Roland EM-55 Owner's Manual
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Roland EM-55 Owner's Manual

Roland owner's manual interactive keyboard em-55
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EM-55
Interactive Keyboard
Owner's Manual
Thank you for choosing a Roland EM-55 Interactive Keyboard, the perfect arranger instrument for countless
hours of pure, unadulterated fun. Thanks to its novel integration of DJ-like functions, the EM-55 will take
your musical endeavours to a completely new level.
To get the most out of the EM-55 and to ensure many years of trouble-free service, we urge you to read
through this Owner's Manual thoroughly.
To avoid confusion, let's agree to use the word "button" for all keys on the front panel, and only use "key"
when referring to the EM-55's keyboard.
Before using this instrument, carefully read the sections entitled "Important Safety Instructions" and "Impor-
tant notes". They provide important information concerning the proper operation of the EM-55. Be sure to
keep this manual in a safe place for future reference.
Copyright © 2001 ROLAND EUROPE. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Roland Europe s.p.a.

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  • Page 1 They provide important information concerning the proper operation of the EM-55. Be sure to keep this manual in a safe place for future reference. Copyright © 2001 ROLAND EUROPE. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Roland Europe s.p.a.
  • Page 2 Tones to choose from for the song you are about to play. The EM-55’s sound source conforms to General MIDI System Level 2 (GM2 for short) as well as Roland’s GS Format. 64 Music Styles The EM-55 contains 64 Music Styles that will supply a perfect accompaniment for your solo playing.

  • Page 3: Important Notes

    Excessive heat can deform or discolor the instrument. Maintenance • For everyday cleaning wipe the EM-55 with a soft, dry cloth or one that has been slightly dampened with water. To remove stubborn dirt, use a mild, non-abrasive detergent. Afterwards, be sure to wipe the instrument thoroughly with a soft, dry cloth.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    18. Miscellaneous......56 Initializing your EM-55 (Factory) ....56 19.

  • Page 5: Panel Descriptions

    2. Panel descriptions A POWER ON button Press this button to switch the EM-55 on and off. B BENDER/MODULATION lever By performing left/right movements, you can bend your solo notes down (left) or up (right). Press this lever towards the rear of the instru- ment to add modulation (usually vibrato) to the notes you are playing.
  • Page 6 32). Holding it for more than one second calls up a FUNCTION parameter you can set. T REC button This button allows you to engage the EM-55’s record function. U Style/Song control buttons (INTRO, ORIGINAL, FILL, etc.) These buttons allow you to select the Music Style division (after pressing the [STYLE] button) or to control the EM-55’s Recorder...

  • Page 7: Rear Panel

    Rear panel A LCD CONTRAST knob Use this knob if the icons and characters in the EM-55’s display are too light or too dark. Be aware that changing lighting conditions may require differ- ent contrast settings. B MIDI OUT/IN sockets...

  • Page 8: First Steps

    EM-55. Demo songs Your EM-55 comes with 16 Tone demos and 8 Style demos . • Tone demos show off the EM-55’s amazing sound quality. • Style demos give you an impression of the quality of the on-board Music Styles.

  • Page 9: Dj Pad Function

    (there are eight). DJ Pad function Let us now look at one of the new Session Partner functions that allows you to use the EM-55 DJ style. (See pages 21 and 38 for the remaining Session Partner/Track functions.) The DJ PAD function allows you to start and...

  • Page 10: Musical Games

    Dance 1, Dance 2, HipHop, House 1, House Musical Games Your EM-55 contains several musical games you may want to play at times. These games will help you mas- ter some basic musical concepts. They are called: • Guess the Note: play the note you hear.
  • Page 11 Guess Note After pressing “OK“ (see step (4) above), the EM-55 plays a note, while the display shows “Listen”. The score graphic in the left part of the display shows the note sounded by the EM-55. (1) Play a note on the keyboard.
  • Page 12 To specify the Type: • Press the “2” button. The display now shows the message “ • Use the √ ® buttons to select the chord type (“7”, for example). The complete name of this chord appears in the ARRANGER CHORD field of the display, while the key- board and score graphics also show the notes.

  • Page 13: Playing With Accompaniment

    4. Playing with accompaniment Let us now take advantage of the EM-55’s accompaniment function. This function is called “ Arranger ”. Starting/stopping the Arranger (1) Press the KBD MODE [ARRANGER] button (its indicator lights). ARRANGER The keyboard is split into two halves. The keys you press in the left half are used to specify the key of the accompaniment.

