Roland Corporation G-70 User's Manual

r

Owner’s Manual

ENGLISH ENGLISH

Thank you for purchasing the Roland G-70 Music Workstation. The G-70 is Roland’s most complete arranger keyboard
yet, a collection of all major advantages a Roland instrument can offer: perfect accompaniments, high-class sounds,
the possibility to expand the number of sounds via an optional expansion board (SRX series), a D Beam controller, vir­tual harmonic organ bars, professional effects, a Vocal Harmonist, the Cover functions first introduced on Roland’s
unique DisCover 5 keyboard, a Guitar mode… There’s simply too much to mention in this introduction.

Much care has been taken to facilitate access to all those countless functions, which is why the G-70 comes with a full­color touch screen and a user interface that walks you through anything you may want to do with your G-70.

To get the most out of the G-70 and to ensure many years of trouble-free service, we urge you to read through this
Owner’s Manual thoroughly.

To avoid confusion, let’s agree to use the word “button” for all keys on the front panel, and use “key” only when refer­ring to the G-70’s keyboard.

To save space (and time), let us agree to use the word “song” when referring to Standard MIDI Files.

Before using this instrument, carefully read the “Important notes” on p. 11. They provide information concerning the
proper operation of the G-70. Be sure to keep this manual in a safe place for future reference.

ENGLISH ENGLISH

Copyright © 2005 ROLAND EUROPE. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Roland Europe S.p.a.

G-70

Music Workstation

Features

Features

Roland’s most comprehensive arranger instru­ment ever

The G-70 is quite simply a superlative instrument with
the most advanced and best sound generation technol­ogy Roland has to offer. It combines Roland’s Virtual
ToneWheel technology (derived from our successful VK
series) with a superb internal sound source (based on
the acclaimed Fantom-X series) and the possibility to
expand your sound arsenal using a wave expansion
board of Roland’s SRX series.

New interface concept

The G-70 was designed from the ground up to put its
massive array of functions at your fingertips. The full­color touch-sensitive screen and the large number of
front-panel buttons usually provide direct access to the
available functions, thus doing away with the need to
wade through countless menus.

Parameters that belong together from a musician’s
point of view are usually located on the same or adja­cent display pages, while setting them has been greatly
simplified with respect to earlier arranger instruments.

Cover functions and Makeup Tools for Standard
MIDI Files and Music Styles

Reorchestrating existing Standard MIDI Files and Music
Styles has become a breeze thanks to high-quality Song
and Style Cover presets and an intuitive, instrument­based, set of MAKEUP TOOLS parameters that allow you
to “revoice” your songs and Styles without spending
hours editing single events.

The structure of Standard MIDI Files can be changed in
real-time thanks to four programmable MARK & JUMP
memories, which allows you to play extended versions
of prerecorded songs.

Adaptive Chord Voicing technology

The G-70’s Arranger not only boasts a new structure
(with 4 accompaniment levels, 4 Intros and 4 Ending
phrases) but also relies on a more musical real-time
conversion of the chords you play into meaningful
accompaniment phrases. Roland’s patent-applied-for
ACV technology can indeed transpose Music Style parts
in such a way as to eliminate unnatural jumps of
strings lines, piano chords, etc.

Guitar mode

The G-70 features a Guitar mode that allows you to
play super-realistic electric and acoustic guitar parts.
Those parts can be used both alongside the Arranger
(live applications) and recorded using the G-70’s
16-track Sequencer/Recorder and the Style Composer.

Professional Vocal Harmonist

Another highlight of the G-70 is its Vocal Harmonist
that adds automatic harmonies to your singing, com­plete with several modes for transforming your (or
someone else’s) voice.

This implies, of course, that you can connect an
optional (Roland DR-10 or DR-20) microphone to the
G-70. Other signal sources (synthesizers, etc.) can also
be connected. Note that a separate EXTERNAL AUDIO IN
part with its own effect section is also provided, allow­ing you to add external line-level signals (of a sound
module, CD player, etc.) to your playing.

The signals generated by your singing and/or the Vocal
Harmonist can either be added to the signals of the
MAIN OUTPUT sockets, or transmitted directly to one or
two mixer channels (or additional amplifiers) via the
dedicated VOCAL HARMONIST OUTPUT sockets.

Superfast Recorder and comprehensive 16-track
sequencer

The G-70 provides two approaches for recording new
song material: a Recorder function with a straightfor­ward REC-START-STOP approach and a fully-featured
16-track sequencer with track-based and detailed
microscope editing functions.

Like many other functions on the G-70, the Recorder
interacts with other sections: you can link a song to
each User Program, you can cause any Standard MIDI
File to be transposed automatically to a range that
allows you to sing with ease, the chords of the songs
you play back are recognized automatically and dis­played, etc.

Finder functions for songs, Music Styles and User
Programs

Another highlight of the G-70 is the fact that you can
work with an almost unlimited number of songs, Music
Styles and User Programs (in the internal memory, on
memory card or floppy disk). Though there are still fac­tory Music Styles, you can also work with “CUSTOM”
links to accompaniments in the internal memory or on
memory card, and even select such “external” Styles on
the fly. The same high-speed access system is available
for Standard MIDI Files (songs) and User Programs.

Thanks to the clever Finder databases, the difference
between what’s internal and what resides in an “exter­nal” memory has become almost imperceptible.

Play List function

Thanks to the G-70’s Play List function, you can pro­gram set lists for your performances. The advantage of
such song chains is that you won’t have to look for the
desired songs on stage.

r

4

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Features

Furthermore, you can already prepare the next song
while the current one is still running (NEXT SONG func­tion).

D Beam controller

The G-70 has the acclaimed D Beam Controller* for
intuitive song and Style playback control and additional
DJ-like effects via movements over an invisible beam of
infrared light. And, of course, the BENDER/MODULA­TION lever is also there, as are sockets for optional foot­switches and an expression pedal.

(* D Beam technology licensed from Interactive Light, Inc.)

…and so much more

Listing all of the G-70’s advantages and functions
would take another ten pages, while you must be dying
to put it through its paces. That is why we would like to
ask you to read this manual from cover to cover. You’ll
find that the G-70 is quite unlike any other instrument
you know.

Have fun!

5

G-70

Music Workstation

Using the unit safely

Using the unit safely

Used for instructions intended to alert
the user to the risk of death or severe
injury should the unit be used
improperly.

Used for instructions intended to alert
the user to the risk of injury or material
damage should the unit be used
improperly.

* Material damage refers to damage or

other adverse effects caused with
respect to the home and all its
furnishings, as well to domestic
animals or pets.

• Before using this instrument, be sure to read the instruc­tions below, and the Owner’s Manual.

.................................................................................................

• Do not open or perform any internal modifications on
the unit.

.................................................................................................

• Do not attempt to repair the G-70, or replace parts
within it (except when this manual provides specific
instructions directing you to do so). Refer all servicing to
your retailer, the nearest Roland Service Center, or an
authorized Roland distributor, as listed on the “Informa­tion” page.

.................................................................................................

• Never use or store the G-70 in places that are:

• Subject to temperature extremes (e.g., direct sunlight

in an enclosed vehicle, near a heating duct, on top of
heat-generating equipment); or are

• Damp (e.g., baths, washrooms, on wet floors); or are

• Humid; or are

• Exposed to rain; or are

• Dusty; or are

• Subject to high levels of vibration.

.................................................................................................

• This unit should be used only with a rack or stand that

is recommended by Roland.

.................................................................................................

• Make sure you always have the unit placed in such a way
that it is level and sure to remain stable. Never place it on
stands that could wobble, or on inclined surfaces.

.................................................................................................

• The instrument should only be connected to a power
supply of the type described in the operating instruc­tions, or as marked on the G-70.

.................................................................................................

The symbol alerts the user to important instructions
or warnings.The specific meaning of the symbol is
determined by the design contained within the
triangle. In the case of the symbol at left, it is used for
general cautions, warnings, or alerts to danger.

The symbol alerts the user to items that must never
be carried out (are forbidden). The specific thing that
must not be done is indicated by the design contained
within the circle. In the case of the symbol at left, it
means that the unit must never be disassembled.

The ● symbol alerts the user to things that must be
carried out. The specific thing that must be done is
indicated by the design contained within the circle. In
the case of the symbol at left, it means that the power­cord plug must be unplugged from the outlet.

• Do not excessively twist or bend the power cord, nor
place heavy objects on it. Doing so can damage the cord,
producing severed elements and short circuits. Damaged
cords are fire and shock hazards!

................................................................................................

• This instrument, either alone or in combination with an
amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of
producing sound levels that could cause permanent
hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a
high volume level, or at a level that is uncomfortable. If
you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears,
you should immediately stop using the unit, and consult
an audiologist.

................................................................................................

• Do not allow any objects (e.g., flammable material, coins,
pins); or liquids of any kind (water, soft drinks, etc.) to
penetrate the unit.

................................................................................................

• In households with small children, an adult should pro­vide supervision until the child is capable of following all
rules essential for the safe operation of the G-70.

................................................................................................

• Protect the unit from strong impact.
(Do not drop it!)

................................................................................................

• Do not force the G-70’s power cord to share an outlet
with an unreasonable number of other devices. Be espe­cially careful when using extension cords—the total
power used by all devices you have connected to the
extension cord’s outlet must never exceed the power rat­ing (watts/amperes) for the extension cord. Excessive
loads can cause the insulation on the cord to heat up and
eventually melt through.

................................................................................................

r

6

• Before using the G-70 in a foreign country, consult with
your retailer, the nearest Roland Service Center, or an
authorized Roland distributor, as listed on the “Informa­tion” page.

.................................................................................................

