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is a Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese manufacturer of electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument

An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. In contrast, the term electric instrument is used to mean instruments whose sound is produced mechanically, and only amplified or altered electronically - for example an electric guitar....
s, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi
Ikutaro Kakehashi

is the founder of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments....
 in Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
 on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu. The capital is the city of Shizuoka, Shizuoka....
. Today it has factories in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, and Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. As of March 31, 2005, it employed 2,233 employees. a rise of over 200% from 729 employees in 2003. It has existed in different forms since 1960, making it one of the oldest still-operating manufacturers of musical electronics, and has survived changes in technology to become one of the most noteworthy and widely-used brands in electronic music and production today.

nd markets products under a number of brand names, each of which are used on products geared toward a different niche.
- Roland brand is used on a wide range of products including synthesizers, digital pianos, electronic drum systems, dance/DJ gear, guitar synthesizers, amplifiers, and recording products.
- BOSS is a brand used for products geared toward guitar players and is used for guitar pedals, effects units, rhythm and accompaniment machines, and portable recording equipment.
- Edirol is a line of professional video-editing and -presentation systems. Edirol also has Desktop Media "DTM" products, more production-oriented, and include computer audio interfaces, mixers, and speakers.






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Encyclopedia


is a Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese manufacturer of electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument

An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. In contrast, the term electric instrument is used to mean instruments whose sound is produced mechanically, and only amplified or altered electronically - for example an electric guitar....
s, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi
Ikutaro Kakehashi

is the founder of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments....
 in Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
 on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu. The capital is the city of Shizuoka, Shizuoka....
. Today it has factories in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, and Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. As of March 31, 2005, it employed 2,233 employees. a rise of over 200% from 729 employees in 2003. It has existed in different forms since 1960, making it one of the oldest still-operating manufacturers of musical electronics, and has survived changes in technology to become one of the most noteworthy and widely-used brands in electronic music and production today.

Brands

Roland markets products under a number of brand names, each of which are used on products geared toward a different niche.
- Roland brand is used on a wide range of products including synthesizers, digital pianos, electronic drum systems, dance/DJ gear, guitar synthesizers, amplifiers, and recording products.
- BOSS is a brand used for products geared toward guitar players and is used for guitar pedals, effects units, rhythm and accompaniment machines, and portable recording equipment.
- Edirol is a line of professional video-editing and -presentation systems. Edirol also has Desktop Media "DTM" products, more production-oriented, and include computer audio interfaces, mixers, and speakers.
- RSS is a line of commercial audio products including the V-Mixing System.
- Rodgers
Rodgers Instruments

Rodgers Instruments LLC manufactures church organ , using patented stereophonic digital organ technology. Rodgers is the largest builder of custom church organs in the world....
 was founded in 1958 as an organ company and survives today as a subsidiary of Roland, still manufacturing high-quality electric, electronic, and pipe organs.
- Cakewalk
Cakewalk (company)

Cakewalk is a company based in Boston, Massachusetts that develops music production software. Their best known product is their comprehensive music sequencer Cakewalk Sonar, which is designed for professional use....
 music software company is a long term partner to Roland. In Jan. 2008, Roland announced purchase of controlling interest in Cakewalk.
- Roland DG produces computerized plotters, vinyl cutters, and printers for the production of commercial signwork and point-of-sale materials.

At one point, Roland acquired the then-defunct Rhodes
Rhodes piano

A Rhodes piano is an electromechanical musical instrument, a brand of electric piano. Its distinctive sound has appeared in thousands of songs of all musical styles since it was first introduced in 1965....
 name, and released a number of digital keyboards bearing the Rhodes brand, but it no longer owns the name.

Roland company slogan
Slogan

A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commerce, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose....
s include Inspire the enjoyment of creativity, Be the best rather than the biggest, and We design the future.

Roland's name

It may seem strange for a Japanese company to have a Western name, but Roland was founded with export in mind. Ikutaro Kakehashi heard that the name of his previous company, Ace Electronic Industries Inc.
Ace Tone

Ace Electronic Industries Inc., or Ace Tone was a manufacturer of musical instruments, including Electronic_organ and analogue drum machines, and effects pedals....
, was often mangled in pronunciation, sometimes unpleasantly; so he looked for a good-sounding name that would be pronounced roughly the same in all of his major export markets. He found the name Roland in a telephone directory, browsing for a Western-sounding name among the Rs because no other electronic instrument manufacturer's name started with this letter.

