June 21, 2016

New Robben Ford Blues Cube Tone Capsule

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Product News 6L6, Bonnie Raitt, distortion, Dumble, guitar, John Mayer, Larry Carlton, Miles Davis, OverDrive, overdrive special, recording, speaker, tube, Tube Logic, tweed

Bring Robben Ford’s Famous Tones to Your Blues Cube Amplifier

Robben Ford with his signature Tone Capsule for the Blues Cube amp series.

The new Robben Ford Blues Cube Tone Capsule is the latest addition to the expanding Tone Capsule lineup, bringing the signature tone of the noted blues and jazz fusion guitarist to the Blues Cube amplifier series. Robben directly collaborated with Roland engineers on this Tone Capsule, fine-tuning the sound over a span of many months. Easy to install, the device plugs into the Tone Capsule slot on a supported Blues Cube amp, instantly changing the voicing to the guitarist’s personal preferences for sound and response.

May 23, 2016

Roland Sessions: The Neighbourhood

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists boss, DM-2W, drums, ES-8, guitar, I Love You, indie, NBHD, RV-6, SPD-SX, Sweater Weather, The Neighborhood, TU-3, Wiped Out

In-Studio Performance and Exclusive Interview Streamed Live Online

The Neighbourhood

On January 28, 2016, Roland and BOSS artists The Neighbourhood performed live at Roland Sessions. Streamed live on the web from the video studios at Roland headquarters in Los Angeles, the chart–topping alternative band performed a set of songs from their first two albums. After the performance, Roland and BOSS Product and Artist Relations Manager Gary Lenaire sat down with the entire band for an exclusive interview, where they talked about their recording process, influences, favorite Roland and BOSS gear, and more. Read on to see the performance and interview videos, plus an interview transcript and photos.

April 29, 2016

Roland at CIMMfest 2016

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Industry AIRA, Butch Vig, chicago, CIMMfest, drums, film, guitar, keyboards, Piano, Smart Studios, Steve Marker, Synthesizer

Chicago Festivalgoers Explore the Latest Roland and BOSS Music Gear

CIMMfest_Marquee

The Roland/BOSS spring gear tour recently landed in Chicago, where we teamed up with CIMMfest (the Chicago International Music & Movies Festival), a popular annual event that just celebrated its eighth year. During CIMMcon, the festival’s regional industry conference, we hosted an interactive musical instrument display within Galerie F, Chicago’s first street art and gig poster gallery. Located at the heart of the festival in Chicago’s historic Logan Square neighborhood, our display offered visitors a unique, hands-on opportunity to make music and interact with the latest Roland and BOSS instruments.

April 28, 2016

Roland at the 4th Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Industry ACM, amplifier, boss, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, drums, guitar, Jana Kramer, Kenny Chesney, keyboards, Luke Bryan, Organ, Piano, recording, Sam Hunt, Stompbox, Swon Brothers, Synthesizer, V-Piano, vocals

A Fun Time for All at Roland’s Backstage Artist Lounge

ACM_Marquee1 Roland and BOSS had a blast at our backstage artist lounge and gear “petting zoo” at the Academy of Country Music’s 4th Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival. The three-day, two-stage charitable event in Las Vegas attracted nearly 50,000 music fans who enjoyed more than 30 acts from country music’s top names. This year, the festival took place April 1-3 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, and featured many top-tier acts plus full headline sets from Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, and Kenny Chesney. The weekend led up to the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards, which included Sam Hunt singing his hit “Make You Miss Me” while playing a custom-prepared white Roland V-Piano Grand.

April 26, 2016

Roland Pianos Shine at the 2016 MTNA National Conference

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Industry artists, Bluetooth, digital piano, Education, Faber Piano Adventures, Jim Brickman, Lessons, Piano, piano teacher, wireless

Music Educators Discover the Benefits of Roland’s Leading Piano Technologies

Roland attended the recent 2016 MTNA (Music Teacher’s National Association) National Conference in San Antonio, Texas, where we displayed the LX-17, LX-7, and FP-30 Digital Pianos, as well as the C-30 Digital Harpsichord. These Roland piano models—the world’s first pianos equipped with Bluetooth technology—were also showcased at the Faber Piano Adventures booth, as led by influential piano educator Randall Faber.

