Arranger Workstation

TurboStart

Layering Tones

Heres how to layer two tones across the keyboard: 1. Select a tone for UPPER 1 as described earlier. 2. To select a tone for UPPER 2, press TONE on the touch screen. 3. Press PART on the touch screen. 4. Press UP2 on the touch screen. 5. Use the GROUP button to select a group. 6. Press the desired BANK button. 7. Press the desired NUMBER button. 8. Press OTHER so its lit. 9. Press WHOLE on the touch screen. 10. Press UP1 on the touch screen. 11. Press UP2 on the touch screen. 12. Press EXIT to return to the main display.

Its a Fact

The VA-7 is the flagship of Rolands Intelligent Arranger series of keyboards, combining features from the popular G and EM-series with Rolands new VariPhrase technology. VA-7 features include: New sound engine with 3,649 sounds (48 MB worth of PCM samples) 116 drum sets, including Asian drum sets 48 factory and 16 user VariPhrases 128-note polyphonic/32-part multitimbral 61-note velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch 128 preset music styles & 64 Disk Link styles 89 types of multi-effects, plus reverb and chorus Built in Zip and floppy drives Touch screen for easy access to parameters Assignable D-Beam controller as well as ribbon control

Using VariPhrase

VariPhrase technology lets you control the pitch, time and character, or formant, of a sampled phrase. 1. Press FUNCTION MENU. 2. Press VARIPHASE on the touch screen. 3. Press SELECT PHRASE on the touch screen. 4. Use the GROUP button in the VARIPHRASE section of the keyboard to select Group A. 5. Press BACKGROUND so its lit. 6. Press one of the NUMBER buttons (1-8) in the VARIPHRASE section to select a phrase. 7. Press CONTROLLERS on the touch screen. 8. As you play the keyboard, press PITCH, TIME or FORMANT on the touch screen. 9. Turn the VALUE dial to change the pitch, time or formant. 10. Press BACK and EXIT when youre done.

Playing the Demo Songs

Use the following procedure to play the VA-7s demo songs: 1. Press VIRTUAL BAND. 2. Press DEMO on the touch screen. 3. Press ALL DEMO on the touch screen. 4. Press PLAY on the screen to begin playback and set the VOLUME knob as desired. Note: Press SKIP NEXT to skip to the next song. Press STOP on the touch screen to end playback. Press EXIT on the screen to return to the main display.

Selecting Tones

Use the following procedure to select a tone: 1. Press PIANO in the KEYBOARD MODE section so that it lights. 2. Press TONE to the right of the keyboard so that its lit. 3. Press the GROUP button to choose Tone Group A or B for the selected part. 4. Press one of the BANK buttons on the right-hand side of the keyboard to select a bank of sounds. 5. Press the NUMBER button for the tone you want to select as listed on the touch screen. 6. Press VARIATION on the screen to access a variation tone. 7. Press EXIT on the touch screen to return to the main display.

Selecting Music Styles

The VA-7 features 128 internal music styles and Disk Links to 64 additional styles on a floppy or Zip disk. Use the following procedure to select music styles: 1. Press STYLE so its lit. 2. Use the GROUP button to select a group. 3. Press one of the BANK buttons to select a bank. 4. Press the NUMBER button for the desired style. 5. Press the SYNC button so its lit. 6. Press ARRANGER in the KEYBOARD MODE section. 7. Play a chord on the keyboard below Middle C to start the arranger. 8. Press START/STOP to stop the arranger.

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Recording with the Song Composer
While using the arranger, you can record your own performance. 1. Select the style you want to use for your recording as described earlier. 2. Press SONG COMPOSER. 3. Press REC on the touch screen. 4. Play a chord or chord progression below Middle C to start the arranger and begin recording. 5. Press STOP on the touch screen to stop recording and return to the top of Measure 1. 6. Press PLAY on the screen to hear the results. Record a second track using the following procedure: 1. Press REC on the touch screenthe second track will appear. 2. Press PLAY on the screen to begin the count-in. 3. Perform the second part. 4. Press STOP to finish recording. 5. Press EXIT to return to the main display.

