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Ed Roth: Keyboard Versatility

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How to Raise the Bar as a Keyboard Player

Ed Roth

Photo: Ed Roth

There’s a ton of music out there, but as a guitarist, drummer, keys player, etc., who do you follow to keep your playing chops razor sharp? Who really inspires you? Keyboardist Ed Roth has been known to strike a special chord within an extremely diverse group of musical circles. He is a versatility powerhouse on keys and listening to him play could be just the nudge you need to reach your next keyboarding milestone. Regarded as a “musician’s musician,” Ed Roth innately knows how to raise the bar and compel musical peers, like Quiet Riot’s drummer Frankie Banali, to reach higher. More

Recording Tips Part 3 – Mic Placement

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How to Find the Magical Sweet Spot

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Mic placement can make or break a great take

Author: Paul White, Editor-In-Chief for Sound on Sound and Roland UK Features Team

After vocals, the acoustic guitar is the next most commonly recorded instrument in the home studio, and I have to say that recording using a microphone almost always gives sweeter sounding results than using an under-saddle pickup system. Acoustic guitars sound good recorded over a hard floor, so if yours is carpeted, put down some hardboard, MDF or even a few trays on the surface between the guitar and the mic stand. A reflective wall can help, but you don’t want to let in the room boxiness, so redeploy your duvet so that you have wall, guitar, microphone and then the duvet. More

The Evolution of Piano Foot Pedals

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Foot Pedals for Modern Keyboards & Synths

The Evolution of Piano Foot Pedals marque image

Image: V-Piano Grand Foot Pedals

Have you ever wondered what some of the jacks on the back of your synthesizer or stage piano are for? On some Roland synthesizers, you’ll see inputs for “HOLD” and “CTRL1 and CTRL2,″ and on other instruments, you might see inputs for “SOSTENUTO” or “DAMPER.” These inputs are actually for foot pedals that enable the player to change the timbre or the expressiveness of the piano. The modern piano foot pedal configuration has been in its current form since the late nineteenth century, with three foot pedals: sustain (damper pedal), sostenuto, and una corda or soft pedal (sometimes referred to as the shift pedal). More

Recording Tips Part 1 – Overview

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Make a Release-Quality Recording with Affordable Gear

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Recording Tips Overview image: SONAR

Author: Paul White Editor-In-Chief for Sound on Sound and Roland UK Features Team

You can make a release-quality recording using affordable hardware such as one of the BOSS multi-trackers or one of the many excellent computer Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) such as SONAR. You’ll need decent microphones and reasonably accurate loudspeakers or headphones to judge your efforts, but the quality of entry level mics and speakers is now surprisingly good too. Now, the main problems associated with making a great recording can be broken down into two areas — the sounds you record and the way you mix them. Putting the mics in the right place and not allowing your recording meters to bang into the red are also important factors but are relatively easy to deal with as there’s lots of information around pertaining to mic’ing, not least in the back issues section of the Sound On Sound web site. Visit soundonsound.com for additional recording tips. More

Getting Started with Sound Design

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Two Basic Approaches to Synth Programming

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Image: V-Synth GT sound design parameters

Do you experiment with sound design? One common misconception about programming synthesizers is that it’s easier to modify an existing patch (tone) than to start from scratch. You’ve probably sat with your favorite synth, found a patch that you like, and went to town tweaking the parameters. Suddenly, you begin to find that your knob and slider adjustments are getting you further and further away from the original sound. This is the main problem with modifying existing patches. You often have to search for and remove unwanted parameters (which may be affecting the tone quite drastically) only to end up with something far from the original and a lot of frustration. More

Making Music with Organ Drawbars in the 21st Century

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The VR-09’s iPad Editor Enhances Playability

V-COMBO VR-09 Organ Drawbars

V-COMBO VR-09 Organ Drawbars

Roland’s renowned SuperNATURAL® technology powers the V-Combo VR-09’s classic tone wheel organs, while nine harmonic bars provide authentic, instantaneous performance control.

Promotion: Summertime Savings

Because of the almost infinite range of tone provided via the drawbars, the organ can greatly enhance the flavor of your music. You can find a sound that sets your playing or music apart from other bands with a little experimentation, and with the help of the VR-09 Editor for iPad, the job of finding just the right tone becomes easy. More

How to Layer and Split Sounds on the JUNO-Gi

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Create Huge Sounds with the Live Set Function

header image for Creating Layers and Splits Using JUNO-Gi Live Sets blog post

Creating Layers and Splits Using JUNO-Gi Live Sets

When we look at the sound structure of the JUNO-Gi, it is very easy to overlook it’s sonic flexibility and power. At first glance, the JUNO-Gi’s patch mode appears to be the same as older Roland keyboards, but if we look a little closer, we find that the JUNO-Gi has Live Set mode, which is capable of four simultaneous tones. Live Sets are also found in our flagship synths, the JUPITER-80 and JUPITER-50. More

5 Things You Need in a MIDI Keyboard Controller

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A Look at Construction, Features and More

Roland A-500PRO MIDI Keyboard Controller

Tips for selecting the right MIDI keyboard controller

These days MIDI keyboard controllers are an integral part of production and essential for playing software synths in the studio or on stage. Don’t accept anything less than what you’d expect from a quality hardware synthesizer. A MIDI controller doesn’t have to be complicated, feel cheap, or play like a toy.

Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision when selecting the right MIDI keyboard controller for your needs. More

Product Support for Your Roland Gear

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Four Ways to Get Answers from Our Gear Pros

Product Support

“We have the gear to answer your questions.” -Product Support

It happens to all of us…it’s past 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday, and you are stumped as to how to work a particular feature on your Roland product. Normally, you’d have to wait to call product support until Monday. Obviously, this is not very helpful if the band is waiting for you to get things together for the night’s gig! More

A Peek Inside Herbie Hancock’s Live Rig

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Herbie Hancock at 35th Playboy Jazz Festival

Herbie Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl, 17 June 2013

Herbie Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl, June 17, 2013. Photo by Ginal Ferazzi, LA Times

The picture above shows Herbie Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl during the 35th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival, and he is clearly digging into a song on his iconic Roland AX-Synth. What the picture doesn’t show, however, is the amazing infrastructure of technology that Herbie and his tech, Brian McCollough, have assembled for Herbie’s live show. From his use of multiple iPads to some fairly complex programming, Herbie’s live rig showcases both the creativity and necessity behind his ever-evolving live performances. More

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