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Roland Digital Pianos

anyone play/own a roland rd300? i played one the other day and fell in love with the piano sample on it as well as the weighted keys (and the thing only weighs 35lbs!). i actually preferred it to the more expensive model.
larry

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:01

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that would be the new rd300 sx model....
larry

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:21

i had the rd-300sx for a month and sold it. i liked it in good headphones but not when i gigged with it. each piano note uses four different layers of samples, each for a different velocity (pp, p, mf, f). when i gigged with it using my $2600 stereo ev pa the super pp, p and mf samples sounded too muffled. then the the loudest hard strike (f) sample spoiled it by being far too bright. everytime i accented a note it would bark to harshly. i tried every velocity setting but that did not cure the problem i was having it just shifted the scale around with more or less the same results. the contrast was annoying and i couldn't stand it. i like a light action, but there was something about the speed and upweight of the rd-300sx action that tired my chops. these are my opinions.

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by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 02:44

jazz+, thanks for the feedback. that's my fear too and has been my experience with all the synths i've owned. the 300sx piano sounds great through the yamaha studio monitors they use at guitar centers, but i'm going back today to play it through a bose pas system which is what i use. my other concern is running stereo samples through a mono amp. i know the 700sx has mono stereo piano patch based on their brochure but did not list the patches for the 300sx.

dr. whack plays a roland digital piano and it always cuts through the mix and sounds great out front.

thanks again for the opinion!
larry

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 11:27

jazz+, just got back from listening to it through the bose and your assessment is pretty much head on. i was running if flat eq and was very muffled...couldn't believe it was the same samples i heard through the monitors. tweaking the highs helped a bit but it wasn't any better than i have with my motif. i did like the action on the keys though, but not worth the $1400 + tax.

any other opinions still appreciated!
thanks!
larry

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 15:28

i'm also looking for a dig piano at the mom.. there's this relatively new system used by yamaha called gh3 (i think) which is practically the same mechanisme as a piano. there's even a new generation of dig pianos from yamaha which take u that one step closer to the real thing. then again, the price is also one step closer to the real thing.

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by on 09/19/2005, 17:23

part of the problem you heard us the result of playing stereo piano samples in mono. they get weird and phasey sounding, or "hollow" no matter which outputs you use. but even in stereo, the rd-300sx still became muffled when played live.

my live gear: roland fp2 digital piano
ev sxa360 powered speakers
studio gear: yamaha p250
sold: roland rd-300sx, yamaha p120, p90, motif rack, plg-150ap, kurzweil pc2x, micro-piano, mks-20, rd200, d-50, waveststaion
sold: bose pas, pairs of: mackie srm450 & srm350, jbl eon10, barbetta sona 32, roland kc350, fbt maxx 2a

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by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 17:34

jazz+, just curious, what didn't you like about the bose?
larry

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by LarryC on 09/21/2005, 11:04

fwiw, my current setup is a yamaha p80 (love the action), and a rack mount fantom xr. sounds beautiful thru a pa, but again a let down thru my roland kc amp.

but the piano sounds on the xr are fantastic - excellent subtleties and dynamics.

i hear what you are saying about the stereo sounds thru mono - they do get all whacky & phasy - very weird & annoying!!!

cya
pete

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by poiter on 09/21/2005, 17:45

so why do you ever run mono ? (just curious)

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by alhaynes on 09/21/2005, 21:10

i sold the bose pas because it was mono and would need two of them for stereo and that would be too much work to set up. just one bose pas has five pieces (power mixer base, sub woofer, lower array, upper array, remote control) you have to carry in seperate cases and assemble. i liked the mid range a lot on the bose, it was very smooth and clear!

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by Jazz+ on 09/21/2005, 21:40

>> so why do you ever run mono ? (just curious)

as a full-time muso, i have limited funds!! :)

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by poiter on 09/22/2005, 17:37

i've got a rd700sx (the big one), and aside from the fact that i risk a hernia everytime i move it, i couldn't be happier (i'm running stereo live, so can't comment on this issue, except to say that it does have mono patches).
i was all set to buy a yamaha p90 (much much cheaper, it has to be said), but the action of the roland (as well as the virtual drawbar function) won me over. i bought it to replace my clavinova (and also to use at gigs), so i mainly use the piano sound, and aside from a minor tweak (see below) i use the first piano patch ("superior sx") unaltered.

regarding the "muffled" quality of the rd300sx - i don't know if this is the same on the 300, but on mine, you can adjust how "open" the lid is - the graphics on the screen (where you can see the lid moving) are pretty cheesey, but it does make an appreciable (albeit subtle) difference to the sound, and opening the lid a couple of notches brightens up the quieter sounds considerably.

you can also adjust the virtual mic type and positioning, to fine tune the sound more dunamically than just using eq.

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by LoFi on 09/27/2005, 09:30

anybody fill me in on what i can use to move from playing the same old chords

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by on 09/27/2005, 10:34

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:01

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Roland Digital Pianos

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:21

by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 02:44

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 11:27

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 15:28

by on 09/19/2005, 17:23

by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 17:34

by LarryC on 09/21/2005, 11:04

by poiter on 09/21/2005, 17:45

by alhaynes on 09/21/2005, 21:10

by Jazz+ on 09/21/2005, 21:40

by poiter on 09/22/2005, 17:37

by LoFi on 09/27/2005, 09:30

by on 09/27/2005, 10:34

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:01

Reply to Thread

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Roland Digital Pianos

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by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:21

by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 02:44

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 11:27

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 15:28

by on 09/19/2005, 17:23

by Jazz+ on 09/19/2005, 17:34

by LarryC on 09/21/2005, 11:04

by poiter on 09/21/2005, 17:45

by alhaynes on 09/21/2005, 21:10

by Jazz+ on 09/21/2005, 21:40

by poiter on 09/22/2005, 17:37

by LoFi on 09/27/2005, 09:30

by on 09/27/2005, 10:34

by LarryC on 09/19/2005, 00:01

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In