Roland XP-80 User Manual

❚

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Roland XP-80 Music Workstation. The XP-80 effectively combines a synthesizer sound source and sequencer whose performance and functions are on a par with the Roland XP-50, along with extended functions for easier operation and a wide scope of music production. From live performance to desk top music applications, the XP-80 delivers all the power to produce great music.

❚

Using the XP-80 manuals

To be able to enjoy the full music-making potential of the XP-80, become completely familiar with its functionality and have trouble-free use, please take some time to read this Quick Start and the Owner’s Manual.

Quick Start

This manual explains how you can quickly and easily begin enjoying the XP-80. To take complete advantage of the many advanced functions of the XP-80, first read the Quick Start manual, then the Owner’s Manual.

Owner’s Manual

Be sure to read Chapter 1 which explains XP-80 basic concepts and operation. The remaining chapters can be read for more information as necessary, referring to the contents or indices.

❚

Contents

Names and functions of buttons and

controls..............................................2

Connect your XP-80..........................6

Turn the power on.............................7

Play a demo song..............................8

Play sounds.....................................10

Reset to default factory settings.................................10

Select and play Patches.............................................10

Play percussion sounds from the keyboard...............11

Try out performance functions ...................................12

Play arpeggios (Arpeggiator) .....................................14

Try out the demo disk.....................15

Listen to the demo songs...........................................15

Play back a pattern by pressing specific keys (RPS).16

Combine Patterns for playback..................................16

Add rhythmic ‘feel’ to the songs.................................18

Try out some user groove templates..........................18

Playing songs in sequence (Chain Play)....................20

Record a song.................................21

Select a Performance.................................................21

Clear internal memory................................................22

Record the drums using realtime recording...............22

View the recorded data..............................................25

Record the bass using step recording........................25

Record the melody using realtime recording..............27

Create an appropriate Performance

for the song .....................................29

Select a different Patch for the melody......................29

Assign a new name to the Performance....................29

Store the Performance...............................................30

Save your new song........................31

Format a disk .............................................................31

Save your song to disk...............................................32

DanceKit...........................................33

Profiles of composers.....................36

QUICK START

❚

Front panel

A. SOUND PALETTE section

Use the four sliders to modify sounds in real time.

[FILTER/ENV]

Press this button ON when modifying filter and/or envelope settings in real time using the four sliders.

[LEVEL]

Press this button ON when adjusting volume balance in real time using the four sliders.

B. KEY EFFECTS section

The buttons in this section allow you to assign various functions to the keys of the XP-80’s keyboard.

[RPS]

Switches RPS on/off.

[ARPEGGIO]

Switches Arpeggiator on/off.

[PORTAMENTO]

Switches Portamento on/off.

[SOLO]

Specifies playing a single note at a time.

[TRANSPOSE]

Specifies transposing the keyboard in semitone steps.

[+OCT], [-OCT]

These buttons adjust the pitch of the keyboard in octave steps.

Pressing either of these buttons while holding down [TRANSPOSE] allows you to set the desired amount of transposition.

C. MODE section

The buttons in this section select modes. The button indicator of the selected mode will light.

D. EFFECTS section

The buttons in this section turn their respective internal effects (EFX, Chorus and Reverb) on/off.

[EFX]

Switches the multiple effects unit (EFX) on/off.

[CHORUS]

Switches Chorus on/off.

[REVERB]

Switches Reverb on/off.

E. [F1]–[F6] (Function buttons)

Each of these buttons corresponds to a function indicated at the display bottom. The functions of these buttons change depending on the selected mode or the current display.

[LOCAL/TX/RX]

This button opens the LOCAL/TX/RX window for switching Local, Transmit and Receive switches on/off.

[EXIT]/[PANIC]

The function of this button changes depending on whether you hold down [SHIFT] or not.

EXIT: Press this button to return to the Play display of a mode, or when you want to cancel the current operation.

PANIC: If notes stick or do not sound, hold down [SHIFT] and press this.

GM PANIC

EFFECTS

MODESOUND PSOUND PALEALETTETE

KEY EFFECTS

F2 F3 F4 F5 F6

EXIT

CHAIN PLAYSEQUENCER

RHYTHMPATCH

UNDO/ REDO

LOCATE

+ OCT- OCTTRANSPOSE

PORTAMENTO SOLO

ARPEGGIO

REVERBCHORUSEFX

SOUND LIST

12345678

9 10111213141516

12345678

TRACK/ PART

BANK

NUMBER

2345678

LOCAL/ TX/ RX

PERFORMFILTER/ ENV

LEVEL

UTILITYSYSTEM DISK

RPS

FILTER/ENV

LEVEL

DECAYRESO. ATTACKCUTOFF

234

PART

TEMPO/ BEAT PA TTERN

TONE SWITCH

TONE SELECT

DEMO

A B

a/b/c/d

Names and functions of buttons and controls

[SOUND LIST] / [TEMPO/BEAT]

The function of this button changes depending on the selected mode.

