Roland W-30
Digital sampling keyboard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roland W-30 is a sampling workstation keyboard, released in 1989. It features an on-board 12-bit sampler, sample-based synthesizer, 16-track sequencer and 61-note keyboard.
| W-30 | |
|---|---|
 Roland W-30 | |
| Manufacturer | Roland Corporation |
| Dates | 1989–1994 |
| Price | £1599 GBP[1] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 16 voice |
| Timbrality | 8[2] |
| LFO | Yes (sine peak-hold (with offset)) |
| Synthesis type | Samples |
| Filter | TVF |
| Attenuator | ADSR |
| Aftertouch expression | Yes |
| Velocity expression | Yes |
| Storage memory | 15k steps, 20 songs disk: 100k steps, 64 songs |
| Effects | No |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 61 keys |
| Left-hand control | Combined Pitch bend and modulation switch |
| External control | MIDI In, out, thru |
Overview
The W-30's "Workstation" title stems from its incorporation of synthesis, sampling and MIDI sequencing capabilities. Although primitive by modern standards, the W-30's onboard sequencer was a practical way to arrange music as opposed to a DAW.
Unusually, while sounds are sampled with 12-bit resolution, they are played back through a 16-bit D-A converter[3] which, in theory at least, improves the sound quality. Nonetheless, the slightly "gritty" nature of the samples could be considered one of the instrument's charms.
The W-30 is compatible with the sound library of the Roland S-50, S330 & S550 dedicated samplers, which are now in the public domain.
Expansion
The workstation's back panel features a blanking-plate labelled SCSI. This allowed the very rare "KW30 SCSI kit" upgrade to be fitted. The KW30 gave the W-30 the ability to behave as a SCSI Master device, and drive SCSI hard drives and CD-ROM players through a standard 25-pin SCSI cable. Copying samples to a SCSI hard drive (maximum usable capacity: 80Mb) dramatically reduces load time compared to the built-in 3.5" floppy disk drive.[4]
Notable users
- Erick Sermon
- Liam Howlett of The Prodigy used the W-30 as his main songwriting device until 1997's The Fat of the Land and on-stage as a master keyboard up until 2008[5]
- Steve Hillier of Dubstar programmed the entirety of the band's first album Disgraceful on a W-30. It was retired for the band's first European tour in 1996[6]
- Andrés Bobe of La Ley programmed the keyboards and sequences from 1990 to 1994, mostly for the album Doble Opuesto [7]
- DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia created the gritty, 90s proto-trap sound by re-sampling the groups' hooks to be used across many of their releases. DJ Paul still uses the W-30 to this day.[8]
- Hiroyuki Iwatsuki used the W-30 to write the music for the SNES game Wild Guns.
- Luis Alberto Spinetta's 1991 album Pelusón of Milk was produced mostly on his W-30 at home, while "waiting for Vera", his daughter, to be born[9]
- Project Pitchfork used it on the albums Dhyani, Lam-'Bras, Entities, Io, Alpha Omega.[citation needed]
- Jason Novak used the W-30 in the early years of Acumen Nation and DJ? Acucrack, and later Cocksure, with Chris Connelly.
- Matt Elliott as The Third Eye Foundation used the W-30 as a sampler and sequencer for his album Ghost.[10]
