NAMM 2025: Roland V-Stage serves up legendary, pro-keyboard sounds in two new premium-priced packages
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
NAMM 2025: The NAMM show where music's big gear manufacturers wheel out their big guns for the year ahead and, of course, Roland is never one to miss the opportunity to launch a major new keyboard line.
In our video above, we caught up with David Ahlund, Roland's global synth product specialist to find out more about their new performance-focused V-Stage line. So where does V-Stage fit in with Roland's already burgeoning synth line up, we wondered?
'It's basically an all-in-one gig rig but it has a complete focus on keyboard sounds, so that means organ, acoustic piano, electric piano. We do have a synthesizer section as well but the main focus is keyboard sounds with a dedicated section for each. It's also designed to be very quick to operate, to set up your scenes and your patches,' Ahlund explained.
Of course, by now Roland have got their synth development and technology back-end thoroughly fettled with all of their current instruments featuring their Zen Core engine, a shared technology both able to accurately emulate their classic synths and be the backbone for future-focused synth developments.
It's the power behind the Jupiter, Juno, JX and SH emulations on board their Fantom, Jupiter and Juno hardware keyboards, and is also what drives the plug-ins (both old and new) within their Roland Cloud digital service.
It comes as no surprise therefore to find that the new V-Stage has Zen Core inside too.
'It does have the Zen Core sounds but that's not the focus,' corrects Ahlund. 'The focus is the organ, acoustic piano and the EP which have different technologies. The organ and acoustic piano are all modelled and the EP is a new, we call it 'enhanced supernatural' with brand new samples of tine EPs, reed EPs.'
And there's Roland's V-Piano tech on board, the digitally modeled infinitely variable piano that offers precise control of every parameter from frame size to degree of lid opening. 'Because it's modeled you can really tweak the piano and make very detailed adjustments to it,' says Ahlund.
So who is the new V-Stage – available in both 76 and 88-note piano-weighted versions – aimed at?
'It's largely aimed at professional players who mainly focus on keyboard sounds. Like if you're in a soul-funk band, or a church band... the synthesizer is still there if you want a nice pad layer on the acoustic piano,' explains Ahlund.
And, having got hands-on with both new keyboards we can testify as to their quality of build and road-worthiness – right down to those cheeky Nord Stage-emulating wooden red end panels…
V-Stage will be available this Spring priced at $3,500 for the 76-note version and $3,999 for the piano-weighted 88.
Check out our video above to see and hear it in action.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
BTS' RM and V thank fans as they complete military duties
10 Jun - BTS is slowly shaping up to be whole again, as members RM and V returned to civilian life once more. In the morning of 10 June, the two performers appeared in front of their fans as they ended their duties at their respective bases in Gangwon, and expressed their gratitude for the fans being there despite HYBE not hosting any special ceremony to welcome them back. Admitting that there were difficult times during the service, RM said that he is thankful to the military men who continue to serve the country. He added, "I'm a little worried about the junior soldiers I'm leaving behind, but I hope I get to see them again, all in good health." As for V, the singer said that he can't wait to repay fans for their support. "Thank you so much for waiting for us. And if you wait just a little longer, then we'll show you something so cool," said V. RM and V both enlisted in December 2023, with the former joining the military band while the latter in the military police. The two will be joining the already-discharged Jin and J-Hope, while Jimin and Jungkook will end their service on 11 June. The last to return would be Suga, who will complete his duty on 21 June. (Photo Source: Chosun)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here Are the 2025 BET Awards Winners (Updating Live)
