Roland EM-101 Sound Plus - filter mod

video by wildchurch

"video in two parts:
1. brief demonstration of filter adjustment
2. multi-tracked piece (all EM-101 except drums)

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the Roland EM-101 is an analog sound module from the mid-80s
it's all about preset sounds and has very basic MIDI functionality
there are 2 banks: ensemble (polyphonic) and solo (monophonic)
there's also a 3rd hidden bank accessed through a button press/power on combination

the EM-101 is paraphonic and any VCF adjustment requires opening the case to access trim pots
i've simply replaced these with potentiometers mounted to the front panel

while this allows adjustment to the sounds, it's not a particularly practical solution from a playing point of view
the available space to mount the pots is very tight making it too fiddly for musical adjustments

a better solution would be a break out box with a decent cable length so the controls could be positioned ergonomically
in addition, this could incorporate switch jack sockets for foot pedal control (especially for the ensemble voices)

depending on selected preset, the filter has variable impact on the sound, from barely noticeable to harsh self-oscillation
it's impact is most evident on the solo voices but it can also give a pleasing sizzle to some ensemble sounds"