Roland New Products - September 2017 'Festival'

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I see that Roland has a series of announcement days coming soon, and they are often interesting. (Even though they can over-hyped at times.)

So September 9th is ‘Synthesizer Day’ (Experience the D-50) – So it seems impossible to me not to conclude a D-50 Boutique Synth. Actually that might be pretty good.

September 7th is ‘Wind Day’ which my being a Roland Aerophone user has my attention. I speculated elsewhere on this but won’t here, unless someone is interested.

There are also Guitar, Organ, Piano, and Drum days too. Hopefully something for everyone.

An aside explanation:

I considered attaching this to the New Roland Hardware topic but that was 1246 days old, and in the general discussion category so i decided to create new.

#2

I’m interested. Currently play a Yamaha WX-5 but am considering an Aerophone as a self-contained alternative (especially as the WX-5 has been discontinued). By the way, you can get some interesting sounds if you connect a wind controller to a Monomachine. Haven’t tried it with an A4 yet.

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#3

Cool ark.

If you currently play a sax i can definitely recommend the Aerophone. I am a former WX-5 (and Akai) user, i love my Aerophone

New announcements are possible for the Aerophone – perhaps new sounds, like maybe added cost sound packs. I expect other wind controller things beyond AE-10 announcements as well.

Driving external gear with the Aerophone is great, once you get from USB to DIN midi you are all set. (Or a USB host.)

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#4

i’m hoping they come to their senses and put a midi output on the Aerophone, to complete what is already a beautiful instrument

#6

Sonic State are speculating on a possibility of a full-size D-50 re-issue, not a boutique.

#7

There are lots of ways to go USB to DIN midi, but a little box that would sit in the rectangular place right below the USB connector on the Aerophone would be nice. Or, even better a wireless Midi connector plugging in the same spot.

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#8

massive yaaaaawn.

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#9

so true, and yet this trend of usb-only midi instrument design is quite hilarious and needs to be reviewed by every midi-contraption-manufacturing company.

although it’s possible to convert, why not make the device suit the user … not only but also, anticipate what the scenario will then also require: a midi input with a midi-merge option for the output. it’s really simple stuff but most product and company managers refuse to think properly about the matter.

anyway all cool :slight_smile:
actually your cool idea of a wireless midi device would be super awesome, especially if it was a lightweight usb connection transmitter for the instrument, and a device that was converting to both usb and midi outputs at the receiver.

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#10

Actual two directional midi would be great. The internal Roland SuperNatural synth is polyphonic and worth controlling externally, i’ve done it. (Plus i’d enhance it’s functions from internal control – if i could just figure out how to turn local midi control off! Stymied on this.)

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#11

I remember last year when I was first introduced to Roland’s “The Future. Redefined” slogan. And I said it before and i’ll say it again: the new definition: the past

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#12

The Past. Reanimated.

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#13

Frankenstein('s Monster) Boutique

#14

if anyone say to rtfm, don’t listen to them :smiley:

lol but yes the midi input and midi-merge option for the output would then allow another drum machine to be playing, and sending midi clock to and through the Aerophone to an external synthesizer to then control the lfo rate and arpeggio tempo.

the Korg Prophecy has amazing multi oscillator modelling of wind instruments, would like to try the Aerophone with this kind of sound.

the SuperNatural synth has a cool name!
external and internal control would be way cool.

actually Aerophone would be a fun title for a tune.

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#15

I’ll give it about a 2.0834% chance of being interesting.

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#16

I gave up on Roland ages ago.
Another remake? Talk about living on memories :sleeping:

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#18

i find the thinking of the synth community a funny one. Moog is awesome when they do remakes/rereleases/etc but when other companies are doing it, its not innovative and is generally regarded as a terrible choice. Personally i think all of the boutique stuff is cool especially for the younger generation of musicians. Try sourcing a mint condition original sh-101, tr-808, or tb-303 for the price of the boutique model. Even as an individual with decent employment an original 808 is something that would never be in my reach, even further out of reach is a mint/like new original 808. the synths live on and the next generation is able to enjoy it.
Roland had already done quite a bit of innovating over the years and to expect them to continue to be innovative all the time decades in is pushing it.

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#20

I like a lot of the recent Roland stuff (not all of it, by any means). I bet you if they did a carbon copy analogue 808 repro you’d still get the keyboard warriors claiming it didn’t sound as good as the original.

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#24

I agree Roland are stuck in a bit of a Boutique rut, but you have to lay some blame at the feet of the legions of people (most of whom have never seen/heard in real life/touched) 808/909/SH-101/Juno this that and the other as if they are the most important and sacred historical inventions since electricity itself. Roland are only responding to all this, and it is their own legacy to pilfer. Same can’t be said of Behringer.

#27

I love that you’ve been updating this each day. That’s rich to me. :smiley:

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