Roland has announced its first step into the world of generative AI with Melody Flip, a software application designed to inspire new melodic ideas.

The phrase ‘generative AI’ is an understandable red flag for a lot of music makers. It brings to mind a tidal wave of AI slop and tech CEOs who fundamentally misunderstand the appeal of creativity.

However, Roland is at pains to present Melody Flip as a musician-friendly application of the technology, describing it as embodying “Roland’s vision of technology as a partner that coexists with the creative process.”

The application itself is a tool designed to analyse existing audio, presenting users with information on its various musical attributes, as well as generating a variety of musical ‘options’ that can be used to build on and develop the original source material.

“In recent years, AI and other emerging technologies have advanced rapidly in music production,” Roland says in its announcement. “Roland’s view is that these tools should not replace the artist, but instead amplify them, supporting a workflow where human intent, taste, and creativity remain at the core, with technology acting as a partner or co-creator, rather than a main creator.“

Melody Flip has been developed using technology derived from Sony’s Computer Science Laboratories’ research into AI-assisted music. Users upload an audio file, which the software then analyses to assess its ‘musical DNA’, including aspects such as key, BPM, structure, mood, genre and chord progression.

It then uses this information to suggest melodic ideas, using what Roland describes a “curated library of about 300 creative palettes (predefined musical styles and tonal directions)”.

Users are then free to edit and rework these ideas as needed, in Roland's words, "treating the technology like an active collaborator."

Despite its name, Melody Flip can generate more than just melodic lines, also producing chord progressions, bass and drum parts. These can be exported as both audio and MIDI for use elsewhere.

Melody Flip is developed for both Mac and PC, running as a plugin that can be used within your DAW of choice.

“Roland has always been committed to supporting the evolution of music culture through electronic musical instruments and production tools,” says Roland CEO and Representative Director Masahiro Minowa.

“Melody Flip represents a significant step forward in the era of responsibly developed AI, introducing a future in which technology and people work together and elevate creativity. As we move forward, Roland will continue to expand the boundaries of musical expression with innovative products and services that amplify creators’ instincts and connect human sensitivity with the full potential of technology.”

Like other Roland software products Melody Flip will be available via Roland Cloud. There’s no word as yet on the software’s price, but a free trial will launch in May.

For more on Roland Cloud, head to the official website.

TB-303 day is upon us once again, so it's time to celebrate some of this iconic bassline synth's finest recorded moments.

Like many of Roland's X0X machines, the TB-303 has had a profound effect on the development of dance music since it was released in 1981, even playing a large part in spawning its own subgenre - acid house. 

Here, we round up ten tracks that showcase the raw power of this deceptively powerful little silver box. As Fatboy Slim once said, Everybody Needs a 303...

1. A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray

Released in 1988, Gerald Simpson’s influential release is widely acknowledged as one of the first successful acid house tracks, and an example of what could be achieved with minimal equipment. 

Recorded over two days at Moonraker Studios in Manchester, the combination of TB-303, Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer and Akai S950 sampler confirmed how basic equipment could, with a little inspiration, result in a huge hit. The vocal, supplied by Nicola Collier was sampled and chopped, to become one of the song’s hooks, alongside the recognisable 303 sequence.

2. Josh Wink - A Higher State of Consciousness 

Harking back to the mid-90s, Higher State of Consciousness combined the relentless house-sound of the Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer with two original, and totally unmodified 303s. The identifiable sequential squeals push the track to an extreme. A classic example of a 303 coupled with distortion, which has become such an essential trademark of a musical era and the machine itself. 

3. Phuture - Acid Tracks

This collaboration between DJ Nathan Pierre Jones, Earl Smith Jr and Herbert Jackson turned the accidental 303 noodlings of DJ Pierre into an acid house track, which is also regarded as being one of the first of its kind. Produced by Marshall Jefferson, Acid Tracks became a firm fixture on the playlist at the Haçienda in Manchester, confirming the acid house inspiration emanating from Chicago.

4. Fatboy Slim - Everybody Needs a 303

If there were ever a track to nail its colours to the mast, Norman Cook’s cut was it. Everybody Needs a 303 is taken from the Fatboy’s debut album, Better Living through Chemistry, but in its first incarnation as a single, barely troubled the UK charts. A remix/retitle delivered more commercial success, but still only topping No.34. Regardless, it’s still an anthem with designs on the TB bassline classic.

5. Hardfloor - Acperience 1

German techno and trance artists Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker formed Hardfloor in 1991, producing the acid house classic Acperience 1 in 1992. Unapologetic in its 303 usage, Hardfloor are infamous for possessing up to six different 303s. At today’s prices, that’s quite an investment, but essential as the main element of their acid sound.

6. Windowlicker (Acid Edit) - Aphex Twin

It surely won’t come as a huge surprise to learn that Aphex Twin aka Richard D James, has used the 303 in several guises throughout much of his output, although it’s pretty likely that any of his own 303 will have been modded or butchered, thanks to his incessant desire to breath new life into old products. Listen to the infamous Windowlicker, but in its Acid Edit version, for evidence of 303 application, after the initial construct.

7. Orbital - Chime

While Orbital own a 303, its placement is seemingly less obvious. Their wondrous track Chime, while mostly based around pounding basses and samplers, employs the 303 later in the track, providing a counter-melody to the infectious repetition of the opening 10th and riff-laden construct.

8. Imagination - In The Heat of the Night

80s band Imagination were famous for their outrageous sense of dress, coupled with a unique sound and style which featured an identifiable bass. While many assumed this was some form of fretless, it was in fact a 303, sequenced with a far slower setting and pace than we might be used to, with glides at almost every turn. In many respects, it’s what the 303 was originally designed for!

9. 808 State - Pacific - 303

Although it’s unclear if this track contains an original 303, its title is an unbridled nod toward the Roland product range. The sustained soprano sax, blissfully wailing against a TR-909 drum pattern spawned a series of remixes, with accompanying numbers, such as 202 and 707. FYI, the MC-202 was a follow-up Roland product, unfairly regarded as the poor-person’s TB-303.

10. Orange Juice - Rip It Up 

Scottish band Orange Juice, fronted by guitarist and singer/songwriter Edwyn Collins, are the second act in our list to use the 303 as an actual bass synth. 

The heavy-squelch of the bass in Rip it Up is a result of the 303’s punchy resonance, coupled with a snappy but basic decay setting. There’s almost as much high-end frequency in this bass sound as low, but it’s a catchy signature for a song that hit a top spot of No 9 in the UK chart.

Synth developer ACME Synth Works has unveiled what it describes as the “world’s first fully 8-voice Roland JP8 clone.”

ACME is the work of German synth expert Markus Malik, who has been repairing vintage synths for a number of years, as well as developing replacements for hard-to-find components such as the Roland IR3R01 envelope chip found in various ‘80s Junos and Jupiters.

Last year, ACME announced its first full instruments, the XP60, billed as a ‘modern hardware reinterpretation’ of the Oberheim Xpander.

Much like the XP60, ACME’s Jupiter-8 clone is clearly a labour of love that has been in the works for a number of years. In a video posted to YouTube earlier this week, ACME demos the project, which is now "95% finished" – and it looks and sounds pretty much on the money.

According to details posted alongside the video, ACME’s JP-8 has eight discreet voices and uses the original voice architecture of the Jupiter-8. Its filter section uses IR3109 and BA662 chips, while the envelopes are, apparently, “implemented in analogue form using different ICs, while preserving the original behaviour.”

It looks great, but sadly it’s unlikely any of us will be getting our hands on one any time soon. According to ACME’s post: “At the moment my main focus is completing the XP60 project, so I don’t have the resources to turn this into a product right now.

“Long term, I could imagine building a very small number of units. However, this would be a high-end, small-scale instrument — not a mass-produced product and definitely not in the ‘budget clone’ category.”

The original Jupiter-8 was released in 1981 and was one of the defining polysynths of the decade, used by a vast array of artists including Tangerine Dream, Prince, Orbital and Underworld, as well as being used prominently on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

For those looking for some JP-8 action in a more readily available form, Black Corporation’s ISE-NIN is an eight-voice poly heavily influenced by the Jupiter-8, albeit in desktop form and with the addition of modern features including MPE compatibility. There are also plenty of software emulations, including Roland's own Cloud version and Cherry Audio's Mercury-8.

For more information on ACME's XP60, head to the developer’s website.

As 2025 draws to a close, we look back on another exciting year of new music technology gear, packed with characterful synths, hard-hitting drum machines and cutting-edge software.

In our two-part gear of the year video round-up, MusicRadar’s Managing Editor Si Truss and Reviews Editor Simon Arblaster each select their three favourite hardware and three favourite software releases from the past twelve months.

You’ll find the full list below. Watch the videos to hear us explain our choices and highlight a few wild cards and honourable mentions.

These are our personal highlights of 2025, but there's so much other great gear we've not had time to mention. Tell us what you've been loving and using in the comments below.

The best music tech hardware of 2025

Sequential Fourm (Chosen by SA)

What is it?:

Despite a slightly clunky name, Sequential’s latest polysynth is its most accessible instrument in years, thanks to a sub-$/£1000 price point and compact form factor.

Why we love it:

It might be at the cheaper end of the Sequential range, but Fourm sounds just as top-quality as any of the brand’s other instruments. The big winning feature here is poly aftertouch, which is brilliantly implemented and leads to some wonderfully expressive chord and arp patches.

Any downsides?:

The slim keys are likely to upset some users, and there’s a lack of onboard effects.

Read the full Sequential Fourm review

Akai MPC Live III (Chosen by ST)

What is it?:

The third iteration of Akai’s most portable and self-contained MPC doubles down on the standalone DAW-in-a-box capabilities by vastly increasing the power of the CPU, improving the pads and adding a host of new features to the hardware.

Why we love it:

The new multi-zone MPCe pads are great, and feel brilliantly responsive for finger drumming and playing software instruments. The addition of a more X0X-like step sequencer is a really nice touch too, particularly for those working with modular gear and external hardware. The real highlight here is the additional power though, meaning there’s far less of a reason to hook up to a laptop to get projects over the line.

Any downsides?:

Some might argue that the extra features make the interface feel cluttered.

Read the full Akai MPC Live III review

Arturia AstroLab 37 (SA)

What is it?:

The third, and smallest, addition to Arturia’s AstroLab range, which draws on the company’s Analog Lab software to offer, essentially, the much-loved V Collection as a standalone instrument.

Why we love it:

We really enjoyed using AstroLab and the AstroLab 88, but both are big commitments in terms of price and space. For studio users that don’t need the full stage keyboard playability of the bigger units, this offers a convenient route into the expansive and slickly designed AstroLab system.

Any downsides?:

Again, some will bemoan the slim keys. It also lacks the flexible sound layering of the larger units.

Roland TR-1000 (ST)

What is it?:

Undoubtedly the most high profile hardware release of the year, the TR-1000 is Roland’s new flagship drum machine, combining virtual analogue, digital percussion, flexible sampling and – yes – fully analogue recreations of the classic TR-808 and TR-909.

Why we love it:

The analogue drums are nice to have, but the real highlight of the TR-1000 is how flexible it is in terms of connectivity and sequencing, particularly thanks to the inclusion of a fair few ideas ‘borrowed’ from Elektron machines.

Any downsides?:

Yes. It’s very expensive and as much as the analogue sounds good, honestly, we kind of wish it was all digital and £1000 cheaper. There were a fair few bugs at launch too, particularly when it comes to syncing to external clocks – although Roland is working on ironing these out.

Read the full TR-1000 review

Novation Launch Control XL 3 (SA)

What is it?:

The third gen iteration of Novation’s knob and fader-equipped controller. As with other devices in the ‘Launch’ range, while this was originally launched as an Ableton Live controller, this latest generation is much broader and more versatile in its uses.

Why we love it:

The general look and design is a big improvement on v2, but our highlight here is the inclusion of full-sized MIDI ports, allowing the Launch Control XL to be hooked up to your studio hardware without the need for a computer.

Any downsides?:

The OLED screen is a little small, meaning some functionality requires slightly confusing use of the shift button.

Read the full Launch Control XL 3 review

Erica Synths Hexdrums (ST)

What is it?:

After Canadian modular brand Hexinverter Électronique went out of business in early 2023, Erica Synths stepped in to ‘rescue’ some of its best loved designs. This means that Hexinverter modules like the Mindphaser are back in production. The two outfits also collaborated on a standalone drum machine, Hexdrums, which converts the sounds of Hex’s Mutant Drum series into a desktop, mostly-analogue beatmaking beast.

Why we love it:

Where the analogue drums of the TR-1000 are refined iterations of vintage sounds, Hexdrums’ generators are fresher, more modern and hit like a frying pan to the face. This is a wonderfully hands-on, intuitive machine that sounds massive right out the box.

Any downsides?:

For the price, there are considerably more capable options out there. Hexdrums’ raw and gritty sound is likely to suit some users more than others.

The best music tech software of 2025

Xfer Serum 2 (Chosen by ST)

What is it?:

One of the most widely-used and well-loved software synths of all time returns for a full v2 refresh. New additions include a host of new sample-based oscillator modes, including sample, granular and spectral synthesis.

Why we love it:

Serum has always been a fantastically deep and rock-solid synthesizer, making it a real workhorse for modern bass, lead and pad sounds. This update only doubles down on that, adding a wealth of new sound design capabilities. What we really love, however, is the fact that Serum 2 is a free update for existing owners, meaning that even if you bought v1 in the early 2010s, you’re still getting everything for free – a great bargain.

Any downsides?:

Arguably if you don’t already own Serum and you do own, say, a power synth like Pigments or Phase Plant, there’s not a lot you can’t achieve in those other synths. Other than that, there’s little bad to say about it.

Read the full Serum 2 review

Acon Digital Remix:Drums (Chosen by SA)

What is it?:

Acon Digital's AI-powered Remix:Drums separates drum recordings into individual stems in real-time, giving you precise control over each percussive element in a mix. It allows users to apply targeted processing to each component of an existing recording, rebalance their levels or simply remove them altogether.

Why we love it:

There are a lot of AI-powered stem separation tools out there, most of which work in a broadly similar manner. Remix:Drums stands out by focusing on a specific track element – percussion – which allows it to be a deeper, more powerful studio tool.

Any downsides?:

Although the technology and usability really impressed us, there are still occasional imperfections and artifacts in the extracted audio.

ValhallaDSP FutureVerb (ST)

What is it?:

The latest plugin from reverb and delay specialists ValhallaDSP, FutureVerb is said to be based on eight years of research and development. The result is a plugin that combines reverb and echo modules, each with an array of new algorithms that run the gamut from clean, modern sounds to wonky, ethereal effects.

Why we love it:

As with other Valhalla plugins, FutureVerb is neatly designed and incredibly easy to use. It’s versatile too, capable of both realism and extreme effects. The ‘80s-style nonlinear reverbs are a particular highlight. At $50, it’s a bargain too.

Any downsides?:

Although it has its own character, there’s a fair amount of crossover between what FutureVerb does and other ValhallaDSP plugins – including the free SuperMassive – meaning it’s not quite a must-buy for those who own the rest of the range.

Arturia Mix Drums (SA)

What is it?:

The latest addition to Arturia’s rapidly-expanding effects line, Mix Drums is pitched as an ‘all-in-one’ drum processing plugin combining dynamics, reverb, distortion, tone-shaping and much more.

Why we love it:

Mix Drums lives up to its promise of quick and easy drum mixing by providing all our usual go-to percussive processors in one place. It’s packed with genuinely useful presets and comes contained in a stylish and easily navigable interface. Easily the most day-to-day useful plugin we’ve tried this year.

Any downsides?:

Although Mix Drums ties up a lot of functionality in a single package, arguably much of what it does could be reconstructed using stock tools in your DAW.

Native Instruments Absynth 6 (ST)

What is it?:

Absynth is another bonafide classic softsynth. Combining elements of granular, FM, spectral and subtractive synthesis with sound-shifting effect modules, Absynth has long been a go-to for creating soundscapes and textural synth patches. Version 5 was discontinued by NI a few years ago, but Absynth has now returned, re-built to run on modern architecture and with original designer Brian Clevinger back in the fold.

Why we love it:

Everything we used to love about Absynth is still present and correct, but version 6 has given its dated UI a lovely modern refresh. It’s not all about looks though, the new interface adds a neat preset map that makes it quicker and easier to browse similar sounds. The best new feature is MPE compatibility, which really suits a texturally-minded synth such as this.

Any downsides?:

Beyond the improved UI and a few new sound design tools, Absynth 6 isn’t a huge leap forward from version 5. It’s great to have it back on our hard drives nonetheless.

Spectrasonics Omnisphere 3 (SA)

What is it?:

The return of another synth icon. Omnisphere is a sample-powered behemoth beloved by countless pro producers. Omnisphere 3 arrives with thousands of new sounds, a new global control system, an expanded effects engine, patch mutation, MPE support and more.

Why we love it:

Omnisphere sounds exceptional and in this latest iteration it really is stuffed with a mind-boggling amount of creative sounds. The new MPE support and hardware control features are excellent too.

Any downsides?:

Omnisphere is massive in both sound and size – it requires a download of more than 60GB to install.

Read the full Omnisphere 3 review

Roland TD516 review: What is it?

Forget what you know about electronic drums. What was once primarily aimed at offering an at-home solution to space and noise issues by way of compromises in nearly every area has evolved over the decades. Realistic playability and response? Evermore faithful recreation of the physical size and placement side of our acoustic drum kits? These are nuts that have certainly been cracked before now, leaving one final piece in the puzzle left to solve: sounds.

Ironically, while manufacturers have been serving-up convincing digital facsimiles of complex electronic circuits from guitar amps, effects and vintage keyboards for years, it seems that distilling one of the most primitive instruments of all into a portable box has also taken the longest to mimic. What is it about a hollowed-out log with some synthetic animal skin stretched over it that is so difficult to capture in a drum module?

Well, apparently electronic drum brands are starting to find the answer. Pearl started the ball rolling with its Steven slate drums-equipped Mimic Pro. Alesis followed suit with the Strata Prime, and Roland brought a double-barrel to the shootout with its DWe (Roland acquired the Californian acoustic drum royalty in 2023) and its 7 Series, V71 module-powered kits in 2024.

These releases all form a new wave of next-generation electronic drum sets and modules with one primary objective: provide VST-rivalling sound generation in a ‘traditional’ drum module format. Gone are the lo-res sample layers with baked-in ambience, taking with them the giveaway machine-gun repetition.

In their place sits sophisticated, nuanced sound libraries which, rather than giving you dynamically filtered variations on the exact same drum and cymbal sample when you strike a pad softer or harder, have been captured from real drums being hit expressively. Not only that, but electronic drum makers have felt the penny drop on the fact that the booming, head-nodding, gut-bothering sound of an acoustic kit played in a room isn’t achieved by placing your ear three-fingers from a drum head. It’s a culmination of sympathetic resonances and reflections interacting, and to even approach capturing that requires microphones. Lots of them. Turns out that hollow log and faux hide are actually pretty complex.

“But you just said we’ve already got that. Why am I reading this?”. Well, if Roland’s wallet-melting (albeit impressive) 7 Series kits left you with a choice of swapping your car for some of the finest electronic drum sets on the market, you might want to delete your Auto-Trader ad. Because, in true democratic economic style, Roland recently unleashed the next-gen concept on us little people with not one, but two more odd-numbered e-drum series’.

Not only that, but at the centre of them both sits the exact same sound engine as found in the flagship Roland 7 series. While you Google the catch, I’ll clarify that this isn’t some marketing spin. The proof? Both the ‘entry level’ (within this tier) V31 (we reviewed the Roland VAD316 recently, too) and - the subject of this review - the V51 can load presets from the Roland V71. Of course, there’s a lot more going on here than just sounds, with new pad designs, a UI overhaul, improved connectivity and on-board integration with Roland’s Cloud resource.

Roland TD516 review: Configuration

The 5 Series comprises three tiers of kits, all of which include the V51 module, but pair it with a different pad configuration. The TD516 I’m testing for this review sits in the middle, with Roland’s real-shell configuration of the VAD516 priced above it, and the more compact TD513 below.

As the 5 Series replaces the outgoing TD-27 Series, you’ll be glad to hear that the headline of the playing surfaces is once again a trio of Roland’s digital pads. We get the flagship VH-14D 14-inch, two-piece hi-hats; an 18” CY-18DR ride cymbal and the tried-and-tested PD-140DS snare. It’s worth noting that these form the first of the big differences between the 5 Series configurations, with the VAD516 including Roland’s top-of-the-line PD-14 DSX, and the TD513 equipped with all-analogue pads.

Next up, the TD516 comes with a pair of Roland’s new PD-10P 10-inch pads for the rack toms, and a 12-inch PD-12P in the floor tom position. These are a new design which feature chrome hoops and a rubber rim, designed to give a more natural feel when playing rimshots. But as well as this, Roland has applied multi-sensor technology under the head to help eliminate the machine-gun effect.

This configuration is kitted-out with Roland’s KD-12 kick drum pad with a 12-inch playing surface, introduced as part of the 7 Series last year. Finally, the crash cymbal slots are fulfilled by the CY-12-CT and CY-14-CT pads, offering 12-inch and 14-inch crashes respectively, and the T at the end of the model numbers denotes that these are Roland’s ‘thin’ models, which, while not new (the slimmed-down format arrived with the previous generation of V-Drums kits), are a feature that I don’t feel always gets the credit it deserves.

They’re lighter, they move more naturally, and when profiled side-to-side with Roland’s previous crashes, feel svelte and agile, while still inviting you to crash them with all the mite of a real B20 pie. In both of the ‘TD’ V-Drums configurations, the whole lot is mounted to Roland’s MDS-Standard 3 rack, which bolts together securely and offers three sides on which to hang everything from. The crash cymbal boom arms are mounted into ‘hideaway’ ports on the tubing either side of each rack tom, saving space on the rack for wider tom placement. But, they can also be moved and mounted elsewhere if you’d rather position them differently.

Now, that’s a lot of model names and numbers to wrap your head around, but to simplify it - the TD516 gets you a full-house of digital pads. Step up to the VAD516 and you’re gaining real drum shell dimensions, Roland’s (frankly awesome) flagship digital snare drum, larger cymbals and a kick drum. Step down to the TD513 and you’ll lose the digital pads and get smaller tom and kick playing surfaces.

Roland TD516 review: The module

There’s a lot to cover with the V51 module, and it starts before you even boot up. As an owner of a Roland TD-27 for a number of years, the first thing I notice is the size difference. The V51 takes the form of Roland’s ‘pro’ modules such as the V71 and its predecessor, the TD-50X. Gone are the hardware controls for instrument selection, tuning, muffling and level, and instead Roland has equipped it with a bank of 6 faders for adjusting individual kit part volumes whenever you goddam feel like it.

Booting-up offers a breath of fresh air, too. The colour screen ousts the now rather old-school-looking display of the TD-27. But it’s bigger, too, allowing for a much friendlier graphical representation when it comes to navigating menus and changing parameters.

There’s a definite ‘app’ feel to a lot of the screens with larger, icon-based layouts rather than a reliance on scrolling deep into multiple screens. Despite the new UI, though, Roland hasn’t thrown the baby out with the bath water, and as such, I’m able to start delving and finding my way around pad settings, sound tweaking and the module’s basic functionality without having to read the manual.

At the time of writing, Roland is still yet to release its supplementary apps and software for the 5 Series. On the menu for release is the V51 Editor for desktop, which explodes the module’s functionality into a full desktop application, allowing you to make deeper editing dives. As well as this, Roland has announced the V-Drums Play mobile app, which will hand over control of functions such as preset selection, metronome and recording control to your smartphone.

The most important aspect here is, of course, the sounds. In the last decade or so, computer-based sound libraries have really become the go-to for e-kit drummers who want to simulate the sound of a pro-recorded kit at home, and, as mentioned earlier, it’s the biggest hurdle manufacturers have faced. This is due largely to the fact that multi-sampled and multi-mic’d drum kits create a lot of data in the form of sample information. To capture it is one thing, but software companies - unlike instrument manufacturers - have the advantage of not being responsible for the hardware that plays it back. As well as the sample data, you need processing power fast enough to translate a hit on a pad into ultra-low latency audio, and, in the case of a drum kit, it needs to do that with a lot of polyphony to incorporate the sustain of cymbals and four limbs continuously striking multiple pads. In short, there’s a lot of number-crunching going on.

Roland has delivered, though, and the V51 follows in the V71’s footsteps by delivering a truly enjoyable experience with the factory sounds. Whether it’s crispy, tight snares, punchy kick drums or warm, open-sounding toms, the drum sounds are responsive throughout most of the preset acoustic kits. The cymbals ring out with character, and, especially in the case of many of the ride cymbals, have an added dimension of realism to them, from the stick attack to the sustain.

During my time with the TD516, I had access to Roland Cloud Ultimate, allowing me to take an all-you-can-eat approach to trying out sounds from Roland’s subscription service. It’s home to some great V51-ready kits ported from DW Soundworks including a collection of 50th Anniversary kit presets, a DW acrylic kit and more. With the module connected to my home Wi-Fi connection, and the Roland Cloud Connect app installed on my phone, it takes a couple of minutes to beam a whole new set of studio-captured DW presets into the module.

It’s straightforward, and you can place them on whatever user preset slot you like. Any paid-for Cloud content remains playable in the kit as long as your subscription is valid. If you’d prefer not to subscribe, you can buy a perpetual license to take full ownership of any downloaded content to keep forever. The big question - is it worth it? That’s impossible to say, as my tastes are different to yours. But I will say that I own Superior Drummer, Steven Slate Drums, BFD and titles from Mixwave and GGD, and I didn’t feel the need to connect the V51 to my computer for sound generation throughout my time using it.

Now, that’s not to say that the module beats, or in some cases rivals these libraries unanimously. In fact, there are some areas that I hope Roland will continue to expand into. For big-album, roomy-sounding rock drums and contemporary metal, there’s still some work to be done. At times the kits head a little too much towards processed, slightly synthetic sounds. But, if it’s live, well-recorded, natural-sounding acoustic kits you’re after, it’s got them, and they’re satisfying to play. Let’s face it, very few of us own a space that happens to be on-par with the world’s greatest drum rooms, and as such the most appealing sounds within the V51 for me are the ones that could replace an acoustic kit played in a realistic room.

It’s not just the traditional sounds that grab the attention though. Hats must be removed for Roland’s sound designers all round. The electronic kits sound modern, as well as classic, and will totally fit-in to function band and pop sets. For the more experimental tastes, there are some wildly addictive crunchy, compressed and distorted kits which inspire different grooves every time I sit at the kit, and there are some killer world percussion samples in there to boot. That is, with the exception of one timbale which sounds like it was modelled on a certain reality show about sending celebrities to a jungle and, presumably, leaving them there forever to think about what they’ve done.

Roland TD516 review: Verdict

The TD516 is very, very good, and so it should be, given the price. But, that justification hasn’t always been matched by the result. With the V71 module, Roland turned the corner drummers have been hoping for. Now, we’re seeing the results of the world’s leading electronic drum manufacturer passing that advancement down to more affordable price points.

This review scratches the surface of what is on offer, because what’s on offer is so vast. The TD516 configuration offers an excellent trade-off in terms of keeping the most important elements while saving space and money. Not having to reach for a USB cable feels like the advent of a new era for electronic drums, and we might be about to see a lot more e-kits out in the wild as a result.

Roland TD516 review: Hands-on demos

MusicRadar

Roland

Sweetwater Sound Check

Roland TD516 review: Specification

• Drum sound module: V51
• Snare: PD-140DS
• Tom 1: PD-10P
• Tom 2: PD-10P
• Tom 3: PD-12P
• Hi-hat: VH-14D
• Crash 1: CY-12C-T
• Crash 2: CY-14R-T
• Ride: CY-18DR
• Kick: KD-12
• Drum rack: MDS-Standard 3
• Other features: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3x digital pad slots, SD card slot, user sample import
• Contact: Roland

Roland VAD316 review: What is it?

Towards the end of last year, Roland released its 7 Series V-Drums, introducing a selection of new electronic drum set configurations based around the almighty V71 module, which replaced the long-serving TD-50 as the company’s flagship offering.

Since its release, the V71 has been touted as a professional level, stage-ready module, boasting a completely overhauled sound library, large colour display, Bluetooth audio, built in Wi-Fi for app control and upgrading sounds, USB inputs for digital trigger pads, masses of routing options and full multi-track recording capability. You can read our full, 5-star TD-716 review here.

