Roland A-500 Pro 49 Key USB MIDI Controller
Roland A-500 Pro 49 Key USB MIDI Controller - If you're looking for a keyboard controller that you can use in the studio, on-stage, or anywhere you feel inspired, look no further than the A-500PRO. Combining the best of Roland engineering with Cakewalk's legendary ease-of-use, the A-500PRO has the features and feel you need to get the most out of your music performances and productions.
- Velocity-sensitive 49 keys
- Inspiring feel & response for serious players
- 45 assignable controls: knobs, sliders, buttons, transport & more
- 8 Dynamic Pads for finger drumming & MIDI triggering
- Sure-grip Pitch Bend/Modulation Stick
- Expand playability with Sustain & Expression Pedals (available separately)
- USB Bus Powered — no AC adaptor required (AC adaptor is an optional)
- Durable Roland-quality manufacturing & craftsmanship
- Bundled with the Cakewalk Production Plus Pack including three incredible instruments and production software
- Works with any DAW on Mac or PC
- Supports Windows 7 & Mac OS X Snow Leopard
The Feel of a Roland-Quality Instrument
When you perform with the A-500PRO, you’re tapping into the benefits of over 30 years of Roland keyboard development. A superior key mechanism provides aftertouch and and increased sensitivity for a wide range of expressive dynamics in your performance. Rounded key assemblies offer responsive reaction to your touch and more comfortable glissando. Plus, enhancements have been made to eliminate vertical shake and reduce the already low mechanical noise on key strokes. And with selectable Velocity curves you can fine tune the A-500PRO to match your playing style. No matter what your skill level, you’ll appreciate the feel of a quality instrument when you play the A-500PRO.
Everything at your fingertips
The A-500PRO has been ergonomically designed to put everything at your fingertips. All controls are easily accessible and intelligently laid out to make performing and producing music an inspiring affair. Whether you’re playing your favorite virtual instrument or working in your digital audio workstation, 9 knobs, 9 sliders, 4 buttons, and a dedicated Transport section offers fully assignable control of all the features you need. And the sure-grip, rubber-coated Pitch Bend/Modulation Stick offers expressive control of both functions at the same time. The A-500PRO Editor for Mac and PC makes it a breeze to customize the A-500PRO for use with your favorite synth or DAW. Just fire up the editor, adjust your Control Map, and hit transmit…it’s that easy. And when you’re working with an ACT (Active Controller Technology) enabled DAW like SONAR, parameters will remap automatically, keeping you in the flow and focused on your music.
Easy Connections with Side Panel Ports
The A-500PRO provides easy access connections on the side panel so that you can have a computer monitor or laptop in the ideal position behind the keyboard a must for educational use. Connect USB, MIDI IN/OUT, Hold and Expression pedals without having to reach behind the keyboard.
Dynamic Pads
The A-500PRO puts 8 velocity sensitive Dynamic Pads right within your reach. Use these pads to trigger grooves, samples, or one shots on the fly with your favorite DAW, sampler, or virtual Instrument like the included Cakewalk Sound Center or Studio Instruments Drums. Use the Hold control to “latch” the pads. Or assign aftertouch, velocity, and controller data to pads for greater expression in your performance.
Ready to Rock In Studio or On Stage
Whether you’re live on stage in front an audience of screaming fans, or dimming the lights in the studio to capture a mood, you can always clearly see what you’re doing with the A-500PRO’s ultra-bright backlit LED display and buttons. And the A-PRO works with USB bus power, so if you have your laptop you’re ready to make music anywhere.
FPT Low-latency MIDI Transmission
Don’t trust your MIDI to anything else! The A-500PRO offers MIDI Transmission using Roland’s proprietary FPT (Fast Processing Technology). You can rely on FPT for stable, high speed, low latency, and low jitter MIDI transmission. In layman’s terms, that means that subtleties of your performance are going to be captured regardless of the music application you are using. And when working with virtual instruments, FPT provides lower latencies to give you the inspiring feel of playing a real instrument.
Production Plus Pack
The Production Plus Pack is a powerful suite of music creation software that ships with the A-500PRO. It includes SONAR 8.5 LE recording software (PC only) and three high-quality and versatile virtual instruments for Mac and PC: Rapture LE, Cakewalk Sound Center, and Studio Instruments Drums.
Roland A-500 Pro 49 Key USB MIDI Controller
Keyboard
49 keys (with velocity and channel aftertouch)
Controllers
Pads: [A1]–[A8] Buttons: [B1]–[B4], [L1]–[L9] Knobs: [R1]–[R9] Sliders: [S1]–[S9] Foot Pedals: HOLD (P1), EXPRESSION (P2) Bender Lever: BENDER, MODULATION Keyboard: AFTERTOUCH [VALUE] knob
Buttons
[ACT] button, [ < ] button, [ > ] button, [DUAL] button, [SPLIT] button, [UPPER] button, [LOWER] button, [SHIFT] button, [TRANSPOSE] button, OCTAVE [–] [+] button
Display
16 characters, 2 lines LCD (with backlit)
Side Panel
[POWER] Switch (USB/OFF/DC IN), [MIDI MERGE] Switch (ON/OFF)
Connectors
HOLD (P1) Pedal Jack: 1/4 inch phone type EXPRESSION (P2) Pedal Jack: 1/4 inch TRS phone type MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT), USB Connector DC IN Jack
Power Supply
DC 9 V (AC Adaptor) or USB Bus Power
Current Draw
300 mA (AC Adaptor or USB Bus Power)
Accessories
A-PRO CD-ROM, Cakewalk Production Plus Pack DVD-ROM, USB Cable, Owner’s Manual, Cakewalk Production Plus Pack installation guide, License agreement
Options
Pedal Switch: DP-2/DP-10, Expression Pedal: EV-5/EV-7, AC Adaptor (PSB series)
Size and Weight
Width
838.9 mm
33-1/16 inches
Depth
250.8 mm
9-7/8 inches
Height
91.4 mm
3-10/16 inches
Weight
3.8 kg
8 lbs. 7 oz.