All
Roland
Website:https://www.roland.com/
Est. year: 1972
Roland is a Japanese maker of electronic musical instruments and music-production equipment, founded in Osaka on 18 April 1972 by Ikutaro Kakehashi. Drum machines and synthesizers such as the TR-808, TR-909, TB-303 and Juno-106 made its name, and it reported revenue of JPY 102.4 billion in 2023 with about 2,800 staff.
Range & what it's known for
The catalogue covers synthesizers and keyboards, digital pianos, electronic drums and percussion, guitar amplifiers and effects, DJ controllers, mixing consoles and recording gear. Within audio, the relevant products are recording interfaces, mixers and personal monitoring equipment used in home studios and on stage. The TR-808 of 1980 is often cited as the drum machine heard on more hit records than any other, while the TB-303 bass synthesizer shaped acid house. The company also played a central part in developing MIDI, the protocol that still lets instruments from different makers talk to each other.
Who owns it and where it's made
Headquarters moved from Osaka to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2005. In 2014 Roland went through a management buyout led by chief executive Junichi Miki, backed by Taiyo Pacific Partners. The group includes Boss, which makes guitar effects pedals, the headphone brand V-MODA and the American drum maker Drum Workshop. Production is spread across factories in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and the United States.
The lineup in this catalog
Audio interfaces and related equipment, priced in the entry to mid-range bracket of music-production gear.
Who it's for
Roland fits players, beatmakers and people recording at home who want recording and monitoring equipment from a company whose main business is making instruments. It makes most sense when the same desk already holds a Roland keyboard, drum kit or groovebox and the interface or mixer has to fit into that setup. A beginner can start with a compact interface and move up to larger mixers and multi-channel recording gear as the studio grows. Listeners after dedicated domestic hi-fi components will find the brand's range aimed at music making rather than playback systems.
Range & what it's known for
The catalogue covers synthesizers and keyboards, digital pianos, electronic drums and percussion, guitar amplifiers and effects, DJ controllers, mixing consoles and recording gear. Within audio, the relevant products are recording interfaces, mixers and personal monitoring equipment used in home studios and on stage. The TR-808 of 1980 is often cited as the drum machine heard on more hit records than any other, while the TB-303 bass synthesizer shaped acid house. The company also played a central part in developing MIDI, the protocol that still lets instruments from different makers talk to each other.
Who owns it and where it's made
Headquarters moved from Osaka to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2005. In 2014 Roland went through a management buyout led by chief executive Junichi Miki, backed by Taiyo Pacific Partners. The group includes Boss, which makes guitar effects pedals, the headphone brand V-MODA and the American drum maker Drum Workshop. Production is spread across factories in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and the United States.
The lineup in this catalog
Audio interfaces and related equipment, priced in the entry to mid-range bracket of music-production gear.
Who it's for
Roland fits players, beatmakers and people recording at home who want recording and monitoring equipment from a company whose main business is making instruments. It makes most sense when the same desk already holds a Roland keyboard, drum kit or groovebox and the interface or mixer has to fit into that setup. A beginner can start with a compact interface and move up to larger mixers and multi-channel recording gear as the studio grows. Listeners after dedicated domestic hi-fi components will find the brand's range aimed at music making rather than playback systems.