Fast forward to this year and Roland just dropped not one, but two brand-new V-Drum lines. The 3 Series and 5 Series are essentially smaller siblings to the flagship 7 Series - offering many of the same top-end features but in more streamlined and affordable packages. In fact, the new V31 and V51 modules which the 3 and 5 Series kits (respectively) are centred around, share a startling number of the V71’s top-end bells and whistles.

Both feature the exact same sound library as the V71 with the ability to connect to the Roland Cloud for access to the latest kit packs and expansions (but more on that later). They also share the large colour screen, Bluetooth audio, Wi-Fi, coaching functions and internal recording. Lastly, both the V51 and V31 are capable of running Roland’s high-tech digital snare, hi-hat and ride pads, although the latter has only one USB trigger input.

The kit line-up within each series is laid out identically, with each one boasting a full-size V-Drums Acoustic Design (VAD) kit at the top, followed by a medium sized rack-based setup and then a more compact offering. In the case of the 7 Series these are the VAD716, TD716 & TD713; for the 5 Series it’s VAD516, TD516 and TD513. Our review kit is the VAD316 - the largest configuration in the 3 Series - followed by the TD316 and TD313 models.

The VAD316 comprises an acoustic style 18”x14” bass drum with Roland’s KD-A (Kick Drum Attachment), 12” snare pad, two 10” toms and a 12” floor tom pad - all dual-zone pads with mesh heads and real wooden shells. The half-depth style gloss black shells are finished with a rubber rim at their base rather than a metal hoop which gives them a kind of hybrid electronic/acoustic aesthetic quality.

On the cymbal front, there’s a 16” 3-zone ride, 12” stand-mounted dual-zone hi-hat, plus 12” and 14” dual-zone crashes. Three heavy-duty Roland combination tom and cymbal stands are included but you’ll need an additional hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal and throne to complete the setup. You also don’t get any digital pads as standard with this configuration, so you’ll need to factor in budget to upgrade.

The included cable loom is enough to connect all of these pads to the V31 module except for the second crash which uses one of two additional jack inputs on the rear of the unit. The other is ideal for a fourth tom pad but could be used for any other auxiliary trigger pad. There’s also the aforementioned single USB trigger input, master left and right out jacks, mini-jack mix input, MIDI out, a USB-C computer connection and an SD card slot. Don’t forget there’s also in-built Bluetooth audio and Wi-Fi capabilities.

The layout of the module is noticeably stripped back in comparison to the V71, which has myriad glowing knobs, buttons and dials. Most notably there are no mix faders or LED rotary dials on the V31. There is however a large colour screen taking pride of place in the centre of the module, accompanied by volume pots for master/phones, backing (including Bluetooth) and click to the left, and menu navigation controls to the right. There are also ‘Expansion’ and ‘EZ edit’ buttons for quick access to editing and changing sounds such as instrument selection, tuning, muffling and instrument volume.

Roland VAD316 review: Performance

I already know from spending time with the V71 module over the last year that the new sound library is a notable step up from its predecessors. There are 70 built-in kit presets which range from dry studio kits to reverb soaked stadium style behemoths. As you’d expect from Roland, there are a good handful of classic electronic sounds too, including the TR-808 and 909 plus a section of tuned percussion and hand percussion kits. There’s also a tip of the hat to some drumming greats which can be found in presets such as ‘Ghost Note King’, ‘Babylon Shuffle’ and ‘Gate in the Air’.

The additionally available expansion packs are well worth checking out too as they take yet another step towards mimicking the realism of playing an acoustic kit by utilising high quality samples, borrowed from its computer-based Soundworks VST software.

The rapidly growing DW collections include Pure Cherry, Pure Purpleheart, Pure Maple, 50th Anniversary and Acrylic kits which are of an incredibly high standard. There is also a Slingerland Vintage 1958 set and cymbal packs include ‘EFX Cymbal’, ‘Swiss Cymbal’ and ‘German Cymbal’ collections.

Installing the packs is as simple as connecting the module to Wi-Fi and downloading them via the Roland Cloud app on a smartphone or tablet. It’s worth noting that these are a paid extra, either as part of a Roland Cloud subscription or as a one-off payment. Some might be understandably put out by the idea of having to purchase or even effectively rent additional sounds after spending a substantial wedge of cash for the e-kit to begin with, but an included 6 month Ultimate trial membership will allow time to make comparisons with the built-in sounds and decide whether the cost is justified.

Something that Roland has always been extremely good at is marrying the playability of its samples with the physical feel of its hardware - the VAD316 is no exception. Although not quite a ‘full size’ kit which many of the VAD setups are, the configuration of the 10” rack toms with the 14” snare and floor tom feel substantial enough and work well proportionately with cymbal sizes - with the exception perhaps of the 12” crash which feels a little on the small side to me. The full 18”x14” bass drum shell helps in filling out the size of the kit as a whole, making the VAD316 a great looking yet relatively compact kit overall.

Whilst on the subject of sizes, it’s worth mentioning that Roland’s digital snare and hi-hat pads are both 14” while the ride is 18” - this is something worth considering if you’re thinking about upgrading. As discussed earlier, the V31 module has space to run one of these digital pads, which presents a tricky decision. In terms of features alone I’d be tempted by the newer PD-14DSX snare due to the throw-off and strainer which can be programmed to control tons of parameters; these include not only virtually controlling snare wires but also adjusting snare tuning, controlling the click, effects, and song playback. It’s really quite clever.

The control placed under your fingertips in the V31 module is vast - allowing up to three separate samples to be layered on any one instrument (another pro feature which has filtered down from the V71). This means that each hit of a bass drum could actually be a precise blend of two or three different bass drums, individually tweaked and EQ’d to perfection.

Roland VAD316 review: Verdict

If you’re enticed by the features on offer from the 3 Series but perhaps looking for a more compact practice solution, it may be worth looking into the TD313 and TD316 kits which are both smaller, rack based configurations based around the same 3 Series module. Equally, if you like the idea of a bigger kit or you’re keen keen on the digital triggers but can’t decide on just one, one of the larger 5 or 7 Series kits would be the way to go.

Hands-on demos

MusicRadar

Sweetwater

65 Drums

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Roland VAD316 review: Spec

• Drum sound module: V31
• Snare: PDA120LS
• Tom 1: PDA100L
• Tom 2: PDA100L
• Tom 3: PDA120L
• Hi-hat: VH-10
• Crash 1: CY-12C-T
• Crash 2: CY-14R-T
• Ride: CY-16R-T
• Kick: KD-18-BK
• Drum sound module stand: PDS-5
• Drum combination stand: DCS-30 x 3
• Other features: Single digital pad USB input, computer control via USB-C connection, large colour screen, training functions, in-built recording function, kit expansions available via Roland Cloud, Bluetooth audio, in-built Wi-Fi, stereo jack outputs, mini-jack aux input
• Contact: Roland

What is it?

For a long time, Roland refused to revisit the heritage of its iconic ’80s instruments, preferring to focus on new technologies even when producing continuations of ranges like its Junos and Jupiters.

That changed with the launch of the Aira range in 2014. Although still based on modern digital technology, the Aira instruments openly reproduced the sounds of classic Roland instruments. That was especially true of the TR-8, a drum machine that replicated both the sounds and general workflow of the TR-808 and TR-909.

In the decade since, Roland’s policy has swung the other way. Although the Japanese brand has released a lot of impressive gear in the past decade, it’s certainly been guilty of repackaging the same emulated sounds into a multitude of different packages across its Aira, Boutique, Juno and Jupiter ranges.

In all those cases, those vintage sounds have been provided by a mix of Roland’s Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) and Zen-Core engines, the former of which uses analogue emulation and the latter a mix of PCM samples and virtual analogue synthesis.

The main reason that Roland’s latest drum machine, the TR-1000, is particularly attention-grabbing lies in the fact that it includes real analogue circuitry – the first time a Roland drum machine has done so in more than 40 years. That comes in the form of 16 drum voices that claim to authentically replicate those found in the original TR-808 and TR-909, plus an analogue effects unit that takes inspiration from the company’s classic synths.

While the TR-1000’s analogue voices might be its most talked-about feature, putting all the focus on those sounds would be doing the machine a disservice. Yes, there’s analogue here, but that’s only one part of an expansive feature list that reads like a best-of compilation of Roland’s modern beat-makers – plus a fair few ideas borrowed from competitors.

In terms of its sounds, those 16 analogue voices are accompanied by a generous crop of percussive generators based on a mixture of Roland’s ACB tech, simple FM synthesis, PCM synthesis and samples.

Like the TR-8S before it, the TR-1000 can import user samples, but it can also sample and resample sounds directly into its onboard memory, with a sampling workflow that loosely replicates that of Roland’s popular SP-404 MkII.

Its overall creative workflow, meanwhile, builds on that of the TR-8S – itself an evolution of the classic X0X design. Sequencing is focused around a central step sequencer, the capabilities of which are expanded by a host of tools, including variations and fills, automation, a song mode and effects.

Here, those tools are augmented further by new features including off-grid recording, probability sequencing, parameter snapshots and a cross-fader controlled Morph mode.

Performance

Although the general layout of the TR-1000 shares a lot of similarities with the TR-8S, in person, its size and shape is closer to that of an original 909. It’s considerably heavier than its predecessor, which immediately makes it feel like less of an obvious choice for gigging musicians, although its metal chassis gives it a tough tank-like feel, which is appropriate for one of the most expensive drum machines on the market.

Personally, I’m a little on the fence about the TR-1000’s silver and black design, which to me feels a little dated rather than retro, although I appreciate opinions will vary on this point. I do really like the 909-style angled profile, which makes programming the TR-1000 on a desktop feel considerably nicer than a TR-8S.

One of the TR-1000’s biggest selling points is the abundance of physical connectivity. Whereas the TR-8S had six assignable outputs and a stereo pair of main outputs, the TR-1000 has a comprehensive array of I/O options that include individual audio/trigger outputs for each of its ten drum sounds, sampling inputs, CV/trigger connectivity, MIDI and USB connectivity.

I particularly like the inclusion of a direct output from its analogue effect unit, which allows for a multitude of routing possibilities, including being able to use the TR-1000 to process external sounds whilst simultaneously using it as a drum machine.

Like the TR-8S, the TR-1000 can also connect to a computer via USB and function as an audio interface, allowing streaming of individual outputs into a DAW (although you’ll need to download the Roland drivers to make this work). There’s also a desktop control/librarian app, although disappointingly, this is standalone only and doesn’t offer a plugin version for controlling and saving parameters inside a DAW.

Sonics

Setting aside how they’re produced for a moment, the sounds within the TR-1000 are universally impressive. There are, of course, plenty of classic drum machine sounds based on Roland’s heritage machines. Along with the analogue 808 and 909 generators, there’s a generous crop of ACB emulations that offer interesting circuit-bent reworkings of those same machines, along with other classics like the 707, 606 and CR-78.

On top of these heritage sounds, we also get a mix of modern tones and textures, from sampled percussion to melodic stabs, punchy FM hits and creative FX.

As for those analogue sounds, I’ll admit to approaching the TR-1000 with some scepticism. The TR-808 and TR-909 are undoubtedly classics, and play important roles in countless electronic genres. Their sounds are fairly ubiquitous though, and whether through sample packs, software emulations or hardware clones, most producers have access to them in some form or another.

Obviously, a proper analogue recreation of a drum machine is always going to offer a more authentic version than using a stock sample pack from your DAW, but bearing in mind Roland’s own TR-8 and TR-8S already offered impressive, thoroughly convincing digital emulations, could the TR-1000’s sounds possibly offer enough of an improvement to warrant the significant jump to a top-end price?

Having spent time A/Bing the sounds from the TR-1000 with their TR-8S counterparts, I must admit that, for the most part, I do prefer the new analogue versions. When announcing the TR-1000, Roland stated that it had worked on improving the dynamic range of the original drum designs, and that’s noticeable. Particularly at their highest volume, the TR-1000 sounds have a little more depth than the TR-8S versions, which can sound a little compressed by comparison.

Roland has also updated the analogue circuits in other important ways too, such as adding tuning to elements that weren’t tuneable on the original machines – most notably the 808 kick – and allowing additional refinement over the decay and colour of some sounds.

That being said, though, the difference isn’t huge, and at lower volumes or within a full mix, I think you would really struggle to tell an analogue TR-1000 from its ACB counterparts. If you intend to use the machine purely as an 808/909 clone and have no interest in the sampling, modern sequencing tools and expanded connectivity – all of which go a long way towards justifying the price point – then I’m not sure it’s worth the near-£/$2k mark-up from the TR-8S.

No matter what form of generator is in use, there’s a good level of sound-shaping on offer. Each drum track has separate modules for its generator, a state-variable filter/EQ, compressor, multi-mode amp envelope, LFO and a digital effects module. In-depth design of these elements requires a fair amount of menu diving using the TR-1000’s diminutive screen, but it’s possible to map core controls to the front panel knobs for a more hands-on experience.

A particular highlight of the TR-1000 is its four-layer tracks. The bass drum, snare, low tom and high tom tracks each have both A and B layers, which can each be assigned their own generator (there’s also a good crop of presets on offer that make use of both layers at once). The only real restriction in the way generators can be mixed and matched is that it’s only possible to use each analogue generator once within any kit.

It’s also possible to sequence these layers independently using the step sequencer, allowing these tracks to play two sounds at the same time, albeit with a shared volume fader, mute control, etc.

The sampling capabilities add another layer of sonic flexibility. The TR-1000’s sampling menu makes it pleasantly easy to sample either externally or internally, and then assign said sample to any of the 10 tracks.

Along with basic start/end editing, the sample editor allows for repitching, timestretching, bitrate reduction and sample slicing. By pushing these to extremes, it’s possible to get some pleasingly old-school sampling tones. In a particularly nice touch, it’s possible to apply pitch changes and timestretching to individual sample slices without affecting the others.

Personally, my favourite analogue element of the TR-1000 is its master effects unit. This combines analogue drive with an OTA-design state-variable filter inspired by those found on Roland’s classic ‘80s synths. As a combination it sounds fantastic, particularly when driven hard, and works wonders for tying together sounds, particularly when combining different analogue, digital and sample tones within a single kit.

Those analogue effects make for a nice counterpart to the digital effect capabilities, which include reverb and delay sends, a master multi-effect slot, an insert effect slot for each track and internal sidechaining capabilities.

Sequencing

As much Roland’s vintage drum machines are remembered for the sounds they created, their influence and legacy lies equally in the way they helped to define the standard of modern drum sequencers. Their button step sequencers, accents, trigger outputs and various other features are staples of modern drum machines to this day.

As well as reproducing classic sounds, the TR-1000 – like the TR-8 and TR-8S before it – replicates that core workflow while building on it with modern tools and embellishments. As such, the basic workflow here will be familiar to any TR-8S user, but there are several interesting new tools introduced here that makes the TR-1000 a significantly more powerful performance tool.

While the core workflow is classic Roland, many of these more contemporary touches owe an unacknowledged debt to Elektron. This includes expanded step sequencing functionality, which allows the user to hold down a step to access sub steps, probability, cycle conditions and per-track shuffle. The machine also allows for unquantised recording, allowing for looser rhythmic creativity.

The TR-1000 also introduces a crossfader that looks remarkably like that found on the Octatrack, although functions a little differently. Here that crossfader controls a Morph mode. This allows the user to input different combinations of front panel parameter changes to one of 16 Morph slots.

With the Morph mode engaged, the crossfader is used to alter the current sound based on those settings, which is an excellent tool for hands-on performance. A similar highlight is the Snapshot feature, which lets users capture and jump between up to eight saved parameter configurations for each track.

Any issues?

TR-1000 promises a lot – too much to discuss everything in the space of this review – and for the most part it delivers, although it’s not without a few teething issues and odd design choices.

One surprising difference between the TR-1000 and the original 808 and 909, as well as both the TR-8 and TR-8S, for that matter, is its lack of a mid tom/conga channel – likely a decision made to save on interface space.

The inclusion of a mid tom sound might not be a dealbreaker in itself, and Roland has increased the tuning range of the other toms, so it’s possible to create the same sound using the mid and high tom generators. The TR-1000 can mix and match its various sounds on any of the 10 channels, though, meaning an additional track could equally have been used for, say, melodic samples or additional percussion.

It’s true that, to an extent, the dual-layer capabilities of the first four tracks compensate for this omission, but those dual-layer tracks each share a front panel fader, mute button and sequencer track – all of which are important performance features. There’s no getting around the fact that the TR-1000 offers one track fewer than its considerably cheaper counterparts.

There are also a few curious omissions when it comes to how the front panel controls work. For example, the four-layer tracks each have a dedicated mix control. When loading any preset instrument that already has two different generators assigned to its layers this control is mapped to adjust the balance between parts A and B.

If the user sets up these layers themself, though – ie individually selects different generators for layers A and B – the mix control is redundant until manually assigned. It seems odd to have a control labelled ‘mix’ that doesn’t automatically mix between the two layers, and in fact just acts like any other assignable control.

Another gap in the workflow lies in its inability to play sounds chromatically, which would be particularly handy when sequencing pitched samples. There’s a Slice play mode that allows the sequencer to trigger 16 sample slices individually, as well as a Velocity mode where the steps trigger 16 velocity levels – it seems like an obvious missed opportunity not offering a similar mode in order to play 16 pitches chromatically or across a preset scale.

The most problematic of the TR-1000’s current issues, however, is its hit-and-miss sync capabilities. In our tests the machine worked great when used as a master clock to sync external gear via MIDI or analogue sync. However, syncing the TR-1000 to an external clock introduces a lot of latency, with no easy means to address it.

This is true when routing a clock via both MIDI and analogue. For example, we tested the TR-1000 and TR-8S side-by-side. With the MIDI out of the TR-1000 routed to the MIDI in of the TR-8S, the two machines operated perfectly in sync. With the relationship reversed (MIDI out from the TR-8S into the TR-1000) there was significant latency between the two machines.

The same was true when using triggers to sync the TR-1000 with Moog’s semi-modular DFAM. With the TR-1000’s trigger output driving the DFAM sequencer, it was possible to sync the two machines tightly, but with triggers coming from DFAM into the TR-1000, there was significant lag and somewhat shaky timing.

We reached out to Roland about this, who told us they are “aware that a small number of TR-1000 users have encountered issues affecting performance stability in certain situations. Our development team has been actively investigating and working to address these reports.

“A system update is currently in progress and will include important improvements and refinements to enhance overall stability and performance.”

Verdict

On the whole, most of our criticisms of the TR-1000 are things that can be addressed by firmware updates, and we’re confident that Roland will continue to improve the workflow. (They tell us that, “We appreciate the feedback and patience from our TR-1000 community as we continue to strengthen the instrument through ongoing updates.”)

Setting these things aside, though, the TR-1000 has the makings of a potential future classic, albeit one that doesn’t come cheap. It’s hard to think of another drum machine that aims to do quite so much, and taken all together, the TR-1000 makes a fairly good case for its top-end price point, although unless you’re invested in its full feature set, there are better value options out there.

The most obvious comparison is probably Elektron’s Analog Rytm, which also combines analogue drums and sampling, although with its digital emulations, the TR-1000’s sound set has more breadth. What plays in TR-1000’s favour when comparing directly with the Rytm is that Roland has managed to borrow much of the sequencing depth typical of Elektron gear without getting bogged down in the same convoluted workflow. While the somewhat stingy screen means that there is a lot of menu diving involved with the TR-1000, it’s a machine that’s easy to navigate nonetheless.

To justify the TR-1000’s price, though, you really need to buy into everything that it does. If you’re only after day-to-day 808 or 909 sounds, the TR-8S is still a far better value (and more portable) option, even if some sounds are a little flatter. Equally, Roland’s SP-404 MkII offers performance sampling at a fraction of the price. (At the time of writing, you could pick up those two together for half the price of one TR-1000).

The TR-1000 is designed to be a studio or stage centrepiece, and it’s at its best when you make use of its broad connectivity options, routing capabilities and varied performance tools. It’s for that reason that the current sync and workflow teething problems hold me back from giving it a full-throated endorsement.

I can see the TR-1000 shaping up as a highlight of Roland’s catalogue, and a machine we’ll be talking about for decades to come – but personally, I’d wait for some firmware refinements before committing to it.

Hands-on demos

Roland

Alternatives

Specifications

This week, Roland unveiled the TR-1000, its first drum machine in over 40 years to include genuine analogue sound generation.

Although much about this new instrument is thoroughly modern and designed to compete with machines from the likes of Elektron, undoubtedly its most eye-catching feature is the fact it contains 16 analogue circuits that claim to faithfully recreate sounds from the iconic TR-808 and TR-909.

A certain subsect of Roland fans has been crying out for this for years. Ever since the company began reviving its ‘80s drum machine heritage with the launch of the TR-8 more than a decade ago, new products have regularly been met with comments lamenting Roland’s unwillingness to revive the analogue approach behind the TR-808 and most of the TR-909’s sounds.

Although Roland has brought us multiple instruments in the past decade that recreate elements of the 808 or 909 in some way, these have invariably been based on either Roland’s Analog Circuit Behavior emulation technology or the PCM-based Zen Core engine.

With the TR-1000, Roland is finally giving the people what they want. The question is, is it what any of us actually need?

Let me be clear, I’m not saying this as a critique of the TR-1000. For one thing, I’m yet to spend the time needed with one in person in order to deliver a proper verdict, which will come in the form of our full review later this week. For another, I have one in front of me as I write this and, based on what I’ve seen so far, there’s a lot I really like about it. The ability to layer multiple forms of drum generation, the inclusion of SP-404-like sampling and its comprehensive connectivity all amount to a creative and capable-looking machine.

For my money though, the inclusion of ‘authentic’ 808 and 909 sounds are far from being the most exciting element. That’s not to say I have no love for the sound of those classic machines. As a fan of dance music and hip-hop, those sounds are, obviously, staples.

They are also incredibly ubiquitous. Sampled 808 and 909 kits are stock sounds in any DAW, Roland has released multiple updates takes on them, Behringer has its ‘tribute’ versions, and many contemporary drum machines come equipped with sounds that do a decent approximation.

Of course, these aren’t all entirely authentic. You’ll never capture the exact nuances of an analogue machine using simple one shot samples, and there are arguments to be made that emulations don’t capture the exact feel of things like the swing and accents of the original machines.

But in many cases these versions are good enough to be convincing. Particularly in the case of Roland’s largely on-the-money ACB emulations.

I’ve never had a chance to directly A/B test an original machine with the ACB sounds, although I have spent time comparing analogue and virtual analogue recreations – and I think it’s fair to say it’s not easy to tell a ‘real’ version from a virtual one.

I’ve heard it argued that when played in isolation on a big sound system, it’s easy to tell an original TR machine from a modern recreation. Perhaps. But I’d also argue that nobody listens to a drum machine in that way.

In the studio, sounds are invariably edited, mixed and mastered, the process of which can easily mask any differences between a real and faux X0X. In a live or club context, any drum sounds are likely to be processed and limited, then played out in an acoustically imperfect space filled with people dancing, drinking and talking. Nobody in that context is picking up on the authenticity of your analogue beats.

There are plenty of examples of notable artists using Roland’s ACB-powered instruments in these ‘pro’ contexts too. Last year, for example, I sat down with 808 State founder and acid house figurehead A Guy Called Gerald to talk about how he uses the compact T-8 Beat Machine onstage.

All of which isn’t to minimise the magic of the original machines. They are hugely influential and sought after for a reason, although it would certainly be an oversimplification to say this is because they represent some Platonic ideal of analogue sound that every instrument that has followed has failed to capture.

There is something almost Quixotic about the desire for an ‘authentic’ modern take on the 808 or 909. For one thing, there was a fair amount of variation in how different original units sounded, particularly in the case of the 808.

What’s more, some of the sounds we’ve come to associate with the 808 and 909 we are used to hearing heavily-processed and out of context. In hip-hop terms, the 808s is synonymous with booming, pitched basslines that can’t actually be created directly from an original unit, due to its lack of bass drum tuning.

The potential pitfall here lies in the fact that analogue circuitry comes at a cost – shut up for a moment Behringer fans, we’ll get to you – and the TR-1000 lands with an asking price of $2,699/£2,286, putting it right at the top end of the drum machine market.

I’m not saying that the price is unreasonable. On paper at least, there are a lot of impressive features and flexible connectivity options that warrant a top-range price point. The similarly analogue-equipped Elektron Analog Rytm retails for a price that is only marginally cheaper, and the Erica Synths Perkon HD-01 is in a similar ballpark.

All that being said though, there’s little doubt that had Roland used purely digital sound generation but kept the TR-1000 specs otherwise the same it would have hit the market at a considerably lower price point.

The risk, for Roland, is that the company is effectively asking those analogue purists to put their money where their mouth is and prove their willingness to pay more for an X0X recreation based on analogue circuitry.

To Roland’s credit, the TR-1000 is far more than just a rerun of the original 808 or 909. Even focusing just on those analogue circuits, Roland says it has “added parameters, expanded ranges and improved the dynamics”, which seems like a welcome tacit admission of the limitations of some of those original designs.

I’m particularly interested to explore how far those extended ranges allow the analogue sounds to be pushed beyond those of the original machines. While the authentic vintage designs might be the marketing tentpole of the TR-1000, the ability for musicians to coax new sounds out of it – or not – could be what influences whether we’re still talking about it in 10 or 20 years time.

Although Roland has been guilty of repackaging its ACB and Zen Core sounds into multiple instruments in recent years, to be fair to the company, it seems keen to move forward from the original designs too.

Instruments like the S-1 and SH-4 grooveboxes, for example, have each incorporated forward-thinking wave editing tools alongside the usual nostalgic sounds. With the TR-8S too, for all the talk of the analogue emulations, it’s the FM sounds, sampled tones and modern sequencing touches that helped elevate it to modern classic status.

Whether it proves successful or not, the TR-1000 feels like the natural peak of our collective desire for X0X authenticity. For those who’ve been holding out for a contemporary, genuinely-analogue, Roland-branded version of those classic machines, you finally have it.

Those of us without the money to spend can make do with the still-impressive ACB versions or, yes, Behringer’s RD-8 and RD-9, which if nothing else really nail the rugged, chunky feel of working with an original machine. Plus there’s plenty of more loosely-inspired takes from the likes of Jomox, MFB and others.

Ultimately, no amount of hardware authenticity is going to be the factor that makes or breaks an electronic musician. For all that the original units were pivotal to the evolution of genres in the ’80s and ’90s, much of that comes down to the musicians who dedicated themselves to exploring their capabilities and nuances.

Jeff Mills is arguably the artist most closely associated with the TR-909, but as he explained when he spoke to Future Music in 2022, he credits much of that to his ongoing commitment to learning new, exploratory ways to use the drum machine.

“For me, the TR-909 is what I really like to work with, but with any of these instruments if you just think about and approach them differently you’ll find a way to generate a different type of sound,” he says.

“I’d advise anyone who makes electronic music to just go into your studio, pick one machine and try to do something with it that you’ve not done before. Try to make it do something different. No one has to know what you did, but see where that leads.”

Again, none of this is intended as a critique of the TR-1000. I also totally understand the appeal for those who work with an original 808 or 909 in the studio – plenty of artists I really respect own original machines and if you can afford one, I can see the appeal.

Nor is it a plea to stop using the sounds themselves – from warm subby 808 kicks to crisp 909 claps, there's still plenty of mileage to be had from those classic tones. But when it comes to the hardware and software we pine over, it's time we placed more value in interesting new sound concepts than minor refinements of the same sounds that have been around for 40 years.

The TR-1000 is another welcome addition to a long lineage of TR-808 and TR-909 inspired machines. But can we agree, at least for a few years, we have enough access to those sounds now. It’s time we all made space for something new.

Last week, Roland posted a teaser to its website headlined by the words ‘tomorrow returns’ accompanied by what sounded like a processed TR-808 drum beat. Now the company has unveiled the inspiration behind that cryptic post – its new flagship TR-1000 drum machine.

The TR-1000 is a significant new release for Roland. Not only is it a feature-packed, multi-functional instrument that sits right at the top of the company’s range of drum machines and grooveboxes, but it’s also the first Roland drum machine in over 40 years to come equipped with true analogue voices.

Those analogue voices are powered by 16 circuits based on elements of the iconic TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines, which Roland says have been “faithfully recreated from the original designs with detailed engineering and carefully selected modern components.”

The original TR-808 and TR-909, released in 1980 and 1983 respectively, are two of the most influential electronic instruments of all time, and likely need little introduction to most music makers thanks to the pivotal role they played in the evolution of genres including house, techno and hip-hop.

This is far from the first time Roland has returned to the sound of those classic drum machines, having released a multitude of Aira, Boutique and Cloud-branded iterations over the past few years. Those instruments have all been powered by a combination of the company’s virtual analogue ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) tech, or its sample-driven Zen Core engine.

