Comments on: Roland AX-Synth “Shoulder Synthesizer” (Keytar) Now Available

By: dante

dante — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:21:03 +0000

Roland likes to style its new gear to look like its old classic gear, even if there's no real connection, as in the Juno-G…so why didn't they make this look more like their classic Keytar, the SH-101?

By: dante

dante — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:34:58 +0000

Ditto the first two posts. Also it looks goofy.

By: Sam K

Sam K — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:04:05 +0000

Agree 100% with wi_ngo. I would be super keen on this if it was just a controller, but I am not going to spend double for a synth I don't want.

I am 100% soft-synth these days and loving it. My hardware synth doesn't get used anymore because it's just too cumbersome, limited. I use a lot of layered synths in my productions and the fact that a soft-synth has unlimited polyphony and multi-timbrality through creation of multiple instances in a project is just a total game changer that is integral to my sound and I cannot live without it.

Unimpressed.

By: snagglepuss

snagglepuss — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:01:41 +0000

Their presets don't do their synths justice, either.

By: Findolyem

Findolyem — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:22:16 +0000

This is totally wack and off the mark imho. First off for this type of cash, how about some type of wireless MIDI type configuration? I happen to like Roland's rompler suite for certain applications, but, in a keytar? no bueno. Also aesthetically It looks super geeky in that kinda, late 90s faux contemporary way. People interested in keytars probablly want a stripped down controller to play they're vintage monosynth on stage (how about a couple of knobs??? jesus christ, roland!) with no real 'look' one way or the other simply because synth companies usually balls it up with geeky-tron type looks as pictured here. Does it come with a clip on ponytail? cause that changes things.

Further, I think synth companies need to abandon this philopophy of 'all in one' type synths that have 10,000 'urban rap' and 'techno' samples. These kits insult our intelegence and are almost always laughably fruity caracatures of whatever genre they attemt to emulate. Stop talking down to us roland.

By: wi_ngo

wi_ngo — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:02:36 +0000

Man, I think they really missed the mark on this one. If they would've just made it a ~$500 midi controller, it would sell like hotcakes. I would get one in a second. But I have no use for the Roland sound engine, especially not for the extra $600+.

I know people REALLY like the V-Synth GT (never heard it in person myself), but I've never been a huge fan of Roland digital sound engines. I don't claim to know anything technical about it, but "SuperNATURAL" sounds super cheesy.