Roland Flagship V-Accordion FR-8X in Black - Keyboard Style

The Roland FR-8x V-Accordion is the flagship of the range and probably the most full featured digital accordions available in the world today! Features like 'Dynamic Bellows Behaviour' that ensures true bellow response for advanced playing techniques. There are a large range of world accordion sounds as well as 180 orchestra and percussion sounds so you can emulate tonewheel organs and more!

Such a wealth of features would be overwhelming were it not for the bright, easy to read colour display that shows you what sound and effects you're using. The intuitive layout will have even the most traditional of accordion players quickly seeing the benefits of a powerful modern digital accordion.

This Keyboard style FR-8X is finished in Black for a more traditional look.

Here's what Roland say about the FR-8x Digital Accordion

The FR-8x is a digital accordion that plays like your favourite acoustic accordions - and sounds like them too. Roland has worked with some of the world’s top accordion players to develop Dynamic Bellows Behaviour, a new technology that delivers the true bellows response of an acoustic accordion, powered by a wide range of authentic accordion sounds from around the world. Designed for professional players, the FR-8x includes built-in speakers and a rechargeable battery so you can take your music to the world. You also get 180 orchestral and percussion sounds, plus the ability to add effects and record your performance via the onboard looper.

Specifications

• Flagship piano-type V-Accordion, filled with many enhancements requested by pro accordionists
• Newly developed Dynamic Bellows Behaviour technology emulates the true bellows response of an acoustic accordion in every register
• Simple and convenient onboard battery charging with an AC adapter
• A large selection of accordion sounds from around the world, plus 180 orchestra and percussion sounds and world-class Virtual Tone Wheel organs
• Four powerful multi-effects engines (MFX), with dedicated MFX for Accordion, Orchestra 1, Orchestra 2, and Orchestra Chord sections
• All-new user interface, featuring a large, easy-to-read colour display, intuitive panel layout, and three programmable chin switches for hands-free control of a variety of functions
• 1,400 user program memories allow players to save custom setups for every performing situation
• Onboard looper for creating instant backing accompaniment
• Recording and audio playback via convenient USB memory; USB host port for connecting to computers
• Available in red and black

A digital accordion that plays like an acoustic

An accordion is an incredibly tactile instrument, full of subtlety and nuance, and the player must feel connected to the instrument at all times. Because of this, Roland’s new Dynamic Bellows Behaviour technology recreates the authentic feel of acoustic accordion bellows.

Think about how an acoustic accordion works; the sounds are produced by reeds that vibrate with airflow generated by the movement of the bellows, and the resistance of the bellows constantly varies depending on how many reeds are selected and how many notes are played at once.

In the FR-8x, Dynamic Bellows Behaviour automatically adjusts the air transfer in the bellows in real time, based on the selected register and the number of notes played. This accurately replicates the feel of an acoustic accordion, for a comfortable and familiar response that will please traditional players. If you prefer the bellows feel of previous V-Accordions, Dynamic Bellows Behaviour can be easily disabled.

Enjoyable to play, intuitive to use

It’s powerful, but the FR-8x is also reassuringly simple to use, with a large colour screen and fast, intuitive operation via the many dedicated buttons. Three programmable chin switches allow control of a variety of functions like changing registers or user programs without lifting your hands off the keyboard, while 1,400 user memories allow you to save custom settings for every type of gig or performance.

Go wherever your music takes you – indoors or out

There’s no point having all this technology if you’re tied to a power point. The FR-8x is a totally self-contained instrument, complete with a rechargeable onboard battery and built-in stereo amplification system. You can charge the battery by connecting the included AC adapter directly to the FR-8x, and then play without interruption as it charges. In addition, all device connections are now located right on the instrument, including MIDI, USB, and audio jacks for connecting to an external amplification or recording system.

Wide range of accordion sounds plus 180 orchestral sounds

Although the sound of an accordion is undoubtedly beautiful, it’s great to have a choice of several accordion sounds to suit your mood. The FR-8x goes even further than that too, so as well as a range of authentic accordion sounds from around the world, you also have over 180 orchestra and percussion sounds, so you can explore new and exciting musical directions. Included are traditional instruments such as strings and brass, plus electric and acoustic guitars, choir, church organ, harp, ethnic sounds, synthesizers, and a wide range of drum kits. With the Virtual Tone Wheel sound engine, you can play amazing organ sounds using Treble (upper), Chord (lower) and Bass (pedal) sections, with harmonic bar controls to personalise your organ sounds for any musical style.

All these extra sounds can be used with the on-board looper to build up your musical performance one instrument at a time; you could start with bass, add strings, then brass or guitar – before improvising over the top with your favourite accordion sounds. Four internal memory areas (8 MB each) are provided for loading new sounds from the Roland sound library so you’ll never get bored of the sounds on-board.

Add zones, layers, and drum functions for more flexibility

With the FR-8x, more layering and zone setup options are possible in the right-hand keyboard modes than ever before. Whole, Zone, High, and Low modes are provided, giving you the ability to play up to four different tones at once. Left-hand keyboard modes now include layering options as well. The programmable Drum function lets you play percussion sounds manually with the Bass & Chord buttons – something that the crowd will never have seen before.

Powerful multi-effects and onboard Looper

Although the FR-8x is a traditional instrument at heart, there’s always room for some exciting performance-enhancing additions. The onboard looper lets you instantly record and overdub accordion performances using the FR-8x’s enormous selection of sounds, creating impressive, on-the-spot backing accompaniment for improvisation.

You can take the onboard sounds of the FR-8x even further too, by applying the four independent multi-effects engines (MFX), which provide dedicated processing for the Accordion, Orchestra 1, Orchestra 2, and Orchestra Chord sections. Each engine has 84 different effects types, offering a wide range of enhancements from subtle to dramatic.

USB Song Playback, Recording, and More

The versatile USB memory port allows you to play along with pre-recorded MP3/WAV audio for practice or live backing; just connect your USB stick, select your song with the easy-to-reach controls and start playing. Your accordion performances can be recorded directly to USB memory as well, perfect for archiving, evaluation, and education – or even just a permanent memento of your best gigs. The USB port can even connect your FR-8x to a computer for data storage, editing of V-Accordion sound sets, and easy installation of software updates.