a patch or rhythm set you’d like to store in
your favorite list.
2. While holding SHIFT, press ENTER to store the sound in
the list.
3. Hold SHIFT and press PATCH FINDER to view
the favorite list.
4. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired patch
or rhythm set.
5. To remove the currently selected patch or
rhythm set from the favorite list, hold SHIFT and
press UNDO/COMPARE.
6. Press EXIT to leave the favorite list.
Saving Data to a SmartMedia Card
All of the settings in internal memory can be saved as
a single file onto a SmartMedia card. Use the
following procedure to format and save data to a
SmartMedia card. If your card is already formatted,
skip Steps 4-7:
1. Insert the Smart Media card into the XV-88.
2. Press UTILITY.
3. Cursor down to access Utility Menu 2.
4. Cursor to CARD and press ENTER.
5. Cursor to FORMAT and press ENTER.
6. Press ENTER twice to format the card.
Note: This will erase all of the data on the card.
7. Press EXIT twice.
8. Cursor to SAVE, and press ENTER.
9. Use the CURSOR buttons and the VALUE dial to
name the file you’re saving, then press ENTER.
Selecting Performances
Use performances to create layers, splits, or other
complex combinations of up to 16 patches and
rhythm sets, and for using the XV-88 with a multitrack
sequencer.
Here’s how to select a performance:
1. Press PERFORM.
2. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired
performance.
Try out the following performances:
• USER: 01 Andreas Cave (layered patches)
• USER: 02 XV Piano&Bs (2-way split)
• USER: 11 Humanizer (cool effects)
• USER: 17 SuiteCombo+ (4-way split)
The above performances are set up for live-
performance applications. If you’re connecting the
XV-88 to a sequencer, check out these
performances:
• PR-A: 04 SEQ: Fusion
• PR-A: 03 SEQ: FunkRock
• PR-A: 17 SEQ: World
Note: These performances (and the entire Preset A
bank) are optimized for sequencing. They have all 16
MIDI channels turned on and patches assigned to
them. For more information on using Performance
mode, see Pages 35-60 in the XV-88 Quick Start.
When sequencing, you may also need to adjust the
XV-88’s Local On/Off parameter —see Pages 169-
170 in the XV-88 Owner’s Manual to learn about this
parameter.
Using the XV-88 in GM Mode
General MIDI mode is great for playing back
Standard MIDI Files using the XV-88’s sounds. Use
the following procedure to enter and use General
MIDI mode:
1. While holding SHIFT, press PERFORM.
2. Use the left and right CURSOR keys to select
Part 1-16 as shown in the upper-right corner of
the display. The 16 parts correspond to MIDI
Channels 1-16, respectively.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to choose a patch for the
currently selected part.
4. Press PATCH or PERFORM to exit GM mode.