The BK-7m appears to be across between the Roland Prelude and a E-50/60..of course without the keys..

What I found to interest me, if what I read is accurate..

First the realtime sounds are set up as the E series..2 right hand tones and a lefthand tone besides a manual bass tone..a advantage over the Prelude and GW-7..

The specs also state that the songs are not limited to 999 total , but 999 for each list (playlist?)...and unlimited to the point of the capacity of the USB drive..The Prelude and GW-7 are limited to 999 total files on a USB device..

This next part is not very clear but appears that the BK-7m will read lyrics from SMF files stored on the USB device..a big plus over the Prelude needing storage of the internal ram to read lyrics (max of 200 files)..and non exsisting on the GW-8..

And a big plus for me ..the BK-7m extracts the chords from the SMF...like the E series and G series..

The last two items are reason enough for me to purchase a BK-7m..

There is another major improvement stated on the spec sheet..The BK-7m will transpose, not only SMF.s, but also the audio files..as well as a separate tempo change control..This is a biggie for me also..

I am more than willing to buy this unit sight unseen, as I did with the Prelude.
I am confident it will be a great asset..especially if I understand the specs correctly....:)

My intention, would be to use the BK-7m with the Roland A-33 controller (76 keys, that I miss with the Prelude)..and the Roland BA330 for mic inputs and monitoring...Perfect for my small gigs and my "Band" use....

It would also be a great asset to use with my still favorite Roland G70...

Look close at the specs and don't rule out the Roland BK-7m..too quickly...:)

Fran do you know if you can use user styles with the BK 7m?
I am also interested in buying this module.

No Chord Sequencer!

Odd, especially because Roland came up with it first.

Frankie just posted a photo of the module on Facebook, which means he is most likely trying it out as we speak. I'm sure he'll have some valuable insight tonight.
It does look interesting. Another feature over the E50 is that it accepts the FC5 pedal board. Wish it had mic processing and harmonizer.
DonM

I imagine the BK-7m has internal ram to store user data, including user styles..this is how the Prelude works..

Don, I was told no one had any modules yet, are you sure Frank had one or just a Roland photo?

He is actually at NAMM now and photoed and posted it at the time he saw it today.
DonM

Now I got you..:)

I find it odd just how much interest is starting to be shown in the chord sequencer after being almost the lone voice for it's re-implementation for so long.

I haven't seen the panel layout for the PA3 yet, but I hope they put the controls for it front and center, rather than tucked away far from the keys like Roland used to do. Maybe if it's there, easy to get to, more people will use it and see how radically it changes the whole arranger paradigm.

I look forward to the day when this feature is as common as One Touch, or PianoStyle mode, or On Bass, which I think Roland were one of the first to bring out.

Fran, are you going to be running the BK-7m with an FC-7? The only thing about running it from an A-33 is that the Roland master keyboard has few assignable buttons (in fact, none at all, if I remember correctly), so arranger operation (rather than SMF and mp3 playback) is going to be a lot tougher to pull off without having to move your hands a lot further than normal to get to the operation buttons on the module. Perhaps something along the lines of a (and at this point, goes to the internet looking for good 76 controllers and finds very little!), OK carry on...!

The thing about this thing, to be honest, for me it seems the perfect product to add to a good WS (MotifXF, Kurzweil, even the Mediastation) and FINALLY have the best of both worlds. Using it all by itself, it's only marginally different to a Prelude or GW-8L, although those ARE some useful additions, but in combination with a WS, especially if the style section has flexible enough MIDI operation to route certain Parts away from built in sounds and off to the WS (which modules often are) this could be a real game-changer.

I look forward to getting the manual...

Diki, Yes I would use the A-33 for key on/off..and all the control would come from the BK-7m..

As an audio playback this unit will be great to use with the G70 also..small enough to sit on the left side of the G70...flat and pretty much out of sight..unlike the laptop..

Yes it could also be a great addition to the Mediastation too, but I am convinced that the MS Qranger can stand on it's own..

I would love to see Roland release a version 3 (soft update)for the Prelude with the mod changes found on the BK-7m..Then all I would be missing are the extra keys..