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Roland U-20 / U-220
PCM Playback

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About

Roland U-220 is a PCM-playback synthesizer with waveform expandability. It's the upper model of the previous model, U-110.


Roland U-220 (1989)

U-20 is the keyboard version with 61 keys.

Roland U-20 (1989)

U-220 Overview

Acoustic-oriented PCM samples with preset settings. Roland calls it RS-PCM (Resynthesized PCM).
The ROM sounds consists of U-110's presets and 2 RS-PCM cards (#8 Synthesizer and #9 Guitar & Keyboards) built-in.
The ROM size is said to be 3MB, expandable up to 4MB.
No filter.
ADSR became editable (Only Attack and Release were editable in U-110).
Responds to channel/polyphonic aftertouch, though in a limited way.
2 FX - digital chorus and digital reverb.
Expandable with PCM cards in the 2 slots.
6-part multi-timbral.

Sound Examples

Here are some .mp3 examples of U-220.
No external effects, overdub, external cards used.

Layered

Bend Choir (340KB)
EP Pad (399KB)
Harp String (967KB)
Pluck (249KB)
Pluck Ambient (829KB)

Pad

Pulse (739KB)
Strings (528KB)
Bell Pad (607KB)
Organ (424KB)

Sequence

Bell (366KB)
Strings Breath (374KB)
Hit (373KB)
Bent Piano (288KB)
Aftertouch Saw (420KB)

This is the experimental adaptation (editor) I made for Emagic SoundDiver to make these layered sounds above..

U-220 adaptation screenshot

Related Models

U-110 is the previous model with less ROM and more card slots.


Roland U-110 (1988)


Roland RS-PCM card for U series

More PCM ROM is added in U-220 and the keyboard version, U-20. There were also other keyboard versions with EP sounds - Roland Rhodes Series - Model 660/760.
Rhythm machine R-8 Series may be related, as it's a PCM-playback synthesizer with similar expandable ROM cards. Also the 12-bit sampler S-50 Series have PCM playback engine and OS related to U Series.

Roland S-50 (1986)


Roland Rhodes Model 660 (1989)

Later Roland added digital resonant filter to U series, and made D-70 and MV-30.

Roland D-70 (1990)

Roland MV-30 (1990)

There were other filter-less PCM synths in mid-80s. Kurzweil K1000 series and E-MU Proteus series were the most prominent ones with much deeper programmability. U series can be seen as the lower-end versions of them.

Kurzweil 1000PX (1988)


E-MU Proteus 1 (1989)

Links

Roland US Roland Manual Download
Roland U-20 Support Site

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Deep Synthesis: Home
12. 21. 2006