Roland A-37

I use mine with a Nord Modular and an Akai sampler. It's brilliant with the sampler as I wont ever run out of keys to assign samples to. I haven't (yet) delved into the patches as I use the midi channels on Cubase.

I'm not a huge fan of the Roland pitch stick as the modulation is pretty much a write off. As a result, I bought an ev-5 expression pedal which is extremely useful and I don't think I'd buy another keyboard unless it included a foot pedal input. I also have a DP-8 which improves the piano samples on my Akai but I'd imagine most proper piano players wouldn't be satisfied with this combination for piano playing.

There seem to be a lot of complaints about the velocity/aftertouch but baring in mind the price of the unit, I didn't expect it to play anything like a proper piano. If I wanted better velocity/aftertouch, I would have payed more for something like a Fatar.

Never had any problems so far (other than a broken key).

Had to replace a key as one got broken (mystery culprit - sound familiar anyone?). Hardly cost anything to replace and delivery was quick too.

It's a bit of an oddity, much better than the cheaper midi keyboard controllers out there but not quite up there with the more expensive piano type keyboards. Personally for my needs, I think it's a fantastic keyboard.

the Manual sucks- still struggling with figuring out how to make bank changes via the front panel. Other than that everything is fine- All I want to be able to do is switch patches and banks from my Motif Rack.

What I love-
1) Battery powered- means no more wall wart like on similar products, one less cord dangling around,
2) Super portable and lightweight
3) 76 keys!! 61 is too small and 88 is way too big- when do you play those top few or bottom few keys? never! 76 is perfect !! and is truly the gigging size keyboard for those used to electric pianos.

No SOUNDS IT's A Controller !!!
I was worried about all that Velocity stuff some reviewers were referring to. I would say, you notice it if you were sequencing, especially sequencing drums. I wouldn't use it as a controller in my computer music rig,- of course you'd want something that transmits all 128 note velocities but for a LIVE rig (does anyone actually play live any more? I hope so!) it is PERFECT! If you're sequencing Drum n Bass on your computer, this is not for you, if you are playing live in a Funk, Reggae, Blues, Rock Band, this thing is great!

So cheap you could just buy another if something went bad.
I don't think I'll have any problems with it.

well, has to be better than Kurzweil that's for sure.

Well I have to say I never thought I'd actually play a Roland. I normally hate Roland because of all their lame Groove oriented novice products with silly pink flashing disco lights etc.. I am used to Yamaha and let me tell you if Yamaha made a 76 note controller, I would have bought that in a heartbeat. I ordered this product without even playing it or seeing one live in the flesh because I was looking for a 76 key controller and refused to buy a Kurzweil. (too bad more people don't make 76 key keyboards anymore) I find the 76 keys to be optimal for us Rhodes players. I am more pleased with this product than I ever thought I would be. I used to gig with a Fender Rhodes, had to have a handcart with me at all times, had to have a pickup truck(the Rhodes beat the hell out of my shocks and leaf springs)- Got sick of carrying around the Rhodes and basically any instrument that I had to wrench on before gigs, so I went on the ultimate Rhodes replacement hunt. I bought a Yamaha S80 about a year and a half ago. With a hard case this thing was still huge and almost as heavy as the Rhodes. Sold it because I needed to get smaller. Now I have the smallest most killer gigging rig ever. I have a Roland A-37 and 2 Barbetta Sona 41's and a 4 space rack with a Power Conditioner in there, a Roland SDE-1000 delay, a Behringer rack mixer and a Yamaha Motif Rack. (4 spaces) and I can fit all this into my BMW M3 with ease! I couldn't believe I was still driving a pickup just to haul that dumb Rhodes around- sheesh!!! I actually found a replacement I can live with.

I am a music teacher and use the A30 at my work. Therefore I bought the A37. Thats very much easier to use. Primerely i use it with an old Emu pianomodule just for piano, but I am going to invest in another soundmodule so I could use all the possibilities it has. Well, Id had to read the manual some times before I got the point how to store patches, but after that, it was easy. Since I most of the times only use the pianomodule, its just plug and play.

