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Roland AX-Edge Keytar


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one of 3 new Roland Products.....this one has serious potential

 

Reveal

 

Some very interesting capabilities with this one, including channel aftertouch, Master MIDI controller functionality, Bluetooth MIDI and vocoder, among other things plus a wireless editor app

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Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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At least until I find out the price, I am very pleased by this. I was wondering last week what I would do if my AX-Synth fails.

 

First time for these features on a Roland keytar:

  • Aftertouch (I'm already sold on it it due to this)
  • Master EQ
  • Vocoder
  • Assignable buttons

Welcome return of an old feature:

  • Assignable knob

Unknowns:

  • Does the ribbon controller separately register pressure?
  • Can it be used as a multitimbral MIDI sound module? Or at least one independent channel from the local keyboard?
  • Do those "4 parts" refer to a split / layer thing, or are they four parts of one voice (like the AX-Synth)?

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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Ed Diaz of Roland (same guy as the Gibraltar stands we've shared in other threads) has one and is talking about doing a Facebook live on it tomorrow at 8 PM CT. If you're interested and not FB friends with him, let me know and I'll link you to his profile so you can friend him, or find him in my friends list.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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At least until I find out the price, I am very pleased by this.

 

Kraft Music is taking pre-orders for $999. I have to admit it has my GAS flaring up.

Live: Yamaha S70XS (#1); Roland Jupiter-80; Mackie 1202VLZ4: IEMs or Traynor K4

Home: Hammond SK Pro 73; Moog Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue; Yamaha S70XS (#2); Wurlitzer 200A

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Guys with keytars with onboard sounds, how do you get audio to the mixer? Wireless setup? I would think being wired would kill the vibe

 

I love my vortex. It has no onboard sounds but connects wirelessly to main stage which then routes midi to the Nord

Nord Stage 2EX | Nord Wave | Mainstage 3

K&M Spider Pro | JH Audio JH5 IEMs | Behringer XR18 | Radial Keylargo

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GAS fully engaged.... This is intriguing. May have to put my Vortex up for sale (Hey, at least itll make a tiny dent in the cost).

 

In the meantime, it will be great to see the extreme AX-Synth gouging on eBay and reverb.com come to an end. I saw one of those listed near $2K a few weeks back. Hasta La Vista scalpers!

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nice to see an updated keytar besides Alesis. I have no issue with them at all, I just have no need for one. However, I had to laugh a bit at this quote from the Roland page (in the spirit of many of the keytar jokes around here).

 

 

"Unlike keyboardists who perform behind a traditional keyboard rig, keytar players know the thrill of tearing it up right in front of their adoring fans." :laugh:

 

 

All in good fun.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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At least until I find out the price, I am very pleased by this.

 

Well,- I always wondered what´s the advantage when the "keytar" comes w/ internal sound engine and offers all kind of connectors from stereo audio out over USB ´til CC-pedals/switches,- and promises "freedom" on stage.

 

Connect stereo audio cables, expression pedals & switches to that toy,- USB too ?

How to run across a larger stage w/ only the two unbalanced stereo-audio cables connected ?

What´s the max. length of unbalanced cables normally used ?

For me, it´s about 5 meters/ 15 feet.

Wow, that´s what I call freedom ! :laugh:

 

"bluetooth - MIDI only" is what I can ignore anyway.

I´ve never seen anything bluetooth being low latency or close to latency free.

And I learned, for high-performance (DAW-) computers, deactivating bluetooth is essential in most cases.

 

That axe looks good and might offer good sounds too,- I´ll have to hear it,- but...

 

We had Kenton-, Nady- and other´s wireless MIDI already in the 90s and guitar players have wireless audio ...

 

Why all these cable connectors directly on the keytar instead offering ALL wireless incl. the innovation of a wireless MIDI pedalboard frame to be filled w/ CC-pedals and switches by the user on demand ?

Could be placed anywhere on stage,- no ?

 

A.C.

 

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Guys with keytars with onboard sounds, how do you get audio to the mixer? Wireless setup? I would think being wired would kill the vibe

 

I love my vortex. It has no onboard sounds but connects wirelessly to main stage which then routes midi to the Nord

 

When I had the previous Roland Ax Synth, I used my guitar wireless. Worked great

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Guys with keytars with onboard sounds, how do you get audio to the mixer? Wireless setup? I would think being wired would kill the vibe

Just like a guitarist does it. Either a guitar cable, or a wireless doohickey. I'd be more inclined to use it as a controller for sounds that reside elsewhere, but it's still nice to have the built-in sounds available for times it can be handy.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Guys with keytars with onboard sounds, how do you get audio to the mixer? Wireless setup? I would think being wired would kill the vibe

 

I love my vortex. It has no onboard sounds but connects wirelessly to main stage which then routes midi to the Nord

 

When I had the previous Roland Ax Synth, I used my guitar wireless. Worked great

d

 

It still on my "to buy" list, two cables connected to it don't work...But 500$ for a guitar wireless kit is expensive....Since I bought my AX for 700$....

