Roland EM-55 Bedienungsanleitung

r EM-55 Interactive Keyboard Owner’s Manual ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Thank you for choosing a Roland EM-55 Interactive K eyboard, the perfect arr anger instrument for countless hours of pur e, unadulterated fun. Thanks to its novel integr ation of DJ-like functions, the EM-55 will take your musical endeavours to a completely new level. To [...]

Features 2 Session P artner function The EM-55’s new Session P artner concept encom- passes three functions: you can switch on/mute the Arranger’ s accompaniment parts; you can select from among 8 phrase patterns to be played either in isola- tion or together with the selected Music Style; or you can use the eight Session P artner buttons DJ st[...]

EM-55 Owner’ s Manual 3 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH In addition to the items listed under “Important Safety Instructions”, please read and observe the following: P ower 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). • [...]

Contents 4 1. Important notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. P anel descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3. First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 5 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH A POWER ON button Press this button to switch the EM-55 on and off. B BENDER/MODULA TION lever By performing left/right movements, you can bend your solo notes down (left) or up (right). Press this lever towar ds the rear of the instru- ment to add modulation (usually vibrato) to the notes [...]

Panel descriptions 6 L STYLE button Press this button if you want to select Music Styles . By activating this button, you also specify that the [INTRO], [ORIGINAL], etc., buttons are used for select- ing a Style Division, while the [1]~[8] buttons can be used to select the desired Style memory (1 1~64). In DJ PAD mode, the [STYLE] button can be use[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 7 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH The [VARIATION] button also doubles as [STYLE DISK] button (after pressing the [STYLE] button). See p. 26. The numeric keypad also allows you to enter file names. f PHONES socket s This is where you can connect two pair s of optional headphones (Roland RH-25 or RH-50). By doing so, you swi[...]

First steps 8 Setting up The first thing you need to do is connect the supplied ACJ adapter to a suitable wall outlet. (1) Unpack the EM-55 and place it on a sta- ble surface. (2) Connect the small end of the adapter cable to the EM-55’s DC IN jack, and the other end to a suitable wall outlet. (3) Press the [PO WER ON] button to switch on the EM[...]

EM-55 Owner’ s Manual 9 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Playback of a Style demo song: (1) Press the [STYLE] button. (2) Press a numeric button [1]~[8]. Each but- ton selects a different Style demo song (there ar e eight). Playback of the selected demo song starts automatically . After a copyright message, the name of the selected song will be di[...]

First steps 10 Choosing other set s (5) If necessary , use the BANK/NUMBER [1]~[8] buttons to select a different set. The EM-55 provides 8 Sets of DJ phr ases (with 8 phrases each). These sets ar e called: Dance 1, Dance 2, HipHop, House 1, House 2, Rap, Techno 1 and T echno 2. The illustra- tion above shows you which button you need to press to se[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 11 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Guess Note After pressing “OK“ (see step (4) above), the EM-55 plays a note, while the display shows “Listen” . The score gr aphic in the left part of the display shows the note sounded by the EM-55. (1) Play a note on the keyboard. Next, the EM-55 sounds four other notes. Play the[...]

First steps 12 To s pecify the Type : • Press the “2” button. The display now shows the message “ 2 Type ”. • Use the √ ® buttons to select the chord type (“7”, for example). The complete name of this chord appear s in the ARRANGER CHORD field of the display, while the key- board and scor e graphics also show the notes. Black ke[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 13 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Let us now take advantage of the EM-55’s accompaniment function. This function is called “ Arranger ”. Starting/stopping the Arranger (1) Press the KBD MODE [ARRANGER] button (its indicator lights). The keyboard is split into two halves . The keys you press in the left half ar e used[...]

Playing with accompaniment 14 Changing the tempo (6) Use the [TEMPO/DAT A] dial to decrease (turn left) or increase (turn right) the tempo (if necessary). To r eturn to the Music Style’s default tempo, press and hold [EXECUTE/T AP TEMPO] for a few seconds. Alternatively , you can also press the [EXE- CUTE/TAP TEMPO] button sever al times at the d[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 15 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Style selection via EZ Search Another easy way of selecting Music Styles goes like this: (1) Press the [EZ SEARCH] button (indicator lights). The display now shows the number and name of the currently selected Music Style. (2) Look at the STYLE list in the upper left part of the front pane[...]

