We’re excited to announce Project LYDIA, a new technology preview developed in collaboration with Roland Corporation.

As the first outcome of this joint research, the two companies have developed a DIY AI hardware platform prototype.

The project aims to carry forward the long-standing DIY spirit of music creation into the age of AI. It is being conducted as a joint research initiative between Roland’s research and development division, Roland Future Design Lab, and Neutone.

Project LYDIA was unveiled at the Audio Developer Conference (ADC) 2025, where many visitors have already experienced the prototype firsthand at the Roland/Neutone demo booth.

First Prototype Featuring Neutone’s Morpho AI Model

The prototype incorporates a version of Neutone’s flagship product, Neutone Morpho technology, optimized for live performance.

Morpho is a real-time timbre transfer AI model capable of transforming incoming sounds into learned timbres — for example, converting a voice into a violin or a guitar into percussion.

Another key feature of Neutone Morpho technology is that users can train their own custom AI models. By combining this capability with Project LYDIA, we envision a future where musicians can easily build AI-driven hardware effect units that generate truly personal sounds.

Hardware Design and Philosophy

The prototype hardware is based on Raspberry Pi 5 and housed in a Roland-designed enclosure featuring an intuitive user interface.

It has been designed with flexibility and future expandability in mind, making it compatible with other real-time AI models beyond Morpho.

Neutone’s first DAW plugin aimed to bridge the gap between AI researchers and artists; Now, we are redefining AI technology as a tangible instrument—something that can be played, touched, and felt.

Ethical AI and Artist-First Philosophy

Neutone supports the principles of “AI for Music,” an initiative led by Roland and Universal Music Group to promote ethical use of AI in music.

All AI models used in this prototype are trained on fully licensed and copyright-cleared datasets.

While AI can sometimes feel like a black box, we believe that the physical act of turning knobs, connecting cables, and generating sound enables a more intuitive and creative connection with the technology.

We hope that artists will experiment with this new “AI instrument” in ways even its developers could not have imagined.

The Next Chapter

Roland, a pioneer in electronic instrument innovation, and Neutone, a studio exploring the frontier of AI music technology, are proud to present this Japan-born collaboration.

Project LYDIA represents a major step toward bringing cutting-edge AI technology directly into the hands of artists, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Neutone’s vision: to co-create new forms of musical expression with artists.

Call for Feedback

Project LYDIA is currently in its technology preview phase.

We welcome feedback from artists, engineers, and music creators to help shape its future development.

👉 Project LYDIA Feedback Survey