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Roland S330

19-Mar-2024

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Roland S330



Category:  Products / samplers / roland samplers

Added: 03-Sep-07  |  Author: admin

New price: discontinued  |   S/H price: 100 - 150 GBP


Roland S330

The Roland S series has held as a tradition the ability to add an expansion board giving you the addition of mouse control & monitor screen viewing... This started with the S330 & S550, & continued onwards with the S760/s770 models... This screen add-on, if you get it on a secondhand unit allows all the editing functions to be performed on screen... This may be helpful, but don't let it make you overlook other things... Here's a screenshot of the VGA monitor from the S330



In common with other samplers of this age/budget range, you get a basic 1 Mb ram, (2Mb on the S-550)... These Roland units allocate a top sampling rate of 30K & 15K as the other option... Like the Emax & Akai S900, the Roland S330, S550 and W30 are 12 bit machines, but the Roland line-up does offer less sample rate choices than the Emax, and thus you might get a subjectively better sound out of an Emax if you go for the higher sample rate (48k) when you need detail over sample length.

The Roland S330 is 16 voice polyphonic & splits its sample time into 2 'banks' which can't be joined together for long samples (the S550 devides into 4 banks, again which cannot be joined together)... This is a bit of a problem for longer loops cos with the limited memory this 'devide' feature of the ram means 7.2 seconds max sample time on the S330 PER BANK at the highest 30k sample rate, and generally the sample organisation is a bit cryptic on these Roland units. However, the Rolands offer Polyphonic seperate outs over the other common 80's 12-bit samplers' usual mono seperate outs. This is not such a big deal with a hard disk system tho, cos you can create loops of stuff to input to the H/D. bear this in mind though, cos it could be important to you. The S330 is 8 part multi-timbrel, so it can play 8 sounds on 8 outs for a full arrangement if required.

The W-30 can be thought of as a keyboard version workstation of the S330/S550, & doesn't have the monitor/mouse option... Generally the W30 goes for more S/H than the rack versions because you get additional Rom waves, a physical keyboard, and a limited sequencer (keyboards are nearly always dearer than modules)... You also could find a S550/W30 with the old (now unavailable) SCSI option fitted, to which you could rig up a CD rom or H/D..... However, I'm not sure if any CD roms are available in a format for these machines outside of the Roland library... (SCSI was not available for the S-330).

I would rate the S330 & S550, & W30 as being my joint runner up choices after the E-mu Emax for a budget sampler along with the Casio FZ stuff... The W30 being a workstation also includes some rom sample banks for it's synth section to which you can add samples of your own, so think of the W30 as a synth with the addition of a sampler... The W30 can read the 'S' disks, but the 'S' samplers can't read the W30 disks without first converting them on a W30.

The Roland units offer a decent synthesis section, with resonant filters, LFO's & modulation section & envelopes. I know of one UK Dance man who uses a W30 to good effect to get 303 type sounds & the like, so you can get some good synthesis from these units.

I would maintain the quality of the converters & library of the Emax samplers along with their ease of use makes them a better bet for general all round use than these early S series Rolands. So put these Roland units on your try-out list, but always compare them with the Emax if possible before making a purchase descision. Also, the Emax utilizes all its sample memory to be available in any order of lengths you like, offers more choice of sample rates (5), and a higher top sample rate.

So... all in all, the Roland S330, S550 & W30 units are a safe excellent value for money item for some oldskool classic sampler grit... but check the competition.













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User Comments

Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Adriano Cianciulli
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 04-Jul-01

any news on Roland S-50 sampler??(ok, its kinda old but have you got any info about it, I own one)

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: kral_mannen
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 11-May-02

Hi there!!!
I'm an owner of an old S330 and I'm searching for the old sequencer program director S333.
Hoping there is someone out there who got a copy 2 swap. :)

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: tony
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 01-Sep-02

I have just moved and packed my original boot disk and the copy in the same box. They were lost in the process of moving. Can anyone tell me how I can obtain a new systems disk.

tony

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: digitalia
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://digitalia.iuma.com
Activity: part-timer
Date: 05-Sep-02

tony, goto a local music shop that might have one an create a back up disk of the OS - i had to do that before too

cheers,
d

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Leonardo Petersen
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 12-Sep-02

Please, If anybody knows were I find the files of Roland S-330 Digital Sampler Utility Disk Sys-S330.6 ver 1.0 or similar, please contact me on this email: lecobf@terra.com.br Tanks!

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Roberth Vieira
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 03-Dec-02

Caros Amigos,
Tenho um S-330 que comprei em 1998 na Alemanha quando estive em tour com o Maracatu Nação Pernambuco, desde este dia nunca pude samplear, pois o Utility Disk está com erro, gostaria que alguem pudesse me ajudar e enviar este arquivo.
já busquei solução em várias resvistas especializadas em teclados e acessórios aqui no Brasil e de nada adiantou.
Desde já agradeço,

ROBERTH VIEIRA

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Roberth Vieira
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 03-Dec-02

Caros Amigos,
Tenho um S-330 que comprei em 1998 na Alemanha quando estive em tour com o Maracatu Nação Pernambuco, desde este dia nunca pude samplear, pois o Utility Disk está com erro, gostaria que alguem pudesse me ajudar e enviar este arquivo.
já busquei solução em várias resvistas especializadas em teclados e acessórios aqui no Brasil e de nada adiantou.
Desde já agradeço,

roberthlucky@bol.com.br

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: kevin
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 28-Mar-03

i don't use any of the above but i do use an s760. my system disk has just stopped working right in the middle of a really important remix...can anyone e-mail me the latest version or advise as to where i could download it...any advice /help would be appreciated. cheers.
kevin

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Max
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Sep-03

As possible sampling whit the Roland S330? No manual,only Startup Disk...Thank

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: marcello
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 26-Oct-03

Is possible give me informations on Mouse for Roland S 330 ??
Thank.....Marcello

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Chris Smith
Email: Email supplied but hidden
offline at the moment !
Activity: Professional
Date: 22-Sep-06

Hi all,

I use an S50, no RGB screen no mouse, just plain old button pushing and you
know what ? I really like it. I just dig sampling.

That said I would not be withouy my EXS24 library, but I really like the old S50.
It even maks a good players keyboard, it's alot better than my Triton !
Spec-wise it is a dinosaur, but hey, it is great fun and it forces you to be more
creative.
Amonst my collection of utilities are various schematics and apps.
Most for Mac ( not OS-X ), but some are for PC, usually old OS like Win95/8 or
even DOS !
So again if you need anything mail me, like those of you looking for system
disks.

Or google "SGroup" and d/l from there, for your machine.


Also, I have a converter disk that converts S550 disks so my collection of them
is growing! ( I store them as *.out files via SDISK on an old Mac. )



If any of you guys would like to swap some library, I would be up for it.

:-)

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Product:  Roland - S330
Name: brano hanzlik
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 04-Jul-07

I have same problem with potentiometers-values and cursor dont work. I want change it but i dont know type of potentiometers becouse i havent manual.You dont know value of kiloohm for this potentiometer.Thank you.

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Last added comment

Product:  Roland - S330
Name: Edsax
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.saxofonista.com.br
Activity: Professional
Date: 26-Dec-08

I have the system disk, lot of sounds,the manual and I now how to use S330, record, edit e etc. I don´t now if the image will work but I send to anyone no cost.

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