Roland BK-3 Compact Backing Keyboard, Black

Full Description

Easy to use

The Roland BK-3 is simplicity itself. Select a single sound to play across the keyboard, or layer and split your favourite sounds to enhance your performance. When you want to dive deeper, the BK-3 is packed with suitable sounds and rhythms from around the world. 250 onboard styles with intros and verse variations build intensity throughout your song. Simply by selecting a style you can then choose from four one-touch settings which contain suitable sounds for the style. The 850 high quality onboard tones are subdivided into ten sound groups, each with an individual selector button for easy navigation. Different fingering modes suit different performance styles and ability levels, from single finger chords to full piano style. The BK-3 features a clear backlit LCD screen along with an intuitive front panel. This features clearly labelled light up controls, making it easy to read in all environments.

Quality sounds

The BK-3's ten sound groups feature high quality Roland sounds ranging from lush piano and string sounds, crunchy or super-smooth electric pianos and synth sounds which can go from warm pads to searing leads. Selecting a sound also selects relevant and appropriate effects for the type of sound you're playing. BK-3 will select a rotary speaker for your organ sounds, or perhaps a phaser for your electric piano, making for a next level performance without a wealth of experience. BK-3 includes 500 different music assistant settings to make it easy for beginners to cover a wide variety of popular songs, including those often found in learn-to-play books. The BK-3 features a high quality onboard speaker system, making it ideal for home practice or entertaining family and friends.

External device connectivity

With the BK-3, capturing your perfomance couldn't be easier. A single button on the control panel opens up the recording menu, allowing you to quickly record your performances to USB. These recordings are saved as CD-quality WAV data so it's easy to transfer them to a computer if you want to burn them onto CD or upload them to internet streaming sites such as SoundCloud.

WAV, MP3 and standard MIDI files can be replayed from USB memory, you can even automatically drop out the lead part from MIDI files so you can jam or sing along. Using standard MIDI files, the screen of the BK-3 can display lyrics of the song you're playing. Even when using audio files, the playback tempo or song key can easily be adjusted to suit your vocal range. This, along with the Center Cancel function, which reduces the volume of track vocals, makes the BK-3 perfect for karaoke and minus-one playing.

Advanced functions

BK-3 isn't just for beginners as it inherits some complex features from the more advanced BK-5. All of the sounds and styles can be deep-edited to suit the demands of your performance, allowing you to make the creative decisions when it comes to accompaniment. Songs can be as intense or as minimalist as you choose, allowing you to emulate everything from a big band to a jazz trio. The BK-3 gives you the ability to completely revoice a style to suit a different genre of music entirely, so you'll never run out of inspiration.

Specifications

Keyboard

• Keys: 61 keys (velocity sensitive)
• Keyboard Modes: Whole, Split, Dual
• Display type: 132 x 64 dots, Graphic monochrome LCD (with backlit)

Sound generator

• Max. Polyphony: 128 voices (GM2/GS/XG Lite compatible)
• Sounds: 851 tones; 53 Drum Sets
• Multitimbral parts 2 keyboard parts (UPP, LWR) + 16 song parts
• Master Tuning: 415.3 to 466.2 Hz
• Key Control (Transpose): -6 to +5 in semitones (for audio/MIDI data)
• Tempo change: 20 to 250 BPM for SMF and rhythms 75 to 125 for mp3 and WAV files

Effects

• Real Time parts (UPP, LWR): Reverb and Chorus: depending on Rhythm/SMF Reverb Chorus Macro 1 Mfx (84 Mfx Editable Macro) (selectable via Tone Part Mfx) EQ
• Rhythms/SMF section: Reverb: 8 types, Chorus: 8 types, 2 Mfx (84 Mfx Editable Macro) EQ

Backing section

• Rhythms: 250 in 5 "Rhythm" families (localized rhythms for specific areas are included in the WORLD 1 and WORLD 2 families)
• Real-time player: Rhythms (STL), SMF (Format 0/1), KAR, mp3, WAV
• Key Control: -6 to +5 in semitones (for rhythm, smf, mp3/wav)
• Tempo Change: 20 to 250 BPM for SMF and rhythms
• Time Stretch: 75 to 125 for mp3 and WAV
• One Touch memories: 4 suitable tones for each rhythm (Programmable)
• Rhythm and SMF Makeup Tools: Instrument-oriented editing
• Track Mute: for Rhythms/SMF
• Center Cancel: for mp3/WAV

Audio Recording

• Media: USB Flash memory.
• Save format: Audio files: WAV (44.1 kHz, 16-bit linear)

Metronome

• Time Signature: 1 to 32/16, 1 to 32/8, 1 to 32/4, 1 to 32/2
• Mode: Always, Play
• Count In: Off, 1 bar, 2 bar

Performance Memories

• Unlimited number (storage on USB memory)
• Over 500 "Music Assistant" memories (internal memory)
• 5 "Factory Song" memories (internal memory)
• Performance memories per List: Max. 999

Other

• Search function: Quick location of Rhythms and Songs on the connected USB memory
• Demo: Yes
• Lyrics on Internal Display: SMF, mp3/WAV
• Panel Controls: Volume Knob Balance (Backing/Keyboard) Buttons
• Connectors:
  • Phone/Output Jack: 1/4" (TRS connector)
  • USB COMPUTER port (Type B, reception and transmission of MIDI data)
  • USB MEMORY port (Type A, data storage devices)
  • MIDI IN, MIDI OUT (Visual Control function)
  • Foot Pedal jack: PEDAL HOLD/SWITCH (assignable)
• Speakers: 2 x 10 cm
• Rated power output: 2 x 7.5 W
• Power supply: AC adaptor
• Power consumption: 1,200 mA
• Auto Off function: Off, 10 min, 30 min, 240 min.

Size and Weight (excluding AC adaptor and music rest)

• Width: 1044 mm, 41-1/8 inches
• Depth: 317 mm, 12-1/2 inches
• Height: 129 mm, 5-1/8 inches
• Weight 7.5 kg, 16 lbs. 9 oz.

Size (including music rest)

• Width: 1044 mm, 41-1/8 inches
• Depth: 408 mm, 16-1/8 inches
• Height: 318 mm, 12-9/16 inches

Accessories

• Owner's Manual
• AC adaptor
• Power cord (for connecting the AC adaptor)
• Music rest

Options (sold separately)

• USB flash memory (M-UF-series)
• Pedal Switch: DP-series
• Footswitch: BOSS FS-5U ..