• The G-70 should be located so that its location or posi­tion does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

.................................................................................................

• This unit for use only with Roland keyboard stand KS-12.
Use with other stands may result in instability and cause
possible injury.

.................................................................................................

• Always grasp only the plug on the power-supply cord
when plugging into, or unplugging from, an outlet or
this unit.

.................................................................................................

• Try to prevent cords and cables from becoming entan­gled. Also, all cords and cables should be placed out of
the reach of children.

.................................................................................................

• Never climb on top of, nor place heavy objects on the
unit.

G-70 Music Workstation

Using the unit safely

r

.................................................................................................

• Never handle the power cord or its plugs with wet hands
when plugging into, or unplugging from, an outlet or
this unit.

.................................................................................................

• If you need to move the instrument, take note of the pre­cautions listed below. Make sure to have a firm grip, to
protect yourself from injury and the instrument from
damage.

• Disconnect the power cord.

• Disconnect all cords coming from external devices.

• Remove the music stand.

.................................................................................................

• Before cleaning the unit, turn off the power and unplug
the power cord from the outlet.

.................................................................................................

• Whenever you suspect the possibility of lightning in your
area, disconnect the power cord from the outlet.

.................................................................................................

• Should you remove screws, make sure to put them in a
safe place out of children’s reach, so there is no chance
of them being swallowed accidentally.

.................................................................................................

7

G-70

Music Workstation

Contents

Contents

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Important notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1. Panel descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2. Setting up and demo songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Switching the G-70 on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Internal Memory Protect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Setting the display contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Switching off the G-70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Interactive demo of the G-70. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The main page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3. Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The general idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Playing to an automatic accompaniment. . . . . . . . . 25

Professional transitions: Fill In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Intro & Ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Selecting Music Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Changing the tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Using the Keyboard parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Playing with an Upper and/or Lower part . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Alternating between sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Selecting sounds for the Keyboard parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Drumming on the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Selecting sounds from an SRX expansion board . . . . . . . 32

Using the Harmonic Bars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

If you like a registration… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

About the MANUAL field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Using just one organ sound and bass pedals . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using a “beat box” with the organ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Playing realistic guitar parts (Guitar mode) . . . . . . . 36

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Additional ARPEGGIO functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Leaving the G-70’s Guitar mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Selecting guitar sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

About the chord indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Using the available STRUMM techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Playing question and answer phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Guitar Mode Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Working with the Music Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

If the desired registration is not displayed… . . . . . . . . . . 40

To save time… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Using the Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Playing back songs (Standard MIDI Files) . . . . . . . . . 42

Quick location of the song you need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Starting playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Other practical playback functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Song Cover function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Minus One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Vocal Harmonist function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Setting up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Adding harmonies to your singing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Who specifies the harmonies?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Not convinced so far?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Voice-FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Auto Pitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Using the Vocoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Automatic transposition (Singer Key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Displaying Lyrics and chord information. . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Displaying scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Recording your music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Recording with Style backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Listening to your song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Recording without accompaniment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Adding more parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Saving your song. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

4. About the Keyboard modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Arranger, Piano, Organ and Guitar modes . . . . . . . . 60

Split and Whole modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Using the SPLIT Keyboard Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Using WHOLE mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Switching parts on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

5. Using the performance functions . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Pitch Bend and Modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Transposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Setting the transposition interval via the display . . . . . .62

Global Transpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Octave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Key Touch (velocity sensitivity) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Master Tune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Aftertouch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

ASSIGN SW buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Using the D Beam Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Using optional footswitches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

FC7 PEDAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Hold Footswitch (Sustain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Foot Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Expression (Foot Pedal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Scale Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Metronome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

6. Additional Arranger/Style functions . . . . . . . . . . .78

Playback functions (Style Control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Starting a Music Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Stopping Style playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

About Sync Start & Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Selecting other Style divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Other ways of selecting Arranger patterns . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Bass Inversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Melody Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Linking MELODY INTELL type selection to the Styles

(Style Melody Intell Link) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Using the Style Cover function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Freeze Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Saving a Style with a COVER alteration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

r

8

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Contents

One Touch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Ignoring certain One Touch settings (Hold) . . . . . . . . . . .83

Programming your own One Touch settings (WRITE). . . 84

More refined Arranger settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Chord recognition area (ZONE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Arranger Type (chord mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Arranger Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Intro & Ending Alteration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Dynamic Arranger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Tempo-related settings (Arranger Options) . . . . . . . 86

Style Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

TEMPO CHANGE (RITARD and ACCELER). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Working with ‘external’ Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Using the CUSTOM memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Programming CUSTOM assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Disk User. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Style Finder: quickly locating Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Quick location of the Style you need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Editing the Style Finder information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

7. Advanced Keyboard part functions . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Upper 3 Split . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Tuning Upper2: Coarse Tune and Fine Tune . . . . . . . 95

Portamento for UP1 and UP2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Portamento Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Portamento Mode: Mono/Poly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Lower Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Tone Edit: editing Keyboard parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

8. Using the mixer functions & effects . . . . . . . . . 100

Mixing Keyboard parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

Volume and status of the Style parts . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Editing the Keyboard effects processors . . . . . . . . . 102

Reverb for Keyboard parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Chorus for Keyboard parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Using the multi-effects processor (Multi-FX). . . . . 105

Selecting another MFX type and editing it. . . . . . . . . . .106

Linking Multi-FX type selection to the Upper1 part

(Upper 1 M-FX Link) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Effects for Songs and Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Reverb for Style/Song parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Chorus for Style/Song parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Using the individual outputs and audio inputs . . .108

Output assign (PART OUTPUTS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Using the audio inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Using the Mastering Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Equalizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Mixing Vocal Harmonist signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Reverb, Delay and Chorus effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

9. Working with User Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Saving your settings to a User Program . . . . . . . . . 116

Selecting User Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Cancel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Choosing User Programs manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Selecting User Programs with [DOWN][UP] . . . . . . . . . . 118

Working with the User Program Finder. . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Quick location of the User Program you need. . . . . . . .119

Selectively loading User Program settings

(User Program Hold) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Bypassing the AUTO FILL function (Fill In On

User Program Change) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Automatic functions for User Programs. . . . . . . . . 121

Song Link. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Linking a MIDI Set to a User Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

User Program Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Editing User Program Finder information . . . . . . . 123

Editing the User Program Finder information . . . . . . . 123

Editing an Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Music Assistant functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Creating new Music Assistant registrations . . . . . . . . . 127

Editing Music Assistant registrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Saving a Music Assistant entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

10. Song and Style Makeup Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Mixing Song or Style parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Using the Makeup Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

General procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

PALETTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

SOUND EDIT for sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

SOUND EDIT for Drum Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

DRUM INSTR EDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

COMMON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Before saving your settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Saving your modified song or Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

11. Editing the Vocal Harmonist parts . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Singer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Voice-FX settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Auto Pitch settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Vocoder settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Small settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Ensemble settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

12. More refined song functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Using the Fade-In/Out function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Programming MARK & JUMP locations . . . . . . . . . 145

Working with the Song Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Locating files with the Song Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Editing the Song Finder information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Editing an Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Play List function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Programming Play Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Editing Play Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Using Play Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Managing Play Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

13. Editing Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Adding Lyrics to a song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Exporting Lyrics data as text file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

14. Using the 16-track Sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

About the sequencer’s main page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

General considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Example 1: Recording a song from scratch . . . . . . 160

Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Example 2: Adding tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Saving your song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Editing 16-track songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Easy editing and useful functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Editing one or several tracks (TRACK EDIT) . . . . . . . . . . 165

Editing song data using Microscope Edit . . . . . . . . 179

General notes about MICRO EDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Editing events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Other edit operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

9

G-70 Music Workstation

Contents

Style Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

General considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Using the Style Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

Auditioning the tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

15. Programming Styles (Style Composer) . . . . . . . . 187

Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Recording Styles from scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Starting the Style Composer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

Clearing the RAM memory (Initialize Style) . . . . . . . . . .188

Getting ready for the first track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Auditioning your Style and adding more tracks . . 192

Saving your Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Recording other tracks and divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Muting tracks while recording others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Using existing Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Starting with all tracks of an existing Style . . . . . . . . . .194

Copying individual Style tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

Editing Styles on the fly via additional recordings 196

Adding notes in realtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Adding controller data in realtime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Adding or changing settings of existing parts. . . . . . . .196

Expression, Panpot, Reverb, Chorus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Changing the preset tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Style Track Edit functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Editing individual Style events (Style Micro Edit) . 206

General notes about STYLE MICRO EDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Editing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Other edit operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

16. Disk/Media functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

The how-to’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Loading data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Saving data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

Rename functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Import User Program function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

17. Archiving data using a computer (USB) . . . . . . . 220

Backing up all of the G-70’s data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Just in case… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

18. MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

The how-to’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Accessing the MIDI functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

Working with presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Editing procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Editing MIDI parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Keyboard, Style, Song parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

MIDI System parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226

MIDI Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Writing a MIDI Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Using MIDI Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

MIDI Set selection at power-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230

19. Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Using V-LINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

General settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Touch Screen Beep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Song/Arranger Start Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233

Initializing the G-70 (Factory Reset) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233

r

20. Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

21. Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236

Installing a wave expansion board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Accessing the ‘Patches’ of SRX-series expansion

boards via MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

MFX and IFX types and parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

22. MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

23. Chord Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261

10

G-70 Music Workstation

Important notes

In addition to the items listed under “Using the unit safely” on p. 6, please read and observe the following:

r

Power supply

• Do not use this instrument on the same power circuit with any
device that will generate line noise (such as an electric motor or
variable lighting system).

