Roland Introduces EM-50 and EM-30 Creative Keyboards

January 28, 1999 -- Roland Corporation U.S. is proud to introduce two new powerful, attention-getting keyboards: the EM-50 and the EM-30 Creative Keyboards.

Featuring Roland's powerful sound set and great new music styles, these keyboards are also the first to introduce the D-Beam controller technology to the home keyboard market. This infrared light sensor provides a traffic-stopping sales feature, as well as a new creative performance aspect for players. With these powerful features and their built-in stereo sound systems, the new EM-50 and EM-30 keyboards are perfect for both beginning and intermediate players.

The EM-50 and EM-30 boast a new GS-compatible sound table, 16 multitimbral parts, hundreds of built-in basic tones and 12 built-in drum kits, distinguishing themselves as exciting, dynamic instruments. They also feature 56 onboard music styles, including new dance sounds, and eight styles on Flash ROM.

The new D-Beam controller's infrared light-sensing beam lets users visually interact with their EM keyboard. By just moving their hand over the sensor, players can control a variety of onboard effects, including modulation, pitch bend and tempo. A new Style Morphing feature gives players the ability to make gradual, musical transitions between musical sections. And a new Style Progression function gives players six different arrangement levels for each style division.

While the EM-30 features a built-in song recorder, the EM-50 has a built-in 3.5-inch disk drive for playing Standard MIDI files and storing user-created songs, making it a welcome addition to the Music Tutor Inside family.

Both keyboards feature MIDI/Joystick cable connection, making it easy to link the EM-30 and the EM-50 to a personal computer. They also include a free bundled CD-ROM which contains a QuickStart guide, an owner's manual, MIDI song files, and Adobe Acrobat Reader freeware. Other highlights include: a new user-friendly interface with larger buttons, a redesigned backlit LCD and a powerful two-way Bass Reflex speaker system.

For more information, visit Roland on the web at www.rolandus.com.