Sly Dunbar makes a crafty kit choice. He and Bass man Robbie Shakespeare are the solidest backing duo around, so much in demand that it's nothing unusual for them to do several sessions a day for different bands in different studios. Important recordings recently have included work with Grace Jones and Black Uhuru, and the duo's own album Language Barrier was released at the end of last year. Sly chose the Roland kit because, as a session player, the most important thing is to be versatile - to be able to create a sound and a feel to suit many different producers and artists. He and Robby tried out the digital percussion range at Roland, liked it, and subsequently bought one from the Soho Soundhouse.

Drum Role

An application guide to Roland electronic percussion

The Roland digital percussion system is immensely powerful and flexible. It comprises the Octapads, the drum pads and the DDR-30 Brain. But what exactly can you do with them that make the Roland system so exceptional and so unique? Well, here are a few ideas to be going on with.

1. Pads - DDR-30

'Normal' set-up of Roland PD-10 and PD-20 drum pads controlling DDR-30 digital drum sound module.

2. Pads - DDR-30 - SRV-2000

'Normal' set up except that MIDI patch change information from the DDR-30 changes effect memory presets on the Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb.

3. Pads - DDR-30-MIDI

As '1' but information recorded on a Midi sequencer which is synchronised to tape. This allows the drum sounds to be changed at leisure by the producer.

4. MIDI Rhythm Unit - DDR-30

This allows the drum part to be sequenced on a rhythm unit which can then, through MIDI, play the sounds of the DDR-30.

5. Synthesizer - DDR-30

Playing the DDR-30 drum sounds from different notes of a touch sensitive MIDI synthesizer.

6. Synthesizer - MSQ - DDR-30

As '5' but recording the information on a MIDI recorder in step time or real time.

7. Pads - DDR-30 - Synthesizer

The Drummer can play a synthesizer by MIDI messages from a DDR-30. Any note can be assigned to any pad.

8. Octapad - Rhythm Unit/Synthesizer

Playing a MIDI rhythm unit or synthesizer from the Roland Octapad. Any drum sound or synthesizer note can be assigned to any of the eight pads.

9. Octapad - Synthesizer - SRV-2000 - SDE-2500

As '8' but effects memories in the digital delay and digital reverb can be changed by MIDI patch change information which can be sent using a footswitch in the Octapad.

10. Octapad - MM4 TR707 TR727

As '8' but controlling TR-707 and TR727 on the same MIDI channel because their sounds have different note numbers.

11. Octapad PD-20 - Rhythm Unit - Synthesizer

Extending the Octapad to 14 pads by adding 6 x PD-20 pads. The Octapad converts the PD-20 (or other manufacturers' pads) from dynamic analogue information to MIDI messages.

12. PD-20's - Octapad A Octapad B - Rhythm Unit - Synthesizer.

Information sent from Octapad A is mixed with messages produced by Octapad B to control up to 28 notes on a synthesizer.

13. Octapad - MSQ - Rhythm Unit Sequencer

As '8' but the information being recorded on a MIDI sequencer.

14. Octapad MM4 TR707 TR727 MPU-101 DSD-2 Synthesizer.

The individual pad edit mode allows each pad to send information on a different MIDI channel so the MPU-101 MIDI to Analogue converter allows a pad to trigger a sample held in a Boss DSD-2 Digital Sampler and Delay Pedal.

For the sake of simplicity these ideas are shown separately but they can be mixed in any combination. For example, drum pads and a DDR-30 can substitute for Octapad A in set-up '12' and set-up '9' can be integrated into set-up '14' so that delay and reverb effects are automatically changed.