ROLAND SPV-355 SH-09 SR-09 TR-606

YouTube via ebishide

Roland SPV-355 rare analog synth pitch-CV Gate

Trope SPV-355 Hog pt.2 video upload by siebenjager

Note Part 1 was not on YouTube.

"Trope generative music run through Roland SPV355 pitch-voltage analog synth, Space Echo, and Electroharmonix HOG. One channel of the iphone stereo output went to the HOG while the other fed the SPV-355 and the Space Echo in succession. The SPV is intended to track a monophonic input source so it gets glitchy as it locks onto different harmonics. More endless noodling."

Trope SPV-355 Hog pt.3


"fed it a cleaner signal this time, the hog output at octave up setting fed the 355 which then used the pitch conversion."

via this auction


"This is a pretty unique little synth, it has a similar feature set to the SH2 with some differences but is a good alternative that fits in a rack. There is a front panel audio input that takes a monophonic signal, like a voice or a bassline, and generates voltages for the pitch CV (1v/oct), gate and envelope (followed from the source). You can then use these to control the internal 2 Oscillator analog synth, an external synth via CV/gate/envelope, or both simultaneously. There are also CV/Gate inputs for use as a standard synth module, you can use any cv/gate keyboard or midi/CV converter that gives 1v/octave. Audio ins and outs (with the exception of the effects send/return) are on the front panel and CV/gate I/O is on the rear.

I just posted some videos of it in use on Youtube under user ID siebenjager [below]. My favorite thing about it is how crude the pitch to voltage converter is, it makes it easily abusable. It tends to be more interesting when mistracking, though you can get it to track well if you send it a very clean well defined harmonically flat mono signal (like an oscillator or organ tone). When I want to use it as a "normal" synth I just run it off the CV/Gate inputs. For someone looking for a flexible guitar synth, this is probably the last thing I'd recommend. Ironically, I think this was its original intent as the output is pretty low output, probably -20, intended for an amplifier. But for someone looking for new sounds that wants to also be able to use bread-and-butter monosynth sounds this would fit the bill."

Sold For: 0 bids

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland SPV-355

images via this auction
"# SEPERATE INSTRUMENT INPUT!!!
# Voltage-controlled filter with resonance, pitch tracking, and variable envelope generator or envelope
# Voltage-controlled amplifier with selectable envelope generator or envelope follow control.
# Hold pedal input.
# Variable foot pedal control over filter cutoff of VCO output.
# CV outputs for Pitch (control voltage), Gate and Envelope Follower.
# CV inputs for Pitch (control voltage) and Gate.
# Effects send and return"

ROLAND SPV-355

images via this auction
"# SEPERATE INSTRUMENT INPUT!!!
# Voltage-controlled filter with resonance, pitch tracking, and variable envelope generator or envelope
# Voltage-controlled amplifier with selectable envelope generator or envelope follow control.
# Hold pedal input.
# Variable foot pedal control over filter cutoff of VCO output.
# CV outputs for Pitch (control voltage), Gate and Envelope Follower.
# CV inputs for Pitch (control voltage) and Gate.
# Effects send and return"

Roland SPV-355 PV Synth Module

images via this auciton

"super rare vintage 1979 Roland SPV-355 analogue pitch to CV monosynth module... Absolutely awesome sounding analogue module. Can do some really crazy stuff and is extremely flexible. Definitely one for the creative experimentalist in you. Can be used as a crazy guitar synth, voice synth, whatever-you-put-into-it synth, Pitch to CV converter i.e. you can control all your other CV/gate synths too with a guitar or another keyboard using this, or can simply be used as an analogue keyboard module by using it's CV and Gate inputs. Feed your boring drum machine through it...feed an 808 or a 909 into it etc etc. Ideal to use with the VP-330 vocoder synth. Sounds similar to the the Roland Promars and Jupiter 4 as it uses very similar architecture:

The Promars shares its unusual oscillator structure with just one other synthesizer. This is another Roland: it's the SPV355 rackmount synth. Designed as a guitar or wind synth, the SPV offered pitch-to-voltage conversion (hence the name) and an envelope follower that, in principle, allowed you to play it from other sound sources. However, in common with other instruments of the era (such as the Korg MS20) it was never very successful in this role, so it's fortunate that the SPV also offered CV and Gate inputs and outputs. This makes it an ideal expander for the modern analogue studio, and for this reason you will probably find that the SPV355 now commands a higher price than the Promars itself.

The features are all pretty well explained below but I would like to add that effecting the VCO pitch or VCF cutoff is very easy by using the LFO from your Kenton Pro Solo or pro 2000 or other MIDI to CV converter and also by hooking it up to the Pedal Control section. You can do so much with this analogue module that other synths won't do and it does most of the usual mono synth stuff very, very well."

