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2004 Trade Show Exhibitors
  
Each year the Sata-Häme Soi - Accordion Festival offers a large Trade Show Exhibit area with such items as accordions (including cajun, diatonic, children's instruments, electronic and concert instruments) music, recordings, straps and accessories, T-shirts, jewelry and other items.

This year fifteen different companies were in attendance including:

  • Convertor Oy
  • Nahka - Tuote Sirok
  • Etelän Harmonikka
  • Lasse Pihlajamaa Oy
  • Harmonikkahuotto Kristian Hyyppä
  • Ahvenainen Oy
  • Tampereen Musiikki
  • Harmonikkahuotto Tero Lahti
  • Ylöjärven Harmonikka Oy
  • Harmonikkahuotto Aimo Kuhmonen
  • Soitin Oy
  • Porin Harmonikka
  • Universal Accordions Georg Mattbäck
  • Harmonikkahuotto Voitto Nieminen
  • Haitariverstas Aaro Luukinen

A feature of this years Trade Show was the new Roland accordions which received much interest. Unfortunately with most Finnish accordionists playing chromatic accordions, the piano accordion version of the instrument was not immediately accessible to most interested people, but the distributor tells me that the chromatic version should be available by the end of the year.

The Roland FR-5 and FR-7 V-Accordions build on the Roland V-technology. These lightweight, professionally-modeled instruments incorporate new Physical Behavior Modeling (PBM) technology in a traditional accordion design that delivers powerful performance features and superior sound quality.

Newly developed PBM algorithms faithfully reproduce the characteristics and nuances of an authentic accordion by controlling the waves, dynamics, tone character or pitch of each single reed sound individually based on the movement of bellows detected by high-resolution pressure sensor.

PBM recreates the true acoustic nuances such as the stopping growling noise in the low bass footages or closing valve mechanical noises. The musette tuning note-by-note micro-tuning feature allows a single V-Accordion to authentically reproduce many different accordion types.

Onboard PBM algorithms include Pressure Variant Amplifier, Pressure Variant Filter, Pressure Variant Pitch, Wave Switching, Mechanical Noise Simulation, Cassotto Modeling and Musette Tuning.

Both instruments are lightweight and portable, with an onboard digital amplifier and rechargeable Ni-Mh battery pack (optional on the FR-5). For live performance, the FR-7 incorporates a pair of powerful lightweight neodymium woofers and tweeters for a consistent, full range low-end to high-end output.

The FR-7/5 can simulate up to 30 different accordion sound sets, each including 14 Treble Registers, 7 Bass & Chord Registers and 7 Free Bass Registers. The interface enables switching instantly from an Italian Jazz sound to a German Folk, French Musette, or historic Bandoneon sound.

In additional to the onboard accordion sounds, the FR-5/7 incorporate 22 of Roland's orchestral sounds. Traditional and orchestral sound combinations can be easily created and played back, complete with full bellows articulation and unique keyboard modes such as Solo, Dual and High/Low.

Onboard Orchestral sounds include: Trumpet, Trombone, Sax, Clarinet, Oboe, Harmonica, Violin, Flute, Highland, Zampogna, Jazz Organ, Perc. Organ, Scat Voice, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Piano, to name a few. Seven high quality Bass Orchestral sounds can be played separately by the left hand, including: Acoustic Bass, Bowed Bass, Fingered Bass, Picked Bass, Fretless Bass, Baritone Tuba, Baritone Tuba + E. Bass.

The V-Accordions don't depend on moving parts to generate sound. This results in an always "in tune" instrument, with both keyboards on each instrument capable of playing within a wide range of octaves.

Either model can be plugged directly into a sound system or a recording device via a 1/4-inch cable. A headphone jack is offered for silent practice.

The High/Low Mode feature enables control of up to four parts simultaneously in real time from just one V-Accordion. Onboard MIDI functionality allows integration of sound modules, arranger keyboards or an external sequencer via the FBC-7 Footswitch Battery Charger.
Two of the manufacturers (Soitin and Lasse Pihlajamaa) brought their traveling accordion business set up in large busses. As you can see by the pictures, no space was left unused, including these instruments and CD's displayed around the steering wheel.

For further information about displaying at the 2005 festival, please contact:

Sata-Hame Soi - Festival Office
Ikaalinen City Hall
Valtakatu 7, PL 33
39501 Ikaalinen
FINLAND

Telephone: +358 (0) 3 4400 224
Fax: +358 (0) 3 4501 365

E-mail: juhlat@satahamesoi.fi