While Roland boasts about the authenticity of the TR-1000’s analogue engine, several of the voices add capabilities that go beyond the simplistic parameters of the original units.

This includes adding things such as tuning controls and amp envelopes to sound elements that didn’t previously have them, allowing the TR-1000 to create things like tuned 808 basslines and refined, punchy beats.

The analogue voices are only part of the story here though. The TR-1000 also features a powerful array of digital elements that build on the capabilities of the impressive TR-8S.

These include virtual analogue voices that make use of ACB tech to replicate a variety of circuit bent iterations of the TR-808 and TR-909 sounds. The TR-1000 also comes stocked with a variety of FM and PCM-powered drum sounds.

What’s more, the drum machine is capable of stereo sampling via its rear panel external inputs, or internal resampling. The machine comes with a 64GB internal memory stocked with 2000 factory samples, leaving 46GB free for user sounds.

The sample engine itself bears a fair similarity to that of Roland’s SP-404 MkII, allowing for the playback of both one shots and tempo synced loops. Loops can also be sliced and played across the TR-1000’s tracks, with the ability to warp and timestretch both full loops and individual slices.

The TR-1000 has ten drum tracks in total, the first four of which are layered tracks, which allow users to pair two different analogue or digital sound generators and blend between them.

The mix of analogue and digital continues in the TR-1000’s effects section. This includes an analogue state variable filter based on the OTA designs used in Roland classics such as the Jupiter-6. There’s also an analogue drive circuit for adding grit and saturation.

On top of these analogue effects are a comprehensive range of digital processors, including delay, reverbs, modulation effects, a compressor, bitcrushing, a DJ-style looper and the glitchy Scatter effects found on Roland’s Aira drum machines.

The sequencing workflow has its roots in the classic button sequences of Roland’s X0X boxes, with all the refinements found on the more recent TR drum machines including parameter automation, rolls and ratchets, and a comprehensive song mode.

The TR-1000 expands on these capabilities further still with so-called ‘next gen’ features that facilitate off-the-grid sequencing as well as options to set step probabilities and adjust the length of individual loop cycles.

There’s also a new crossfader-controlled Morph control, which allows users to fluidly move between multiple parameter configurations. A Snapshot function, meanwhile, can be used to quickly recall saved parameter settings.

Rhythm Creator

The TR-1000 hardware – which comes in an angular silver and black chassis that looks fitting of its Terminator adjacent name – is well stocked with connectivity options. There are individual audio/trigger TRS outputs for each of its ten drum channels, plus a master stereo pair of TRS outputs and a secondary pair of analogue effects outputs.

There is a pair of TRS audio inputs, plus trigger and filter CV inputs and mini-jack trigger and clock outputs. These are joined by MIDI in, out and thru ports, plus a pair of USB connections for hooking the drum machine up to a computer and external MIDI device.

The final element of the TR-1000’s setup is its desktop companion app, which allows users to edit the sound engine from an onscreen interface and acts as a librarian for presets and samples.

The TR-1000 certainly looks like a comprehensive and capable machine, and one that’s clearly aimed at being the centrepiece of your studio workflow. Those capabilities and the analogue tech comes at a cost, unsurprisingly. The TR-1000 has a price of $2,699/£2,286/€2,699 – more than four times the current street price of the TR-8S.

The TR-1000 is available to order now. You can hear it in action in the video above. Check out Roland’s website for more details.

What is it?

If you’ve ever wondered whether Boss will create plugin versions of its classic, near-20 million-selling stompboxes, then wonder no more, because the answer is here. The Boss Effects Pedals plugin initially sees eight of Boss’ pedals ported into the digital realm of a DAW plugin, allowing you to incorporate official replications into your projects.

To start with, it comprises staples such as the DS-1 Distortion, OD-1 OverDrive, SD-1 Super OverDrive, CS-1 Compression Sustainer, PH-1 Phaser and TW-1 T Wah, alongside some more left-field examples in the SG-1 Slow Gear and SP-1 Spectrum.

Boss says that this collection is intended to be “ever-expanding” with no word yet on when or what future additions could be, and there’s a strong caveat that should be mentioned straight out of the gate: you’ll need a Roland Cloud Ultimate subscription in order to get your hands on the Boss Effects Pedals plugin, and unlike the Roland JC-120 plugin released earlier this year, there’s no route to purchase a lifetime key.

With that said, you can run the plugin on a 30-day free trial, and of course, a Roland Cloud Ultimate package gives you full access to an entire suite of music-making tools including classic synths, drum machines, samples, expansion packs and more.

Specs

• Launch price: Roland Cloud Plan Ultimate membership, $19.99 a month/$199 a year (30 day free trial also available)
• Type: Stompbox plugin
• Plugin formats: VST 3.7 (64 bit), AU, AAX
• System requirements - Mac: macOS 12, Intel Core i5 or better (Quad-core CPU recommended), Apple Silicon, 2 GB RAM, 150 MB storage
• System requirements - Windows: Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit), Intel Core i5 or better (Quad-core CPU recommended), 2GB RAM, 100MB storage
• Contact: Roland

Usability

Before you can get started, you’ll need to create a Roland Cloud account and sign up for an Ultimate membership. From here, installation of the Boss Effects Pedals plugin is quick, with the required space starting at 100mb on PC, and 150mb for Mac OS. The plugin comes with VST, AAX and AU versions, and requires a host DAW to run - for me that’s Logic Pro.

Navigation is simple, perhaps a little too simple, with only one pedal available per-instance of the plugin. So, if you want to run, say, a T-Wah into a DS-1 then place a PH-1 Phaser at the end, you’ll need to load three instances of the plugin.

One advantage of having these effects in plugin form is that without the restrictions of hardware connections and impedance-matching, it unlocks the ability to apply classic Boss effects to any audio channel you like without having to incorporate DI boxes or re-amping as you might with hardware.

However, given the stompbox design, it seems like a missed trick not to have compiled the effects into a single instance. A pedalboard-style interface capable of loading a whole chain would be more convenient, especially for guitarists.

Beyond this minor inconvenience, each instance of the plugin works in a similar way. There’s a menu for selecting your chosen pedal, along with a drop-down menu giving access to five presets per-pedal.

The centre panel contains a graphical representation of your chosen pedal, and there’s a choice of views (Basic and Pro Edit) with the latter offering additional parameters not found on the original hardware. Further functionality includes a single user preset for each pedal (saved as the Default setting), A/B comparison between two settings and input/output pots for level controls outside of the pedal settings.

As well as this, every control and switch is assignable to a MIDI controller, as well as automation within your DAW by simply right-clicking and selecting or learning the parameter you’d like to control. It’s all very straightforward and intuitive, aside from the discrete nature of each pedal.

Sounds

As a collection, the eight effects give a fairly well-stocked set of sounds, and the choices have been partially made to reflect the first three Boss compact pedals ever launched (OD-1, PH-1 and SP-1).

The strongest single category in terms of volume is the Distortion/Overdrive pedals, and each of the three offer something slightly different.

The OD-1 is famed for its smooth, valve ampl-like response, and here it’s no different. It reacts with a mid-forward tonality that sprinkles your signal with fat-sounding overdrive, working nicely for vintage tones. It’s firm bluesy/Screamer territory when played on the neck position of my Strat, and works really nicely for Zeppelin-y chords fed from a humbucker.

But, for those who want a bit more gain, the SD-1 Super Overdrive takes things up a gear. Here is home to the mid-ground rock sounds, with its clear attack and smooth note separation providing ample playing ground for a huge range of styles.

Polished ‘80s rhythm sounds, ‘90s indie, punky, heavy crunch and more are all on tap making it a really versatile and dynamic drive. Finally, there’s the DS-1 - this classic has been featured on countless ’boards, and this digital recreation nails the raspy, throaty, full distortion of its hardware counterpart.

Many of us will have, at some point owned or used the CS-1 Compressor Sustainer, with this blue box giving plenty of guitar players their first glimpse into the useful, yet sometimes misunderstood world of compression.

The compression part of the pedal actually acts more like a limiter, and it’s noticeable as you turn the Sustain control to the left - this clamps down on the incoming signal with vice-like authority, emphasising the attack of the note with aggression.

The result is a pronounced pop to each note, which while desirable, definitely needs to be used sparingly here. Too far and the signal becomes very squashy - dial it in just right, though and funky single-note lines will cut through with ease. It’s characterful, which is just as well given the number of software compressors at our disposal these days.

Push the Sustain, on the other hand, and you’re rewarded with glistening ring to your notes, emphasised further by engaging the Treble control, which will help to remove mud while keeping the higher frequencies ringing. Think Mutt Lange clean rhythm sounds and you’re on the right path.

The Spectrum and T-Wah are a bit more niche. The former works a bit like an EQ/enhancer, allowing you to brighten dull sounds to give a bit more energy. It’s focused on frequencies between 500Hz and 5Khz, which plants it firmly in the range of mid-shaping and higher-end enhancement when it comes to guitars.

It does a great job of bringing out pick attack and adding punch to electric guitars, while also applying a bit of cut and sheen to acoustics. It can add zing to a dull-mic’d acoustic, or reduce a bit of the honk from a DI’d under-saddle piezo. It’s not the most exciting of effects, but it is a problem solver.

The T-Wah offers a great funk injection, falling into the categor of ‘envelope filter’ rather than an LFO-based auto wah. This means that it’ll react to your playing dynamics, rather than cycling through a sweep with a rate and depth control.

You can adjust the Peak control to make everything more explicit, and there’s a toggle switch for changing the filter sweep direction (Up or Down). It’s a useful addition, especially if you want to apply wah sounds without committing at the point of recording, not least because controlling a virtual wah pedal without an expression pedal requires some tweaky automation.

Finally we have the Slow Gear, which is among one of Boss’ most cult pedals, commanding high prices for used hardware and often imitated in modellers and multi-fx, as well as pedals such as EHX’s Pico Attack Decay.

The basic premise is to give you automated ‘violining’ of notes without having to adapt your pinky finger to rolling-up the volume control. It works best on single notes, with chords often pushing the sensitivity threshold too far. But, with some careful adjustment of the incoming signal thanks to the included control, I found it possible to fade-in chords too with some success.

Verdict

There’s a lot of fun to be had with the Boss Effects Pedals plugin, and as always, it gets even better when you start combining the pedals in series, or, as our DAW flexibility allows, blended in parallel.

Of course, there is an element of nostalgia to be had here too, and while these are the first official software emulations of Boss hardware, we’re not really starved for plugin options.

It’s curious that Boss has chosen to launch this plugin in the way it has for a few reasons - the single-pedal, multi-instance operation being one. Another glaring omission at launch is the lack of any of Boss’ chorus, delay or reverb algorithms, but I can only hope that some of these are next on the list.

Finally, is the entry route. It’s a hard sell to think that many players will take out a Roland Cloud subscription purely on the strength of one plugin. In reality, that’s not the case at all, as the wealth of resources you’ll gain access to by signing-up is good value, even if the subscription price will no doubt limit access for some people. It’d be great to see this available as a one-off purchase.

Those points aside though, once you get your hands on it, there’s plenty of mileage there which is only going to grow with expansion. At last, the ability to use official Boss stompboxes in our DAWs is here - and with that comes flexibility iin terms of how and what instruments they're applied to.

MusicRadar verdict: With tons of nostalgic charm and quality sounds to match, the Boss Effects Pedals plugin has a lot going for it. It's unlikely to convince you to take out a Roland Cloud Ultimate subscription on its own, but bundled with everything else, it just adds to the value. Here's hoping for more expansion and entry options soon.

Hands-on videos

Roland Cloud

Patrick Breen

Released in 1982 and sold throughout the mid-’80s, Roland’s SH-101 is a classic analogue monosynth with a broad and lasting mass-market appeal.

On the one hand, its simplistic and approachable design masks a surprising level of versatility, capable of producing punchy basses, biting leads and rasping acid lines. All of which contribute to its status as a longtime staple tool within dance music.

That same simplicity, however, also makes it one of the best entry-level synth designs. The 101 interface, laid out in a linear left-to-right fashion, with a slider for each of its major functions, offers a wonderfully tactile way to explore the basics of synthesis. Raise each slider in the oscillator section in turn to hear the difference between its pulse, saw and sub outputs; combine two or more of these to start creating more complex wave shapes; tweak the filter, LFO and envelope to shape the sound – you’ll be a master of subtractive synthesis in no time.

The problem, at least when it comes to the original SH-101, is that second hand prices are now far higher than the thoroughly affordable £249 that it retailed for on its original release. The 101 is a great first synth – but it’s not worth spending upwards of £/$1k on.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I’m glad that in 2025 we have plenty of affordable SH-101 clones and emulations to choose from. Roland itself has both software and hardware based on the core 101 design. Behringer has the MS-1, which sticks fairly close to the template of the original, while the likes of D16, Softube and TAL offer solid virtual recreations.

Pricing

• L1: £249/$259
• L1 & KB-32M: £359/$369
• KB-32M: £109/$109

Donner Essential L1: What is it?

Into this mix enters Donner’s Essential L1, a new analogue monosynth heavily inspired by the design of the SH-101. On the spectrum between clone (Behringer’s MS-1) and modern evolution (Roland’s Aira S1) this sits somewhere in the middle. Its oscillator, filter and VCA chips are faithful to those found in the original instrument, aiming to recreate the classic 101 sound, but it adds several new features to the design, including an additional ADSR envelope generator and a variety of amp envelope modes.

One of the most notable evolutions offered by the L1 is its detachable keyboard – sold as a separate product, the KB-32M, but available as a bundle with the L1. This allows the instrument to function both as a desktop module and a playable standalone instrument.

Despite years of experience in the guitar, piano and e-drum realms, Chinese brand Donner only has three production-focused instruments to its name, two of which take inspiration from classic Roland hardware. Its first synth release was the B1 Bass Synthesizer, a budget monosynth based on the design of the TB-303.

I reviewed that instrument a few years ago and came away pleasantly surprised – despite a dull aesthetic that looked more admin than acid, the B1 nailed the low-end heft and squelchy filter sound you expect from a 303 clone.

Broadly speaking, the L1 is another impressive update to the Roland template. It’s a better looking instrument than the B1 – its all black, slider-clad interface is a nicely modernised take on the design of the original.

The core elements of the 101 sound engine are all available here, and sound pretty on the money to my ears. The single oscillator has blendable sub, saw and noise outputs, along with a pulse output with PWM that can be routed from the LFO or envelope, or modulated by hand.

These feed into the low-pass filter that sounds appropriately acidic with the resonance raised and modulation applied. There’s a glide function too – another important element of the classic 101 sound, allowing for the creation of bendy portamento basses and leads.

Broadly speaking, the L1 is another impressive update to the Roland template. It’s a better looking instrument than the B1 – its all black, slider-clad interface is a nicely modernised take on the design of the original.

The core elements of the 101 sound engine are all available here, and sound pretty on the money to my ears. The single oscillator has blendable sub, saw and noise outputs, along with a pulse output with PWM that can be routed from the LFO or envelope, or modulated by hand.

These feed into the low-pass filter that sounds appropriately acidic with the resonance raised and modulation applied. There’s a glide function too – another important element of the classic 101 sound, allowing for the creation of bendy portamento basses and leads.

SH-101 evolved

There are extras throughout the signal chain that offer additional sound design options without radically overhauling the format. Alongside the waveshapes offered by the original, the L1 also has a triangle wave output slide in the oscillator section.

The LFO adds additional functionality too, via the ability to sync to either the internal or an external clock, and the option to extend into audio rate modulation. This latter feature is a particularly nice touch, allowing for some gritty FM tones and filter modulation on top of the classic 101 sounds.

The most significant upgrade compared to the original is the inclusion of an additional ADSR envelope, meaning that the L1 has separate generators for the filter and amp envelope. I was a little skeptical about this when I first saw the L1 – the fact that the 101 shares a single envelope for its filter and amp is a significant part of its character, and separating these elements risks sacrificing authenticity in favour of flexibility.

Donner has smartly chosen to make this second envelope optional by including an envelope merge function in its menu, whereby the second ADSR mimics the settings of the first. The L1 also adds a selection of trigger modes for the amp, expanding the capabilities further.

In Env 2 mode, the second ADSR will affect the amp while the first remains routed to the filter. In Gate mode, meanwhile, the amp is simply turned on/off by incoming gate messages (ie a note being held down) while Env 1 affects the filter.

Cycle mode links the amplifier to the LFO in conjunction with the second ADSR envelope, as could be done on the original 101, which can be great for creating pulsing rhythmic tones, or chaotic synth effects when triggered by a random LFO. Finally, Drone is a new mode for the L1 that bypasses the amp completely to create an endlessly sustained output.

Beyond the sound engine itself, the other notable elements of the original SH-101 design were its arpeggiator and sequencer. This latter element was a fairly simple affair that let users input notes, rests and ties on-by-one in order to string together monophonic patterns. Despite its basic nature, many users did – and still do – find it an inspiring tool for quickly creating riffs and patterns with a characteristic machine-like feel.

Donner’s version keeps the basic workflow of both the arp and the sequencer intact, but improves the interface and adds extra functionality. Whereas the original 101 sequencer couldn’t save patterns, the L1 can recall up-to 128, and also features a song mode, allowing users to chain patterns and save up-to 32 compositions.

The L1 also allows the sequencer buttons to be used as a rudimentary keyboard, for playing and sequencing sounds when not connected up to a MIDI input or the KB-32M keyboard.

KB-32M keyboard

For this review, I’ve had access to both the L1 synth itself and its companion keyboard. Although this latter element is technically a separate product, seeing as the two are available as a bundle and – at the time of writing – the L1 is the only compatible instrument, it’s worth commenting on the KB-32M here.

All told, I like the concept. The mix and match keyboard/synth approach isn’t exactly new – Roland offers a similar accessory for its Boutique modules, although Donner’s version is a little larger and designed more overtly with standalone use in mind.

Although it’s obviously a cheap and compact keyboard, with mini keys and a lightweight, plastic construction, it feels solidly made and the keys themselves are pleasantly firm and responsive, given their size.

Around the back is a minimal selection of I/O – 3.5mm MIDI out (requiring an adapter), a USB-C connection and a hold pedal input. It’s enough to make the KB-32M a potentially handy travel keyboard in its own right, even without the L1 as a companion, although with a price of £109 there are various cheaper options out there if you’re just in the market for a MIDI controller.

My one misgiving about the synth/keyboard combo is the manner in which they connect. The keyboard connects to the L1 magnetically, which is firm enough when the two are placed on a desktop, but isn’t strong enough to keep the two together when picked up, which limits how well they can be used resting on your lap, or on certain keyboard stands. If Donner is committed to the concept, it would be nice to see some kind of case or tray you could place both in to keep them together a little more firmly.

Verdict

As for the L1 itself, it’s an overall impressive take on the SH-101 design, but does suffer from a few weaknesses. The most significant is noise leakage in its signal path. While this isn’t hugely severe, as soon as you turn the synth’s volume, low level background noise is immediately noticeable – likely caused by its digital elements affecting the analogue signal path. This isn’t a problem when playing the synth, and it’s easily gated/edited out, but it’s something to be aware of.

The other factor to bear in mind is what’s out there in terms of competition. Roland has two of its own budget hardware takes on the 101. The first is the Aira S-1, which is more of a digital evolution of the 101 than a clone and significantly upgrades the capabilities of the original. It does nail that classic 101 sound when needed though. That said, the interface bears no resemblance to that of the 101, and I miss the simple slider-based interface.

More faithful to the look and feel of the original is the Boutique SH-01A, which is a digital emulation but one that sounds excellent. It’s smaller than the L1 though, and verging on fiddly. It’s also more expensive.

The L1’s closest rival is Behringer’s MS-1, another analogue recreation. Behringer’s take has a keyboard attached, which gives it a bigger footprint, but it lacks some of the modernisations of Donner’s version. It’s also a little cheaper than the L1 module, and considerably cheaper than the synth and keyboard combo – plus, Behringer’s can be used with a keytar attachment like the original.

I do like the way Donner has evolved the SH-101 template while still capturing the sound of the original, although it must be said that beyond the additional ADSR and Drone more, it’s not hugely different to Behringer’s take. Donner's B-1 added analogue delay and saturation onto the 303 format, and it's a slight shame Donner hasn't take a similar route here.

I’d honestly be hard pressed to recommend an outright favourite of these various modern 101 options, including the L1. Each has its pros and cons and I’d happily take any of them. Essentially, it’s a good time to be in the market for a budget 101, and Donner’s Essential L1 is a welcome addition to the mix.

Hands-on demos

Donner

Alternatives

Specifications

What is it?

There’s no denying that Roland’s Jazz Chorus is the most legendary solid-state guitar amp of all time. Its pristine, punchy clean tones and god-tier built-in chorus have given it a place alongside the hall of famer amps from Fender and Marshall, so it’s about time we got the ability to run it in our DAWs from the comfort of the home studio.

The software is a rather simple affair all told. You get the amp as it is in real life with a clean and dirt channel, high and low inputs for each, three-band EQs, and the universal chorus and vibe effects with speed and depth control.

It also gives you a selection of five different microphones to use on the cab, three settings that blend multiple mics, and a ‘flat’ option. The distance of the mic to the grille of the amp is adjustable and you can add in more room ambiance via a dedicated knob. A handy tempo sync button allows for synchronization of the speed knob on the effects panel to the project tempo, ensuring your vibe and chorus effects match the rhythm of your song.

The Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus guitar VST is available via subscription with the Roland Cloud Ultimate tier, which will cost you $19.99 a month and gets you access to a lot of great soft synths and effects. Buying it individually however is pretty steep at $199 for a lifetime key, especially considering you can get a great JC amp model in IK Multimedia's Dimebag collection alongside some other great amp sounds for $99.

Specs

• Launch price: $199 for lifetime key, part of Roland's Cloud Plan Ultimate membership for $19.99 a month (30 day free trial also available)
• Type: Amp simulator
• Plugin formats: VST 3.7 (64 bits), AU, AAX
• System requirements - Mac: macOS 12, Intel Core i5 or better (Quad-core CPU recommended), Apple Silicon, 2 GB RAM, 150 MB storage
• System requirements - Windows: Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit), Intel Core i5 or better (Quad-core CPU recommended), 2GB RAM, 100MB storage
• Contact: Roland

Usability

To get started with the plugin I installed the Roland Cloud Manager app on my MacBook, which offers a seamless installation process done in less than five minutes. Opening up the app itself shows a huge selection of available options, and it takes me a little while to find exactly where the plugin is located, eventually finding it under ‘Software Effects’.

With a single click of the download button the plugin installs itself on my system in less than a minute, and opening a recent Pro Toos session I’m working on, I find it nestled under the ‘Other’ menu in the plugin dropdown. It loads up for me instantaneously and I see the classic industrial black and gray styling of the JC-120.

My immediate thought is that the control panel is absolutely minuscule at the default setting view size. It’s adjustable via the bottom right but to get it to a more usable size means it then takes up pretty much the entire screen in the DAW. Switching to the control panel view makes things a lot more usable, and in reality, the full view isn’t a necessity as you can’t interact with the speaker cabinet itself.

Weirdly in Pro Tools I found I can’t bypass the plugin either to A/B different sounds, which I can see being potentially problematic in the mix down phase. It’s something I often do to see how a plugin is affecting the source its on, or to check how a particular sound is sitting in the mix. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a warning in my DAW of choice, and although its potentially a small issue, I hope to see this updated in future versions.

Sounds

My first test is to use the plugin on some pre-recorded DI guitar to see what sounds it can output in an already existing mix. It settles in immediately on some country-inspired clean picking, and after some adjustment to the levels via the main amp master volume control. The guitar tones it gives me are punchy and articulate, exactly what I’d expect to find when playing the real deal.

Adding in some of that luscious chorus gives my tone a delightfully shifting shimmer, helping turn that clear but plain guitar into something much more interesting. Using the tempo sync means I can have it wobbling along nicely with the rhythm of my track, and it comes through really clearly even in denser parts of the mix with four guitar tracks playing.

Picking up my Telecaster and plugging into my audio interface, I find the live playing feel to be excellent, but this is also partly down to the M3 MacBook computer and UA audio interface I use. I’ve played a few JC amps in real life and that ultra-responsiveness is present here, with a brilliant but neutral-sounding clean tone that’s great if you need something with clarity, or to serve as a base to ladle on the effects.

Popping some spare overdrive pedals in between my guitar and audio interface, doesn’t take away from any of this virtual amp’s articulation, and it’s the same when I start layering on some dense Valhalla reverbs in my DAW. Everything stays crisp and clear, giving me a beautiful tone to manipulate and enhance the sound of my recordings.

Like its real-life counterpart, the plugin can work in stereo, but I see limited use for that in terms of recorded guitar tracks that are usually mono and are typically panned out wide. To actually get a stereo input into the plugin I split it using a stereo reverb plugin that I then bypassed it in the inserts, much like you might split your signal on a pedalboard using a stereo pedal. While it’s cool to have the stereo option, I honestly don’t see many users opting for this, unless you are using it on a different virtual instrument like a soft synth.

With my tests of the clean tone exhausted, I turn my attention to the much-maligned distortion of channel 2. Surprisingly I find it to be quite usable, adding some nice clarity to some of the layered guitars in the chorus of my song. Of course, it’s not going to replace the tube amp recreations I like to use based on Orange, Marshall, and Mesa/Boogie amplifiers but it’s nowhere near as entirely useless as its detractors might have you believe.

Verdict

MusicRadar verdict: The Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus plugin will definitely please those who are a fan of the sound already, but the standalone price is expensive for a single amp model, which may put off a lot of guitarists. That said, the amp tones and in particular the chorus effect is absolutely sublime. It's easily one of the best clean tones I’ve come across, and I say that as a regular user of Helix, Neural DSP, and Universal Audio guitar plugins.

Hands-on videos

Doug Doppler Music

What is it?

If you have ever ventured on stage as a keyboard player, you will be well-versed with the complexities of keys-based performance; the need to have access to a wide breadth of sounds, has never been more of a challenge.

The new Roland V-Stage is embracing this head-on. It’s a feature and sound-packed instrument, which includes just about everything that a keyboard player could need, in order to perform music from the last 60 years, whether amateur or professional.

Pricing

• 88-note $3,999/£3,459/€3,999
• 76-note $3,499/€3,499/£3,027

The V-Stage range was announced at NAMM 2025 and was one of the biggest releases from the Japanese giant at the show.

Both the 76 and 88 were available for sale from launch, with prices not budging in the short time since the announcement and the writing of this review.

There's not much difference in price, but then, there's not much difference between either model, really. Although 76 semi-weighted keys come out nearly 7kgs lighter than the flagship 88, fully-weighted model.

Performance

It’s difficult to ignore the fact that the V-Stage looks fairly familiar, with its considerable number of red flashes and beautiful red end cheeks. We’re very sure that didn’t happen by accident, but placing visual aesthetic to one side, we had the opportunity to examine both the 88-note fully weighted model, and the smaller 76-note semi-weighted version.

Both models are identical, with the obvious exception being the keyboard size. Housed within a beautifully engineered metal casing, V-Stage comprises four clearly defined sections, which act as the sound sources, described by Roland as Parts: Organ, Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano and Synthesizer. The Synth section is doubled, meaning that you can generate two sounds simultaneously. It’s worth noting that many of the audio effects associated with these Parts, are included within each section, but there is a further separate Total Effects section, residing alongside a Master section, handling the attributes relating to the V-Stage output.

88-note good

Choosing the right size of keybed, for gigging purposes, normally comes down to the singular issue of whether you want a fully weighted keyboard or not? (And will your back cope with the weight, assuming that you don’t all have a roadie to lift it for you!)

The 88-note version is predictably a fully-weighted affair, with a hammer action and escapement, specifically designed to accompany the Acoustic V-Piano section. The semi-weighted 76-note offers a refined velocity detection system, aftertouch and a ‘waterfall’ feel. NB, there’s no aftertouch on the 88-note!

Apart from the missing 12-notes between models, there is a 7kg difference in weight. Undeniably, the piano experience of the weighted keybed is sublime, but that might not be enough if you just need a lighter keyboard. The 76-note playing experience is good, but the keyboard does feel predictably lively, and there is a sense of considerable ‘thudding’, when you find yourself playing with heavy hands.

Pianos, pianos, everywhere!

