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A new keyboard from Roland of Japan lets you construct the musical equivalent
of genetically modified food: music composed from bits made by others. Instead
of synthesising sounds, the Roland VA-7 stores 4000 digital recordings of
singers’ voices and musical instruments, alongside rhythms from over a hundred
drummers. The pitch of each can be varied independently of tempo—and vice
versa—so a tune played on the computerised keyboard can blend up to 16
different recordings. If you wanted, a polka band could appear to play heavy
metal, with a heavenly choir at the mic. Next!