Everyone thought that the Roland DEP5 was going to become a direct competitor for the Yamaha SPX90, but as it happens both units offer quite different features.

Roland's DEP5 is a 1U high, rack-mountable multi-effects unit with a difference; the effects can be used in combination as well as singly. Sounds interesting doesn't it? But there are limitations. Essentially there's fairly sophisticated digital reverb, gated or reversed reverb, delay, stereo chorus and 3-band EQ. There are four different basic reverb effects to choose from, each having several variations, in addition to the gated or non-linear settings, and all have a 12kHz bandwidth. The converters are 16-bit giving very low noise and distortion and the internal processor handles 28 bits to cope with the necessary maths without overflowing.

To acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of ways that you can use these effects, Roland have provided their unit with 99 memories, including 29 preset effects, all of which can of course be called up via MIDI as well as from the front panel.

However, you don't get to choose exactly how you configure the different effects sections, you have to select from eleven possible flow algorithms and then set up your own parameters.

Making Patterns

Because of the way in which the effects can be internally configured, it is worth devoting a few lines to the examination of the algorithms.

Algorithm 1 is stereo chorus only while number 2 is reverb only. The third option is stereo reverb, the output of which is treated to give pitch modulation effects. 4 gives a chorused reverb and 5 has the reverb and chorus in parallel rather than in series. 6 is similar to five but with a more pronounced chorus effect. 7 is gated reverb, 8 gated reverb with modulation and 9 is a parallel combination of non-linear reverb and chorus. The delay section makes an appearance in algorithm 10 in parallel with reverb and 11 is described as being low density non-linear reverb with modulation. So, with the exception of EQ which can be set up for all algorithms, it can be seen that no more than two effects can be operated simultaneously. This rather dispels the myth that the DEP5 will let you use all your effects at once. Nevertheless it has some powerful surprises in store.

The delay section has an impressive maximum delay time of two seconds and the reverb can be adjusted from an almost immediate decay to a huge 99 seconds. Furthermore, it's possible to program the number of repeats for the delay program and stereo delay effects are available.

Twiddling About

The nicest thing about the control section on this machine is that it exists. Yes, there are knobs for everything that you might want to twiddle which really is great news for those fed up with push button programming. One odd feature though is that the power switch doubles as the effects bypass. I've heard of economising on electricity but that's ridiculous. It must have been designed by the kind of man who switches off his car windscreen wipers when going under bridges!

From left to right we have a bargraph level indicator followed, not surprisingly, by the input level control which Roland have decided to call the Input Attenuator. This doesn't actually turn the gain down to zero but has a fixed range which is an odd arrangement to choose. Next is the dry/effect Balance knob which would probably be set to 'effect' only when the unit is being used with a mixer. If fed directly into an instrument amplifier however, this control is used to set the depth of the effect.

The following three knobs are dual function in true Roland tradition but don't panic, the operation is very logical. In one mode, they control the three EQ bands providing up to 12dB of cut or boost at 100Hz, 10Hz and a parametric band sweepable from 300Hz to 12kHz. When not handling the EQ, they control the chorus rate, depth and feedback. The following control is in fact a rotary switch which should appeal to all 'Spinal Tap' fans because it goes up to eleven. This selects the desired algorithm and so determines which effects are active and in what order they're connected.

Reverb parameters are set up by the following three controls. They set the Pre-Delay time, the Reverb Time and the HF Damping. In non-linear mode, they also control the effect duration. Furthermore, the Reverb Selector button to the right of the display allows four different basic reverbs to be called up. These are Room, Hall, Plate and Special. More of Special later... We mustn't forget too that gated reverb is on offer, and it's possible, by using the non-linear programs, to create backwards reverb effects.

The actual memory number may be stepped up or down using a button to the left of the display and the display itself shows a host of useful information including the current memory number, the parameter value currently being adjusted and the effects that are active for the current algorithm. In reverb mode it also shows the room size. MIDI information appears here when the MIDI parameters are being edited including MIDI channel number and mode. Furthermore, the program numbers can be assigned to MIDI patch numbers in the range 0 to 127 so you don't have to reprogram all your effects from scratch to get them to match up to your synth patches. As you might expect, you can select any of 16 MIDI channels or Omni mode.

So let's move onto the bank of buttons to the right of the display. Below the Reverb Selector button that we've seen already, the next row contains the Write button, used to lock your edited effects into memory, and Chorus/EQ button, as its name implies, selects whether you are editing the chorus or EQ parameters. The Output Level button is used in conjunction with the Reverb Selector button to program the output level of each effect. Despite being an extremely useful function, many manufacturers still overlook the fact that you don't want all your programs to be implemented at the same level. Extra points for Roland. On the negative side, you can't program the dry/effect balance and whilst this might not matter if you're using the dry only output in conjunction with a mixing desk, it could be a pain if you are relying on the unit to both create the effect and balance it for you, especially live.

Which leaves us with MIDI, Param EQ and Value. Value doesn't actually cause the display to read out the current market price of your DEP5 but is merely there to enable you to check the numerical value relating to the last knob you twiddled. Param EQ is used in conjunction with the memory button to set a new Q value for the sweepable parametric mid control and, in conjunction with the Reverb button, to change the frequency. This turns out to be a very simple way of working and the display keeps you informed of what's going on. The MIDI button gets you into MIDI editing mode and that's all there is to it. The manual is pretty informative and contains a fine selection of some of the most entertaining typesetting and translation errors I have seen to boot. 'Please do not dismantle the unit, even when it breaks down.' I can't help but wonder what a Japanese translation of an English handbook looks like!

