Roland GR-33 User Manual

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Chapter 5 Setting/Changing Sounds (Patches)
Dividing Continuous Pitch Changes into Semitones (CHROMATIC)
The GR-33 faithfully reproduces the slight pitch changes and 
in-between notes you get from fingering your guitar’s 
strings.
However, should the need arise, you can also limit this subtle 
pitch response to semitone changes only. This is called the 
Chromatic function, and is turned on and off using the 
COMMON “CHROMATIC” setting in Patch Edit mode.
fig.5-16
Turning the Chromatic Function On and Off 
and Saving It to Patches
1. Select the patch you want to change, and press 
[COMMON] to go into Patch Edit mode.
2. Press [PARAMETER] to select “CHROMATIC.”
fig.5-17
3. Turn [VALUE] to select the desired setting.
* For a detailed explanation, see the subsequent section, 
“Chromatic Settings and Available Effects.”
4. Press [WRITE] to perform the Patch Write operation (p. 
* After performing the Patch Write operation, you will 
automatically return to Play mode.
* If you don’t want to save the Patch, press [PLAY] to return to 
Play mode.
 Chromatic Settings and Available Effects
Off (Chromatic Off):
For guitar bending and vibrato, this setting allows you to 
make synth sounds faithfully reproduce subtle played pitch 
changes of less than a semitone.
When you select any setting other than Off, pitch changes are 
limited to semitones.
Type1:
If the pitch is changed smoothly, for example by bending the 
guitar string, the pitch will change in semitone steps. When 
the pitch changes, the currently-heard sound will not stop; it 
will merely change in pitch. There is no separate attack 
sound when the pitch changes—this is a change similar to 
the one you hear with the slurred playing of a recorder.
Type2:
If the pitch is changed smoothly, the pitch will change in 
semitone steps. When the pitch changes, the sound for the 
new pitch will be started over, or “retriggered.” Thus, 
whenever the pitch changes, you will hear a new attack. If 
the retrigger occurs as a string’s vibration is trailing off 
(decaying), the retriggered note will play at an appropriately 
reduced volume.
Type3:
This is basically the same effect as “Type2,” except that the 
retriggered sound level is not influenced by the current state 
of the string’s vibration.
When You Want to Make a 
Chord Resonate Beautifully
Due to subtle pitch changes resulting from the way each 
string is pressed, with patches using long notes, chords may 
end up sounding muddy. If this occurs, turn Chromatic on so 
that only pure semitones are heard, thus producing a 
beautifully in-tune chord. If you select “Type1,” pitch 
differences will be barely audible, creating a natural-
sounding resonance.
When You Want to Reproduce 
Piano-like Pitch Changes
In patches that emulate instruments which do not use pitch 
changes smaller than a semitone, Chromatic allows you to 
more easily imitate the instrument’s sound. In such cases, 
when “Type2” or “Type3” is selected, the attack is 
reproduced with each pitch change. (Depending on the tone 
or melody, there may be times when “Type1” or Off” yield a 
better effect, so select the setting you like best.)
Change in Synth 
sound pitch
Actual pitch change 
when bending
Chromatic on
minor 2nd
(semitone)
minor 2nd
Major 2nd
2nd
minor 3rd
minor 3rd
Major 3rd
3rd
Chromatic off