Roland entered the world of effects with a series of innovative products, and the Roland SDE-1000 Digital Delay marked their third foray into digital delays, offering an attractive balance of affordability and a versatile feature set.

The Roland SDE-1000 was introduced at a time when digital delays were becoming increasingly popular but often remained prohibitively expensive for many musicians. The Roland SDE-1000 distinguished itself by providing professional-grade performance at a more accessible price. It featured wide frequency characteristics, low harmonic distortion, and low noise, delivering a clear and high-quality delay signal.

Key features of the Roland SDE-1000 included:

• Long delay time: Up to 1125 milliseconds, allowing for both subtle echoes and extended ambient effects.

• Highly accurate delay time display: With increments as fine as 10.1 milliseconds for precise control.

• Memory function: The ability to store up to four different panel settings, making it easy for users to switch between customised presets.

• Modulation control and preset shift jacks: Designed for live performance, enabling real-time modulation adjustments.

• Playmate jack: This allowed delay time to be adjusted using a foot controller, adding convenience for performers.

• Hold function: A dedicated jack for sound repetition, effectively looping a portion of the audio.

• Delay remote jack: Enabled remote switching of the delay effect on or off.

• Stereo output jacks: Supported a rich stereo image, allowing for creative effects like stereo chorus.