Roland
EM-10
"Creative Keyboard" (auto-arranger)
Thanks to the blindfolded Goddess of Luck, I won this keyboard in a raffle at a Mars Music (great store unfortunately no longer in existence) Keyboardist Night years ago. It is comparable to the Casio CTK-601. This is a useful auto-accompaniment keyboard, capable of some respectable sounds and rhythms. It sits at the lower end of the EM-series, but holds its own compared to its bigger brothers and sisters.
Stream all audio examples below:
| Roland EM-10 factory audio demos in mp3 | ||||||||
| Piano - Reed | Chr Perc - Pipe | Organ - Syn Lead | Guitar - Syn Pad | Bass - Syn Sfx | Orchestra - Ethnic | Ensemble - Percussive | Brass - Sfx | A Tone B |
| Rock & Dance | Pop | 50's & 60's | Jazz | Latin | Variety 1 | Variety 2 | Acoustic |
Style |
| Tone list (GM) |
| Piano |
| A11 Piano1 |
| A111 Piano1w |
| A112 Piano1d |
| A12 Piano2 |
| A121 Piano2w |
| A13 Piano3 |
| A131 Piano3w |
| A14 HonkTonk |
| A141 HonkTnkw |
| A15 E.Piano1 |
| A151 DetunEP1 |
| A152 EPiano1v |
| A153 60'Piano |
| A16 E.Piano2 |
| A161 DetunEP2 |
| A162 EPiano2v |
| A17 Harpsi |
| A171 CouplHps |
| A172 Harpsi.w |
| A173 Harpsi.o |
| A18 Clav. |
| Chr Perc (chromatic percussion) |
| A21 Celesta |
| A22 Glocken |
| A23 MusicBox |
| A24 Vib |
| A241 Vib.w |
| A25 Marimba |
| A251 MarimbaW |
| A26 Xylophon |
| A27 Tub-bell |
| A271 ChurcBel |
| A272 Carillon |
| A28 Santur |
| Organ |
| A31 Organ1 |
| A311 DetunOr1 |
| A312 60'sOrg1 |
| A313 Organ4 |
| A32 Organ2 |
| A321 DetunOr2 |
| A322 Organ5 |
| A33 Organ3 |
| A34 Church1 |
| A341 Church2 |
| A342 Church3 |
| A35 ReedOrg |
| A36 AccordFr |
| A361 AccordIt |
| A37 Harmonic |
| A38 Bandneon |
| Guitar |
| A41 NylonGtr |
| A411 Ukulele |
| A412 NylonGto |
| A413 NylonGt2 |
| A42 StStrGt |
| A421 12-strGt |
| A422 Mandolin |
| A43 JazzGtr |
| A431 HawaiGt |
| A44 CleanGtr |
| A441 ChorusGt |
| A45 MutedGtr |
| A451 FunkGtr |
| A452 FunkGtr2 |
| A46 OvdrvGt1 |
| A47 DstortG1 |
| A471 FeedbGtr |
| A48 GtrHarmo |
| A481 GtrFeedb |
| Bass |
| A51 AcouBass |
| A52 FingBass |
| A53 PickBass |
| A54 Fretless |
| A55 SlapBs1 |
| A56 SlapBs2 |
| A57 SynthBs1 |
| A571 SyBas101 |
| A572 SyBass3 |
| A58 SynthBs2 |
| A581 SyBass4 |
| A582 RubrBass |
| Orchestra |
| A61 Violin |
| A611 SlViolin |
| A62 Viola |
| A63 Cello |
| A64 Contrabs |
| A65 TremoStr |
| A66 Pizzicat |
| A67 Harp |
| A68 Timpani |
| Ensemble |
| A71 Strings |
| A711 Orchestr |
| A72 SlowStr |
| A73 SynStr1 |
| A731 SyStrng3 |
| A74 Syn.Str2 |
| A75 ChoirAah |
| A751 ChoirAh2 |
| A76 VoiceOoh |
| A77 SynVox |
| A78 OrchHit |
| Brass |
| A81 Trumpet |
| A82 Trombone |
| A821 Trombne2 |
| A83 Tuba |
| A84 MutedTp |
| A85 FrHorn |
| A851 FrHorn2 |
| A86 Brass1 |
| A861 Brass2 |
| A87 SyBrass1 |
| A871 SyBrass3 |
| A872 AnBrass1 |
| A88 SyBrass2 |
| A881 SyBrass4 |
| A882 AnBrass2 |
| Reed |
| B11 SoprSax |
| B12 AltoSax |
| B13 TenorSax |
| B14 BaritSax |
| B15 Oboe |
| B16 EnglHorn |
| B17 Bassoon |
| B18 Clarinet |
| Pipe |
| B21 Piccolo |
| B22 Flute |
| B23 Recorder |
| B24 PanFlute |
| B25 BotBlow |
| B26 Shakuhac |
| B27 Whistle |
| B28 Ocarina |
| Syn Lead |
| B31 SquareW |
| B311 Square |
| B312 SineWave |
| B32 SawWave |
| B321 Saw |
| B322 DoctSolo |
| B33 SynCall |
| B34 ChifferL |
| B35 Charang |
| B36 SoloVox |
| B37 5thSawW |
| B38 Bas&Lead |
| Syn Pad |
| B41 Fantasia |
| B42 WarmPad |
| B43 Polysynt |
| B44 SpVoice |
| B45 BowGlass |
| B46 MetalPad |
| B47 HaloPad |
| B48 SweepPad |
| Syn Sfx |
| B51 IceRain |
| B52 Soundtrk |
| B53 Crystal |
| B531 SyMallet |
| B54 Atmosph |
| B55 Brightns |