• Before connecting the G-70 to other devices, turn off the power
to all units. This will help prevent malfunctions and/or damage to
speakers or other devices.

• Although the LCD and LEDs are switched off when the POWER
switch is switched off, this does not mean that the unit has been
completely disconnected from the source of power. If you need to
turn off the power completely, first turn off the POWER switch,
then unplug the power cord from the power outlet. For this rea­son, the outlet into which you choose to connect the power cord’s
plug should be one that is within easy reach and readily accessible.

Placement

• Using the G-70 near power amplifiers (or other equipment con­taining large power transformers) may induce hum. To alleviate
the problem, change the orientation of this instrument or move it
further away from the source of interference.

• This instrument may interfere with radio and television reception.
Do not use it in the vicinity of such receivers.

• Observe the following when using the unit’s floppy disk drive. For
further details, refer to “Before using floppy disks (handling the
floppy disk drive)”.

• Do not place the unit near devices that produce a strong mag-

netic field (e.g., loudspeakers).

• Install the G-70 on a solid, level surface.

• Do not move the unit or subject it to vibration while the drive is

operating.

• Do not expose the G-70 to direct sunlight, place it near devices
that radiate heat, leave it inside an enclosed vehicle or otherwise
subject it to temperature extremes. Excessive heat can deform or
discolor the G-70.

• To avoid possible breakdown, do not use the G-70 in a wet area,
such as an area exposed to rain or other moisture.

• Do not allow objects to remain on the keyboard. This can be the
cause of malfunction, such as keys ceasing to produce sound.

Maintenance

• For everyday cleaning wipe the G-70 with a soft, dry cloth or one
that has been slightly dampened with water. To remove stubborn
dirt, use a mild, non-abrasive detergent. Afterwards, be sure to
wipe the instrument thoroughly with a soft, dry cloth.

• Never use benzene, thinner, alcohol or solvents of any kind, to
avoid the possibility of discoloration and/or deformation.

Repairs and data

• Please be aware that all data contained in the instrument’s mem­ory may be lost when it is sent for repairs. In certain cases (such as
when circuitry related to memory itself is out of order), we regret
that it may not be possible to restore the data. Roland assumes no
liability concerning such loss of data.

Additional precautions

• Please be aware that the memory contents can be irretrievably lost
as a result of a malfunction or the improper operation of the
instrument.

• Use a reasonable amount of care when using the G-70’s buttons,
other controls and jacks/connectors. Rough handling can lead to
malfunctions.

• Never strike or apply strong pressure to the display.

• When connecting/disconnecting cables, grasp the connector
itself—never pull on the cable. This way you will avoid causing
shorts or damage to the cable’s internal elements.

• A small amount of heat will radiate from the G-70 during normal
operation. This is perfectly normal.

• To avoid disturbing your neighbors, try to keep the G-70’s volume
at reasonable levels. You may prefer to use headphones, so you do
not need to be concerned about those around you (especially late
at night).

• When you need to transport the G-70, package it in the box
(including padding) that it came in. Otherwise, you will need to use
equivalent packaging materials or a flightcase.

• Use only the specified expression pedal (EV-5, EV-7; sold sepa­rately). By connecting any other expression pedals, you risk caus­ing malfunction and/or damage to the G-70.

About the touch screen

• Wipe off stains on the touch screen using ethanol, but do not
allow the ethanol to soak into the joint of the upper fume and the
bottom glass, for it may otherwise cause peeling or malfunction.
Do not use organic solvents or detergents other than ethyl alcohol
(ethanol).

Before using floppy disks (handling the floppy
disk drive)

• Install the G-70 on a solid, level surface in an area free from vibra­tion. If the unit must be installed at an angle, be sure the installa­tion does not exceed the permissible range: upward, 2°; down­ward, 18°.

• Avoid using the G-70 immediately after it has been moved to a
location with a level of humidity that is greatly different than its
former location. Rapid changes in the environment can cause con­densation to form inside the drive, which will adversely affect the
operation of the drive and/or damage floppy disks. When the unit
has been moved, allow it to become accustomed to the new envi­ronment (allow a few hours) before operating it.

• To insert a disk, push it gently but firmly into the drive—it will click
into place. To remove a disk, press the EJECT button firmly. Do not
use excessive force to remove a disk which is lodged in the drive.

• Never attempt to remove a floppy disk from the drive while the
drive is operating (the indicator is lit); damage could result to both
the disk and the drive.

• Remove any disk from the drive before powering up or down.

• To prevent damage to the disk drive’s heads, always try to hold the
floppy disk in a level position (not tilted in any direction) while
inserting it into the drive. Push it in firmly, but gently. Never use
excessive force.

• To avoid the risk of malfunction and/or damage, insert only floppy
disks into the disk drive. Never insert any other type of disk. Avoid
getting paper clips, coins or any other foreign objects inside the
drive.

Handling floppy disks

• Floppy disks contain a plastic disk with a thin magnetic coating.
Microscopic precision is required to enable storage of large
amounts of data on such a small surface area. To preserve their
integrity, please observe the following when handling floppy disks:

• Never touch the magnetic medium inside the disk.

• Do not use or store floppy disks in dirty or dusty areas.

11

G-70 Music Workstation

Important notes

• Do not subject floppy disks to temperature extremes (e.g., direct
sunlight in an enclosed vehicle). Recommended temperature
range: 10°~50°C (50°~122°F).

• Do not expose floppy disks to strong magnetic fields, such as
those generated by loudspeakers.

• Floppy disks have a “WRITE” tab which can protect the disk from
accidental erasure. It is recommended that the tab be kept in
the PROTECT position and moved to the WRITE position only
when you wish to write new data onto the disk.

Rear side of the disk

WRITE
(you can save data to the disk)

Protect tab

• Disks containing important performance data for this instru­ment should always be locked (have their write protect tab slid
to the PROTECT position) before you insert them into the drive
of another device.

• The identification label should be firmly affixed to the disk. If
the label comes loose while the disk is in the drive, it may be
difficult to remove the disk.

• Put the disk back into its case for storage.

PROTECT
(you cannot save data)

Memory Backup

• If the power to this unit is not switched on for an extended period
of time, the contents of memory will be lost and the unit will
revert to its factory defaults. To avoid the loss of important data
that has been placed in memory, a backup of your data should be
periodically created (see p. 220).

Before using memory cards

• Some data cards are equipped with a PROTECT switch, which when
turned on protects your data from accidental erasure. (The G-70
also has such a switch.) It is recommended that the switch be kept
at the ON position and switched to OFF only at the times you wish
to write new data onto the card.

• Do not allow cards to become wet.

• Do not disassemble or modify the cards.

• Never remove the memory card or turn off the power while an
operation –such as reading or writing data or formatting– is being
performed on the memory card. Doing so can destroy the data on
the memory card and/or render the memory card itself unusable.

• If you affix the write-protect label to the write-protect area of a
SmartMedia™ card, you will not be able to format the card or write
data to it. If you wish to format the card or write data to it, do so
without the label affixed. For details on the write-protect sticker,
refer to the owner’s manual for your memory card.

• If you attempt to format a card or write data to it when the write­protect label is affixed, an error message will appear. In that case,
either insert another card or remove the write-protect label.

• At power-on, do not remove/insert a card while the G-70 is updat­ing its internal data (wait until the messages “Song database
checking…” and “User Program database checking…” have disap­peared).

• Never turn on the power when a memory card is inserted partway
into the slot. Doing so will damage the data in internal memory.

Memory cards usable with the G-70

• The G-70 can use commercially available CompactFlash and
SmartMedia memory cards. You can purchase such cards at a
computer shop or digital camera dealer.

• Memory cards you purchase must meet the following conditions.

• Power supply voltage: 3,3V

• Capacity: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB (2GB

and 4GB only with Microdrive)

• The G-70 cannot use cards of types other than the above.

Liability and copyright

• Unauthorized recording, distribution, sale, lending, public perfor­mance, broadcasting or the like in whole or in part, of a work
(musical composition, video, broadcast, public performance or the
like) whose copyright is held by a third party is prohibited by law.

• Do not use this unit for purposes that could infringe on a copy­right held by a third party. Roland assumes no responsibility what­soever with regard to any infringements of third-party copyrights
arising through your use of this unit.

On Off

• This unit’s memory card slot accepts CompactFlash and Smart­Media™ (3.3V) memory cards. Microdrive storage media are com­patible. (You need a commercially available adapter plug for
SmartMedia™ cards.)

• Carefully insert the memory Card all the way in—until it is firmly in
place.

• Never touch the terminals of the memory card. Also, avoid getting
the terminals dirty.

• CompactFlash and SmartMedia (3.3V) cards are constructed using
precision components. Handle the cards carefully, paying particu­lar note to the following.

• To prevent damage to the cards from static electricity, be sure

to discharge any static electricity from your own body before
handling the cards.

• Do not touch or allow metal to come into contact with the con-

tact portion of the cards.

• Do not bend, drop or subject cards to strong shock or vibration.

• Do not keep cards in direct sunlight, in closed vehicles or other

such locations (storage temperature: –25~85°C).

r

12

• SmartMedia is a trademark of Toshiba Corp.

• Compact Flash and are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation
and licensed by CompactFlash association. Roland Corporation is
an authorized licensee of the CompactFlash™ and CF logo trade­marks.

• All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.

1. Panel descriptions

Front panel

Note: You can press and hold most buttons to jump to an associated display page.

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Front panel

MASTER

VOLUME

D

PLAY

LIST

A

TOP

8 BEAT 16 BEAT

BALL

JAZZ

ROOM

BLUES

B

C

A

MASTER VOLUME knob

MIN

ACCOMP

EXT SOURCE

MIN

BALANCE

MAX

KEYBOARD

MAX

E

Use this knob to set the G-70’s global output volume
(all sections). The setting of this knob also determines
the volume in the headphones you may have con­nected.