Click here for a review on Sound on Sound.

Roland SPV-355

images via this auction

"Roland SPV-355 vintage analog pitch to CV monosynth. I would like to add that effecting the VCO pitch or VCF cutoff very easily by using the LFO for your Kenton Pro Solo or other MIDI to CV converter and hooking it up to the Pedal Control section. There's a slider for both the filter and VCO so not having an onboard LFO is really no big deal." The auction includes this Sound on Sound article on the SPV-355.

Thighpaulsandra's Clisto Modular

via Thighpaulsandra:

"Here's a pic of part of the modular setup I used for the Clisto EP.

Synths L-R from top
2 ARP 2600s
Synthi AKS
2 Synton Fenix
Plan B/Doepfer/Cynthia racks (all Doepfer modules modified with Plan B style knobs)
Oberheim Dual SEM/MiniSequencer Modularised with midi
STS Serge Panel
Kenton Pro 4
Roland SPV-355
Oberheim DPX-1
There's a few holes in the racks made by my sick RSF Kobol which has gone for repair and my old Serge system which is being rack mounted." follow up to this post.

Vintage Roland guitar synth's Gr-50 and SPV-355

YouTube via Vtolus. Via the Russian YouTube.

"Small demo of two rare guitar synth's no external FX beat was made with Korg ESX-1"

Roland Vintage Guitar Service Manuals - 1978-1989

images via this auction.

"econd Edition! With BX-13 Series Schematics! Plus Complete Technical Specifications, Parts Listings, Schematics and More of ALL Roland Vintage Guitar Synthesizer, Controllers! Vintage 24-pin and Earlier Synthesizers Included! Almost 300 pages!

# Guitar Synthesizer/Guitar:
# 001-030 GS-500/GR-500
# 031-054 SPV-355
# 055-072 GR-100
# 073-098 GR-300, G-303/G-808

# 099-122 GR-33B/G-33/G-88
# 123-150 GR-700
# 151-180 GR-77B
# 181-200 GM-70

# Guitar:
# 201-210 G-202
# 211-222 G-505
# 223-232 G-707
# 233-238 G-77

# Other:
# 239-244 GK-1
# 245-266 LPK-1/STK-1
# 267-268 US-2
# 269-272 BC-13
# 273-276 NEW This Edition! BX-13 Versions 1, 2 and 3

Be sure to check out the sellers' other items.

Roland SPV-355

Shot sent my way via
danmcp.

You might recognize danmcp from this post. He is the man behind the miniature modulars and more. You can see more of his work on his official website and you can find his flickr sets here.

Vintage Synth Scans

Click here for pdf scans of various synth brochures and articles. I tried to list all models below. Apologies for the long list but if you are searching for this stuff via your favorite search engine, this is the only way it'll come up, and finding that oddball rare scan can be absolute gold.


Roland
JX-8P and PG-800, JX-3P and PG-200, Jupiter-6, Juno-106, Synth Plus-60 (HS-60), SH-101 and MGS-1, EP-50, MPU-101, MPU-103, TR-707. TR-909, TR-606, TB-303, CR-8000, CR-5000, SBX-80, MSQ-100, MSQ-700, JSQ-60, BOSS Dr. Rhythm DR220A and DR-220E, Alpha-DRUM DDR-30/PD-10/PD-20, Alpha Juno-1 and Alpha Juno-2, DEP-5, DG CMU-810 Compu Synth, Juno-106, Juno-6, Super JX JX-10, MKS-100, MKS-50, MKS-7, MKS-70, SBX-80, SDE-3000/1000/2000, TR-505, Octapad PAD-8, TR-727, Jupiter-8, MC-8, System 700, CPE-800, VCA-800, System 100M, System 100, Jupiter-4, Promars, SH-2, SH-09, CSQ-600, CSQ-100, SH-1, SH-5, SH-2000, SH-7, SH-3A, SH-1000, VP-330, RS-09, RS-505, SA-09, SIP-300, SIP-301, SPA-240, SPA-120, SPV-355, SVC-350, SBF-325, SDD-320, SPH-323, SMX-880, SRE-555, RE-502, DC-30, DC-20, CR-78, CR-68, TR-66, MKB-1000, MKS-30, MKB-300, MKS-10, MKS-80, MPG-80, JX-3P, MC-4, MM-4, MC-202, MIDI-DCB, MTR-100, CV Interface, Piano Plus-400 HP-400, Piano Plus-300 HP-300, RE-150, RE-501, RT-1L, MPU-104, MPU-105, Cube-100 (CK-100), Cube-60 (CK-60), Cube-40 (CK-40), KS-2, KS05, KS-6, KS-11, KS-1000, TB Series Carrying cases, PSA AC Adapters, KS-1100, SC series soft cases, AB series resin-molded cases, MR-1, RH-10, DP-2/6, FS-1/2/3, M-16C/64C, BR-2/3, RD-1000, MKS-20, MKB-200