Turning to the sound engines, we start by engaging with the V-Piano section. This section offers unlimited polyphony, so you’ll never get a sense of note-stealing. Unlike many competitors, the Acoustic Piano section is modelled, rather than sampled. From the player and listeners’ perspective, this means that there is a certain organic nature to the sound, but moreover, you have capacity to change every element of the timbre, down to the most subtle nuance. In editing terms, it is a programmer’s dream. It also means that you can extend beyond simple EQing, which can be really important when playing through a large PA. Big sound systems don’t always respond well to acoustic pianos.

There’s a considerable collection of pre-ordained piano instruments. Alongside the more usual Grand and Upright models, there’s a beautiful new Felt Piano, which has become something of a ‘ballad’ and ‘soundtrack’ favourite in recent years.

The large central display guides your path at all stages, with the electric piano section, located to the right, mirroring the acoustic section to the left. Included here are various incarnation of Rhodes (dictated by year), with Dynos, Wurly’s, various digital and FM-styled pianos, and finally Clavinets. Interestingly, there is no CP-80 Electric Grand here, but you will find representation of this patch within the synthesiser section. It seems strange not to include this in the electric piano section, but there we go!

The EPs are mightily impressive too, but are extended further by the inclusion of Tremolo, MFX and Amp simulators, within the EP section. Selecting sounds is an easy process, through the pressing and turning of a dedicated pot. The crystal clear display tells you everything that you need to know, with the ability to quickly assign Favourites, for speedy retrieval.

Hammonds and more

The organ section also offers unlimited polyphony, as well as hosting a number of different organistic options. There are plenty of Tone Wheel and Transistor-based organs, as well as church-like Pipe organs. Much like the EP section, distortion is baked in to this section, with a dedicated pot to increase the amount of drive.

The Organ section is also equipped with real drawbars. These perform beautifully, although there is no notching on these faders. Slightly disappointingly, these faders are not assignable to MIDI, for use as MIDI controls. However, there is full rotor control, both within the organ section and from two chunky assignable buttons, located on the left-hand side. The Rotor can also be placed under pedal control. We also have to mention that the Hammond playing experience on the 76-note, is really quite exceptional! Runs and glissandos are exceptionally easy to manifest, so this might be a consideration, when choosing model size.

The Synthesiser section could be regarded as fairly basic, but not in sonic variety. The V-Stage ships with 400 ZEN-Core tones, opening a wealth of possibilities through the Roland Cloud. Thanks to the V-Stage’s USB connectivity, you can load model expansion titles, such as the Jupiter-8 or Juno-106. Importantly though, it’s really easy to just activate the section, for the purposes of placing a pad or string sound behind a piano. It’s the kind of thing you can do easily, on-the-fly, which is exactly what you need when playing live.

The onboard synth controls are however a little basic. There are two Attack/Release envelope pots and solitary pot for filter cutoff. You can control filter resonance, but this requires pressing the shift button, while turning the filter cutoff pot! Yep, we know! Why, Roland, why? However, you do get two synth engines for the price of one, and in doubling, you can create some exceptionally large textures.

Practical control

As each section is so clearly defined, it’s very easy to immediately switch sections on and off. Control backlighting is mostly in white, with the part on/off buttons illuminating in red, so you can clearly see where to go to deactivate a part.

With so many sounds and parts in play, you can store any overall patch in what is described by Roland as a Scene. This stores all active sounds and settings, including applied effects. There are 512 Scene locations available, but you can also chain together up to 128, which will prove very useful for building a set list.

In the quest to create the perfect stage keyboard, Roland conducted plenty of research, in discussion with professional players. The net result is a number of useful additional features, such as connectivity for Apple’s MainStage package, which becomes controllable from the V-Stage. MainStage connection is simple, thanks to the USB-C socket on the rear, although there are also USB-A ports, for connecting additional controller keyboards or thumb drives.

Once back home, the V-Stage also provides a built-in audio interface, which connects directly to your computer. There is even a microphone connection on the rear, which you could use live, or use to record at home.

Verdict

The V-Stage is undeniably a superb-sounding and well thought out pro-end keyboard, which clearly has aspirations of capturing part of the market. In use, the sounds are very effective and highly authentic. As a playing experience, it’s right up there!

There is a wealth of live-inspired control, allowing keyboard zoning and layering, guided by the central display. Splits can be instigated anywhere on the keyboard, unlike some competitors, which dictate split points.

Ultimately, whether you choose a Roland V-Stage over anything else will probably come down to the feel of the keyboard. Sonically, it’s as impressive as you would expect it to be, and for our money, we would consider the 88-note model, if you’re playing, is more pianistic. If you are more of a synth and Hammond player, the 76-note could be a game-changer.

Hands-on demos

RolandChannel

Alternatives

Specifications

It’s 3 March, also known, to Roland at least, as 303 Day, and to celebrate the company is giving away free licenses for its official TB-303 plugin via Roland Cloud. You’ll need to be quick in claiming yours though, as the company is limiting the offer to a maximum of 3,030 downloads.

The original TB-303 hardware is one of the most iconic synthesizers of all time. Initially pitched as a replacement for a real bassist, the 303 was a commercial failure when it first launched, largely due to how little it sounded like an authentic bass guitarist.

However, cheap second hand units made their way into the hands of adventurous producers, most notably Chicago trio Phuture, who found its harsh filter resonance and unique sequencer could be pushed to create the distinctive basslines we now associate with acid house and techno.

Roland’s plugin version, TB-303 Software Bass Line, was released via the company’s Cloud subscription service on 303 Day 2019. It faithfully models the design of the original, with its single oscillator, resonant low pass filter and basic envelope, but adds a few additional flourishes, including a Condition parameter, which is able to artificially aged the sound of the virtual analogue circuitry, as well as delay and distortion effects, both of which are a big part of the signature acid sound.

The plugin also redesigns the notoriously awkward sequencer of the original units, which makes programming patterns considerably easier without losing the esoteric elements that contribute to the character of the 303.

When we reviewed it at launch, we concluded that Roland’s take “sounds as close to the real thing as we’ve heard in software.”

You can grab a copy of the software 303 by signing up at the Roland official site. The offer is open until 12pm PST on 10 March or when all 3,030 copies have been claimed, so if you’re tempted we’d suggest making your move now.

Alongside the giveaway, Roland is also celebrating 303 Day with a quartet of online tutorials: Mastering the TB-303 Sequencer in Roland Cloud, Beyond Acid: Pushing the TB-303 into New Sonic Territory, and deep dives on classic 303 cuts Song of Life by Leftfield and Praise You by Fatboy Slim.

Grammy-winning artist and producer Annie Clark - better known under the stage name St. Vincent - has invited Reverb into her studio space to show off some of her gear, discuss her recording ethos and witness a spontaneous jam session.

In the video, Clark describes how she went through a phase of “thrifting” gear on Reverb, deliberately seeking out unpopular pieces of equipment in the hopes of sticking it to the haters. “I had a period of time where I was [doing] the Reverb equivalent of thrifting,” Clark says. “I was like, ‘I know people think that these are terrible machines but I’m going to prove that they’re great!’”

The machine Clark is referring to is an MC-303, a Roland instrument released in the late ‘90s that was the first (and worst, according to some) to bear the name "groovebox". Equipped with a sample-based sound engine, the MC-303 was packed with classic Roland sounds but earned its fair share of criticism thanks to an unintuitive interface and limited sonic tweakability.

Clark admits that she ultimately came to the conclusion that the MC-303 actually “might be kind of terrible”, but that she still found a place for it on the track Big Time Nothing, from her 2024 album All Born Screaming, after spending hours scrolling through the machine’s presets. “I can’t show you [the sound] because it’s totally broken,” she says, “but it’s also not worth repairing”.

Another of Clark’s Reverb finds is a vintage Omnichord, the quirky chord-strumming Suzuki instrument released in the ‘80s. While the (also busted) Omnichord OM-37 shown in the video has no MIDI outputs, Clark says that she made use of a later, MIDI-equipped version of the instrument on several tracks from her 2009 album Actor, sending out “harp-like sweeps” via the Omnichord’s strum plate to trigger other synths in her studio.

Later in the video, Clark embarks on a spontaneous jam using some of her favourite synths and drum machines. Programming a pattern on her Arturia BeatStep Pro sequencer, Clark sends this out to the Vermona DRM1 MKIII drum machine and layers that with snare rolls produced by the Roland TR-8S, mixing the results live on a vintage Boss KM-60 mixer that Clark loves for its distortion.

Clark says that although she loves to jam as much as the rest of us, messing around in the studio can sometimes make her lose sight of her ultimate goal: writing songs. “Sometimes doing this stuff is a distraction from sitting down and writing the song I know I need to write,” she says. “My main passion is actually writing songs - that’s immensely harder than just dicking around in the studio all day”.

Subscribe to Reverb's YouTube channel.

Behringer is on a hot streak at the moment: following the release of a raft of new products in December - including long-awaited recreations of the classic PPG Wave synth and LinnDrum drum machine - the German manufacturer returned to NAMM after a decade away with a show-stealing clone of the Yamaha DX1.

You'd think the company might take a little downtime after such a barrage of headline-grabbing new releases, but it seems that Behringer is only just getting started. Today, it's announced that the RD-78, a remake of the historic Roland CR-78 drum machine first teased in 2020, is now available to order.

Released in 1978, Roland's CR-78 was a landmark instrument in the history of music technology, being the first drum machine that allowed users to program and recall their own custom patterns. Though designed as an accompaniment for organ players, the CR-78 found favour with scores of influential musicians throughout the '70s and '80s, including Tears for Fears, Blondie and Phil Collins.

Behringer says the RD-78 authentically captures the classic tones of the CR-78 thanks to detailed recreations of the original drum machine's analogue circuitry. A new 909-esque clap joins the CR-78's selection of 14 drum sounds, a list that includes guiro, bongos and cowbell alongside the usual suspects, and you'll find all of the CR-78's beloved preset rhythms onboard.

RD-78 also recreates of some of the CR-78's more distinctive features, letting you drop in drum fills and breaks between patterns, fade patterns in and out when triggered, and adjust the tonal balance between bass and treble via the Balance dial. While the CR-78 required the use of an additional device - the WS-1 - to dial in your own patterns, RD-78 is equipped with a far more intuitive 16-step sequencer that can store up to 32 patterns.

RD-78 augments its vintage forebear with a number of modern features that, though they now seem par for the course, were a little way off back in 1978: you've got individual volume and mute controls over each voice, along with enhanced connectivity options that include MIDI in/out/thru over DIN and USB, sync in/out, and individual 3.5mm outputs for each voice alongside a dedicated headphone out and main output. You've also got also ports for hooking up footswitches to control transport and trigger fills, should you so wish.

Behringer's RD-78 is priced at $199. Find out more on the company's website.

NAMM 2025: The NAMM show where music's big gear manufacturers wheel out their big guns for the year ahead and, of course, Roland is never one to miss the opportunity to launch a major new keyboard line.

In our video above, we caught up with David Ahlund, Roland’s global synth product specialist to find out more about their new performance-focused V-Stage line. So where does V-Stage fit in with Roland’s already burgeoning synth line up, we wondered?

“It’s basically an all-in-one gig rig but it has a complete focus on keyboard sounds, so that means organ, acoustic piano, electric piano. We do have a synthesizer section as well but the main focus is keyboard sounds with a dedicated section for each. It’s also designed to be very quick to operate, to set up your scenes and your patches,” Ahlund explained.

Of course, by now Roland have got their synth development and technology back-end thoroughly fettled with all of their current instruments featuring their Zen Core engine, a shared technology both able to accurately emulate their classic synths and be the backbone for future-focused synth developments.

It’s the power behind the Jupiter, Juno, JX and SH emulations on board their Fantom, Jupiter and Juno hardware keyboards, and is also what drives the plug-ins (both old and new) within their Roland Cloud digital service.

It comes as no surprise therefore to find that the new V-Stage has Zen Core inside too.

“It does have the Zen Core sounds but that’s not the focus,” corrects Ahlund. “The focus is the organ, acoustic piano and the EP which have different technologies. The organ and acoustic piano are all modelled and the EP is a new, we call it ‘enhanced supernatural’ with brand new samples of tine EPs, reed EPs.”

And there’s Roland’s V-Piano tech on board, the digitally modeled infinitely variable piano that offers precise control of every parameter from frame size to degree of lid opening. “Because it’s modeled you can really tweak the piano and make very detailed adjustments to it,” says Ahlund.

So who is the new V-Stage – available in both 76 and 88-note piano-weighted versions – aimed at?

“It’s largely aimed at professional players who mainly focus on keyboard sounds. Like if you’re in a soul-funk band, or a church band... the synthesizer is still there if you want a nice pad layer on the acoustic piano,” explains Ahlund.

And, having got hands-on with both new keyboards we can testify as to their quality of build and road-worthiness – right down to those cheeky Nord Stage-emulating wooden red end panels…

V-Stage will be available this Spring priced at $3,500 for the 76-note version and $3,999 for the piano-weighted 88.

Check out our video above to see and hear it in action.

NAMM 2025: Roland Corp, a long-term enabler of the hybrid acoustic/electronic drum set community, is showcasing the next generation of its highly-respected drum triggers at NAMM 2025, and look, ma, no wires.

The WT-10 Wireless Trigger Adapter and DH-10 DrumLink Hub aren't available quite yet, but when they do hit the shops, you'll be able to get your hands on a solution to all that irritating cabling. The WT-10 also enables owners of Drum Workshop’s DWe convertible drums to seamlessly integrate Roland pads to their set-ups.

Promising "lighting fast triggering" - a minimum requirement, frankly - the whole DrumLink set-up is aimed at pros, so we're confident it will deliver. All being well, we'll get hands-on in Anaheim very shortly to confirm that,

As you'd also expect, the WT-10 and DH-10 can be used with Roland drum and cymbal pads, RT-30 series acoustic drum triggers, the V71, TD-50X, and TD-27 V-Drums sound modules, as well as the SPD-SX sampling pad series. As mentioned above, the WT-10 can also play nice with the DWe Wireless Hub via DrumLink, the wireless receiver for DWe convertible drums.

We don't have a release date or price point yet but will bring those to you ASAP. In the meantime, stay tuned to Roland.com for more info.

NAMM 2025: Chinese manufacturer Donner has been building quite the reputation over the past few years, as it steadily expands its catalogue of accessibly-priced gear and instruments to encompass such wallet-friendly wonders as the Medo and 303-inspired Essential B1 bass synth.

Donner's latest release is another generously priced analogue synthesizer that also takes cues from a vintage Roland instrument: the SH-101. Joining the B1 in the brand's Essential series is the L1, a modestly-sized monosynth that complements the expressive tones of Roland's '80s classic with a modern touch.

L1 is built around a 3340 analogue oscillator and 3109 voltage-controlled four-pole filter, a recreation of the SH-101's original filter chip that features the same self-oscillation abilities. L1's oscillator can produce saw, pulse and triangle waves, along with noise and a sub-oscillator.

These are joined by a single multi-waveform LFO and two envelope generators - one more than the original SH-101 - the first can modulate several parameters including pitch and filter cutoff, while the second shapes the VCA. The synth also features a 64-step sequencer, with storage space for 128 patterns and 32 songs, and a multimode arpeggiator.

The most striking element of the L1 is its detachable keyboard: connecting to L1 via the S2C (Snap2Connect) magnetic keyboard system, the 32-key KB-32M also features dual touch strips for pitch bend and modulation, and will be compatible with future Donner products in the Essential range. It's sold separately, and you can also use it as a basic standalone MIDI keyboard. 

While its a nifty idea, we can't help but note a similarity to Roland's Boutique range, a series of mini-synths (one of which is also based on the SH-101) that also link up with a detachable MIDI keyboard. On the connectivity front, L1 has USB MIDI, MIDI in and out and CV/gate inputs, along with an audio input that can be used to run external sources through its analogue filter.

The release of the L1 finds Donner edging ever-further into Behringer's territory with another enticingly affordable vintage clone; we're keen to find out how it stacks up sonically against the German manufacturer's SH-101-inspired MS-1 synth, which received an update last year. The MS-1 certainly comes out on top on the aesthetic front: its bright-red exterior and 101-style sliders are far easier on the eye than Donner's drab, all-business grey.

Essential L1 is priced at $279.99 and the KB-32M keyboard will set you back $119.99. They're both available for pre-order now and first units are expected to ship in May.

Find out more on Donner's website.

NAMM 2025: Roland has released plenty of stage pianos in the past, but the new V-Stage looks like something a little different. Indeed, it feels like Roland is parking its considerable tanks directly on Nord’s lawn with this one, right down to those red wooden end cheeks.

It’ll take more than that to displace the likes of the Nord Stage and Yamaha CP88/73 from their headline slots, though, so what does the V-Stage have on its rider? Quite a lot, it turns out, starting with four independent sound engines.

Powered by Roland’s V-Piano technology, the Acoustic Piano section kicks things off. There are two concert grands, an upright and a felt piano, all of which promise the usual combination of tonal authenticity, playability and nuance.

The Electric Piano engine, meanwhile, is apparently new for the V-Stage, and based on the latest iteration of Roland’s SuperNatural technology. There are reed, digital and Clav instruments, while hands-on effects include tremolo, an amp sim, MFX processing and the intriguing Sound Lift Knob, which is designed to help you cut through in a dense mix.

Over in Organ land, Roland’s Virtual Tone Wheel technology powers a three-layer console organ, two transistor models and a pipe organ, with drawbars and percussion controls giving you that classic feel. And of course, you also have overdrive, vibrato/chorus and rotary speaker emulations to work with, along with a brake control and adjustable mic positioning.

Things get potentially even more interesting in the Synthesizer section, where the tried and tested Zen-Core engine powers 400-plus built-in tones. You can use two parts simultaneously, while hands-on controls include attack, release, filter and more.

And sure enough, V-Stage is also compatible with the Roland Cloud, so you can add more patches and sounds as you wish. We’re led to believe that Modal Expansion emulations of the Jupiter-8, Juno-106 and other Roland classics come free with the V-Stage, so you’ve got some good stuff to play with right out of the gate.

Perhaps the biggest test of the V-Stage’s viability, though, will be how intuitive it is. Performers need fast and easy access to their most-used features, and Roland thinks it’s giving them this via a well-designed front panel, an LCD screen and clearly labelled controls. There’s a substantial library of effects, a Master section with EQ and compression, and 512 Scene memories so that players can save complete keyboard setups for later recall. Scenes can also be chained together for fast access while on stage.

Connectivity options, meanwhile, include XLR mic and stereo line inputs, and USB-C, which enables both audio and MIDI interfacing. You can choose between 76- and 88-note models: the former has a semi-weighted waterfall keyboard that will suit organ players in particular, while the latter is weighted with a hammer-action, making it ideal for pianists.

The V-Stage 76 costs $3,500/£3,027/€3,499, while the V-Stage 88 is yours for $4,000/£3,459/€3,999. Both should be available right about now, and you can find out more on the Roland website.

NAMM 2025: Coming in at the top of Roland’s headphone line-up and aiming to be the ultimate all-in-one, the company has announced its latest Roland-branded collab from its V-Moda side-brand.

Pitched as the ultimate studio headphone, VMH-S100 is aiming at nailing any job in music production, from sound design and recording right through to critical listening and mixing.

Along with the inevitable promises of sound fidelity, the VMH-S100 features Roland's V-Moda brand’s famous good looks, with a hard wearing metal outer construction that offers both durability and style.

And - as required by any battle weary studio pro - there’s said to be comfort and long-term wearability at play, too with replaceable ear pads meaning that you can keep the cans fresh for as long as you need them to perform.

When it comes to truly loving a piece of kit, it’s often the little things that mean a lot, and the VMH-S100’s ability to be wired to the left or right ear cup - with both offering a secure connection socket - will doubtless win over pros more used to fitting in among their studio’s cables, rather than the other way round.

Spec-wise, there are custom-engineered 50mm drivers, and an impressive frequency response of 5 to 40,000Hz. While closed back, delivering the required sound insulation when recording, Roland promises an open and immersive soundstage when mixing, too. And it's not skimping on the goodies, either, with each pair shipping with a carrying pouch, two cables (1.5 m and 3 m), and that essential stereo 1/4-inch adapter.

And in something of a first for Roland, the venerable Japanese hardware house is offering VMH-S100 purchases a taster invite to its Roland Cloud digital service, gifting them three months of full, Ultimate-level access to its suite of DAW-ready synths and effects.

The Roland VMH-S100 will cost $299, with a roll-out into US markets later this month. Find out more on the Roland website.

NAMM 2025: It's been 50 years since the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus guitar amp was released and won an army of fans thanks to its legendary clean tone. So what better time for Roland to unleash a software version? Get ready for the "king of clean", coming soon to a DAW near you...

1975 saw the release of what would become one of the most-loved amps and chorus effects of the era, the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus. As the need for punk and distorted guitar tones fell away, in favour of the clean sound and quality chorus effects that were ushered in with the 1980s, the JC-120 was adopted by guitarists the world over, who fell in love with its polished tone and powerful sound.

Artists including Andy Summers (The Police), Robert Smith (The Cure), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), and Johnny Marr (The Smiths) are among many notable users in the guitar community. Uber producer Steve Levine is also a huge fan of the original, saying, "this amplifier absolutely suited the high quality and beautiful recording that was taking place in the '80s. It was the perfect amplifier for the time."

For the amp's 50th anniversary, Roland has announced a software recreation, so producers and guitarists everywhere can now access the "king of clean".

While the original amp/chorus remains in production, the new plugin recreates its sound and character "through deep analysis of the original circuitry". You get both the powerful and ultra-clean tone - as originally created using an integrated stereo amplification system and custom 12-inch speakers - along with the evocative Dimensional Space Chorus, an effect that was actually first introduced to the world via the original hardware.

The plugin has new features to go alongside that classic character, with a choice of stereo modes, tempo sync, speaker simulation with multiple mic types and positions, plus an ambience control.

The new JC-120 Jazz Chorus VST3, AU and AAX plugin will initially be introduced via the Roland Cloud Ultimate Early Access program, although a release date has yet to be specified, and nor has a price for the individual plugin (if indeed it will be made available outside of the Roland Cloud ecosphere as many Roland plugins are).

However, the plugin will likely be included as part of the full Roland Cloud subscription which costs $20 a month and gets you all of the existing and future Roland plugins. (There are lower cost subscription levels, but they only offer a limited number of software titles.)

You can get more information on the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus plugin from the Roland and Roland Cloud websites.

There’s an inherent issue with playing the drums that has plagued drummers since the birth of the drum kit. It’s one that can range from being a small problem or, at its most extreme, the difference between being able to pursue drumming as a hobby or not. And it’ll rear its head for all of us, regardless of our ability or budget. I am of course talking about noise. There’s no escaping it - playing the drums is a loud activity. Electronic drums go a very long way when it comes to diminishing the amount of intrusive noise we create while playing, but even with headphones and mesh heads, depending on where your kit is located you could well still end up annoying those around you.

Roland has been at the cutting edge of many developments in electronic drums, and its latest is the VQD106 kit (VQD stands for V-Drums Quiet Design), which claims to be able to reduce the noise levels by 75% when compared to other electronic drum sets. In fact, Roland is so sure of its noise-busting features that it says that the VQD106 produces the “lowest playing-noise in the history of electronic drum kits”.

Build quality

That’s quite a claim, so what exactly makes the VQD106 capable of being so much less intrusive than its competitors, and indeed, Roland’s other electronic drum sets? There’s no single answer, instead, the solution lies in a number of design points which have been applied to pretty much every area of the kit.

First though, we need to understand the main causes of the noise issues when it comes to electronic drums. There are two bothersome areas: airborne and vibrational noise. The first is the noise we create when hitting a pad with a stick, and while loud in the room, is less prone to travelling too far.

Vibrational noise, however, is often the most problematic - particularly if you’re playing upstairs - to the point where you might not even realise it’s a problem at all. That is until your co-dwellers and neighbours start banging on the walls and ceilings. Vibrational noise comes from every part of the kit: hit a pad and the vibrations travel through your drum rack and straight into the floor. Similarly, your floor-mounted pedals are primed to send the thump of the bass drum and hi-hat controller straight into the fabric of the building.

Unless you’re playing on a solid concrete floor, this will travel through the floor joists to the room below as well as into the walls. This isn’t just marketing hot air, either. I’ve experienced angry neighbours knocking on my door during what I believed to be a near-silent post-10pm practice session. As I quickly found out, it turns out that even the most tolerant of grindcore fans don’t appreciate the three-two clave of Rosanna interrupting their blastbeats of an evening.

So, the way to combat this is via isolation, or ‘decoupling’. That is, removing the ability for vibrations to transfer between the drum kit and the room you’re playing it in. Roland has gone to town in this regard, even creating its own mini-documentary detailing the story of the VQD.

Starting from the floor, the VQD106 is built around what appears - at a glance - to be a regular drum rack. But look a little closer and you’ll spot the domed rubber feet under each post. This is the first step towards vibration-busting, but it’s literally just the start. The bass drum pedal and hi-hat controller are mounted on NEQ-K and NEQ-H platforms, similar to the Noise Eater products we’ve seen previously from Roland. Combined with the rack feet, these are designed to achieve a similar result to the homebrew ‘tennis ball platform’ you might have come across, except they’re a lot neater looking and you don’t have to make them yourself.

Next is the KDQ-8 bass drum tower, which again is equipped with boom-busting rubber isolation feet to minimise the amount of impact noise travelling through the floor. But, as well as this, the VQD comes with a nifty tennis ball beater. This squidgy mallet works with the mesh head and a floating, triple-layered playing surface to reduce the initial amount of vibrations created by hitting the pad as well as minimising the airborne smack sound in the room.

But the biggest news comes from the pads. Inside, the playing surface is made of a honeycomb-shaped rubber material. In each case, this is topped with a mesh head coating in order to maintain a familiar feel when playing, but to further aid with stopping the vibrations travelling into the stand, the underside of each pad is vented. These vents allow stick vibrations to disperse rather than transfer, effectively stopping the problem before it arises.

The cymbals feature the same honeycomb/mesh combo on the bow section of the cymbals, and the edge zones are cushioned with a soft rubber coating, the idea being that you can play time on the crash or ride edge without compromising the low-noise properties of the VQD. Finally, the playable sections of the cymbals are isolated from the plastic parts, once again… you guessed it, stopping vibrations.

The VQD106 comes as a five-piece configuration, plus 3x CYQ-12 cymbal pads for hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals (both two-zone, choke-able). The PDQ-8S snare pad is two-zone, while the PDQ-8 tom pads offer a single zone, and the whole lot is built around Roland’s TD-07 module. As well as this configuration, Roland offers the VQDPADS setup - a brainless kit in the same configuration listed, allowing you to hook the pads up to your existing Roland drum module if you already own one.

Sounds & verdict

For the first time in a long time, this review isn’t going to feature on the sounds coming out of the module (you can read our review of the TD-07KV for that). Instead we’re interested in the sound the VQD106 claims not to produce. To do this, Roland kindly sent a regular TD-07 in order to compare the noise levels first-hand, meaning the VQD should be fairly instantaneous in its noise-beating performance.

MusicRadar’s e-drum testing room sits above a communal kitchen area in a busy photo studio. But there’s a problem - how do you know how noisy a drum kit is in the room below if you’re upstairs making all the noise? Simple, you enlist a colleague armed with a decibel meter, and take turns to play/listen.

I’ll cut to the chase - the VQD not only works, but it does everything it says. Inside the room it’s noticeably quieter all round when compared to the TD-07KV kit, but what surprised me the most was the feel of the kit. With so much foam in place, it’s surprising how similar to Roland’s standard mesh-equipped pads it feels. There is a difference - it’s spongier and more forgiving on your hands, almost like a cross between Yamaha’s TCS and Roland’s PDX-8. But, these heads are tensionable too, so you can customise the feel to an extent.

They’re responsive and feel great to play while achieving the low-noise performance they set out to. The only major gripe is that the tom pads are single-zone. This is also a limitation of the TD-07 module, however if you did want to connect this to a two-zone capable brain, or purchase the PADS configuration, you’ll still only be able to get one zone from the tom pads.

I was expecting the cymbals - specifically the soft, squidgy edges - to be the biggest change in feel. They do feel different, particularly if you’re used to playing Roland’s latest CY-14T or CY-16t ‘thin’ models. But it’s not necessarily in a negative way. There’s a little bit more weight to these, but crashing on the edge results in an absorbent response. Roland makes no claims of reduced hand fatigue, but with all the vibrations disappearing into the honeycomb and other design points, it certainly feels like there are fewer fatiguing vibrations transferring back into the stick. That’s a double win for anyone who has ever wailed on an electronic kit for a couple of hours only to find that their wrists and forearms are starting to ache.