Link it up

Before going onto the exciting bit, ie. how well it performs, we should really take a look at the connections. On the rear panel we have the signal inputs and outputs, two for in and two for out. In the studio, you would usually use a mono input and create a stereo output but the DEP5 gives you the option to feed in a stereo input, (from a stereo keyboard for example). A single selector switch sets the input sensitivity and output level to +4dB or -20dB, presumably for line or instrument use. An additional position of -10dB to match the majority of semi-pro recording equipment would have been a sensible inclusion here. Both the inputs and outputs are unbalanced and are on standard ¼" jacks.

Fortunately, there's an alternative to switching the power off if you want to bypass the effect; you can use a footswitch for which a socket is provided. Also, a footswitch can be used to step through the first eight program memories in ascending sequence. The ninth switch operation returns us to program memory one, and there is MIDI In and MIDI Thru. No MIDI Out is necessary as the DEP5 can only take orders, not give them. So much then for the controls. They're easy to get to know and to operate.

The Acid Test

The most expensive part of a unit such as this is the reverb, so it's on the quality of this that the success of the unit largely rests. As stated, there are four basic reverb types and the rooms and halls offer a choice of room sizes from the inside of a waste bin to an aircraft hanger in sensible increments. The plate setting has two options as does Special.

The basic reverb sound is bright, reasonably smooth and only very slightly metallic. It's also a good deal more flexible than most budget reverbs. In a mix, the slight colouration isn't a problem and the reverb sounds good on both percussion and melody instruments. In comparison with an expensive and more sophisticated reverb, the effect is a bit low on diffusion, the decay tail is slightly cyclic and the overall effect is slightly coloured. Mind you, that's comparing it with something four times the price! As it stands, it still sounds great on pop music productions which is surely where its main market lies and it's far less coloured than the reverb in Yamaha's SPX90.

The rooms and halls are most effective and fairly convincing whilst the plate is very bright indeed. The pre-delay helps to make the sound more interesting and adds to the sense of space with the HF damping, helping to give a more natural sound. Being able to change these parameters at the twist of a knob is absolute luxury. Having the facility to use the EQ section really adds to the flexibility and you can get a reverb to suit all occasions. The gated/non-lin sounds are good too and there is a surprising variety from snappy gated drum treatments to eerie reversed effects. Both gated and reversed settings can be varied in length and there is one low diffusion gated sound which is brilliant on handclaps and similar percussive sounds. Some of the non-linear sounds have a built-in panning effect which can be quite spectacular. However, the Special reverb setting is most odd. This has a strange high frequency frying sound to it which can sound very effective on some sounds and totally inappropriate on others. I found one percussion treatment using this setting which can only be described as someone hitting a heavy metal plate heated to redness onto which woodlice and other suitably juicy insects were being dropped at regular intervals.

When the reverbs are combined with chorus, (or with feedback flanging), the effect can vary from subtle to monstrous but in all cases, the result seems to be far more than merely the sum of the parts. These treatments seem to be aimed at keyboard player because the cheapest synth can be made to sound deceptively like a PPG. Flanged reverse reverb on a bland string sound can transform it into something that a Fairlight Series 3 would be proud of.

The chorus used on its own is all that we have come to expect from Roland who were after all the first to develop it as a serious effect. It's bright, wide and thoroughly dynamic, and a twist on the feedback control can instantly transform it into vicious flanging.

The delay is also surprisingly effective when several repeats are programmed and here too, impressive stereo treatments are available. The parametric EQ section is most useful for 'peaking up' a sound. It still amazes me though that all these effects which sound merely splendid in isolation can create such intriguing sonic combinations. Setting the sounds up is easy because you only have to call up a preset that is something near to what you want and then you can fiddle with the controls to get just what you want. Once the effect of the millenia is ticking over in front of you, it can be stored it in one of the user memories to be called up when you finally think of a use for it.

Summary

To many, the DEP5 may not be quite what they're expecting. As a multi-effects unit, it doesn't offer as many obvious options as Yamaha's SPX90 and it doesn't have a pitch shifter. However, it does have a very respectable and flattering versatile digital reverb, a stereo chorus-cum-flanger and a delay which in itself offers a great deal of variety, with programmable repeats, stereo spread and HF damping. Add to this the fact that most of the effects have several options such as the different basic reverb types and the built-in pan effects and you get some idea of just how flexible the DEP5 is.

Having a sophisticated EQ with a true parametric mid control lets you tailor all the sounds to fit your exact needs but it's the combination of reverb, chorus and EQ that yields the most unusual results. As intimated, most of these treatments when applied to synths sound particularly spectacular and, knowing Roland's current position in the keyboard market, this isn't really surprising. It would almost be fair to say that combining this machine with your keyboard gives you a completely new instrument. But you really do have to hear one in use and experiment for a while to appreciate just what it can do for you. On paper, a reverb, delay, chorus and equaliser in one box no longer sounds a big deal. Once you plug it in it's a lot more than that. Definitely more than the sum of its parts.

The Roland DEP5 costs £675 including VAT.

Further information can be obtained from: Roland UK, (Contact Details).