Roland A-01 MIDI Controller+Generator
The Roland A-01 MIDI Controller+Generator is a Bluetooth-enabled, wireless midi controller which is the same size as the new Roland Boutique range recently released.
So portability is the name of the game once again as they focus on the laptop generation of music producers. It also boasts an 8-bit synth engine hence the ‘+Generator’ tagline.
The Roland A-01 is also compatible with the Roland K-25m mini-keyboard and it can be used to control both analog and modular equipment. It was designed by Roland engineer Akira Matsui.
<Blockquote> One day I wondered what it would be like to make a synth with an 8-bit CPU. The idea was to see how far I could go with the limited resources of an 8-bit CPU and 8 KB of memory.”
The Roland A-01 can connect to DAWs, tablets, MIDI gear and has CV/GATE too. It even has a half-watt speaker built in and an internal battery so it’s definitely designed to be used on the road for quick action producing.
As a standalone unit you can connect in every possible way from USB MIDI, traditional MIDI and even Bluetooth MIDI.
Performance features on the Roland A-01 included things such as dedicated dials and dual ribbon controllers assignable to pitch bend, modulation, sound preview, and channel and polyphonic aftertouch, as well as CC and system exclusive data.
The Roland A-01 is expected to retail for $ 599 – we estimate around R 10 – R 11 K for South Africans.
Roland A-01 Features List
- Ultra-compact controller and sound generator
- Highly portable for mobile music making
- High-quality construction with metal front panel
- Dual assignable ribbon controls for pitch bend, modulation, sound preview, CC, and more
- MIDI over Bluetooth®
- CV/GATE outputs for legacy analog/modular synthesizers
- Battery-operated (4 x AA) or USB bus-powered
- 192×40 graphic LCD screen
- Built-in 0.5 W mini-speaker for real-time sounds
- Compatible with optional Roland K-25m mini-keyboard
- Bundled package with K-25m keyboard dock (A-01K) is also available
Watch the Roland A-01 intro video
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