May 3, 2018

SE-02 Analog Synth Version 1.10: New Sounds, Enhanced Features, and Computer-Based Editing

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News, Tips & Tricks AIRA, analog synth, analog synthesizer, bass synth, CV, fat sound, Gate, keyboards, lead synth, MIDI, minimoog, moog, recording, Studio Electronics, synthesizers, trigger, vintage synth

Supercharge Your SE-02 Experience with the Latest Firmware and Powerful New Editor/Librarian Software

Roland SE-02 analog synth.

Packed with discrete analog circuitry, the SE-02 from Roland and Studio Electronics delivers authentic vintage sound with vast programmability and modern connectivity. The just-released Version 1.10 firmware makes this compact mono synth even more powerful, with 128 all-new preset sounds plus user-requested features like increased PWM performance and numerous programming enhancements for improved workflow. Version 1.10 also provides support for a brand-new editor/librarian for Mac and Windows, which offers complete real-time interface control and full patch library management along with patch blending, random patch generation, and other sound-creation tools.

January 8, 2018

Melodics for V-Drums Just Introduced

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News beat, computer, drum lessons, drum tutor, drums, groove, laptop, lesson, Mac, Melodics, MIDI, PC, rudiments, USB, V-Cymbal, V-Drums, V-Pad, Windows

Quickly Build Rhythm and Timing Skills with This Fun Desktop App

Roland and Melodics™ have joined forces to introduce Melodics for V-Drums, a dedicated desktop learning app for Mac and Windows. With its interactive interface and engaging exercises, the app helps V-Drums users build and maintain drumming techniques. The app supports V-Drums modules equipped with a USB computer connector, including the TD-50, TD-30, TD-25, TD-15, TD-11, and TD-1. Connection is quick and simple, and sound can be monitored directly from the V-Drums module.

Melodics for V-Drums is a free download, and 40 free lessons are included. Paid subscribers can access 60 additional lessons, with new lessons being added every week.

December 19, 2017

The Revolutionary Roland Aerophone, Now Available in Two Colors

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News alto sax, bari sax, baritone sax, breath control, clarinet, DAW, MIDI, oboe, reed, soft synth, soprano sax, SuperNATURAL, Synthesizer, tenor sax, virtual instrument, VST, wind control, woodwind

Choose Between Original White and New Graphite Black Finishes

Roland Aerophone AE-10G (top) and Aerophone AE-10.

Roland Aerophone AE-10G (top) and AE-10.

Roland’s Aerophone is a groundbreaking digital wind instrument that opens a new world of expressive possibilities for saxophonists and other wind players. First introduced in late 2016, the standard Aerophone AE-10 features a handsome white finish that really stands out on stage. While this model continues to be very popular, some players have requested a darker look for a more understated appearance. With the Aerophone AE-10G, that option is now here! Aside from its sleek graphite black finish, the AE-10G offers all the great sounds and playability of the original AE-10 model, which remains available as well.

January 18, 2017

New Product: Roland RD-2000 Stage Piano

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Product News AIRA, controller, DAW, electric piano, grand piano, keyboards, Mainstage, MIDI, Organ, Piano, recording, soft synth, SuperNATURAL, Synth, Synthesizer, USB audio, USB MIDI, V-Piano, VST

The Most Powerful RD Stage Piano to Date

Roland RD-2000 Stage Piano.

For 30-plus years, Roland’s RD-series instruments have been the world’s leading stage pianos, used by everyone from local nightclub musicians to arena-level megastars. Just introduced at the 2017 Winter NAMM Show, the Roland RD-2000 takes the series to an all-new level, combining three decades of piano research and advanced controller features into one amazingly powerful and versatile instrument. Simply put, the RD-2000 is our best stage piano ever, and you really need to check it out! Read on to find out more about the latest evolution of the historic RD series.

February 5, 2016

The Legendary Sounds of the Roland Boutique Series

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Tips & Tricks ACB, AIRA, analog, boutique, JP-08, JU-06, JUNO-106, JUPITER-8, JX-03, JX-3P, keyboards, MIDI, Roland Boutique Patch Demos, Synth, Synthesizer

New Audio Demos of the JP-08, JU-06, and JX-03 Sound Modules

Boutique-Marquee-5b

If you’ve been lusting after the warm, rich sounds of Roland’s classic JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, and JX-3P analog synths from the 1980s and can’t get your hands on the originals, you won’t get any closer than the Roland Boutique series. Consisting of the JP-08, JU-06, and JX-03 sound modules, the series employs Roland’s acclaimed Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology to recreate the sound and response of the original legends with stunning accuracy. If you haven’t had a chance to hear the Roland Boutique series in person, check out the great new audio demos we’ve recently created using the factory patches in each module.