Overall, I have to applaud Roland. The electronic drum market is becoming a fiercer arena by the month, and while there’s no shortage of options when it comes to copycat kits, innovation has to come from somewhere first. Of course, that innovation comes at a price. The VQD106 is not at an entry-level price point, but it is paired with a mid-range Roland module.

The big question is, is it worth the difference? That’s where you’re going to have to decide for yourself. If noise isn’t a big problem, then it wouldn’t make sense, but if the building where you play your kit makes it impossible to enjoy without annoying everyone around you, it’s a far cheaper option than investing in structural soundproofing measures.

Once again, Roland has proved that it’s pushing things forward, and it’s not hyperbole to say that the VQD could well unlock drumming for people who otherwise can’t possibly play a kit at home.

Hands-on demos

Andertons

65Drums

Specification

• Type: Five-piece, low-noise electronic drum kit
• Configuration: Kick, snare, 3x toms, hi-hats (w/foot control), crash, ride
• Pads: 1x KDQ-8, 3x PDQ-8, 1x PDQ-8S, 3x CYQ-12
• Stand: Four-post w/noise-lowering feet
• Module: Roland TD-07
• Contact: Roland

Roland RD-2000 EX: What is it?

Designed with gigging keyboard players in mind, as well as those who might require a flexible MIDI controller keyboard, the Roland RD series is a pretty dependable product line.

Previous incarnations of RD were renowned for flexibility, coupled with a desirable keyboard action which aficionados of the weighted keyboard realm have heartily applauded. But this is also a market that has become fiercely competitive, in no small part thanks to Nord and Kurzweil, both with skin in the stage piano game.

Roland RD-2000 EX: Performance and verdict

If you are the sort of keyboard player who was brought up with the piano, you are going to feel very at home with the RD-2000 EX keyboard action. Roland has employed its PHA-50 keybed technology, in a fully-weighted 88-note design, constructed from wood and plastic. As any experienced keyboard player will attest, all keyboards and pianos are different, but once over the RD’s initial hurdle of unfamiliarity, you quickly start thinking about your playing, and less about the keyboard itself. That’s a good sign!

Moreover, the RD is replete with controls, providing a useful immediacy for switching patches or performance expression. A crisp illuminated display is in the centre of the RD’s panel, with nine chunky buttons immediately to the right. These buttons allow quick access to sounds and patches, with a further row of buttons above, for deeper access. There is a ubiquitous scroll wheel, with the equally familiar Inc/Dec buttons, accompanied by arrows to aid navigation and scrolling.

To the left of the keyboard are the real-time control elements: eight infinite rotary pots line up alongside nine faders, all of which can be deployed in a number of different settings. The faders initially act as volume controls for each zoned sound, either from within the keyboard or externally. Roland has provided several preset examples, one of the most obvious being subtle strings which can be increased quickly and easily alongside any primary pianistic tone. They can also be redeployed as drawbars, if playing Hammond-like sounds, or programmed to emit MIDI controller information.

Get connected

There’s a healthy number of socket essentials around the back, starting with a main pair of XLR outputs. This provides instant DI connectivity, alongside four supporting 1/4” jack outputs, acting as a mirror to the main out, and an assignable sub-output pair. I/O is also available via USB, allowing connection to a USB stick or computer. A minijack audio input provides simple playback from a device such as a phone.

Further expression control is provided by four 1/4” input points, for various forms of pedal. Roland helpfully supplies a sustain pedal as part of the package. At the opposite end of the panel is the power input, which accepts a standard IEC cable, negating any problems with earthing or substandard DC power supplies. This might all seem like basic stuff, but to a gigging keyboard player, it’s the simple things that make a real difference!

The sonic realm

At first sight, the EX model of RD-2000 appears very similar to its predecessor, but the differences become apparent when you start to dive into the sonics. One of the improvements emanates from the rewriting of the included V-Piano algorithm, resulting in greater sonic performance and realism. Roland is keen to take advantage of this, providing an extensive array of new patches to show off its new technology.

As you scroll through, you cannot help but appreciate the sheer volume of the overall supplied tones. Across the entire RD, there are over 1,100 sounds, with the initial salvo taken up extensively by pianos. Both the new V-Piano and SuperNATURAL technologies are included as sound engines, with enormous diversity in the pianistic colours available.

At the most impressive end is the German Concert, modelled on a Hamburg Steinway Concert Grand. As a solo instrument, it is impressive and weighty, with all of the beauty you would expect in the lower mids from an enormous grand piano. This is fine for entirely soloistic duties, but in the commercial domain, we often want something a little brighter, that will cut through a mix or live PA. Scrolling through the patches, the Studio Pop piano easily provides a colour which is associated with popular Japanese brands, while continuing to sound balanced.

The sonic sojourn continues through Tine, Reed and FM-based electric pianos, Clavs, Harpischords, Mallets, and on to Strings and Pads, like a professional version of an old GM synthesizer. The bottom line is that everything you are likely to need as a live keyboard player is available, and moreover, the choice is bewilderingly extensive. You would think that there would be plenty of similarity, but thanks to the extensive tones, coupled with the comprehensive effect section, you can find what you need relatively quickly, and utilise it for immediate recall on a gig.

Of course, a large part of the RD’s feature set relates to the layering and splitting of the keyboard. This is fairly easy, thanks to the central display and ability to control partial volume, from the performance faders.

Verdict

The RD-2000 EX offers a beautifully expanded bounty of immediate sounds, providing an impressive backbone, for a reliable keyboard format. However, the operating system seems to get more complicated the deeper you dive, and providing you don’t need to do this during a gig, should not be a problem during performance. It’ll take time to understand the multi-use nature of many of the controls. In our testing, we found ourselves moving faders on several occasions, and providing the wrong outcome, due to its current setting. This might be dangerous in a low-lit gig environment, but providing you organise your patches to suit your workflow, it’s an excellent choice of stage piano or controller keyboard, for gigging and studio musicians.

MusicRadar verdict: The Roland RD-2000 EX is a flexible and appealing professional grade keyboard, which can go way beyond the traditional realms of a stage piano. Going deep on-the-fly might tempt fate, but organising patches in advance will yield a superb playing experience.

Roland RD-2000 EX: The web says

"Roland’s RD-2000 EX ticks every box: it’s robust, feels fantastic, provides high-quality sounds in every category, and features, quite possibly, the most dynamic piano (V-Piano) sounds in any portable instrument. It’s outstanding."
Higher Hz

Roland RD-2000 EX: Hands-on demos

RolandChannel

Merriam Music

Digitalpianocom

Kraft Music

Roland RD-2000 EX: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Unlimited Polyphony (V-Piano Engine). XLR and 1/4” Balanced outputs. Full MIDI and Audio-over-USB implementation. Inbuilt power supply (IEC cable). Fully-weighted 88-note keybed. Pitch ‘Bender’ plus pitch/modulation wheels onboard. Real-time control via pots and faders. Over 1,100 onboard sounds. Extensive multi-FX section.
• WEIGHT: 21.7kg/47lbs.
• CONTACT: Roland

It's been a busy week for Behringer, as the German gear brand follows up its promise to deliver a raft of new products in December with two new synths based on classic instruments. Tuesday saw the announcement of Wave, its long-awaited PPG Wave clone, and today Behringer has unveiled a $99 analogue synth inspired by the legendary Roland Jupiter-8.

JT Mini promises to pack the sound of the Jupiter-8 into a portable, lightweight and affordable package, adopting the same diminutive form factor as Behringer's JT-4000 Micro and Pro-VS Mini.

JT Mini's three analogue oscillators are equipped with saw, triangle, square and pulse waveforms, along with pitch modulation and PWM, and it's a paraphonic instrument, meaning that JT Mini can play multiple notes simultaneously, but its voices share a filter and envelope.

The synth's oscillators run through a multimode analogue filter with both 12 and 24 dB/oct slopes, and there's a single LFO onboard with multiple waveshapes. Both this and its ADSR envelope can be used to modulate a number of different parameters across the oscillator and filter sections.

JT Mini is equipped with a tiny 27-key touch-sensitive keyboard that can also be used to program its 16-step sequencer. As well as recording melodic patterns, the sequencer can be used to record parameter changes and can store up to 10 sequences. There's a multimode arpeggiator onboard too. As for I/O, you've got USB-C, MIDI in, sync in/out and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Earlier this year, the company shared a glimpse of JT-16, a 16-voice clone of the Jupiter-8 that has been years in development; with the JT Mini now shipping, perhaps JT-16 is a step closer to becoming a reality?

Watch a video demo below or find out more on Behringer's website.

Roland Go Keys 3 and 5: What is it?

For a beginner, the keyboard market can be a daunting place. There are so many options out there that look broadly the same, but vary wildly in price.

In some ways, Roland’s latest Go Keys only adds to the confusion. It doesn’t really look like a beginner keyboard is supposed to look and is - get this - available in multiple colour options. Throw in the fact that it actually comes in two versions - Go Keys 3 and Go Keys 5 - and you’ve got a potentially head-spinning proposition.

The good news, however, is that there’s nothing here to be scared of. In fact, there’s rather a lot to enjoy. In each Go Keys keyboard - we’ll get to the differences later - the 1,000-plus sounds are created by Roland’s Zen-Core engine - the same one that powers the company’s higher-end synths - and the 61-note keyboard is velocity-sensitive. Built-in speakers mean that you can simply sit down, turn on and play.

In traditional home keyboard fashion, you also get auto accompaniments. These aren’t the dinky bossa nova presets you may remember from days gone by: the catalogue covers hundreds of styles, each of which has multiple variations. These can be set to follow the chord sequencer - you can use the preset chord progressions or make your own - or you can turn this off and let the accompaniments follow your playing. If you’re a beginner, the chord changes can be triggered with just one or two fingers; more advanced players can use full chords of multiple flavours.

Other features include an arpeggiator, metronome and audio/MIDI recorder. There’s Bluetooth audio/MIDI, USB audio/MIDI interfacing and the option to add more content via the Roland Cloud (providing you’re a subscriber, of course). The optional WC-1 adapter even enables you to do this wirelessly from your smartphone.

Power can come from the supplied mains adapter or AA batteries, a fresh set of which should keep you playing for up to six hours, depending on what you’re doing and how loudly you’re doing it.

Roland Go Keys 3 and 5: Performance and verdict

Roland has used its Zen-Core sound engine in so many keyboards now that there’s a danger that it could start to outstay its welcome, but its presence at this price point gets the Go Keys 3 and 5 off to a great start. It might take you a moment to get your head around the concepts of tones, category, banks and scenes - even the manual doesn’t explain it brilliantly - but the good news is that you can start by simply selecting a voice type using one of the selection buttons (piano, electric piano, strings, synths and ‘other’) and turning the dial until you find one that you like. You can also split the keyboard so that you can play one sound with your left hand and another with your right, or layer up two sounds and play them in unison.

The quality of the tones is generally excellent, particular when compared to those you’ll find in some other entry-level keyboards. The key action is definitely on the light side, though - if you’re set on becoming a concert pianist, an instrument with weighted keys would definitely be preferable. (Side note: if you want a similar feature set but with a proper hammer-action keyboard, take a look at Roland's excellent FP-E50.)

But if you’re a beginner who wants to have some fun, rest assured that the Go Keys 3 and 5 are both very playable. Pitchbend wheel aside, there’s little in the way of hands-on control - sound designers aren’t the Go Keys’ target audience - but you can edit each tone’s parameters and effects to a certain extent (there are also system effects) via the small LCD display. This can be a slightly laborious process, and one that a lot of owners simply won’t bother with, but there is some editing potential available if you’re prepared to go looking for it.

Things get even more interesting once you fire up those accompaniments. Obviously, they’re not all going to be to everyone’s taste, but many of the pop, R&B and dance styles certainly have a contemporary flavour, and there are more traditional rock, country and jazz patterns, too. Coupled with the chord sequencer, they could be helpful for songwriters, and I enjoyed improvising over them, too.

All the features we’ve mentioned so far are included in both the Go Keys 3 and Go Keys 5 but, obviously, there are some differences. The most immediately noticeable is the speaker configuration; both models have stereo speakers, but the Go Keys 5 adds a ‘passive radiator’ that promises extended bass response. This is definitely noticeable, and adds more body to both the internal sounds and music you play through the speakers over Bluetooth. That said, we did notice a few audible vibrations when we cranked up the volume, which we didn't get from the Go Keys 3.

The ‘5’ also includes a 1/4-inch mic input, some decent vocal effects (including a harmoniser and a voice transformer) and better connectivity in general. While the Go Keys 3 has just a sustain pedal input and a mini-jack output, the Go Keys 5 also has a control pedal input, a mini-jack stereo input and 1/4-inch L/Mono and R outputs.

If you’re not bothered about the mic input and vocal effects, the best value model looks like the Go Keys 3. Yes, the speakers on the Go Keys 5 are better, and the extra outputs would be useful for hooking up to other gear, but you do at least have a mini-jack output on the Go Keys 3, which can be used for either headphones or some better speakers (which you probably already own). Given that you can save yourself up to $150 if you go for the cheaper model (assuming you can’t find a great deal on the ‘5’), we’d say that the compromises are probably worth making.

The truth is, though, that either of the Go Keys would serve as a great introduction to the keyboard world, being suitable for learning, jamming and - thanks to the inclusion of that Zen-Core engine - recording. In fact, even if you buy one and your playing skills eventually outgrow it, the portability and sound quality on offer mean that this will always be a fun instrument to have around the house.

MusicRadar verdict: There are one or two frustrating compromises on the cheaper model, but either of these Go Keys would be a great beginner keyboard, and a potential gateway into electronic music making in general.

Roland Go Keys 3 and 5: Hands-on demos

Andertons

Jeremy See

Roland Go Keys 3 and 5: Specifications

• 61-note keyboard with touch sensitivity
• ZEN-Core engine with over 1000 Roland sounds
• Auto-accompaniment with over 200 onboard music styles
• Chord sequencer with user editing features and over 300 ready-to-play presets
• Stereo speakers and passive radiator (passive radiator Go Keys 5 only)
• Bluetooth audio/MIDI support
• USB audio/MIDI interface
• Microphone input and onboard vocal effects (Go Keys 5 only)
• Audio inputs and outputs for connecting with other sound devices (expanded on Go Keys 5)
• Pedal hold and external control jacks (control jack Go Keys 5 only)
• USB port
• Dedicated WC-1 adapter port for Roland Cloud Connect (Go Keys 5 only)
• Support for Roland Cloud Connect (optional) allows you to wirelessly browse, audition, and download Roland Cloud content from your smartphone
• Dimensions: 950 x 286 x 87mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 4.5kg (Go Keys 3); 4.9kg (Go Keys 5)
• Contact: Roland

Roland Juno-D7: What is it?

The Roland Juno name has a complicated history, once a range of cheaper analogue polysynth alternatives to Roland’s more expensive Jupiters, with the original Juno-6, 60 and 106 becoming sought after by vintage purists.

However, more recent Junos have veered sharply away from these originals’ specs. Earlier this century the name returned; in Roland’s eyes it still meant ‘entry-level’ and not ‘vintage classic’, so was slapped on cut-down Fantoms and wavetable synths including a 2004 effort which was confusingly called Juno-D, as is the latest Juno on test here.

2022’s Roland Juno-X was a fantastic nod back to the original synths, though, but this latest 2024 Juno-D – available as a 61-note and 76-note ‘synth-action' D6 and D7, and an 88-note weighted hammer-action D8 – is a nod back to that entry-level philosophy. Don’t expect vintage analogue then (unless you dig deep and digitally), but do expect a lot of features wedged into its lightweight design, and a lot of bang for buck.

Roland Juno-D7: Performance and verdict

Juno-D is one of those keyboards aimed at players and performers, the likes of which really are packed to the rafters with sounds, sequencing, playing options and (if you want it) more depth. Mostly, though, it's about simply playing from a mighty 3,800 ZEN-Core sounds (easily selectable by category) and 95 drum kits, all of which which can be played as individual single tones, or layered patches (commonly as two parts).

Multipart ‘scenes’ can also be set up where up to seven tone parts plus percussion can be created with editable parameters like keyboard ranges and velocity curves, plus more obvious tweakable (via sliders) volumes for each part. Handily, these can act like multitimbral setups by changing each part's MIDI receive channel. Another plus is that all tones in the Juno-D can also be sent to or loaded in from Roland’s ZEN-Core desktop software.

The sounds at the core of Juno-D are just the start though, as you get many other features including a decent sequencer – not exactly fulsome with a maximum of just 64 steps and few quantise options, but it is very (very) easy to use. There are also lots of effects (93 each of multi and insert), chord memories, rhythm patterns and arpeggiation. A Phrase Pad area wraps the more instant of these up into one section, with four simple buttons and eight pads to select beat segments, sequences and an overview of scene mixes.

There’s even a fair bit of synthesis power under the hood should you wish to dig, but you will have to wade through pages of, albeit fairly simple, menus, made easier to navigate by the super, large screen. Hands-on controls to change parameters are limited though – you get four rotaries to change obvious filter parameters (plus secondary assignments on hand for EQ and more). With many other sonic parameters rather buried, this isn’t a synth for easy synth tweaking on anything more than a basic level; it's more a keyboard for surfing many a sound and playing or accompanying.

And really Juno-D is all about accessing these quality sounds fast and setting up live multiparts and sequences. It loads them in with no fuss or delay and it sounds as good as you undoubtedly expect – realistic when needed, although not as layered and nuanced as a many-gigabyte software instrument might be.

Synths and pads are good with some multipart setups complex and evolving. Even those set up for modern (ish) genres like drum & bass aren't as embarrassing as these might have been back in the early 2000s! These scenes obviously lend themselves to parts for individual song performances during a gig – simply dial, sequence or play – and while this keyboard does much more, and could be mistakenly seen as a jack of many trades, its strengths as a performance and player’s machine should not be underestimated.

Juno-D is doing a lot, then, covering many performance functions that a gigging player needs and in a very portable keyboard – it’s solid, but at 6.8kg (15lbs) the D7 is lightweight enough to take from venue to venue (and the D6 only weighs 5.8kg). It is a good, if slightly unexciting entry in Roland’s keyboard lineup, then, a great performer with synth aspirations if you like, and while it is aimed at (and a very decent option for) beginners to the workstation ethos, it is also a solid choice for a variety of other tasks if you want to dive in. But its biggest attraction is the price as it delivers a lot of high-end workstation power – and much from the pricier Roland Fantom range – in a more cost-effective, lightweight, albeit cut-down package.

MusicRadar verdict: A great synth workstation for those new to the genre, with some hidden extras for more experienced players, and all at a very keen price. Just don't expect a 1980s’ Juno.

Roland Juno-D7: Hands-on demos

RolandChannel

Loopop

Merriam Music

Khordmaster

Roland Juno-D7: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Keyboard: 71 Velocity-sensitive keys; polyphony: 128 voices; parts: 7 tones plus percussion; engine: ZEN-Core includes 3,800 presets and 95 drum kits which are expandable via Roland EXZ; 128 Scenes (multiple parts) plus 128 user; effects: 93 multi and insert effects, 6 drum compressors, master EQ, chorus and reverb (use an EQ or multi-effect per part); mic input for vocoder with noise gate, compressor and reverb effects; sequencer: real or step time, 8 tracks, 64 steps; rhythm pattern, arpeggiator and chord memory functions; display: liquid crystal colour (480 x 272 pixels); connections: USB (audio interface at 24 Bit / 96 kHz), 3 x 6.3 mm main and headphone outs, 2 x 6.3 mm pedal and footswitch, MIDI in and out, mic in XLR/TRS combo socket, stereo 3.5 mm line input, USB-A (for storage devices) and USB-C (for computer); power supply: via USB-C port and external PSU (included).
• DIMENSIONS: 1217 x 324 x 94mm.
• WEIGHT: 6.8kg.
• CONTACT: Roland

Roland Space Echo RE-201 Plugin: What is it?

Back in 1974, Roland was still a relative newbie on the block, creating musical tools for home organists and guitarists alike, having only just released its first synthesizer the year before. But 1974 was also the year that the RE-201 Space Echo was released; a large wooden box, covered with Tolex, which went on to become one of the most highly prized tape echo/delays ever produced.

Upon switch-on you immediately heard the scratchy sound of a tape loop, being recirculated in the chamber located just underneath the lid. The sight and sound of a loop of brown magnetic tape performing a form of snake dance, still remains a thing to behold!

That was then, and this is clearly now, and quite a lot has changed in 50 years. Many companies have attempted to recreate the Space Echo in plugin form, which does make us wonder why it has taken Roland so long to get around to producing the Space Echo in software? The good news is, it’s now here, forming part of the excellent Roland Cloud family, and even better, it’s astoundingly good!

Roland Space Echo RE-201 Plugin: Performance and verdict

The original Space Echo, along with numerous other Roland variants, continues to be an in demand vintage product, with a price tag to match. Unsurprisingly, the software modelled by Roland is exacting in detail, while providing additional functionality, some of which is pretty basic, but welcome and overdue.

Graphically speaking, the interface is beautiful. It looks every bit as resplendent as the original unit, within a plugin window which can be easily resized. If it looks too good to be true on-screen, you do have the option to adopt an ‘aged’ look, complete with nicks and rips to the Tolex.

The front panel remains pretty identical, with just a couple of minor tweaks to the GUI. The ever iconic Mode Selector pot, which is used to select combinations from the three virtual tapes heads and reverb, remains the largest and most central component, with accompanying function settings to the right.

It arguably feels a tad archaic to control a plugin from a mode selector of this kind, but we can't begin to imagine the uproar that might have ensued, had it been omitted! There is a welcome drop-down, located on the top left, where presets can be saved and recalled.

In its default state, the reverberation sounds as dark and springy as it always did, true to the original, warts and all! It was arguably never the best reverb, but it can excel in certain production settings. Meanwhile, the tape delay free-wheels, with the instant ability to change the rate of delay and feedback, via the associated pots.

There are several basic but considerable enhancements, hidden away in a settings pane at the bottom of the window. Once revealed, you have the ability to tempo sync to your DAW, and switch to stereo mode. As the original unit was only a mono device, this is fairly groundbreaking, if not a basic requirement.

A number of controls adjust the condition of the tape, wow & flutter, and motor torque, as well as Tape Speed control via LFO. These parameters can induce some pretty insanely brutal effects, if liberally applied, or pulled back for subtle tone deviation.

Good company

They say that fashions go in cycles, but it feels as though the Space Echo has been part of a renaissance throughout its entire lifetime. There is so much love for the original unit that it arguably garners a wider fanbase than the most infamous of synthesizers, due entirely to its far-reaching usage possibilities.

It was an unsurprising hit with artists producing reggae, for those classic guitar-chop delays, but also became an indispensable part of the production tool-kit for bands like Radiohead. The delay element of the plugin entirely lives up to its tape-degraded and saturated roots, with signals repeating to points of total extremity, if required.

The wonderful thing about placing the Space Echo plugin under DAW control, is that those classic effects of feedback and pitch alteration, can be easily recreated and automated. Moreover, it is arguably easier to control, with the humanistic hit-or-miss quotient removed, by its placement in the DAW domain.

Verdict

It’s fair to say that we remain enormous fans of the Space Echo product line. We have owned the original, and been totally blown away by the stomp pedal variations that Roland has produced in recent years. This plugin is a natural progression and sounds just like an original, while being simple to use, and easy to control from within your DAW. The Space Echo is back, and frankly, it’s about time!

MusicRadar verdict: Everybody should have a Space Echo in their lives and we defy you not to smile while using it. Thanks to Roland, it's now affordable and equipped for the current production age.

Roland Space Echo RE-201 Plugin: Hands-on demos

RolandChannel

Roland Space Echo RE-201 Plugin: Specifications

• macOS 12.
• Windows 10.
• Plugin formats: AU, VST2/3 & AAX.
• CONTACT: Roland

Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal have known each other long enough that they can finish each other’s sentences but what they can’t do is predict with complete certainty how their song ideas might land with one another, and maybe this is what keeps Tears For Fears so hard to second guess after all these years.

The not knowing is a fundamental element in their creative chemistry. What each of them is looking for is surprise. “Totally, 100 per cent. I sometimes work on things and I’m not sure myself, to be honest with you,” says Orzabal. “They’re not fully formed. They’re not fully finished, and I’m close to them, obviously. We had a writing session, Curt and I, I took No Small Thing back to England, and I wasn’t sure about it at all.”

Ultimately it was Orzabal’s wife, Emily, who convinced him to send No Small Thing over to Smith. Her intervention was crucial, because the song was the key that unlocked the sound and emotional register of their 2022 studio album, The Tipping Point.

“I’m always attracted to the stuff that slightly different and less obvious, the songs that are slightly out of the ordinary,” says Smith, bathed in sunlight, while Orzabal, checking in from the UK where it’s almost midnight, sits in a darkened room – it is as close a Zoom call gets to music video production values.

Released nigh-on 18 years after their post-reunion comeback, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, The Tipping Point was a heavy lift. Smith says No Small Thing was the epiphany they were looking for, all because it wasn’t what anyone would have expected of them.

“I really felt that that was gonna be the thing that kind of the glue that brought this album together,” he says. “You need those songs on every album. That brought the album together in a weird way. On Songs From The Big Chair, I think The Working Hour is that song. They don’t necessarily have to be the hits. It’s something that just has that depth that makes the whole album work.”

No Small Thing was constructed to make the audience lean in, a song that opens with to a simple acoustic guitar riff and Orzabal’s vocal. The arrangement could not be any more spare. Then it builds, and it builds, and having drawn us in, it then takes us into the sort of 360º production that has made Tears For Fears one of pop-rock’s great world builders. This is why it opens The Tipping Point, and why Orzabal and Smith chose to have it open their set.

“It’s incredibly unfamiliar for Tears For Fears. It’s like ‘What, have they gone country? What’s going on?’ Of course, it then develops into something else,” says Smith. “It’s like that little earworm, and it really does emotionally draw an audience in. One person standing onstage, starting the set, singing, and then the band slowly coming on, it creates a wonderful opening.

“The other way of doing it is to come in with a huge bang, which we’ve done before. There are different ways of doing things emotionally. You certainly do not want to come in with a whimper.”

That set has been captured for posterity on Tears For Fears’ new live album, Songs For A Nervous Planet, which is out today (25 October) and features their July 2023 performance at the FirstBank Amphitheater, Franklin, Tennessee, plus four new studio tracks: Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad, The Girl That I Call Home, Emily Said, and Astronaut.

It is also being released as a theatrical feature, Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film), which is out in cinemas worldwide.

Orzabal wanted to shoot the film at the Hollywood Bowl. That is what were the Beatles recorded and he loved that album as a kid. But, all things considered, Franklin is a spectacular setting, with the rock illuminated by stage lighting.

And Franklin, onstage, is where we’ll begin our conversation in which Smith and Orzabal as they discuss the importance of creative independence, what they are looking for out of their production process – and from their collaborators – and why it is true that Orzabal really did open his wallet for Joe Strummer after the Clash frontman accused him of ripping him off. It's a mad world, indeed.

Some artists say that an album doesn’t feel real until it has been released and performed in front of an audience. How did performing The Tipping Point live change your perspective on it?

Curt Smith: “The thing we felt was that the new material really stood up to the old material. We were so incredibly happy with The Tipping Point as an album. But it also enabled us to enjoy [the show] more. Before The Tipping Point came out, we were getting a little bored with playing the same songs. This made our songbook much bigger, and really updated the story.

“With this tour, we’d started to make these visuals for the tracks that didn’t involve us being in them, and realising that that would work wonderfully as a backdrop because they’re telling their own story. The whole thing with The Tipping Point became more of a show than just going to see a band playing live. There were there were more elements to the show than just us.”

Did you feel a little bit like underrated as a live act? Because you have always had emphasis on performance.

Smith: “Yeah, I think we have, but the people that hadn’t seen us played really don’t know that. The people who haven’t seen us play live before – and we don’t play live all all the time, so that’s a big percentage of the people that listen to our music who have not seen us play live – don’t realise that we’re actually very much a live band.

“They see two people and they think it’s couple of guys with synths and a backing tape and singing – and that is so not what we are. For one, we’re both guitar players. Roland is a guitar player. I am a bass player. And our band is incredibly good. The people we play with now are really good.

“The great thing about the film is that it allows people that haven’t been to see us live go watch and realise that, ‘Oh, they’re actually musician musicians. They’re not just people who go into the studio and record.’ It really is more. Especially when you get to tracks like Badman’s Song, which is like an eight-and-a-half minute jam, which is wonderful to play live. I mean, it’s great fun for us.”

You doing this concert film made us wonder whether you might remaster that Massey Hall performance from 1985 and put it out on Blu-ray. A young Curt Smith in a yellow Ivy League shirt and a headless Steinberger. Brilliant.