At Monday night's (June 9) 2025 BET Awards, Kendrick Lamar is the top nominee heading into the show, with a whopping nine nods. But who will leave Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles as the biggest winner? Billboard will be updating our winners list all night, in all the top music categories — like album of the year and best new artist — as well as all the movie, TV and sports categories too. Stick with this page to see the winners list updating live all night, and get all the details about how to watch the 25th-anniversary BET Awards here. More from Billboard 2025 BET Awards: How to Watch the 25th Anniversary Event Online Quincy Jones Remembered by Lucky Daye, Luke James & Miles Caton With Smooth 2025 BET Awards Tribute Jamie Foxx Honored by Stevie Wonder & Reflects on Health Scare at BET Awards: 'You Can't Go Through Something Like That & Not Testify' $ome $exy $ongs 4 U — Drake & Partynextdoor11:11 Deluxe — Chris BrownAlligator Bites Never Heal — DoechiiCowboy Carter — BeyoncéGlorious — GloRillaWINNER: — Kendrick LamarHurry Up Tomorrow — The WeekndWe Don't Trust You — Future & Metro Boomin Ari LennoxAyra StarrCoco JonesKehlaniMuni LongSummer WalkerWINNER: SZAVictoria Monét Bruno MarsChris BrownDrakeFridayyLeon ThomasTeddy SwimsThe WeekndUsher 41Common & Pete RockDrake & PartynextdoorFloFuture & Metro BoominJacquees & Dej LoafLarry June, 2 Chainz, The AlchemistMaverick City Music '30 For 30' — SZA feat. Kendrick Lamar'Alter Ego' — Doechii feat. JT'Are You Even Real' — Teddy Swims feat. Givēon'Beckham' — Dee Billz feat. Kyle Richh, Kai Swervo, KJ SwervoBless — Lil Wayne, Wheezy & Young Thug'Like That' — Future & Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar'Luther' — Kendrick Lamar & SZA'Sticky' — Tyler, The Creator feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne'Timeless' — The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti Cardi BWINNER: DoechiiDoja CatGloRillaLattoMegan Thee StallionNicki MinajRapsodySexyy Red BigXthaPlugBossman DLowBurna BoyDrakeFutureKendrick LamarKey GlockLil WayneTyler, The Creator '3AM in Tokeyo' — Key Glock'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' — Shaboozey'After Hours' — Kehlani'Denial Is a River' — Doechii'Family Matters' — Drake'Not Like Us' — Kendrick Lamar'Timeless' — The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti'Type Shit' — Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott & Playboi Carti Anderson .PaakB Pace Productions & JacqueesBenny BoomCactus JackCole BennettDave Free & Kendrick LamarDave MeyersFoggierawTyler, The Creator 41Ayra StarrBigXthaPlugBossMan DlowDee BillzWINNER: Leon ThomasOctober LondonShaboozeyTeddy Swims 'A God (There Is)' — Common & Pete Rock feat. Jennifer Hudson'Amen' — Pastor Mike Jr.'Better Days' — Fridayy'Church Doors' — Yolanda Adams feat. Sir The Baptist & Donald Lawrence (Terry Hunter Remix)'Constant' — Maverick City Music, Jordin Sparks, Chandler Moore & Anthony Gargiula'Deserve to Win' — Tamela Mann'Faith' — Rapsody'Rain Down on Me' — GloRilla feat. Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music WINNER: 'Residuals' — Chris Brown'Denial Is a River' — Doechii'Nokia' — Drake'Like That' — Future & Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar'TGIF' — GloRilla'Not Like Us' — Kendrick Lamar'Luther' — Kendrick Lamar & SZA'Brokey' — Latto Any Gabrielly (Brazil)Ayra Starr (Nigeria)Basky (UK)Black Sherif (Ghana)Ezra Collective (UK)Joé Dwèt Filé (France)MC Luanna (Brazil)Rema (Nigeria)SDM (France)Tyla (South Africa)Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)Best New International ActAbigail Chams (Tanzania)Ajulicosta (Brazil)Amabbi (Brazil)Dlala Thukzin (South Africa)Dr Yaro (France)KWN (UK)Maglera Doe Boy (South Africa)Merveille (France)Odeal (UK)Shallipopi (Nigeria)TxC (South Africa) 'Beautiful People' — Mary J. Blige'Blackbiird' — Beyonce feat. Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy & Reyna Roberts'Bloom' — Doechii'Burning' — Tems'Defying Gravity' — Cynthia Erivo feat. Ariana GrandeWINNER: 'Heart of a Woman' — Summer Walker'Hold On' — Tems'In My Bag' — Flo & GloRilla Bad Boys: Ride or DieBeverly Hills Cop: Axel FLuther: Never Too MuchMufasa: The Lion KingOne of Them DaysRebel RidgeThe Piano LessonThe Six Triple Eight Aaron PierceAldis HodgeAnthony MackieColman DomingoDenzel WashingtonJamie FoxxJoey Bada$$Kevin HartSterling K. BrownWill Smith Andra DayAngela BassettCoco JonesCynthia ErivoKeke PalmerKerry WashingtonQuinta BrunsonViola DavisZendaya Akira AkbarBlue Ivy CarterGraceyn 'Gracie' HollingsworthHeiress HarrisMelody HurdThaddeus J. MixsonTyrik JohnsonVanVan A'ja WilsonAngel ReeseClaressa ShieldsCoco GauffDawn StaleyFlau'jae JohnsonJuju WatkinsSha'Carri RichardsonSimone Biles Aaron JudgeAnthony EdwardsDeion SandersJalen HurtsJayson TatumLeBron JamesSaquon BarkleyStephen Curry Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Switch 2 teardown shows that Nintendo hasn't learned a single lesson from the OG Switch when it comes to repairing it
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Time changes many things, not least expectations and what is and isn't acceptable. This is especially true of Nintendo's original Switch handheld console, which teardown specialists iFixit gave an 80% repairability score in 2017, but then halved the rating last week to reflect the standards of 2025. Now it's torn open the new Switch 2, and after struggling with mountains of glue and soldered items, given a repair score of just 30%. Ouch. There are multiple reasons for the Switch 2's low score and the readjusted rating for the OG Switch, but essentially, it all comes down to the fact that a significant number of parts are strongly glued in place and for the parts that are modular (i.e. mounted on their own circuit board), Nintendo officially provides no replacements. There isn't even a parts listing for the first Switch, despite being around for eight years. Glue is certainly cheaper to use instead of mounting brackets and metal screws, but the Switch 2 is hardly a budget-priced offering. And as the Steam Deck amply demonstrates, it's perfectly possible to go with a modular design for the components that are most likely to wear and fail in time, and still hit a desired price point. Nintendo hasn't fitted the Switch 2 with Hall effect thumbsticks, so they will wear and eventually drift, but as iFixit notes in its teardown video, the new Joy-Cons are harder to disassemble. Even if they're more resilient and take much longer to fail than the original ones, the fact that it's going to be harder to repair them is disappointing. It's not all bad news, though: The cooling fan is easy to pop out (at least once you've actually gotten inside the handheld) and if you're nifty enough with a soldering iron, replacing some of the ports and the game card reader shouldn't be too difficult. However, the main battery is glued so heavily to the chassis that there's a good chance you'll break something if you try to replace it yourself. Obviously, what Nintendo is expecting you to do is send it back to them for repairs, or just buy a new one. The cynical part of my brain suspects that the various parts will last just long enough for an OLED version of the Switch 2 to appear on the market, at which point Nintendo will just push gamers to buy that instead. Repairability is more than just about scores and garnering good grace with reviewers. It's about reducing waste and sustainability—something that the electronics industry struggles with a lot. It's also about longevity, as a device that can be easily repaired can be sold many times, allowing for many more people to access the hardware. For me, though, a highly repairable device is a sign that the manufacturer actually cares. Be it the consumer or the environment, putting repair into the heart of one's design shows that you're aware of the concerns of people and the impact your product has on the world. And as Valve has shown with the Steam Deck, you can do all of this and still make the device profitable. But for as long as the billions of dollars keep rolling in, Nintendo is never going to change its stance. Best handheld gaming PC: What's the best travel buddy?Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve's Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.