July 29, 2014

Nate Morton: My TR-8 Setup for The Voice

Drew Armentrout [Roland US] Artists, Tips & Tricks ACB, AIRA, drums, MIDI, Nate Mortone, NBC, The Voice, TR-8, V-Drums 4 Comments

How to Trigger the TR-8 from Your Drumset

Nate Morton: My TR-8 Setup for The Voice

Nate Morton’s hybrid kit for The Voice includes acoustic drums, V-Drums and a TR-8

EDM has definitely become part of the pop musical lexicon and is the backbeat to much of today’s music. So much so, that I recently received a call from Nate Morton, the drummer for NBC’s The Voice, who told me that more and more contestants where competing with EDM tracks. As a result, Nate was looking for a convenient way to be able to add EDM sounds alongside his acoustic rig. Nate, and his drum tech, Steve Morrison (of Drum Tech Services) had brought an original TR-808 into rehearsals, and were determined to integrate these classic sounds. Because space was an issue, along with needing the most realistic 808 sounds possible that could be triggered by MIDI, we decided to experiment with a TD-15K V-Drums Kit, triggering an AIRA TR-8 Rhythm Composer. What we discovered was that the AIRA engineers had not let us down, enabling the TR-8 to easily integrate as a sound module for V-Drums. For V-Drums enthusiasts, adding a TR-8 to your rig is easy, inexpensive and gives an edge to your sound that you won’t find anywhere else.

Nate Morton TR-8 Setup Step-by-Step PDF

February 7, 2013

Join Us in Honoring Mr. Kakehashi’s GRAMMY® Presentation During the Live Special Merit Awards Webcast

OV Valle [Roland US] Industry Grammy Awards, Ikutaro Kakehashi, MIDI 1 Comment

Roland’s founder, Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi, will be honored with a Technical GRAMMY® Award along with Dave Smith, president of Sequential Circuits, for their role in developing MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology. The GRAMMY® will be presented during the Special Merit Awards on Saturday, February 9, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. PST. Please join us at www.grammy.com/live for the live webcast. This award is presented to those who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field and is part of the world famous ceremony celebrating the music industry. More

January 17, 2013

Classic Roland Synths

OV Valle [Roland US] Product News D-50, GAIA, JD-800, JP-8000, JUNO-106, JUNO-6, JUPISTER-50, JUPITER-4, JUPITER-8, JUPITER-80, JX-3P, keyboards, MIDI, SH-01, SH-101, SH-201, SYSTEM-100, V-SYNTH, XP-80 6 Comments

ClassicSynths_Marquee

Roland’s new JUPITER-50 was unveiled at the Frankfurt Musikmesse last year, and though it sits at the cutting-edge of new technology, it’s a synth that sits firmly in line with Roland’s synth philosophy and history.

The JUPITER-50 is a streamlined version of the flagship JUPITER-80, and both instruments fit neatly into Roland’s 40-year story of pioneering synthesizer development. As the JUPITER name suggests, these new synths are related to one of the most iconic synth lines ever created—the genre-defining JUPITER-8.

Using the most innovative analog technologies of the time, the JUPITER-8 was released in 1981 and provided musicians with a rich palette of synth textures. Its reliability and ease of use on stage made it a go-to instrument for the electro crowd of the time. Its built-in arpeggiator and deep sonic potential satisfied the synth elite and awed countless Duran Duran fans. More

January 10, 2013

MIDI: The Essential Standard Turns 30

Joe Sparacio [Roland U.S.] Industry Dave Smith, Ikutaro Kakehashi, MIDI, namm, Sequential Circuits 6 Comments

In the early 1980s, Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi and Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith had a dream—a simple interface that would allow all electronic musical instruments to communicate with each other and with computers. To make this dream a reality, these pioneers brought together an unprecedented coalition of manufacturers from the United States and Japan, and soon the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or “MIDI,” was born. 30 years ago, the 1983 Winter NAMM Show hosted its landmark public unveiling, where Roland and Sequential Circuits demonstrated the first two MIDI-equipped synthesizers “talking” to each other via this new universal communication standard. More