The Internal Effects - Roland VS-2480 Owner's Manual

3—Introduction to the VS-2480

The Internal Effects

What Are the Internal Effects?
The VS-2480 contains a set of individual internal effects processors. As shipped from
the factory, there are two internal stereo effect processors onboard. You can install up to
three additional VS8F-2 Effect Expansion Boards (purchased separately) for a total of
eight internal stereo effect processors.
What Are Effects?
An effect is a type of audio processing that's added to a sound to enhance it. There are a
variety of effects available in the VS-2480, including:
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The VS-2480 also offers effects that use several of these audio processes at once.
How Does the VS-2480 Create Effects?
Each of the VS-2480's effects is created by subjecting an audio signal—remember, it's
just numbers while it's inside the VS-2480—to a complex mathematical formula called
an "algorithm." The VS-2480 contains 36 algorithms. You'll find a list of them in the
VS-2480 Appendices booklet.
Each algorithm has its own collection of settings. You can save an algorithm's settings in
the VS-2480 memory as an "effect patch." The VS-2480 ships from the factory with 250
pre-programmed patches, many of which offer more than one kind of effect. The
VS-2480 also provides 200 memory locations into which you can save your own effect
patches. See the VS-2480 Appendices for a list of the factory effect patches.
Effects can be applied to an audio signal in either of two ways, as we'll discuss in
Chapter 5, starting on Page 81.
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Reverbs—A reverb adds an ambience to a sound, creating the impression that it
exists in an actual physical space. Some people call reverb "echo," though
technically that word applies to something else, as we'll see. A reverb can be short
in duration—so that it sounds like an average-sized room in your home—or long,
so that it sounds like big concert hall. It can also be set to any size in-between.
Delays—A delay causes the original sound to repeat one or more times, often at
levels that get quieter and quieter with each repeat. Long delays help re-create
classic rock 'n roll sounds. Any delay can also useful for subtly suggesting an
ambience. Another word for "delay" is "echo."
Choruses, flangers and phasers—All three effects add their own type of swirling
texture to a sound, most often to instruments such as electric pianos and electric
guitar or bass. They utilize subtle delays and/or pitch changes to do what they do.
Filters—A filter removes part of the original sound. This group of effects includes
EQs and things like wah-wah pedal simulations.
Compressors, limiters, gates—These effects, collectively called "dynamics processors,"
alter the volume of the original signal in one way or another. Compressors and
limiters even out volume fluctuations, while a gate lowers the level of a signal—or
shuts it off altogether—when it falls below a certain volume level.
Modeling—Roland's COSM™ (Composite Object Sound Modeling) process
emulates various guitar amps, microphones and speakers with amazing realism.
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