Ironically, the name is difficult to pronounce correctly in Kakehashi's native Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
, which does not distinguish the L and R sounds as in English
Japanese phonology

This article deals with the phonology of the Japanese language....
. It has been thought that the company name came from a Japanese historical novel that Kakehashi read as a younger man, the two main characters being Roland and his brother Oliver. Indeed, Oliver is thought of as Roland's alter-ego and was once considered as an alternative company name.

Roland was not, as is often claimed, named after the French epic poem La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland).

International Distributors

Roland Corp. operates a warehouse in Cromer, Sydney Australia, in which it employes approximately 30 people and makes around $2mil net profit a year.

Timeline of noteworthy products

  • 1973 - Roland SH-1000
    Roland SH-1000

    The Roland SH-1000, introduced in 1973, was the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan. It resembles a home Organ more than a commercial synth, with colorful sliders and simple functions, yet it produced decent bass and lead sounds that many professional musicians sought after....
    : Claimed by Roland to be Japan
    Japan

    Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
    's first commercial keyboard synthesizer.
  • 1973 - Roland RE-201
    Roland RE-201

    The Roland RE-201, commonly known as the Space Echo, is an audio analog Delay effects unit.A tape echo device records incoming audio to a loop of magnetic tape, then replays the audio over a series of several playback heads before it is erased again by new incoming audio....
    : The renowned space echo machine, one of the most popular tape delay
    Tape delay

    Tape delay can mean:*Delay , an audio effect reminiscent of an echo*Broadcast delay, the practice of intentionally delaying a radio and television broadcast of live material....
    -based echo machines ever produced.
  • 1973 - Roland SH-3A
    Roland SH-3A

    The SH-3A is a monophonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Roland Corporation from 1974 to 1981. It is unique in that it is capable of both subtractive synthesis and additive synthesis....
    : Monophonic synthesizer.
  • 1975 - Roland System-100
    Roland System-100

    The Roland System 100, released in 1975 and manufactured until 1979, was an affordable analog semi-modular synthesizer.It is only semi-modular, because while all the basic component parts - the 101 synthesizer , the 102 expander, the 104 sequencer, the 103 4 channel mixer with built in spring reverb and mono fx send/return & the 109 sp...
    : Roland's first attempt at a modular synthesizer.
  • 1975 - Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier
    Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier

    Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Amplifier is a guitar amplifier first produced in 1975. The amp is renowned for its crystal clear sound, lush chorus effect, and high quality tone and effects sounds....
    : A two channel, 120 watt amplifier equipped with two 12-inch (30 cm) speakers, built-in chorus and vibrato effects and a 3-band EQ per channel, renowned for its super-clean sound and durability, it has remained in production for over 30 years.
  • 1976 - Roland System-700: Roland's first professional-quality modular synthesizer.
  • 1977 - Roland MC-8 Microcomposer
    Roland MC-8 Microcomposer

    The Roland MC-8 MicroComposer was introduced in 1977 at a price of around US$8,000 as the world's first digital microprocessor-driven CV/Gate music sequencer....
    : A groundbreaking digital sequencer
    Sequencer

    A sequencer is something that either generates or analyzes a sequence, or triggers events in timed fashion. The term may mean or refer to:* Sequencer, a 1976 electronic music album by Larry Fast...
    . The first product in the musical-instrument industry to utilize a microprocessor
    Microprocessor

    A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit on a single integrated circuit . The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used for electronic calculators, using Binary-coded decimal arithmetic on 4-bit Word ....
    .
  • 1977 - Roland GR-500
    Roland GR-500

    The Roland GR-500, manufactured by Roland Corporation, was the first commercially available guitar synthesizer.The synthesizer module included Bass, Solo Synth, and String sounds based on previous Orchestral and analog mono-synths from Roland....
    : The world's first commercial guitar synthesizer.
  • 1978 - Roland CR-78
    Roland CR-78

    The Roland Corporation CompuRhythm CR-78 is a drum machine launched in 1978. Although primitive by today's standards, the CR-78 represented an important advance in drum machine technology at the time....
    : One of the world's first user-programmable drum machine
    Drum machine

    A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music....
    s.
  • 1978 - Roland Jupiter-4
    Roland Jupiter-4

