Press release follows:
A Technology Preview Exploring AI, DIY Culture, and the Future of Music Creation
Los Angeles, November 11, 2025 — Roland Future Design Lab, the advanced technologies research group of Roland Corporation, announces Project LYDIA, an audio processing platform preview created in collaboration with Neutone, developers of next-generation AI tools for musicians and artists. Project LYDIA merges Neutone’s trainable AI software with Roland’s hardware expertise, using a Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer to deliver a compact, stage-ready prototype that reimagines DIY innovation for a new generation.
Bridging AI and DIY Creativity
Roland’s legacy in DIY music creation began in 1981 with AMDEK (Analog Music Digital Electronic Kits), a line of build-it-yourself kits that encouraged musicians to experiment with technology. Today, Roland Future Design Lab revisits that spirit, asking how modern creators can explore sound through emerging AI tools.
AI for Sound Discovery and Exploration
Powered by Neutone’s Morpho technology, Project LYDIA, named after DIY and AI, uses “neural sampling” to learn the tonal qualities of any sound and apply it to another in real time, with the sonic results ranging from highly musical to exotic and surprising. The current Project LYDIA mockup houses a Raspberry Pi 5 computer running Neutone’s special version of Morpho alongside Roland’s latest ideas for a simple, tactile control panel. Audio I/O is currently managed via a USB-connected Roland Rubix interface, with future iterations aiming to fully integrate I/O for a completely self-contained device.
AI Innovation at Roland
Project LYDIA builds on Roland’s growing exploration of AI as a creative partner for musicians. In 2024, Roland and Universal Music Group (UMG) jointly introduced the Principles for Music Creation with AI, a framework outlining shared commitments to ethical and artist-centered innovation.
“Roland has taken a leadership role globally in practicing responsible development with AI for music creation,” said Paul McCabe, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland. “Part of being responsible is getting input from creators on what they find useful, helpful, or inspiring, and what ideas may not be welcome in their workflows. Releasing Project LYDIA as a technology preview allows us to demonstrate possibilities, seek community input, optimize, and improve.”
Shaping the Future Together
Project LYDIA debuted at the Audio Developer Conference taking place November 10 through November 12 in Bristol, UK, inviting feedback from the creative community to guide future research in AI-driven music tools. Musicians and makers can share their thoughts and ideas via a short survey here.
To learn more about the inspiration and technology behind Project LYDIA, visit Roland’s feature story on Roland Future Design Lab.