| B56 Goblin |
| B57 EchoDrop |
| B571 EchoBell |
| B572 EchoPan |
| B58 StarThem |
| Ethnic |
| B61 Sitar |
| B611 Sitar2 |
| B62 Banjo |
| B63 Shamisen |
| B64 Koto |
| B641 TKoto |
| B65 Kalimba |
| B66 BagPipe |
| B67 Fiddle |
| B68 Shanai |
| Percussive |
| B71 TinkBell |
| B72 Agogo |
| B73 SteelDrm |
| B74 Woodblck |
| B741 Castanet |
| B75 Taiko |
| B751 ConcrtBD |
| B76 MeloTom1 |
| B761 MeloTom2 |
| B77 SynthDrm |
| B771 808Tom |
| B772 ElecPerc |
| B78 RevrsCym |
| Sfx |
| B81 GFrtNois |
| B811 GtCNoise |
| B812 StrSlap |
| B82 BrtNoise |
| B821 FlKClick |
| B83 Seashore |
| B831 Rain |
| B832 Thunder |
| B833 Wind |
| B834 Stream |
| B835 Bubble |
| B84 Bird |
| B841 Dog |
| B842 HorseGlp |
| B843 Bird2 |
| B85 Telephn1 |
| B851 Telephn2 |
| B852 DCreakng |
| B853 Door |
| B854 Scratch |
| B855 Windchim |
| B86 Helicptr |
| B861 CarEngin |
| B862 CarStop |
| B863 CarPass |
| B864 CarCrash |
| B865 Siren |
| B866 Train |
| B867 Jetplane |
| B868 Starship |
| B869 BrstNois |
| B87 Applause |
| B871 Laughing |
| B872 Screamin |
| B873 Punch |
| B874 Heart |
| B875 Footstep |
| B88 GunShot |
| B881 MachGun |
| B882 Lasergun |
| B883 Explsion |
| Style list | |
| Style |
my comments |
| Rock & Dance | |
| 11 Rock1 | Rock in 16th, with a cool tambourine |
| 12 Rock2 | Hard 8-beat rock, with killer power snare |
| 13 Rock3 | Heavier version of the above |
| 14 BalRock | Rock with a shuffle rhythm |
| 15 Hip Hop | Smooth Hip Hop with doo-doos choir and electric piano. |
| 16 Techno | Techno/Trance rhythm, with the limitations of the GM set but overall good |
| 17 House | Typical House beat, with heavy shuffle factor |
| 18 Dance | Euro-Beat sound - think "Missing You", the Todd Terry remix |
| Pop | |
| 21 8B Pop1 | Slow (defaults at 60bpm) pop rhythm, with strings and electric guitar - ballad like. |
| 22 8B Pop2 | Typical ballad rhythm |
| 23 8B Pop3 | Another 8-Beat Pop rhythm, a bit heavier than the previous two. |
| 24 8B Pop4 | Funky pop rhythm, laid-back, very '80s |
| 25 16B Pop1 | Smooth! Great (modern) R'n'B type sound, with e. piano, 808 and clave, a la "Sexual Feeling" |
| 26 16B Pop2 | An upbeat version of the above |
| 27 16B Pop3 | Fast 16ths, with jingly arpeggiated guitar |
| 28 16B Pop4 | Heavily shuffled. |
| 50's & 60's | |
| 31 Sl Rock2 | Slow Rock, perfect for Elvis ballads or similar 50's/60's tunes. |
| 32 Sl Rock2 | Sweeter version of the above, with e. piano and fretless bass |
| 33 Ballad1 | Perfect for "When a man loves a woman", by Percy Sledge |
| 34 Ballad2 | Perfect for "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder |
| 35 Rock'N1 | Typical Rock 'n' Roll style, a la Chuck Berry |
| 36 Rock'N2 | Earlier Rock 'n' Roll style, a bit Rockabilly, perfect for "Rockin' around the clock", or "Blue Suede Shoes" |
| 37 Boogie | Supposed to be a Boogie Woogie rhythm, a bit anemic.. |
| 38 Twist | Of course, this arrangement is taken straight from Chubby Checker's hit. |
| Jazz | |
| 41 Sl Swing | Slow Swing, romantic and dreaming, with strings and piano. |
| 42 MedSwing | Medium-speed Swing (defaults to 134bpm) |
| 43 Sw Combo | Swing performed by a small combo, with vibraphone, piano, bass and drums, a la Modern Jazz Quartet |
| 44 BrtSwing | Full blown orchestra swing |
| 45 FstSwing | Fast Swing (defaults to 208bpm), typical ballroom style |
| 46 AcidJazz | Acid Jazz, a la Incognito, Soul 2 Soul etc. Very cool picked e. guitar. Also useful for Smooth Jazz styles. |
| 47 Big Band | Usual Glenn Miller style |
| 48 JazzWltz | A beautiful Jazz Waltz, great for standards |
| Latin | |
