Roland - Company - History - History

History

–1970
1972	Established in Osaka with a capital stock of 33million yen Sales offices open in Tokyo and Osaka TR-33/TR-55/TR-77 Rhythm Machines The first Roland-branded products
1973	MEG Electronics Corporation (later BOSS Corporation),a manufacturer of effects, is established in Osaka First participation at the NAMM Show in the USA The Hamamatsu factory is completed First participation at the Gakki Fair in Japan SH-1000 Synthesizer Roland’s first synthesizer
1974	Product Leader System is launched as an integrated system from development to production EP-30 Electronic Piano The world’s first electronic piano with touch-sensitive keyboard RE-201 Space Echo Pioneer of spatial effects and recognized by professional musicians as the industry standard for decades.
1975	First participation at the Frankfurt Musikmesse JC Series Guitar Amplifiers Equipped with the revolutionary stereo chorus effect, these amplifiers are still used by guitarists around the world.
1976	Holds the “First Synthesizer Tape Contest” for multi-track recordings of synthesizers Sales office opens in Nagoya Sales partner is established in Australia SYSTEM-700 Modular Synthesizer System Japan’s first large-scale modular synthesizer system; it was purchased by organizations such as NHK and BBC CE-1 Chorus Ensemble The first BOSS-branded effect processor
1977	Fuji Roland Corporation (presently Roland Corporation) is established in Matsumoto The Takaoka factory (Hamamatsu) is completed GR-500 Guitar Synthesizer The world’s first guitar synthesizer MC-8 MicroComposer Roland’s first microprocessor-based music sequencer was a history-making component in the electronic music genre. OD-1/SP-1/PH-1 Compact Effects The initial three models launched in the long-running BOSS compact effects series.
1978	Sales partner is established in the USA CR-68/CR-78 Rhythm Machine The world’s first microprocessor-based rhythm machines
1979	Representative office is opened in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as a base for expansion in the European market

1980
1980	Sales office opens in Fukuoka TR-808 Rhythm Machine This programmable rhythm machine allowed musicians to program an entire song and achieved legendary status around the world.
1981	Sales partners are established in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada AMDEK Corporation (presently Roland DG Corporation), a company dealing with effects kits and computer peripherals, is established in Osaka Sales offices open in Hiroshima and Sendai JUPITER-8 Synthesizer A polyphonic-synthesizer masterpiece that was a touchstone for future synthesizer development.
1982	Sales partner is established in Belgium Sales office opens in Yokohama
1983	Contributes significantly to the birth of MIDI, a global standard for electronic musical instruments (MIDI…Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Sales offices open in Sapporo and Omiya MSQ-700 Sequencer The world’s first MIDI sequencer JX-3P Synthesizer Roland’s first synthesizer with MIDI support (along with the JUPITER-6).
1984	Opens the Roland Music School in Umeda, Osaka MPU-401 MIDI Processing Unit This interface for connecting a PC to a MIDI device was a history-making component in desktop music production.
1985	Participates in international exposition “Science Expo Tsukuba ’85” Techno Cosmos pavilion Opens the Roland Music School in Shibuya, Tokyo α-DRUM Electronic Drums Roland's first electronic drum set.
1986	Sales partner is established in Italy The Hosoe factory (present headquarters) is completed Production company is established in Taiwan RD-1000 Digital Piano The world’s first digital piano based on digital synthesis paved the way for Roland’s history-making digital-piano family.
1987	Advocates “ism” as a new way of music education with electronic musical instruments Production company is established in Italy Sponsors the first New Age Contest of amateur bands nationwide and the “Exploring the Future of Music” concert D-50 Synthesizer Roland’s first fully digital synthesizer became a worldwide sensation for its stunning sound and ease of use.
1988	Classic-organ production company is set up in the USA Musi-Kun Desktop Music System Roland’s slogan was to “enjoy music on the PC” as a new type of hobby; it created a new market called “desktop music” (DTM). E-20 Arranger Keyboard This synthesizer with automatic accompaniment let users enjoy various music styles from around the world
1989	Listed in the second section of the Osaka Stock Exchange. Capital stock reaches 7.6billion yen

1990
1990	Sales partner is established in Spain Participates in the “International Garden and Greenery Exposition” (Osaka) as a member of the Dairinkai Distribution center (Hamamatsu) is completed in Hamamatsu Sales partner is established in Hungary Hamamatsu R&D Center is completed RSS Roland Sound Space This groundbreaking system created a 3D sound space on a regular stereo device; frequently used in music and video production HP-3700 Digital Piano A trendsetting model of the HP series, equipped with advanced SA sound generator and newly-styled furniture-like cabinet
1991	Sales partner is established in Brazil SC-55 Sound Canvas The first unit to use the GS* format, this product became a huge hit for its high-quality tones and compact design. *GS A specification shared among Roland products that standardizes sounds and controls via MIDI
1992	A new slogan is designated to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding JV-80 Synthesizer This instrument's expandable sound generator concept led to many other successful products.
1993	Headquarters is moved to Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka Miyakoda Testing Center (Hamamatsu) is completed
1994	Producer System is launched as a unique system for product development First issuing of unsecured convertible bonds (amount issued: 5 billion yen) Music ATELIER AT-70/50 Electronic Organ Roland’s first series of home organs Video-Kun Desktop Video Roland’s first video-related product allowed users to perform sophisticated video editing on their PCs
1995	VG-8 V-Guitar System The world’s first modeling guitar system let players create a wide variety of tones on a single guitar.
1996	Becomes the first musical instrument manufacturer in Japan to be certified for ISO9002, an international standard for quality assurance VS-880 Digital Studio Workstation A revolutionary product that provided pro-quality recording and CD production; this became a global sensation from the moment it was released MC-303 Groove Box This was Roland’s first entry into the club and DJ scene; it became a new hit in the world of dance music
1997	Miyakoda factory (Hamamatsu) is completed Sales partner is established in Taiwan Sales partner is established in France V-Drums TD-10K Electronic Drums Equipped with mesh heads and COSM technology, these drums were highly praised for their natural feel, tone, expression, and ease of use.
1998	Sales partner is established in Portugal Listed in the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange UA-100 USB Audio Interface The world’s first USB audio interface allowed for recording and playback of high-fidelity digital audio with a PC; this type of interface took root as an industry standard.
1999	Listed in the first sections of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Stock Exchange SC-8850 Sound Module The world's first USB-enabled MIDI sound source became the standard in DTM production.