B

BALANCE knob

This knob allows you to set the balance between the
Arranger or song parts (“ACCOMP”) and the solo
sounds (“KEYBOARD”).

C

EXT SOURCE knob

Use this knob to set the volume of an audio source (a
synthesizer, MP3 player, etc.) connected to the
EXTERNAL SOURCE sockets on the G-70’s rear panel.

RECORDER section

D

[PLAY¥LIST] button: Press this button to access the
display where you can select a list of songs to be
played back, edit existing lists, program new ones,
etc. When the indicator of this button lights, [|√], [º],
[‰], [PLAY÷STOP¥®÷ª] are used to control playback of
the current song. Hold down [PLAY¥LIST] while press­ing [MINUS¥ONE] to select the demo mode.

[NEXT¥SONG] button: You can already load a new
song while the current Standard MIDI File is still play­ing. If you want the Recorder to start playback of the
newly selected song automatically, press this button.
If the [PLAY¥LIST] button lights, this button allows
you to select the next song of the selected List.

[MINUS¥ONE] button: Press this button to switch off
the part you want to play (or sing) yourself. The part
to be muted is selectable (page 45).

NEXT
SONG

DEMO

RECORDER

MINUS

ONE

STYLE

LIVE

BAND

50's & 60's

PLAY/STOP FWDBWD

ROCK

BOSSA
SAMBA

/

DISCO

DANCE

LATIN WORLD

16 TRACKS

SEQUENCER

REC

CONTEMP

F

D BEAM

DJ GEAR SFX INST CTRL

G

MARK & JUMP

1234

[16-TRACK¥SEQUENCER] button: Press this button to
access the G-70’s sequencer (MIDI recorder). This
sequencer goes way beyond anything you may know
from previous Roland arranger instruments (see
p. 159).

[|√], [º], [‰], [PLAY÷STOP¥®÷ª]: These buttons allow
you to return to the beginning of the current song,
“rewind” or “fast-forward” in one-measure steps and
to start and stop playback of the selected song.
Press the [REC¥∏] button to record a new song (see
p. 56).

E

STYLE section

These buttons allow you to select one of the twelve
Music Style families. The button of the selected fam­ily lights.

F

D Beam controller

This controller allows you to influence the timbre of
the notes you play, to control song playback and to
create some unique effects. All you need to do is
move your hand up/down or left/right above the two
“eyes”.

The buttons below it allow you to assign the desired
function to the D Beam controller. See p. 68.

G

MARK JUMP section

These buttons ([1]~[4]) allow you to jump to one of
four stored locations inside the currently selected
song. You can program the desired locations for
songs that do not yet contain them.

13

G-70 Music Workstation

Panel descriptions

HI J

VARIATION

STYLE CONTROL

34

H

ASSIGN SW section

ASSIGN SW

21

FADE

FADE

IN

OUT

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

[ASSIGN¥SW¥1] and [ASSIGN¥SW¥2] are assignable
buttons. You can use them to directly access fre­quently used functions that are only available via the
function menu. The ASSIGN SW assignments belong
to the settings that can be written to a User Program.

If you don’t change their assignment, they can be
used to trigger the FADE IN and FADE OUT functions.

I

STYLE CONTROL section

Use these buttons to select the desired Music Style
pattern and to start/stop Music Style playback (see
p. 25).

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNCBASS

START/STOP12

J

SET LIST HOLD DOWN UP

12345678

USER PROGRAM section

USER PROGRAM

CANCEL

These buttons allow you to select the desired User
Program (registration memory). You can also select
the previous ([DOWN]) or next ([UP]) User Program.
By pressing these two buttons simultaneously, you
leave the User Program environment.

The [HOLD] button allows you to ignore several set­tings of subsequently loaded User Programs (see
p. 120).

L

MUSIC

ASSISTANT

K

LCD

K

LCD CONTRAST knob

CONTRAST

M

LYRICS & SCORE

N

EFFECTS

O

DISK & MEDIA

Use this knob to adjust the display’s contrast if it is
difficult to read. The display itself is a touch screen
and therefore needs to be clear at all times (so that
you know what you are doing).

Note: The display may take some time to warm up. That is why
you may have to change the contrast several times after pow­ering on.

L

MUSIC ASSISTANT button

Press this button to access the MUSIC ASSISTANT
environment where you can select Music Style regis­trations for a given song you want to play. You can
also program your own Music Assistant registrations.

M

LYRICS & SCORE button

Press this button if you want the lyrics contained in
the songs to appear in the display. At the same time,
the chords of the notes played by the song parts will
also be displayed. This, however, is information that is
“extracted” (derived) in realtime by the G-70. This
function can even display the notes of the selected
part as a score.

P

SONG
STYLE

MAKEUP

TOOLS

Q

SONG
STYLE

MENU

R

EXIT

S

N

EFFECTS button

This button provides access to the display pages
where you can set the effects parameters of the
G-70’s parts.

O

DISK & MEDIA button

Press this button if you wish to save/load data from
the internal memory, a floppy disk or PCM/CIA card.
You will also find data management functions here,
like deleting files, formatting floppies or cards, etc.
(page 211).

P

COVER button

This button provides access to pre-programmed tem­plates that allow you to quickly modify a song’s or
Music Style’s character. Press it once or twice to
select the Song or Style level. See pages 45 and 81.

Q

MAKEUP TOOLS button

Press this button to modify the settings of the cur­rent song or Music Style, if the pre-programmed
Cover settings do not provide what you’re looking
for. See page 130.

r

14

R

MENU button

Press this button to call up a menu that provides
access to more in-depth G-70 functions you may
only wish to set from time to time.

16' 5-1/3' 8' 4' 2-2/3' 2' 1-3/5' 1-1/3' 1'

CHORUS

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Front panel

S

EXIT button

Press this button to return to the previously selected
display page or the G-70’s main page.

TU

MODETYPE

HARMONIC

BAR

SONG

METRO

NOME

TEMPO

TAP

REVERB

PANPOT

T

Assignable sliders

VOLUME

DBEAM

EFFECT M.INT MBS

These sliders can be used as virtual harmonic bars
(when the [HARMONIC¥BAR] button lights). In that
case, refer to the footage indications above the slid­ers for their specific function (page 33).

Note: The HARMONIC BAR function is only available for the
following parts: UP1, LW1 and MBS.

There are also three buttons that allow you to specify
the part group whose settings you want to change:

[PART] (Keyboard parts), [STYLE] (Arranger parts) and
[SONG] (recorder parts).

DATA ENTRY

V

NUMERIC PAD (PUSH)

INCDEC

Note: You can press and hold most buttons to jump to an associated display page.

FINDER

X

STYLESONG

USER PRG

LW 2 LW 1

UP 3 UP 2 UP 1

Z

VOICE

PART

PAGE

STYLE

PAGE

SLOW

FAST

DEFAULT

The TYPE buttons, finally, are used to select the
parameter that can be changed using the sliders
(reverb or chorus send level, stereo position or vol­ume).

U

TEMPO section

[METRONOME] button: Press this button to switch
the internal metronome on or off.
The remaining buttons allow you to set the tempo of
the metronome, the Arranger or the recorder/
sequencer.

TALK

AUTO

PITCH

VOICE

FX

SINGER

VOCAL HARMONIST

HARMONY VOCODER

ENSEMBLE

SMALL

OFF MAXOFF MAX

OFF MAX

INPUT GAINEFFECTS

MIN MAX

OVER

Y

KBD MODE

EASY SETTING

W

ARR ORGAN PIANO

V

DATA ENTRY section

SPLIT

WHOLE

The dial can be used to set the value of the parameter
field that is currently highlighted. Turn it to scroll
through the available settings. You can also press it
to call up a numeric key pad that allows you to enter
the desired value by pressing the corresponding fields
in the display.

To change the selected value in small steps, press

[DEC] (lower value) or [INC] (higher value). The
[ß][†][®][√] buttons are used to select a parameter for

editing (something you can also do by pressing the
corresponding display field).

While the main page is displayed, the [DATA÷ENTRY]
dial and [DEC]/[INC] buttons also allow you to set the
tempo.

W

EASY SETTING section

This key pad allows you to reconfigure the G-70 by
pressing just one button: [ARR] (use the Arranger in
split mode), [ORGAN] (the name says it all) and

a

E.PIANO

PIANO

KEYBOARD

BRASSVOCAL SYNTHWIND

CHR PERC ORGAN

SAX

TRUMPET

TONE

ACCORDION

A.GUITAR

PAD

ETHNIC

E.GUITAR

BASS

PERCUSS

SFX

STRINGS

DRUMS

[PIANO] (assign a piano sound to the entire key­board). See also page 60. Press [ARR] and [PIANO]
simultaneously to activate the G-70’s Guitar mode
(see p. 36).

X

FINDER section

Press one of these buttons to quickly locate songs
([SONG]), Music Styles ([STYLE]) or User Programs
([USER¥PRG]) in the internal memory, on floppy disk
or an external memory card. See pages 42, 91 and

118.

Y

KBD MODE section

Press the [SPLIT] button if you want to play different
sounds with your left and right hands (page 60). (It is
even possible to add a second split point, see
page 95.)

Press the [WHOLE] button to assign one or several
sounds to the entire keyboard (without a split). See
page 60.

