Roland VP-330

The Roland VP-330 is a paraphonic ten-band^[2] vocoder and string machine manufactured by Roland Corporation from 1979 to 1980.^[1] While there are several string machines and vocoders, a single device combining the two is rare, despite the advantage of paraphonic vocoding, and the VP-330's synthetic choir sounds are unique. Despite the VP-330's electronic string and choir sounds being less realistic than those of the tape-based Mellotron, touring musicians used it as a lighter and more robust alternative.^[3]

VP-330
A Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus
Manufacturer	Roland Corporation
Dates	1979-1980[1]
Price	US$2,695[1] equivalent to $11,314 in 2023
Technical specifications
Polyphony	Paraphonic
Oscillator	Single master VCO divided into full note range[2]
LFO	Sine wave[2]
Synthesis type	Analog subtractive
Filter	7 band-pass for human voice tones; 10 band-pass for vocoder[2]
Attenuator	Single attack and release shared by all voices
Aftertouch expression	No
Velocity expression	No
Effects	2 parallel BBDs per channel (4 BBDs total) for stereo ensemble effect[2]
Input/output
Keyboard	49 keys[2]
Left-hand control	Pitch bend
External control	Vocoder hold via foot switch

The Roland SVC-350 is a similar vocoder in rack-mount form designed to accept external inputs.^[4]

Architecture

In addition to vocoding and generating string sounds, the VP-330 can also play four different choir sounds, each of which uses four bandpass filters, shared from the same pool of seven total.^[2] Like Roland's other string machines of the era, such as the RS-202, it features a BBD-based ensemble effect that thickens the strings, and optionally the choirs and vocoder.

Notable users

• 10cc^[1]
• Laurie Anderson (on O Superman)^[1][5]
• BT^[6]
• Michael Boddicker (on Michael Jackson's P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing))^[1]
• A Certain Ratio^[1]
• Vince Clarke^[1]
• Phil Collins
• John Foxx^[1]
• Greg Hawkes^[7] (of The Cars)
• Tony Mansfield
• Mike Oldfield^[1]
• Queen
• Isao Tomita^[1][8]
• Underworld^[9]
• Vangelis^[1] (including on the Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner^[10] soundtracks)
• Yellow Magic Orchestra^[11]
• Minoru Mukaiya from Casiopea
• Koz (on Levitating)

Legacy

In 2016, Roland made a digital recreation of the VP-330, named the VP-03, as part of their Boutique range. In 2019, Behringer released their own VP-330 clone, the VC340.

References

1. Forrest, Peter (March 2003). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, Part Two: N-Z, Revised and Expanded. Susurreal. p. 144. ISBN 0-952437-73-2.
2. VP-330 service notes, 1979-09-21, p. 7
3. Magnus, Nick (Feb 1992). "Vocal Codes From The Underground". Music Technology. Vol. 6, no. 3. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 54–58. ISSN 0957-6606. OCLC 24835173. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
4. "Roland SVC-350 Vocoder". Retrieved 2021-07-14.
5. Berge, Svein; Brundtland, Torbjørn (2016-11-21). "Röyksopp's vocoder playlist: Transvolta, Laurie Anderson, Kraftwerk and more". The Guardian. UK: Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
6. Buskin, Richard (December 2001). "Emotional Experience". Sound On Sound. UK: SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
7. "Greg Hawkes, The Cars Vocoder Plus Synthesizer". LiveAuctioneers. Nov 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
8. Beecher, Mike (Feb 1983). "Isao Tomita". Electronics & Music Maker. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 50–52. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
9. Tingen, Paul (Dec 2000). "Underworld: The Making of "Everything, Everything"". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
10. Clewes, Richard (Nov 1997). "Vangelis: Recording at Nemo Studios". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
11. Tanaka, Yuji (November 11, 2014). "Yellow Magic Orchestra: The Pre-MIDI Technology Behind Their Anthems". Red Bull Music Academy.