Roland GO:KEYS 3 & 5, new ZEN-Core powered budget keyboards

March 26, 2024 Synth Anatomy Hardware, News, Synthesizers 0

Roland expands its ZEN-Core ecosystem to the budget mass market with the new colorful GO:KEYS 3 & 5 keyboards with smart features.

With Zen CORE, Roland has created a platform and ecosystem embedded in many synthesizers and keyboards. From a business perspective, this is a smart approach. They can develop many new hardware devices but always use the same core.

Roland has now brought its ZEN Core engine to the mass market with the new keyboards: GO:KEYS 3 & 5. Attention: GO:KEYS is a different keyboard released in 2017.

Roland GO:KEYS 3 & 5

The new GO:KEYS 3 & 5 are described as music creation keyboards made for learning and enjoying music. Even though ZEN-Core is the basis, they are not full-fledged synthesizers. They are smart home keyboards with sounds from the ZEN world. Yes, preset machines.

There are two different versions. The entry-level model is the GO:KEYS 3, which offers the core feature set with a touch-sensitive 61-note keyboard and an onboard stereo speaker system.

Then, the bigger version is the GO:KEYS 5. It has all the primary features of its sibling, plus a speaker system with extended bass response, a mic input with vocal effects, and enhanced audio connectivity.

Both models host over 1000 sounds from the ZEN Core engine, including classic and modern sounds from Roland’s history. From acoustic pianos and orchestral instruments to modern synthesizers, guitars, drums, and beyond. There is something for every music style.

GO:KEYS 3 and GO:KEYS 5 are also filled with ready-made chord progressions in various styles, allowing anyone to experiment with creating melodies and arpeggios over automatic musical backing.

Cool, you can also craft custom chord sequences, remix them with your backing parts, and apply a range of colorful effects.

In addition to the chord progressions, each model includes a wide selection of dynamic accompaniments, controllable with one or two left-hand fingers. This turns the GO:KEYS 3 & 5 into a virtual band. If not enough, you can download tons of extra sounds and accompaniment styles on Roland Cloud.

Connectivity

Both keyboards support playing along with favorite songs via Bluetooth or USB memory. The latter can also be used for Roland’s WC-1 Roland Cloud Connect adapter for wireless connection to the Cloud.

The GO:KEYS 3 & 5 also offer Bluetooth MIDI and audio/MIDI over USB, allowing you to bring the sounds to other music apps on computers and mobile devices. A dedicated microphone input gives you the option to sing along with distinct vocal effects to your compositions.

And they are colorful: GO:KEYS 3 is available in turquoise, dark red, or midnight blue, while GO:KEYS 5 is available in graphite or white.