SRX

EXPANSION

HARMONIC

BAR

15

G-70 Music Workstation

Panel descriptions

Z

VOCAL HARMONIST section

The buttons and knobs in this section are used to set
the Vocal Harmonist function, the microphone level
and the effects applied to the signals received via the
Vocal Harmonist MIC INPUT socket. See page 46.

a

TONE section

The TONE buttons allow you to select one of 16 inter­nal Tone families. You can then use the display to
specify the desired sound within that family.

bcdef

KEYBOARD PART

TONE ASSIGN

MBS LW 2 LW 1

b

KEYBOARD PART section

UP 3 UP 2 UP 1

PART ON/OFF

The TONE ASSIGN buttons are used to specify the
Keyboard part you wish to assign a different sound to
page 30. “Keyboard parts” are the parts you can play
yourself. The G-70 contains many other parts that
are played “automatically” by the Arranger or
Recorder.

The PART ON/OFF buttons allow you to switch the
desired Keyboard parts on and off.

c

ONE TOUCH section

These buttons allow you to select the desired One
Touch memory. There are four memories per internal
Music Style and the 120 Custom memories. They
work a lot like the User Programs, because they
assign different sounds and effects settings to the
Keyboards parts and carry out some other changes.
See page 83.

d

TRANSPOSE section

These buttons allow you to transpose the G-70 up
([]) or down ([ƒ]) in semitone steps. You can also
specify which parts are to be transposed (page 62).

If neither button lights, no manual transposition is
used.

1234

e

f

The [SRX¥EXPANSION] button is only available after
you install an optional wave expansion board into the
G-70.

Press the [HARMONIC¥BAR] button to activate the
“Harmonic Bar” section whose sound can be set using
the assignable sliders (T) that double as virtual har­monic bars.

TRANSPOSEONE TOUCH

CANCEL

TONE EFFECTS

MULTIFXMELODY

INTELL

TONE EFFECTS section

Press the [MULTI¥FX] button to add a different effect
to the Keyboard parts (page 105). (This processor is
also available for the D Beam and the MELODY INTELL
parts.)
Press the [MELODY¥INTELLIGENCE] button (so that it
lights) to add an automatic counter-melody (second
and third voice) to your solos or melodies (see p. 80).

V-LINK button

Press this button to take advantage of the G-70’s V­LINK functionality for controlling video material via
certain performance functions and the right-most
keys on the G-70’s keyboard. By using V-LINK-com­patible video equipment, visual effects can be easily
linked to and made part of the expressive elements of
a performance. By connecting the G-70 to an
optional Edirol DV-7PR or V-4, you can switch images
in synchronization with music or use the G-70’s per­formance functions or right-most keys to switch
clips, control playback speed, etc.

r

16

g

h i

g

BENDER/MODULATION lever

When pushed towards the back of the G-70, this
lever will add modulation to the notes of the Key­board parts you are playing at that time. Move it to
the left or right to temporarily lower or increase the
pitch of the Keyboard part notes you are playing. For
the HARMONIC BAR sounds and the sounds of the
TONE [ORGAN] family, you can use the Modulation
axis to alternate between the fast and slow Rotary
speeds.

G-70 Music Workstation

h

Floppy disk drive

This is where you can insert 2DD or 2HD floppy disks
for external storage of your Music Styles, Recorder
songs and MIDI Sets. Press the eject button to
remove the disk from the drive.

Note: Do not remove the floppy disk while the G-70 accesses
the disk (to load/save data, etc.). Doing so may damage both
the floppy disk and the drive’s head.

i

PHONES socket

The G-70 comes with a headphone socket. Be sure to
connect high-quality headphones to this socket
(Roland RH-200, RH-50 or RH-25, optional).

r

Front panel

17

G-70 Music Workstation

Panel descriptions

Rear panel

(left side)

ABCD E F G IH

FC7 PEDAL

HOLD

FOOTSWITCH

FOOT

SWITCH

FOOT
PEDAL

THRU INOUT

MIDI

PCMCIA

INTERNAL MEMORY

PROTECT

VIDEO

OUTPUT

A

FC7 PEDAL socket

This is where you connect an optional FC-7 foot­switch unit that allows you to start, stop and select
Style divisions by foot. The functions of this foot
switch unit are programmable (and apply to the
entire G-70).

B

HOLD FOOTSWITCH socket

An optional DP-2, DP-6, or BOSS FS-5U footswitch
connected to this socket can be used for holding the
Keyboard-part notes. (The Melody Intell part can also
be sustained in this way.) This function is also
referred to as “Sustain” or “Damper”.

C

FOOT SWITCH socket

Connecting an optional DP-2, DP-6 or FS-5U to this
socket allows you to control an assignable function
by foot.

D

FOOT PEDAL socket

Connect an optional EV-5, EV-7 or BOSS FV-300L
expression pedal to this socket to control the volume
of one or several parts or another parameter by foot.

E

MIDI THRU/OUT/IN sockets

These sockets allow you to connect the G-70 to
external MIDI devices for a variety of applications:
receiving song data in realtime from an external
sequencer, transmitting your playing (and the data of
the song you are playing back) to an external
sequencer, using the G-70 as master keyboard in
your MIDI setup, etc.

Note: The MIDI functions can be accessed via the G-70’s Menu
(page 223). Frequently used MIDI settings can be written and
recalled as “MIDI Sets”.

F

USB port

The USB port can be used for archiving purposes and
MIDI data transfer from/to a computer.

G

PCMCIA slot

This is where you can insert a memory card (PCMCIA,
CompactFlash, SmartMedia™ or Microdrive). Memory
cards that are not PCMCIA cards can only be inserted
if you use an appropriate adapter (available at your
computer store). See also the precautions on p. 12.

H

INTERNAL MEMORY PROTECT switch

This cap hides a switch that allows you to lock ( ,
protect) and unlock ( ) the internal memory. See
page 21.

I

VIDEO OUTPUT socket

Connect this socket to the appropriate input of your
TV or monitor. In that case, the lyrics of songs that
contain such information and the note information
extracted in realtime (page 53) will be displayed on
screen even if the [LYRICS&SCORE] button does not
light (in which case the lyrics, chords and notes no
longer appear in the G-70’s display).

Note: The signal format (PAL or NTSC) can be set via a MENU
function.

(right side)

JK L M N O

J

METRONOME LEVEL knob and OUT socket

The G-70’s metronome signals can be transmitted to
the METRONOME OUT socket. You can connect head­phones (Roland RH-200, RH-25 or RH-50) to this
socket. This is useful for a drummer, for example (as
“Click Track”). Use the METRONOME [LEVEL] knob to
set the metronome volume in the headphones.

EXTERNAL SOURCE/AUDIO IN L/R sockets

K

This is where you can connect the audio outputs of
an external signal source (CD/MP3 player, synthe­sizer, etc.). If the source has 1/4” outputs, you either

r

18

need adapter plugs (1/4”‰ RCA/Cinch) or Roland
PJ-1M cables. These inputs are only suitable for line­level signals.

Note that they are stereo (with a left and right chan­nel). If you only connect one cable to “L” (or “R”), the
signal is only audible on the left (or right) channel.

The volume of the signal received via these inputs
can be set with the C EXT SOURCE knob.

L

VOCAL HARMONIST section

INPUT switch: If you connect a microphone to the

INPUT socket, set this switch to “MIC”. To try out the
Vocal Harmonist function for other signals (guitar,
external synthesizers & modules, CDs, MDs, etc.), set
this switch to “LINE”.

Note: For the “LINE” setting to work with electric guitars or
basses, you need to connect such instruments to an effects
pedal or rack effect (in bypass mode) and connect the effect’s
output to the INPUT socket.

INPUT socket: This is where you can to connect an
optional microphone (like a Roland DR-10 or DR-20)
or other external signal source you wish to process
using the G-70’s Vocal Harmonist facility. This is a
combo socket to which you can connect either a bal­anced XLR or unbalanced 1/4” jack. (The socket does

not provide phantom power.)

Note: The INPUT socket is mono.

OUTPUT R & L sockets: If connected to a mixing con-

sole, amplifier, etc., these sockets transmit the signal
received via the INPUT socket and processed with the
G-70’s Vocal Harmonist facility. If no jacks are con­nected here, the Vocal Harmonist signals are trans­mitted via the OUTPUT sockets (see below).

G-70 Music Workstation

OUTPUT section

M

DIRECT R/L sockets: When you first switch on the
G-70, these audio outputs are not used (all signals
are sent to the MAIN R & L/MONO sockets). You can,
however, assign any desired signal to these sockets
(page 108).

MAIN R & L/MONO sockets: These sockets need to
be connected to an external amplifier, mixing con­soles, etc. Depending on whether you are also using
the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets (see above), the
present sockets either transmit only the music gener­ated by the Arranger, Recorder and Keyboard parts or
both the tone generator’s and Vocal Harmonist’s sig­nals.

Note: If you can/want to use only one channel on your exter­nal amplifier, connect the L/MONO socket to its input. For opti­mum sound quality, we recommend working in stereo, though.

N

POWER ON button

Press this button to switch the G-70 on and off. If
you need to turn off the power completely, first turn
off the power switch, then unplug the power cord
from the wall outlet. Refer to “Switching the G-70
on/off” on p. 21.

AC socket

O

This is where you need to connect the supplied power
cord.

r

Front panel

19

G-70 Music Workstation

Setting up and demo songs

2. Setting up and demo songs

You must be dying to try out your new G-70 to see what it is capable of. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first we need
to connect it.

Connections

The G-70 does not contain internal speakers. You therefore need to connect it to an external amplifier (Roland’s KC
series, for example) or use optional headphones (Roland RH-25, RH-50 or RH-200, for example).

Be sure to switch off both the G-70 and the external devices you want to connect before making or breaking audio and/
or MIDI connections. If you do not have access to the sound system of the venue where you are performing, ask the local
engineer to set the volume to the minimum level.

