NAMM 2013: There's even more news from Roland today as it announces the CUBE Lite guitar amplifier and CUBE Lite monitor amplifier.
The CUBE Lite is designed with musicians who use IOS devices in mind,and allows either guitarists or keyboard players to connect with their Apple device and use it for various recording and practising applications.
For more information, visit the official Roland website or read on for the full press releases...
Roland press releases
CUBE Lite Guitar Amplifier
Stylish guitar amp and music dock with iOS interface
Here's a modern day problem: guitar amps don't sound great when you play digital music through them and sound docks don't have guitar inputs or effects. But what if your portable guitar amp and your iOS music system could be the same thing?
The stylish CUBE Lite guitar amplifier combines great COSM guitar tones with a powerful 2.1 channel speaker system that also connects easily to your iOS device. Once connected, use the free CUBE JAM iOS app to riff over the backing tracks before recording your song ideas and sharing with family and friends. With stereo speakers and a subwoofer, you get a rich, satisfying sound ideal for guitar playing and listening to your digital music library: a compromise guitarists have made for too long!
• Compact, stylish guitar amp with iOS interface; for home or office
• Versatile, popular effects including JC CLEAN, CRUNCH, and EXTREME COSM tones, plus stereo chorus and reverb
• Powerful 2.1 channel audio system, with custom stereo speakers and subwoofer
• i-CUBE LINK jack connects with Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Free CUBE JAM iOS app lets you jam, record and share your music
• Includes cable for two-way communication (playback and recording) with iOS devices
• Available in black, white, or red
Classic Roland and Boss guitar tones
The CUBE Lite guitar amplifier provides three great amp tones—JC CLEAN, CRUNCH, and EXTREME -which cover any style of music. Reverb and chorus effects are onboard as well, with true stereo for a wide expansive sound.
Jam, record and share your music with CUBE JAM iOS app
The Cube Lite is an amp that works really well with an app. The free Roland CUBE JAM app uses your iOS device to jam, re-record and share your music. Here's how it works:
1. Select a favourite track from your iOS music library
2. Minimise the existing guitars/vocals with the centre-cancel option
3. Slow the tempo to learn your part or even change the key
4. Re-record a new lead using the classic COSM guitar tones onboard
5. Adjust the volume of your guitar and backing music independently
6. Export your mix to a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV file and share it with friends and family
Connects easily with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
Using your guitar with an iOS device often involves frustrating, bulky interfaces. With i-CUBE LINK, you just connect your iOS device to the amp with the included cable, and then blend the COSM tones and iOS audio together, so you can play and record your guitar through a real amp with great tone. When you need to practise in silence, just plug in some headphones to mute the onboard speakers.
Powerful 2.1 channel stereo audio system
With stereo speakers and an integrated subwoofer, the CUBE Lite's powerful 2.1 channel audio system has a rich, full sound that will do your guitar justice. You get the best of both worlds too, as you can also listen to your digital music library through the powerful 2.1 channel speaker system.
Flexible 'direct mode' for recording
If you record from the CUBE Lite into CUBE JAM (or other apps), the app captures the sound as you hear it, with the onboard COSM tones and effects applied. Using the CUBE Lite's Direct Mode lets you capture dry sounds while monitoring with the effect sound. Recording dry tracks in this way lets you experiment with other processing later, using the audio app of your choice. Direct Mode also allows you to use real-time processing in any app, monitoring the live output with the CUBE Lite.
Stylish Design for Modern Living Spaces
As the Cube Lite is equally useful as a great guitar amp or a versatile digital music player, it's designed to look good in the studio, living room, kitchen or office. With three different finishes to choose from (black, white, or red), you're sure to find the perfect match for your surroundings.
CUBE Lite Monitor Amplifier
Sing, play, and practice with your iOS device
The CUBE Lite MONITOR is a 2.1 channel audio system with microphone and instrument inputs. Place it on top of your keyboard, plug in your microphone and connect to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The free CUBE JAM iOS app lets you play along to music and record your performance back to the app. You can also slow down the audio playback speed to help learn your part, and you can even minimise the effect of pre-recorded vocals by using the centre-cancel feature, so you can play or sing on top.
The powerful stereo speakers and subwoofer fill the room with rich sound, and onboard effects let you set the correct ambience for singing and playing instruments. The versatile CUBE Lite MONITOR is ideal for music practice, music lessons, home entertainment, meeting rooms and doubles as a great-sounding music system for your digital music library.
• Stylish tabletop monitor amplifier for home, studio or work
• Powerful 2.1 channel stereo sound system with integrated subwoofer
• Stereo 1/4-inch phone jacks for connecting microphone and musical instruments; stereo reverb and echo effects
• i-CUBE LINK jack provides simple audio interfacing with Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Free CUBE JAM app for iOS plays songs and minus-one tracks, and lets you change the playback tempo while maintaining the pitch
• Includes cable for two-way communication (playback and recording) with iOS devices
• Stylish white finish
Sing and play with high-quality sound
The CUBE Lite MONITOR has two 1/4-inch inputs for either a mic and mono instrument, or one stereo instrument. Easy-to-use reverb and echo effects let you create the correct ambience for singing and playing. The powerful 2.1 channel stereo sound system has an integrated subwoofer, for a rich and full sound. For silent practice, you can plug in headphones to mute the onboard speakers.
Connects easily with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
You can easily connect your iOS device to the Cube Lite monitor. The supplied cable transforms the Cube Lite into an audio interface for your iOS device, allowing you to play and/or record music with any audio app. Once connected, you can use the CUBE Lite MONITOR to blend your mic/instrument with the iOS audio. The i-CUBE LINK port can also be used as a simple stereo input, so you listen to your music player through the CUBE Lite.
Powerful recording and practice with CUBE JAM iOS app
The free CUBE JAM app turns your iOS device into a powerful tool for audio recording and music practice. Play the music from the CUBE JAM app through the amp, sing or play over the top and then record your performance back into the app. Then you can adjust the volume of your performance and backing music independently in CUBE JAM, and export your mix as a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV file to share with friends and family.
There are also useful tools for music practice and learning songs, including tempo change, pitch adjustment to change the song key to suit your voice, and Centre Cancel to create tracks for karaoke-style singing.
Flexible 'direct mode' for recording
If you record from the CUBE Lite MONITOR into CUBE JAM (or other apps), they capture the sound as you hear it, with the onboard reverb/echo effect applied. Activating the CUBE Lite's Direct Mode lets you capture dry sounds while monitoring with the effect sound. Recording dry tracks in this way lets you experiment with other processing later, using the audio app of your choice. Direct Mode also allows you to use real-time processing in any app, monitoring the live output with the CUBE Lite MONITOR.
Stylish design for modern living
With its compact, tabletop design and stylish white finish, the CUBE Lite MONITOR blends in at home, in the studio or the office. It's a great amp for mics and instruments, but is also a high-quality home playback system for your digital music library. Use it in your living room as an audio hub, your bedroom for music practice, or in your office as a high-quality sound system for your PC and tablet.
