Roland just released a weird little riff on an acoustic handpan

The giant of the synthesizer Roland has just announced a fairly bizarre machine. The panoramic is the company Digital grip on an acoustic hand. For the uninitiated, a handpan is a version of the Steelpan instrument which has been popular in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1930s. It is widely considered the only real acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.

However, Handpans and Steelpans take serious skills to play. Roland’s mood is much easier to play, thanks to clearly visible pads that represent notes. These nine pads can be defined on different musical scales, which makes it impossible to hit a bad note. Society affirms that this simpler conception requires “no previous musical competence”.

There is an integrated 2.1 speaker system and a Bluetooth receiver, which allows users to broadcast audio from external sources. The sound engine offers “quiet tones”, with several sound variations and effects.

The mood mold provides access to a certain number of different percussive instruments such as the drum of the tongue, the gamelan, the crystal bowl and the song of song, as well as unique agreements. He can also imitate things like sitars, orchestral strings and synth pads. There is an affiliated application to change sounds and for sensitivity to the fine adjustment buffer.

It is played with finger taps, like many of its acoustic cousins. The instrument is small enough to be placed directly on a tower, but also works on a table. Roland says it is the perfect gadget for “musical exploration, relaxation and meditation”. As for these last two, the panoramic can play integrated environmental music and sounds of nature. Society affirms that these modes are intended for “mornings, evenings, relaxing and yoga”.

This being a modern digital instrument, there is a USB-C Midi port to trigger sounds on computers or via other gadgets. It is powered by six AA batteries or via a USB-C connection. The instrument is available on order now, but shipments will not be released for a few weeks. The room panoramic costs $ 660.