Instrument maker Roland — known for its synthesizers and drum machines, among other things – has launched a new melody-generation software called Melody Flip.
The technology combines Roland’s hardware expertise with Sony Computer Science Laboratories’ music creation research, according to an announcement on Tuesday (March 17).
The product is aimed at music producers who can treat technology like an “active collaborator,” said Roland.
The timing comes amid growing pressure on AI music companies, not only on what they can do, but what role they should play. Instead of generating full songs through AI, Roland’s Melody Flip software offers melodic suggestions, and it’s still entirely up to the producer how to use them in the music production process.
Roland said: “Melody Flip is designed to expand creative possibilities, embodying Roland’s vision of technology as a partner that coexists with the creative process.”
“Throughout the development process, Roland collaborated with artists to ensure the experience reflects how musicians actually create, experiment, and refine ideas in the studio.”
In 2024, Roland partnered with Universal Music Group to launch a joint manifesto aimed at the responsible use of AI in music.
“Throughout the development process, Roland collaborated with artists to ensure the experience reflects how musicians actually create, experiment, and refine ideas in the studio.”
Roland
With Melody Flip, users can import an audio file and the technology analyzes its musical DNA, including the structure, BPM, key, chord progression, genre, mood, and more. The tool then matches those characteristics against a library of roughly 300 creative palettes, each representing a different musical style or tonal direction, and generates melody ideas from there.
Producers can then take a generated melody, tweak it, chop it up, or use it as a sketch to build something else entirely. Generated parts including melody, chords, bass, and drums can be exported in both audio and MIDI formats.
Melody Flip runs as a plug-in within major digital audio workstations on both macOS and Windows.
Roland plans to distribute it through its Roland Cloud Manager platform, which already serves the company’s existing software catalog. A free trial is set to launch in May 2026.
“Melody Flip represents a significant step forward in the era of responsibly developed AI, introducing a future in which technology and people work together and elevate creativity.”
Masahiro Minowa, Roland
Melody Flip draws from Sony CSL’s work in AI-assisted music creation, said Roland. This allowed Melody Flip to extract musical elements, including structure, BPM, beat positions, key, chord progression, genre, and mood, from imported audio files and make recommendations.
Roland CEO and Representative Director Masahiro Minowa, said: “Roland has always been committed to supporting the evolution of music culture through electronic musical instruments and production tools.”
“Melody Flip represents a significant step forward in the era of responsibly developed AI, introducing a future in which technology and people work together and elevate creativity. As we move forward, Roland will continue to expand the boundaries of musical expression with innovative products and services that amplify creators’ instincts and connect human sensitivity with the full potential of technology.”
The launch comes two years since Roland unveiled the Principles for Music Creation with AI manifesto with UMG. At the time, the companies said they aim to establish a joint R&D hub, launch a collaborative project to develop methods for identifying the origin and ownership of music, and integrate Roland products and services in certain UMG-owned music production facilities worldwide.
Masahiro Minowa at the time said: “[B]oth Roland and UMG believe that AI can play an important role in the creative process of producing music.”
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