Making a Roland Accordion Sing in Different Voices
My dad bought a Roland FR-4X. This is an electronic accordion that is basically a synthesizer in accordion clothing.
Being the family member that's supposed to know stuff about technology, dad asked me to figure out how to set different musette sounds, and assign them to those buttons above the keys so they could be accessed easily. There's a bit of digging to do to figure this out. Also, the mean time to forget the process is probably 15 minutes so I thought I'd document it here.
First of all, a musette tuning means that specific reed sets are tuned away from standard (440) pitch. There are tuning for German musette, French musette, and probably a bunch more. I'm not a folk player so my accordions aren't tuned this way; but many accordion players use it. In fact, there is a style of playing and specific music called 'musette style'. The respected instrument tuner manufacturer Peterson has specific presets for folks wanting to tune accordions in a musette fashion: The art of sweetened tuning - accordions.
First thing to consult is the Roland FR-4X owners manual and other documentation. There is a document called Supplementary Explanation of the FR-4x/4xb Reed Combinations. It explains the default assignments of those buttons above the keyboard. In a 'real' accordion, those buttons switch between reed sets like stops on an organ. On the Roland, they switch between virtual reed sets - 7 sets on the right, 5 on the left. In fact, there are 67 different tunings that can be assigned to the reed sets. For example, SET044 is called Irish and SET045 is called Celtic. So depending on which set you assign to the buttons, the Roland will have a different musette tuning/sound - or a 'straight' (non-detuned) sound. You can also create your own custom musette. The effects of changing SETs is shown in the Roland video shown here.
The Roland has what it calls 'User Programs'. A User Program is basically an instrument state. So, for example, if you have the SET045 assigned to the accordion, you can assign this to a User Program. The User Program can then be assigned to a specific button above the keyboard. The procedure to do this is found on page 14 of the Owner Manual. Writing and recalling User Programs is shown on the Roland video here.
The procedure to make a custom musette tuning is described on pages 30 - 31 of the FR-4X Reference Manual. This process is not as easy as just choosing the reed set and tuning it up or down. The scale to be assigned to the 'base' tuning must also be selected. Most Americans will probably be satisfied with the Equal Temperament tuning. These base tunings are a subject in themselves so we'll just leave it at that.
As it turns out, you can also create your own custom SET - so just like SET045 is Celtic, you could, for example, create SET095 as Best. The procedure to do this is described in the FR-4X Reference Manual on pages 33 - 34. If you decide to make your own custom musette, you save it by making a new SET.
There is one operation I still need to track down - making your choices the default when the instrument is powered on. Stay tuned....
First of all, a musette tuning means that specific reed sets are tuned away from standard (440) pitch. There are tuning for German musette, French musette, and probably a bunch more. I'm not a folk player so my accordions aren't tuned this way; but many accordion players use it. In fact, there is a style of playing and specific music called 'musette style'. The respected instrument tuner manufacturer Peterson has specific presets for folks wanting to tune accordions in a musette fashion: The art of sweetened tuning - accordions.
First thing to consult is the Roland FR-4X owners manual and other documentation. There is a document called Supplementary Explanation of the FR-4x/4xb Reed Combinations. It explains the default assignments of those buttons above the keyboard. In a 'real' accordion, those buttons switch between reed sets like stops on an organ. On the Roland, they switch between virtual reed sets - 7 sets on the right, 5 on the left. In fact, there are 67 different tunings that can be assigned to the reed sets. For example, SET044 is called Irish and SET045 is called Celtic. So depending on which set you assign to the buttons, the Roland will have a different musette tuning/sound - or a 'straight' (non-detuned) sound. You can also create your own custom musette. The effects of changing SETs is shown in the Roland video shown here.
The Roland has what it calls 'User Programs'. A User Program is basically an instrument state. So, for example, if you have the SET045 assigned to the accordion, you can assign this to a User Program. The User Program can then be assigned to a specific button above the keyboard. The procedure to do this is found on page 14 of the Owner Manual. Writing and recalling User Programs is shown on the Roland video here.
The procedure to make a custom musette tuning is described on pages 30 - 31 of the FR-4X Reference Manual. This process is not as easy as just choosing the reed set and tuning it up or down. The scale to be assigned to the 'base' tuning must also be selected. Most Americans will probably be satisfied with the Equal Temperament tuning. These base tunings are a subject in themselves so we'll just leave it at that.
As it turns out, you can also create your own custom SET - so just like SET045 is Celtic, you could, for example, create SET095 as Best. The procedure to do this is described in the FR-4X Reference Manual on pages 33 - 34. If you decide to make your own custom musette, you save it by making a new SET.
There is one operation I still need to track down - making your choices the default when the instrument is powered on. Stay tuned....
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