The Rodgers® PR-300™ began its life as a Roland® MT series sequencer and voice module.

The sequencer part processed MIDI playing information, storing it, editing it and replaying it as needed, by means of in internal 3.5" floppy disk.

The voice module part houses a library of 300+ instrument samples, synthesizer sounds and sound effects, with speakers inside and stereo 1/4" jacks on the back and an earphone jack for listening.

The voices are grouped om the General Midi (GM) set order, Piano, Bells, Organs, Guitar...and so on.

None of the voices on the PR-300™ are organ voices, meaning, you will not find a "better" swell reed chorus. The few organ sounds on it are what we might call "entertainment organ" samples. The PR-300™ fills the need for expansion of the organ into serving the needs of contemporary music and worship.

The entry-level MT series module came with a simple disk player or the larger one, the MT 200, had a record and play disk drive. While keyboards with voices and sequencers combined on board were common, building this device was ground-breaking, as Roland® saw the need and market for a MIDI-based portable player.

What separates the MT from the PR is a bit of software engineering that automatically assigns some of the MIDI channels to the PR voice module and the rest to the Rodgers® Organ upon boot-up. This is a default setting, but it can also be modified to work with other MIDI equipment and their own unique MIDI channel configuration.

The level of compatibility between the Rodgers® Organ and the PR-300™ Module is so comprehensive that it is possible to utilize the PR-300™ as a voice module even if the PR-300™ is hidden away in the drawer underneath the organ, out of site and untouched. It even turns on and off automatically with the organ.

The PR-300™ writes in a propriety disk filing system that stores two files for each MIDI song recorded. The Standard Midi File file system has been adopted in the industry, which saves all the song information in one files, called an SMF. The PR-300™ will read and plays SMF's. The PR-300™S will also save files in the SMF format upon request.

Typically a piece of MIDI equipment ends up having great supporters as well as detractors. The PR-300™ is very well accepted and criticism of the unit is rare.

What problems can one experience with the unit? Actual failure within the unit is extremely rare and repairs are few and far between. The majority of the "problems" seen with the unit tend to be with understanding the unit, what it is capable of and putting the unit to work for you in a way to enhances your ability to play the organ and provide musical support for your congregation.

For that reason the following FAQ has been created and is being added to as new ideas and understandings of the PR-300™ evolve.

The PR-300™ manual is very thorough. In most cases the FAQ's listed are clarifications in one way or another of what the owners manual says, in different wording.