science

Roland TR-505

Roland TR-505 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Roland TR-505 rather than just read about it. In short: The Roland TR-505 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine and MIDI sequencer released by Roland Corporation in 1986. It hails from the same family of drum machines as the Roland TR-909, TR-808, TR-707, TR-626 and TR-606.

Key takeaways

Roland TR-505 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Roland TR-505 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Roland TR-505 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Roland TR-505 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine and MIDI sequencer released by Roland Corporation in 1986. It hails from the same family of drum machines as the Roland TR-909, TR-808, TR-707, TR-626 and TR-606. The drum kit includes basic rock drum sounds similar to those of the TR-707, plus a complement of Latin-style drum sounds similar to the TR-727.

Voice synthesis Samples in the TR-505 are stored as 8-bit unsigned PCM waveforms at a sample rate of 25 kHz. The TR-505 offers some major improvements over the TR-707, including 16 digitally recorded PCM drum sounds (four more than the TR-707) and five Latin percussion voices from the TR-727, reducing the need to buy a separate unit or PCM card. Summary of drum voices:

Although there are 16 drum samples, the TR-505 only has an 8-voice polyphony, restricting some sounds from playing simultaneously: low conga or hi conga; timbale, low tom, mid tom, or hi tom; low cowbell or hi cowbell; hand clap or rim shot; crash cymbal or ride cymbal; closed hi-hat or open hi-hat. The TR-505 offers very limited voice editing in the form of volume, velocity, MIDI channel, and MIDI note of each voice as a global parameter.

Sequencer The TR-505 contains 48 factory sequencer patterns, organized into 3 pattern groups (A, B, and C). The drum machine can also store 48 user created sequencer patterns, organized into 3 pattern groups (D, E, and F). The TR-505 features five basic modes, including the following:

Track play - plays whole tracks (arrangements of patterns to form songs). Track write - sequence patterns into tracks. Step write - sequence patterns by stepping through each position in the pattern. Tap write - sequence patterns by tapping drums sounds in real time. Real time - play patterns in real time by tapping the pads. An accent can be applied to any position in a pattern and will affect all instruments triggered at that position by increasing output volume. Users can copy, insert, or delete one or more steps in any given pattern, and copy, insert, or delete patterns anywhere in a track (song). Each individual pattern is a single measure long, The default time signature is 4/4 consisting of 16 steps and quarter note scale, resulting in each step representing a sixteenth note. Other time signatures can be programmed by changing the Last Step (length of patterns) and the scale, allowing for shuffle and swing rhythms. Two or more patterns can be combined, using pattern chaining, to play as a single pattern. Each pattern in the chain occupies a pad, but it will only trigger the chain as a whole, not the individual pattern. Up to six tracks (songs) can be programmed using combinations of patterns. Each song can consist of up to 423 bars (patterns).

Keyboard and external control The TR-505 consists of 16 individual instrument/ pattern pads. The pads are not velocity sensitive, but can be modified by the accent parameter. The TR-505 can transmit and receive on MIDI channels 1 through 16 and Notes numbers 25 to 99. It also contains a MIDI Omni mode allowing it to receive all MIDI data. The TR-505 responds to the following MIDI messages:

Key message - trigger signal for the individual voice. Velocity message - Note-on velocity is both transmitted and received allowing more expressive. Track number message - track/song select Bar Number message - Song position Clock message - tempo synchronization, start, stop, etc..

Storage The TR-505 can store 48 ROM patterns, 48 RAM patterns, 6 tracks, and a maximum of 423 measures. The Tape interface (in/out) allow the Tracks and Patterns in internal memory to be stored on external tape. Data can be Saved, Verified, and Loaded from the tape.

Modifications There are companies, websites, and magazine articles documenting a DIY process for circuit bending and modifying the factory setting of the Roland TR-505. An example of a few modifications include changing audio samples, voice circuit bending, adding individual audio outputs, adding CV outputs, adding pitch change to each voice, and adding circuits to randomize sequences.

References

Further reading Roland TR-505 Owners Manual, Osaka, Japan: Roland Corporation Roland TR-505 Service Manual, Osaka, Japan: Roland Corporation Alex Grahm. Rhythm Machines 2. self-published. 2018. ISBN 978-1983552588.

External links Roland TR-505 Rhythm Composer | Encyclotronic - Review, Tech Specs, Images, Media, and Purchase Links Roland TR-505 ROM Expansion | HKA Design - Sample modification kit for TR-505 Roland TR-505 | Burnkit2600 - Circuit bending and modding the TR-505 Roland TR-505 | Polynominal - Review, mp3 demos, and manual Roland TR-505 | Vintage Synth Explorer - Review and media

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Roland TR-505

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Roland TR-505 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Roland TR-505 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Roland TR-505 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Roland TR-505

In research: Roland TR-505 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Roland TR-505 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Roland TR-505 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Drum machines, Japanese inventions, Musical instruments invented in the 1980s, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Roland TR-505 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Roland TR-505 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Roland TR-505 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Roland TR-505 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Roland TR-505 in simple terms?

Why does Roland TR-505 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Roland TR-505?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Roland TR-505.