The instrument
The Roland RS-202 is a polyphonic string synthesiser, the successor to the Roland RS-101, which was launched in 1975. Compared to its predecessor, it offers a vibrato delay and three new sounds, Bypass, I and II for the Roland chorus effect. Notable users are Genesis' Tony Banks, Camel's Peter Bardens, Los Bukis and Tomita.
Multivox produced a replica of the RS-202, the MX-202.
Details
The RS-202 utilises sawtooth oscillators that use a frequency divider, similar to an electronic organ, to provide full polyphony over a five octave keyboard. The signal is then fed through a single envelope shaper and each note can be assigned its own envelope articulation. To achieve a more realistic string ensemble sound, the output signal is routed through a chorus effect with low frequency oscillators.