Roland is now shipping the System-500, a fully analog recreation of the System-100m, one of the most revered electronic instruments of all time. Newly designed in Eurorack format, the System-500m Complete Modular Synthesizer delivers the classic character and functionality of the original with the advantages of a modern instrument. Made with top-quality components and solid controls, the System-500 Series features five modules, including the 512 Dual VCO, 521 Dual Filter, 530 Dual VCA, 540 Dual Envelope Generator + LFO, and 572 Phase Shifter + Delay + LFO. The modules are available individually or as an entire system that is housed in the new SYR-E84 Eurorack Case with a clean, high-capacity power supply.
The 512 Dual VCO offers two independent full-range voltage-controlled oscillators with 1V/octave tracking and simultaneous dedicated outputs for all waveforms including pulse, triangle, and sawtooth. There is variable pulse width, which is controllable manually from the panel or CV control. Each oscillator can be synchronized to each other with strong or weak modes for a variety of “sync” sounds.
The 521 Dual Filter features two independent voltage-controlled low-pass filters for modifying the timbre of audio sources. Each filter has dedicated frequency cutoff and resonance controls, as well as a fixed high-pass filter with two switchable cutoff points. Audio and CV input mixers on each filter allow the blending of multiple audio signals and modulation sources.
The 530 Dual VCA features two independent voltage-controlled amplifiers for controlling the loudness of audio signals. The module offers 3 inputs per VCA with voltage-controlled modulation, while the summed outputs combine both signals from each VCA.
The 540 Dual Envelope + LFO is a multi-purpose modulation source featuring two independent envelope generators, each with its own ADSR controls that can be triggered manually or via an external gate trigger. Each envelope has two outputs plus an inverted output, which can be used to shape the sound oscillators, filters, and VCAs. Additionally, the 540 includes a voltage-controlled LFO with 5 waveforms including square, triangle, saw-up, saw-down, and sine. Front panel controls adjust the frequency and delay time start, while the delay and rest can be triggered from either envelope 1 or 2.
The 572 Phase Shifter + Delay + LFO is a time-based multi-effects module including a 5-stage phase shifter, analog audio delay, a control voltage gate delay, and an LFO. The module excels at creating subtle to deep lush analog effects including flanging and chorus. Both the phase shifter and analog delay can be controlled by the internal LFO or via CV inputs. The LFO section offers triangle and inverse triangle outputs simultaneously.
The SYR-84 Eurorack Case is not only compatible with the System 500-Series modules, but with the Aira System-1m, BITRAZER, DEMORA, SCOOPER, TORCIDO modules, as well as any standard Eurorack modules. The sturdy case is constructed from black aluminum with wooden sides and can be used flat, angled, or vertically. The lid maybe attached in the rear to provide stability when stacking multiple units.
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