Roland System-8 – historic turning point?
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Other questions along the way: why does the oscillator COARSE TUNE range end at 11 (semi) tones? Sure, it IS
possible to reach that last half tone by the FINE tune knob, but that means two work steps instead of one. Why not
COARSE TUNE “12” from the very beginning? Which would also enable manual gliding from one octave to the next,
a must-have in terms of sound-design.
Our final question involves that ominous user’s manual. It should be called “The Pursuit Of Unhappiness” (with a
bow to Paul Watzlawick’s famous book). Extra-thin paper, horrible black-and-white illustrations, endless lists and
tables. Not a single friendly word in the direction of creative music making, and then – last but not least – that
friendly green blinking all over the instrument. No in-depth information, unless you want to download a PDF they
were kind enough to provide as an afterthought. But that’s how things are.
