Tech
Behold: Roland And Serato’s Hybrid Drum Machine And DJ Controller
You can rip the classic sounds of Roland’s TR-808 and TR-909 on the fly while DJing.
Roland and Serato have teamed up on a new hybrid DJ controller that brings the synth company’s legendary drum machine sounds to a live DJing format. The DJ-505 combines Serato’s DJing technology with Roland’s digital reboot of its archive of classic drum sounds. It allows users to experiment with drum machine improvisations to color and texture the tracks they are mixing.
The DJ-505 follows in the steps of the larger DJ-808 released last year. The new model is set to retail at $764USD, a dramatic reduction from the $1,300 price tag of its big brother. The DJ-505 has two channels compatible with turntables or CDJs and features an integrated 16-step sequencer to program Roland’s TR kits. TR-606 and TR-707 drum machine sounds will also be added to the controller in the future through a user-installable firmware update.
A cheaper DJ-202 model has also been announced. While lacking the TR-808 kit, it features an integrated 16-step sequencer controlling a Serato DJ sampler.
The announcement follows in the wake of last week’s exciting news that Roland is set to release a boutique version of its TR-808 drum machine and SH-101 monosynth.
Learn more about Roland’s new DJ controller below.
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Read more: Watch a 360°video from inside Roland’s Japanese synth museum