    The Roland Jupiter 4 was an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation of Japan between 1978 and 1981. It was notable as the company's first self-contained polyphony synthesizer, and for containing digital electronics control of analog circuits , allowing for such features as programmable memories and voice assignment modes....
    : Roland's first self-contained polyphonic synthesizer.
  • 1980 - Roland CR-8000
  • 1981 - Roland Jupiter-8
    Roland Jupiter-8

    The Jupiter-8, Roland Corporation's flagship analog synthesizer of the early 1980s is an eight-voice polyphony synthesizer and is considered one of the greatest synths of all time....
    : This synthesizer put Roland in the forefront of professional synthesizers. A hugely successful 8-voice programmable analog synthesizer.
  • 1981 - Roland TR-808
    Roland TR-808

    The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in late 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demo s....
    : Among the first and most popular programmable drum machine
    Drum machine

    A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music....
    s; its distinctive analog sounds, such as its cowbell sound and its kick drum, have become pop-music clichés, heard on countless recordings.
  • 1982 - Roland Juno-6: Roland's first synthesizer with digitally controlled oscillators. (Later released was the Juno-60, a similar model but with the addition of patch memory for storing sounds).
  • 1982 - Roland GR-505 - GR-202: Two of Roland's first electric guitar synthesizer controllers, popularized by Eric Clapton
    Eric Clapton

    Eric Patrick Clapton Order of the British Empire is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. He is "probably most famous for his mastery of the Stratocaster guitar." Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream , and as a solo performer, being the only person to...
    , Yannis Spathas
    Yannis Spathas

    Yannis Spathas was the lead guitarist for the Greek rock band Socrates Drank The Conium in the early 1970s. His style is very similar to that of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, and some of Tony Iommi's bluesier music....
    , Jeff Baxter
    Jeff Baxter

    Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is an United States guitarist best known for his stints in the rock and roll bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s....
     and Andy Summers
    Andy Summers

    Andy Summers is an England guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. Summers' primary guitars are the Fender Telecaster, Fender Stratocaster, and various Hamer Guitars models when playing rock; and Gibson Guitar Corporation electric guitars when playing jazz fusion and jazz....
    . Both are modeled after a Fender Stratocaster guitar, featuring a 21-fret
    Fret

    A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western culture instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard....
     maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard and a matching headstock on certain models. Available with three single-coil pickups, 5-way switching and tremolo bridge or dual humbuckers with a 3-way toggle selector and hardtail bridge, equipped with a GK-1 synth pickup and a 24-pin cable socket. By 1984, these Strat-style guitars came with the matching GR-700 and PG-200 pedalboards, which also work as a regular guitar effector as well as a MIDI synthesizer bank.
  • 1982 - Roland TB-303
    Roland TB-303

    The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a synthesizer with built-in music sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from 1982 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music....
    : Defined the acid
    Acid house

    Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance music-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics....
     sound of house music
    House music

    House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discoth?ques catering to the African-American, Latino, and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit....
    .
  • 1983 - Roland JX-3P
    Roland JX-3P

    The Roland JX-3P emerged in 1983 as the first MIDI-capable synth produced by Roland Corporation. Its architecture is more advanced than the Juno series synths produced around the same time....
    : First Roland synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
     to support MIDI.
  • 1983 - Roland Jupiter-6
    Roland Jupiter-6

    The Roland Jupiter-6 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation introduced in 1983 as a less expensive alternative to the Roland Jupiter-8....
    : Second Roland synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
     to support MIDI.
  • 1983 - Roland SH-101
    Roland SH-101

    Roland SH-101 is a synthesizer from the early 1980's, manufactured by Roland Corporation. It is a small, 32 key, monophonic analog synthesizer....
    : Monophonic
    Monophonic (synthesizers)

    Monophonic, with respect to synthesizers, refers to the ability to only sound one note, or voice, at a time....
     synthesizer designed to be worn hung around the neck with a strap, with an optional modulation attachment that protruded like the neck of a guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    .
  • 1984 - Roland TR-909
    Roland TR-909

    The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is a partially analog , partially Sampling drum machine built by the Japanese Roland Corporation in 1984. The brainchild of Tadao Kikumoto, the engineer behind the Roland TB-303, it features a 16-step music sequencer#Step sequencers and a drum kit that, at that time, aimed for realism and cost-effectiveness....
    : An extremely popular drum machine during the early 1990s, the sounds of which (particularly the kick drum and open hi-hat) are still essential components of modern electronic dance music
    Electronic dance music