Mixing console, keyboard

amplifier, active speakers

—OPTIONAL—

Dynamic microphone (select “MIC”)
Other signal source (select “LINE”)

[Microphone: DR-10 or DR-20]
*Connect the microphone using an
unbalanced mono 1/4” or a bal­anced XLR jack.

Expression pedal

(EV-5, EV-7)

Roland

Keyboard amplifier,
active speakers, etc.

To wall outlet

MAIN

R, L/MONO

AC

DIRECT
R, L

VOCAL
HARMONIST
OUTPUT

VOCAL
HARMONIST
INPUT

CD/MP3 player, etc.

Stereo headphones

EXTERNAL
SOURCE

METRONOME
OUT

FOOT

PEDAL

FOOT

SWITCH

Footswitches

(DP-2, DP-6, or

BOSS FS-5U)

HOLD

FOOTSW.

Note: Try to use dynamic microphones whenever possible. You can also connect a condenser microphone, however, provided you use a DI box
(with power supply).

Note: Except for the power cable, all other items shown above are optional. See your Roland dealer for details.
Note: There is no absolute need to connect the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets. If you don’t, your singing and the Harmonist effects will be

transmitted via the main MAIN sockets (ONLY if you don’t connect anything to the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets). If you use these connec­tors, the Vocal Harmonist signals are no longer transmitted to the headphones.

r

20

Stereo headphones

(RH-25, RH-50 or RH-200)

Switching the G-70 on/off

After connecting the G-70 to the other devices, proceed as follows:

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Front panel

Internal Memory Protect

After unpacking your G-70 –and before switching it on– you
need to defeat the protection of its internal memory (a solid­state hard disk) if you intend to save data in the internal
memory.

• Use a philips screwdriver to loosen the screws and remove
the plastic cap.

• Slide the INTERNAL MEMORY PROTECT switch to the “ ”
position to unlock the memory.
(To once again lock the internal memory, slide the switch
back to the “ ” position.)

Switching on the G-70

(1) Insert the included power cable into the AC inlet and

then plug it into an electrical outlet.

VIDEO

OUTPUT

INTERNAL MEMORY

PROTECT

Note: Be sure to store the cap and the two screws in a safe
place in case you need them again at a later stage.

INTERNAL MEMORY

PROTECT

VIDEO

OUTPUT

(2) Press the G-70’s [POWER¥ON] button located on the

rear panel to switch it on.

(3) If you connected the G-70 to a mixing console, switch it on now.

(4) Switch on the amplifier, your active speakers or the keyboard amplifier(s).
(5) Use the [MASTER¥VOLUME] knob to set the G-70’s out-

put volume.

Setting the display contrast

The information in the LCD display may be difficult to view
after turning on your G-70 or after extended use. Your
viewing angle or the current lighting conditions can also
affect the appearance of the display.

In such cases, use the [LCD¥CONTRAST] knob to the left of
the display to adjust the contrast.

MASTER

VOLUME

Switching off the G-70

(1) Switch off all external devices.
(2) Use the G-70’s [POWER≈ON] button to switch it off.

Note: If you need to turn off the power completely, first turn off the POWER switch, then unplug the power cord from the power outlet.

21

G-70 Music Workstation

Setting up and demo songs

Interactive demo of the G-70

Your G-70 contains an interactive demo that introduces all of its highlights. It might be a good idea to try it out now. The
demo is self-explanatory, so we’ll just show you how to start and stop it.

(1) Simultaneously press the [PLAY¥LIST] and

[MINUS¥ONE] buttons.

PLAY

NEXT
SONG

DEMO

MINUS

ONE

LIST

The display changes to:

(2) If necessary, press the [LANGUAGE] field and select

the language for this interactive demo function.

(5) To stop the demo and leave the G-70’s Demo func-

tion, press the RECORDER [PLAY÷STOP¥®÷ª] or the
[EXIT] button.

EXIT

(Press [CLOSE] if you didn’t mean to select this page.
The current language selection will not change.)

(3) Press the field that provides access to the desired

demo function.

There are 12 sound demo songs, 12 Style demo songs,
1 lyrics & score demo and one Vocal Harmonist
demo.

(4) If you can barely hear the music, set the [VOLUME]

knob (far left, MASTER section) to a higher level.

MASTER

VOLUME

r

22

The main page

When you leave Demo mode (or any other display page)
or if you do not change any of the G-70’s settings, the
display looks more or less as follows:

A BC

G

D

H

E

F F

G-70 Music Workstation

The TRANSPOSE field H, finally, calls up the display
page where you can transpose one, several or all sec­tions (this depends on the mode you select on that
page). This field duplicates the function of the
TRANSPOSE buttons.

When the G-70’s Guitar mode is on, the display looks
as follows:

r

Front panel

The information shown here depends on the G-70’s
current settings, the data you loaded, etc., but the
above illustration should be fairly close to what you
see on your instrument.

Unlike on previous Roland arranger instruments,
almost all information displayed is assigned to fields
you can press to jump to a different page, set a
parameter or select a parameter for editing.

Pressing field A, for instance, takes you to the
ARRANGER SETTING page. Press B if you want to
change the split point settings.

The [SONG] and [STYLE] buttons C look different and
therefore also behave differently: press one of them
to select the section whose tempo should be dis­played. (You can change the tempo value of the
selected section using the [√SLOW][FAST®] and [TAP]
buttons after stopping playback.) They do not allow
you to switch from Style to Song mode, however,
because that is handled automatically – depending
on whether the [PLAY÷STOP¥®÷ª] or [START÷STOP]
button currently lights.

Note: While on the main page, you can also set the tempo
using the [DATA÷ENTRY] dial and the [DEC]/[INC] buttons.

I

Pressing the I field takes you to the GUITAR MODE
page. Note that this field can either contain an elec­tric guitar or an acoustic one to indicate the kind of
instrument you selected.

This field duplicates the function of the EASY SET­TING [ARR] + [PIANO] buttons.

As you see, there is a lot you can control without
having to wade through endless menus.

Note: If the main page does not appear automatically, you can
return to it by pressing the [EXIT] button once or several times.

The fields indicated by D take you to a page where
you can select songs (SONG), Music Styles (STYLE) or
User Programs (USER PROG). These fields have the
same functions as the buttons of the same name in
the FINDER pad.

The OCTAVE button icons E allow you to shift the
tuning of the currently selected Keyboard part (indi­cated by a red arrow). To select a Keyboard part, press
its TONE ASSIGN button.

The remaining fields F allow you to select the Key­board part you wish to assign another sound to and
recalls the TONE SELECT page. They duplicate the
functions of the (KEYBOARD PART) TONE ASSIGN
buttons.

The SCALE TUNE field G takes you to a page where
yo can change the tuning of the G-70’s notes (so as
to be able to use Arabic scales, for example).

23

G-70 Music Workstation

Quick Start

3. Quick Start

In this chapter, we will scratch the surface and walk you through the major functions.

C

Recorder section:

The general idea

Your G-70 is several instruments in one. There are
three main sections you can use for playing live.

A

Keyboard parts:

This section consists of parts you need to play via the
keyboard, hence the name “Keyboard”. The G-70 pro­vides seven Keyboard parts, six of which can be used
simultaneously: UP1, UP2, UP3, LW1, LW2 and MBS.
“UP” stands for “Upper” and refers to the right half (if
there is a split). “LW” refers to “Lower” and thus to the
left half. “MBS” is short for “Manual Bass”, i.e. a
monophonic bass part whose notes depend on the
chords you play.

There is no Manual Drum part, because any of the
parts just mentioned can be used to play a Drum Set.
The seventh part, “MELODY INT”, is what computer
buffs would call a “cross-platform part”: it belongs to
the Keyboard section but it is in part controlled by
the Arranger. See “Melody Intelligence” on page 80.

B

Arranger/Style section:

That’s how it’s called on the front panel, so we’ll stick
to it. This section actually encompasses a 16-track
sequencer, a straightforward MIDI recording function
and a very sophisticated Standard MIDI File player
with a host of all realtime control functions.

Left hand:

Arranger control

The Arranger is your backing band. It plays an accom­paniment (called Music Style). In a way, the Arranger
works like a drum machine because it uses accompa­niment patterns.

Unlike a drum machine, however, you can easily
select the desired pattern while playing. So you do
not need to program the order in which you intend
to use the patterns. Furthermore, the Arranger not
only provides a rhythm section but also chords, gui­tar and synthesizer riffs and so on. The accompani­ment can be transposed in realtime. All you have to
do is play a different chord (usually with your left
hand).

You can add vocals and harmonies to your music
using the Vocal Harmonist function (page 46).

Right hand: melody

(Keyboard parts)

r

24

Playing to an automatic accompa­niment

Let us begin with the automatic accompaniment func­tion, which is called “Arranger” and often referred to as
“Style” in the display and on the front panel.

The Arranger is an interactive “playback sequencer” that
provides the accompaniments. These accompaniments
are called “Music Styles”, because the musical phrases
(“patterns”) they play concentrate on a given musical
genre (Rock, Pop, Dance, Waltz, etc.).

The Arranger allows you to transpose the melodic
accompaniment parts (bass, piano, guitar, etc.) simply
by playing chords. In most instances, you will probably
do so with your left hand. Each Music Style comprises
several patterns, so that you can vary the accompani­ment by starting with an introduction, using a simple
accompaniment for the verses, a more elaborate one
for the choruses and by ending your songs with an
“Ending” pattern.

Let us first look at the most important aspects for oper­ating the Arranger:

(1) Connect and switch on the G-70 (see pages 20 and

21).

(2) Press the EASY SETTING [ARR] button.