Smith: “We are definitely vastly improved since then. Even though it wasn’t a bad show, but here’s the difference; most of Massey Hall we rerecorded but 99 per cent of what you hear on the The Tipping Point, on this film, is from the show. That’s it. There were a couple of boo-boos that we had to correct but apart from that is is all live performance.”

One thing that you do so well is you’ll write a hook that is so easily digestible, a totally elemental melody, then you pair it with a big idea, on that could be taught in a postgraduate programme, and then you make them work together.

Orzabal: “That’s a very good way of putting it. I don’t think we can get that any better.”

Smith: “I mean, we definitely took No Small Thing to its limits. It was very short to start with and we elongated it. We then got to the point where we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we just kept on adding and adding and adding?’

“There was no way for us to put more on that song at the end without you missing everything, it just becoming noise. Those things, they are just interesting things for us to do. They are the exercises in production and recording that we enjoy.”

And you clearly enjoy that act of subverting straightforward pop compositions. Or you’ll tease a motif and use it elsewhere, like with Broken and Head Over Heels. What is the relationship between those two tracks and why did you decide to almost conjoin them as a DJ might mix them?

Orzabal: “Well, if I remember rightly, it was the musical theme, the intro of Head Over Heels [hums the piano intro] that was the linking object. There were a lot of discordant songs at the time in pop music, in the early ‘80s, and Broken, which was just going to be A dumb B-side was one of them.

“Within that rather discordant song we introduced the notion of the Head Over Heels motif, such that when we went into rehearsal for the In My Mind’s Eye video and tour [1983] we just put the two together and they seemed to work. Then it was from hearing that live that we decided to put the live version of Broken on the Big Chair album at the end.”

That feels like such a bold move to have one track foreshadowing the next like that on the record.

Orzabal: “It’s almost prog rock.”

Smith: “Yeah, it’s that juxtaposition that works. You’ve come out of this furious and bombastic love song into an incredibly discordant, less than a minute’s worth of mayhem, just when you thought you were safe! [Laughs] These kinds of things interest us.”

There’s more than meets the eye to Everybody Wants To Rule The World, too. You could say it is in D major, in 12/8, and on sheet music it looks simple. But the sound is so three-dimensional. It’s like you when you have something that’s simple, it has to be something more.

Orzabal: “Does it have to be something more? Yeah! I think that we are both easily bored, and I have been in musical situations – and recording sessions – where I am actually quite shocked by how simple the thing is that we are listening to over and over and over again. I am just gobsmacked! And I think Curt and I are similar, like, ‘Okay, we did that. Let’s try something else now. Let’s put a little bit more on the top of it.’ That’s all it is. It’s partly boredom.

Smith: “Well it’s partly boredom but it’s also taste. The records that I like to listen to, some are simple and they have their own value, but the ones that interest me the most are the ones I have to listen to a bunch of times to try and work out what’s going on. I remember sitting with headphones on and listening to Peter Gabriel’s third album and trying to work out what he was using, and what sounds were there. As opposed to just listening to it as just a recording.

“I wanted to know the bits. I think that there’s a certain joy in it. There’s a certain joy in putting together puzzles where all these pieces suddenly fit and become this one piece of magic. I think Everybody… does that very well because there are not that many bits in it but they fit together and fire off each other so well. There’s a magic about it, and a lot of it – to be blatantly honest – is trial and error.”

When you get that puzzle right, that’s what makes it last and stay fresh. The elements might be simple but as a whole, it’s something different. It’s a bit like how a painting might reveal different things each time you look at it.

Smith: “I think that if you make anything of quality and depth it lasts, personally. Even if you go back to the Beatles, and you are looking at a different technology back then. You are just fascinated by how they could do that with the technology available at the time. That’s you as a producer. That’s you trying to really wrap your head around how that is possible.”

Roland, did you really give Joe Strummer £5 because you ripped off The Clash on Everybody Wants To Rule The World?

Orzabal: “He said to me, and this was a long time ago, ‘Hey Roland! You owe me a fiver. Because on Sandinista! I sang everybody wants to rule the world.’ So, to be honest with you, I didn’t have a fiver. I had a tenner.”

Smith: “I knew that was coming! [Laughs]”

Orzabal: “I signed the tenner.”

Smith: “And said, ‘Now I’ve signed it, that makes it a fiver.’”

Orzabal: “So there you go. Yeah.”

What was the biggest thing you learned in terms of production from doing The Tipping Point? It’s a constant learning process.

Orzabal: “First of all we learned, Curt and I, together with Charlton Pettus, our guitarist and producer, that we could make the record on our own, and we also learned that we could take what other people had done and work it into the fabric of the album. We were just full of confidence.

“We had done it before, of course. We had spent four or five years making Seeds Of Love but this was at a period when we were just brimming with confidence. We have different ways of listening to things. I think we were listening to it quite loud in Charlton’s room, but Curt would take things away, I would take things away.

“Curt would have gripes about certain things that I wouldn’t really worry about, and vice versa. And so I think what we learned – and without any pain involved – we would take things away, we would come back in the morning and we would have a very, very clear idea of what we needed to do.

Smith: “I also think one of the big lessons, which really I think we knew at heart anyway, is that there’s no one better to produce our music than us.

“For us, as producers, I think that what our previous manager didn’t realise was that we are by far the best people to produce our music. If someone else involved then it is not ours. I don’t think he gave us enough credit to actually believe in us that much, and that was quite sad.”

Charlton is such an important part of your band, as a producer, as the guitar player. Do you have a similar relationship with him as you did with Neil Taylor, and how do they compare as players?

Orzabal: “Neil was a genius guitarist. Neil is a genius guitarist, still is. He goes on YouTube every now and again and you can watch him play his solos from Tears For Fears and other things. He is a remarkable guitarist. There is no doubt about it. He can do things that we can’t do – and no one I know can do the things that he does.

“What it is with Charlton is that he is a multi-instrumentalist, and he understands the language of music, and nothing you can do is going to completely pull the wool over his eyes. Sometimes when you bring in stuff that’s programmed, a song with sounds that he doesn’t know, he isn’t aware of, he will be impressed for about five minutes until he takes it all apart.

“He speaks Curt’s language and he speaks my language. He is an archetypal modulator, or translator, and his brain is incredibly open to everything.

Smith: “I think understanding both of us is the key to it, and you can talk to him in various different languages. Like, you can talk to him technically, or you can talk to him emotionally. ‘It’s not moving. It’s not got enough darkness.’ Or whatever. He’ll get that, and he will know what you mean by that. So it’s a different relationship. If there was anyone, he’s the best we’ve worked with.

“He’s definitely not like Neil. Maybe in our early days he’s a bit more like Ian Stanley but even then, looking back at Ian’s time, I think we were more producers than Ian was. So maybe Chris Hughes [is like Pettus]. Chris Hughes got us both to that degree but he wasn’t as musically adept as Charlton is.”

It must be a little difficult for outside parties, for session players – or producers, as you’ve said – to offer suggestions, or ideas.

Smith: “Charlton is not shy about giving us suggestions that are unwelcome.”

Orzabal: “But unlike people we have worked with before, he will show by example. So for instance, we were playing around with Emily Said, in a way that it wasn’t quite right. The song wasn’t actually finished, and Curt and I had a bit of a disagreement about things, and Charlton said, ‘All right...’

“The next morning, lo and behold, he’s put all these acoustic guitars, he’s got this crazy drum fill, and I go, ‘Well? Hmm… Maybe!’ He’s more like that. He’s hands-on. So we have a lot between the three of us. We can have a battle about the bass playing but eventually we will get it because we don’t care, ultimately, who does what. We just care about what comes out the speakers.”

Is this sense of play and discovery something that keeps you going? That feeling that there is more to learn.

Smith: “We’ve never go to the stage where we’ve thought we have made the perfect record. We are always on the lookout to discover new ways of doing things, new sounds, what else can we do to make this interesting.

“As Roland mentioned earlier, we get bored very easily, so doing the same thing over and over again does not interest us in any shape or fashion. Until we have something new and interesting – be that musically or lyrically – until we have something to say then we say nothing.

“I think that sense of boredom and wonderment at what music can do still exists for both of us, and as long as it does we will continue to try and plumb those depths of what is possible.”

In terms of sounds, one of the big ones for Tears For Fears was the sample of Led Zeppelin’s snare sound. But is that era for production over, where you can find a readymade sound? Or will it always exist?

Orzabal: “Both statements are true. We have moved on but we still have readymades. Nowadays, I would say every musician has pretty much the same thing on their computers, and if you keep your ear out and you know how to use them you literally can press ‘play’ and get these remarkable results. You just have to look for it.

Smith: “A lot of it is down to how you utilise it. You can use a standard sound in a new way, or on a song where you wouldn’t think that standard sound would work in, so it’s completely down to how you utilise the sounds that are available to you. Some people do it incredibly well. Some people do it in a boring way. We try to make it interesting.”

Let’s finish on the most utilitarian note possible. Why Duesenberg bass guitars for you, Curt? And where did your walnut Stratocaster go, Roland?

Smith: “I am not the technical guy. I’m like, ‘That looks good. I’ll try it and see if it sounds good.’ So, the different ones I’ve used are for simple reasons – one is growlier than the other. Why? I don’t know, I leave that to the technical people. But it is, it gives me the growl that I want. And it is warm and it sits in the track nicely.

“It is a warm with a bit more bite, and Duesenberg were kind enough to design it for me, and make the one-off. Mine is literally a one-off guitar that they designed to replace the Hofner I had because they thought it could sound better than it did – and they were correct.”

Orzabal: “[Deadpan] I have 50 guitars. And I’ve got some beauties. I’ve got to say. I don’t buy fast cars. I used to buy fancy cameras, and I kind of still do, but my obsession is guitars. The walnut Strat, called ‘The Strat,’ that you referred to, is actually in storage in Britain, and will probably be coming over at some point.”

That’s good to hear. Because there was rumours that you had given it away – not that that’s an ignoble fate for the instrument but…

Orzabal: “I may have had more than one!”

You have some big shows in Las Vegas coming up but after that might we see you in the studio sometime soon and do you have ideas for new material already?

Orzabal: “I do, yeah. But I’m keeping schtum. [Laughs]”

Smith: “Yeah, but until you get into the studio you don’t know what that is. I mean, to be honest, there were ideas for what the last album we made was going to be and they changed over the years. Shit happened over the years. Until you get to the actual point of making it you don’t really know. Things change and a lot of our ideas, or at least the feel of an album, comes from being in the studio.”

• Songs For A Nervous Planet is out now via Concord. Tears For Fears (A Tipping Point Film) is in cinemas now. See Tears For Fears for tickets and screening details.

Since 2009, ROLI has become something of a byword MPE-based innovation, with uniquely designed instruments such as the La La Land-starring Seaboard offering more dimensions of control to musicians, and acclaim from the likes of Hans Zimmer, Grimes and - ROLI's former Chief Creative Officer - Pharrell Williams. Despite its status as one of the industry’s most celebrated boundary-pushers, the company has faced no shortage of challenges, namely its filing for administration in 2021, forcing a re-brand as Luminary, before a switch back to the original monicker.

As far as its CEO, the inventor and entrepreneur Roland Lamb, is concerned, ROLI is now a firmly re-established company. In his view, ROLI continues to drive a forward-facing path as a beacon for ‘freeing the music’ within people.

ROLI’s recently announced Airwave underlines this philosophy, positioning itself as a revolutionary way of both learning and interacting with music. Harnessing a series of 3D cameras, the device can map the position of the hands , granting further dimensions of expression and intuition.

We spoke to Roland in the wake of the Airwave announcement, intrigued to find out just how the company’s latest venture can ‘free’ the music…

MusicRadar: Hi Roland, the Airwave cements ROLI even further into the music education space that you’ve increasingly become a major player in. Was the Airwave concept envisioned as an educational concept from its inception?

Roland Lamb: “It's an interesting story, because when I first started working on the Seaboard, it really was about ‘how do we bring more expressiveness to piano and digital instruments?’ At that time, I actually looked into computer vision as a way of doing that. It was in the back of my mind as one possibility, but the technology and the processing requirements just didn't seem to be precise at that stage. Especially for understanding very subtle touches and directions. So, I went down the route of exploring more touch-based tech, which led to the Seaboard. But that seed had been planted. Years later I realised there was a key problem [that keyboard/piano learners] all needed to get around - how do you use the right finger at the right time and get good hand posture?.

“I went back to that thought of, what if we could use computer vision? And at this point the tech was actually good enough. It had improved hugely over the years and we were at a a place where all of [what I first imagined] was possible. As soon as I started thinking about that, the question of expression also arose.

"So, yes, we are leaning in on the learning side. But I think what really happened was, as we went further and further in the development of Airwave, we started to think of this technology, ultimately as a platform technology.

“That means that it will have different applications, and learning will be just one application, and expression will be another application. There will be further applications still, because playing any musical instrument is all about your hands, whether you're learning it or you're playing it and creating micro-corrections and more depth. An instrument that can see and understand what you're doing with your hands is a fundamental upgrade.”

MR: With that in mind, I guess there's the novel prospect that a young music learner might start with Airwave and, when they’re ready to begin their artist journey, take it with them into into the creative world as an expressive instrument. I can’t really think of anything comparable…

RL: “Think about an iPad - you don't think the iPad is for ‘learners’ or the iPad is for ‘creators’. It's for everybody. it's a platform set of technology that includes camera, big screen, touch, etc. We now know that on that platform, many different applications can succeed.

“The nice thing about that is you can take your iPad with you through life. I’m actually traveling with my kids now, and when they were really young, they might have used it for games, now they're watching movies, they do their homework on it, and later, they'll do other things. We have the same vision for Airwave. Wouldn't it be amazing start building products that could sit in the living room. Kids could start learning with it, later maybe Dad can do a little bit of music production. As the kids get older, they can also start learning about creation and performance. I’m confident that computer vision is a necessary component for that [idea], and we feel really lucky to be the first people to do it [in our] marketplace.”

MR: Do you think something like Airwave is actually pretty vital for young people today, considering the mass of competing content and time-swallowing activities pulling people away from discovering music?

RL: “Absolutely. I think it's really important to look back, say 40 years ago. We were at a moment where, obviously there were no smartphones, and we had just reached the time of the electronic word processor. When you think of what's happened [over the years] to the electronic word processor, and the number of steps that that it has taken to become a modern laptop, before then moving into smartphones and tablets. But electronic keyboards, I mean, they're better than they were 40 years ago, but are they fundamentally different in terms of design?

“If you look at [the evolution] of gaming, and you look at all the other things that now compete with music that are digital, then it's no wonder that people are spending more time doing those kinds of things because modern digital tools are so well-designed. That's absolutely the aspiration for Airwave, building a modern, natively digital platform for music learning and creation that can basically make variance feel as seamlessly intuitive as so many of the other great digital experiences we have at our fingertips today.”

MR: With innovation in general, it’s surely pretty hard to get people to change the way they approach music, especially for those who’ve been doing it for a long time. How do you intend to sell this vision?

RL: “It's always hard to try to find the right innovation sweet spot, because you can do things that are too far ahead of the market. You can do things where you're really no staying ahead, and you're a couple steps behind. A lot of judgments go into that that are both about medium-term to long-term technology trends as well as the immediate market.

“Obviously, I want to balance all of these and try to get them all right. I think for us, innovation is in our bones. It's our spirit, it's what we do and and we need to make that our competitive advantage. As we've been taking a lot with this little rebrand that we did, bringing together our learning and creation into one platform. We said what we really want to do is ‘free the music’. We want more people to have more opportunities to engage in music.

“When we look at innovation, we have to look at it at two levels. We say, 'what's the platform-level innovation' and then 'what's your product innovation?' We have to try to make sure that our products deliver really deliver good value to our customers on day one.

“We'll be putting out some more videos and tutorials on how to use Airwave in the coming days, [to really help] with learning. We think we can make that easier, more efficient. In terms of existing artists and musicians, though we've been sort of focusing the attention at launch on what you can do with our Airwave player with its own native sounds from Equator (ROLI’s signature synth).”

“Airwave has six dimensions, and those could be mapped to any [software parameter]. That’s going to add a lot of ecosystem value for composers, producers and others. Based on the testing that we've done, we're pretty confident that Airwave’s day one product value will be high.

“But you’re completely right - innovation is hard, and we have tried so many different sort of ways of producing the software and form factors for the hardware, and they haven't all been right. Some of those things you know you have to leave on the cutting floor, but it's who we are and what we like to do. So we try to take it on the chin.”

MR: At your product launch [at London’s Fabric nightclub] one of the slides that you displayed in your keynote really resonated - it was illustrating the idea that so many people out there have music ‘inside’ of them, but lack the ability to unlock it within themselves. Would you say that belief is central to ROLI's mission to ‘set the music free.’ And, do you think that that is something that a lot of people in the industry have kind of lost sight of?

RL: “I don't want to speak in any pejorative way about all the amazing folks who work in this industry, because actually, I think everybody in the music industry wants people to create music. But, I will say that maybe it's easy for companies to get a little bit too zoomed in, if you know what I mean, on one particular customer. Every single person who is a creator was once a learner, and it probably wasn't that long ago. I think that we companies naturally [operate] in micro segments, and it makes for a disconnected, overall musical journey.

“There’s actually very few other companies that have that wider arc. But, when you look more at music tech companies, they pretty much are either looking at learning or looking at creation - and they speak to those audiences in completely different ways. I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to speak to these audiences at a broad level. With one voice? Because actually what's bringing us on the love of music?

“This feels like a moment, like when we launched the first Seaboard where we're doing something that we know is ahead of the market. Because [Airwave] is so intuitive and straightforward and has these values, we really believe that the market will see it and understand it. There's so many releases that happen in the industry which you [at MusicRadar] cover, but are fundamentally the same, slightly repackaged with slightly new features and slightly new configurations, which are important, you know. But I think with products like Airwave, it's obvious we're doing something very, very different.”

MR: So, with Airwave leading the charge, do you hope that the industry takes note, follows your footsteps and develops further tech for music-makers with 3D tracking built-in?

RL “Well, not too soon! I've never figured out how to square the circle on this, because I think, you know, as a CEO, building a business, obviously we want to get ahead and retain our kind of advantages and so forth. But, as as an inventor, many of the things that I have invented have been copied elsewhere, you know, or adapted or changed - which I generally take as a compliment. I think it means that we were on to something.

“We were not the first to be looking at more expressive instruments. Of course, the Haken Audio Continuum came well before us, amongst many others. But, we were really ahead of our time with the Seaboard, and we played a big role in pioneering MPE. Now that’s a well-recognised part of electronic music production.

“Everyone's involved in it and supports it in different ways. We're really proud to have been key pioneers in that process. Similarly, I think Airwave is actually a next generation technology that goes beyond MPE. There's such incredibly valuable features that simply cannot be done without computer vision.”

For more information on Airwave (which launches early next year) and ROLI in general head over to their website.

Following hot on the heels of last week’s flagship 7 Series TD716 release, Roland has just dropped what might be the best electronic drum set on the market for those wanting to keep the noise down, with two all-new V-Drums Quiet Design VQD106 kits.

The exciting news here (for you and the rest of your household/neighbours) is that Roland claims that the VQD106 delivers “the lowest playing-noise in the history of electronic drum kits” and by that we think it means by anyone. Anywhere. Ever.  

The VQD106 uses Roland’s existing TD-07 module, and comes as a five-piece (dual-zone snare, 3x single-zone toms, bass drum) electronic drum set, with hi-hat (including FD-9 hi-hat controller pedal), ride and crash cymbal pads. 

What’s more, it’s available as the VQD106PADS setup, which nets you everything we just mentioned except for the module, allowing you to add the V-Drums brain of your choice. 

Aimed at drummers looking to reduce the amount of airborne and transferred noise that results from hitting drum pads and operating foot pedals – particularly when played in an upstairs room or apartment – Roland says that the VQD range reduces the pad and pedal noise by 75%.

It does so through a series of technical changes to the pads’ structure and design, in combination with some more familiar features that have been upgraded by Roland. First is the rubber ‘honeycomb’ internal pad design, which absorbs the vibrations caused by the stick impact. This is, of course, topped with a tensionable Roland mesh head covering to maintain authentic stick feel and rebound.

Next up, the PDQ-8S snare and PDQ-8 tom pads are vented to allow air pressure to escape and disperse, rather than creating sound, and in the case of the rim-equipped PDQ-8S snare pad, the rim is covered in a rubber bumper to help keep things quiet.       

The noise-busting continues with the KDQ-8 kick drum pad design, which comprises an 8-inch (double pedal-friendly), triple-layered foam playing zone, wrapped in a mesh-style covering. The playing zone is held in suspended frame, largely decoupling it from its housing to reduce vibrations. Add to this the inclusion of the foam-core KDB-Q beater, and you can see how Roland is achieving its “whisper-quiet” performance. 

But it doesn’t stop there, because the bass drum and hi-hat controller pedals sit on the NEQ-K and NEQ-H -  updated versions of Roland’s Noise Eater platforms which look to eradicate any remaining vibration transfer in order to stop it reaching the floor and structure of your room.

Now, as we discovered in our DWe review, cymbals can also be a culprit when it comes to noise. For the VQD106, Roland has overhauled its cymbal design too. Once again featuring a combination of rubber honeycomb internals and a mesh outer skin, the repetitive pulse of your time-keeping and accents is greatly reduced. We get three CYQ-12 cymbals for use as a ride, crash (offering bow and edge zones in these positions) and hi-hat pad.

The VQD106 and VQD106PADS are available now priced at $1,799 and $1,599 respectively. For more information, head to the Roland website.

Roland TD716 review: What is it?

Earlier this year, this reviewer was asked to speculate on the future of electronic drum sets. Less crystal ball, and more educated guesses, these predictions were partly based on no-brainer development of technologies that already exist, and partly wishlist-fulfilling goals that we’d all love to see possible from our kits.

The great thing about living in 2024, is that ideas can become a reality - and quickly. Mobile phones might have plateaued with an annual ‘slimmer and lighter’ complacency, and your childhood dream of being able to watch every episode of your favourite show whenever you feel like it is now commonplace. But, there’s still excitement in electronic drum development. Roland has just unveiled its brand new flagship V71 module, which forms the backbone of three new electronic drum kit configurations, collectively titled the 7Series: TD716, TD713 and VAD716.

For this review, Roland sent us the top-level V-Drums kit, the TD716. It comes as a six-drum, three-cymbal and hi-hat setup, as does the TD-713, but the main difference is that the KD-18 bass drum on the TD-716 is a real-shell, 18-inch drum, as opposed to the TD-713’s KD-12 bass drum pad/tower. The TD-716 also includes Roland’s new PD-10X and PD-12X tom pads, where the TD-713 uses PDX-100 pads, as well as a more lightweight rack.

The V71 module takes its place at the top of the Roland brain family, replacing the TD-50X, which in turn was a mid-life upgrade to the TD-50. For the V71, we get a number of all-new benefits, starting with an overhauled sound set. So far, so expected - but the huge news here is that Roland has turned a corner it’s never navigated before, and that is multi-layered, round-robin sampling and playback in a bid to open one door while your DAW closes.

The sound upgrade is joined by a number of other new features including WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, the latter deemed too ‘consumerist’ in the development of the TD-50/X, but an addition we think will be welcomed by many users.

“Why do I want WiFi? I’m playing drums, not doing emails!” we hear you cry. Well, another new feature is the ability to connect the V71 to Roland Cloud - Roland’s online resource for expanding your gear. E-drum fans will be familiar with DW’s (now part of the Roland stable) DWe kits, and its Soundworks software. Well, if you’ve been waiting for the blossoming of the Roland/DW cross-pollination, here’s your first bud, because (as we’d expect) Roland is using Soundworks to partly-fuel its module sounds.

Before you throw an audio interface in our direction, it’s important to know that this has been implemented differently to how you might expect. While the DWe concept means you have to connect to a computer in order to play the Soundworks plugin (and you’ll need to do that regardless of which kit you use), Roland has mined the Soundworks recording sessions and ported the raw sample data into a module-friendly format. In addition to this, it has carried out new sessions of its own in order to populate the module, with everything captured at 32-bit/192kHz resolution.

With the TD-50, we saw a key introduction to Roland’s digital triggering technology, which does away with analogue connections for the snare drum, hi-hat and ride cymbal pads in favour of a digital, USB socket. This is continued with the V71, with the rest of the pads connecting via traditional jack cables, and once again (much to our delight) Roland has opted for individual jack connectors at the module end, rather than a pre-wired and tied loom.

But those pads have been overhauled too. First up is the PD140-DSX digital snare drum, which brings all of the same multi-positional benefits as its predecessor (PD-140D), but takes things even further. It starts with the introduction of a digital snare throw-off (one of our favourite features from DWe), allowing us to physically switch the snares on and off as-per an acoustic drum. But Roland has also added a strainer, so tensioning the virtual snare wires to our tastes is now also possible.

The new ‘low-profile’ PD-10X and PD-12X tom pads have also had some light shined on them, and as with the snare, the first visual clue is the repositioning of the rim bumper. The thick, black rubber bezel we’re used to seeing on V-drums pads has now moved to sit inside the metal rim, sitting pretty much flush to the metal in order to avoid stick noise, but from the audience's perspective, it’s much less noticeable. Instead, the pad’s die-cast rims are visible, and while nobody is going to mistake these for ‘real drums’, it says to us that Roland’s not resting on its laurels. The real proof of that, sits underneath the head, where we find the introduction of a four-cone trigger system. The response is still dual-zone (head and rim), but the idea is that more cones/sensors eliminate hotspots, and combined with the sample playback architecture, minimise the risk of dreaded ‘machine-gunning’ when playing the toms.

The drums are joined by the VH-14D hi-hats, CY-18DR ride cymbal, and in our configuration, a pair of CY-16-RT crashes (16 and 14 for the 713), which, while not new, do give us the digital triggering benefits we’ve already mentioned for the hi-hats and ride, along with the physical response and sizing of Roland’s latest and largest thin crashes.

Finally, the whole lot is mounted to Roland’s MDS-STG2 stand, which, as we’ve seen on the TD-50KV2 offers road-ready levels of support, along with a nifty conduit which keeps the cabling - for the most part - hidden along its travels.

Roland TD716 review: Performance

With everything setup, as always, our first stop is to familiarise ourselves with the module. This is made easy by the crisp, colour display which forms the focal point of the V71. At first glance, the module looks to be populated fairly densely, with the volume sliders for each pad, a couple-of-dozen buttons, cursor control, jog wheel and a number of volume controls. But in reality, operation is incredibly easy, especially if you’re already used to Roland’s navigation processes.

The sliders are the Crunchy Nut Corn Flake of module features, in that we’re reminded just how often we want to quickly adjust the volume of a kit element without delving into secondary menus and screens. The same can be said for the other volume controls, which take care of master output, headphone level, aux-in and Bluetooth volume, click and internal song levels. While we can’t say we’d prefer this over a touchscreen for home and practice use, we can appreciate that hands-on, moving controls have their place in a stage scenario, and it’s a push to say it’s better or worse. Just different.

The same things can be said for the six ‘F’ buttons which sit directly below the screen, and the cursor button/jog wheel controls that help us move around. It’s fast, responsive and while some of the deeper editing functions may require a few more button-presses to alter parameters, at no point did we feel bogged-down in menu-surfing. The layout and accompanying visual representations - from the graphic display of kit setups to the plugin-style representation of effects processors - make us feel like we’re doing exactly what we are: operating a pro-level drum module.

Without a doubt, one of our favourite new features on the TD716 is the PD14-DSX snare drum. Our initial preconceptions of the head/rim bumper layout had us slightly sceptical about how it would respond physically. Depending on your playing style, rimshots are either your go-to backbeat articulation, or an occasional accent, but in both contexts, you need the fulcrum-like placement of a rim to realistically execute it. Physically, we found it to respond exactly as designed - out of the way when you’re not attempting to hit it, but right there when you need it.

Likewise, there’s zero barrier to executing cross-stick sounds: no switching of modes, no need to apply extra pressure to the head. You simply play the crosstick as you would on a snare drum, and in the case of nearly every acoustic kit preset, are rewarded with a beautifully realistic, woody sample. If you dislike the ‘Everybody Hurts’ ballad sample that we’re often confronted with all too often, you’ll love this.

But the jewel in the PD14-DSX’s crown is the throw-off. Danny Carey impersonations, drum-free extended song intros and faux-timbale sounds aside, it’s not that often that you’re required to turn the snares off and on quickly. But the fact that it’s here is irresistibly addictive to play with, and (to our minds) gives a clue as to how seriously Roland is taking the task of transitioning between acoustic/electronic drums.

