Roland VK-8 Combo Organ

Roland Updated: 2009-02-21 RSS
Roland VK-8 Combo Organ

The VK-8 Combo Organ puts the enhanced Virtual ToneWheel sound of the flagship VK-77 in an attractively priced single-manual design with a cool new "waterfall" style keyboard. But it doesn't stop there: The VK-8 also sports rotary speaker modeling based on COSM technology, new orchestral voices and a D-Beam controller-making it the new leader in combo organs.

* 61-note single manual combo organ with enhanced Virtual ToneWheel technology
* Cool waterfall keyboard with velocity-sensitive keys plays like classic organs-great for glissandos
* Sophisticated rotary speaker modeling with overdrive effect
* Traditional panel layout: 9 harmonic drawbars, vibrato/chorus knob and new Percussion button
* D-Beam controller with Preset templates for more expressive performance
* New orchestral voices for a wider sonic palette (e.g. piano, strings, choir, etc.)
* Onboard reverb and chorus effects
* 2 MIDI inputs for connecting a MIDI keyboard or optional PK-7 pedalboard-enjoy full polyphony while playing pedals and keys!
* Authentic solid wood cabinet and vintage keys

Enhanced Virtual ToneWheel Sound
The VK-8 uses the same enhanced Virtual ToneWheel technology of its big brother, the dual-manual VK-77—giving it that warm, rich sound characteristic of yesterday's classic organs. Choose from three different tone wheel types: Vintage 1, Vintage 2 and Clean. Then dial in your sound with the VK-8's nine harmonic bars, conveniently located to the left of the keyboard.

New Waterfall Keyboard
One look at the VK-8's new waterfall keyboard and you'll feel right at home. The 61-note single-manual keyboard has a distinct, aged look like an old friend. Put your hands on the keys and you'll discover they feel just as good—smooth to the touch and with just the right amount of resistance for performing traditional organ effects like glissandos.

Rotary Speaker Modeling and Beyond…
The VK-8 takes rotary speaker modeling to a whole new extreme, using proprietary COSM technology to "model" not only the unique sound of a rotary speaker, but the construction of tube amp circuits, actual speaker cabinet characteristics and its natural ambience. Such attention to detail is what gives the VK-8 its superior sound. (A killer overdrive effect doesn't hurt either.)

Back to the Future
While classic organ sounds are the foundation of the VK-8, players will also appreciate having high-quality instrument sounds including electric/acoustic pianos, strings, bass and choir—even jazz scat voices and synths. There's also a futuristic D-Beam controller, which lets you create effects from tonewheel motor stops to the shock sound of spring reverb using an infrared beam of light.

Cool Combos
With two MIDI inputs, you can connect an external MIDI keyboard or an optional PK-7 pedalboard, which allows you to "kick" bass while playing chords and leads. And when paired up with the KC-1000 Stereo Mixing Keyboard Amplifier, you'll get powerful, rich output—thanks to a 310-watt, 7-speaker system with unique RSS® ambient effects, split-frequency compression and ultra-realistic tone cabinet reverberation.