The Roland AX Synth is a good looking piece of kit and is one of the new versions of its keyboard family. It has its own on-board self contained sound generator so there is no need for any external MIDI devices and it has loads of sounds which are directed towards the soloist enabling you to upstage the lead guitarist.

The AX is jammed with tons of controls for adding that wow factor to your performances from slick pitch bends and shaping your sound the way you want to effects that grasp your audiences attention. The display is very easy to see in dark venues.

Although this is a self contained device, you can also connect it up to various other MIDI devices so that you are able to produce even more great sounds. Using the library app that you download, you can make your own custom sounds easily. The ax synth comes with a USB/MIDI connection so you can get your sounds into your computer easily and quickly.

The overall build quality is extremely good as it has been known that people get excited whilst on stage and hash around and knock into things. The ax synth is surprisingly durable. You should, however, at least try and be careful with it as with all electrical products that have small components. Sweaty fingerprint marks are easily rubbed off with a microfibre rag.

Although the battery life is stated as being 6 hours, if you are using it on stage, it would be a good idea to take spare batteries and a charger.

As with most, if not all, high end audio gear, there is a little bit of a learning curve to get over but if you know what you are doing, you can easily navigate the menus for the effects quickly with a little bit of practice.

As mentioned, the Roland AX Synth is beautiful to look at and it is comfy to hold and because you can adjust the strap, all of the octaves are easily reachable.

A lot of synths in the past have needed you to buy sound units but as this comes all in one, the price tag is pretty good for a synth of this quality and if you know a little about synths, then this is definitely worth the outlay.

All in all, the AX synth is brilliant for controlling effects and has high sensitivity and really just allows you to produce the sounds you want intuitively with a little bit of practice and allows you to enjoy your gig with no stress.