Roland intros Platinum Edition Atelier AT-900 organ [NAMM12]

Three years after the launch of the Atelier AT-900 organ, Roland has updated and released the flagship “platinum edition” AT-900.

This edition has a newly-updated cabinet design, expanded voices and additional features, including:

• Lustrous walnut finish
• Acclaimed Virtual Tone Wheel organ sound
• Improved and expanded Pipe Organ voices
• Expressive, organic SuperNATURAL sounds
• Improved Arranger engine
• BMP File Export function with music score support

You can read all about its new features below, but we don’t yet know detailed specifications for the instrument.

Rich, Walnut Cabinet

The AT-900 Platinum Edition is housed in a beautiful, hand-crafted wooden cabinet with walnut finish. The new contoured shape, taller side panels, rounded toe blocks, and wider music stand make the instrument as beautiful visually as it is musically.

Acclaimed Virtual Tone Wheel Sounds Built in

One of Roland’s core technologies — Virtual Tone Wheel made famous in the VK series — is onboard the AT-900 Platinum Edition. You can customize organ sounds by adjusting parameters such as Key Click, Leakage, Rotary Acceleration, and more. This feature is exclusively available in the AT-900 Platinum Edition. Create the perfect settings for jazz, rock, gospel, and beyond.

Authentic Pipe Organ Sounds Added

Authentic pipe organ voices from Roland’s Classic Series organs are also onboard, and instantly selectable from the Quick Registration settings. Play great songs such as “Toccata and Fuga” and other classic Baroque pieces. In addition, a 350-song hymn library is onboard for enjoying classical and worship music at home.

New SuperNATURAL Sounds Onboard

A lineup of Roland’s acclaimed SuperNATURAL sounds is onboard the AT-900 Platinum Edition — 35 tones to choose from. Experience a new level of realism and emotion with these incredibly expressive acoustic-instrument and ensemble sounds. Access the SuperNATURAL sounds in the Upper, Lower, or Pedal sections (up to four parts at time). They provide unsurpassed realism in all music genres.

Enhanced Arranger Engine

The built-in Arranger engine has been enhanced with new auto-accompaniment patterns and musical content. Rhythm-set sounds from Roland’s famous V-Drums are onboard, plus improved orchestration voicing and expanded Music Styles to cover a wider range of genres. Play your favorite songs with a pro-quality backing band onboard.

BMP File Export for Organ Arrangement Score

This convenient feature for organ lessons lets you export your organ performance as an arrangement score (BMP image) via USB drive. Simply record your original performance with the built-in recorder and you can view and print your original organ score with an external computer and printer.

Exact pricing and availability to be confirmed.

Roland intros C-200 Classic Organ

If you’re after the classic organ sounds but need an instrument that’s more compact and transportable, Roland’s new C-200 Classic Organ could be just what you’re looking for.

The 76 keys eliminates the need for a split-level keyboard, which may suit some players better. It’s still possible to simulate dual-manual performance via programmable split points and zones.

The organ looks like rather like a larger version of the Roland C-230 launched in 2009.

Features include:

• Portable design with simple User Interface
• 76 keys for two manuals simulation as well as wide key range for the Fortepiano and Piano sounds
• Built-in stereo speaker system with Bass Reflex
• Pedalboard IN (PK-IN) to support an optional PK-series pedalboard (PK-5A, PK-7A, PK-25A)
• High-quality organ sounds with variations
• Dedicated buttons for Harpsichord, Fortepiano, Piano and Celesta sounds
• Internal Orchestral sounds for Pedal, Manual I and Manual II
• Four baroque pitches and five Temperaments support by easy buttons
• One-track recorder function for performance recording and evaluation

Classical Organ Sounds

The C-200 features dozens of high-quality organ sounds based on the Roland/Rodgers library, including samples of historic European church organs. The organ sounds and the orchestral sounds can be conveniently accessed in realtime via the front-panel tilt tabs.

Beautiful Orchestral Sounds

More than just high-quality organ sounds, the C-200’s authentic orchestral sounds can be played via each virtual manual plus pedals. Add an optional pedalboard, and turn the C-200 into a full-console organ akin to a church pipe organ.

Windchest Panning

Also of note is the C-200’s unique Windchest Panning feature, which recreates the sound of a classic church environment by simulating the physical location of pipes for each note played. Each note will emanate from its own unique location in the stereo soundfield — just like a true pipe organ!

