Roland AX-7

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An AX-7

The Roland AX-7 is a professional-grade keytar, manufactured by Roland Corporation from 2001 to the present. Regarded by many as less "80's" than, for example, earlier Yamaha models (such as the Yamaha SHS-10), it contains much more sophisticated features. It contains MIDI In & Out jacks, and can run from batteries or an external power source. It is a 45-key, velocity sensitive keyboard with aftertouch. It has a 3-character LED display. Several features aimed towards stage playing are present, including a pitch bend ribbon & expression bar on the upper neck section of the board. It contains a sustain switch & volume control on the neck as well. On the upper right area of the keyboard, there is a proprietary "D-Beam" controller. This is a set of infrared sensors that, when they detect movement, can transmit MIDI messages. The keyboard functions as a MIDI controller; it cannot produce sounds, but merely MIDI messages that connect to an external synthesizer or synth module, and can store up to 128 patches. The keyboard is fully compatibile with both General MIDI/General MIDI 2 and Roland's own GS MIDI implementation. The AX-7 is an updated version of its predecessor, the Roland AX-1.