| 51 Bossa1 | Usual "Girl From Ipanema" rhythm. Really well crafted. |
| 52 Bossa2 | Busier Bossanova rhythm, with cool acoustic guitar strumming |
| 53 Samba | Very well-programmed street samba beat! |
| 54 Latin | Ballroom-style Latin rhythm, similar to Salsa but more pop. |
| 55 ChaCha | Happy Cha Cha Cha rhythm! With plenty of brass and percussion |
| 56 Mambo | Nice mambo beat. |
| 57 Salsa | Groovy salsa beat. |
| 58 Merengue | Great merengue pattern!! |
| Variety 1 | |
| 61 Blues | Cool, slow (55bpm) electric Chicago blues |
| 62 R&B | Easily one of the best on-board rhythms, a great brass pattern! |
| 63 Shuffle | Reminds me of ABBA's "Waterloo" |
| 64 Foxtrot | Typical ballroom style. |
| 65 Charlest | Awesome Charleston rhythm! They nailed the banjo and drum pattern! |
| 66 PopRock | Cool retro sytle - think Paul Anka's "Diana" |
| 67 Rhumba | Perfect for "Besame Mucho"! |
| 68 Beguine | Gentle Latin rhythm. |
| Variety 2 | |
| 71 March | Cool banda beat. |
| 72 Polka | Standard polka beat. |
| 73 Kids | Happy, happy tune! |
| 74 Country | Killer country rhythm, with dueling banjo |
| 75 Musette | Typical waltz in French vein - Romantic and classy |
| 76 Sl Waltz | Very slow waltz |
| 77 Tango | Well-programmed tango pattern |
| 78 Reggae | Good for "No Woman, No Cry" |
| Rock & Dance | |
| 81 G Slow | Acoustic nylon Guitar accompaniment, gentle, with soft drums |
| 82 G Bossa | Gentler bossanova, with only guitars and percussion |
| 83 G Pop | Very Simon and Garfunkel. |
| 84 G FstPop | Faster acoustic ballad. Good strumming effect. |
| 85 P Ballad | Piano ballad. Dreamy and Richard Clayderman-like! |
| 86 P Shuffl | Perfect for "Jump and Jive", or any song by Louis Prima!! |
| 87 P Night | Gentle, calm, classy piano-bar style |
| 88 P Jazz | Complete left-hand jazz arrangement |
Features
Other useful features found in this keyboard include:
- Metronome button
- Transpose button
- Chorus/Reverb on-off button
- Arrangement mixer
- Style Manipulator (a great feature, allows to mute/add parts and exchange parts with other on-board styles, effectively mixing and customizing your own rhythms
- Keyboard velocity on-off button
- One Touch button (automatically recalls preset accompaniment and sound setting suitable for the style chosen)
- "Intel"ligent harmony button (adds harmony to the solo voices, played automatically as you play the melody)
- "Organ" mode (EM-10s' for "split" section L+R)
- Variation button that allows to recall variations of the standard GM set on board, for many sounds (i.e., pressing preset tone A57 (SyBas101) and then the Variation button, allows to get access to variation sounds "SyBass3" and "SynthBs1"
- Powerful on-board speakers
- Colorful panel scheme.
This keyboard is both GM (General MIDI) and GS (General Standard), and features "Style Morphing" (style manipulator).
Bottom line: an inexpensive keyboard with quality GM sounds, interesting rhythms, and all-around fun to play - perfect for the beginner, intermediate player, or for piano-bar, and entertaining at family parties.
Roland EM-10 pictures
(click on thumbnails to enlarge them)
Roland EM-10 manual
Available at www.rolandus.com
Resources:
- Review in "Keyboard magazine" Janfebmarch 198___
| Features at a glance | |
| Year of release: | 1999 |
| Polyphony: | |
| Sound generation method: | |
| Preset memories | |
| MIDI: | in, out |
| Sound expansion capabilities: | no |
| Sequencer | 2-track |
| Arpeggiator | no |
| Effects | yes: reverb and/or chorus |
| Velocity | yes |
| Aftertouch | no |
Links
| SITE | Type of resource | DESCRIPTION |