Roland

90
| JULY 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
L
ove or loathe them, the meteoric
rise of the percussion sensation
that is the cajon is not to be sniffed
at. With the buzzword ‘hybrid’ on
the lips of many, Roland has taken the lead
and created an electro-acoustic ‘hybrid’
cajon – a unique concept which, until now,
would have seemed as likely as an electronic
conversion of a penny whistle.
Build
Cast your eyes over the black fi nish shell for a
moment – it may appear like any we see in
the myriad of bars and acoustic cafés. This is
no ordinary cajon but is mightily pimped-up.
Though playable like any acoustic model, the
box comes fully-loaded with electronic sounds
including diverse percussion, sound effects
and even cajon samples too!
Construction is fairly conventional; a basic
rectangular box made from MDF and a
contrasting tapa in light Sapele veneer.
However, behind the grained façade are
hidden sensors of the type found in Roland’s
electronic drums. One is located just below
the front edge, triggering sounds set as
‘edge’, the other approximately a third of the
way down and designated ‘head’.
Considering its Spanish/Peruvian origins, in
a tongue-in-cheek way Roland has named
their latest piece of e-wizardry the EC-10
EL Cajon. ‘El’ means ‘the one’ in Spanish,
however the prefi x in this case stands for
Electronic Layering. This is where the
electronically produced sounds are mixed or
‘layered’ with the natural voice of the cajon.
The EC-10 may be either mains powered
(via the supplied PSU), or run under batteries,
making it ideal for buskers. The 60
velocity-sensitive sounds are divided up into
three groups, Cajon, Percussion and SFX, each
one easily selectable during performance via
the top panel of the cajon shell.
Located at the upper/rear portion of the
£365 An innovative and refreshing slant on one of today’s
most popular pieces of portable percussion
R OLAND
EC-10 EL CAJON
WORDS: DAVE HOLMES
cajon is a cunningly adapted handle from a
Roland amplifi er. This has a dual purpose of
handle and sound hole. It features a recess at
one end for your hand, and to the other (on
the inside of the cajon), there is a cut-out to
allow the acoustic sound to emanate. Also
around the back but a little lower down, we
fi nd the mains input, battery casing, mix-in
(for user MP3 or CD player), electronic sound
output jack, volume and trigger balance
between ‘head’ and ‘edge’.
Hands on
Before touching the power button, we can’t
resist a play in a natural acoustic state – with
just a few taps in and around the usual sweet
spots, this cajon shows immediate promise.
Towards the top we have a nice crisp slap and
only a few centimetres down, a sound which
is full and meaty. Also, there is an unusually
effective underlying snare rattle which really
does enhance the cajon.
Now, switching on a cajon – how weird
does that seem? Well, it certainly takes a
little getting used to, but on it goes and the
LED segment illuminates to show a
single-character numeric display. Sat in the
driving seat the display/control panel is
plenty large enough to give a clear view of
the display and is easily accessible. Firstly,
we try a few of the electronic cajon sounds,
blending nicely with the acoustic side of the
instrument. The fat-sounding bass cajon
reverb on the ‘head’ gives a surprisingly
effective sound reinforcement. When playing
lower frequency samples such as Vintage,
Cajon Foot, Dubstep and a range of other
useful sounds it literally transforms the way
you play. The blending or layering is really
superb – perfectly in sync and with zero
latency. Also, not forgetting, those electronic
sounds can be output directly into an amp/
PA and the box can be miked up just like any
acoustic model – the potential is enormous.
WHEN PLAYING LOWER FREQUENCY SAMPLES
SUCH AS VINTAGE, CAJON FOOT, DUBSTEP AND
OTHERS IT LITERALLY TRANSFORMS THE WAY
YOU PLAY. THE BLENDING IS REALLY SUPERB
The selection of complimentary sounds
is highly playable. Perhaps the only one that
could be deemed a touch gimmicky is the
‘Voice Yeah’ which could quickly grind you
down. However, there is a mix of electronic
and acoustic samples such as the Afro Stomp
and Ambient snare that transform the
instrument. I expect most users will take
advantage of the actual cajon samples. This
may appear to be a daft thing to suggest, but
think of it as a way of reinforcing the natural
acoustic instrument.
One of my initial concerns was, would the
internal electronics effect the natural acoustic
properties? Would it be able to resonate with
the reduction in the volume of the enclosure?
Fortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the
case. Overall we are treated to a powerful
cajon sound which is also enhanced by the
electronics – awesome.
handle and sound hole. It features a recess at
one end for your hand, and to the other (on
the inside of the cajon), there is a cut-out to
allow the acoustic sound to emanate. Also
around the back but a little lower down, we
fi nd the mains input, battery casing, mix-in
(for user MP3 or CD player), electronic sound
output jack, volume and trigger balance
VERDICT: This opens up a whole new
musical dimension and cajon
experience. It represents a truly
exciting development of an instrument
– a rarity these days.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
Also try…
1
RUACH LIVE
CAJONS
We say: “ The Live A is
certainly the pick of the
Ruach bunch, but it is
eye-wateringly
expensive. ”
2
LA ROSA
PERCUSSION
SIGNATURE
PETROS KOURTIS
CAJON
We say: “ The broad
range of sounds,
coupled with its
adjustability, make this
cajon a winner. ”
Large single-character numeric display is
easily accessible and visible from seated
RHY256.gear_roland.indd 90 5/18/16 2:54 PM