SOUND LIST: Opens the Sound List window when a sound source mode display is up.

TEMPO/BEAT: Press this button for selecting a tempo track or beat track when a Sequencer mode display is up. If you have temporarily modified the tempo and wish to play back the song with its initial tempo, press it while holding down [SHIFT].

[a/b/c/d] / [PATTERN]

The function of this button changes depending on the mode on display.

a/b/c/d: Select a subgroup (a/b/c/d) when selecting a Patch/Performance/Rhythm Set using the Bank/Number method.

PATTERN: Select a Pattern when a Sequencer mode display is up.

[LOCATE]

This button opens the Locate window to specify and move the locate position.

[UNDO/REDO]

Press this button to restore a modified value to its previous (pre-modified) state, or when cancelling recording or a currently executing operation. Pressing this button again will restart the recording/operation.

BANK [1]–[8], NUMBER [1]–[8] / TRACK / PART [1]–[16]

The functions of these buttons change depending on the display which is showing.

Play display of a sound source mode: Selects a Patch/Performance/Rhythm Set with the Bank /Number method. Use BANK [1]–[8] buttons to select a bank and NUMBER [1]–[8] buttons to select a number.

Performance edit display: Use TRACK/PART [1]–[16] buttons to select the Part to be modified.

Patch edit display: TRACK/PART [1]–[4] buttons (TONE SWITCH) are used to switch a Tone on/off. Use TRACK/PART [5]–[8] buttons (TONE SELECT) to select the Tone to be modified.

Rhythm Set edit display: Use TRACK/PART [5]–[8] buttons (TONE SELECT) to select the note of the keyboard to be modified.

Sequencer mode: Use TRACK/PART [1]–[16] buttons to select a phrase track or Part. During song playback/recording, these buttons can be used to switch between the Play and Mute of a phrase track.

[l], [r], [u], [d] (Cursor buttons)

Move the cursor (black box) with these.

[INC], [DEC]

Use these buttons to modify values. If you keep on holding down one button and pressing the other, the value change accelerates. If you press one of these buttons while holding down [SHIFT], the value will change in bigger increments.

I. SEQUENCER section

The buttons in this section are used for playback and recording of the XP-80’s sequencer.

[REC]

Press this to begin recording.

BEAT indicator

This blinks in sync with the tempo and beat of the song.

[LOOP]

Press this to turn Loop Play and Loop Recording on/off.

[BWD]

Press this to “rewind” a song. Pressing this button while holding down [SHIFT] moves you right back to the beginning of the song. If you hold down this button as you press [FWD], the song will “rewind” faster.

[STOP/PLAY]

Press this button to start or stop playback of the song.

E F

A DIGIT HOLD

+ -

SEQUENCER

YZ!VWXSTU

PQRMNOJKL

GHIDEFABC

ENTERSHIFT SPACE

REC BEAT

BWD FWDSTOP/ PLAY

LOOP

DEC INC

VALUE

123

456

789

[FWD]

Use this button to fast-forward the song. Pressing this button while holding down [SHIFT] moves you to the end of the song. If you hold down this button as you press [BWD], the song will fast-forward faster.

[0]–[9] (Numeric keys)

Use these to set a value. They can be used to enter numeric values as well as alphabetical characters and notes.

[SHIFT]

This is used in combination with other buttons. Some buttons on the front panel include grey-printed characters. They indicate the button’s function when [SHIFT] is held down.

[ENTER] / [DIGIT HOLD]

The function of this button changes depending on whether [SHIFT] is being held down or not.

ENTER: Use this button to finalize a value. DIGIT HOLD: Press this button while holding down

[SHIFT] to turn the Digit Hold function on/off. With the Digit Hold on, the 100’s place and 10’s place will be fixed and only the 1’s place will change. This means that you can select Patches simply by pressing the numeric key for the 1’s place, without having to press [ENTER].

Display

Shows various information for the currently selected function or operation.

VALUE dial

This dial is used to modify values. If you hold down [SHIFT] as you turn the VALUE dial, the value will change in greater increments.

❚

Side panel

VOLUME slider

This slider adjusts the overall output level from the rear panel OUTPUT and PHONES jacks.