Playing with accompaniment 16 (3) Press the numeric button [4] to select bank “4” . Note: The name (“Piano 2” in the illustration) still refer s to the previously selected Tone. (4) Press the numeric button [1] to select the “HeavenKey” T one. Notice how the Tone name in the display changes. If you now play in the right half of the keyb[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 17 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Here is how to play one sound via the entir e keyboard. This mode is automatically selected when you switch on the EM-55. As it was mainly meant to use the EM-55 like a digital piano, this mode is called “PIANO” . (1) Press the [PIANO] button (its indicator lights). (2) See “Selectin[...]

Drumming on the keyboard 18 Here is how to assign drum and per cussion sounds to the entire keyboar d. (1) Press the [M.DRUMS] button. Its indicator lights. Play a few notes on the keyboard. This time, every key is assigned to a different sound. With the left-most key , you can play a bass drum sound (also called “kick”). The white key next to [...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 19 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH The D Beam Controller allows you to contr ol various aspects of your performance, or to add something to the music, by moving your hand, head, etc., in the air . You only need to make sur e that you do so over the two “eyes” and within a 40cm (±16”) range. Y our movements are transl[...]

Recording your music 20 Y our EM-55 contains a 16-track Recor der you can use for recor ding your own songs. Feel fr ee to use the Arranger to add an accompaniment to the melodies you recor d. Here, you will learn how to r ecord your melody and the Arr anger accompaniment. (1) Press the [ARRANGER] button. The indicator lights. Y ou can now use your[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 21 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Apart from the basic Music Style functions cover ed on page 13 and following, your EM-55 also provides the fol- lowing functions. The following are only available after pr essing the [ARRANGER] button (its indicator must light). Sess ion P artner function s The EM-55’s SESSION P ARTNER s[...]

Additional Music Style functions 22 Adding yet another Arranger part (Style P ad) The SESSION PARTNER buttons can also be used for the “STYLE P AD” function. That allows you to add a part to Arranger playback, which is not part of the Music Style itself (either in ROM or on floppy). Like the DJ PAD function (see p. 9), the STYLE PAD function p[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 23 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH One T ouch The One Touch function automates quite a few tasks: • The Arranger selects the pr eset Style tempo. • Suitable Reverb and Chorus settings. • The EM-55 selects Tones for the Upper 1 and Upper 2 parts that ar e is suitable for the selected Style. Note: The M-FX settings (see[...]

Additional Music Style functions 24 Melody Intelligence The Melody Intelligence function adds a second voice (harmony notes) to the melodies you play with your right hand. In fact, MELOD Y INTELL uses both halves of the keyboard to determine which notes to play: • It looks at the melody notes in the right half; and… • It analyzes the chords y[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 25 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Or chestr ator The Orchestr ator function allows you to vary the accompaniment patterns played by the Arranger . Y ou can leave out parts, thin out the drum part, or even use a totally different accompaniment – in r ealtime (i.e. while you are playing). (1) Select the Music Style you wis[...]

Additional Music Style functions 26 Selecting another “B” Style As stated earlier , the “B” Style is prepared automatically whenever you select an “ A ” Style, so that the Style Morphing function is ready whenever you ar e. If you do not agree with this pr eset selec- tion (or want to experiment with other Styles), hold down the [STYLE][...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 27 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Note: If the Style on disk does not fit into the EM-55’s RAM memory , the “Err – Too Big!” error message is displayed, and the Style will not be loaded. (7) Press [ST ART/STOP] to start playback of the style on disk. Note: The selection of the Style Disk memory will be written to [...]

More Keyboard part functions 28 U s ing the Upper 2 part The EM-55’s Upper 1 part is assigned to the right half of the keyboar d (in ARRANGER mode) or to the entire keyboard (PIANO mode). In all modes except M.DRUMS, you can add a second part (Upper 2) to Upper 1 by pressing the [UPPER 2] button. This allows you to play two sounds simultaneously [...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 29 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH U s ing the multi-effect s pr ocessor (M-FX) Y our EM-55 contains a multi-effects processor that can be assigned to the K eyboard parts (Upper 1/2, Lower). Y ou can select one type and decide which Keyboar d part(s) should use the effect. The M-FX can be used simultaneously with the Reverb[...]

More Keyboard part functions 30 Ass igning the M-FX to other Keyboard part s As stated above, the M-FX can be assigned not only to the Upper 1 part (default) but also to the Upper 2 and Lower parts. Doing so is easy (though you could also use the FUNCTION menu): (1) Switch on the M-FX (see above). (2) Press and hold the [M-FX EFFECTS] but- ton. The[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 31 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Chorus (1) Press and hold the [FUNCTION] button, while pressing the BANK/NUMBER [7] button. This selects the “CHR” function: (2) Use the [TEMPO/DAT A] dial to select one of the available types. Select “ OFF ” if you do not need the Chorus effect. We could try to describe them, but [...]