Is Sound ok with the mono out only with the guitar wireless connection?

Stage 2, C2, NL2X+TC Pedals, P08+Tetra+H9, P12+TC Chorus D50+PG1000, 2 Matrix 1K, Proteus 2K, TX802, Streichfett, Drumbrute. Guitars:G&L Legacy, Asat X2, Ibanez Artstar AS153.Bass: L2000, SR1200&2605.
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I always wondered what´s the advantage when the "keytar" comes w/ internal sound engine and offers all kind of connectors from stereo audio out over USB ´til CC-pedals/switches,- and promises "freedom" on stage.

It makes it multi-purpose.

 

It can function as a wireless out-front performance piece, or someone might use it as a "second tier" board (with aftertouch!) with only occasional out-front use (beats having to bring a 3rd board to be your keytar), plus it's a light grab-and-go board to bring to a quick rehearsal... Why not have a board that can serve multiple uses for different players/situations?

 

As I said in the "toys" thread,

 

I really like what I'm seeing on this keytar!

Full 4 octaves...

Aftertouch...

Internal Sounds...

Wireless connectivity...

and (related especially to the wireless connectivity) apparently real MIDI functionality (site says "Its also a capable master controller for rack modules or plug-in synths" -- I'm hoping that means that the quick patch select buttons will be usable to send programmable MIDI Program Changes).

 

This and an iPhone/iPad could be a cool quick-setup super-portable rig for some situations that wouldn't even require you to bring a keyboard stand, and involve almost no wiring.

The only thing I don't like is the modulation bar. The original Axis (sprung) pitch and (unsprung) mod wheels were ideal. I don't want mod to be essentially only on/off or to automatically release as this bar does, especially on a board with aftertouch which already serves that kind of function. I want something I can manipulate with more subtlety and leave in position. Luckily, at least there is an assignable knob, but it is not so conveniently located.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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The only thing I don't like is the modulation bar. The original Axis (sprung) pitch and (unsprung) mod wheels were ideal. I don't want mod to be essentially only on/off or to automatically release as this bar does, especially on a board with aftertouch which already serves that kind of function. I want something I can manipulate with more subtlety and leave in position. Luckily, at least there is an assignable knob, but it is not so conveniently located.

 

Another way to look at it is that we've gone from one continuous pressure-based control (the squishy bar) to three, including a pressure sensitive ribbon controller. More controllers = more expressivity, which is what I look for in a keyboard, even a keytar.

 

According to the manual, you can attach an EV-5 expression pedal (instead of a damper pedal) if you like, which would allow you a set-and-forget control.

 

On the downside, the Roland demo video of controllers seems to show the ribbon doing a sort of portamento instead of an instantaneous jump. That's a shame for those of us who like playing hammer-ons and trills.

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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Nope on this keytar. Still nothing better than the KX5. If any of these companies could come up with a smaller key smaller rig with a vintage look, they might have something. Forget the sharp edges with lots of knobs, those features kill the whole idea.

 

It's like this

B0018TH406-1.jpg

 

v. this (this is better)

fender-stratocaster-jimi-hendrix-strat-mn-owt-elektrogitar_p52_1.jpg

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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Another way to look at it is that we've gone from one continuous pressure-based control (the squishy bar) to three, including a pressure sensitive ribbon controller. More controllers = more expressivity, which is what I look for in a keyboard, even a keytar.

More controllers is better, but a variety of types is important too. Aftertouch is great when you don't need fine control of amount and you want the effect to return to off on release. If you've got that, a non-return finer control mod control is a better complement than another control that lacks fine control or the ability to stay where you leave it.

 

you can attach an EV-5 expression pedal (instead of a damper pedal) if you like, which would allow you a set-and-forget control.

But you don't have that while mobile. And when stationery, it costs you your damper pedal. Also, foot control is not as good for fine control as a finger control is.

 

Addendum: Anyone else notice the dearth of information on what the thing actually sounds like? Am I that antiquated, that I think the sound of an instrument may be of some importance?

Not so important to me. I expect a bunch of typical low-end Roland "good enough" sounds, and am enticed by the MIDI capabilities to do better if needed. If the sounds are better than that, it's a bonus!

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Not so important to me. I expect a bunch of typical low-end Roland "good enough" sounds, and am enticed by the MIDI capabilities to do better if needed. If the sounds are better than that, it's a bonus!

Ditto. I have an all ipad rig for sounds so I love that bluetooth is included!

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Uh, so how does it work when you're *not* using the internal sounds. (Digs around...) Bluetooth MIDI, I've never used that--does it have good enough latency and reliability?

I am using it (Bluetooth MIDI) currently and it works great! No noticeable latency - I am using an AX-7, Yamaha MB-BT01 bluetooth adapter going to a 2017 iPad

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I think it looks awful. The plastic looks cheap, and the screw holes on the "edge" are distracting. Vortex looks like a toy too, but in a more playful way. This is just too over-the-top.

 

However, it's features are great and it's always awesome to have a new keytar on the market.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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