Other split keyboard digital organs released by Roland include the C-330 and C-380.

Roland introduces C-380 classic organ

For those who are looking for an authentic organ experience at home, Roland announces its C-380 classic organ. Building on other organs in the series, such as the C-330, Roland has created a lightweight, compact instrument with a range of classical organ features including:

• High quality sound from Rodgers/Roland library
• Compact and lightweight body features a luxurious Dark Oak finish and a roll top with lock and key
• Cathedral-size sound thanks to the RSS ambience system
• Satellite speakers for creating the spatial dynamism of pipes
• Two 61-note manuals with tracker-action; 30-note parallel concave pedalboard
• Instant switching between classical tunings, baroque pitch, etc.
• Six User MIDI couplers for ultimate flexibility in registration
• USB Flash Memory connector to store performances and registration sets
• Divisional Mute function helps your practicing

RSS (Roland Sound Space) offers the rich, ambient sound of a real pipe organ, and the keyboards feature authentic tracker touch.

Each speaking stop of the C-380 controls three alternative voices (Voice Palettes) covering a wide range of taste and styles, from the Baroque era, through to the large romantic organs of the 19th and 20th Centuries. The C-380 contains USER Coupler functions which combine your choice from a palette of organ and orchestral sounds with the C-380’s own stops. This allows you to create hundreds of different sound combinations and then store them on the organ’s memory pistons.

More information is available on the C-380 product page.

Clavia intros Nord C2 Combo Organ: impressively versatile

Last month, Clavia announced its new Nord C2 Combo Organ, combining the sounds of a B3 tonewheel organ, a Vox Continental, a Farfisa and a baroque pipe organ.

Beautifully constructed, the C2 uses cutting edge sampling technology to extract the best sounds from each instrument.

The C2 is an extremely versatile instrument, providing not only rock organ players a new palette of sounds, but also the perfect instrument to use in churches, concert and congregation halls or any other venue where a high quality pipe organ instrument is paramount.

THE PIPE ORGAN

From the golden age of organ building, Clavia has carefully chosen a baroque organ with a devastatingly beautiful sound and wide range of expression for the C2 pipe organ part. Using cutting edge sampling technique, no efforts have been spared in producing the richest and most varied sound palette for the pipe organ player.

The C2 pipe organ is built upon two basic types of organ pipes; flue pipes and reed pipes. The flue pipes have a softer timbre and the reed pipes a more nasal tone quality. For each keyboard division the player can choose from different sets of pipes, stops, to produce different timbres. The C2´s setup of stops make up a well-balanced blend of tonal qualities capable of expressing the most dramatic music to conveying the subtlest of organ pieces.

Stops and Couplers

In the pipe organ each manual has its own sound; the Great division being the part of the organ with the majestic sound, whereas the Swell has a more mellow tonal quality. The Couplers are used to activate combinations of different stops from both manuals, so that pressing keys on one manual also connects stops from the other manual or pedal, making them sound as well. The Pedal division has three bass stops, which the user can choose to play from the lower manual, by attaching the Nord Pedal Keys 27 (accessory), or by attaching a 30-note classic digital organ pedal (optional).

Disposition

Swell (Manual II)
Fugara 8
Rohrflöte 8
Principal 4
Spitzflöte 4
Nasat 3
Flöte 2
Vox Celeste
Scharf II-III
Oboe 8

Great (Manual I)
Principal 8
Gamba 8
Gedackt 8
Octava 4
Rohrflöte 4
Qvinta 3
Octava 2
Mixtur III-IV
Trumpet 8

Pedal
Subbas 16
Fagot 16
Gedackt 8

Couplers
PED/GR. Low
SW 16/GR
SW/GR
Swell 16
Swell 4
SW/PED
GR/PED

The disposition has the fundamental tonal character of a baroque organ. The total number of stops is 21; 9 stops for every manual and 3 pedal stops (of which one is a combined Subbas 16 and Fagot 16). In addition to the three unison couplers usually found in two manual organs, the C2 Combo Organ also features three octave couplers and a special coupler that adds the Pedal to the leftmost note played on the Great manual.

Swell pedal and tremulant

One of the crucial ingredients for creating a vivid sound is the swell pedal. In the C2 Combo Organ this functions exactly as in the real-life models, giving the player intimate control over volume and dynamics of the swell manual. Another indispensable aid to make the pipe organ sound even a bit more vibrant is the tremulant. This is a function that basically gives small and very rapid variations in volume, thereby causing the sound to “tremulate”. The C2 provides two speeds, each with three variable depths.

