Learning the Roland System-100

A few weeks ago I showed you a system to “learn any synth” (https://youtu.be/JfJ9Dbjz6cs), and this week I want to put that into practice learning a synth I never touched before, the Roland System 100.

In this video we follow simple synth logic to find out the basics of the synth, and then explore the weird unique aspects of it. We do some jamming on it, make some Euclidian Rhythms, recreate Ben Klock’s Subzero bassline technique, do an avant garde noise jam, and create a polymetric minimal house track. A lot of adventures for such a humble synth!

How to learn any synth: https://youtu.be/JfJ9Dbjz6cs
(watch this first if you don’t get how synths are generally programmed)
The basics of Subtractive Synthesis: https://youtu.be/63wRx-KsbQ0
(watch this first if you don’t know what subtractive synthesis means)

Content:
0:00 Intro
1:11 What is a semi-modular synth?
3:09 The intro preset
4:08 Synthesizer basics refresher
10:12 Special features of this synth
12:34 Setting up a euclidian sequencer
13:40 Exploring Phaser and Ring mod
20:08 Setting up a MIDI controller
23:53 Avantagarde noise drone exploration
26:32 Example track using S100 polymeter
29:19 Final thoughts

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