    Electronic dance music, also commonly abbreviated as EDM, is electronic music that is produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment....
    . The first Roland drum machine to use analog sound synthesis combined with digital sample playback.
  • 1984 - Roland TR-707 and Roland TR-727: A pair of popular drum machines, the TR-727 was essentially the same as the TR-707, except it had Latin-style sounds. The TR-707 was used extensively in the early days of house music
    House music

    House music is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discoth?ques catering to the African-American, Latino, and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit....
     and is still used in non-Western pop music around the world. The TR-727 is still used extensively in polyrhythmic non-Western pop music.
  • 1984 - Roland Juno-106
    Roland Juno-106

    The Roland Juno-106 was a hybrid digital/analogue polyphonic synth manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1984. It featured Digitally-controlled oscillators for tuning stability and digital envelope generation along with analog filters and signal path....
    : A widely used synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
     with digitally controlled oscillators. Same synth engine as the Roland Juno-60
    Roland Juno-60

    The Roland Juno-60 is a popular analogue 61-key polyphonic synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation in the early 1980s and a successor to the slightly earlier Roland Juno-6....
     but with the addition of MIDI and the ability to transmit button and slider information through SysEx. Still, no MIDI control of volume in real time.
  • 1985 - Roland Alpha Juno
    Roland Alpha Juno

    The Roland Alpha Juno series of keyboards were analog polyphonic synthesizers with Digitally-controlled oscillator manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1985....
    : Two analog polyphonic synthesizers, the Alpha Juno 1 (JU-1) and the Alpha Juno 2 (JU-2), notable for their 'Alpha Dial' that simplified the user interface.
  • 1986 - Roland JX-10
    Roland JX-10

    The Roland Corporation JX-10 was a 12-voice analog synthesizer produced from 1986 to 1989, and was the last true analog synthesizer made by Roland....
    : One of Roland's last true analog synths.
  • 1986 - Roland RD-1000: Roland's first digital piano to feature Roland SA Synthesis technology.
  • 1986 - Roland HS-80: Same as the Roland Alpha Juno 2 (JU-2), but with built-in speakers. Branded as "Synth Plus 80."
  • 1987 - Roland D-50
    Roland D-50

    The Roland D-50 was a polyphonic 61-key synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation. It was released in 1987 to compete with the Yamaha DX7. Its features include on-board effects, a joystick for data manipulation, and an intuitive layout design....
    : One of the most popular digital synthesizers; Roland's first all-digital synthesizer implementing its Linear Arithmetic synthesis
    Linear Arithmetic synthesis

    Linear Arithmetic synthesis, or LA synthesis, is a term that was invented by the Roland Corporation when they released their ground-breaking Roland D-50 synthesizer in 1987....
     (a form of sample-based synthesis
    Sample-based synthesis

    Sample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sample d sounds or instruments instead of fundamental waveforms such as the saw waves of subtractive synthesis or the sine of add...
     combined with subtractive synthesis
    Subtractive synthesis

    Subtractive synthesis is a method of subtracting harmonic content from a sound via sound synthesis, characterised by the application of an audio filter to an audio signal....
    ). The D-50's descendants include the D-5, D-10, D-110 (rack unit), and D-20 synthesizers.
  • 1987 - Roland MT-32
    Roland MT-32

    The Roland MT-32 Multi-Timbre Sound Module is a MIDI synthesizer module first released in 1987 by Roland Corporation. Along with its compatible modules, it established an early de-facto standard in computer music and was the first product in Roland's ?????? line of Desktop Music System packages in Japan....
    : Also using Linear Arithmetic synthesis
    Linear Arithmetic synthesis

    Linear Arithmetic synthesis, or LA synthesis, is a term that was invented by the Roland Corporation when they released their ground-breaking Roland D-50 synthesizer in 1987....
    , it was supported by many PC
    IBM PC compatible

    IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM Personal Computer, IBM Personal Computer XT, and IBM Personal Computer/AT....
     games
    Computer Games

    "Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1981 . It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand....
     in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a high-quality music option until support shifted to General MIDI
    General MIDI

    General MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991....
     sound card
    Sound card