More Keyboard part functions 32 T ran spose The Tr anspose function changes the pitch of the notes and chords you play . Instead of figuring out what other keys you need to press to accommodate the singer or an instrumentalist, you can set the r equired Tr anspose value and go on playing the song the way you practised it while sounding in a differ[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 33 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH K eyboar d Velocity The EM-55 is velocity sensitive , which means that the volume and brightness of the Upper 1/2 and Lower notes depend on the force/speed with which you strike the keys. All acoustic instruments (piano, violin, flute, drums, etc.) ar e velocity sensitive. The harder you [...]

Performance functions 34 Foot switch/Expr ess ion The EM-55’s FOO TSWITCH/EXPR socket (r ear panel) allows you to connect optional DP-2, DP-6, or BOSS FS-5U footswitch, or an EV-5 expression pedal. Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used for sus- taining the notes you are playing (default), as Soft or Sostenuto pedal, to switch the Rotary e[...]

EM-55 Owner’ s Manual 35 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH INSTRUMENTS In this case, the D Beam will play musical notes. The pitch and chords of those patterns depend on the notes you play in the left half of the key- board (in Arr anger mode). Harp, Marimba, Mandolin, Guitar 1, Guitar 2, JazzScat, Bell, BassDrum, LoFi Rave, Sweep, Beep. CONTROLS A[...]

Recorder functions 36 The EM-55 comes with a 16-track Recor der that can be used in several ways. On p. 20 we showed you the most straightforwar d way of using the Recorder . Here, you will get to know nuts and bolts. About the r ecor ding modes Modes The EM-55 provides two modes for r ecord- ing new music, and two for adding parts or correcting pa[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 37 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH More about ALL mode In addition to what you learned on p. 20, here are a few consider ations: After pressing [ ● REC], the 16 tr ack and [RECORD∏] icons start flashing, signalling that all 16 tracks ar e available for recor ding. Here is what the tr acks correspond to: For your conven[...]

Recorder functions 38 SINGLE recor ding mode This mode is only available if the EM-55’s Song memory already contains data. When you pr ess [ ● REC], the [RECORD≈∏] icon and icon of the first empty tr ack flash. This means you could recor d a new part straight away . (If all tracks already contain data, T rack 1 will be selected.) Y ou can[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 39 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH The [ ● REC] indicator , the [RECORD≈∏] icon and the icon of the selected track flash. (6) When the Recorder r eaches the measure where you wish to start r ecording, pr ess [ ● REC] again. (7) Play the passage you want to redo. (8) Press [ ● REC] again to deactivate r ecord- ing[...]

Recorder functions 40 Fast Forward, Rewind, and Reset •T o fast forward (jump to a measur e later in the song), press [ ®® ]. •T o rewind (r eturn to a measure that lies before the curr ent position), press [ √√ ]. The measure indication in the upper right corner of the display will help you locate the measure you need. • Press [| √ ][...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 41 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Playing back Standar d MIDI Files The EM-55 allows you to play back commercially available music data files (called Standard MIDI Files ) or your own songs you saved to disk. In fact, when you save a song to disk, it is saved as Standard MIDI Format 1 file and can also be played back usi[...]

Function menu 42 The EM-55’s Function mode contains mor e advanced settings you may not need every day . They allow you to fine-tune your instrument’s r esponse. It would therefor e be a good idea to familiarize yourself with these parameter s. All settings (except Mstr Tune, EP Chor d, Local and Resume) can be written to a User Progr am (see [...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 43 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ■ Metro V ol (metronome volume) ( 0~127 , Default setting: 1 00) Use this parameter whenever you think the metronome is too loud/soft with respect to the music. The default value is usu- ally an appropriate setting. ■ UP1 Octv, UP2 Octv , LWR Octv (octave up/down) ( –4~0~4 , Default [...]

Function menu 44 ■ LWR Mem (Lower Chor d Memory) ( On/Off , Default setting: Off) The Lower Chord Memory function memorizes the chords you play while the Lower part is on and holds the corre- sponding notes until you play another chord. If you need this Hold function for the Lower part, switch it on. ■ LWR Int (Lower Chor d Intelligence) ( On/O[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 45 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH OD ® Chors : This effect connects an Over drive and a Chorus in series. (“Series” means that the fir st effect is also processed by the second.) OD ® Flger : This effect connects an Overdrive and a Flanger in series. OD ® Delay : This effect connects an Overdrive and a Delay in ser[...]

