Following their fantastic 909 day, there has been a considerable discussion here at UCan Play around what the new product ranges for 2017 might include. As readers of our blog will remember, Jonathan and Jason had a great day out in Swansea with Roland but no clues were given (despite our questions) about what future directions the company might be pursuing.

So, it was great to begin to hear news this week about a brand new range of Roland products entitled ‘Go’. There are three items to begin with, the Go:Piano, Go:Keys and Go:Mixer. Each product looks as though it could be perfect for music education.

go_piano

The Go Piano is a 61 key with standard sized keys and Roland’s legendary piano action. Alongside a good range of sounds, it contains a host of bluetooth features, built in speakers and a range of practice functions. It can also run on batteries. We are still waiting on a price for this but it likely to be less that £300.

go_keyboard

The Go:Keys is a superbly equipped entry level keyboard. Whilst Roland were never going to try to compete with Casio or Yamaha in the ‘under £100’ keyboard range, this keyboard really is perfect for classroom use. A great selection of 500 samples, a ‘loop mix’ function, a built in song recorder, speakers and battery power options will all make this keyboard an attractive option for classroom use. We are expecting the RRP for the Go:Keys to be around £250, significantly cheaper than Roland’s current entry level keyboard – the BK3.

Both these instruments look superb and we’ll be posting reviews of them both on our website shortly. However, the third product in the Go series is the one that got us the most excited!

gomixer_1_gal

The Go:Mixer is a compact, portable, and easy to use mixer that makes it simple to record high-quality audio in music videos and other video content created with your smartphone. You connect the Go:Mixer to your phone via a standard USB cable, and use it to capture a stereo soundtrack directly to your video as you perform. The Go:Mixer features multiple inputs; you can connect a microphone, musical instruments, and media players and mix them all together live while you record. Instead of relying on your phone’s noisy mono mic, you can now record top-quality audio in one quick and easy step.

For education, this mixer looks perfect for the busy music teacher. Small enough to slip in your pocket, you can use the mixer to capture audio recordings from any source in the classroom or the practice room, using your phone to create and manage the resulting files. There’s further good news on price. The RRP for the Go:Mixer is around £85. Significantly less from UCan Play!

So, Go:Piano, Go;Keys and Go:Mixer. Plenty of evidence of Roland responding to ideas and addressing the concerns of the education market. All products are available from us here at UCan Play with a good preferential educational discount. Pre-orders are welcomed as these products are going to be very popular. Get in touch for further details.