— Effects explorer
Every effect
All 46 effects, grouped by what they do to a sound. Hover or tap a parameter to read what it does.
FILTER/EQ·5 effects
A filter that takes away the lows or the highs, with overdrive on top and one extra band of boost or cut.
CUTOFF
Where the filter starts working. FLT TYPE decides which side of this point gets removed.
CTRL 1 knobRange 20–16000 (Hz)
Read the full explanationA very steep filter whose cutoff can also sweep up and down by itself.
Super Filter. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.CUTOFF
Where the filter acts. Higher numbers move it up in frequency.
Range 0–100
Read the full explanationSplits the sound into three bands so you can lift one or take it out altogether.
LOW
Level of the lows, from gone completely at -INF up to a boost.
Range -INF, -41.87–+12 (dB)
Read the full explanationThree bands of tone control, each with its own level and frequency.
Equalizer. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 15 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.A sideband filter: only chosen slices of the frequency range get through.
SBF. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.INTERVAL
Spacing between the bands. More spreads them further apart and moves each one up in frequency.
Range 0–100
Read the full explanationDELAY·8 effects
A straightforward echo locked to the tempo, with its timing set as a note value.
TIME
The gap before each echo, as a note value.
Range 1/32, 1/16T, 1/32D, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/16D, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/4D, 1/2, 1/1T, 1/2D, 1/1
Read the full explanationA tempo-locked echo with just three controls which, like the one on the SP-404SX, uses a dry and effect balance.
SX Delay. Or hold MFX, press ISOLATOR, then press PAD 2 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.TIME
The gap before each echo, as a note value.
Range 1/32, 1/16T, 1/32D, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/16D, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/4D, 1/2, 1/1T, 1/2D, 1/1
Read the full explanationAn echo you feed through a send control, kept in the centre or placed on both sides.
Ko-Da-Ma. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.TIME
How far behind the original the effect falls, as a note value.
Range 1/32, 1/16T, 1/32D, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/16D, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/4D, 1/2, 1/1T, 1/2D, 1/1
Read the full explanationA delay whose time you can sweep without jumps, either free of the tempo or locked to it.
TimeCtrlDly. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.TIME
Delay length: in milliseconds with SYNC off, a note value with it on.
Range 0–100 (msec) (when SYNC is OFF); 1/32, 1/16T, 1/32D, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/16D, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/4D, 1/2, 1/1T, 1/2D, 1/1 (when SYNC is ON)
Read the full explanationA virtual tape delay based on the echo section of Roland’s RE-201 Space Echo.
Tape Echo. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.TIME
Stands in for tape speed. Higher numbers run the tape slower, which spaces the echoes further apart.
Range 10–800 (msec)
Read the full explanationDelays the phase-inverted left and right signal to leave a lingering afterimage; it needs stereo material and does nothing to a mono sound.
Zan-Zou. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.TIME
Delay length: a free value with SYNC off, a note value with it on.
Range 0–100 (when SYNC is OFF); 1/32, 1/16T, 1/32D, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/16D, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/4D, 1/2, 1/1T, 1/2D, 1/1 (when SYNC is ON)
Read the full explanationPiles several delays and some reverb onto the original sound for a thick, cloudy smear.
Cloud Delay. Or hold MFX, press ISOLATOR, then press PAD 3 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.WINDOW
The spacing of the delayed sound. Wider settings give a deeper wash of reverb.
Range 0–100
Read the full explanationThe DJFX Looper and TimeCtrlDly combined: a short repeating slice with echo on top.
DJFX Delay. Whether it works on BUS 3 and BUS 4 is unclear: Roland’s EFX Type list leaves it out, but its MIDI table for those buses includes it.REVERB·3 effects
A reverb with four kinds of space and separate low and high cuts for shaping the tail.
Reverb. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 1 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.A simple three-control reverb which, like the one on the SP-404SX, uses a dry and effect balance.
SX Reverb. Or hold MFX, press ISOLATOR, then press PAD 1 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Builds a rippling, wave-like wash out of whatever you feed it.
Ha-Dou. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.MODULATION·7 effects
Thickens and widens a sound, with its own low and high tone controls.
Chorus. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 2 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Recreates the chorus circuit of Roland’s JUNO-106 and JX synths.
JUNO Chorus. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 3 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.MODE
Which JUNO or JX setting you hear.
Range JUNO 1, JUNO 2, JUNO12, JX-1 1, JX-1 2
Read the full explanationA sweeping, jet-plane whoosh.
Flanger. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 4 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Moves the sound around by mixing a phase-shifted copy back in.
Phaser. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 5 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.An automatic wah-wah: the tone keeps moving on a repeating cycle.