Function menu 46 Note: This function is not available if you connect an optional EV-5 expression pedal instead. Sustain : Also called “Hold” or “Damper”, this func- tion allows you to use the footswitch to hold the notes you play on the keyboard in much the same way as on an acoustic piano. Sostenut : In this case, the footswitch functions [...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 47 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH The EM-55 is equipped with 64 User Progr am memories that allow you to store almost all settings (or r egis- trations) you make on the fr ont panel and via the Function menu (see p. 42). Note: MIDI settings (see p. 49) are not saved to a User Program because the EM-55 memorizes them automa[...]

Working with User Programs 48 Selecting a U ser Pr ogr am Though the User Progr am memory you specified above is already selected, ther e will be times when you need to select another memory . In that case, here is what you need to do: (1) Briefly press [USER PROGRAM/WRITE]. Do not hold this button down because doing so will start the Write pr oc[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 49 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH MIDI is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface . The word r efers to many things, the most obvious being a connector type that is used by musical instruments and other devices to exchange mes- sages relating to the act of making music. Each time you play on the EM-55’s keyboar d [...]

MIDI functions 50 ■ Style PC (Style Select TxRx Channel) ( 1~16 , Off , Default setting: 1 0) As its name implies, the Style Select channel is used to receive and transmit pr ogram changes that cause the EM-55 or the external instrument to select another Music Style. ■ Lyrics Tx (Tr ans mit Lyrics messages) ( On/Off , Default setting: On) The E[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 51 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH If you like, you can also recor d your performance (or the Recorder song) to cassette, MD, etc. T o this end, you need to connect the EM-55’s STEREO OUTPUT sockets to the external device’ s REC IN jacks. Use a standard 1/4” phone cable for doing so. Another use for these outputs is t[...]

Disk functions 52 The EM-55’s Disk functions allow you to save the Recor der Song in the internal Song RAM memory to disk, to save and load your User Progr ams to and from disk, to format floppy disks, to delete files on a floppy disk, and to copy disks. Though you can use 2DD or 2HD floppies, 2HD disks have twice the capacity of 2DD disks, s[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 53 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Though you could save the file with the current default name (“SONG_00 1”, or “USPR_000”), a proper name will help you identify the file at all times. W e therefor e suggest you take the time to specify a meaningful name. Note: If you select “SPACE” ([A/B] button), the dis- p[...]

Disk functions 54 Di s k Copy (copying an entir e di s k) This function allows you to make backup copies of important disks. WARNING : The Disk Copy function uses the RAM memory and erases the Recor der song and its Style Disk memory . Before using Disk Copy , save your song to disk if you haven’t already done so (see p. 52). Disk Copy copies all[...]

EM-55 Owner ’ s Manual 55 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Format Before being able to save files to a disk, you need to pr epare a floppy disk. This is called “formatting” . If the floppy you are about to use is IBM PC formatted, ther e is no need to format it, though disk access is faster with EM-55 formatted disks. Otherwise proceed as f[...]

Miscellaneous 56 Function s for educational purposes The EM-55 provides two functions that may come in handy for music teacher s or for those who use the EM-55 in class: Deactivating or activating the Demo function The EM-55’s Demo function can be switched off so that pressing the [DEMO] button will have no effect at all. This may be useful in si[...]

EM-55 Owner’ s Manual 57 ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH EM-55 Interactive K eyboard Keyboar d : 6 1 keys, velocity sensitive EZ Search : Function for quick T one & Music Style location Sound Source : 64-voice polyphonic 3,559 Tones , 1 16 Drum Sets 32-part multitimbral GM2/GS compatible Dis play : Newly designed large backlit custom display [...]

Index 58 A Acc Off 35 Accomp 31 All 37 Arabic tuning 46 Arpg 35 Arr Chord 43 Mem 43 Split 43 Arranger 43, 56 Mode 13 Split 43 Stop 14 B Balance 31 Bass Off 35 Bs&Dr Off 35 C Chord Finder 11 Intelligence 43 Memory 43 Oct 35 Chorus 31 Clock Tx 50 Contrast 7 Controls 35 Copy 54 Count-In 46 Cutting 34 D D Beam 34 Using 19 Delete 53 Demo 8, 56 Desti[...]