2000
2000	VP-9000 VariPhrase Processor The first unit equipped with “VariPhrase,” a groundbreaking technology for independently controlling the three elements of sound in real time
2001	Hamamatsu R&D Center is expanded Production company is established in China Roland Music Studios Corporation (presently Roland Music School) launches music schools nationwide DV-7 Digital Video Workstation Designed specially for video editing, the system let users achieve highquality video production
2002	“Roland Museum” is completed at the Hamamatsu R&D The Planet program is launched in the UK V-Bass V-Bass System The world’s first modeling bass let bassists create a wide variety of tones on a single bass.
2003	Distribution company is established in China V-Synth Synthesizer Equipped with an advanced VariPhrase and COSM engine, this synthesizer was capable of creating completely new sounds
2004	Sales partners in Europe are reorganized; France and Belgium are consolidated Sales partners in Spain and Portugal are merged under a new company Nationwide implementation of the Roland Planet program begins in Japan Fantom-X Synthesizer The world’s first workstation synthesizer with a color LCD V-Accordion Digital Accordion The world’s first electronic accordion equipped with a modeling sound generator.
2005	Sales partner is established in Malaysia Headquarters is moved to Hosoe-cho, Hamamatsu (presently Hosoecho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu) Sales partner of professional audio and video equipment is established in the USA CG-8 Visual Synthesizer This unit allowed users to create a variety of videos and visual effects in an instant and present them in real-time
2006	Nationwide implementation of the Roland Foresta program begins in Japan R-09 Portable Recorder This product created a new market for handheld linear PCM recorders and became a worldwide hit.
2007	Sales partner is established in China V-Mixing System Digital Mixing System With full digital processing based on Roland’s proprietary REAC* technology, this system provided both “comfort” and “high-quality” digital audio transfer for mixing at concerts and other events *REAC — Roland Ethernet Audio Communication
2008	Acquires additional shares in a US music-production software-development company; the company becomes a part of the Roland group Nationwide implementation of the Planet X program begins in Japan C-30 Digital Harpsichord Digital Harpsichord Encased in a beautiful cabinet, this digital harpsichord delivers authentic tone infused with sophisticated control and expression—a brilliant rebirth of the harpsichord in the modern age.
2009	Sales partner is established in Russia SONAR V-Studio 700 Music-Production System This music-production system combines Cakewalk’s softwaredevelopment capabilities and Roland’s hardware technologies V-Piano Digital Piano Equipped with a new sound generator that digitally reproduces the sound-generating elements of a piano, this revolutionary digital piano expands the possibilities of piano sound and performance C-330 Classic Organ An electronic organ that is compact yet allows you to enjoy the solemn echoes and performances of a full-fledged pipe organ at home.

2010
2010	HP307 Digital Piano Equipped with the SuperNATURAL piano sound source to realize rich and natural tone change and archieve sound and expression power.
2011	Europe central warehouse is started operation V-Piano Grand Digital Piano The flagship model of Roland’s digital piano line incorporates the superb expressive power of the V-Piano sound engine. JUPITER-80 Synthesizer The flagship model of Roland synthesizers that delivers unprecedented natural and rich performance expressions in live performances with its exclusively developed SuperNATURAL tones. Video Canvas DV-7G Video Editor This tool let users achieve hi-vision video production easily.
2012	INTEGRA-7 Sound Module This flagship sound module offers all of Roland’s sound libraries combined within a single unit.
2013	M-200i Live Mixing Console A pro-quality, all-in-one digital mixing console with iPad* control capability. TE-2/MO-2/DA-2 Compact Pedals New-generation BOSS compact pedal with innovative Multi-Dimensional Processing (MDP).
2014	Delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange Regional headquarters in Europe is established in UK Production company is established in Malaysia FA-08 Synthesizer A synthesizer workstation with effortless real-time power, ultra-fast workflow, and maximum versatility. VT-3/TB-3/TR-8 「AIRA」 A new series of products designed to meet the evolving needs of today's electronic musicians. AIRA brings genre-defining sounds and modern performance features to a new generation.
2015	JD-Xi Synthesizer Compact and powerful Interactive Analog/Digital crossover synthesizer with onboard pattern sequencer and vocal FX.
2016	Roland Virtual Sonics, joint venture with Virtual Sonics, is established Acquired majority stake in V-MODA, maker of headphones and audio devices ELCajon EC-10 Electronic Percussion The world’s first hybrid cajon with built-in electronic sounds.
2017	MI Services Malaysia is established as the hub of global commercial and goods flow/SCM
2018	BOSS Corporation is merged into Roland

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