Roland has announced the arrival of two new V-Combo organs in the form of the VR-730 and VR-09-B.
The performance keyboards are designed with the jobbing player in mind, so feature a selection of organ, piano and synth sounds. They also include seven simultaneous effects, and offer what Roland calls “easy-access controls for maximum expression while performing”.
The VR-370 has a 73-note waterfall keyboard with semi-weighted action, while the slightly smaller VR-09-B is built around a 61-note synth-action keyboard.
Designed for the rigours of touring life, both keyboards are built with portability in mind. The larger VR-730 weighs in at 21lb. 14 oz./9.9 kg, while the VR-09-B is even lighter at 12lb. 3 oz./5.5 kg. Both can run on AA batteries if required.
Each instrument features organ, acoustic/electric piano and synth engines, which are arranged into three separate panel sections.
The organ section is controlled via nine harmonic drawbars, with Roland’s latest Virtual Tone Wheel Organ engine lurking under the hood.
Taking the rotary effects theme further than some electric piano-based keyboards, the V-Combos feature three genre-oriented types. These cover styles from gospel and pop, to jazz and rock.
Each model comes with such effects as phaser, tremolo, touch wah and more, but the VR-730 also includes an additional selection of electric piano sounds derived from the RD-2000.
Both VR-730 and VR-09-B users can get enhanced control of the organ and synth engines from the free VR-09 editor app for iPad. Also going for free are even more sounds, which can be found on Roland’s Axial website.
There’s currently no official word on price or availability, but more information can be found on the Roland website.