Very good for almost every style. I play piano in a folk-rock band and before I got the A37 I used my old Roland HP900 which was to heavey to play on. After an evening with rocknroll piano my arms hurt. A37 saved my arms i that kind of style.2 midi outs is good. (I dont use them no, but will use them later for sure.

Well, its a controller. As mentioned above, its very comfortable to play on.

Yes, absolutely.

When I said to my contact in my local store that I wanted it, it took a looong time to get it. That was a little irritating.

I will buy it again i think. I was tired of carrying my Roland piano (HP900) around. That was to heavey (36kg) and didnt fit into the backseat of my car. Therefore I was looking for something with at least 76keys and it should be easy to transport. I considered some stagepiano, but they where to heavey and I like to work with modules. If i got the money, i will buy a motif rack. So, now I can walk to a gig. The keyboard, cables and the module in one softbag, keyboardstand in one hand and one active amplifier in the other hand. (Voice Contact e. Only 6kg and good for practising).

Very easy and intuitive to set up and combination for controlling multiple MIDI devices

Action is good, aftertouch is very responsive. Despite claim by "Submitted by Peter at 03/09/2002 21:31", most settings (slider, bend, modulation, hold pedal, etc.) are inddependantly configurable for upper and lower zones. Very flexible. I use a pad/piano on lower with pedal hold, no bend, no modulation, and a synth solo on upper with bend, modulation, and no pedal hold. Works very well. I almost did not purchase this unit after reading Peter's review.

Very natural feel, and can be used for any type of music

Dependable and would use w/o a backup

Called once and got the answer I needed in seconds.

I'd definately buy another one if stolen. I have been playing for over 20 years, rock, jazz, funk, classical, pop, etc. and am using a Korg Tr-Rack and a Roland XV-550 with piano and ultimate keys expansion boards. This settup does everything I need.

I spent 4 hours with it after the purchase and I know all there is to know about it for live usage. Intuitive for sure.

The keyboard action when played without sound is "synth-weighted" feeling or semi-weighted type with waterfall keys. When played using sound sound sources over two independent MIDI outs then it will unleash a surprising amount of expressive and flexible power. VERY nice. It has opened up a new higher level of expression to me. It is a pleasure to play for it's type of product.

It feels musical and natural to the touch. Accurate and responsive to control Roland and Yamaha synth's.

I know someone who have used the previous and similar models A-32 and A-33 versions without trouble for more than 10 years. I bought it partly because of this reliability. I've had a Studio-Logic by Fatar SL-161 for 2 years and that had to be replaced because of lack of quality. Good ideas there but crummy built.

From past experience, I have to stay in the middle

Replace: Yes. great value unreasonable to wish for more in this price range.
I tried other Roland, Midiman, Studio-Logic/Fatar, Evolution, Novation -all things that Guitar Center or Sam Ash (I purchased it there) offers on display and I'm sure about my decision being correct. I'm happy with this product.
My other keyboards are Yamaha S90 (=the Best Ever), S-30.

It seems pretty straightforward.

The A-37 has the typical roland combo lever which combines a small lateral throw pitch lever with a vertical pressure-sensitive modulation controller. While I'm ok with the pitch lever, I find the modulation thing unusable. It's too hard to control. The rig has but one assignable data slider, and two pedal inputs (a switch and a continuous controller).

A second slider, and an additional pedal in would have been nice.

The ability to run on batteries is a plus, but seems a bit extravagent.

It's extremely light-weight and has a very small footprint for a 76 key rig.

The keys are "semi-weighted", but is more like a regular synth action. Solid & quick.

As for the velocity sensing, I suspected that Roland may have cut corners. When I tested the keyboard, I discovered that the A-37 does not generate ALL 127 velocities. From 70-90 it generates only EVEN numbers. There was never a value of 1 no matter how slowly I pressed. There were other gaps and anomalies. Some numbers showed up once in 500 notes, other values appeared more often than probability would have allowed. I theorize that an internal velocity clock may be too slow.

This velocity shortcoming wasn't so noticeable during playing. It has a ok curve & feel. It may not be an issue for most. I know that the way I play & program, I will want the whole range, and no oddities.