C1 slider, C2 slider

Various parameters or functions can be assigned to these sliders, so you can control the sound source section as you play.

Pitch bend / modulation lever

This allows you to control pitch bend or apply vibrato. Depending on the settings, other specified parameters can also be controlled.

Floppy disk drive

3.5” 2DD/2HD floppy disks can be used. Press the eject switch located at the lower right of the disk drive to remove a disk.

VOLUME C2C 1

❚

Rear panel

Power switch

Press to turn the power on/off.

AC inlet

Connect the AC power cable (included) to this inlet. ✳ With units rated for 117V operation, the AC cable is

already connected to the unit.

CONTROL PEDAL 1–4 jacks

You can connect optional expression pedals to these jacks. By assigning a desired function to a pedal, you can use it to select or modify sound or perform various other control. You can also connect optional pedal switches to sustain sound.

HOLD jack

An optional pedal switch can be connected to this jack for use as a hold pedal.

MIDI connectors

These connectors can be connected to other MIDI devices to receive and transmit MIDI messages.

CLICK OUT LEVEL knob

Adjusts the level of the click sound to be output to external devices.

CLICK OUT OUTPUT jack

Connect a cable to this jack when sending clicks to external devices.

OUTPUT DIRECT R jack, OUTPUT DIRECT L jack

These jacks output only the direct sound (no effects applied) or EFX’d sound in stereo.

OUTPUT MIX R jack, OUTPUT MIX L jack

These jacks output the audio signal to the connected mixer/amplifier system in stereo. For mono output, use the L jack.

PHONES jack

An optional set of headphones can be connected to this jack. Make sure that your headphones have an impedance of 8–150 ohms.

POWER

OUTTHRU

MIDI

CONTROL PEDAL

324

HOLD

OUTPUTLEVEL

OUTPUT

CLICK OUT

PHONES

MIX

DIRECT

The XP-80 does not contain an amp or speakers. In order to hear sound, you will need to connect it to a keyboard amp, audio system, or headphones. Refer to the following diagram and connect the XP-80 to the external equipment you are using.

❶ Before you make connections, make sure that power is turned off for all devices. ✳ If the power is on when you make connections, you may damage your speakers. ❷ Connect supplied AC power cable to the XP-80, and plug the other end into an AC power out-

let.

✳ On 117V models the AC cable is permanently attached to the unit. ❸ Connect audio cables and MIDI cables as shown in the diagram. If you are using headphones,

plug them into the PHONES jack. Connect pedal switches or expression pedals as necessary.

✳ In order to take full advantage of the XP-80’s performance, we recommend using a stereo

amp/speaker system, If you are using a mono system, make you connections to the MIX OUTPUT jack L.

✳ CONTROL PEDAL 1–4 jacks can also accommodate pedal switches.

Power outlet

Expression pedal or pedal switch

Pedal Switch

External MIDI device

Sterero headphones

Stereo set, etc. Speaker with built-in amp,

keyboard amp, etc.

OUTTHRU

MIDI

CONTROL PEDAL

HOLD

POWER

OUTPUT

PHONES

MIX

Connect your XP-80

Once the connections have been completed (p.6), turn on power to your various devices in the order specified. By turning on devices in the wrong order, you risk causing malfunction and/or damage to speakers and other devices.

❶ Before you turn the power on, check to make sure that:

All external devices are correctly connected to the XP-80. The volume controls of the XP-80 and the amp/mixer system are turned down all the way. No disk is in the floppy disk drive.

❷ Turn on the power switch located on the rear panel of the XP-80.

✳ This unit is equipped with a protection circuit. A brief interval (a few seconds) after power up

is required before the unit will operate normally.

❸ Turn the power on of your amp or audio system. ❹ Play the XP-80 and gradually raise the volume controls of the XP-80, your amp or mixer to an

appropriate volume level.

✳ Be careful not to raise the VOLUME slider of the XP-80 too much. Excessive volume may dam-

age your amp/speaker system or could cause hearing problems.

To turn power off

❶ Before you turn power off, check to make sure that:

The volume controls of the XP-80 and the amp/mixer system are turned down all the way. No disk is in the floppy disk drive.

Important data has been saved to a disk (p.32).

❷ Turn off your amp/mixer system. ❸ Turn off the XP-80 power.

POWER

VOLUME C2C 1

Turn the power on

The XP-80 contains a demo song and you use ‘demo play’ to play it. It’s the easiest introduction to the XP-80’s exceptional sounds and effects.

✳ If you play a demo song, the current song existing in internal memory will be lost. To keep the

song in the internal memory, save the song to disk (p.32) before executing demo play.

any other purposes than personal enjoyment, as well as storage to disk form a violation of applicable laws.

