Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972. In 2005, Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, it has factories in Taiwan and the USA. As of March 31, 2010, it employed 2,699 employees. In 2014, Roland was subject to a management buyout by Roland's CEO Junichi Miki, supported by Taiyo Pacific Partners. Roland has manufactured numerous instruments that have had lasting impacts on popular music, such as the Juno-106 synthesizer, TB-303 bass synthesizer, TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. Roland was instrumental in the development of MIDI, a standardized means of synchronizing electronic instruments manufactured by different companies. In 2016, Fact wrote that Roland "arguably did more to shape electronic music than any other in history". Having created Ace Electronic Industries Inc in 1960, Ikutaro Kakehashi founded Roland in Osaka on April 18, 1972.

While rival companies Moog and ARP targeted professional musicians and academics, who had no musical training, wanted to appeal to amateurs and hobbyists, focused on miniaturization and simplicity. The "Roland" name was selected for export purposes, as Kakehashi was interested in a name, easy to pronounce for his worldwide target markets; the name was found in a telephone directory, Kakehashi was satisfied with the simple two-syllable word and its soft consonants. The letter "R" was chosen because it was not used by many other music equipment companies, would therefore stand out in trade show directories and industry listings. Kakehashi did not learn of the French epic poem The Song of Roland until later. With seven employees from his former company, a rented shed, $100,000, Kakehashi built on his experience at Ace, introducing a drum machine, the TR-77 or Rhythm 77, as Roland's first product, followed by the TR-33 and TR-55 released that same year. In 1973, Roland introduced the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan and the first synthesizer produced by Roland, the SH-1000, as well as their first non-preset synthesizer, the SH-3.

The company was manufacturing effects pedals, introducing the RE-201 Space Echo in 1974, expanding into guitar amplifiers the following year with the JC-60 and JC-120 Jazz Chorus, whose chorus circuit would become the first Boss Corporation product, the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, the following year. In 1976, Roland introduced the modular System 700 synthesizers. In 1977, the company introduced one of the earliest microprocessor-driven music sequencers, the MC-8 MicroComposer, the first guitar synthesizer, the GR-500. Just one year they introduced the CompuRhythm CR-78, the first drum machine that enabled users to program and store their own drum patterns. During the 1980s and 1990s, Roland released several instruments that have had a lasting influence on popular music. After Kakehashi realized microprocessors could be used to program drum machines, Roland launched the TR-808 drum machine, its first programmable drum machine, in 1980. Although it was not an immediate commercial success, the 808 was used on more hit records than any other drum machine and became a cornerstone of the emerging electronic and hip hop genres.

It has been described as hip hop's equivalent to the Fender Stratocaster guitar, which influenced the development of rock music. The 808 was followed in 1983 by the TR-909, alongside the TB-303 synthesizer, influenced the development of dance music such as techno and acid. Roland played a key role in the development of MIDI, a standardized means of synchronizing electronic musical instruments manufactured by different companies. Kakehashi proposed developing a standard with representatives from Oberheim Electronics, Sequential Circuits, Yamaha and Kawai, he and Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits unveiled MIDI in 1983. It remains the industry standard. In 1994, Kakehashi became Chairman. In 1995 he was appointed the chairman of Roland Corporation. In 2001 he resigned from the position and was appointed as Special Executive Adviser of Roland Corporation. In 2002, Kakehashi published an autobiography, I Believe in Music, his second book, An Age Without Samples: Originality and Creativity in the Digital World, was published in 2017.

Roland markets products under a number of brand names, each of which are used on products geared toward a different niche. The Roland brand is used on a wide range of products including synthesizers, digital pianos, electronically-enhanced accordions, electronic drum systems, dance/DJ gear, guitar synthesizers and recording products. Many of these products are now available through Roland Cloud, a VST subscription service. Boss is a brand used for products geared toward guitar players and is used for guitar pedals, effects units and accompaniment machines, guitar amplifiers, portable recording equipment. Edirol was a line of professional video-editing and video-presentation systems, as well as portable digital audio recorders. Edirol had Desktop Media products, more production-oriented, included computer audio interfaces and speakers. Following Roland's purchase of a controlling interest in Cakewalk Software, most of the division's products were rebranded as Cakewalk products or blended with the professional audio/RSS products to form Roland Systems Group.