One downside of the lightness of the keyboard is the psychological sense that it is not very solid. I can't really tell. I think it would stand up to normal use ok. The keyboard assembly and push-buttons feel pretty solid. The case is ok (for the price). I'd use it without a back up.

I've had bad experiences with Roland in the past. I don't know if they've improved.

I wanted a really solid, accurate controller, not a bare bones, compromised rig. I tried to find out info about the A-37 online, but wasn't able to get details. I wound up buying one. And, after testing it for about two hours, I'm packing it up and sending it back.

N/A

Possess all the faculties a midi controller should encompasses. It is a nice synth weighted keyboard (not disappointed in that department at all), however, I also have a Korg Triton so it makes me wish that somebody made a high quality midi controller with impressive 88-key weighted action like that implemented by Korg in their high-end synths. For a 76-key midi controller, it is very portable and easy to move around. When it comes down to making music in the studio, there is nothing about it that impedes attention away from that creative process.

N/A

It simply hasn't been unreliable.

N/A

I actually checked out all the midi controllers that I could find on the internet and ask people about, too many to list but the A-37 was the only one I felt inclined to buy.

the key action is too light and noisy in my opinion if you pay hard staccato you could hear some spring reingging in some keys.... i thought the key action would be as nice as and as solid as XP-80 or even better FANTOM but Wrong! i'm trully surprised how light it is! not suitable for piano like sounds but i think its supperb and works for organ or synth..

the building quality really makes me dissapointed... at least at the unit i received. the painting is really harsh in some area, bad texture in some area... and not pro-ly painted... its like its been paint by beginners, too thick-ly painted and just plain ugly... never own this kind of badly manufactured keyboard before!.... the joint between platic is not balaced, a bit bend in some area... the power switch like a car toy or electronic robot toy... this controller is aint cheap in my country and i really disappointed at the time i opened it... it like roland product getting worst and worst in production and quality control... all roland product that made in japan are all solid and beautiful... but the product from Roland europe is wimpy and dissapointing.... sorry... i really try to love the unit and i actually need a controler for my XV-5050... i cant wait until it arrived only to find that i got a badly made product.

hmmmnnn....

i return the unit the same day... having abit difficulties with the distributor in my country (indonesia)at first but at last i made it... i said i wont invest in a product that only worth half of the price i paid (about almost $450 with PS... really disappointed with roland... i wont buy another roland unless its made in japan and solidly built... to bad roland dont build solid& durable product like they used to (D-50, W-30. A-50, A-80)....

i order the unit couse it seem that everybody love it and many reviewer like and i thought its gonna be a great product... but i'm wrong... no offend guys... it might be works for someone and some might like it.. to bad i hate it so much couse of its badly manufactured and wimpy building quality...

i wont give any score so people who read it would judge the product for them self.... dont buy my review,,, try one your self.. if you like it buy it... but atleast be careful... dont buy it unless you've tried it and see if you like the keys or can compromise the buiilding quality...

gears that i have:
Roland:
D-50, FANTOM, XV-5050 ( i used to use XP-80, XP-60, U-220, RS-5, E-16)

KORG:
TRINITY, i30, X5D, SP-200 (used to have i3, another trinity, another X5D, sp-500)

EMU Proformance 1+

I don't believe the firmware is upgradable in the controller, so software version is N/A.
It's just a controller, so it doesn't make any sound to comment on. There are however "Patches". You can store a little over a hundred of these which contain the various settings available in the device. Editing is very straightforward, using a matrix style text chart printed on the front of the unit. There is only a three digit LCD display, but it doesn't really matter since there isn't much to do. The manual is horrid, like most of Roland's efforts here. There are some blatantly simple grammatical errors. Oh well.

Keyboard action, that's where the A-37 shines. I already own the Roland A-90EX and was looking for something with a smaller footprint that I could move around easily, but that still had some weight to the keys. The catch is that I wanted to be able to pull off quick synth riffs on the same keyboard when I'm controlling my Nord or whatever. I found it to be completely possible, and I actually prefer the action on the A-37 for this purpose and everything else now. It's superb. At first I thought it would be a bit light for extended piano use but *nope*. It's enjoyable and grows on me every day I use it. 10 points for a flexible feel to the action.