It´s not only about the music, it´s also about the player

So, not only does the C2 Combo Organ provide an extremely well balanced set of pipes, stops and couplers, but has also kept the setup close to reality for the pipe organ player to easily find his way around. Controls are exactly where you will expect to find them, and in no time you will discover that this portable and compact instrument does the whole work that the organ in the town church has done. But is so much easier to carry along.

THE B3 MODEL

Clavia has made digital models of tonewheel organs for more than a decade and the C2 Combo Organ is equipped with its third generation tonewheel model.

Not only has Clavia analyzed the signals from each of the 91 spinning discs inside several original instruments, but has also paid years of attention to each and everyone of the intricate details that makes the characteristics of the actual sound in a vintage organ. How the tonewheels interact with each other, what the crosstalk and leakage in the original designs means to the sound, and what happens when you use the instrument to the limits of its ability.

Clavia knows this, and has made sure that the C2 tonewheel model responds in a manner with what it thinks is hands down the best performance organ on the market.

The virtual circuitry in the B3 model reacts not only to the settings on the panel but also during the real time performance. The C2 Combo Organ will faithfully reproduce the important foldback and energy robbing characteristics; the latter will produce the gentle compression effect that makes those lovely smears absolutely wonderful. There are 4 tonewheel modes that allows you to switch from a clean, factory spec’d instrument to a worn and battered workhorse with some 40 years worth of touring.

It’s all about the performance

The individual tonewheel levels are controlled with Clavia’s digital drawbars that are just as fast and ergonomic to set up as their physical counterparts. This modern design provides you with the ability to store your favourite settings, to be instantly recalled and edited in real time during a performance. You also get the unique opportunity to dial in a new setting with the digital drawbars while playing, without the change taking effect until you say so.

Get your fingers on the waterfall type keyboard and you will not only hear, but also feel the difference. An ultra fast trigger-to-sound response time in the C2 Combo Organ offers a superior performance compared with any other hardware or software products, just as the originals. Clavia has modelled the crucial key click and key release bursts from the mechanical busbar design with its close to 1200 switches. The actual keys themselves have a firm mechanical action to provide you with the rock solid feel of an original vintage instrument.

You have direct access to every important function on the panel. Clavia has a strong belief in that a performance is not only about what you play, but also how you use an instrument.

Vibrato, chorus and percussion

Other essential mechanical and electrical components in the original instrument like the scanner that provides the vibrato and chorus with their deep impact on the sound, and the components and behavior of the percussion are of course present in the C2 Combo Organ. The vibrato and chorus with the rotating scanner and its analog circuitry are carefully modeled to be as alive as the tonewheels.

Everything in the percussion including the monophonic behavior, filter, distortion, and envelope characteristics has been carefully and faithfully replicated. You can adjust some of the percussion functions to be able to set the sound to suit your needs and we even give you the option to keep the 9th drawbar or not, when the percussion is turned on.

VOX & FARFISA

The C2 Combo Organ includes accurate models of the two most popular transistor organs of the 1960s, offering you that massive savage sound created by their 12-top oscillator frequency-divider designs. With the C2, you get the same dynamic behaviour and unique response as in the original instruments.

The Farfisa Compact Deluxe, considered by many to be the mother of transistor organs, involves routing matrixes and complex filter combinations that offer a tailored sound with massive energy and high-end. The Vox Continental’s brute design brings you a more hollow tone, but still with a very intense character.

As with the tonewheel organ, both transistor organs have their own unique, irreplaceable personalities. Combine them with any of the C2 Combo Organ’s speaker simulations, add some distortion, adjust EQ and they will definitely light your fire.

3RD SET OF DRAWBARS

A dual manual organ would not be complete without the ability to play bass notes on a pedal board. The C2 Combo Organ includes two additional bass register drawbars with selectable timbre from vintage tonewheels, pipe organ bass stops or a synth bass, modeled after a famous vintage add-on unit.

The bass can be controlled with any MIDI-equipped bass pedal board connected to the dedicated Bass Pedal MIDI input, or by splitting the lower manual.

ROTARY

The C2’s rotary speaker simulation features a true life-like experience. It incorporates the acoustic variations that occur as a physical rotating speaker spreads the sound around in a room, providing the full experience of moving the air around. The rotary speed can be controlled with a foot switch, from the panel or by using a half-moon switch (accessory).