Wah. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 6 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.PEAK
How focused the effect is. Higher numbers confine it to a narrower range.
Range 0–100
Read the full explanationKeeps moving the volume or the stereo position on a repeating cycle.
Tremolo/Pan. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 8 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Reshapes the tone into something metallic.
Ring Mod. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 11 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.COLOUR·5 effects
Recreates the SP-303’s Vinyl Sim, giving your sound the character of a spinning record.
303 VinylSim. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Recreates the SP-404SX’s Vinyl Sim, giving your sound the character of a spinning record.
404 VinylSim. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Makes a sound behave like a cassette playing back, with controls for how worn the tape is.
Cassette Sim. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Deliberately damages the tone, with filters before and after; it can get very loud, so raise its values with care.
Lo-fi. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Lowers the sample rate for a crunchy lo-fi sound.
Crusher. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 12 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.DRIVE·4 effects
A gentle distortion for adding some edge.
Overdrive. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 13 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.A heavy, aggressive distortion.
Distortion. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 14 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Warm-sounding saturation with low and high tone controls; it can get very loud, so raise its values with care.
WrmSaturator. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.A guitar amp model with six amp types, available only as an Input FX.
Input FX on the OTHER tab of UTILITY > EFX SET, or as EFX Type on the INPUT FX Setting screen.AMP TYPE
The amp being modelled: JC is a Roland JC-120, TWIN a Fender Twin Reverb, BG a lead sound through a MESA/Boogie combo, MATCH a Matchless D/C-30, MS a Marshall 1959 and SLDN a Soldano SLO-100.
Range JC, TWIN, BG, MATCH, MS, SLDN
Read the full explanationGLITCH·7 effects
Catches a very short slice of the sound and repeats it, so you can change its speed and direction for turntable-style moves.
Shuffles a loop in steps, flipping its direction and gate length for a chopped-up digital groove.
Scatter. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Chops a sound into a 16-step rhythm so that it comes across as a backing phrase; it works best on sounds that sustain.
Slicer. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 7 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Drags the playback speed down over and over, on a repeating cycle.
Downer. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.Slows the playback in repeating waves so that the sound writhes; Roland’s image for it is a coiled-up snake.
To-Gu-Ro. Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.Winds the playback down like a turntable coming to a stop.
Stopper.Throws the sound into a backwards record spin, once the effect has had a moment to charge.
Back Spin. Or hold MFX, press ISOLATOR, then press PAD 4 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen).PITCH/VOCAL·6 effects
Tunes a sound to a key or chord with up to six resonators, built on the physical-modelling technique called Karplus-Strong synthesis.
A resonator tuned to a scale, handy for picking out melodies and bass lines.
Hyper-Reso. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 10 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4.NOTE
Which note rings out, counted in chromatic steps from the root of SCALE.
Range -17– -1, 1–18
Read the full explanationTwo pitch-shifted voices, each set in semitones and each with its own place in the stereo field.
Chromatic PS. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 9 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.PITCH1, PITCH2
How far each voice moves from the original pitch.
Range -24–12 (semi)
Read the full explanationReshapes a voice into different characters using pitch correction and formant control, available only as an Input FX.
Input FX on the OTHER tab of UTILITY > EFX SET, or as EFX Type on the INPUT FX Setting screen.PITCH
Moves the voice up or down, by as much as an octave either way.
Range -100–100
Read the full explanationTurns a voice into a vocoder sound, with the notes set on the unit or played in over MIDI, available only as an Input FX.
Input FX on the OTHER tab of UTILITY > EFX SET, or as EFX Type on the INPUT FX Setting screen.NOTE
Which note sounds, counted in chromatic steps from the root of SCALE; SCALE and CHORD decide what you get. You can also play it from outside: send note messages (note numbers 0–127) and pitch bend on MIDI channel 11 from a keyboard on MIDI IN, a computer over USB or a DAW app on an iOS device. Pitch bend moves the pitch continuously.
Range -17– -1, 1–18
Read the full explanationSings harmony alongside your voice, available only as an Input FX.
Input FX on the OTHER tab of UTILITY > EFX SET, or as EFX Type on the INPUT FX Setting screen.PITCH
Moves the voice up or down, by as much as an octave either way.
Range -100–100
Read the full explanationDYNAMICS·Compressor
Turns loud parts down and brings quiet parts up so the level stays more even; it can get very loud, so raise its values with care.
Compressor. Or hold MFX, press DJFX LOOPER, then press PAD 16 (worked out from Roland’s list order, so check the name on the screen). Also on BUS 3 and BUS 4, and works as an Input FX.SUSTAIN
How long the effect keeps working on a sound as it fades away.
Range 0–100
Read the full explanation