Recently, Roland updated Galaxias, adding new features i.e. the “Chords” MIDI effect and “Scene View” for Earth Piano. And… I was partially involved in the design!! Yes, finally a major Japanese company has discovered the shining diamond that is me😇😇
1. What is Galaxias?
Galaxias is a flagship software instrument from Roland Software, available exclusively to Roland Cloud Ultimate subscribers. It’s like a massive mothership that lets you layer up to four sound sources, including iconic instruments like Jupiter and JUNO, drum machines like the TR-808 and 909, and sound engines like Zenology and Earth Piano, running as both a plugin and a standalone application.
2. Chords
“Chords” is a MIDI effect that automatically plays chords with just a single key press.
I didn’t fully handle the design, but I contributed ideas to improve usability, such as representing playing types with icons and connecting the editor and pads with the same color lines.
3. Scene View
Scene View is the highlight feature of the update. Normally, in Galaxias, you need to switch between layers to edit sounds composed of up to four layers. To make performance easier, Scene View provides a screen that consolidates the key parameters of all four layers.
The final implementation was handled by the development team, but I was involved in creating resources like knobs, sliders, and icons, as well as making decisions on placements, such as whether to put the tab switcher in the top left or top right.
If you’re interested in Galaxias synth, check the website.
And stay tuned for my future relationship with Roland!