The rotary simulation in the C2 is Clavia’s best one yet, created by mic’ing up several original cabinets with different sets of treble and bass rotors and spending lots of time analyzing their audio responses. This painstaking effort means a brand new rotary model in the C2 Combo Organ which is available together with the previous rotary that so many users have said so many nice things about.

Connect the C2 Combo Organ to a quality cabinet with the standard 11-pin Leslie connector and use the Half Moon switch or the C2 panel buttons to control the rotary speed. The Leslie interface on the C2 uses a high voltage output which is vital to experience the true soul of a screaming, or for that matter, a whispering organ. This high level output is also available on a ¼” jack on the C2 back panel.

EFFECTS

The 3-band equalizer along with three types of speaker simulations and a powerful overdrive offers you total control of your sound. Add a feedback-delay with tap-tempo functionality, and several types of reverberation and you truly have an all-in-one effect section with stunning sound right out of the box. This will tailor your sounds for any occasion.

FLEXIBLE OUTPUT ROUTING
With so many organ types at your disposal, it is vital to be able to route these to appropriate amplifier- and sound systems. The C2 Combo Organ is equipped with a stereo output pair (L and R on 1/4″ jacks) and a set of high level outputs (a 1/4″ jack and a 11-pin Leslie* connector). This provides you with the flexibility to e.g. route the tonewheel to a rotary speaker and the pipe organ to a PA. It is also possible to use the tonewheel in a rotary and a PA with rotary simulation at the same time, or to route the transistor models to an amplifier.

ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS

A swell pedal is an essential tool for expressiveness with any organ and the C2 is of course capable of using any good quality expression pedal. The rotary speed can be controlled from a foot switch or the half moon switch, and there’s also a sustain pedal input.

The MIDI connectors allow you to use the Nord C2 to control other units or to use it together with a computer or sequencer. Plug in your mp3 or CD player to the monitor input to be able to play along, rehearse or jam with previously recorded music without the need of an external mixer or sound system. The signal that is present at this input will be monitored through the C2’s headphone output.

ON THE ROAD

Having three vintage organs and a baroque pipe organ in your studio is fun, but it’s even better when you can easily carry them with you to a gig. That is why the C2 Combo Organ is lightweight and portable. With the optional gig bag, you can carry the massive power of these monster organs in one hand; weighing in at merely 15,5 kg (34 lb) you will save energy for your performance.

Product page

Roland intros C-330 Classic Organ [Musikmesse 2009]

When a modern keyboard just won’t cut it for the sort of organ sounds you’re wanting to play, Roland’s C-330 Classic Organ could be just what you’re looking for.

The unit features Rodgers highly acclaimed voice engine on board, offering gorgeous tone with highly flexible pipe-voicing capability, Windchest panning, and controls for Warmth, Presence, Chiff, and more. Custom settings can be stored to USB memory.

It’s built with a dual manual tracker-action 61-note keyboard and parallel concave 30-pedal pedalboard.

The C-330 is equipped with a 4-channel digital amplifier and a patented RSS ambience engine for a rich, spatial sound. Hands-on controls are provided for instantly controlling the balance of the main speakers, the satellite speakers, and the reverb. The RSS technology allows for a smooth change of room size, wall type and reverb depth to create the perfect ambience.

Full specifications as follows:

Keyboard

Manual-I: 61 keys (C2-C7, Tracker action)
Manual-II: 61 keys (C2-C7, Tracker action)
Pedal: 30 keys (C2-F4, Parellel Concave)

Stops

Total 33 Stops
Manual-I: 9 Tablets + 2 (User/MIDI Couplers)
Manual-II: 10 Tablets + 2 (User/MIDI Couplers)
Pedal: 8 Tablets + 2 (User/MIDI Couplers)
4 Voice Palette each: Total 108 voices
USER/MIDI Voice: 74 Voices
Total: 182 Voices

Coupler

Manual Coupler: I/P, II/P, II/I
Melody Coupler: 1 (Piston)
Bass Coupler: 1 (Piston)
USER/MIDI Coupler: 6 (2 for each division)

Tremulant (Tablet)