✳ Refer to page 36 for the profile of the composer.

❶ Hold down [SEQUENCER] and press [CHAINPLAY].

The confirmation message “DEMO PLAY OK?” will appear.

❷ Press [F5] (OK) to start demo song playback.

If you wish to cancel playback, press [F6] (Cancel). Playback will stop automatically when the song ends. To interrupt playback, press [STOP/PLAY] again.

❸ You can control the volume level or effects parameters of each Part during playback. To modify

the values, press [PERFORM] and follow the procedure below.

MODE

CHAIN PLAYSEQUENCER

RHYTHMPATCHPERFORM

UTILITYSYSTEM DISK

PART

DEMO

F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6

EXIT

LOCAL/ TX/RX

SEQUENCER

REC BEA T

BWD FWDSTOP/ PLAY

LOOP

DEC INC

PANIC

Play a demo song

To modify the volume level of each Part

Press [F6] (Info), then [F4] (Volume) to call up the Part Information display for Volume. Press [l], [r], [u] or [d] to move the cursor (black box) to the Part whose volume level you want to modify and set the desired volume level.

To change panning

Press [F6] (Info), then [F5] (Pan) to call up the Part Information display for Pan. Press [l], [r], [u] or [d] to move the cursor (black box) to the Part whose panning you want to change and set the desired panning value.

To modify effects settings

Press [F5] (Effects) to call up the General display, then select the Part whose effects settings you want to modify by pressing TRACK/PART [1]–[16]. Next press [l], [r], [u] or [d] to move the cursor (black box) to the parameter you want to modify and specify the value.

✳ You can also modify other parameters. For details regarding each parameter, refer to

“Functions of Performance parameters” (p.65) in the Owner's Manual.

Reset to default factory settings

Before using XP-80 for the first time, reset it to its default factory settings using Factory Preset. Different settings may result in unexpected effects.

✳ Factory Preset operation resets all data in the internal memory and user memory to factory pre-

sets. Save any important data to a disk before executing this operation (p.168) in the XP-80 Owner’s Manual.

❶ Press [UTILITY]. ❷ Press the numeric key [8], then [ENTER].

The Factory Preset display (UTILITY/Factory) will appear.

❸ Press [F6] (Execute).

If “Write Protect ON” message is displayed, press [DEC] to turn the setting OFF. After pressing [EXIT] to clear the message, press [F6] (Execute) again to reset to the factory preset settings.

Select and play Patches

The XP-80 contains a large number of sounds ready for you to play. The sounds that you select and play on the XP-80 are generally called ‘Patches.’ Here’s how to select and play Patches.

❶ Press [PATCH].

The Play display (PATCH) will appear.

MODE

CHAIN PLAYSEQUENCER

RHYTHMPATCHPERFORM

UTILITYSYSTEM DISK

PART

DEMO

F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6

EXIT

LOCAL/ TX/RX

PANIC

EFFECTS

REVERBCHORUSEFX

A DIGIT HOLD

+ -

YZ!VWXSTU

PQRMNOJKL

GHIDEFABC

ENTERSHIFT SPACE0

123

456

789

Patch group Patch number Patch name

Play sounds

❷ Play the keyboard and listen to the sound. ❸ To select a different Patch, turn the VALUE dial or press [INC]/[DEC].

Play percussion sounds from the keyboard

The XP-80’s Rhythm Sets contain a wide variety of percussion sounds and special effects. Here’s how to select a Rhythm Set and play percussion sounds.

❶ Press [RHYTHM].

The Play display (RHYTHM) will appear.

❷ Press different keys to play different percussion instruments.

The display will indicate the last-pressed key (note name) and the percussion instrument (wave name) assigned to that key.

✳ The percussion instrument played by each key will depend on the selected Rhythm Set. For

details, refer to “Factory preset settings” (p.206) in the Owner’s Manual.

❸ To select another Rhythm Set, turn the VALUE dial or press [INC]/[DEC].

MODE

CHAIN PLAYSEQUENCER

RHYTHMPATCHPERFORM

UTILIT YSYSTEM DISK

PART

DEMO

EFFECTS

REVERBCHORUSEFX

DEC INC

VALUE

Rhythm set group Rhythm set number Rhythm set name

Note name Wave name

MODE

CHAIN PLAYSEQUENCER

RHYTHMPATCHPERFORM

UTILIT YSYSTEM DISK

PART

DEMO

EFFECTS

REVERBCHORUSEFX

DEC INC

VALUE

+ 25 hidden pages