Roland System-100M

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Not to be confused with Roland's earlier semi-modular System-100.
System-100M
A Roland System-100M (top left) controlled by a Commodore 64
ManufacturerRoland Corporation
Dates1979-c.1984[1]
Price£1242 for 5-module system with monophonic keyboard[1]
Technical specifications
PolyphonyDepends on chosen modules. Usually monophonic or 4-voice polyphonic.
OscillatorEach VCO has triangle, falling sawtooth, and pulse output (110, 112 modules)
LFOEach voltage-controlled LFO has sine, triangle, square, rising sawtooth, and falling sawtooth output (140, 150 modules); the manually set LFO has triangle output only (172 module)
Synthesis typeAnalog subtractive
Filterlow-pass (110, 121 modules)
EffectsPhase shifter and BBD-based audio delay available (172 module)
Input/output
Keyboard32 keys, monophonic (180 keyboard); 49 keys, monophonic (181 keyboard); 49 keys, 4-voice polyphonic (184 keyboard)
Left-hand controlPitch bend (181 and 184 keyboards only); portamento on/off (181 only); automated arpeggio (184 only)

The Roland System-100M was a modular analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was the successor of the Roland System-100, a semi-modular keyboard.

In the 1980s, shortly after its introduction, Richard Burgess of Landscape called the 100M "one of the best synthesisers on the market, with so many control functions available independently, whereas most synths only have one or two LFOs to do all the modulating."[2] Ian Boddy considered the System 100M "an almost ideal introduction to the world of modular synthesis,"[3] and praised its oscillator sync sound, especially when sampled to achieve polyphony.[4]

By the 1990s, although digital synthesizers were starting to replace analog ones, several prominent musicians still enthused about their 100Ms. Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto said "the best thing about it is that it's modular and it uses a patchbay, so you can send things back on themselves and get, like, analogue feedback, you really can... You can do cross-modulation, too. It's pretty good for external sound sources, as well."[5] Chris Carter called it "as versatile, expandable, and affordable a system as you can get without going the DIY route" in 1995.[6]

Components

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A Roland System-100M with 3 modules
Model Type Released[7] Description
110 Module 1979 VCO / VCF / VCA
111 Module Prototype VCO / VCF
112 Module 1979 Dual VCOs
120 Module Prototype VCF / VCA
121 Module 1979 Dual VCFs
130 Module 1979 Dual VCAs
131 Module 1980 Output Mixer / Tuning Oscillator / Headphone Amp
132 Module 1980 Dual CV / Audio Mixers & Voltage Processors
140 Module 1979 Dual ADSR Envelope Generators / LFO
141 Module Prototype Dual Envelope / Gate Delay / Inverter-Adder
150 Module 1979 Ring Mod / Noise / S&H / LFO
160 Module Prototype Computer Interface
165 Module 1983 Dual Portamento Controller
170 Module Prototype Pitch to Voltage converter / Envelope Follower / Amp
172 Module 1980 Phase Shifter / Audio Delay / Gate Delay (with LFO)
173 Module 1983 Signal Gate & Multiple Jacks
174 Module 1983 Parametric EQ
180 Keyboard 1979 32-key Controller Keyboard
181 Keyboard 1979 49-key Controller Keyboard
182 Module 1980 Analog Sequencer
184 Keyboard 1981 49-key 4-note Polyphonic Controller Keyboard
190 Rack 1979 Three-Module Rack
191J Rack 1979 Five-Module Rack

New Modules

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Model Type Released Description
185 Module 2009/2021[8] Multi-stage Sequencer by RYK Modular. Updated version released 2021
175 Module 2022 Triple Vactrol Resonator by RYK Modular

Hardware re-issues and recreations

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Behringer System-100M clone

In 2020, Behringer announced a series of Eurorack format modular synthesizer modules based on the original Roland System-100M modules:[9]

  • 110 VCO/VCF/VCA
  • 112 Dual VCO
  • 121 Dual VCF
  • 130 Dual VCA
  • 140 Dual Envelope/LFO
  • 150 Ring Mod/Noise/S&H/LFO
  • 172 Phase Shifter/Delay/LFO
  • 173 Quad Gate/Multiples
  • 182 Sequencer
  • 297 Dual Portamento/CV Utilities (combination of 132 Dual CV / Audio Mixers & Voltage Processors & 165 Dual Portamento Controller)
  • 305 EQ/Mixer/Output (combination of 131 Output Mixer / Tuning Oscillator / Headphone Amp & 174 Parametric EQ)

Notable users

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References

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  1. ^ a b Forrest, Peter (March 2003). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, Part Two: N-Z, Revised and Expanded. Susurreal. pp. 137–139. ISBN 0-952437-73-2.
  2. ^ a b Beecher, Mike (Nov 1981). "Landscape Explored". Electronics & Music Maker. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 6–10. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  3. ^ a b Boddy, Ian (Mar 1984). "Roland System 100M". Electronics & Music Maker. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 80–82. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  4. ^ a b Gilby, Paul (Dec 1986). "Ian Boddy: Phoenix". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. pp. 37–41. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  5. ^ a b c Ward, Phil (May 1993). "Message In A Sample". Music Technology. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 36–42. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  6. ^ Carter, Chris (April 1995). "Roland System 100M". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  7. ^ Reid, Gordon (December 2004). "The History Of Roland: Part 2: 1979-1985". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  8. ^ gearnews.com
  9. ^ musicradar.com
  10. ^ Robinson, Dave (Apr 1993). "The Aphex Effect". Future Music. United Kingdom. pp. 22–23.
  11. ^ Murphy, Scott (February 2003). "Nick Launay Interview". Fodderstompf. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  12. ^ Industrial music pioneer Chris Carter with gear, 1980, Boing Boing
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