Roland A-500S Keyboard Controller - Compact, Portable, and Affordable MIDI Keyboard Controller

Compact and portable, the Cakewalk A-500S is an inexpensive 49-key USB MIDI keyboard that shares many of the same design elements as the A-PRO series keyboards. Cakewalk A-500S is Perfect for anyone making music at home or in a project studio with a computer, academic settings needing great sound at low cost, or live performances and mobile recording applications.

Make Music with Your Mac or PC. You have a computer, you have inspiration, now is the time to start playing and recording your music. The Cakewalk A-500S is the perfect musical keyboard for use with a wide variety of software on Mac or PC including SONAR, Music Creator, Garage Band, FL Studio, Ableton Live, Sequel, Cubase, Reason, ACID, and others. For Windows customers just getting started the A-500S includes the Cakewalk Production Plus Pack. Best of all, the Cakewalk A-500S is easy to set up : if you can plug-in a USB Cable, you will be making music in no time at all.

Real Keyboard Feel and Response. With a newly designed key mechanism  taken from Roland's 30 years of synthesizer development - players can control a wide dynamic range with incredible subtlety. The new key assemblies in Cakewalk A-500S have a rounded shape for better reaction to the player's touch and more comfortable glissando, plus enhancements have been made to reduce the already low mechanical noise of the Cakewalk A-500S and eliminate vertical shake on the key strokes. The newly developed pitch bend and modulation design of Cakewalk A-500S offers you easier and more expressive control. All these features add up to a keyboard that even the most discerning player can appreciate.

Match Your Playing Style with Selectable Velocity Curves. Pick from 12 velocity curves in Cakewalk A-500S to precisely match your playing style. As the Cakewalk A-500S has 4 different velocity curves and 3 kinds of sensitivity (Light, Medium, and Heavy), you can find the combination that perfectly suits you, so you can produce the precise MIDI performance and programming of a true professional. In addition a Fixed Velocity Mode is provided where the A-500S always outputs a fixed velocity (from 1 to 127) providing practical input for drum and percussion programming in step recording.

Easy Connection to Computer (and more) with Side Panel Ports. The Cakewalk A-500S cleanly provides connections on the side panel so that you can easily have a computer monitor or laptop in the ideal position behind the keyboard's a must for educational use. All connections of Cakewalk A-500S are located on the side - USB, MIDI OUT plus separate Hold and Expression pedal ports.

3 Digit 7-segment LED and Rotary Encoder. MIDI control on the Cakewalk A-500S is provided via a rotary encoder, which is both easier and faster than using the notes for numerical values. With this knob in Cakewalk A-500S  you can set up MIDI channel, Program Change, Control Change and more and instantly see the values on the LED. When working with virtual instruments, you can set this knob for quick control of your favorite LFO, Filter, or other controls.

FPT Low-latency MIDI Transmission. Don't trust your MIDI to anything else! The A-500S offers MIDI Transmission using Roland's proprietary FPT (Fast Processing Technology). You can rely on FPT for stable, high speed, low latency, and low jitter MIDI transmission. In layman's terms, that means that subtleties of your performance are going to be captured regardless of the music application you are using. And when working with virtual instruments, FPT provides lower latencies to give you the inspiring feel of playing a real instrument.

Production Plus Pack. The Production Plus Pack is a powerful suite of music creation software that ships with the Cakewalk A-500S. It includes Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE recording software (PC only) and three high-quality and versatile virtual instruments for Mac and PC: Rapture LE, Cakewalk Sound Center, and Studio Instruments Drums.

3 Power Sources Play it Anywhere. No matter what environment you are in, you'll be able to use the Cakewalk A-500S because it offers the flexibility of three separate power sources: USB bus power, batteries, or AC Adapter. The A-500S is compatible with USB-Bus power. No power supply is required when connecting via USB cable. The Cakewalk A-500S can also be powered via batteries (AA type x 4) or by an AC adaptor (optional - not included).

 Cakewalk A-500S PRO MIDI Keyboard Controller - Features

    * 49-note, velocity-sensitive, standard keyboard inCakewalk A-500S
    * Cakewalk A-500S offers Quality feel & response for serious players
    * Match your playing style with 12 velocity curves & fixed velocity mode featured in Cakewalk A-500S
    * Sure grip, rubber-coated Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever
    * Cakewalk A-500S has a Rotary encoder and 3 digit 7-segment LED Display
    * Octave buttons
    * Expand playability by adding Sustain and Expression Pedals (available separately)
    * Cakewalk A-500S have Side panel connections for streamlined routing
    * MIDI Out port with low latency FPT transmission built into Cakewalk A-500S
    * Choose your power: USB Bus/AA Battery/AC (Optional)
    * Ready to play with 3 included virtual instruments
    * Works with any DAW on Mac or PC
    * Cakewalk A-500S Includes the Production Plus Pack music creation software