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The Arrival of The Digital Guitar Amp

In this video Michael “Nomad” Ripoll demonstrates the GA-112‘s channel switching capability. For Michael, the GA Amp is a welcoming extension to his guitar rig because it covers a wide range of frequencies which eliminate the need for separate amps. This enables him to travel lighter and with less bulk. Furthermore, the amp’s wide frequency range gives hime the freedom to incorporate guitar synthesizers which vary in sounds and tones. More

The VG-99 Inspires

A few weeks ago we gave Michael “Nomad” Ripoll a VG-99 guitar synthesizer to test drive and report. After a brief follow up we were surprised to learn that he’d been using the unit for his movie trailer projects. Michael says that within an hour of unboxing the unit he was committing to tape. Off camera, Michael explained that the unit has sparked his creativity, sped up his workflow and eliminated the need of extra musicians for his current studio projects. In these videos, both Michael and Joel Stevenett express how the VG-99 has inspired them musically. More

Guitar Amp Rountable Discussion Part 1

On Friday, November 2, 2012 Roland invited three of the top guitarists and industry veterans to Burbank California for a round table discussion on guitar amps. They discussed the past, present, and future of various amps and their use in popular music. For this first installment, legendary guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter shares his thoughts about the shoot and his time with Roland’s newest guitar amps, the GA-112 and GA-212.

Related articles and links:

How Do 50 Roland Pianos Sound at Once?

Published on Aug 22, 2012 by 

It turns out we do not know quite yet how 50 Roland pianos sound but we will after this weekend. On November 10, 2012 internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang and 100 young pianists ages 8-18 will join him on the Concert Hall stage of the Kennedy Center, paired two per piano. The goal is to entertain and educate both young audience members and experienced concert goers. This unique program is part master class, part concert, and includes performances of Franz Schubert’s Marche Militarie No. 1 and Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5. More

Netsky Live On Tour – Autumn/Winter 2012

We just received a really cool update from Michael Schack who’s currently on tour with Netsky (Boris Daenen). Micheal is responsible for keeping pace with the frantic drum and bass BPM that Netsky is known for. In our iPad user’s group magazine we asked Michael how fast he has to drum to which he answered, “The average tempo is like 175 beats per minute, but after an hour it feels more like 198!” More

Rob Ricketts TR-808 Programming Posters

Roland TR-808 drum chart for Afrika Bambaataa Planet Rock

Image authorized by: Rob Ricketts

Graphic Designer Rob Ricketts has created a series of posters which teach you how to program a TR-808 drum groove for a well known song. Rob describes the posters like this, “A series of informative posters detailing how some of the most notable drum sequences were programmed using the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine. Each sequence has been analyzed and represented as to allow users to re-program each sequence, key for key.” More

New Roland Products for November, 2012

TD-4KP
V-Drums® Portable
With its small footprint and innovative folding design, the TD-4KP V-Drums Portable is the ultimate e-kit for mobile drumming and small spaces.

GR-D
V-Guitar Distortion
V-Guitar technology in a Twin Pedal with bold, high-clarity distortion and synth tones only possible with GK processing.

GR-S
V-Guitar Space
V-Guitar technology in a Twin Pedal with super-spacious tones and multi-string emulation only possible with GK processing.

BK-3
Backing Keyboard
Portable, self-contained backing keyboard with built-in sound system, high-quality sounds, rhythms, and Music Assistants.

V-Drums Contest U.S. Finals Results

The results are in but if you were following the conversation on Twitter (#vdrumscontest) you probably already know that this year’s V-Drums U.S. National Champion is Pat Kennedy from Manor, TX. The Runner-up is Phillip “PJ” Hill from Milwaukee, WI. Patrick will represent the U.S. at the V-Drums World Championship 2 contest in Frankfurt, Germany in April, 2013. You can still check out their entry videos and bios here. More

Windows 8 drivers available for OCTA-CAPTURE, A-PRO series and more!

Windows 8 drivers available for OCTA-CAPTURE, A-PRO series and more!

Roland has been making interfaces for music on computers since 1984 with the original MPU-401. The near 30 years of experience and understanding the importance of keeping pace with technology is clearly demonstrated with the release of Windows 8 drivers on October 26th, which is the same day Windows 8 began shipping.

To ensure delivery on the Windows 8 release, Roland’s engineering team has been building and testing the new drivers alongside the Windows 8 beta releases.

If you own any of the products below and have Windows 8 please download the drivers using the links below.
All CAPTURE series interfaces including the OCTA-CAPTURE USB Audio Interface and QUAD-CAPTURE USB Audio Interface have Windows 8 drivers available in both 32- and 64-bit formats.

The A-PRO series is also fully supported including the A-800PRO MIDI Keyboard Controller and new A-49 MIDI Keyboard Controller.

Here is a full list of Roland products that already have Windows 8 driver support: www.RolandUS.com/Win8

We hope you enjoy Windows 8 and the new drivers!