Manual-I, Manual-II 1 each: Total 2

Registration

Piston: 5 X 20 Memory Banks Total 100

Piston: total 15

SET, 1 – 5, M-, M+, NEXT, BASS, MEL, STOP, PLAY/PAUSE, REC, 0

Effect

RSS Reverb

Controls

4 Knobs
Master Volume knob
Reverb knob
Satellite Volume knob (Select/Menu)
Value/Exit Menu knob

Key Transpose

-6 to +5 (semitone steps)

Temperament

9 types (Equal, Werckmeister III, Kirnberger I/III, Vallotti, Meantone D#/Eb, Pythagorean, Modern Bach)

Pitch

4 types (392 Hz/415 Hz/440 Hz/465 Hz)

Master Tuning

+/-50 cents

Song Recorder

Tracks: 1
Tempo: Quarter note = 20 – 240
Piston: STOP, PLAY/PAUSE, REC

File Storage

Media: USB flash memory

Pedal

Expression Pedal: 1
Foot Switch: 2

Speakers

Woofer 20 cm x 2, Tweeter 5 cm x 2, Satellite Speakers 12 cm x 2

Connectors

Phones jack (Stereo), Output jacks (L/Mono, R), Input jacks (L/Mono, R), MIDI connectors (In, Out), External Memory connector (USB Flash Memory connector), Satellite Speaker (Dedicated Connector), AC Inlet

Power Supply

AC 117 V, 230 V, 240 V

Power Consumption

120 W

Cabinet Finish

Simulated Light Oak

Accessories

Satellite Speakers, Owner’s manual, Quick manual, Demo song list, Power Cord, Pedalboard, Bench, Cover

Option

Stereo Headphones, USB Flash Memory

Size and Weight ( Total of Console and Pedalboard )

1,270 mm (50 inches) W x 910 mm (35-7/8 inches) D x 1,319 mm (51-15/16 inches) H

109.8 kg (242 lbs. 2 oz.)

* Including Music Rest
* Satellite Speaker size: 179 (W) x 91 (D) x 144 (H) mm x 2 units
* Weight including Satellite Speakers (Console: 81.5 kg, Pedalboard: 25.5 kg)

Size and Weight ( Bench )

1,350 mm (53-3/16 inches) W x 294 mm (11-5/8 inches) D x 640 mm (25-1/4 inches) H

20.0 kg (44 lbs. 2 oz.)

* The height is adjustable. (640 mm to 655 mm) (25-1/4 inches to 25-13/16 inches)

Availability and pricing to be confirmed.

Roland intros C-230 Classic Keyboard [Musikmesse 2009]

In a world of modern keyboards, there’s something about Roland’s new C-230 Classic Keyboard that speaks of the past.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t have cutting edge technology in it.

The C-230 features 36 classical organ tones, 8 organ bass tones, 4 harpsichord tones, two fortepianos, celesta, and a range of other sounds that can be added to the organ voices.

Spanning five octaves, the tuning can be adjusted in five ways (Equal, Werckmeister, Kirnberger, Vallotti, Meantone), there’s a damper and expression pedal, and a built-in speaker system (10W x 4) comprising two full-range speakers, two tweeters and two satellites, for a much fuller, enveloping sound.

The compact case is constructed from simulated mahogany, and it’s easily portable.

Availability and pricing to be confirmed.

Roland intros SA-1000 stage amplifier ideal for organs and digital piano

Roland has announced its new SA-1000 stage amplifier, a super-lightweight and portable stage amp customised for use with organs such as new ATELIER series and digital pianos.

Features include an Organ Enhance button which adds bass nuances to a sound, onboard Anti-feedback function to automatically cancels unpleasant howling from being placed too close to other sound sources, and Stereo Link which allows two SA-1000s to be cascaded into a PA system for small-scale performances and concerts.

The amp boasts 350W of output (75W x 2 plus a 200W subwoofer), and weighs 11.5kgs.

Product page

Roland intros new line of Atelier Organs: AT-800, AT-900, AT-900C

Roland has introduced three new organs in its Atelier series. The AT-800, AT-900, and AT-900C feature a new “Articulation Voice” sound set and proprietary SuperNATURAL technology, improving various sounds such as the Violin, Trombone, Cello, and Tenor Sax voices.

It also offers new physical Harmonic Bars provide authentic, hands-on control of expressive organ playing with new organ tone sets, plus there’s a built-in D BEAM infrared controller which allows extra expressive control by passing your hand over it.

The flagship AT-900 offers the stately beauty of an impeccably crafted organ console. Crafted in America from seasonal natural wood, this organ is the genuine article.

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