Roland has just released a bunch of wonderful new products to the world including the trailblazing HS-5 Digital Session Mixer, Boss RC-1 Loop Station, TD-1KV V-Drums, FS-7 dual footswitch, SBX-1 Sync Box, and Mobile UA USB Audio interface,
Roland’s amazing new HS-5 Session Mixer is the one which has us really excited. The HS-5 was previewed to Australian Musician at AMAC 2014, however we were sworn to secrecy and couldn’t say a word at the time. The trailblazing HS-5 is the natural digital progression from the JamHub and is a mixer which allows sessions of up to 5 musicians to rehearse their ensembles and jam on their headphones.
Each player is able to adjust the balance in the mix, giving bands the ability to rehearse their ensemble accurately and effectively. It also comes with COSM effects for guitar, bass, and vocals, including amp modeling for guitar and bass. You can also use reverbs and other effects on vocals. You can make stereo recordings to USB thumb drives without using a PC, or you can connect HS-5 to a PC via USB to record each channel on to multiple tracks. With the HS-5 you can also save settings for each individual musician.
Each of the five musicians can independently adjust the balance of their monitor mix using the MIX A thru D switches located at the center of the unit. Together with the main mix, up to five musicians can balance their own monitor mix. Once an overall mix has been decided, musicians can use the MY MIX knob to adjust the volume of their instrument. You can also make settings using simple operations. The setting values are displayed on the LEDs encircling the knobs so they are easy to check. You can also connect another HS-5 and run them in tandem for ensembles of up to eight musicians. There’s a truckload more features which you can read more about on the Roland site. The HS-5 is truly a versatile, user-friendly, and a must-have product for the modern rehearsing band.
The Boss RC-1 is the simplest and most-user friendly loop pedal Boss has released to date. Record, playback, overdub and undo or redo loops using this compact BOSS stompbox. On the top panel, there is a new and innovative loop indicator which consists of a 24-segment LED laid out in a circular pattern. You can quickly and easily determine the current status of the Rec/Overdub/Play modes. With a maximum 12 minutes of stereo recording time, the RC-1 is capable of capturing any extended performance that you can create or imagine! The stereo in/out jacks can be used with stereo effects and amplifiers. Additionally, they allow you to connect stereo instruments like synthesizers. Other convenient features include battery and AC power.
See Joe Robinson demo the RC-1 below
New to family of V-Drums is the the TD-1KV, which offers a wide selection of expressive drum kits for playing any musical style, plus fun onboard training and recording functions for building your skills and checking your progress. Onboard the TD-1KV, you’ll find Roland’s acclaimed V-Drums sound and performance in an entry-level set. The mesh-head PDX-8 V-Pad provides realistic snare drum feel with head/rim triggering. Importantly, it supports essential acoustic drum techniques, including cymbal choke, advanced hi-hat playing, and more. You can build your playing skills with the onboard Coach function, metronome, and recorder and practice along with onboard audio songs or your own tracks played from a smartphone or music player connected to the Mix In jack. The beater-less kick pedal provides low noise for playing without disturbing others, ideal for practicing at home.
The FS-7 is a compact dual footswitch for remote control of effect pedals or amp channel switching. Two footswitches are arranged in tandem which saves space on effects pedal boards. Each A/B switch has two selectable modes for latch or momentary enabling control of a wide range of equipment. the FS-7 features a durable steel chassis, battery-free operation (ideal for pedal boards), and is powered via a 9v adapter (power splitter included).
Also released was the the SBX-1 Sync Box, which allows computers and electronic instruments communicate and synchronize with each other. It supports a vast array of both analog and digital devices through DIN SYNC, MIDI and USB, and any of these can be the master clock source. You can use the SBX-1 itself as the master sync and control your external devices with its rock-steady internal clock. With hands-on control over timing and groove, and support for CV/GATE, the SBX-1 is far from just an ordinary sync box.
Finally, there’s the Mobile UA, the next-generation USB audio interface based on Roland’s newly developed S1LKi DSP technology. This extremely compact, bus-powered USB D/A converter can play both high-quality PCM audio and ultra-high-resolution DSD audio. Capable of up to 4-channels of low-latency output, it can accommodate multiple listeners, or support click tracks and cue monitoring for recording and live performance.