Rest in Peace Mister Ikutaro Kakehashi. Roland Founder and Music Pioneer. (7 February 1930 - 1 April 2017) | Forum | FusoElektronique

Ikutaro Kakehashi (? ??? Kakehashi Ikutaro?, 7 February 1930 – 1 April 2017) was an engineer, an entrepreneur, and the founder of Ace Tone, Roland Corporation and ATV, Japanese manufacturers of electronic musical instruments. He was known for his role in the development of Ace Tone and Roland drum machines and the MIDI standard.

In the 1950s, Ikutaro Kakehashi repaired electronic organs and created new prototype organs while concurrently running an electrical appliance shop. At 28, he decided to devote himself to music and pursuit of the ideal electronic musical instrument.

Ikutaro Kakehashi is best known for founding Roland Corporation. Prior to Roland he started Ace Tone, an organ company that evolved into Hammond Organ Japan. He left Hammond to start Roland in the early 1970s.

Wikipedia

Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland, at the 1964 NAMM show with the Ace Electronics R1 and Canary.

The First Roland product, the TR77 Rhythm Box.

Roland SH3.

Roland Space Echo RE201.

Roland RS101.

The GS500 modified Ibanez guitar used to control the GR500.

Roland GR500.

The Compuphonic partner to the Jupiter 4, the MRS2 Promars.

The Single-Oscillator SH1.

Roland Jupiter 8.

Roland Juno 60.

Roland DG's DXY100R Plotter, as seen on a 1983 flyer. On the left is the CMU 800R, which was included on the same brochure.

Roland G707 MIDI Guitar Controller.

The World's First MIDI Piano Module, the Roland MKS10.

Some of Boss's Microrack series of affordable studio problem-solvers. The format was a hit, and Boss returned several times to the half-rack idea over the years.

The GK1 Pickup and GM70 Converter Unit combination freed MIDI-savvy guitarists from having to use Roland's Guitar Synths for the First Time, allowing users to connect and Trigger any MIDI Module from their Guitars.

Roland's S-series samplers innovatively offered monitor output options, so you could attach a monitor and a mouse to make editing and keygrouping easier.

A contemporary Brochure showing Roland's First Foray into Complete Electronic Drum Pad Systems.

The optional DDR30 Module was one of the possible sources of drum samples for the trigger pads.

Sounds of the '70s - The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano. This is a MkII Suitcase model owned by Cian Ciárán of Super Furry Animals, photographed in 2001.

Roland S770.

Roland JD800.

Roland's RSS was an innovative attempt at producing Surround-Sound Effects using Psychoacoustic Principles in Conventional Stereo, rather than with multiple discrete channels and speakers as is the case today, but this meant that the efficacy (or otherwise...) of the effect varied from individual to individual, dependent on their hearing.

The MC505 vastly improved on the Groovebox concept introduced with 1996's MC303.

Edirol V5 Video Mixer.

Edirol's first big steps forward in the video market, the V5 and A6 Video Mixers.

Emulator of a Pipe Organ, 1999's C280P.

Korg 168RC and Roland V-Mixer System.

Roland VG88 V-Guitar.

Roland VP9000 Variphrase Processor.

Roland VK8 Tonewheel Organ Emulation.

Roland SH32.

Roland Fantom X6.

Roland FR5 'V-Accordion'.

Boss DR660.

Roland's Compact Drum Systems.

The First Roland Atelier Organ, the AT70.

Roland A90.

Roland MC303.

Roland VS880.

Roland VK7 Tonewheel Organ Emulation.

Roland JP8000.

Roland V-Drums.