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Saturday, March 29, 2008
Roland GR-700
via this auction"Introduction to the GR-700:
The GR-700 is classic Roland analog synthesizer technology. Released in late 1984, the GR-700 is the pinnacle of early Roland guitar synthesizer design. The distinctive and futuristic GR-700 features both a digital CPU for guitar tracking and a warm, fat hybrid digital/analog synthesizer engine for lush sounds. The GR-700 has a MIDI out port for controlling other MIDI modules, but the MIDI output is erratic and unreliable. In addition, no pitch bend information is sent via MIDI either.
Like the current generation of Roland guitar synths, the GR-700 controls the internal synth engine directly for faster response. But, make no mistake about it, the GR-700 is not a GR-300. Of all the products Roland has ever made, the GR-700 has the trickiest and most erratic tracking. The GR-700 is certainly better than equivalent products made by other manufactures at the time, but it is inferior to the GR-100, GR-300, GM-70 or the Ibanez MC-1.
For players who were used to the accuracy and speedy response of the GR-300, the GR-700 seemed like a real step backwards. Still, the GR-700 did introduce a new level of programability for guitar synthesizers. And when you consider the design and engineering costs of the Roland G-707 and GR-700, it is clear that Roland made a major commitment to guitar synthesizers.
The GR-700 Synth Engine:
The GR-700 has six, independent, analog synth voices, two oscillators on each voice. Roland digitally clocked these oscillators and called them "DCOs", as a response to the fact that the earlier Roland oscillator’s pitch had a tendency to drift in performance. The DCOs on the GR-700 generate classic analog waveforms: sawtooth wave, square wave, and pulse width modulated wave, as well a noise for special effects. The oscillators on the GR-700 can also be synced with cross modulation for hard, biting analog sounds or with ring modulation for metallic sounds. The GR-700 has a sweet Low Pass Filter with Resonance on each voice, with an additional High Pass Filter. And of course there are complete LFO and Envelope controls. To top it all off, the GR-700 adds a classic Roland analog Chorus circuit! If you like that expansive Roland Chorus found on early 80s products, you will love the Chorus on the GR-700.
The synth engine in the GR-700 is the same synth engine found in the Roland MKS-30 and Jupiter JX-3P. And, like these synths, the Roland GR-700 can use the PG-200 as a programming tool. See below for more information on the MKS-30 as an alternative to the MKS-30.
What Guitars can use the GR-700?
The GR-700 was originally designed to work specifically with the G-707 guitar, however, in my opinion, the best controller for the GR-700 is the excellent Ibanez X-ING IMG2010 guitar. The IMG2010 incorporates many of the features of the G-707 guitar, such as graphite reinforcement for pitch stability, without many of the G-707 "quirks". Naturally, the GR-700 will work with any Roland GR-series guitar, like the G-202, G-303, G-505, G-808 or any guitar with a GK-1 pickup attached, or LPK-1 or STK-1 hardware installed.
Who uses the GR-700?
The GR-700 was played and recorded by such prominent guitarists as Al Dimeola, Robert Fripp, Jimmy Page and Andy Summers. The GR-700 was the top-of-the-line guitar synthesizer system in the mid-eighties. Retail price on a GR-700 was almost two-thousand dollars. More recently, Amir Derakh has used the Roland GR-700 extensively on several records."
Technics SY-1010
via this auction"Technics SY-1010 vintage analog synthesizer. A fun and simple little synth, these were apparently only sold in Japan circa 1979"
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