    A sound card is a computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of sound to/from a computer under control of computer programs....
    s.
  • 1988 - Roland U-110
    Roland U-110

    The Roland U-110 is a sample playback synth module or "Rompler" produced by Roland Corporation in 1988....
    : Roland's first "rompler", the U-110 was a rack module based on Roland's large sample library and contained good representations of acoustic instruments. Designed to compete with E-mu's Proteus line, the U-110's successor U-220 found its way into many professional studio racks of the day.
  • 1988 - Roland E-20
    Roland E-20

    The Roland E-20 is a keyboard instrument introduced by Roland Corporation in 1988.Described by Roland as an "Intelligent Synthesizer", the instrument was the first product of Roland Europe SpA, which had been set up after a takeover of the SIEL company of Italy the previous year....
    : Roland's first entry into the auto-accompaniment keyboard market, going head to head with Yamaha and Casio
    Casio

    is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing corporation founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its calculators, sound reproduction equipment, Personal digital assistants, cameras, musical instruments, and watches....
    . The E-20's descendants include the E-70, E-86, G-800, G-1000, G-70 and the current E-80.
  • 1989 - Roland Octapad
    Roland Octapad

    Roland Octapad was a range of MIDI percussion instrument controllers produced by the Roland Corporation....
    : A set of visually distinctive electronic drum triggers.
  • 1989 - Roland W-30: A sampling workstation keyboard (DAW
    Digital audio workstation

    A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed to sound recording, sound editing and play back digital audio. A key feature of DAWs is the ability to freely manipulate recorded sounds....
    ).
  • 1989 - Roland D-70: 76-key synth. Successor to the D-50.
  • 1990 - Roland HP-3700: Roland digital piano.
  • 1991 - Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas
    Roland SC-55

    The Roland SC-55 is a MIDI synthesizer sound module released in 1991 by Roland Corporation.The SC-55 was the first sound module to incorporate the new General MIDI standard, which was expanded with Roland GS drum kits and additional controllers....
    : The world's first General MIDI
    General MIDI

    General MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991....
     synthesizer.
  • 1991 - Roland JD-800
    Roland JD-800

    The JD-800 was a digital synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in 1991. The synthesizer featured many knobs and sliders for patch editing, a feature which had been absent from most synthesizers released in the preceding years....
    : Digital synthesizer with analog style knobs and switches.
  • 1992 - Roland DJ-70: A DJ sampling music workstation and synthesizer keyboard that featured the first scratch wheel pad.
  • 1993 - Roland JV-1000: Sort of a combination of the MC-50 II and the JV-80.
  • 1994 - Roland MS-1
    Roland MS-1 Digital Sampler

    The Roland MS-1 Digital Sampler was produced by Roland in 1995 as a cheap entry level sampler.* 16 bit stereo Phrase Sampler* R-DAC * AD/DA conversion...
    : 16 bit AD/DA conversion, First portable digital stereo phrase sampler, with R-DAC (Roland Digital Audio Coding).
  • 1994 - Roland S-760: 16 bits Digital sampler with resonant filters.
  • 1994 - Roland JV-1080
    Roland JV-1080

    The Roland JV-1080 is a Sample-based synthesis synthesizer/sound module in the form of a 2U rack design. It was the most popular synthesizer, not only from Roland, but in the history of synthesizers....
    : aka Super JV-1080, a 64-voice synthesizer module. Used on more recordings than any other module in history, the JV-1080 boasts a full range of acclaimed Roland sounds, as well as four expansion slots.
  • 1994 - Roland JV-90: 76-note expandable synthesizer.
  • 1995 - Roland XP-50
    Roland XP-50

    The Roland XP-50 is the first music workstation which featured Roland's MRC-Pro sequencer. Though it was not successful due to lack of features and system failures, it shared the Roland JV-1080's synth engine and a fully functioned 16 track sequencer which holds up to 60,000 notes and 100 patterns....
    : The first music workstation that featured Roland's MRC-Pro sequencer.
  • 1996 - Roland DJ-70mkII: Successor to the DJ-70, with more powerful features, including a DJ sampling music workstation, which featured a scratch wheel pad. It is essentially an S-760 sampler with a keyboard.
  • 1996 - Roland MC-303
    Roland MC-303