G-70 Music Workstation

Playing to an automatic accompaniment

r

(5) Press the [MAIN] button (it lights).

STYLE CONTROL

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

VARIATION

12 3 4

BASS

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNC

(6) Play a chord in the left half of the keyboard (to the

left of the C key below the USER PROGRAM [2]
button), then press the STYLE CONTROL
[START÷STOP] button.

START/STOP

The [START÷STOP] button lights and the Arranger
starts playing the accompaniment of the currently
selected Music Style (called “Cool Live Band”).

The accompaniment pattern is sounded in the key
that corresponds to the note you played (C). The
name of the corresponding chord is displayed in the
upper left-hand corner of the display:

ARR ORGAN

The button’s indicator lights and the keyboard is split
into two halves. The left half can be used to play
chords, while you can play melodies in the right half.

(3) If the SYNC [START] button lights (which is proba-

bly the case), press it to switch it off.

SYNC

START STOP

(4) Set the [MASTER¥VOLUME] knob to a reasonable

level (e.g. about “1/4”).

MASTER

VOLUME

Note: See “Song/Arranger Start Priority” on p. 233 if Arranger
playback does not start.

(7) Play another chord in the left half of the keyboard.

The same pattern is now played in that key. You don’t
even have to play full chords:

• For major chords, playing just the root note is

enough (e.g. “C” for C major, “A” for A major, etc.)

• For minor chords, playing the root note and the third

key to its right will do.

25

G-70 Music Workstation

Quick Start

• For seventh chords, playing the root and the second

key to its left is enough.

C major C minor

Only the key that corresponds to
the chord's name.

C7

Root note + second key to the left.

Note: The function that takes care of this easy fingering is
called “INTELLIGENT” (page 85). See also p. 259 for a list of
other chords that can be played using this system (augmented,
diminished, etc.).

Root note + third key to the
right.

What you hear now is the “MAIN 1” pattern (the
[MAIN] and VARIATION [1] buttons light). This is the
simplest accompaniment of the selected Music Style.
Let’s listen to the accompaniment you could use for
your choruses:

(8) Press the VARIATION [2] button (the [MAIN] and [1]

buttons light and [2] flashes).

STYLE CONTROL

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

VARIATION

12 3 4

BASS

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNC

At the end of the VARIATION [1] pattern, the VARIA­TION [2] button lights steadily and the Arranger plays
a different accompaniment.

(9) Now try out Variations 3 and 4.

Professional transitions: Fill In

So far, we have only used the main accompaniment
patterns (i.e. the phrases that are repeated over and
over until you stop the Arranger).

The various variations can be used for verses (1), second
verses (2), choruses (3 & 4) and other song parts.
Switching between these patterns is a matter of press­ing the VARIATION [1]~[4] buttons. Yet, that produces
instant changes of the accompaniment, while “real”
musicians tend to “announce” new song parts by means
of roll in the drums or slightly different accompaniment
notes.

The G-70 allows you to make such “announcements” in
the following way:

(1) Start playback of the MAIN [1] pattern (see above).
(2) Play a chord in the left half of the keyboard.

(3) Press the [AUTO¥FILL¥IN] button (it lights).

STYLE CONTROL

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

VARIATION

12 3 4

BASS

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNC

(4) Press a VARIATION [1]~[4] button to select another

MAIN pattern.

The [MAIN] button and the selected VARIATION [1]~[4]
button flash.

What happens now depends on when you press this
button:

• If you press it on any beat before the last of the cur­rent bar, the Arranger plays a Fill-In pattern that lasts
until the end of the current bar. It then changes to
the newly selected pattern (at which point [MAIN]
and the selected numeric VARIATION button light
steadily).

• If you press it on the last beat of the current bar, the
Fill-In will start on the next downbeat and last an
entire bar, after which the Arranger automatically
selects the new pattern.
If you press the same numeric button ([1]~[4]) again,
the Fill-In is played according to the above rules. But
when it finishes, the Arranger returns to the pattern
you had been using up to that point.

(5) Switch off the [AUTO¥FILL¥IN] button if you do not

want the next pattern change to be preceded by a
Fill-In.

Note: The length of a Fill-In can be halved. See “Half Bar on Fill
In” on p. 67, 71 and 73.

Intro & Ending

Now that we’ve got the transitions covered, you may
start wondering how to create more professional intros
for your songs – and how to end them in style. That is
what the [INTRO] and [END/RIT] buttons are for.

While the MAIN patterns keep repeating the same
accompaniment until you select another one or until
you stop Arranger playback, Fill-Ins (see above), Intros
and Endings are played only once.

Once the INTRO pattern is finished, the Arranger auto­matically proceeds with the MAIN [1]~[4] pattern
(depending on which button flashes). At the end of the
Ending pattern, however, the Arranger stops.

(1) Stop Arranger playback by pressing the

[START÷STOP] button (it goes dark).

(2) Play a chord in the left half of the keyboard to

specify the key of the Intro pattern.

r

26

G-70 Music Workstation

r

Playing to an automatic accompaniment

(3) Press the [INTRO] and the numeric button [1]~[4]

that corresponds to the Intro pattern you want to
use.

STYLE CONTROL

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

VARIATION

12 3 4

BASS

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNC

(4) Press the [START÷STOP] button to start Arranger

playback.

The Arranger plays the introduction of the currently
selected Music Style. The “MEASURE” field on the
main page now counts backwards (“–4”, “–3”, etc.) to
indicate the Intro’s duration. If you like, you can now
try out the remaining three Intro patterns by pressing
[INTRO] and [1]~[4]. The number refers to the degree
of complexity.

Note: Do not play while the Intro is running. Most Intro pat­terns indeed contain chord changes, so that playing different
chords may lead to highly annoying results.

Note: See “Additional Arranger/Style functions” on p. 78 for
more Arranger functions.
Note: You can also select patterns via the Aftertouch function.
See p. 79.

Selecting Music Styles

So far, we have been using only one Music Style (the
one that is selected automatically at power-on). Here is
how to select a different accompaniment:

(1) Press a button of the STYLE pad to select a Music

Style family.

STYLE

LIVE

8 BEAT 16 BEAT ROCK

BALL

ROOM

JAZZ

BLUES

BAND

50's & 60's

BOSSA

SAMBA

The indicator of that button lights and the display
looks as follows:

DISCO

DANCE

CONTEMP

LATIN WORLD

During Arranger playback, the [START÷STOP] button
flashes red on the downbeat and green on the
remaining beats of the bars to indicate the tempo.
While the Arranger is stopped, this visual tempo
indication is provided by the [METRONOME] button
(that only flashes in red, though).

(5) Press one of the VARIATION [1]~[4] buttons to

select the pattern that should be played after the
Intro is finished (the button flashes).

By pressing [MAIN] at this stage, you leave the Intro
pattern on the next downbeat (i.e. before the Intro
phrase is finished).

(6) Wait until the selected MAIN pattern is playing,

then press the [END/RIT] button.

STYLE CONTROL

INTRO MAIN END/RIT START STOP

VARIATION

12 3 4

BASS

INVERSION

AUTO

FILL IN

SYNC

At the end of the current pattern cycle, the Arranger
starts playing the Ending pattern and then stops.
While the Ending phrase is playing, the “MEASURE”
field on the main page counts backwards (“–4”, “–3”,
etc.) to indicate the pattern’s duration.
Again, there are four Ending phrases to choose from.
If you don’t press a numeric button [1]~[4] after
switching on [END/RIT], the Arranger automatically
uses the ENDING phrase that corresponds to the
MAIN number you have been using up to that point.

Note: Here again, it would be wiser not to play chords while
the Ending phrase is running.

The display shows a list of 10 Music Styles available
for the family you selected. If the name of the desired
Style is not displayed…

(2) Use the [PAGE¥1]~[PAGE¥4] fields to switch pages.

The number of pages depends on the selected family.
Some families have only one page, while others may
have two, three or four.

(3) Press the field of the Music Style you want to use.

If the Arranger is running while you select another
Style, the new Style starts on the next downbeat.

27

G-70 Music Workstation

Quick Start

(4) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main page.

EXIT

Changing the tempo

If the accompaniment is too fast (or too slow), here is
how to change the Music Style tempo:

√

SLOW FAST

DEFAULT

(1) Press [ôSLOW] to decrease the tempo in steps of

one unit.

(2) Press [FAST¥®] to increase the tempo in steps of one

unit.

You can also press the [TAP] button several times to
specify the desired tempo. The new tempo is dis­played in the upper right-hand corner of the display:

®

The [TAP] button flashes red to indicate the downbeat
(while Arranger playback is stopped). If Arranger
playback is running, the [START÷STOP] button flashes
red on the first and green on the other beats of a bar.

(3) To quickly return to the default tempo, hold down

[√¥SLOW] and simultaneously press [FAST¥®].

r

28

Using the Keyboard parts

Your G-70 provides six “parts” that allow you to play
different sounds on the keyboard. These parts are
called “Keyboard parts”. Let’s add a live melody to the
accompaniment.

Playing with an Upper and/or Lower part

At power-on, the UP1 part is automatically switched on
and assigned to the entire keyboard. That is because the
G-70 starts up in EASY SETTING “PIANO” mode. The KBD
MODE [WHOLE] button also lights.

(1) Press the PART ON/OFF [UP1] button if it does not

light.

KEYBOARD PART

TONE ASSIGN

MBS LW 2 LW 1

(2) Play a few notes on the keyboard.

The UP1 part’s sound is assigned to the entire key­board. To assign it to the right half, press the KBD
MODE [SPLIT] button.

You could also press the TONE EFFECTS [MULTI¥FX]
button to add an appropriate effect to the Keyboard
parts you are using (here UP1). See page 105 for
details.

