Roland

Roland was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in 1972 in Osaka, Japan. Kakehashi specifically produced Roland to participate in the competitive market of professional instruments. He started with seven employees in a small shed where they produced their first instrument: a drum machine. They produced their first synthesizer not much later, in 1975, and they quickly expanded their assortment to include many different digital audio products. They are currently one of the largest audio companies in the world. This is partially due to their philosophy: music is a universal communication resource that has to be supported by innovation and reliability. They also prioritise the physical quality of their products, which means all their products are very innovative and of high quality.

The GO:KEYS 5

The GO:KEYS 5 is the ultimate keyboard for the creative musician. The keyboard has a simple interface so you’ll quickly learn to use it. This also allows you to start creating with a press of a button. Besides the easy interface will the large library of sounds also give you creative freedom. The keyboard will encourage you to release your imagination and create whole new pieces. The GO:KEYS 5 has 61 touch-sensitive keys. This means that the keyboard will note all the nuances of your playing and translate this into the sound. This is a good thing because the digital sound won’t sound as static but will instead sound a lot more authentic.

Sounds

The GO:KEYS 5 has a ZEN-Core engine, which contains more than 1,000 sounds from different genres and eras. Do you want accompaniment while you’re playing? No problem! The system contains automatic accompaniment so you can nicely keep on playing along. You also don’t have to worry about whether the accompaniment will fit your style, as the system contains more than 200 different built-in music styles! If you prefer to play with just a rhythm, the system also has 74 built-in drum kits. Furthermore, the GO:KEYS 5 has a chord sequencer with over 500 presets so composing your own music will be a lot easier. Additionally, you can use the keyboard with headphones, but if you want to play out loud this is also possible. The system contains two stereo speakers and two passive radiators which makes the keyboard sound bright and authentic.

Connections

The system can be powered with the included adapter, but it can also be used with eight AA batteries. Do you want to play along with your favourite music? No problem! The system has a Bluetooth function so you can connect it directly to your smartphone or laptop. Besides, the GO:KEYS 5 can be used as a MIDI keyboard and a USB interface. You can thus connect the keyboard directly to your recording software. You can also connect a pedal and a microphone to the GO:KEYS 5. The keyboard has built-in voice effects for the microphone. With the GO:KEYS 5 you can also expand the sound library with the (separately sold) WC-1 adapter which gives you access to the Roland Cloud Connect.

This keyboard is also available in Graphite.