ACHIEVE MASTERY!

ENJOY CREATING SOUNDS WITH YOUR SYNTHESIZER

Sound synthesis made easy! Learn the basics of sound creation on Rolands new GAIA SH-01 synthesizer!

INTRO

Introducing the Controls

LFO
This modulates the sound.

D Beam
By moving your hand above the D Beam controller you can change the sounds pitch, volume, or brightness.

Oscillator (OSC)
This determines the sounds pitch. The oscillator is the heart of a synthesizer, and is where you select the waveform that forms the basis of the sound.

Filter
This determines the sounds brightness.

Amp
This determines the sounds volume. This is also where the sounds attack and decay are adjusted.

Effects
Here you can apply reverb to give the sound more depth, or add other effects.

EXT IN
You can connect a portable audio player here.

USB Memory
You can save your patches to USB memory.

Volume
This adjusts the overall volume.

Tone
You can layer three tones to be played simultaneously. Heres where you select the tone you want to edit.

Patch
Here you can call up patches.

Lever
Move this to left or right to change the sounds pitch. Move this away from yourself to apply modulation.

A NOTE OF ADVICE

What are the Three Elements of Sound?

The three elements of sounds are pitch, brightness, and volume. On a synthesizer, these elements are controlled by the following three sections.

Rolands GAIA SH-01 synthesizer is designed so that these three elements of sound are arranged on the panel in an intuitive layout, making the sound-creating process easy.

1. Pitch = Oscillator (OSC) 2. Brightness = Filter (FILTER) 3. Volume = Amplifier (AMP)

2

Pitch OSC

Brightness Volume FILTER AMP

3

STEP

Play a Sound!
What is a Patch?
The GAIA SH-01 lets you save the sounds you create. Each sound you save is called a patch.
You can think of the locations that store the patches as being like shelves. Youll select the desired patch by GROUP, BANK, and NUMBER.

The GAIA SH-01 lets you start playing as soon as you turn on the power.

1. Turn on the power.

Internal Memory

USB Memory (sold separately)

2. Press the NUMBER [1] button.

In this example weve selected sound (patch) number 1. On the following page well explain more about how to select patches.

Non-rewritable 64 patches

PRESET GROUP

Rewritable 64 patches

USER GROUP

Rewritable 64 patches

USB MEMORY

You can use these patches to store the original sounds youve created.

Select Other Patches!

A sound youve saved can be easily recalled simply by pressing a button. Go ahead and try out each patch to get an idea of what kind of sounds the GAIA SH-01 can produce.

3. Use the [VOLUME] knob to adjust the volume.

Select a GROUP PRESET PATCH USER PATCH USB MEMORY PATCH Select a BANK Press the [BANK] and then press one of the [1][8] buttons Select a NUMBER Press one of the [1][8] buttons

4. Play the keyboard.

A NOTE OF ADVICE
Did you hear sound? Now read the next page, and select and play other sounds (patches).

How to Think About Sound Programming

As you take a closer look at the factory-set patches (preset patches), youll notice all sorts of clever tricks that were used to create the sounds. Remember these tricks, and use them to create new sounds from scratch. As you create your own sounds by modifying the preset patches, youll learn various ways in which the sound can be changed.

STEP

Create a Sound!
Create a Bass Sound

Lets try playing an arpeggiated synth bass sound. Turn the filter knob to make the sound change.

1. Call up the PRESET B-1 patch.

Press the [BANK] button and then press the [2] (B) button Press the [1] button

How Do I Stop the Sound?

Press the [KEY HOLD] button to stop the sound.

Press the [PRESET PATCH] button

Add More Low End!

Turn on the [TONE 3] button, and play the keyboard.
Layering three tones produces an even fatter sound.

2. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so its blinking. 3. Press the second C key from the bottom.
Youll hear an arpeggiated techno bass.

Save The Patch Youve Created

The GAIA SH-01 has internal memory in which you can store 64 patches that youve created. By using USB memory (sold separately), youll be able to store 64 more patches.
To save your patch, press the [WRITE] button and then select the save-destination patch number; finally press the [WRITE] button once again.