(3) Use the [MASTER¥VOLUME] knob to set the G-70’s

output volume.

MASTER

VOLUME

(4) Use the [BALANCE] knob to set the balance

between the accompaniment and your live playing.

UP 3 UP 2 UP 1

PART ON/OFF

SPLIT

G-70 Music Workstation

Using the Keyboard parts

Note: See page 100 for how to set the balance between the
Keyboard parts.

r

(5) Press the PART ON/OFF buttons of other Keyboard

Parts you want to add (by “layering” them).

Alternating between sounds

The G-70 allows you to play several sounds simulta­neously using the Keyboard parts. Other parts are
played by the Arranger/Styles and are called Style parts.
And finally, there are the Song parts that are controlled
by the Recorder function.

The Keyboard parts can be used together or to quickly
alternate between sounds.

Use the PART ON/OFF buttons to select the part(s) you
want to play.

You can play several sounds simultaneously (which is
called a “layer”) or via separate keyboard zones (“split”).
Below please find an explanation of the Keyboard parts.
(See p. 78 for the Style parts.)

• UP1 (Upper1): Upper1 is normally the main solo part
(and switched on automatically in Piano mode).

• UP2: The Upper2 part can be used as additional solo
part to be layered with the Upper1 part or as an
alternative melody sound. It provides two tuning
parameters (“Coarse” and “Fine”) Upper1 does not
have.

• UP3: The Upper3 part is yet another solo part that
can be added to UP1 and UP2. It can also be used in
an additional split combination (see p. 95).

• LW1 and LW2: The Lower1 and Lower2 parts can
either be used in the same way as the UP parts (in
WHOLE mode) or be assigned to the left half of the
keyboard (in SPLIT mode).

• MBS: In WHOLE mode, the MBS part is yet another
“normal” part. In SPLIT mode, it supplies a semi-auto­matic bass line to your left-hand notes if one of the
two LW parts is active. When neither LW button
lights, it behaves like any other Keyboard part.

Note: All Keyboard parts can be used to play drum sounds.
Unlike previous Roland arranger instruments, the G-70 no
longer provides a dedicated “Manual Drums” part.

• MELODY INTELL (Melody Intelligence): This part is
triggered by the Arranger and plays automatic har­monies that are added to the melody you play using
the UP1 part. You cannot play that part yourself. That
explains why its button not part of the KEYBOARD
PART section (it is one of the two TONE EFFECTS but­tons). You can choose from among 18 harmony types
(page 80).

BALANCE

ACCOMP KEYBOARD

Turn it towards “KEYBOARD” if the notes you play
yourself are too soft. Turn it towards “ACCOMP” if
your playing is too loud with respect to the Arranger
(or song).

29

G-70 Music Workstation

Quick Start

Selecting sounds for the Keyboard parts

■One Touch

The easiest way to select suitable Tones for the Key­board parts while working with the Arranger is by
using the ONE TOUCH feature. The One Touch memo­ries are in fact small User Programs. See p. 83 for
details.

(1) Press the desired ONE TOUCH button.

1

There are four One Touch memories per Music Style
(for the 285 factory Styles and 120 CUSTOM memo­ries).

Note: One Touch memories usually switch on the SYNC START
function. If you don’t want the Arranger to start as soon as you
play a note or chord, switch off the [SYNC¥START] button.

(2) Select a Music Style (page 27) and start Arranger

playback by pressing the [START÷STOP] button.

Start playing to the accompaniment. You will notice
that the sounds of all Keyboard parts match the
mood of the selected Style.

(3) Select a different Style and again play a solo line.

The active Keyboard part (probably UP1) now uses a
different sound (even Keyboard parts that are off
change sounds).

(4) Press another ONE TOUCH button to use that reg-

istration.

(5) Press the same button again if you no longer need

the One Touch setting.

• On the main page, press the row of the part you wish
to assign a different sound to.

In this case, the G-70 directly jumps to the TONE
page that contains the currently selected sound.

The red arrow indicates which part is active for Tone
selection (its TONE ASSIGN button also lights).

Note: It is also possible to select sounds for Keyboard parts
that are currently switched off. This allows you to prepare the
next sound(s) while still playing another Keyboard part.

(2) Press a TONE button to select a family and its

“best” sound (the sound already changes at this
stage).

See page 33 for the [HARMONIC¥BAR] sounds and
page 32 for the [SRX¥EXPANSION] button.

The display shows a list of Tones available in that
family:

■Choosing sounds manually

The G-70 contains 1596 Tones (or sounds) and 48 Drum
Sets divided over 16 families.

(1) Specify the part you wish to assign another sound

or Drum Set to:

• Press the TONE ASSIGN button of the desired part (so
that it lights).

KEYBOARD PART

TONE ASSIGN

MBS LW 2 LW 1

—or—

UP 3 UP 2 UP 1

PART ON/OFF

Entries with an [EXP] icon to the right of their name
are sounds that reside on the SRX-series expansion
board you installed. Those sounds are automatically
assigned to the correct families (and displayed on the
last page of the selected family).

(3) Press the field of the desired sound. If you don’t

like it, press another field.

The last sound you select in each family is memorized
temporarily and will be recalled every time you press
the corresponding TONE button. (That selection can
then be changed by pressing another field.)

(4) If you are still not happy with the Tone, use the

[PAGE¥1]~[PAGE¥5] and [˚] fields to select the corre­sponding page (if available).

r

30

G-70 Music Workstation

Using the Keyboard parts

r

The [˚] field is only displayed if there are more than
five pages. Other Tone families have fewer than five
pages. This depends entirely on the Tone family you
select.

(5) Press the field of the desired sound.
(6) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main page.

EXIT

Next time you select this TONE family, the G-70
automatically jumps to the page that contains the
last sound you selected (and activates it).

About the G-70’s sounds

Try playing the Tones you select at different velocities
(strengths) to discover the rich nuances that can be
obtained. (See page 64 for details about how to set
the velocity sensitivity.)

There is a “JazzScat” sound (VOCAL family), for exam­ple, with three dynamic levels that allow you to
sound “Doo”, “Bub” or “Daow”, simply by hitting the
keys softer or harder. Various guitar Tones provide
hammering-on/bending sounds when you strike the
keys as hard as you can.

Transposing the keyboard to the lowest octave (using
the OCTAVE parameter) sometimes allows you to play
some typical noises (scraping over the strings, hitting
the body of an acoustic guitar, etc.).

■Choosing the sound selection system (Sound Set
Mode)

The Roland engineers figured that you might feel
overwhelmed by the number of Tones available in
each TONE family. That is why the G-70 does not dis­play all the sounds it contains when you switch it on
for the first time. This “restricted” display mode is
called “BEST SELECTION”. In this mode, only the “new”
sounds can be selected.

You may have grown fond of “older sounds” (from
the G and VA series) and wish to select them. In that
case, select “EXTENDED”:

(1) Press the [MENU] button.

The display changes to:

(2) Press the [UTILITY] and the [STARTUP] field.

(3) Press either [BEST¥SELECTION] or [EXTENDED] to

make your choice.

This setting is memorized and used until you change
it again.

Drumming on the keyboard

The G-70 also allows you to play drums and percussion
on the keyboard. If you have ever worked with an older
Roland arranger instrument, you may remember that
there used to be a part called “M.Drums” for playing
percussion phrases. This part no longer exists, because
any of the following Keyboard parts can be used for
drumming: UP1, UP2, UP3, LW1, LW2 and MBS.

(1) Press the TONE ASSIGN button of the part you

want to assign a Drum Set to (the button lights).

(2) Press the TONE [DRUMS] button.

(3) Press a field to select another Drum Set.

MENU

31

G-70 Music Workstation

Quick Start

You may have to use the [PAGE¥1]~[PAGE¥5] buttons
to jump to the page that contains the desired Drum
Set. After installing an SRX-series expansion board,
there may also be a [˚] field that allows you to jump
to additional pages.

(4) Play a few notes on the keyboard.

Every key is assigned to a different drum/percussion
sound. Press the second “C” key from the left (C2) to
sound a bass drum (“Kick”) and the white key to its
right (D2) to play a snare sound. Then, try out the
other keys.

IPopKik36

IPopCStk37st

IPopSn38st

IPopGstS39st

IPopSn40st

IPopTomLFl41

IPopHat1_42

IPopTomL43

IPopHat2_44

IPopTomMFl45

IPopHat3_46

IPopTomM47

IPopTomHFl48

IPopCyml2_52

IPopTomH50

C2

C3

(this is only an example)

(5) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main page.

EXIT

Entries with an [EXP] icon to the right of their name
refer to Drum Sets that reside on the SRX-series
expansion board you installed.

Selecting sounds from an SRX expansion board

The G-70 allows you to expand the number of sounds
by installing an optional SRX-series wave expansion
board.

See “Installing a wave expansion board” on p. 236 for
notes about installing such a board. If your G-70
already contains such a board (because you asked your
Roland dealer to install it when you bought the G-70),
proceed as follows to select one of the “Expansion”
Tones:

(1) Specify the part you wish to assign another sound

to:

• Press the TONE ASSIGN button of the desired part (so
that it lights).

KEYBOARD PART

TONE ASSIGN

MBS LW 2 LW 1

—or—

• On the main page, press the row of the part you wish
to assign a different Tone to.

UP 3 UP 2 UP 1

PART ON/OFF

r

The G-70 directly jumps to the TONE page that con­tains the currently selected sound.

The red arrow indicates which part is active for Tone
selection (its TONE ASSIGN button also lights).

(2) Press the SRX EXPANSION button.

The display now responds with a list of Tones avail­able on the installed wave expansion board:

32