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The Roland W-30 is a sampling workstation keyboard, released in 1989. It features an on-board 12-bit sampler, sample-based synthesizer, 16-track sequencer and 61-note keyboard.
The W-30's "Workstation" title stems from its incorporation of synthesis, sampling and MIDI sequencing capabilities. Although primitive by modern standards, the W-30's onboard sequencer was a practical way to arrange music in lieu of a (typically much more expensive) computer-based system.
Unusually, while sounds are sampled with 12-bit resolution, they are played back through a 16-bit D-A converter [1] which, in theory at least, improves the sound quality. Nonetheless, the slightly "gritty" nature of the samples could be considered one of the instrument's charms.
The W-30 is compatible with the sound library of Roland's S50, S330 & S550 dedicated samplers, which is now in the public domain.
...indicator of this). I skimmed some service manuals and it seems that the S-10, MKS-100, S-220, S-330, S-50, S-550 and W-30 are all based on the same hardware. I think only the S-330 and W-30 add digital filter ICs; the others use software-based non real time filtering that modifies the sample data itself.
I've had Roland W-30 as my main instrument from 1989 to 1999. During that time I used the heck out of it both as a sampler and as a sequencer. So did Liam, and I just try to offer my input as a user of same machine in as what I think was the...
I was well aware of that but maybe others weren’t I think it’s in the legendary GS thread with Carlos Bess on 36 chambers, track by track only one or maybe two of them had made use of the SP1200
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