The icing on the cake is the strainer, which actually forms a lot more substance. The effect of adjusting the virtual snares is, at times, subtle, and depends largely on the wider processing (room sounds, reverb etc) of the kit. But it’s nothing short of a brilliant addition. On the more organic ‘kit-in-a-room’ presets, it’s very noticable, and we could take our snare drum sounds from sustained and mellow to tight and almost choked, just like an acoustic snare.

There’s a lot to get into with this kit. But, we can’t really go any further without talking about sounds. As the top dog in the e-kit yard, Roland is often under the microscope. The last couple of generations of V-Drums have come with a huge focus on triggering technology, build, dimensions and response. But as VSTs become ubiquitous, and pressure mounts from competitors, it seems that Roland’s head is firmly above the sand. The presets housed within the V71 module are genuinely impressive to play, and just as with the Alesis Strata Prime I tested earlier this year, it doesn’t take long to forget that you’re playing sounds from a drum module rather than a computer.

It’s loaded with authenticity, and plenty of variation all hinging around acoustic kit presets which sound brilliant for jazz, funk, rock and metal. The snares are dynamic and lively, with acoustic-style ring where you want it (removable via V-Editing where you don’t), and each one is processed appropriately. Gone is the synthetic, loose attack present at times in modules from Roland - and to be fair, other manufacturers - replaced with punchy, transient-heavy processing while remaining natural.

There’s body and character too, with bass drums delivering proper acoustic thump and slap, without sounding like they’ve been cooked-up in a lab. The same can be said of the more ambient-sounding kits, where the reverb and room sounds are full and natural sounding.

There’s a lot more to responsive sounds than just the samples. There’s a cohesion between the triggering systems and solutions that are in place, and the playback engine. Round-robin sounds mean that you’re never hearing the same sample played back-to-back, so just as there are countless variations available when you hit an acoustic drum, Roland has equipped the V71 with up to 16,000 variations on the digital pad voices, when you strike the pad, it’ll pick from this pool to make sure that there’s never consecutive playback of the same sample.

At the time that we had the TD716 for review, the Roland Cloud functionality was unavailable for testing. This is understandable given that this is Roland’s top-secret flagship launch, and access to a user-accessed web-based portal would risk a pretty serious leak. Instead, we had the same resources loaded onto an SD card. The kits are scrollable, with previews available before you choose to import them. These are organised as packs, with each pack containing multiple kits.

Importing is easy, with simple option prompts between the selection buttons and cursor. Loading the kits from the card into the module takes a few seconds - obviously with the sounds sitting natively on a card there’s no download speed to contend with. But even with that factored in, it’s quick, convenient and will continue to evolve.

Purchasers of the TD716 will get a time-limited trial of a Premium Roland Cloud account, and during this time you can download sound packs, individual instruments such as samples of the DW Tru-Cast snare as well as jam tracks to play along with.

Roland TD716 review: Verdict

There were a few questions in our head that we were hoping the TD716 would answer before we got to play it. First was regarding sounds - not only has Roland come up with a gig-worthy solution to getting realistic acoustic sounds from an electronic drum kit, but it’s done so impressively. These aren’t just ‘good for a module’, they’re genuinely useable, realistic and ultimately very enjoyable to play. Not only that, but the presets are tasteful and very well put together. There’s no learning curve to getting a great sound, because they’ve already been set up and optimised for you - and as we type this, it’s a reminder that at no point during our review was it necessary to go near trigger configuration menus.

The next questions were how would the DWe technology influence Roland’s next big output? We got our answer, and it’s ‘Very positively’. The PD140-DSX is a triumph, and placed next to the VH-14D hi-hats and CY-18DR, bolsters the TD716 with a pretty formidable triple-pronged triggering arsenal. Throw in Soundworks compatibility from within the module and we’ve got to use the phrase ‘game-changer’ for the second or third time this year.

Finally, for TD-50/50X or TD-27 owners, is it worth the upgrade? If you’ve recently purchased a top-end Roland module or kit then we’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but it’s a blunt ‘Yes’.

The TD716, and more widely, the V71 module are not cheap. If you’re thinking of saving some money and going for the TD713 instead, you’ll need to be prepared to make some concessions on the tom and bass drum pads and rack, but it is a lower entry point. There’s very little to fault with the whole configuration, and it makes us excited to try the VAD versions. Phones might just be ‘slimmer and lighter’ and we’re still waiting on the hoverboards Michael J Fox promised us, but for now it appears that Roland has put a big crack in the nut its fans have been hoping for.

Roland TD716 review: Video demos

MusicRadar

Roland

Roland TD716 review: Specifications

• Pads: 1x KD-18 bass drum, PD14-DSX snare drum, 2x PD-10X, 2x PD-12X tom pads, VH-14D hi-hat, CY-18DR ride cymbal 2x CY-16 RT crash cymbals
• Module: Roland V71
• Kits: 200 (70 presets plus expansion via Roland Cloud)
• Connectivity: 14x trigger inputs, 3x digital trigger inputs, master L/R output, 8x direct outs (4 mono, 4 stereo, all balanced) headphone outputs x2, mix input, USB C, Bluetooth, WiFi, SD Card
• Stand: MDS-STG2
• Contact: Roland

Roland has lifted the lid on its brand new 7 Series electronic drum set configurations, which replace the TD-50X-equipped V-drums and VAD sets with a brand new V71 module as the centrepiece. There’s new pads, new sounds and some exciting new features to delve into. You can read our full Roland TD-716 review here.

First is the new V71 module, which features across all three configurations. The V71 sees Roland overhaul its top-end offering by keeping the things we love (kit-part volume controls, individual trigger inputs, three digital trigger slots, balanced direct outputs and more), but it’s seemingly gone to town on the areas that matter most.

That’ll be the sounds, then. Roland says that it’s “onboard drum library has been created from the ground up with world-class instruments never featured in any previous module.” That’s a big claim, especially given that Alesis’ Strata Prime came out of nowhere earlier this year, packing the entire BFD sound library into its brain. But Roland has employed multi-sampled, 32-bit/192kHz samples, captured in new sessions to populate its module, and this is no small news, given the brand’s previous reluctance to jump aboard the sample-heavy ship.

The on-board sound engine makes use of ‘round-robin’ sample playback, picking from a pool of up to 16,000 samples per-instrument. This means you’ll never hear the same sample played consecutively, in a bid to eliminate unnatural machine-gunning.

Of course, Roland also owns DW, whose DWe kit is centred around its Soundworks software sound engine. While 7 Series kit owners will receive a copy of the Soundworks software, the more important news here is that Roland has ported the original Soundworks samples into a module-friendly format. So, you can import multi-sampled kits into the V71, and play them straight from the module, and leave your laptop at home.

With this in mind, the V71 also includes its own WiFi connectivity which allows for direct, wireless connectivity to Roland Cloud for downloading and installing expansion packs, jam tracks and more into the module. 7 Series owners will receive a 6-month tial for Roland Cloud, offering unrestricted access to all upgrades. When the trial ends, you can continue with a paid subscription, or cancel it (your downloaded assets will, naturally, cease to work without the subscription or purchase of a lifetime key for individual products).

There’s Bluetooth too - a feature previously left off the spec sheet of Roland’s flagship modules, and Roland has equipped the V71 with a colour screen to help make navigation even more user-friendly.

As well as the V71 module, Roland has made upgrades across its drum pads. Starting with the snare, the digital PD14-DSX features a similar digital throw-off to DWe’s idea, but Roland has gone a step further and added a digital strainer, so now we can adjust the tension of our virtual snare wires in the same way that we do on an acoustic drum.

The tom pads included on the TD-716 have been overhauled too. The PD-10X rack toms and PD-12X floor toms both feature die-cast hoops, with a new rim bumper design that gives them a lower profile, making the physical rim of the drum less intrusive, while still offering the required articulations for playing rim shots and rim hits.

As we’ve already mentioned, the 7 Series electronic drum sets are available in three configurations at the time of launch, all of which include the V71 module. First is the TD-716, which features a real-shell KD-18 bass drum, 2x PD10X rack toms, 2x PD14 floor toms and the PD14-DSX snare drum. It’s joined by a pair of VH-14D digital hi-hats, CY-18DR digital ride, and two CY-16R-T crashes, and is mounted on an MDS-STG2 rack system, complete with internal routing of the cables.

Next up is a more compact V-Drums setup in the TD-713. Here, the bass drum pad swaps to a KD-12 mesh head bass drum tower. One of the crash cymbals is swapped for a CY-14C-T crash cymbal, and the four tom pads are the current PDX-100 mesh-head models. We get a change in rack, too, with the lighter-weight MDS-GND2 stand holding everything up.

Finally is the VAD716 setup. These configurations remain the same six-piece-plus-cymbals setup, but as you already know, the kit is based around real wood shells throughout (except for the PD-14DSX snare drum). The cymbal configuration is the same as the TD-716, and the VAD 716 is available in a choice of finishes: Pearl White, Satin Walnut, and three transparent lacquer finishes applied over maple veneers - Gloss Cherry, Gloss Natural and Gloss Ebony.

The kits are due to start shipping in October, priced at $2,599.99 V71 module, $6,333.99 for the TD713, $7,999.99 for the TD716, and $8,999.99 for the VAD716. For more information, visit the Roland website.

It’s 9 September, and that can only mean one thing: it’s our annual excuse to fawn over Roland’s immensely influential and widely beloved drum machine, the TR-909 Rhythm Composer.

Introduced in 1983, the 909 would go on to help shape the history of contemporary electronic music, playing a starring role in the genesis of techno and house before making notable appearances in iconic tracks from almost every other genre. 

Building on the foundations of its equally celebrated older brother, the TR-808, the machine forever etched the instantly recognisable sounds of its crunchy claps and beefy kick drum into the wider cultural consciousness.

And what better day than 9/09 to survey some of the drum machine’s most memorable moments in musical history?

1. Jeff Mills - Exhibitionist 2 

The undisputed king of the 909, producer, DJ and techno originator Jeff Mills memorably exhibited his skills as part of the Exhibitionist 2 documentary, in a segment that has to go down as one of the most impressive solo drum machine performances ever put to tape. 

In a flawless fusion of man and machine, Mills showcases the 909’s abilities as much as his own, reminding us all why the instrument has earned a permanent place in the hearts and studios of electronic musicians the world over.

2. Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope

One of the very first times the 909 popped up in popular music, Smothered Hope, from Skinny Puppy’s Remission EP, puts the unit to work, hammering out a gnarly, military drumbeat to support vocalist Nikek Ogre’s guttural vocals. 

The story goes that the band initially struggled to find inspiration in the 909, considering the sound too clean for their tastes - it was only after they hooked the drum machine up to the PA system that they struck gold.

Speaking to Roland about the making of the track, producer Dave "Rave" Ogilvie said: "I was looking around the studio, found a PA crossover, and took the three outputs from the kick into the board. Now, I had three kinds of specific frequencies that I was able to mess around with [...] All of a sudden we were like, ‘Wait a minute. This sounds brilliant now.’” 

3. Madonna - Vogue

Madonna’s Vogue is proof that, although the 909 is often heavily associated with techno, house and electronica, there’s absolutely no reason it doesn't belong in a pop song. 

Released in 1990, the track sold north of six million copies, giving the 909's chunky snares and zesty hi-hats some of their broadest exposure yet as it dominated chart radio across the US and UK.

Put together by frequent Madonna collaborator Shep Pettibone, the track has a steady 116bpm groove that’s anchored by the 909’s weighty kick drum and some well-placed snare rolls.

4. Daft Punk - Revolution 909

Daft Punk loved the 909 so much they name-checked it on the fourth and final single from their classic 1997 album, Homework.

A largely instrumental track, it’s a bouncy slice of filter house that’s endearingly simple, getting by on its insistent 909 groove and a handful of masterfully chopped samples.

The 12-inch single came with some nifty remixes from Roger Sanchez and Junior Sanchez, along with a rather curious acapella version. 

5. Aphex Twin - Heliosphan

Aphex Twin seems to have a fondness for the 909, bringing it along in 2019 as part of the setup for his first live show in over a decade, at London’s Printworks.

Its most noteworthy appearance in his discography has to be found in Heliosphan, a hypnotic piece of ambient techno that washes over you like a dream. 

The drum machine’s partly responsible for that hypnotic effect, as it loops a captivating breakbeat that forms one of the most memorable tracks on the record, Selected Ambient Works 85-92.

Aphex’s abundance10edit (2 R8's, FZ20m & A 909) also deserves an honourable mention, showing off a little more of the 909’s range in what sounds like a gloriously messy jam session.

6. Schoolly D - P.S.K. What Does It Mean?

The 909 doesn’t have the same status in the hip-hop community as the 808, but it’s still made some appearances across more than a few classic cuts.

Recorded in 1983, Schoolly D’s P.S.K. What Does It Mean? is built around a head-nodding 909 beat. The production’s interesting in that pretty much every element sounds like it’s been run through some pretty heavy reverb, giving the track an unusual sound.

7. Radiohead - Videotape

The 909 forms the rhythmic backbone of Radiohead’s funereal album finisher Videotape, which closes out their 2008 opus In Rainbows. The 909 can be spotted in this live version of the ethereal song from their Scotch Mist webcast, playing a typically off-centre drum pattern. 

The rhythms in Videotape have provoked the curiosity of many fans, thanks to some cleverly disguised syncopation that throws off the listener’s perception of the downbeat.

Thom and Jonny seem to be partial to the 909, and have also used it in live performances of Thom’s solo material.

8. Mumdance ft. Novelist - Take Time

Mumdance is known for being a 909 devotee, often using it in live sets to sculpt and edit rhythms on the fly. The sounds of the drum machine partly make up the skeletal grime beat found in his 2014 breakout Take Time, which collages together screw-face samples with the 909’s hi-hats to produce something refreshingly minimal. 

Mumdance and Novelist have been known to perform the track live with a 909 and an Elektron Octatrack, and judging from Novelist’s opening endorsement in the video, he’s a fan too.

9. Derrick May - Strings of Life

Derrick May's Strings of Life, released under the Rhythim is Rhythim alias, is an early techno classic. Hovering on the border between house and techno, it's built around a pumping 909 beat and a sprightly piano loop contributed by Michael James. 

Given its name by Frankie Knuckles, the track has become enduringly influential - on top of becoming a staple for DJs across the world, it's been sampled by Herbie Hancock and covered by Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and Steve Reid. It doesn't sound quite the same without that 909 though, does it?

Introduced in 1983, the Roland TR-909 has shaped the history of electronic music, playing a starring role in the genesis of house and techno before being adopted by a long list of artists that includes Madonna, Bjork and Radiohead.

Building on the foundations of its celebrated big brother, the TR-808, this iconic drum machine forever etched the instantly recognisable sounds of its crunchy claps and thumping kick drum into the history books.

While those sounds were generated through analogue synthesis, the 909's hi-hat and cymbals were original samples. Their crisp and precise sound can be heard in more tracks than perhaps any other sample in history, but who was responsible for recording them?

That would be Atsushi Hoshiai, a Roland employee that joined the company in 1982 and remains with them today. Known around the office as Mr. 909, Hoshiai is one of the chief architects of the drum machine's hugely influential sound. 

In a recent interview with Attack Magazine, Hoshiai opened up about the origins of the 909's hi-hats and cymbals. "I have been playing music as an amateur drummer since my school days," he recalled. "I brought in my personal, most favorite cymbals and sampled them."

The hi-hats were a mismatched pair made up of a 14” Paiste Sound Edge top and 14” Zildjian A New Beat bottom, while the crash and ride sounds were recorded using a Paiste 18″ Thin Crash; the ride sound was produced by striking the bell of the cymbal, and the crash was the sound of its edge being struck.

Hoshiai says the recording process was simple; a Sony C-38 microphone going directly into a Pioneer reel-to-reel tape recorder, with no EQ or compression applied.

Incredibly, Hoshiai still uses the original 909 cymbals when performing with his jazz band. As a jazz devotee, Hoshiai is amusingly ambivalent about the entire genres that his sounds have helped to create: "I don't listen to the kind of music that the TR-909 is used for on a daily basis," he says. "Around 1990, when I heard music with the 909 kick going untz untz, I thought someone discovered a new way to use it."

808 Day isn’t quite here yet, but Roland is getting the celebrations started early with the announcement of a sneaker collaboration with New Balance.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen 808-styled shoes - we’ve previously reported on similar collaborations with Adidas and Puma - but this time there’s a third party involved: Brazilian skateboarder Tiago Lemos.

In fact, the new sneaker is a special edition of the existing (and appropriately named) Tiago Lemos NM808, and one that’s designed to highlight “the intersection of skateboarding, hip-hop, and fashion.”

Although the TR-808 was released in 1980, the sneaker itself also pays homage to the late ‘90s. It certainly takes design cues from Roland’s classic drum machine, though, with splashes of white, orange and yellow and a Roland logo and TR-808 badge on the tongue.

"Hip-hop has been the soundtrack for my skating, and at the heart of many classics was the 808,” says Tiago Lemos. “To have a collaboration with the legendary Roland 808 on my shoe is an honour.”

The Tiago Lemos NM808 x Roland sneaker is available now via the New Balance website, and will be rolling out to a select group of the company’s stores. You’ll also be able to find it in Roland’s Tokyo retail store and on the company’s Lifestyle web store. It costs $120.

If you want to fully clothe yourself in 808 garb, Roland Lifestyle and New Balance have also collaborated on a matching limited capsule collection featuring hoodies, t-shirts, and hats. This will be available exclusively on the Roland Lifestyle website.

Finally, we can reveal that Roland will be celebrating 808 Day on Twitch with ‘808 Live’, an eight-hour jam featuring DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, DJ Roueche (Official DJ LA Lakers), Skratch Bastid, DJ Melo-D, DJ Bella Hue and more. And if you happen to be in LA on 808 Day, Roland Lifestyle will be hosting a launch event at 10pm at The Spotlight. You can RSVP for this on Dice.

Roland’s mantra is “We design the future,” so you might think that a new, dedicated ‘Future Design Lab’ would be unnecessary. Not so, it turns out, as the company has confirmed that it’s opening one up “to help design the future of music creation”.

It seems that, rather than simply creating innovative new instruments, this new R&D group will focus on emerging technologies. These include AI, WEB3, virtual and augmented reality, low-latency wireless connectivity and more.

As well as working on projects in house, we’re told that the team will actively seek feedback from music creators around the world. The Lab will be headed up by Paul McCabe, Roland’s senior vice president of research and innovation, a music composer himself and IT enthusiast to boot.

“We have entered one of the most exciting and dynamic moments in the history of creativity, where many new technologies are reshaping how we compose, produce, perform, and enjoy music,” says McCabe. “At Roland, we believe these technologies offer tremendous potential if applied responsibly. 

“Roland Future Design Lab has been established to continue our leadership in music technology innovation and maintain our position as a driver of creative culture well into the future.”

The launch of the Future Design Lab follows Roland’s announcement of its 7 Principles for Music Creation with AI, which it worked on with Universal Music Group. These have already been adopted by more than 50 music tech brands, including Focusrite, Native Instruments, Splice, Output, Waves, and Eventide.

Red Witch Pedals has unveiled the Magesteria, a handmade high-end delay pedal that was inspired by a trio of classic tape echo units – and the electric guitar tones they equipped delay pioneers such as Brian May, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen with.

There is no mistaking the Magesteria for anything other than the handiwork of Red Witch’s Ben Fulton, who once more has crafted a real work of functional pedalboard art. He describes the Magesteria as “the embodiment of of tape delay glory” and presumably that means you step on it and the sounds you hear will have you swearing that there must be some kind of mechanical tape gizmo under the hood. 

That, however, is just the illusion that this circuit was designed to cast. Fulton does not hide his inspiration here. His tastes in vintage tape converge around the most musicial trinity of the Maestro Echoplex EP3, Roland Space Echo and Watkins Copicat. This draws its inspiration from all three.

There are four knobs, all arranged around the top of the enclosure, with only the footswitch mounted on the front of the pedal. That way it doesn’t obscure the artwork, which is typically baroque (is it just us or would be be particularly fastidious with our choice of footwear when stepping on one a Red Witch pedal?).

While vintage tape echos are amazing, the Magesteria does have a number of advantages over them. One, it will require no servicing, as opposed to the tape echo whose moving parts demands some periodic TLC. Two, the maximum delay times on vintage units was limited. 

Here we have no moving parts, and a ridiculously generous range of delay times, from a Scotty Moore slapback 55ms all the way up to an ethereal, spaced-out 1100ms. 

This would not be a tape delay without some means of pushing it into self-oscillation; this lets you go all-in with that noise and chaos. It will be guaranteed to make your dog howl.

Controls-wise, it is a familiar setup, with a wow/flutter knob your go-to for dialling in some of that mechanical wonkiness that makes the original repeats so musical, and when you adjust that delay time dial you’ll get that same warble, as though something magnetic is heaving a new sound into existence. Lovely.

There is a switch allowing you to select between Echoplex and Watkins modes. Internal trimpots are there to fine-tune the gain to best complement your electric guitar pickups. Neutrick sockets have been hand-wired, and the footswitch sits independently of the PCB making for a more durable proposition. 

Red Witch is only making 89 of these. Each is signed, hand-made, and numbered by Fulton. Once they’re gone they’re gone. Priced $349, the Magesteria is available now. Head over to Red Witch Pedals for more.

Roland has announced expanded versions of two of its most popular stage pianos, the RD-2000 and RD-88. The RD-2000 EX and RD-88 EX have been updated with several new piano sounds, including a new concert grand piano and an "intimate" upright. 

The RD-2000 is Roland's top-of-the-line RD stage piano, offering two sound engines that cover a variety of both acoustic and electric piano sounds and an 88-note PHA-50 progressive hammer-action keyboard. The RD-2000 EX boosts the original's range with two additional pre-installed V-Piano Expansion titles: the German Concert V-Piano Expansion captures the sound of renowned concert-class grand pianos and arrives with 17 preset Tones. 

This is joined by a newly-developed Essential Upright V-Piano Expansion, which is said to introduce an "intimate sonic flavour" that recreates the unique character and spatial quality of a premium upright, coming with 14 preset Tones that span pop, rock and more. Both the Essential Upright and German Concert can be customized with Roland's Piano Designer tools.

Roland RD-88 sits at the more portable and affordable end of the brand's stage piano line-up. The instrument's expanded version boasts the SuperNATURAL Acoustic Piano 3 Expansion, which also adds another premium concert piano to bolster the extensive range of acoustic and electric pianos already onboard, complete with 15 Preset tones that span bright, dynamic sounds and darker atmospheric textures.

The Roland RD-2000 and RD-88 EX are priced at $2599.99 and $1299.99 respectively. If you already own a RD-2000 or RD-88, you can upgrade your instruments with the news sounds via Roland Cloud for $199.99 and $99.99.

Find out more on Roland's website or visit our guide to the best stage pianos.

With less than a week to go until the Prime Day music deals land, we've seen many music retailers launch their own sales - reminding us that the best offers for musicians are typically not found on Amazon. Case in point: Guitar Center has just slashed up to $300 off a slew of Roland drum sets and pianos. But remember, these deals are only available for a limited time, so hurry! 

This epic sale features a wide range of products, from top-of-the-line electronic drum kits to stage-ready digital pianos and beloved synths. Below are a few of our hand-selected favourites. 

It’s not the only member of the Roland Space Echo family, but few would dispute the fact that the RE-201 is the definitive model. Released in 1974, it’s the tape echo and spring reverb par excellence, so it should come as no great surprise that Roland has now added an emulation of it to its roster of plugins.

Available via Roland Cloud, this offers multiple tape head combinations and has a resizable, hi-res interface that replicates the look and feel of the original hardware. There’s an extended set of parameters for those who want to go beyond the original controls, along with six tape-speed LFO shapes with tempo sync and adjustable rate and depth.

As with many of Roland’s other recent ‘vintage’ plugins, you can adjust the condition of the unit to vary the sound. The amount of tape wow and flutter and motor torque can also be controlled.

This new plugin certainly isn’t the only Space Echo emulation game in town. We’ve already seen similar software from the likes of Universal Audio, Cherry Audio, AudioThing and many others. But, given its ‘official’ status, Roland will be hoping that its own plugin becomes the definitive one.

Roland Cloud Ultimate subscribers can download the Space Echo RE-201 plugin now, and it’ll be available to buy as a Lifetime Key from 13 August. 

Summer is here, bringing with it sunshine, warm weather, and a fabulous opportunity to score great deals on a plethora of top-notch music gear. Last month, we reported that UK music retailer PMT had launched its highly-anticipated summer sale, and today, we are happy to announce they have added a slew of extra products to this already colossal sale!

Prices have been slashed on guitars from renowned brands like Fender, Gibson, and Taylor, as well as keyboards, drums, recording equipment, and much more, meaning this is the perfect time to seize that special piece of gear you’ve been eyeing - and with literally thousands of items in the sale, it’s very likely that you’ll find it with a healthy discount applied. 

So, obviously, we can’t list everything covered in the sale, but to make things easier for you, we’ll pick out a few of the key products that caught our attention. 

First up, we have the striking Gibson ES-339 Figured in Blueberry Burst. Not as bulky as the standard ES-335, this small-bodied semi-hollow is ideal for players who don't get on with the cumbersome nature of Gibson's 1958 classic. Right now, you can save a whopping £276 off the price. If you'd rather a full-sized semi-hollow, then you'll want to check out the incredible Gibson 1959 ES-355 VOS in Ebony, which has a mega £829 off!

At the other end of the price spectrum, we must mention the Yamaha FSX800C, which is now only £289 - that's a saving of £190! We are big fans of Yamaha acoustics at MusicRadar, so we always get excited when we see one at a fantastic price.  

Moving away from guitars, and there's crazy deals to be had on pianos. For example, you can score an impressive £530 off a B-Stock Roland LX708. This Roland is one of the best digital pianos on the market and will easily become the centrepiece of any room it's in.

Of course, this is a very small cross-section of what's on offer, so we implore you to take a look at the sale for yourself. 

Back in March, Roland and Universal Music Group announced a strategic partnership that laid out seven "Principles for Music Creation with AI", establishing an ethical framework for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in music-making.

Yesterday, more than fifty prominent organizations came together as a coalition, AI For Music, to voice their support for the Principles, including music technology companies Focusrite, Native Instruments, Splice, Output, Waves, and Eventide. 

"As we usher in a new era of music creation, the emergence of AI-powered tools offers exciting opportunities but also presents significant risks," reads a joint statement from the coalition. "Therefore, a critical need to manage their impact responsibly is required."

"The Principles For Music Creation With AI were developed to address these challenges, establishing clear guidelines that emphasize the need for strong internal governance and broad industry support. By adhering to these Principles, the music industry can protect artistic integrity while harnessing AI’s transformative potential."

"It’s great to see the music industry recognizing the need for an urgent response to the risks Generative AI poses toward human creativity," said Roland's Paul McCabe. "The Principles are proving to be a timely solution for a wide spectrum of music organizations, some with robust AI strategies already in place, and many more in various stages of discovery."

Last week, UMG announced a partnership with SoundLabs, a music tech company developing AI-powered vocal modelling software. SoundLabs' MicDrop plugin will enable UMG artists to "sing in languages they don’t speak and perform duets with their younger selves", according to Chris Horton, UMG's SVP of Strategic Technology.

Roland and UMG's Principles for Music Creation with AI are copied below. 

Find out more on AI For Music's website.

• We believe music is central to humanity.
• We believe humanity and music are inseparable.
• We believe that technology has long supported human artistic expression, and applied sustainably, AI will amplify human creativity.
• We believe that human-created works must be respected and protected.
• We believe that transparency is essential to responsible and trustworthy AI.
• We believe the perspectives of music artists, songwriters, and other creators must be sought after and respected.
• We are proud to help bring music to life.

D16 Group has announced an update to its Nithonat drum machine plugin, which recreates the classic Roland TR-606 drum machine in software. 

Nithonat 2 "precisely emulates" the 606's hardware circuits to capture the instrument's unique sound, which can be heard in music from a diverse list of artists from Aphex Twin to Prince. 

The plugin's first iteration was already a stellar 606 emulation, but the new version has been beefed up with a host of new features, including a new sequencer, more effects, additional factory content and more. 

Nithonat 2's new sequencer replaces the 606-style sequencer found in the original with a grid-based sequencer that's easier to use and gives you precise control over dynamics and articulation. Patterns can be programmed up to 64 steps and can now be dragged and dropped from the plugin into your DAW.