4. Turn the FILTER [RESONANCE] knob to the

maximum position.

5. Slowly turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob from

Its effective to make this change in sync with the tempo.

Press the [WRITE] button

the maximum position down to the minimum.

6. Set the [RESONANCE] knob at 10 oclock, and

the [CUTOFF] knob at 12 oclock.
Select the GROUP Select a BANK Press the [BANK] and then press one of the [1][8] buttons Select a NUMBER Press one of the [1][8] buttons

7. In sync with the tempo, raise the LFO [FILTER DEPTH]

slider, and then bring it back to the center.
For the LFO DEPTH, the center is 0.

USER PATCH USB MEMORY PATCH

A NOTE OF ADVICE

Use the [CUTOFF] Knob to Fatten the Sound!

Moving the [CUTOFF] knob will make the sound fatter or brighter. Once youve familiarized yourself with its function, try moving the [CUTOFF] knob between 10 oclock and one oclock while you raise and lower the LFO [FILTER DEPTH] slider. Its effective to do this in sync with the tempo.

A NOTE OF ADVICE

Layer Tones to Create Fat Sounds!

The GAIA SH-01 lets you layer three tones together, allowing you to create incredibly fat sounds. Use the TONE buttons to turn each tone on/off. 7

STEP

Create a Pad Sound

Here well try playing a polyphonic pad sound. This is a synth pad that combines an attack sound with a softer sound.

1. Call up the PRESET A-3 patch.

Press the [BANK] button and then press the [1] (A) button

9. Lower the FILTER [ENV DEPTH] slider

downward from the center. The sound of TONE 3 will disappear.

For additional expressive possibilities, you can move the FILTER [ENV DEPTH] slider while you play.

Press the [PRESET PATCH] button

Press the [3] button

2. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so its blinking. 3. Simultaneously press the TONE 1 and TONE 2
[SELECT] buttons so theyre lit.
You can use the [SELECT] buttons to select the tone that you want to edit.

Turn off the [KEY HOLD] button, and raise the TONE 3 AMP [R] (RELEASE) slider to the maximum position.
The time over which the sound of TONE 3 disappears will lengthen. You can change how the sound varies over time by adjusting the ADSR, so you may want to adjust these settings until you get the sound you like.

4. Play a chord. 5. While playing a chord, set the AMP [ATTACK]

slider in the range of about 25.
The attack sound will become more gentle.

Save the Patch Youve Created

To save your patch, press the [WRITE] button, then select the save-destination patch number, and finally press the [WRITE] button once again. Press the [WRITE] button

6. Next, try pressing the TONE 3 [SELECT] button

and adjusting the sound of TONE 3.

While you play, adjust the slider to get the desired attack.

A NOTE OF ADVICE

Adjust the Envelope!

For example, if you want to create a gradual attack, such as for strings, try raising the [A] slider. If you want the sound to linger for a while after you take your hand off the keyboard, raise the [R] slider.

7. Raise the FILTER [ENV DEPTH] slider from

The sounds attack and decay are created in the ENV (envelope generator) section. Raise or lower the [A] [D] [S] [R] sliders, and notice how they affect the sound.
Volume Symbol A D R Time S R Name
Attack time Decay time Sustain level Release time

the center position to 2. The soft sound will become brighter.

Release the key S

Volume change
Duration of the attack Duration of the decay Level while sustained Duration of the release

8. Set the FILTER [ATTACK] slider to 6. Now the

sound of TONE 3 will slowly become brighter after you play the key.

Play a key

A D

STEP

Create a Wind Sound

STEP

Create A Distorted Guitar Sound

The GAIA SH-01 contains a powerful effects section that lets you use five effects simultaneously. Lets try creating the sound of a distorted guitar.

1. Turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob all the way to

the left.

Lets try playing a wind sound that was created using noise. Noise allows you to produce this type of sound. Well try controlling the character of the wind while listening to it.

