Roland VariOS
Encyclopedia
Overview
The Roland VariOS is a rack-mounted open-ended variable system module, released by RolandRoland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
in 2003. It is essentially a production environment with audio editing and sample playback, based on the technology from the oft-overlooked VP-9000 VariPhrase Processor. It is possible to independently manipulate the pitch, time and formant of a sample, add effects and even build complete audio-based arrangements—all in a realtime environment and without CPU drain. In addition, it will emulate analogue synthesisers such as the Roland Jupiter 8.
While the VariOS can operate as a stand-alone tool, it also works alongside digital audio sequencers using MIDI clock and MTC sync. V-Producer arrangements can also be saved as a Standard MIDI File, and processed audio files can be exported in .WAV or AIFF format for use in other editors and software.
Expansion Cards
Two expansion cards were released for the VariOS, the VC-1 which emulates a Roland D-50Roland D-50
The Roland D-50 is a polyphonic 61-key synthesizer produced by Roland. It was released in 1987. Its features include Linear Arithmetic synthesis, on-board effects, a joystick for data manipulation, and an analog synthesis-styled layout design. The external Roland PG-1000 Programmer could also be...
, and the VC-2 which allowed vocal processing with an external microphone, with effects such as a vocoder and choir. Much to the disappointment of VariOS owners who spent considerable amounts of money (albeit on a powerful unit), it appears Roland have no plans to release any future expansion cards. Furthermore, it appears the VC-2 is now out of production, with various sources claiming that Roland made a set number of cards in an "estimation" of demand.