Roland Systems Group is a line of professional commercial video products. Amdek was incorporated in 1981 "as a manufacturer of computerized music peripherals and as a distributor of assembled electronic music instrument parts." The Amdek brand is best remembered for

Augusto Pedro Berto was an Argentine composer and bandoneón player, the first composer to spread popular Argentine music in Europe. He is best known for his tango compositions; the immensely popular "es:La payanca" made Berto's name. It is claimed to have been written in when Berto was only 17, his other signal success was es:¿Dónde estás corazón?. The words and music of ¿Dónde estás corazón? were not in fact written by Berto but was adapted into a tango from a song by es:Luis Martínez Serrano. Berto's adaptation as a tango with lyrics by became a standard, being recorded first by Francisco Lomuto 1928, Ignacio Corsini with guitars. Berto's lyrics begin: "I Yo la quería más que a mi vida. Más que a mi madre la amaba yo"Other artists to record the tango include: Juan Arvizu, Alfredo Sadel Miguel Caló with singer Raúl Del Mar and recitation by es:Héctor Gagliardi Alberto Castillo, with Francisco Canaro Julio De Caro singing in French Pedro and es:Juan Lauga, Ada Falcón with the orchestra of Francisco Canaro, Teófilo Ibáñez with the orchestra of Roberto Firpo, es:Armando Pontier with the voice of es:Oscar Ferrari, es:Agustín Irusta -Roberto Fugazot-Lucio Demare, es:Leo Marini, es:Blanca Mooney with es:Luis Stazo, Azucena Maizani, es:Antonio Rodio with the voice of Alberto Serna 1944, Opera singer Tito Schipa, es:Mercedes Simone Natalio Tursi Roberto Ledesma, Vicente Fernández Darío Gómez The Castilians 1952 Caterina Valente 1963 Complesso "Gli Aratros" Laura Canales & Encanto Renacimiento'74 1977 Rubén Vela y su Conjunto Jerry Ross, in English as "Where Is Your Love" 1961

The Vulture Mine was a gold mine and settlement in Maricopa County, United States. The mine became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history. From 1863 to 1942, the mine produced 260,000 ounces of silver; the mine attracted more than 5,000 people to the area, is credited with founding the town of Wickenburg, Arizona. The town that served the mine was known as Vulture City; the Vulture mine began when a prospector from California's gold rush, Henry Wickenburg, discovered a quartz deposit containing gold and began mining the outcrop himself. In 1863, after Henry Wickenburg discovered the Vulture mine, Vulture City, a small mining town, was established in the area; the town once had a population of 5,000 citizens. After the mine closed, the city was abandoned and became a "ghost town"; the deposit was sold to Benjamin Phelps, who represented a group of investors that organized under the name of Vulture Mining Company. The desert surrounding the Vulture Mine did not give much in the way of produce, so an enterprising individual by the name of Jack Swilling went into the Phoenix Valley and reopened the irrigation canals left by the native peoples.

Agriculture was brought back to the valley, a grain route was established. This grain route still exists today under the name of Grand Avenue. Phoenix, grew up around the agricultural center spawned by the needs of the Vulture Mine. In 1942, the Vulture Mine was shut down by a regulatory agency for processing gold; this was a violation at the time. The mine reopened, but with less vigor. A few years the mine closed permanently. Today the mine and ghost town are owned, but tours are offered. Two-hour, dirt path guided walking tours at the historic Vulture mine offers a glimpse of the olden days through a tour of some of the remaining buildings of Vulture City, a booming mining town; the mine was a Lock-down site on Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel on October 29, 2010. The Vulture Mine is located in Maricopa County at 36610 N. 355th Avenue, Arizona, United States, Zip code: 85390. The following are images with a brief description of the Vulture Mine and some of the structures still present in what once was known as Vulture City.

Vulture Mountains Henry Wickenburg Vulture City List of historic properties in Wickenburg, Arizona Gallery of photos, Vulture Mine Vulture Mine Photos and Videos