The Roland System-8 has an intuitive and powerful panel, giving you a great amount of control over Omnisphere. You have access to multiple Filter types, multiple Wavetables, as well as control of the FX and the Arpeggiator. The internal sequencer of the System-8 is also a terrific feature. In addition to recording notes, it records the movements of the knobs, which are sent via MIDI to Omnisphere. The main downsides are that it doesn’t have standard pitch and mod wheels, and the keys are a bit shorter than usual. Other than that, it’s a great controller for Omnisphere!
Roland System-8 Strengths:
- Parameter Sequencing
- Fantastic Layout
- 3X Effects Controls
- Wavetable Control
- Multiple Filter Types
Roland System-8 Details:
| Retail Price | $1,800 |
|---|---|
| Number of Keys | 49 |
| Keyboard Type | Unweighted, Short throw |
| Size of Controls | Medium |
| Special Features | Parameter Sequencing |
| Dimensions | 34.7” × 14.3” × 4.3” |
| Weight | 13 lbs 1 oz |
| USB Powered | No |
| Pitch Bender | Yes, Roland-style |
| Mod Wheel | No, Roland-style |
| Sends Aftertouch | No |
| Sustain Pedal Input | Yes |
| Expression Pedal Input | Yes |
| Ribbon | No |
| Non-Functional Controls | Volume Input Vocoder Performance Manual Tempo Part On/Off Lower-Upper Panel Select Lower-Upper |
| Arpeggiator | Yes (sends MIDI) |
| Sequencer | Yes (sends MIDI) |
| MIDI Messages | CC |
Omnisphere Sections Controlled by the Roland System-8:
| Independent Layer Control | No |
|---|---|
| Number of Oscillators | 3 |
| Number of Wavetables | 14 |
| Number of Envelopes | 3 |
| Number of LFOs | 1 |
| Filter Types | Classic LPF 4-pole Jupiter LPF 2-pole Jupiter LPF 4-pole Jupiter HPF 1-pole Jupiter HPF 2-pole Jupiter HPF 4-pole OB BPF 2-pole OB BPF 4-pole State Variable OB Notch Filter Vowel Filter Allpass Filter Master HPF |
| FX Units | Global Ambience Global Tone Analog Chorus Analog Flanger Analog Phaser Swiss Army Delay Magnetic Echo Stompbox Modeler Toxic Smasher Super Verb |
| Soundsources | No |
| Mod Matrix | No |
| FM | Yes |
| Ring Mod | Yes |
| Waveshaper | No |
| Unison | Yes |
| Harmonia | No |
| Granular | No |
| ORB | No |
| Arpeggiator | No |
Ratings
| Control of Omnisphere |  |
|---|---|
| Panel Layout |  |
| Ease of Use | |
| Keyboard Feel |  |
| Build Quality | |
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