    The Roland MC-303 is the first of a series of musical instruments known as a Groovebox. It combines a simple sound module with a Music sequencer to record and store notation, along with controls aimed at encouraging the musician to improvise the music while it is playing....
     The first non-keyboard drum machine, sample-based synthesizer, and sequencer combination bearing the now-generic term Groovebox
    Groovebox

    The term Groovebox was originally used by Roland corporation to refer to their MC-303, but has since entered general use. It refers to a self-contained instrument for the production of live, loop-based electronic music, with a high degree of user control facilitating improvisation....
    . Featuring a full 8-track sequencer.
  • 1996 - Roland XP-80
    Roland XP-80

    Roland Corporation XP-80 and its smaller variant the Roland XP-60 are music workstations with 64-note polyphony , now discontinued. The XP-80 has a 76-key semi-weighted keyboard....
    : 64-voice music workstation.
  • 1997 - Roland JP-8000
    Roland JP-8000

    The Roland JP-8000 is an analog modeling synthesizer released by the Roland Corporation in 1997....
    : Roland's first virtual analog synthesizer.
  • 1997 - Roland V-Drums
    Roland V-Drums

    V-Drum is a trademarked umbrella term for a variety of electronic drums, drum brain modules, and related electronic percussion products. The Roland V-Drum System is a line of such products....
    : Digital drums incorporating silent mesh drum heads that realistically reproduce both the natural feel and sound of acoustic drums.
  • 1997 - Roland JV-2080
    Roland JV-2080

    Released in 1997, the Roland JV-2080 was an expanded and updated version of the popular Roland JV-1080. Based on a sample + synthesis architecture, the JV-2080 provided a rich library of on-board sample material and a strong semi-modular synthesis engine in a commercially viable mass-market product....
    : 64-voice, 3-effects-processor, 8-expansion-slot synthesizer module.
  • 1998 - Roland JP-8080: Rack-mountable version of the JP-8000, lacking a keyboard, but featuring 10-voice polyphony, where the JP-8000 had 8. The JP-8080 also has a vocoder and SmartMedia support.
  • 1998 - SP-808
    SP-808

    The Roland SP-808 GrooveSampler was originally released in 1998 as an all-in-one phrase-sampling music workstation. It was released as part of Roland Corporation's Groove Gear....
    : Table-top sampler, multi-track recorder, and effects processor.
  • 1998 - Roland MC-505
    Roland MC-505

    The Roland Corporation MC-505 is a combination of MIDI, music sequencer, synthesizer, and drum machine with built-in real-time Arpeggiator, Low-frequency oscillation, Voltage-controlled filter and ADSR envelope for tweaking....
    : Successor to the MC-303 with a more powerful synthesizer and sequencer.
  • 1998 - Roland JX-305
    Roland JX-305

    File:Roland JX305.jpgThe Roland JX-305 Groovesynth synthesizer was produced in 1998 by Roland Corporation. It is very similar to a Roland MC-505 with an additional set of 61 keys....
    : Similar to the MC-505, but with 61 keys.
  • 1999 - Roland MC-09: A Roland TB-303 emulator featuring an effects processor and a phrase sampler.
  • 2001 - Roland AX-7
    Roland AX-7

    The Roland AX-7 is a keytar that was manufactured by Roland Corporation from 2001 to 2007. This modern instrument contains many more advanced features than early keytars such as its predecessor, the Roland AX-1, and the Yamaha Corporation Yamaha SHS-10....
    : Successor to the AX-1
    Roland AX-1

    The Roland AX-1 is a keytar , produced by Roland Corporation, that does not produce its own sounds but controls other devices via MIDI.The industrial design of the Roland AX-1 was done in a basement studio in London, U.K....
    . A keytar
    Keytar

    A keytar is a relatively lightweight Electronic keyboard or synthesizer that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a guitar strap....
     noted for its aesthetics and design.
  • 2002 - Roland MC-909
    Roland MC-909

    The Roland Corporation MC-909 groovebox combines the features of a synthesizer, sequencer, and Sampler . It was released by Roland Corporation on October 08, 2002....
    : Successor to the MC Groovebox series and also the flagship to all MC Groovebox series machines, featuring a full 16-track sequencer, SRX board upgrading, Built-in larger LCD Display Screen and built-in sampling. Supports 1 SRX Expansion card.
  • 2003 - Roland V-Synth : Elastic Audio Synthesizer
  • 2003 - Roland MV-8000 : Production Station with 24-bit sampling capabilities. Designed to rival Akai
    Akai