  • Page 14: Selecting Other Music Styles

    Selecting other Music Styles Selection via the numeric keypad Your EM-55 comes with 64 different accompaniments (called “Music Styles”) that reside in eight banks. Here is how to select them: (1) Press the [STYLE] button.

  • Page 15: Style Selection Via Ez Search

    Working with Music Styles on a floppy disk Your EM-55 comes with two floppy disks, one of which contains 64 additional Music Styles for the Disk Link function. (The other floppy disk contains additional Styles that you can load via STYLE DISK.) Using those is just as easy as working with the internal Styles –...

  • Page 16: Tone Selection Via Ez Search

    Tone. Tone selection via EZ Search Your EM-55 contains 3,559 Tones (or sounds), which means that you have plenty of options – but it also means that you may have to spend several minutes before locating the desired Tone.

  • Page 17: Playing One Sound (Piano)

    Here is how to play one sound via the entire keyboard. This mode is automatically selected when you switch on the EM-55. As it was mainly meant to use the EM-55 like a digital piano, this mode is called “PIANO”.

  • Page 18: Drumming On The Keyboard

    Tones but rather by a Drum Set. Drum Sets are collections of over 90 sounds, each assigned to a differ- ent key. The EM-55 provides 116 different Drum Sets. To select them, proceed as though you were calling up a Tone: (1) Press a number button [1]~[8] to select a Bank.

  • Page 19: Using The D Beam Controller

    Now you should hear a scratch sound. Try out the SOUND EFX (sound effects), INSTRUMENTS (play notes using a given sound) and CONTROLS (change Arranger playback). Note: See p. 34 for details about the D Beam Con- troller. INSTRUMENTS CONTROLS EM-55 Owner’s Manual mes-...

  • Page 20: Recording Your Music

    Recording your music 8. Recording your music Your EM-55 contains a 16-track Recorder you can use for recording your own songs. Feel free to use the Arranger to add an accompaniment to the melodies you record. Here, you will learn how to record your melody and the Arranger accompaniment.

  • Page 21: Additional Music Style Functions

    9. Additional Music Style functions Apart from the basic Music Style functions covered on page 13 and following, your EM-55 also provides the fol- lowing functions. The following are only available after pressing the [ARRANGER] button (its indicator must light).

  • Page 22: Adding Yet Another Arranger Part (Style Pad)

    Adding yet another Arranger part (Style Pad) The SESSION PARTNER buttons can also be used for the “STYLE PAD” function. That allows you to add a part to Arranger playback, which is not part of the Music Style itself (either in ROM or on floppy). Like the DJ PAD function (see p.

  • Page 23: One Touch

    • Suitable Reverb and Chorus settings. • The EM-55 selects Tones for the Upper 1 and Upper 2 parts that are is suitable for the selected Style. Note: The M-FX settings (see p. 29) are not covered by the One Touch function.

  • Page 24: Melody Intelligence

    INTELL Changing the MELODY INTELL harmony type The EM-55 contains 18 different voicings (harmony types) for the MELODY INTELL function. These voic- ings specify the number of harmony notes and the way in which they are added to your melody.

  • Page 25: Orchestrator

    Style Morphing allows you to use one or several accompaniment parts of one Music Style and the others of a second Music Style. Each time you select a Music Style, the EM-55 automatically prepares a second Style in the background. The Style you select is called “STYLE A” (this is indicated by the [STYLE≈A] icon in the upper right corner of the display).

  • Page 26: Working With Styles On Floppy Disk

    Working with Styles on floppy disk Style Disk The EM-55 provides a special temporary memory that allows you to use one Music Style on a floppy disk as if it were an internal Style. The function in question is called STYLE DISK.

  • Page 27: More Music Style Functions

    Assigning other Music Styles to the Disk Link memories The EM-55 provides 64 memories (8 banks x 8 numbers) that refer to Music Styles on the supplied or any other floppy disk. The Disk Link memories can be accessed via group b (press [A/B] and then enter the bank and number using the [1]~[8] buttons).

  • Page 28: More Keyboard Part Functions

    10. More Keyboard part functions Using the Upper 2 part The EM-55’s Upper 1 part is assigned to the right half of the keyboard (in ARRANGER mode) or to the entire keyboard (PIANO mode). In all modes except M.DRUMS, you can add a second part (Upper 2) to Upper 1 by pressing the [UPPER 2] button.

