GW-8

Workstation

GW-8
Discontinued

The World in a Workstation

The GW-8 is the next generation of Roland’s unique GW-Series workstations with intelligent backing-track functionality. With its fresh, contemporary sound-set and expressive interactive musical styles from pop to rock, plus authentic ethnic styles and a multi-format USB Memory Player feature, the GW-8 will bring a world of music to your fingertips. It’s especially well-suited for “one-man-band” performance.

Flagship Sound Engine with Easy User Interface

With Roland’s world-leading sound technology at its core, the GW-8 rivals any workstation on the planet with its rich, expressive sound. The GW-8 comes loaded with hundreds of the freshest and most essential sounds taken from Roland’s top workstations. In addition to its authentic sound set, the GW-8 is equipped with many user-friendly controls, such as the expressive D BEAM and the Analog Modify knob, which allows instant adjustments of sounds to suit your taste. The GW-8 is perfect for live entertainers who play multiple roles in their performances.

Intelligent Backing Styles

The GW-8 is packed with a huge collection of styles representing a broad range of music genres, from contemporary rock, pop, dance, jazz and beyond. In addition to the excellent library of contemporary sounds and styles, the GW-8 is equipped with ethnic instrument sounds and authentic regional musical styles, with special focus on Latin American genres. Each backing style has four intros, four main patterns, and four ending progressions for you to craft your own arrangements live.

USB Memory Player Feature

One of Roland’s most popular new features is built into the GW-8: the multi-format Song Player that allows song data to be played directly from USB Flash memory (accepts MP3, .WAV, AIFF and SMF format). In addition, the GW-8’s Center Cancel function can minimize main vocals from pre-recorded songs, great for karaoke-style performances or music practice.

Style Converter & Playlist Editor

Bundled with each GW-8 is Roland’s Style Converter software for PC, which lets you create and convert your own MIDI data into GW-8 backing styles and install them via commercially available USB Flash memory devices. Also included is the Playlist Editor for customizing the order of songs. Users can easily create a dedicated Playlist for each gig.

Keyboard
61 keys (with velocity)
Sound Generator
Maximum Polyphony
128 voices
Parts
16 parts + Keyboard part
Wave Memory
256MB (16-bit linear equivalent)
Preset Memory
Performances: 128
Tones: 896 + 256 (GM2) + World
Rhythm Sets: 32 + 9 (GM2) + World
User Memory
Performances: 128
Favorite Performances: 100
Favorite Tones: 100
Effects
MFX: Upper and Lower / 78 types
Chorus: 3 types
Reverb: 5 types
Backing Track
Backing type
Style
Song
USB Memory Player
Tempo (MIDI)
20 to 250
Style Variations
4 Intro
4 Main
4 Ending
4 Fill In
Sync Start
Stop
One Touch Setting
Song (16-track Recorder)
16-track
Rec mode (Mix, Replace)
Count in
Punch In-Out
Input Quantize
USB Memory Player
999 songs
SMF: format-0/1
Audio File: WAV/AIFF/MP3
Preset Memory
Styles: 130 + World
User Memory
Styles: 100
Songs: 200
Other
Controllers
D BEAM Controller x 1
Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever x 1
Control Knobs x 2
Display
240 x 64 dots white graphic LCD
Connectors
Output Jacks (L/MONO, R)
Ext Input Jack
Headphone Jack
MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT)
Hold Pedal Jack
Control Pedal Jack
USB Connectors: COMPUTER (supports USB MIDI) / MEMORY (supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Flash Memory)
Power Supply
DC 9 V (AC Adaptor)
Current Draw
1,000 mA
Accessories
Owner's Manual
CD-ROM (Style Converter 3.0, Playlist Editor)
AC Adaptor (PSB-1U)
Music Player Pad
USB Memory Protector
USB (MIDI)
Operating System
Windows: XP Home SP2 or later/Windows XP Professional SP2 or later/Windows Vista
*This does not work with the 64-bit Edition of Windows Vista.
Size and Weight
Width
1,045 mm
41-3/16 inches
Depth
318 mm
12-9/16 inches
Height
102 mm
4-1/16 inches
Weight
6.0 kg
13 lbs. 4 oz.
*The specifications are subject to change without notice.

Downloads

Brochures & Catalogs

Updates & Drivers

Support

If you have questions about operating your Roland product, please check our Knowledge Base for answers to the most common questions.
You can also contact our Product Support through Roland Backstage.
In addition, we have a library of Owner’s Manuals and Support Documents that you can download and reference.

Owner’s Manuals

Support Documents

  • GW-8 Version 2 ReleaseNote

    The new, free Version 2 GW-8 operating system software is a big update for the GW-8, adding lots of new features. With Version 2, the GW-8 is even more fun to use, and downright powerful as a style-making workstation. We've prepared a new GW-8 Operating System Version 2.00 ReleaseNote booklet to help you get the most from this amazing update. Enjoy!

  • GW-8 Q&A

    A collection of popular articles from the GW-8 knowledge base.