The plugin's effects section has been significantly improved - each of the drum machine's seven tracks now has its own dedicated channel strip with EQ, low- and high-pass filters, a compressor and controls for panning and stereo spread. You'll also find two effects buses with five effects slots that can be filled with a choice of bitcrusher, compressor, filter, chorus, delay, distortion, reverb and EQ. Finally, there's a new master effects section for shaping the plugin's output with a soft-clipping limiter and multiband compressor.

What's more, Nithonat 2 has been kitted out with a randomizer for generating drum patterns and a tap function for recording drum patterns live. D16 has even recreated the trigger outputs found on some 606 mods, which produce an audible trigger pulse. Nithonat 2's expanded factory library contains more than 900 scenes, kits and patterns so you can get started quickly and easily.

Priced at $119/£99, Nithonat 2 is available now for a discounted price of $75/£59.

The plugin is available for macOS and Windows in VST2/VST3/AU/AAX formats.

Find out more on D16's website or watch a sound demo below.

Erica Synths has teamed up with producer and DJ Richie Hawtin for another product in its Bullfrog line of educational electronic instruments. 

Bullfrog Drums is a sample-based drum machine with an easy-to-use, 909-style interface, aimed at helping children and adults learn the basics of drum programming and sampling.

Equipped with seven drum voices, Bullfrog Drums offers controls for hands-on sample manipulation, including tuning, start point, sample length, attack, decay, stereo panning and overdrive. The drum machine also features a CV/Gate sequencer that can be used to control the Bullfrog and Bullfrog XL synthesizers. 

With the Bullfrog range, Erica Synths and techno legend Richie Hawtin are hoping to provide educational tools that encourage people of all ages to explore and understand music technology, guiding users through the principles behind synthesis and sound physics.

''As a producer who’s created many percussion-only tracks under my Plastikman moniker, it only makes sense to add a drum machine to our developing Bullfrog ecosystem," said Hawtin of the collaboration. 

"This exciting development will allow both novices and pro’s a new way to learn drum programming and enjoy some fun new capabilities that we plan to feature on our new machine!''

Bullfrog Drums will be available by the end of the year; we've no word yet on pricing.

By this, his third album, Mr. Scruff was on a roll. After coming out swinging with his first few LPs and signing to Ninja Tune, he’d cemented his reputation as a beat-maker extraordinaire. 

His calling card? His silly sausage sense of humour, and seriously eclectic taste in music. Both of which are found in spades across Ninja Tuna. From the trademark fishiness of the title, and self-penned cartoon cover, to the broadest beats and glorious grooves he tucks inside. 

Musically, the album takes cues from his all-night DJ shows, where devoted dancefloors regularly lost themselves to impeccably mixed jazz, breaks, funk, disco, hip-hop and house. He covers all those bases (with added bass) and more, across the album’s tracks. “It’s like a DJ set,” he explains. “But, in the studio. Trying to find those different shades and moods, to make a cohesive body of work.”

The studio, fittingly located in Manchester’s former textile industry, was where Mr. Scruff stitched together his rich tapestry of tracks. Assisted by long-time engineer, Phil Kirby. And multi-instrumentalist and studio ally, Andy Kingslow. Scruff worked quickly, fleshing out ideas and running in ideas off vinyl, seeing what stuck.

“I was still sampling, but also working with a lot of musicians,” says Scruff. “But, the two seem to sit really well on this album. “And, because I’ve worked with Phil since the early ’90s. And with Andy being so great to bounce off. It just gave the whole process a lot of momentum.”

It was happy time, and it shows, with guest rappers, singers and producers including Roots Manuva, Alice Russell and Quantic never failing to meet Scruff’s super jolly levels of fun and funkiness.

“I was just having lots of fun with all the collaborators,” says Scruff. “And it really helped, working in a studio that wasn’t mine. I’d tram down and do a proper nine-to-five, making sure I was well-prepared. It’s not like making music in your own house. And then getting distracted by the washing up.”

Ninja Tuna has just been reissued for the first time on triple-vinyl, and is available from Mr. Scruff’s Bandcamp page.

“With albums, I just get into the role of going in the studio. I don’t really think about what kind of music I’m going to make. I just do as much as I can. Throwing myself in, and being as free as possible…

“I do loads of tunes as quickly as I can, and finish them. Then, when I’ve got about 10, just stand by what I’ve got. 

“It’s then that you end up with a direction, as well as adding a bit of a surprise. Because, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow – I never even realised that was happening!’”

Track by track with Mr. Scruff

Test The Sound

“It’s an intro. Almost like off an old hip-hop album or something. It was also a statement of intent, because, from the late ’90s, I’d been getting into what Phil [Kirby] called a kind of macho bass thing. And this was just a little bit of a very rolling, heavy little taster, you know? But, with a bit of a childhood vocal, some heavy drums, and a daft Moog bass.

“I always like to start this way. I think I just got myself into a little thing, you know? Same with all the fish tunes. Like, ‘I’ll just do one of those every album’, you know what I mean?”

Music Takes Me Up

“This track features Alice Russell on vocals. I’ve had a very long working and friendly social relationship with her through Tru Thoughts. She’s really funny, and she obviously has got an amazing voice.  

“For this, we decided to do a song about music – just an uplifting, jolly thing. But the music was also kind of tough and rolling. I played some one-finger keyboard stuff. Andy [Kingslow] played some nice Hammond organ. He’s a virtuoso in so many styles of music.

“Then he went back and forth with Alice on the vocal harmonies, and took her a little bit outside her normal range and normal tonality. What makes this such an intriguing tune is that harmonic depth.”

Donkey Ride

“This is with Quantic. He’s amazing. We’d done a few tunes together, by then. He came up to Manchester, brought his bass, and played guitar. 

“Him and Andy were jamming, and I was chucking samples in and getting involved. Kind of directing. I liked that, because I had Andy, who was this very talented session musician, on tap. It was nice to step back from the process as things were being tried out and say, ‘Yeah, that!’ 

“Andy played that montuno-style piano in the middle, which gave it a really nice flavour. We’d do a maximum of two takes. I like to capture everything quickly, as it’s being figured out. It adds a very human feeling.”

Hairy Bumpercress

“The live bass here is from Jon Thorne, who’s best known for his work with Lamb. He’s completely on it, all the time. He’s crazy about music. I love working with people who are, yeah, just a bit crazy. It’s about capturing some of that energy on the track. 

“We were stamping around on the floorboards and recording that. It worked with the double bass – that wooden sort of resonance. Then Andy’s on the keys and the Wurlitzer, which is beautiful on this. 

“There’s also a fruity middle bit, where the loops go off, like a kind of primary school Steve Reich. Then it suddenly snaps back in. It’s like being dragged backwards through a forest for a minute.”

Whiplash

“This is one of the tracks on the album where I did most of it. For the drums, I got very ‘scientific’, as Danny Breaks calls it. But keeping the momentum and keeping it rolling. You don’t want to be tricky for the sake of it.

“With this tune it’s all ‘on/off’. You know what I mean? So, you’ve got, like, two bars of something happening, musically. And then there’s something a bit complicated, answering it. You know? 

“It gives it this established structure, in terms of a little bit of a call and response.

“Then there’s the [Roland] SH-5 on top, which was mad. That was me, just properly making friends with that, over the beats.”

Nice Up The Function

“Roots Manuva is on this. I just wanted to do something really sparse for him, especially after the previous tune, which was just like [makes hectic noises]. 

“All the tunes up to this point in the album have been quite dense. Not necessarily complex, but quite full, in terms of fat sample breaks, room noise, and that rolling style. 

“Here, I wanted to pull it apart, and have more of a skeletal thing going. And, because of how Rodney [Manuva] is… He’s mega off-the-cuff. And he’s got such a rich, round voice. His whole swing, and his way with language, and all this kind of thing. I just wanted to give it a lot of space.”

Bang The Floor

“I did this one with Danny Breaks. He’s great – obviously with his drum ’n’ bass stuff, but, also, that formula of proper fat hip-hop drums with the bass that you just couldn’t mess with. 

“There was a recognition of, like, ‘Alright, we’re both spending quite a lot of time in this musical territory’. So, he came up to Manchester and we got jamming. 

“Danny would be playing stuff. Andy would be playing. And we’d be tweaking all the filters on the SH-5. You can’t automate. And the whole front panel is quite complicated.

“Andy had a funky bassline going and both Danny and I would be all over the filters going [makes squelchy noise]. It was a lot of fun.”

Get On Down

“This uses a version of a tune called A Star In The Ghetto. It’s a Prince Phillip Mitchell tune, but this is a Johnny Adams version. He’s an amazing vocalist. 

“I was listening to an obscure modern soul CD in the kitchen when it came on. That little ‘Get on down’ bit just jumped out. The whole tune’s amazing, but it was like, ‘Ooh, that’s nice’.

“I just started chopping it up. And, you know, with a sample, it’s just how you bounce off it. 

“Obviously, my general first thing is to get some drums going, and then start to jam. Then get a couple of matching sounds. Because, sonically, the sample sets the tone."

Hold On

“Andreya Triana sings on this. She’s got such a distinct, smoky voice, I’d describe it as. And she’s able to reach a lot of different emotions and moods, which I admire. 

“I looped up a Claudja Barry tune. This slow, European, chunky disco thing. I built up the beat, added bass, and kept it simple. 

“Then there’s a little horn line running through it that I chopped up. There are a few different sections. When I’m working with a sample, I’ll have two or three options to choose from. Sometimes, you let it roll. And, other times, I’m going to switch it up, halfway through.

“Andy plays Wurlitzer. And there’s amazing trombone from Nichol Thompson, augmenting the horns that were there already.”

Give Up To Get

“What I did here, was something I often do in the studio. I just get a nice loop going, then play something quite floaty over the top that doesn’t have a lot of percussive elements.

“The turntable in the studio was a belt-drive hi-fi deck, so you couldn’t pitch it to match. You just play stuff, and it drifts over the beats.

“It might be a little bit behind, or a bit slinky and rubbery. But, that feel and how it interacts with the other things around it, gives it that slight mismatch. And, that’s the groove, isn’t it?

“Obviously, you’re hoping for some kind of serendipity. So, I always record it, as it’s playing.”

Kalimba

“I got a nice beat together, and Andy played a lot on it. There’s lots of me and him, jamming and communicating a lot. It came together quite quickly.

“Then, Andy had the idea to add some strings, and got his friend Pete Whitfield in. He brought in a violin and stood in different positions in the room with one mic. He’d obviously done this before. And it got that full string section sound. He’s a great arranger. 

“It’s quite catchy and jolly. But, there’s lots of complexity in there as well. 

“For this album, that’s the recurring motif. The arrangements are quite involved. And there’s a lot of progression. But, it’s still very danceable and listenable.”

This Way

“Pete Simpson – what an amazing, amazing vocalist. Same again, dead easy-going and lovely person. 

“I think he was living in Austria. I sent him all the parts. And the beat was quite simple. And he was just crazy with the harmonies.

“And then Andy and I really sort of fleshed out what he’d done, because harmonically he knows exactly what he was doing. 

“I just smile when I remember working on that track, just because of the richness and the soulfulness of his voice.”

Stockport Carnival

“This is another one where Andy played a lot of stuff on it. He played the piano. And I suppose it ended up as this weird, vaguely Latin, hip-hop thing. He played that nice little rolling piano riff. And I built a beat around that. And then we just got some musicians in. 

“So, Ricky Weedon is on percussion, and there’s Paul Farr, who’s a ridiculous guitarist. He came in and played on that, and a lot of his amazing solos were one take.

“Then, Bernard Moss is on flute, who I’ve known since his days in Pork Recordings. Neil Yates is on trumpet. And an amazing trumpet and flugelhorn player, James Knight, who’s another ridiculous, very fiery, very funny chap.

“It was all fluid and beautiful, and everyone really helped to pull the whole track together.”

In the studio with Mr. Scruff

“The main synths were the Juno, Moog Voyager and the Roland SH-5, which was used for a lot of the squelchy bottom-end on the album. Yeah, it’s like a spaceship, you know? It’s amazing bit of kit. And, the other keyboards were the Wurlitzer, Rhodes, and Hammond.

“And then lots of nice outboard [effects], as well. So, Distressors and Avalon EQs. A Manley VOXBOX. And those big Manley Massive Passives, and summing mixers.

“The software was Logic. The main thing, for me, working in Logic is we weren’t really using MIDI, or anything like that. It was more just recording audio, you know? 

“Most of the keyboards in there were MIDI’d up anyway. So, it’s more just jamming, and then recording the bass, guitar, trombone, strings, whatever. And then just hacking and chopping. 

“And the same went for all the samples. I was recording audio in from a deck, and then just sort of chopping it up. Yeah, audio rather than triggering – kind of old-school MIDI sampler-style.”

Mr. Scruff has just given his classic album Ninja Tuna a fancy reissue makeover. Originally released as a CD in 2008, it’s now available for the very first time in a deluxe triple-vinyl package. It comes with six bonus tracks from the era, and an “infinity peelable” sticker of a cartoon fish on the cover. Head to his Bandcamp to bag a copy, where we’re jokingly informed each pressing contains “sprout trimmings, hair, pastry flakes and biscuits”.

Let’s dial back to 1984 to begin the story of one of pop’s most tortuous births.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the unlikely first signing to producer Trevor Horn’s new ZTT label, have just scored huge hits with their debut single Relax and follow up Two Tribes. And basking in the glory of success, Horn and his team - ensconced in their own studio, with studio time being billed to the band, being taken from their royalties - would fret for weeks, months even, over the minutiae of every sound. After all, if the result was a hit, everyone’s a winner.

However, as the dust settled on Two Tribes and Horn encouraged the Frankies to start thinking about a follow-up (and an entire debut double album to follow) it soon became apparent that the band’s cupboard was bare.

In fact, Stephen Lipson, when speaking to the excellent 80sography podcast, confirmed that the band only appear on four of the 16 tracks on their Welcome To The Pleasure Dome debut. Difficult second album? How about a difficult third single…

Step up Bruce Wooley (one of the co-writers of Video Killed The Radio Star, a smash for Producer Trevor Horn’s Buggles and the co-writer of Horn’s smash hits for Dollar) and Simon Darlow (the keyboard player Horn turned to following Geoff Downes’ Buggles departure) who had been working on a track that might just save the day.

Horn liked the demo of Slave To The Rhythm and it was soon in the running as the next Frankie single. However, in mid ‘84, Slave was a very different beast to the track we know today.

Clocking in at 137bpm it was a stern, stomping, rocky thrash, and despite Horn and vocalist Holly Johnson’s best efforts to capture its magic, the demo did not go well.

ZTT was a subsidiary of Island Records and - eager to hear the next Frankie smash in progress - label Boss Chris Blackwell only confirmed Horn’s worst fears. Slave had to go back to the drawing board. But at least Blackwell “liked the title”, according to Horn, and - more usefully - made two suggestions that might just save the track.

Blackwell’s first suggestion was that they re-record it to a ‘go-go rhythm’ (go-go being a genre that was very much in its short-lived ascendancy in 1984, most famously played out by the insanely funky Trouble Funk). And secondly that Horn scrap the Frankie demo and give the track to Island Records’ chanteuse in residence Grace Jones instead. Thus, Slave was lurched in the first of many new directions.

Opinions at this point differ as to how much Horn knew of go-go. Horn, speaking on the Rockonteurs podcast, states that the go-go switch was his idea and that he asked Blackwell to make the arrangement for a New York trip to secure top musicians’ services.

Right-hand man Lipson, however, insists that the team turned up at the Hit Factory sessions with literally no idea as to what go-go was and what they were going to record.

And the New York sessions did not go well. While the new drums and percussion they had on tap sounded great - Lipson claims that all he did was push up the faders and hit record to capture Slave’s famous rhythm track - the 97bpm groove the band were churning out simply didn’t fit with the hard-stepping 137bpm track they were there to complete.

Worse, the band proved undirectable, being completely unable to follow a song structure or deviate in any way from that same, simple go-go loop. “You set them going… And that was it.” Horn complained.

Most pressing, however, was the fact that, despite Blackwell’s insistence, the song provided by Wooley and Darlow just wasn’t go-go. What could be done?

The team had the band and The Hit Factory booked for two days, and - due to union rules - were forced with a hard 5pm stop on both days, precluding the meandering creative all-nighters they were used to.

Letting the band go a day early, Horn, Lipson and keyboard player (to become producer) Andy Richards decamped to their hotel with a bass, guitar, Roland JX-8P synth and Roland TR-808 drum machine borrowed from the studio to set about reworking the song overnight to fit the funky 97bpm they’d just captured.

Musically, the chords just weren’t working out, but Lipson suggested to Richards that he flip their order for the verses, giving a steady rise, rather than a rocky descent. Inspired by the breakthrough and playing with the presets on the loaned JX-8P, Richards soon found a sound to his liking.

The famous chords of Slave To Rhythm’s intro and chorus are actually fairly simple, but sound anything but. The trick is the layering of two of the JX-8P’s presets. The first, Soundtrack (preset 16) is a mournful synth pad, and the second is the sound literally next to it (preset 17) Fat Fifths, a synth brass sound with one oscillator tuned up a fifth (seven semitones) producing a fatter, jazzier sound.

Thus, playing what are in effect simple, three-note chords produces a super complex six-note output. It’s that Fat Fifths preset that delivers all the polychord magic. Some chords given the treatment sound atonal and unpleasant, but some chords - such as those in the intro to Slave - sound fantastic.

The sound proved so enduring that Richards couldn’t resist giving it another airing, using it to provide the intro to Fuzzbox’s Versatile For Discos And Parties, which he produced four years later. And Roland took the hint too, providing reworked versions of the warm Soundtrack preset through its subsequent D-50, D-70 and MT-32 synths (and multiple spin-offs) though this time incorporating an oscillator offset by a fifth, enabling users to get the Slave sound without having to layer it up.

A more leisurely, less chanted, more melodic vocal melody arose on top of the new chords (with additional lyrics by Horn to fill the gaps) and in a night the problem was solved. Technically, the New York trip had produced nothing more than eight bars of sampled go-go percussion, but in reality the trio headed back to London with the workings of what could be a hit.

But the 137bpm ‘fast version’ wasn’t dead just yet. With weeks of work invested in the track already - not least the Frankie demo - Horn encouraged Lipson to keep experimenting. Multiple takes and multiple ideas simultaneously took shape on Sarm Studios’ Synclavier digital workstation, and when the Synclavier was upgraded with polyphony that only meant that - of course - even more options were available to Lipson and thus the creative ‘what if…’ process began all over again…

Something had to give, and soon the team arrived at a potentially calamitous impasse - having an orchestra booked for two days and not being sure what they wanted them to play…

To save face, it was quickly decided that they would focus on ‘the fast version’ but would record the orchestra for the ‘slow version’, too, “just in case”. Thus, multiple passes were recorded of ‘the fast version’, with a single perfunctory take of ‘the slow version’ also being committed to digital tape.

Likewise, when Jones herself was summoned for lead vocals, she too had to record two versions of the song. It’s interesting to note that while the whole Slave To The Rhythm project would eventually take over a year to complete, Lipson estimates that they had the services of Grace Jones herself for “about ten hours”.

Asked in a Guardian webchat how Jones was to work with, Horn insisted, "Grace was great. Working with her's always good.

"Getting her to the studio was tough! But once we got her there, she was wonderful. Slave to the Rhythm, we really sprung it on her."

Graciously performing both the Wooley/Darlow and the Wooley/Darlow/Horn/Lipson versions of the song, Jones of course put her own stamp on the track. Her performance is full of spontaneous ad-libs, from the opening, absentmindedly muttered “I’m just playing around”, through to the “Oh, baby…” to the track’s non-scripted spectacular conclusion…

Upon hearing the freshly recorded, swirling orchestral build and dramatic drop from 3:55, Jones thought it sounded like an old ‘Saturday Night Live’-style chat show theme. Thus, when the vital moment came around during her vocal, a mickey-taking Jones was sufficiently caught up in the action to announce “And now… Ladies and gentlemen… Heeeeere’s Grace!”

Thus magic was captured. Twice. And with the first anniversary of Wooley and Darlow’s demo approaching, the team naggingly began to approximate the expenses run up so far in producing - to that moment - precisely nothing.

Slave had turned into a foolish folly and the situation couldn’t be ignored further. What was worse, Jones was by then out of contract with Island and so they had no means of extracting further work from her for an album.

There was only one thing for it. To spin the many tries, retries, takes, alternative mixes and Slavish experiments into the album that she could no longer complete. An eight-track album… Of one song.

It was a brave move even for the wild times of 1985, but it was a gamble that paid off. Never before or since has one piece of music been sliced, diced, reheated and re-served into as many different delicacies and, despite sounding preposterous on paper, Slave To The Rhythm - the album - remarkably stacks up.

Interestingly the version that was finally selected as the single appears as Ladies And Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones, the last track on the album, while the track actually entitled Slave To The Rhythm is a radically alternative version which still crops up on compilations and playlists in error to this day.

It’s the opening track - Jones The Rhythm - that’s the closest to the original ‘fast’, Wooley and Darlow version that, while excellent, shows that the trip to New York and Horn and Lipson’s rewrites were worth the wait. (It’s worth saying at this point that there’s another ‘fast version’ of the song - one that sounds like a simple Synclavier demo - which appears on the B-side of the physical single, and is yet to appear in digital form).

Thus, Slave To The Rhythm was finally complete and the single - the ‘slow version’ - was released in the UK in the Autumn of 1985, a whole year after recordings began. It was a top ten hit across Europe but disappointingly stalled at number 12 in the UK. Also, remarkably, Slave To The Rhythm never made the US Official Billboard Hot 100.

All in all, a surprising and anti-climatic 1985 outcome for a track that has become such an enduring classic since.

In a further twist, despite being nominated for video of the year at the 1986 MTV Music Awards, the video for Slave To The Rhythm actually features zero new footage of Jones, the entire creation instead being a series of clips from previous videos carefully cobbled together by (Jones’ boyfriend at the time) Jean-Paul Goude, most notably the footage from her documentary A One Man Show and her appearance in a South American advertisement for the Citroën CX 2 in which she drives out of (and back into) her own mouth…

Instead, we were treated to a legendary TV appearance: Jones famously appeared on UK chatshow Wogan - her only TV promo for the single’s release - during which, for the duration of the performance, she wore an ornate bag over her head, only removing it at the final climactic moment: “Heeeere’s Grace!…”

Then - acing even this act of insanity - who could forget the real highlight of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, 27 years later in June 2012: Grace Jones performing Slave To The Rhythm in front of Buckingham Palace while hula-hooping. Keep it up!

We've grown accustomed to the lengthy delays between Behringer synth announcements and their actual releases, and once got so bored while waiting that we wrote this very long feature on what stage all Behringer's current product announcements are at.

To be fair on Behringer, chip shortages have affected a lot of companies, not just the big B. And to be double fair, Behringer has made an awful lot of announcements. The MS-5, was first pitched way back in July 2021 but the big news is that it is actually shipping. Right now. And for just $599. 

Sometimes Behringer doesn't outwardly admit what classic synth its latest clone is based on, but the company is not holding back with the MS-5, stating from the off that it is, "a faithful reproduction of the original SH-5 circuit", the SH-5 being the Roland analogue synth, originally released in 1975.  

As Behringer states in the launch video above, that makes it one of the oldest designs in its lineup of vintage synth copies, but that doesn't mean it lacks punch and features. There are two oscillators, each with four waveforms, and a multimode 24dB diode filter (with high, low and band-pass options).

Part of the original machine's in-your-face sound was imparted by its ring modulator and additional band-pass filter, and both of these are present and correct, plus there are the two LFOs and envelopes for flexible modulation options.

There's also the useful switchable signal routing path, mixer, and S&H circuit from the original but it's not all '1975'. Around the back, there's a complement of MIDI connections, audio in, CV/Gate in and out, plus a set of pedal connectors. 

Underneath the angled front panel, there's also a set of PCB Trimmer controls for "you sonic geek meisters" to tweak down to component level – a neat touch as is that angled front panel, similar to that on the Poly D, and capable of four positions (three angled plus flat).

Behringer cites that part of the reason for the MS-5's long inception was a lengthy beta testing phase which they actually announced over a year ago, and this was to ensure that the MS-5 sounds as close to the original Roland as possible. 

We'll be checking the results out in a review ASAP, but you can grab the synth now for that $599 from Andertons in the UK and get more information from the Behringer website here. 

We've also added an interesting video on Behringer's take on the original SH-5 below, made before the company started work on its own version. 

We should probably blame Disney with its May 4th 'Stars Wars Day' because Roland now has many of its own 'days' – think March 3rd ('303 Day'), August 8th ('808 Day') and so on. 

But if you thought April was lacking a special day, let alone an iconic piece of Roland gear to go with it, then think again. It's April 4th so Roland is updating its SP-404MKII Sampler! 

And not only is the company updating the 404 on the the fourth of the fourth, it is updating the operating system to v4.04. Of course it is! 

Now after that introduction, this update better be good…

Luckily, there does seem to be quite a lot packed into the 4.04 update, the first major enhancement being Loop Capture. This essentially lets you get all Ed Sheeran with your SP by creating loops within the unit and then sampling other loops over them (internally or externally) to create entire pieces.

Loop Capture was present and correct in Roland's SP-555 which came out in 2008 as this classic Roland Loop Capture video demonstrates, so has taken a little while to reach the 404, but is a welcome addition.

Next up, the SP-404 MkII now has integration with the Koala iOS and Android app, a touch-based phone/tablet sampler. You can now control the app parameters with the SP-404MKII and send audio from Koala to and from the SP via USB.

A further update will please DAW users because you can now send audio from selected pads as individual multitrack stems, so you can either edit them in your DAW or send them out for remixes. (Although we'd probably put this particular update in the box marked 'should have been in there anyway'.)

Another useful addition is Sound Generator which is based around 15 waveforms generated by the SP-404MKII with which you can create basslines and other melodies. There's also a new Groove Function that is said to be "inspired by VP-9000 VariPhrase" and it allows you to add subtle or extreme swing to your grooves. 

Finally, we get some extras that all aim to improve the SP-404's workflow including Preset Measure Sampling, TR-REC Microscope Editing, Sample Merge, and Bounce Pattern Chains.

It's a bit of a shame that Roland didn't add any '4' based features to keep the '404' theme going. If it was up to us, we'd have included some four-on-the-floor grooves, 4/4 kicks, samples of people saying 'four', that kind of thing, but if you are reading this Roland, we are available for ideas for both of this year's 808 and 909 days*. 

Anyway, the best news of all is that the 4.04 update is free, so it's a happy 404 Day to all existing owners. (And a bit of a tempter for new ones.)

The SP-404Mk2 sells for around £429 / $449 and you can find more information from the Roland website.

*And for weddings, after dinner speeches, award ceremony hosting jobs… Anything really.

Roland certainly isn’t precious about putting its ZEN-Core synth engine into ‘non-synth’ hardware. We’ve seen it in digital pianos, and now it’s found its way into the new GO:KEYS 3 and 5, so-called ‘music creation’ keyboards that are designed to be played by anyone, “no previous experience required”.

It’s been almost seven years since the release of the original GO:KEYS - and also its sister product, the GO:PIANO - so you might say that these successors are long overdue. They can be played like any other keyboards, if you wish - each model contains more than 1,000 sounds - but there are also a variety of features that provide varying levels of musical assistance.

These include ready-made chord progressions in a variety of styles so that you can play over the top of them, plus the option to create your own. These backing parts can also be ‘remixed’, and you can apply effects.

There are also ‘dynamic’ accompaniment options that can be controlled with one or two fingers in the left hand as you play chords, melodies and solos with your right; a contemporary twist on the auto-accompaniment features that were found in home keyboards of yesteryear, it seems. 

The GO:KEYS 3 and 5 have velocity-sensitive, 61-note keyboards and built-in speaker systems. They share the same core functionality, but the ‘passive radiator’ speaker system on the 5 promises extended bass response, and this model also comes with a mic input, vocal effects and additional audio connectivity.

Both models have Bluetooth support, though - for audio and MIDI - and both are compatible with the Roland Cloud subscription service, which serves as a portal to more sounds and accompaniment styles (the exact nature of these is still to be confirmed). There’s support for Roland Cloud Connect, too, a wireless adapter that enables you to browse, audition and download your content via a smartphone or tablet.

The Roland GO:KEYS 3 is available now in turquoise, dark red and midnight blue colour options, and costs $350. The GO:KEYS 5 is offered in graphite and white and costs $500.

Find out more on the Roland website. The GO:KEYS 3 and 5 are available now from Sweetwater (US) and Thomann (UK/Europe)