Roland JP-50 rediscovers synthesizer roots

More news out of Musikmesse, music fans. Roland are set to introduce a new line of Jupiter keyboards, with modifications made after fans expressed disappointment over the move away from classical synth features. Fear not, as Roland have heard the uproar and are looking to make things right with customers.

First, they've introduced a new keyboard, the Jupiter-50. It's designed for those on a tighter budget, as well as being lighter than regular keyboards for easier portability. Just what your band needs to get back on the road. While it doesn't have a touchscreen like its big brother, the Jupiter-80, it does have iPad integration, so you'll be able to knock out the next big hit right from your tablet.

Both the Jupiter-50 and Jupiter-80 set their sights on synthesis features. When asked by Create Digital Music, a representative from Roland Europe wouldn't name specific filters used in the keyboards, although CDM believes that they'll resemble sounds from Sequential Circuits and Moog.

There's no pricing details for the JP-50 or the JP-80 v2, although both are slated for release next month. For reference, the original JP-80 had a retail price of around $4,000, so be prepared to shell out some serious cash even for the more inexpensive JP-50.

[via Create Digital Music]