1. Call up the PRESET A-6 patch.

2. Call up the PRESET A-8 patch.

Press the [BANK] button and then press the [1] (A) button Press the [8] button

Press the [PRESET PATCH] button

Press the [BANK] button and then press the [1] (A) button

Press the [6] button

2. Press the [KEY HOLD] button to turn off its

Press the [PRESET PATCH] button

illumination.

3. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so its blinking. 4. Press and hold any key. The wind will start
blowing.
The sound of trickling water will also begin.

3. First, lets listen to the undistorted sound.

Press the EFFECTS [DIST] button so its light is off, and play the keyboard. Youll hear the undistorted sound.
Press the [DIST] button so its light goes out

4. Press the EFFECTS [DIST] button so its lit, and

play the keyboard again.
Play two-fingered chords to simulate the performance of a rock guitarist. If you hold a note for a while, youll hear the feedback thats typical of a guitar amp played at high volume.

5. While holding down the key to make the wind

continue blowing, turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob toward the right, and move it between the 10 oclock and 1 oclock positions.
This lets you control the character of the wind.

A NOTE OF ADVICE

Use Cutoff to Control the Character of the Wind

As you turn the [CUTOFF] knob toward the left, the sound will become more muffled. When the knob is turned all the way toward the left, the sound will be nearly inaudible. This is because most of the frequency range is not being allowed to pass.
Level Overtones being cut

A NOTE OF ADVICE

GAIAs Amazing Effects!

The GAIA SH-01 contains five effects processors: distortion (DIST), modulation (FLANGER), delay (DELAY), reverb (REVERB), and low boost (LOW BOOST). Using the DIST or FUZZ effects located in the leftmost column will distort the sound, making it more aggressive. DELAY and REVERB let you create lush, spacious sounds. Go ahead and try out various effects to hear what they do.

Frequency

10

11

APPENDIX

Examples of Creating Sounds

Synth Lead (PRESET PATCH: H-7)
7 8 2 7 3 4 8 11

Synth Bass (PRESET PATCH: H-1)

2 3

10

1 2 3 4

Press the [CANCEL/SHIFT] button and [WRITE] button to recall the initialized sound. The sawtooth wave is selected. Press the [VARIATION] button to light the [WAVE] button into red. Since the bass usually sounds in the lower registers, turn the [PITCH] knob to the left so the sound is lowered by an octave. Set the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob between 8 and 9 oclock. The sound will diminish. Next, you need to specify the character of the sounds sustained portion. Set the FILTER ENV [ENV DEPTH] slider to the 60% position. Set the FILTER ENV [S] slider to the 65% position. The sound will be somewhat muted. Now youre ready to create the attack. Set the FILTER ENV [D] slider to the 35% position. The attack will be softened. To simulate the effect of keeping a finger on the string and sliding to a different fret, press the [MONO] button so its lit. Set the [RESONANCE] knob to the 11 oclock position, giving the sound a distinctive character. Set the AMP ENV [S] slider to the maximum position, and set the [A] [D] [R] sliders to the minimum position. Make fine adjustments to the FILTER ENV [ENV DEPTH] slider to determine the overall tonal character. This synth bass is similar to the sound in chapter 2 Recall and Edit Presets, chapter 5 How to Make a Sound of the DVD.

Press the [CANCEL/SHIFT] button and [WRITE] button to recall the initialized sound. The sawtooth wave is selected. Press the [VARIATION] button to light the [WAVE] button into red. Turn the [PITCH] knob to the right so the sound is raised by an octave. Set the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob to the 2 oclock position. Set the FILTER [RESONANCE] knob to the 8 oclock position. Now youre ready to create the attack. Set the FILTER ENV [A] [D] [S] [R] sliders all to the lowest position. Next, you need to determine the overall tonal character. Slightly raise the FILTER ENV [ENV DEPTH] slider. Press the FILTER [SLOPE] button to select -24 dB. The sound will become a bit softer. Set the AMP ENV [S] slider to the maximum position, and set the [A] [D] [R] sliders to the minimum position. To get a more appropriate lead feeling, press the [MONO] button so its lit. With this setting, the patch will play only single notes, and if you press a key while still holding the previous key, the sound will change smoothly to the new pitch.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

