|
Roland Corporation is a manufacturer of
electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and
software. It was founded by
Ikutaro Kakehashi in
Osaka on
April 18,
1972, and was named after the French epic poem,
Le Chanson de Roland.
Roland use a number of additional
brand names for their products:
-
BOSS (guitar effects pedals, effects units, rhythm machines)
-
Edirol (Desktop Media Production or 'DTMP')
-
Rodgers Instruments (electronic and combination pipe organs)
-
Roland Digital Group (Roland DG).
Roland company
slogans:
- Inspire the enjoyment of creativity
- Be the best rather than the biggest
- The Roland Family - Cooperative Enthusiasm
A few noteworthy products:
-
Roland Jupiter-6: First Roland
synthesizer to support
MIDI
-
MC-303 The first non-keyboard drum machine, sample based synthesizer
and sequencer combination bearing the now generic term "Groovebox."
-
MC-505 Successor to the MC-303 with more powerful synthesizer and
sequencer. Featuring "Megamix."
-
MC-909 2002 Successor to the MC Groovebox series featuring a full 16
track sequencer and sampling built in.
-
Roland RE-201: Renowned 'Space-Echo' machine - arguably the most
popular
tape delay-based echo machine ever produced
-
Roland SH-1000: Claimed by Roland to be
Japan's first commercial keyboard synthesizer
-
Roland SH-101:
Monophonic synthesizer designed to be worn hung around the neck with
a strap, with an optional modulation attachment that protruded like the
neck of a
guitar
-
Roland SoundCanvas: One of the first
General MIDI synthesizers
-
Roland TB-303: Defined the "acid"
sound for
rave music
-
Roland TR-808: One of the first and most popular of the programmable
drum machines and the sounds that are particular to that machine
have become pop music cliches, heard on countless recordings
-
Roland TR-909: Was (during the 1990s) and arguably still is the most
popular drum machine for use in modern
Electronic Dance Music
-
Octapad
|