Mounting the Zip Disk

In addition to its 3.5 floppy drive, the VA-7 has a Zip drive that can be used for storing MIDI files, styles, user programs and MIDI set information. You can play Standard MIDI Files and also link to styles on a Zip disk. To mount the drive and try out some additional styles, use the following procedure.
1. Insert the Zip cartridge that came with your VA-7
into the Zip drive. Press the front panel FUNCTION MENU button. Press DISK on the touch screen. Press ZIP on the touch screen. Press STYLE at the left side of the touch screen. Select a style on the Zip disk by touching its name on the screen. 7. Press EXECUTE on the touch screen. 8. Press the ARRANGER button so its lit. 9. Press the SYNC button so its lit. 10. Play a chord below Middle C to start the arranger. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Muting Parts in the Arranger
While the arrangers playing, you can mute parts and adjust their levels using the following procedures: 1. With the arranger still turned on from the section above, press EXIT and then press MIXER on the touch screen. 2. Press STYLE MIXER on the touch screen. 3. Touch VOLUME located on the left-hand side of the touch screen. 4. On the touch screen, touch the ON button below the virtual fader belonging to the part you wish to turn off. Press OFF to turn it back on. 5. Use the left and right arrows to scroll through all of the arranger parts. Use the following procedure to adjust the volume for any of the arranger parts: 1. Touch the virtual fader for any part whose volume you wish to change. 2. Turn the VALUE dial to set the parts volume. 3. Press EXIT on the touch screen.
Recording with the VA-7s 16-Track Sequencer
The VA-7 contains an extensive 16-track sequencer. Record tracks using the following procedure: 1. Press SONG COMPOSER. 2. Press 16 TRACKS SEQUENCER on the screen. 3. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired track. 4. Press TONE on the touch screen. 5. Use the GROUP, BANK and NUMBER buttons to select the tone you want to use on the track. 6. Press REC on the touch screen. 7. Press PLAY on the touch screen to begin the count-in and recording. 8. Play the keyboard. 9. Press STOP on the touch screen to stop recording and return to the top of Measure 1. 10. Press PLAY on the screen to hear the results. 11. Repeat Steps 3-10 to record additional tracks.

Options

PK-5 dynamic MIDI pedal FC-7 foot controller MSA/MSD/MSE Series floppy disks RH-25/50 headphones DP-2 pedal switch DP-6 pedal switch (piano type) BOSS FS-5U footswitch EV-5 Expression pedal BOSS FV-300L foot Volume/Expression KC-100/300/500 keyboard amplifiers
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. *D-Beam controller technology has been licensed from Interactive Light, Inc.

V-arranger keyboard 128 voice pol yphony
One step closer to reality
Imagine a powerful arranger keyboard with breathtakingly real sounds and accompaniments that remind you of a band when you close your eyes. Imagine a keyboard that starts singing when you play a melody on the keyboard. With real voices that sing real lyrics. Imagine an arranger keyboard with powerful functions organized in such a way that anyone can use them. Then open your eyes and take a close look at Rolands VA-7 V-Arranger Keyboard, and you will admit that Rolands approach to virtual technology has produced an exceptional instrument with exceptional features. And best of all: though packed with countless innovations, the VA-7 is the most intuitive instrument ever. With a functional front-panel design, and a touch screen that sails you through the functions you need. The Virtual Band helps you set up your instrument by answering a few straightforward questions (in six languages) and provides very convincing accompaniments. And exceptional sounds we call V Tones that, for the first time ever, do not stop at the generation of the most vibrant instruments ever but also provide all the noises typically associated with these sounds. Take, for instance, the acoustic guitars. By playing a low note (using the Octave function), you can produce the typical scraping noises. Press the key next to it, and the virtual guitarist starts knocking on the guitar body. Baffling! And how about a trumpet sound that is muted when you strike the keys lightly, and changes into a full-blown trumpet at higher velocities? Or a cymbal where you can clearly tell where the stick hits the bell or the cymbal proper? Or real vibrato instead of a mechanic-sounding LFO, and breath noises that take your breath away? Hearing is believing. The VA-7 is nothing short of amazing. But the real icing on the VA-7s cake is a technology we call VariPhrase. This function allows you to play vocal phrases in any key and at any tempo, as single notes or harmonies, with lyrics and all. Calling it sampling would be like saying that an MP3 player is a gramophone. It may be based on the same fundamental concept of audio triggering via the keyboard. But it goes way beyond anything deemed possible only a few months ago. The VA-7 can really sing. The VA-7 V-Arranger Keyboard will take your musical dreams and endeavors to new heights, whether youre a professional entertainer or a discriminating music enthusiast. This virtual instrument is for real!

Perfect sonic control

Multitimbral parts available on the VA-7

Realtime parts:

Upper 1, Upper 2, Lower 1, Lower 2, Manual Bass, Manual Drums, VariPhrase, Audio In
Remarks: Upper 1 and Upper 2 can be layered, split (2nd split point) or used in Up2-to-Left mode, where Upper 1 plays the topmost note, and Upper 2 the remaining notes. Lower 1 and 2 can be layered (with added Manual Bass part).

Arranger parts:

Accompaniment Drums, Accompaniment Bass, Accompaniment 1~ 16 Melody Intelligence
Melody Intelligence adds harmonies to the Upper 1 notes.