April 18, 2016

Roland LIVE at the GRAMMY Museums

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Industry AIRA, boss, drums, GRAMMY, Grammy Awards, guitar, keyboards, pedal, Piano, recording, roland live, Singer, Stompbox, Synthesizer, vocals

Interactive Displays in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Mississippi Bring Music Making to the Masses

GRAMMY-Museums_Marquee

Authors: Corey Fournier and Jim Bybee

Roland is pleased to announce that our ongoing educational partnership with the GRAMMY Museum continues to evolve and grow. Since 2009, Roland LIVE has been a popular exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, and it’s been recently refreshed with the latest gear and new interactive displays. Just last month, the GRAMMY Museum opened a new location in the heart of blues country—Cleveland, Mississippi—and Roland LIVE can be found there as well. In addition, the museum invited us to install a new Roland LIVE exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum Gallery, which is part of the Musicians Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville.

April 15, 2016

Behind the Song with Elle Rae’s “Into The Fire”

Rebecca Eaddy [Roland US] Artists Elle Rae, JD-Xi, Joshua Bartholomew, keyboards, Lisa Harriton, Songwriting, Synth, Transformers, vocals

Songwriting with Elle Rae and Her JD-Xi Synth

Elle Rae’s new song “Into The Fire” was released on Hasbro’s Transformers compilation CD today (on iTunes)! We caught up with Elle Rae front woman (and longtime Roland friend Lisa Harriton) to get under the hood of her new song and to find out what inspires her creative process. And Lisa’s JD-Xi makes a cameo in the new “Into The Fire” music video below. You can catch a quick glimpse of her FA-08 Music Workstation and JUNO-Gi rig in the video, too.

Behind the Song with Elle Rae’s “Into The Fire.”

April 11, 2016

JD-XA Librarian Software Now Available

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News analog, crossover, digital, editor, EDM, electronic music, JD-XA, JUNO, jupiter, librarian, SuperNATURAL, Synth, Synthesizer

Free Download for the JD-XA Analog/Digital Crossover Synth

JD-XA Librarian

With its exceptional analog/digital sound and innovative crossover design, the JD-XA has been lauded as one of Roland’s most powerful synths ever. Now, JD-XA owners have access to new librarian software that makes it easy to back up, organize, and archive patches on a Mac or Windows computer. Available as a free download, the librarian also provides an integrated portal to the growing collection of JD-XA patch collections at Roland’s Axial website.

April 6, 2016

New V-Drums Products: KT-9 Kick Trigger Pedal and FD-9 Hi-Hat Controller

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News bass drum, beater, hi-hat, kick drum, mesh-head, Noise Eater, noiseless, pedal, practice, practice pad, quiet, V-Drums

Pro Performance, Ultra-Quiet Operation

Roland KT-9 Kick Trigger Pedal (left) and FD-9 Hi-Hat Controller (right).

One of the major advantages of Roland’s V-Drums is easy volume control and the ability to practice quietly with headphones. But if you live in an apartment, condo, or small house, you may encounter situations where you need to quiet your V-Drums down even further to avoid disturbing others. Now, we have a powerful solution to these problem situations. With the new KT-9 Kick Trigger Pedal and FD-9 Hi-Hat Controller, you can dramatically reduce the operational noise of playing V-Drums with no sacrifice in feel or playability.

March 31, 2016

Roland and BOSS at Southwest Invasion

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists AIRA, Austin, BOSS effects, drums, EC-10, EL Cajon, Gingger Shankar, guitar, Jamie Kent, keyboards, MSTRKRFT, pedals, Piano, South by Southwest, Stompbox, SXSW, Talib Kweli, The Heirs, TR-808, TR-909, vocals

VIP Green Room and Jam Space at SXSW in Austin

SXSW-Marquee

Roland and BOSS had a fantastic time at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, where we partnered with Quantum Collective to host a VIP green room tent and jam space for performers during the 5th Annual Southwest Invasion live music event. Taking place over three days, the event featured performances by great artists like Talib Kweli, Gingger Shankar, Jamie Kent, Third Eye Blind, and many others. Before and after their sets, all the performers hung out at the private Roland/BOSS VIP lounge, talking about music and checking out our latest gear, including new BOSS effects, Roland AIRA instruments, and the ELCajon EC-10.

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