The Roland BK9 is Rolands Flagship "Backing Keyboard" and offers amazing creative potential when using all of the BK-9's features.
The Roland BK-9 provides a pro standard
76 Key keyboard with SuperNATURAL sounds. Alongside this you get over 1700 sounds and 70 Drum Kits. The chances are you will find the sound you want and you can then either perform libe of create you own backing tracks to play along with live.
The BK-9 comes with a dedicated Mic input which features its own Reverb section which allows you to mix yourself alongside you Keyboard.
The Roland BK9 is ideal for playing around at home but comes into its own when you go out and perform and unleash the huge power within.
Here's what Roland say about the BK-9 Keyboard
The BK-9 is a powerful performance keyboard for solo performers and also hobbyists who appreciate sophistication. Combining professional sounds with a powerful accompaniment section and USB recording, the easy-to-use BK-9 provides everything you need for great-sounding performances.
If you gig regularly, you'll appreciate the BK-9's pro-quality 76-note keyboard yet it's also easy to transport, weighing less than 21 pounds (9.4kg). With over 1,700 versatile sounds onboard and 70 drum kits, you have more than enough sounds to tackle the most demanding set list. The updated onboard sounds are incredibly realistic too, and
include 22 SuperNATURAL sounds along with 500 new sounds from Roland's acclaimed sound library.
With twin screens and a logical, intuitive layout, you can easily direct your virtual band while powerful effects and assignable real-time controls quickly let you edit your sounds. With a number of other highlights such as USB song playback/recording, an onboard 16-track sequencer, Rhythm Composer, and much more, the BK-9 is a powerhouse music machine for professional performing, song composition, and casual enjoyment at home.
Specification
- Flagship 76-note instrument with top-level sounds, industry-leading
auto-accompaniment features, and a lightweight, mobile design
- Over 1,700 sounds and 70 drum kits, including 22 SuperNATURAL sounds and 500 all-new tones
- Legendary Virtual Tone Wheel organs, with dedicated harmonic bars for authentic vintage organ performance
- 540 rhythms (including 25 new rhythms), remastered for exceptional audio quality; over 1000 Music Assistants onboard
- Five independent multi-effects engines (MFX), plus dedicated mastering effects
- All-new user interface with intuitive panel layout, powerful dual LCD system, and Mixer function
- Professional 16-track sequencer and built-in Rhythm Composer; Chord Loop and Audio Key functions
- Song playback/recording, unlimited Performance List storage, and more from convenient USB memory
- XLR mic input with dedicated reverb effect; composite video output for displaying lyrics and photos
- Compatible with Apple iOS devices via Roland Wireless Connect;
supports USB connection to iPad with Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit
- Free iOS apps include BK Partner, Lyrics Viewer, Air Recorder, and more
Built for live performance, and easy to carry
The
BK-9 weighs less than 21 pounds (9.4 kg) so it's easy to carry wherever
you want to play - a real plus as professional-quality 76-note
keyboards are usually heavy and difficult to transport.
Some
performance keyboards are weighed down by hundreds of unnecessary
functions, making them confusing, cluttered and complicated. The BK-9 is
designed around simplicity, and is very easy to use when performing,
with two screens showing just the essentials, a logical front panel
layout, and many dedicated and user-assignable controls.
When
playing live, there's nothing worse than reaching the end of the song
and realising you can't find the sounds for the next song. The BK-9 lets
you quickly recall your ten favourite tones for each real-time part, so
you can concentrate on playing rather than worrying about finding your
trusted, favourite sounds. You also get 1000 onboard Music Assistants
which provide instant setups for every musical style, and you can save
an unlimited number of custom setups to USB memory giving peace of mind
and protection from data loss.
Versatile sounds for every occasion - and lots of them
A
performance keyboard needs to deliver across a wide variety of musical
situations, especially when demanding audiences are involved. And
because you never know what songs the audience will request, it's
reassuring to know that the BK-9 is crammed with over 1,700 sounds
covering just about any musical genre. You've got quality as well as
quantity too, since Roland's SuperNATURAL technology powers 22 of the
sounds, for incredibly natural expression.
You also get 500
all-new tones from Roland's acclaimed sound library, selected especially
for the BK-9. When the gig kicks up a gear, the Virtual Tone Wheel
sound engine puts legendary organ tones at your fingers, with
front-panel harmonic bars and a rotary effect for authentic organ
performance. The BK-9 is also equipped for future expansion, with a User
Tone area dedicated for upcoming BK-series sound collections.
Remastered rhythms
The
rhythm section is the backbone of any performance, and the BK-9 is
brimming with full-ensemble accompaniments in almost every musical style
imaginable. This means you get to lead the world's most versatile
backing band as you play, but without the tantrums or egos. The 540
built-in rhythms have all been remastered with the BK-9's superior
sounds and powerful new effects processing for impressive audio quality
straight from the recording studio. You can also add unlimited
additional rhythms via USB, and you can play along with MP3, WAV, and
SMF files as well, so you don't need to plug in a separate audio player.
Adapt your sound to the venue, with powerful effects and onboard mixing
If
you play gigs at different venues, you never know what you'll find upon
arrival. Some venues sound fine, but others leave a lot to be desired
acoustically. The BK-9 includes two mastering processors so you can
adapt the sound of the rhythm and real-time sections to suit the
acoustics of the venue. They're also great when used with the global
reverb and chorus for adding that final polish, ready for recording.
In
total, there are five independent multi-effects engines (MFX) offering
an enormous range of sound processing possibilities, with three MFX
dedicated to rhythms and two MFX dedicated to real-time parts. You can
instantly adjust the levels of the rhythm and real-time parts, MFX
parameters, and more simply by using the harmonic bars on the front
panel.
Powerful tools for creativity
A
built-in 16-track sequencer provides a professional platform for
composing and editing SMF data, while the Rhythm Composer lets you
create and customise your own rhythms with ease. The convenient Chord
Loop feature instantly captures rhythm backings as WAV audio loops, and
also makes it simple to build chord sequences from rhythms to use for
composing in the sequencer.
If you're playing along with audio
files stored on USB key, up to seven files can be assigned to the top
seven keyboard keys for quick-access playback while performing - meaning
that the next song in your set list is cued up and ready to go. You can
record your performance for posterity directly to USB memory and since
the BK-9 records in high-quality WAV format, you can then copy the files
to a computer and burn your performance straight to CD.
Extra ability to entertain
If
you sing or work with a vocalist, you'll appreciate the BK-9's
convenient XLR microphone input, which features phantom power, a
dedicated reverb effect, and easily accessible front-panel controls.
You'll be able to set up faster and start the sound check without having
to worry about extra leads and effects processors.
If your
repertoire includes Karaoke, a composite Video Out jack is also
provided, which displays embedded MP3/SMF lyrics and chord symbols on an
external video monitor. For more casual performances at home, you can
display photo slideshows, so your audience can enjoy watching images
while listening to your music.
Roland Wireless Connect and Free iOS Apps
The
BK-9 works with Roland Wireless Connect, which provides cable-free
communication with Apple's iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch via Roland's
optional WNA1100-RL Wireless USB Adapter. An iPad can also be connected
directly to the BK-9 with a USB cable using Apple's iPad Camera
Connection Kit. Many free iOS apps are available to enhance your BK-9
experience, including Air Recorder for jamming and capturing
performances (iPhone/iPad), BK Partner for selecting tones and rhythms
(iPad), Lyrics Viewer for displaying SMF lyrics (iPad), and a number of
others.
