From news.u.washington.edu!news.uoregon.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!reuter.cse.ogi.edu!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!newshost.marcam.com!uunet!news.inhouse.compuserve.com!news.compuserve.com!news Mon Dec 12 19:18:20 PST 1994 Article: 41807 of rec.music.makers.synth Path: news.u.washington.edu!news.uoregon.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!reuter.cse.ogi.edu!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!newshost.marcam.com!uunet!news.inhouse.compuserve.com!news.compuserve.com!news From: Mike Kent <73073.2707@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth Subject: Re: Roland CMU-800R... what is this t.. Date: 12 Dec 1994 18:00:35 GMT Organization: via CompuServe Information Service Lines: 19 Message-ID: <3ci343$hs0$1@mhade.production.compuserve.com> References: <3cgntb$11b@babyblue.cs.yale.edu> This is from memory so some specs may be wrong but general idea is: Roland Compumusic system. PreMIDI compositional system included software and interfacing to Apple II or Commodore 64. Main unit featured analog synthesis with fixed sounds. 4 note polyphony for chord section, mono bass section, mono melody synth, and analog drum section. Chord/melody sections had only 1 sound. Drum section similar to TR-606, bass section similar to TB-303 (some limited adjustments in sound possible). Melody section had CV/Gate output. Roland also made a matching mono synth module intended to expand the melody section (similar voice architecture to SH-09) Software used similar music programming method as MC-8 or MC-4. -- Mike Kent 73073.2707@compuserve.com From news.u.washington.edu!news.uoregon.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!zip.eecs.umich.edu!panix!not-for-mail Mon Dec 12 19:20:07 PST 1994 Article: 41835 of rec.music.makers.synth Path: news.u.washington.edu!news.uoregon.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!zip.eecs.umich.edu!panix!not-for-mail From: hornof@panix.com (Joseph Hornof) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth Subject: Re: Roland CMU-800R... what is this thing? Date: 12 Dec 1994 18:45:15 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC Lines: 22 Message-ID: <3cinab$e2n@panix.com> References: <3cgntb$11b@babyblue.cs.yale.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: panix.com In <3cgntb$11b@babyblue.cs.yale.edu> brt581s@nic.smsu.edu (:Mcclellan Angela C) writes: > I saw one of these in a pawn shop... looks to be an _ancient_ >(relatively) piece of equipment... has a ribbon cable on the back instead >of MIDI, several twiddly bits on the front, and _no_ clue as to its >function... (except a couple of knobs that look perhaps like they'd be >found on an analog synth. attack/decay/sustain/release type things). > What _is_ this thing, anyway? Is it any good? How much should I >pay? All the usual stupid questions. :) Ahh the venerable Roland Compumusic. No midi. Not even capable of synth keyboard inuput. Ribbon cable goes to an Apple II interface card, maybe there was a PC card as well. 8 sets of CV & gates out, plus dweeby in-board sounds. Progamming only via step-input from the computer keyboard. This unit is OLD, pre TB303-MC202, the only other sequencers around it's date were such as Rolands MC-4, Fairlight's Page R, or analog sequencers with rows of knobs. We made a record with one, now it sits in a London cellar. Took me a week to program a trumpet solo. If the pawn shop offers you enough money you should take it. -- Joe -- TECHNICAL TALENT - NYC - MUSIC PRODUCTION THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER From geoff@apanix.apana.org.auMon Apr 24 10:31:10 1995 Date: Sun, 23 Apr 1995 10:16:56 +0930 From: Brains To: analogue@hyperreal.com Subject: Roland CR800 compu rhythm?? CMU-800!! on Thu, 20 Apr 1995, Legion scribbled: >I found an old Roland Compurhythm sequencer/synth thingie in a local >store. It's been there forever and looks like its in good condition. It >has a cable coming out the back and does power up but there's no manual >and no disks. > >In an old Roland Users Group mag there is a description of this beast. It >evidently has a synth and drum kit built into it and will sequence a >number of CV/gate synths. Sounds wonderful but the only thing it didn't >say is what computer it was made to hook up to. I understand you also >need an internal card to hook it to and the roland software to run the >sequencer. I have a dozen 286 machines floating around (I imagine >hoping this will work on a 486 is dreamtime) but i don't know if this'll >work or not given the other parts missing from the equation. > >Has anyone ever used this beast? any ideas of where to get the >software/internal card? And just what computer can this work with (old >Apple, XT, Atari?) Not CR800, CMU-800. The CR800 was a black wedge-shaped box that was one of Roland's last preprogrammed rhythm boxes. The CMU-800, though, ahhhh, now *that* is another story entirely!! The CMU-800 is a medium-sized, off-cream metallic wedge, with a barrage of jacks on the back and a bare minimum of knobs on the front. It also sported this ruddy great ribbon cable hanging out the back! What is it? Essentially, its a computer-controlled CV/gate output system, designed to work with three computers - a Japan-market-only NEC Z80 machine, the humble Apple II range, and (of all things!) the IBM PCjr. No MIDI, no inputs as such, just a means to let your "brand spanking new 8-bit computing marvel" be the controlling heart of your System 100M. The box was the same for each model, you just bought the interface and software to suit your particular CPU. Imagine an MC-4 sequencer. Now take away all the smarts. Coming close :-). Because a lot of people didn't *have* 8 channels of VCO-VCF-VCA to play with, Roland provided 5 'channels' with incredibly simplistic monosynths that made the same horrid "paaaank" noise. Ghastly things :-) Fun, though, at the time -- I could plug one into my Apple II and make the most horrendously sounding Bachian diddle-doddle noises :-). I think I still have the circuit diag and some software for the Apple II version of the interface ... somwhere in the bowels of my aging A2 floppy collection! Geoffrey Really? Geoffrey Peters, Macintosh Support Wizard, geoff@tara.apana.org.au ----------------------------------- Distribution of this work, in whole or in part, is not | Disclaimer? Sure! permitted via Microsoft Network (or affiliates) unless | Say *NO* now! to Microsoft pay the US$1000 license fee. Posting without | Symantec! permission constitutes an agreement to these terms. |------------------ Copyright, Geoffrey Peters, 1995 | "e-Yello!" - H.S.