  • Page 29: Using The Multi-Effects Processor (M-Fx)

    Using the multi-effects processor (M-FX) Your EM-55 contains a multi-effects processor that can be assigned to the Keyboard parts (Upper 1/2, Lower). You can select one type and decide which Keyboard part(s) should use the effect. The M-FX can be used simultaneously with the Reverb and Chorus effects.

  • Page 30: Reverb And Chorus

    Reverb and Chorus The EM-55 also provides digital Reverb and Chorus effects. The main thing you probably want to do with these effects is switch them on/off and select other types. Via the FUNCTION menu, you can also set the Send level (the amount of Reverb or Chorus) to be applied to the various parts.

  • Page 31: Balance

    Lower parts is set to “0”, which means that these parts are not automatically processed by the Chorus effect. See the Chr UP1, UP2, and LWR parameters on p. 45 and following for how to set them. Flanger S-Delay SDelayFb EM-55 Owner’s Manual...

  • Page 32: Transpose

    More Keyboard part functions Transpose The Transpose function changes the pitch of the notes and chords you play. Instead of figuring out what other keys you need to press to accommodate the singer or an instrumentalist, you can set the required Transpose value and go on playing the song the way you practised it while sounding in a different key.

  • Page 33: Performance Functions

    11. Performance functions Keyboard Velocity The EM-55 is velocity sensitive , which means that the volume and brightness of the Upper 1/2 and Lower notes depend on the force/speed with which you strike the keys. All acoustic instruments (piano, violin, flute, drums, etc.) are velocity sensitive.

  • Page 34: Footswitch/Expression

    D Beam functions The D Beam Controller is no doubt the most exciting and spectacular performance function of your EM-55. You can use it to modify various aspects of your Interactive Keyboard. Let’s have a look at how to do that.
  • Page 35 Beam’s eyes, you start a fade-out (the CONTROLS indicator flashes, which means that the volume of all EM-55 parts gradually decreases). As soon as it reaches “0”, Arranger playback will stop. After a few seconds, the volume then returns to normal.

  • Page 36: Recorder Functions

    12. Recorder functions The EM-55 comes with a 16-track Recorder that can be used in several ways. On p. 20 we showed you the most straightforward way of using the Recorder. Here, you will get to know nuts and bolts.
  • Page 37 M.Drums mode, you can only record a drum part. Note: Selecting KEYBOARD mode means that the Song data in the EM-55’s memory will be overwritten by your new recording. (1) Press the [ REC] button. (2) Use the [TEMPO/DATA] dial to make the...
  • Page 38 Recorder functions SINGLE recording mode This mode is only available if the EM-55’s Song memory already contains data. When you press [ REC], the [RECORD≈∏] icon and icon of the first empty track flash. This means you could record a new part straight away. (If all tracks already contain data, Track 1 will be selected.)

  • Page 39: Playback Functions

    (1) Connect an optional DP-2, DP-6, or BOSS TONE KEYBOARD VELOCITY FS-5U footswitch to the FOOTSWITCH/ REVERB CHORUS EXPR socket on the EM-55’s rear panel. MELODY INTELL (2) Press and hold [FUNCTION] while pressing INVERSION BANK/NUMBER [3]. By doing so, you jump to the PAD function (see also p.
  • Page 40 [MARKER A–B] again (the indicator lights). Live performance with song backing (Minus One) Your EM-55 allows you to mute the solo part of the song you are playing back. This is called Minus One playback (because one part of the original song will not be played back).

  • Page 41: Playing Back Standard Midi Files

    Playing back Standard MIDI Files The EM-55 allows you to play back commercially available music data files (called Standard MIDI Files ) or your own songs you saved to disk. In fact, when you save a song to disk, it is saved as Standard MIDI Format 1 file and can also be played back using any other SMF compatible sequencer (or software).