5 6 7 8 9

10 11

Press the [REVERB] button so its lit. Turn the [CONTROL 1] knob to add reverberation to the lead sound. This synth lead is similar to the sound in chapter 2 Recall and Edit Presets of the DVD. 13

12

APPENDIX

Examples of Creating Sounds

Sound Effect (PRESET PATCH: H-5)
6 10 12 2 3 4 9 11

Synth Pad (PRESET PATCH: H-2)

2 3

11

10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Press the [CANCEL/SHIFT] button and [WRITE] button to recall the initialized sound. The sawtooth wave is selected. Press the OSC [WAVE] button to select SUPER SAW. Press the [VARIATION] button to light the [WAVE] button into red. Set the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob to the 1 oclock position. The sound will become a bit darker. Now youre ready to specify the overall character of the sound. Set the FILTER ENV [A] slider to 55%, the [D] slider to 70%, the [S] slider to 25%, and the [R] slider to 10%. Raise the FILTER ENV [ENV DEPTH] slider from 0 to the second mark to specify the overall character. Turn the AMP [LEVEL] knob all the way to the right (MAX). Set the AMP ENV [A] slider to the 20% position. The attack will become slower. Raise the AMP ENV [R] slider to about the middle position. Now the sound will linger for a while even after you take your finger off the key. Press the [PANNING DELAY] button so its lit. Set the EFFECTS [CONTROL 1] knob to the 10 oclock position to add a sense of spaciousness. Press the [REVERB] button so its lit. Set the EFFECTS [CONTROL 1] knob to the 1 oclock position to add reverberation. This synth pad is similar to the sound in chapter 5 How to Make a Sound of the DVD.

Heres how to create a sound effect that might be appropriate for a spaceship taking off.
* These settings may produce a sudden, loud sound. Turn the knobs slowly to avoid damaging your hearing or your speakers.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Press the [CANCEL/SHIFT] button and [WRITE] button to recall the initialized sound. The sawtooth wave is selected. Press the OSC [WAVE] button to select NOISE. Turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob all the way to the left (MIN). You will no longer hear sound. Set the FILTER [RESONANCE] knob to the 9 oclock position. Set the FILTER ENV [A] slider to 50%, the [D] slider to 65%, and the [R] slider to 60%. Lower the [S] slider all the way to the bottom. Slowly raise the FILTER ENV [ENV DEPTH] slider to the maximum position. Set the AMP ENV [A] slider to 55%, the [D] slider to 65%, and the [R] slider to 70%. Lower the [S] slider all the way to the bottom. Press the [PANNING DELAY] button so its lit. Set the EFFECTS [CONTROL 1] knob to the 11 oclock position to add some spaciousness. Press the [REVERB] button so its lit. Set the EFFECTS [CONTROL 1] knob to the 12 oclock position to add reverb. This sound effect is similar to the sound in chapter 5 How to Make a Sound of the DVD. 15

14

Experience the magic of creating your own sounds.

For more than a quarter century, Roland has defined and redefined the state of the art in synthesizers. Today, the fundamentals for sound creation remain the same for most synthesizers. By understanding the fundamentals, anyone can enjoy creating sound for virtually any type of synthesizer.
2007 2003

V-Synth GT

V-Synth

Ro
1973

e thesiz d Syn lan

1978

ry r Histo
1981

1996 1982

JP-8000
2006

SH-101

SH-201

JUPITER-8

SH-1

SH-1000
2008 1991

Fantom-G

1979

SH-2

1982

JUNO-60

1987

D-50

JD-800

Copyright 2010 ROLAND CORPORATION All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION. Roland and GAIA are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Roland Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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