If you’re looking for a pass to that place where you feel musically free, Roland’s latest offerings are just the ticket. You know—gear that makes you eager to clock hours working on your next piece. Let’s start with the big, then work down to the, “How did they get so much to be so small?”
First up, the Roland FA-07 music workstation gives you 76 velocity-sensitive keys, 16 backlit pads, a D-Beam, six dedicated parameter knobs, a pitch/mod wheel, and assignable switches, all at your fingertips, to control more than 2,000 onboard tones and a fast and powerful sampler. Record up to 16 tracks in real time, loop, or step-write mode to the built-in sequencer. When you want to work in your digital audio workstation, configuration is available at the push of a single button. The FA-07 can even function as a USB audio interface for your DAW.
Next on the conveyor belt of cool, the Roland SE-02, a monophonic analog synthesizer with discrete circuitry, a “knob-per-function” user interface, and a 16-step sequencer. It boasts a host of I/O, including CV and gate inputs, trigger in and out, MIDI and USB connections, plus an external audio input. After tweaking the three oscillators, cross modulation, feedback, filtering, and more, you can save up to 128 user presets, which make it effortless to recreate your custom sounds.
For guitarists, BOSS has introduced the Katana-Mini amplifier and two new effects units, the RV-500 Reverb and MD-500 Modulation. The battery-powered Katana-Mini utilizes a multi-stage analog gain circuit to push 7W through a 4" speaker. Three amp types, analog equalization, and tape-style delay provide versatile and tasty tones. Plug your phone and headphones into the Katana-Mini to jam along with tracks or work on demos.
The MD-500 and RV-500 incorporate 32-bit/96 kHz high-resolution conversion, advanced programmability, dedicated tap tempo buttons, stereo inputs and outputs, and the ability to use two patches simultaneously. The MD-500 offers 12 modes, 28 modulation effects—some from the legendary Dimension D. The RV-500 Reverb delivers 12 modes, 21 types of reverb (including recreations of the revered SRV-2000 and RE-201 Space Echo), and the power to add a digital delay with modulation to every reverb.
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Don’t worry, no one forgot about the bassist. The new BOSS GT-1B bass effects processor boasts 13 preamp types and 90 effects, some of which utilize Multi-Dimensional Processing (MDP) to preserve the natural character and feel of the instrument. Additionally, a looper, tuner, and expression pedal provide even more flexibility. The settings can be tweaked via onboard controls or in the free BOSS Tone Studio software. Access and download patches at BOSS Tone Central, including some created by professional bassists.
Whether you are a music producer, songwriter, or performing musician, feel free to stop by the B&H SuperStore or saunter over to our website to check out these cool products from Roland and BOSS.
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