Yamaha (note the documentation adds the - in the descriptions. So you CS70M in the title, but CS-70M in the body). I thought that was interesting.
CP-30, CP-20, GS-1, CP-10, CP-11, CS-70M, CS-40M, CS-20M, MQ802, CP-80, SK-50D, SK-15, CS-15D, CE-20, CS-01, CS-15, CS-5, SK-30, SK-20, SK-15, SK-10, GS-2, CE-20, MA-10, MM-10, MH-10, KS-50, KS-100, E1005, E1010, MQ802, CP-80, CP-70B, CP-35, CP-25.

Korg
PS-3300, PS-3200, PS-3100, PS-3010, PS-3040, PS-3050, PS-3001, VC-10, MS-10, MS-20, MS-50, SQ-10, MS-03, MS-02, MS-01, 800DV, 700S, 900PS, M-500SP, PE-2000, PE-1000, KA-180, FK-3, FK-1, V-C-F, Mr. Multi, SE-500, SE-300, EM-570, SP-2035, SM-20, Mini Pops 120W 120P, Mini Pops 7, Mini Pops 45, Mini Pops 35, Mini Pops Junior, Korg Quartz, WT-10A, GT-6, RT-10,

Vintage Synth Story - magazine scans
Crumar DS2, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, RSF Kobol, Roland TB-303 and TR-606, TR-808, PPG Wave Computer, PPG Wave 2, Oxford Synthesizer Company OSCar, EMS Polyvoks, Oberheim OB-X, Octave-Plateau Voyetra Eight, EMS Polysynthi, Moog Minimoog, LinnDrum, Korg PS-3100, Korg MS20, EMS Synthi AKS, ELKA Synthex, ARP Sequencer, ARP Quadra, Korg Polysix, Korg PS-3200, Moog System 3P, Korg Trident mkII, Moog Liberation, Memormoog, Mutron Bi-phase, Oberheim 2 Voix, Oberheim Xpander, PPG Wave 2.3, Roland CR-78, Roland VP-330, RSF PolyKobol, Moog 960 and 961, Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Vox Super Continental, Yamaha CS-15, ARP, Chroma, Sequential Circuits Drumtraks, EMS Vocoder 5000, E-MU Drumulator, Korg Story, Yamaha CS70M, Korg, Synton Syrinx, Roland MC-4, Oberheim 6 voix, Simmons SDS V, Simmons SDS.3, PolyKobol RSF, Keyboards Synthe Story Part 1 and Part 2.

Roland PV synth SPV-355

Three shots pulled from this auction. More on the SPV-355 on SOS:

"The SPV355 Pitch-to-Voltage Synthesizer was launched in those very days -- 1979, to be exact -- as part of the Roland Rack series of 19-inch studio–quality effects units, amplifiers and specialist preamps. The most famous of these are probably the Roland Vocoder and the Dimension D spatial chorus. The P/V Synth is a bit of a curiosity, because it seems to have been released on the one hand as a rackmounting analogue expander module (indeed, it's said to be one of the first rackmounting synths), but on the other as a budget alternative to the Roland GR–series guitar synthesizers. These synths were quite expensive, specialised instruments; the GR system consisted of a high-quality, specially adapted guitar connected via a 24-way cable to a floor unit containing a rudimentary, six-note polyphonic synth engine. The SPV355 alternative scored points as it didn't need any special interface hardware (pickups and so on) and you could, in theory, use any old guitar to play the synth. The 1979 Roland catalogue states: "The SPV355 P/V Synthesizer is specially designed for use with guitars", which is ironic, as this is probably the P/V Synth's least effective and most problematic mode -- more on this later.

Fortunately, the SPV335's uses were not confined to guitar synthesis, and for its time (and compact size), it was quite well specified: two VCOs, a sub-oscillator, VCF, VCA, envelope generator, two audio mixers, and a multitude of interface sockets. As with other Roland Rack units, the 355 is housed in a 2U steel case and weighs nearly 6kg, which makes it a pretty hefty beast to lug around. And as for build quality, well... the word 'tank' springs to mind, as does the phrase 'heavy duty'. They don't make 'em like that any more..."

via Simon