    Akai is a consumer electronics brand, founded as , a Japanese manufacturer in 1929. It is now headquartered in Singapore as a subsidiary of Grande Holdings, a China Hong Kong-based conglomerate, which also owns the formerly Japanese brands Nakamichi and Sansui....
    's legendary MPC series, specifically, the MPC-4000.
  • 2004 - Roland Fantom-X
    Roland Fantom-X

    | layer= Yes}}The Fantom-X is a Music production workstation/Synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation. It was introduced in 2004 as an upgrade from the Fantom S series....
    : Music workstation and professional synthesizer expandable to 1 gigabyte of sounds.
  • 2004 - Roland Juno-D: Popular entry-level synthesizer.
  • 2004 - Roland V-Accordion FR-7: World's first completely digital accordion.
  • 2005 - Roland Micro Cube
    Roland Micro Cube

    The Roland Micro Cube is the first Battery powered instrument amplifier distributed by the Roland Corporation. It is a small, lightweight, portable amplifier, for use as a portable practice amp or when larger or more expensive amplifiers may not be practical....
    : First portable amplifier made by Roland. Allowed for AC adapter or battery use. Seven input effects, delay, and reverb options.
  • 2005 - Roland Fantom-X
    Roland Fantom-X

    | layer= Yes}}The Fantom-X is a Music production workstation/Synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation. It was introduced in 2004 as an upgrade from the Fantom S series....
    a: Entry-level Fantom-X. The A stands for access.
  • 2006 - Roland MC-808
    Roland MC-808

    The Roland Corporation MC-808 is Roland Corporation's latest Groovebox, announced at the Winter NAMM in 2006. It is the successor to the late Roland MC-303, Roland MC-307, Roland MC-505 and Roland MC-909....
     : A cut-down version of the MC-909, featuring a full 16-track sequencer and 512 MB more memory than the MC-909. First motorized faders on the MC Groovebox series and built-in sampling, no SRX board as an add-on.
  • 2006 - Roland SH-201
    Roland SH-201

    The Roland SH-201 is an analog modeling synthesizer introduced in 2006 by the Roland Corporation. The SH-201 is equipped with two analogue modeling Electronic oscillator, a multi-mode filter, ring modulator, and it allows routing an external audio signal into its own dedicated filter....
     : Roland's first affordable analog modeling synthesizer
    Analog modeling synthesizer

    An Analog Modeling Synthesizer is a synthesizer that emulates the sounds of traditional analog synthesizers using digital signal processing components....
    .
  • 2006 - Roland Juno-G
    Roland Juno-G

    Roland Juno-G is a music workstation/synth introduced in 2006 by Roland Corporation. It is based on the Roland Fantom-X series, having a vintage design that resembles the first Juno synthesizer, such as the Roland Juno-106....
    : Entry-level workstation based on the Fantom-X.
  • 2007 - Roland MV-8800 : Successor to the MV-8000. Production station with 24-bit sampling capabilities. Has new built-in color LCD display.
  • 2007 - Roland V-Synth GT: An updated V-Synth.
  • 2008 - Roland RD-300\700GX: A new series of digital pianos for performers on stage.
  • 2008 - Roland Fantom-G
    Roland Fantom-G

    Fantom-G is a series of music_workstation Musical_keyboards developed by Roland Corporation that debuted in the NAMM Show. Featuring a 8.5" Liquid crystal display, 128 polyphony and Universal Serial Bus audio/Musical Instrument Digital Interface/USB_flash_drive support, it is the successor of the Roland Fantom-X....
    : Music workstation with onboard graphical MIDI sequencer capable of recording audio tracks
  • 2008 - Roland GW-8: The GW-8 is the next generation of Roland’s unique GW-Series workstations with intelligent backing-track functionality.
  • 2009 - Roland V-Piano: A digital piano generating sound by modeling technology, while most other digital pianos use sampling.


See also

  • SRX expansion board
    SRX expansion board

    The SRX are a series of expansion boards produced by Roland Corporation. They are small boards of electronic circuitry with 64MB Read Only Memory containing Patch and rhythm sets ....
  • Cakewalk (company)
    Cakewalk (company)

    Cakewalk is a company based in Boston, Massachusetts that develops music production software. Their best known product is their comprehensive music sequencer Cakewalk Sonar, which is designed for professional use....


External links