Roland has publicly released photos and information on their new AT-900C model ATELIER electronic organ. As if borrowing from the theories behind making STAGEA a more portable instrument, their top (first) selling feature listed on the web site is "Light-weight designed ATELIER organ for the great portability with top-end quality." Compared to the massive 450 pound AT-900 model, the AT-900C comes in at a scant 224 pounds; lighter than even the STAGEA ELS-01C's 240 pounds.

Roland has never been known for making their ATELIER organs portable or compact. Some might even describe them as coming from the "old-school" of organ design. Their look is designed to appeal to consumers wanting a finished wood piece of furniture in their home. All that hardwood and supporting infrastructure adds a lot of weight to an instrument, making their AT-900 similar in size and weight to many of the older Yamaha console models like the E-70, FX-20 and CHX-1.

Another new feature of note is the addition of two sets of drawbar controls to the instrument. No longer relying on virtual or electronic controls, it allows the player to manipulate Hammond B-3 organ arrangements in real-time.

This is the first Roland organ to feature a D-Beam controller. This allows players to control features of the instrument using hand and body movement through an invisible, infrared beam of light. This feature has been available for some time on many of Roland's synthesizer instruments. Unfortunately using this controller is a little like playing a Theramin. So it does take a lot of practice to control your hands in mid-air like that.

Overall we are impressed to see Roland making progress toward moving beyond the old-school console designs of yester-year. Consumers will like not having to hire movers each time they want to move their instrument. We look forward to playing this new ATELIER myself to try out some of its performance features.

The AT-900C is available with this full wooded pedalboard.

It is also available with a 20 note wooden spinet pedalboard. In this configuration it reminds me of a cross between an EL-900 and an ELS-01C.

The new console boasts a new larger touch-sensitive LCD than before.