Roland

Roland is best known for its legendary keyboards, but it also has a rich history in digital effects processors. Starting with early tape delays like the RE-201 in the 1970s, Roland’s innovation continued into the digital era with the SDE-2000 digital delay and the iconic SDD-320 Dimension D Chorus in 1981. Over the years, they introduced standout products such as the SRV-2000 reverb, famous for its characterful sound and use by Slash on “Sweet Child of Mine.” Roland’s attempt at high-end studio reverb with the R880 met limited success, leading them to focus on more affordable processors. The SRV-330 dimensional reverb and SDE-330 space delay are highly regarded, while the rare SDX-330 dimensional expander is famed for its superior chorus effects. Their final unit, the SRV-3030, was less successful and often confused with the well-regarded SRV-330, but they remain distinct products in Roland’s diverse effects legacy.

Made In Japan

Released in 1981 /

Roland TB-303 Bass Line

Released in 1981, the Roland TB-303 Bass Line was originally designed by Tadao Kikumoto as a programmable electronic bass accompaniment machine intended to operate alongside the Roland TR-606 Drumatix. Combining a monophonic analogue synthesiser, sawtooth and square oscillators, an 18 dB-per-octave resonant low-pass filter and an integrated pattern and track sequencer, the Roland TB-303 Bass Line achieved only limited success in its intended role. But years later…

Made In Japan

Released in 1981 /

Roland TR-606 Drumatix Drum Machine

The Roland TR-606 Drumatix offered 7 analogue drum voices, 32 pattern memory, 8 songs and DIN sync connectivity. Initially overlooked, it later became a cult machine, shaping post-punk, industrial, acid house, techno and IDM music genres.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1981 /

Roland Jupiter-8 Polyphonic Synthesiser

Released in 1981, the Roland Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice, 16-oscillator programmable analogue polyphonic synthesiser with a 61-note keyboard, two oscillators per voice, selectable 12dB/octave and 24dB/octave low-pass filtering, separate high-pass filtering, two envelope generators, extensive modulation, 64 programmable memories, split and layered keyboard modes, polyphonic portamento and an integrated arpeggiator. Designed as Roland’s flagship polyphonic synthesiser, the Roland Jupiter-8 combined extensive sound programming with sophisticated keyboard and performance control and became an important instrument in the development of the programmable polyphonic synthesiser.

Made In Japan

Released in 1981 /

Roland SDD-320 Dimension D Chorus

Roland’s Chorus effect that featured heavily on their JC Series guitar amplifiers was a unique and desirable sound back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The demand for this new chorus effect was so great, Roland developed the Roland SDD-320 Dimension D to satisfy that market demand, and it is quite possibly the greatest chorus effect processor ever made.

Made In Japan

Released in 1982 /

Roland Juno-60 Polyphonic Synthesiser

The Roland Juno-60 is a six-voice programmable polyphonic analogue synthesiser released in 1982, combining digitally controlled oscillators with analogue filtering, envelope-controlled amplification, two chorus settings, an arpeggiator and a 61-key keyboard. Its 56-patch internal memory, cassette storage and DCB interface significantly expanded on the Roland Juno-6 and helped establish the Roland Juno family as an important part of early 1980s synthesiser development.

Made In Japan

Released in 1982 /

Roland SDE-2000 Digital Delay

Roland’s first digital delay, the Roland SDE-2000 was a big hit when it arrived, guitarists took to it like a duck to water, as too did home recording studios. It may have had limited bandwidth with the relatively low sampling rate of 26kHz, but that did not stop the success Roland enjoyed with the SDE-2000, but it did kill off the Space Echo, for a while at least.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1983 /

Roland SDE-3000 Digital Delay

The Roland SDE-3000 was a natural progression from the earlier SDE-2000 and offered better sound quality through increased bandwidth among other improvements. The Roland SDE-3000 is a high-quality Delay Machine featuring various delay effects and also the Memory function that retains up to eight different panel settings, therefore, it is extremely helpful for both studio and live performance.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1983 /

Roland SDE-1000 Digital Delay

The Roland SDE-1000 represented Roland’s entry into the affordable Digital Delay market, and it brought quality effects for all of us. The Roland SDE-1000 Digital Delay is a high quality 12-bit digital delay machine with various attractive features including chorusing.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1983 /

Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer

The Roland TR-909 combined analogue and digital technology, introduced MIDI, and offered hands-on programmability. Its iconic kick, snare and hats powered house, techno and rave, and its influence still resonates across modern dance music.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1984 /

Roland Juno-106 Programmable Polyphonic Synthesiser

The Roland Juno-106 Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer combined six-voice subtractive analogue synthesis with digitally controlled oscillators, a resonant VCF, ADSR envelope, built-in chorus, 128-patch memory and extensive MIDI implementation. As the successor to the Roland Juno-60, the Roland Juno-106 brought the established Juno architecture firmly into the MIDI era while retaining direct front-panel control over its synthesis functions. Its straightforward architecture, extensive patch storage and ability to transmit and receive synthesis parameters over MIDI made the Roland Juno-106 particularly well suited to the rapidly developing electronic studio environment of the mid-1980s.

Made In Japan

Released in 1985 /

Roland SRV-2000 MIDI Digital Reverb

The Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb combined early digital reverberation processing with parametric equalisation, programmable memory and MIDI control, providing engineers with a flexible rackmount reverb unit capable of producing both natural ambience and gated-style effects.

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Made In Japan

Released in 1985 /

Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer

The Roland TR-707 was a digital PCM drum machine with 15 sounds, hands-on mixing sliders, pattern memory and full MIDI. Its crisp, characterful samples shaped 1980s pop, new wave and the rise of house and techno, earning it lasting respect as a versatile classic.

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