It has two midi outputs and is able to set up splits between them. These settings as well as aftertouch/velocity/external synth patch/etc parameters can be saved as user patches. (128 I believe.) As someone else mentioned, it is slightly annoying that when you power on the unit and it brings up its first patch, it sends a midi message out its ports to call up the external patches. If you have a midi interface that echoes to all ports when it is not being used with a sequencer program, this will result in having your whole rig change to whatever the patch is set for, which is bunk. ;) But it's avoidable by turning on the controller before the rest of your gear.

The keyboard feels excellent as I previously mentioned. The adjustable curves give you enough room to make it fit your playing style. Aftertouch is a bit extreme for me, but it's my first keyboard with it so i'm not sure if that's what to be expected. I don't find myself accidentally kicking it on, it's just that when I do it's hard to control the amount.

The unit feels very light and it's completely made of plastic, but even though, it feels solid. I'd feel comfortable bringing it with me without a backup unit, for sure.

I haven't dealt with Roland, and I hope I never have to. :)

Unless Roland had updated their controller line, I would rush out to get another one of these things. I really love it.

I compared this unit to a Fatar controller and found the Fatar to be very "mushy" compared to it. No competition, really.

I wish it had more configurable knobs or sliders, there's only one. It feels more like a piano players controller than a synth controller. (But i'm a synth player, and totally recommend it if you're looking for something better than a standard synth board.)

It didn't come with an ac adapter, so make sure you pick one up at the shop. This was dumb. Where are you going to use a controller with batteries? Unless you have a laptop, you're always going to need to plug *something* in. Dumb.

This keyboard is very easy to use. I first bought it in December '01 and wanted to give it a full drive around the block before submitting a review. All in all, a very straightforward controller with better action than anything in this price range. I wouldn't give it a 10, however, because the upper and lower zones are not completely independent. As mentioned by other reviews, if I change the volume on one, it shouldn't affect the other. Also, it should give you an option for not sending any midi messages upon power up - it doesn't. Also, it does not come with a power adapter, which is an extra $24 I didn't want to pay. Finally, the sequencer start/stop button doesn't start my sequencer (I'm using Micro-Logic).

No polyphony because it is only a controller. I was weaned on a piano and I can *almost* convince myself I'm playing a weighted-action keyboard. It has a sturdy construction and it looks better cosmetically than the Fatar/Studio Logic boards.

Aftertouch is what makes this keyboard such a contender, and it doesn't dissapoint. I've got it connected to an XV-5080 and the added expressiveness I can get from leaning into it really makes it fun to play. Best thing about it is that it's not TOO sensitive.

One of the things that would be very nice but is not present is an ability to receive bank change/program change message FROM the rack so that they can be saved to the presets. Why do I need to look at a cheat-sheet to find the right MSB and LSB numbers? I doubt this feature is present on any controller and it sure would be helpful.

No onboard sounds. Pitch bend/mod joystick works great. This controller finally gave me a chance to use a sustain pedal with my rig, as the first controller I used didn't have one. Don't know how I ever got by without one. Eventually I will get a fully weighted board but this one will do me fine while I save my dough.

So far so good. It runs a long time on batteries - takes 6 AA. There was one time when I was running off battery power that it shut itself off and came back on immediately after. Didn't cause me any heartache as I wasn't playing a gig but it could have been a mess if I had been. As I mentioned before, it re-sends program/bank change at power-up and there's no way to disable it.

After reading previous posts about their crappy tech support I'm getting all mine from the guy who sold me the board.

Recently I lost a lot of gear due to a burglary. Ironically, the one thing they didn't swipe was the controller. When the insurance settlement came in I could have gotten a fully-weighted action synth as a replacement but decided that I liked this keyboard enough to use it for several more years. No, it's not a Ferrari but it is an extremely flexible and solid unit for the money, and if using it for computer music (as I am) it is much more luxurious than some of the wimpy USB controllers I've seen. I'm back to playing with my eyes closed - something I could never do with my old synth.