Song parts:

Song parts 1~16
Far from an upgraded model, the VA-7 V-Arranger keyboard is an entirely new kind of arranger keyboard. A powerful 128-voice sound source uses extensive layering and velocity switching to create some of the most realistic and expressive sounds ever. These include aspects like real vibrato, scraping noises, knocks on the guitar body, etc. Extensive built-in velocity switching allows for changing a mute trumpet into a full-blown one, or to generate guitar bendings/hammer-ons simply by striking the keys more forcefully. As for the drum sounds, they include real ambience,lefthand/right-hand snare sounds (D2, E2) allowing you to play stunningly realistic rolls, real flams, positional changes of the stick on a cymbal controlled by your playing force, and so on. With 118 Drum Sets to choose from, youre bound to create as big a bang with the drums as with your solos. The Tone selection system is more flexible than ever: thanks to the Preferred Tone function, you can choose the Variation (or Capital) that is recalled whenever you enter the Tones group/bank/number address. This saves you one step in the selection process! Of course, Tone selection for the VA-7 parts can also be written to the 128 User Programs. The VA-7 even provides Tone editing functions for the Realtime parts, while they can also be velocity-switched. For added convenience, the VA-7 comes with three Scale Tune memories that allow you to program oriental and Asian scales. (the 12 notes are now accessible via the touch screen).

The VA-7 provides countless possibilities for adding expression to what you are playing. The D Beam Controller can be used for changes to the timbre, increasing modulation, changing the Arranger tempo, playing chords, for muting Arranger parts, etc., simply by moving your hand above the infrared beam. VariPhrase control (pitch, tempo, timbre) is also possible. Looks great and sounds terrific. The Ribbon controller is equally flexible, as is the Channel Aftertouch function that even allows you to switch Music Style patterns. Pitch Bend and modulation are a matter of course. For even more expressive potential, you can purchase a foot switch and/or expression pedal and assign it any function you like.
A multi-effects processor (called M-FX) allows you to add the finishing touch to the VA-7s sublime sounds. Use the knob on the front panel to control one M-FX parameter in realtime. Of course, the VA-7 also boasts dedicated Reverb, Chorus, and Delay effects as well as a 2-band EQ. Use the Balance knob for quick corrections to the balance between the melody (Realtime parts) and the accompaniment (Arranger parts). The VA-7s User Programs are surprisingly flexible as well. Although all settings (except for the MIDI parameters) are stored, you are free to load only the ones you need, thereby partially adjusting your current panel settings while ignoring the settings you do not want to change.
A user interface that makes you f
D Beam Controller(*) This light-sensing controller can be used for realtime changes to a wide range of VA-7 parameters, including the Cutoff frequency of the filter (for sweeps typical of Dance music), the tempo, and various VariPhrase parameters. Great for adding optical interest to your musical performance. Touch Screen Navigating the VA-7s powerful functions is a breeze. Just press the field that provides access to the desired parameter.
Ribbon controller This is a new controller that has been added to the traditional Bender/Modulation lever, the D Beam Controller, etc., for even more flexibility. Very effective for organ and synthesizer sounds. The function is assignable.
M-FX pad This is where you can switch the multieffects processor on and off. Use the M VALUE knob for Realtime control of one of the multi-effects parameters. (There are 89 effects algorithms for you to choose from, including Distortion, Rotary, Compressor, Auto Pan, etc.).

New Keyboard Mode selection system Press ARRANGER or PIANO for onetouch setup of your VA-7 (with or without split point, etc.). Other keyboard modes, split point settings, etc., can be accessed via the OTHER button. You can also configure the VA-7 using the on-screen Easy Routing function.

One Touch button

Provides four memories per Music Style (including the Disk Link Styles) with suitable Tones and effects settings for Upper1 and Upper2. These settings can be substitued with your own if need be.
Arranger c These but course, look familiar. Th you to se desired Mu patterns start/stop p Additional Style patter accessed Orchestrato
(*) The D Beam has been licensed from Interactive Light, Inc.
u feel at home right from the start
VariPhrase section This is where you can control the vocal and other audio effects played by the VA-7s VariPhrase function. Super Tones buttons Great for instant selection of a suitable Tone for the melody part (Upper 1). Choose among 40 pre-selected Tones, or make your own selection (5 memories with access to all internal Tones). BANK/NUMBER buttons These are the only buttons that serve several purposes. So they are color-coded for easy identification: green for Music Styles, red for Tones (sounds), and orange for User Programs. You simply cant go wrong. Selecting Styles, Tones, and User Programs is a breeze (and can also be performed via the display, if you prefer).

ons is vides

nger control e buttons, of se, look and feel iar. They allow to select the ed Music Style erns and to /stop playback. tional Music patterns can be ssed via the estrator button.
Virtual Band The Virtual Band helps you set up your instrument by answering a few simple questions. The language is selectable and is stored.

Floppy and Zip drives

For maximum convenience, the VA-7 is equipped with both a floppy and a Zip drive. The floppy drive ensures that you can play back commercially available Standard MIDI Files and load Music Styles programmed for other Roland arranger instruments (backward compatibility). The Zip drive, on the other hand, is more convenient for archiving new data and storing/importing VariPhrases. (The VA-7 is supplied with a Zip disk with over 580 additional Music Styles.)
Note: Given the new parameter structure and functions, User Programs/Performance Memories imported from older models may not always yield the expected result.
The VA-7s 61-note keyboard is, of course, velocity-sentitive. But it also sports Channel Aftertouch that can be used for controlling the Realtime parts and the Arranger in various ways (modulation, volume, tempo, etc.).