KEYTAR ROLAND LUCINA AX-09

The Rock Band 3 keytar may have got some attention, but if you really want to be taken seriously you need to head over to Roland and check out their Lucina AX-09 shoulder synthesizer.  Packing 37 keys and 150 preloaded sounds – ranging from synth leads through to classical string instruments – the AX-09 also has a USB Host port that allows you to load WAV or MP3 audio files and play along on the fly.

Alternatively there’s a regular aux-input for piping through an iPod or other MP3 player, a Modulation Bar and Touch control – along with an invisible d-beam – for adding real-time effects, and USB MIDI support for hooking the Lucina up as a controller to your computer.  Eight AA batteries are good for around four hours of playback.

The keyboard is velocity sensitive and there’s 128-note polyphony.  Of course, spangly music tech like this seldom comes cheap, and the Roland Lucina AX-09 is priced at $699 for the pearl white and $799 for the black sparkle versions.