Roland has announced the SPD-SX Pro Sampling Pad, the new flagship model in the long-running SPD series.
Offering customisable trigger LEDs, an increase in its complement of audio outputs and trigger inputs and large onboard memory, the SPD-SX Pro features nine durable pads with Roland’s latest sensing technology, including three shoulder pads with revised sensor structures for increased sensitivity when the instrument is mounted at a shallow angle. In addition, improved crosstalk protection throughout prevents accidental triggering of other pads.
Pad-dividing trigger LEDs increase visibility on stage, and help players organise kit set-ups. Custom colours can be assigned to any of the horizontal or vertical LEDs. Going further, colours can be renamed and combined with tags to group kicks, snares, backing tracks and other sounds for easy identification. The horizontal LEDs can also be set to light in various ways to suit the performance application.
The SPD-SX Pro’s inviting interface includes a 4.3-inch colour LCD and hands-on controls with backlighting for easy operation on stage. The LCD provides access to deep parameters and shows essential info such as A/B layers, WAV sample names and sample playback progress.
With 32GB of internal memory, the SPD-SX Pro holds nearly 44 hours of 48kHz, 16-bit stereo audio. Users can load 48/44.1kHz WAV, AIFF and MP3 files with varying bit rates, and the SPD-SX Pro will automatically convert them to its native audio format, greatly simplifying importing of sounds.
The SPD-SX Pro comes with more than 1,550 high-quality sounds and 200 user kits with 43 pre-loaded presets. It’s also possible to connect a line-level device and sample directly to pads. Kits can be switched with complete sound carryover thanks to speedy processing power. And for more creative options, Roland Cloud membership provides an expanding selection of sample libraries and sounds to explore.
Users can create A/B layers and quickly adjust volume, pitch, and transient parameters via dedicated panel controls. Sounds can also be adjusted at deeper levels with waveform editing and other tools. Multiple high-quality effects engines are available to colour individual sounds and enhance the overall output.
I/O incudes balanced stereo master outputs, four assignable mono outputs and an assignable headphone output. Four dual-trigger inputs support up to eight external Roland pads, and up to two footswitches can also be connected to trigger sounds. Additionally, a special control input supports a Roland hi-hat controller or an expression pedal for real-time effects control.
The Roland SPD-SX Pro will be available in Q3 2022 at US$1,199.99/£999.
More: www.roland.com/global