  • Page 42: Function Menu

    13. Function menu The EM-55’s Function mode contains more advanced settings you may not need every day. They allow you to fine-tune your instrument’s response. It would therefore be a good idea to familiarize yourself with these parameters. All settings (except Mstr Tune, EP Chord, Local and Resume) can be written to a User Program (see p.
  • Page 43 (or “1”). MDrShift (–4~0~4, Default setting: 0). This parameter allows you to shift the EM-55’s keyboard in order to play drum/percussion sounds that are currently not accessible. Remember that there are only 61 keys, while some Drum Sets provide drum/percussion sounds for all 128 notes supported by the MIDI standard.
  • Page 44 LWR Int (Lower Chord Intelligence) (On/Off, Default setting: Off) When you activate the [LOWER] button , the EM-55’s Lower Chord Intelligence function allows you to play major chords by pressing just one key, minor chords by pressing two keys, and more complex chords by pressing three keys.
  • Page 45 “65” and “127” correspond to the right speaker (“1”= hard left, “127”= hard right). EM-55 Owner’s Manual Rev UP2 (0~127, Default setting: 100) This parameter allows you to set the Reverb Send Level for Upper 2 (i.e.
  • Page 46 (“ALL”). In some cases, choosing “ALL” may produce a more satisfactory result. Resume Select this function to recall the EM-55’s factory Function settings. Note: Resume does not reset the MIDI parameters of the FUNCTION mode (see p. 49).

  • Page 47: Working With User Programs

    14. Working with User Programs The EM-55 is equipped with 64 User Program memories that allow you to store almost all settings (or regis- trations) you make on the front panel and via the Function menu (see p. 42). Note: MIDI settings (see p. 49) are not saved to a User Program because the EM-55 memorizes them automatically.

  • Page 48: Selecting A User Program

    User Program since switching on the EM-55. The important thing to note here is the “Edit” message. It indicates that the EM-55 is still using the last manual changes you may have made before selecting the User Program function. The User Program number therefore only means “this is the last memory you...

  • Page 49: Midi Functions

    15. MIDI functions MIDI is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface . The word refers to many things, the most obvious being a connector type that is used by musical instruments and other devices to exchange mes- sages relating to the act of making music.
  • Page 50 0 Standard MIDI Files you playback. It cannot display them but it allows you to transmit them to a device capable of displaying Lyrics messages (such as the Roland LVC-1). This filter allows you to enable (On) or disable (Off) the transmission of Lyr- ics data.

  • Page 51: Using The Outputs And An Optional Pedal

    EM-55’s STEREO OUTPUT sockets to the external device’s REC IN jacks. —or— Use a standard 1/4” phone cable for doing so. Another use for these outputs is to connect the EM-55 to your HiFi or keyboard amplifier (such as the Roland KC-500/300/100). Using a HiFi amplifier requires the use of an adaptor plug (phono/RCA cables.

  • Page 52: Disk Functions

    17. Disk functions The EM-55’s Disk functions allow you to save the Recorder Song in the internal Song RAM memory to disk, to save and load your User Programs to and from disk, to format floppy disks, to delete files on a floppy disk, and to copy disks.

  • Page 53: Deleting Files On Disk

    file you want to delete (example: “USPR_005”). (5) Press the [EXECUTE] button. To be on the safe side, the EM-55 now asks you whether you really want to delete the file (“Sure?”). (6) Press [EXECUTE] to delete the file, or [DISK] to abort the operation.

  • Page 54: Disk Copy (Copying An Entire Disk)

    (5) Insert the original (Source) disk into the drive. The display now informs you that the EM-55 is reading the first part of the data to be copied (“Read xx%”). Depending on the number of files on disk, you may encounter this message several times.

  • Page 55: Format

    Before being able to save files to a disk, you need to prepare a floppy disk. This is called “formatting”. If the floppy you are about to use is IBM PC formatted, there is no need to format it, though disk access is faster with EM-55 formatted disks. Otherwise proceed as follows: (1) Press [DISK] to select the Disk mode.

  • Page 56: Functions For Educational Purposes

    Miscellaneous 18. Miscellaneous Functions for educational purposes The EM-55 provides two functions that may come in handy for music teachers or for those who use the EM-55 in class: Deactivating or activating the Demo function The EM-55’s Demo function can be switched off so that pressing the [DEMO] button will have no effect at all.

  • Page 57: Specifications

    19. Specifications EM-55 Interactive Keyboard Keyboard: 61 keys, velocity sensitive EZ Search: Function for quick Tone & Music Style location Sound Source: 64-voice polyphonic 3,559 Tones, 116 Drum Sets 32-part multitimbral GM2/GS compatible Display: Newly designed large backlit custom display Adjustable contrast Panel controls &...

  • Page 58: Index

    Index 20. Index Acc Off 35 Factory 56 Accomp 31 Fade Out 35 All 37 Fill 13 Arabic tuning 46 D Beam function 35 Arpg 35 Filter 35 Footswitch 34, 39, 45 Chord 43 Front panel 5 Mem 43 Functions 5 Split 43 Arranger 43, 56 Groovebox 9...

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