Roland GW-8 ReleaseNote 2 - Manual (Page 5)

5
What’s New In Version 2?
We’ll discuss all of the new GW-8 Version 2 features in
this booklet, but here’s a quick overview to get started.
Version 2 has new style-playing features that make •
the GW-8 even more musical and fun.
Quick rhythm toggle— • You can now toggle
a style’s non-rhythm parts on or off by
simply pressing the lit STYLE button during
playback.
Style Finder—
• You can quickly find the style
you’re looking for using the new Style
Finder, which presents your styles to you in
a simple, easy-to-navigate list.
Note to Arrange—
• Also called “NTA,” this new feature allows you
to trigger styles from an external MIDI device, allowing non-
keyboardists to get in on the GW-8 fun.
Chord Zone—
• This new parameter gives you greater control over
the keys you use to trigger styles.
New styles—
• There are 16 new World-category styles.
You can now create your own styles, right on the GW-8. You can record •
them from scratch, or create new ones from styles you already have.
Record style tracks in realtime— • You can record new style tracks
by performing them on the keyboard.
Record style tracks in step time—
• You can build up style tracks
note-by note.
EZ Convert—
• When you’ve created the patterns for some of the
chords in your new style, the GW-8 can automatically generate
the patterns for the remaining chords.
Use more than one rhythm set in a style—
• By supplementing your
drum style track with other percussion instruments, your styles
can be even more propulsive and/or textured.
The song recorder has become even more powerful with the addition of •
step recording on top of the realtime recording the GW-8’s always offered.
Song-track tempos and time signatures can be freely edited in Version 2.
•
22 Version 2 provides a comprehensive suite of tools for perfecting style tracks •
and song tracks.
New, dedicated MFX—separate from the keyboard MFX—are available for
•
both style tracks and song tracks.
The new STYLE MAKEUP and SONG MAKEUP screens provide enhanced
•
control over your style and song parts.
You can now use a foot switch to toggle between pitch-bending modes.
•
The processes for recording both new style tracks and song tracks are
nearly identical. They’re just different enough, though, that we’ll
present them separately to avoid confusion.
Style Enhancements
New Ways to Play Styles
Quick Rhythm Toggle
Version 2 adds an easy way to toggle on and off the pitched instruments in
the current style: Press the STYLE button. When the STYLE button’s
lit— • you hear the entire style, with all of its pitched
instruments and chords.
unlit—
• you hear only the style’s drums. To turn the other
instruments back on, press STYLE again, and then strike the
desired key.
Style Finder
Version 2’s new Style Finder feature makes it easier than ever to find just the
right style. Here’s how to use it:
On the Main screen, select the STYLE number as shown here: 1