Jump to content
  • Roland RD-800 Stage Piano

    By Chris Marion |

    Roland RD-800 Stage Piano

    Cutting Edge of Super Natural...

     

     by Chris Marion

     

    harmonycentralrolandrd800leader-fac6bc87.jpg.98e5a55d8b27933de13d52f52c649a2a.jpg

     

     

    From the earliest days of synthesizers, the quest of every keyboardist was to find the best piano patch.  And, all those patches were horrible in those days, even with grainy 8 bit samples on machines that cost more than a starter cottage.  With the advent of microchip technology and sample playback, the era of the digital stage piano began with the robust enthusiasm of my ilk.  Over the past quarter century, Roland has been a serious competitor in the stage piano market with their RD series.  With their new RD-800, which they dub the superNATURAL piano, Roland has taken the stage piano to an exponentially grander stage for the pro or novice player alike.

     

     OUT OF THE BOX

     

    Getting the RD-800 out of the box is not a task for the weak backed.  It weighs in at a whopping 47 pounds (although this is around 6 lbs lighter than it’s older brother the RD-700).  The 800 features Roland’s PHA-4 concert keyboard with escapement and Ebony/Ivory feel.  Unless you are a piano geek, escapement sounds like a reference from Shawshank Redemption.  In layman’s terms, this refers to the action of the piano keyboard which does indeed involve some wood and mechanics.  Be thankful for the hernia inducing weight because Roland has used it to produce a wonderfully feeling piano keyboard to play.  Not only does the response marvelously imitate that of an actual piano, the keys really do feel like ivory and ebony – they caress the tips of your fingers.  Roland also points out that the resolution on this keyboard is 100 times more sensitive than that of the RD-700.  This translates into phenomenal sensitivity as you transition from playing softly to really digging in.  The aural result of this is remarkable nuance and expression.

     

    rd-800topgal-e5b4d4f6.thumb.jpg.46df6741750e90a65c9de3861994b3c4.jpg 

     

    The RD-800 package includes a DP10 Half Damper pedal (gives you continuous damping functionality for either complete sustain or muting effect partially engaged like an actual damper pedal on a piano), a basic manual and a curiously attached AC cable.  I mention this AC configuration for anecdotal purposes.  In the early weeks of the RD-800’s release, it seems that some new owners got the AC jack confused with the XLR outputs in the same general proximity.  Obviously, this did not end well for the unit or the new owner.  Roland graciously offered a recall and a retrofit for the RD-800 that clamped the AC cord beneath the AC jack, large stickers to place on top of the keyboard and on the back for the legally blind user, as well as upgraded pedals and accessory discounts.  Alas, the one thing that Roland could not offer these users is additional IQ points.  If you can’t tell the difference between an AC jack that is shaped to fit your AC plug exactly and an XLR input that is 8 inches to the left that is clearly marked XLR, you are at risk for more than a possible electric shock in your life.   If you are considering an RD-800 after June 2014, you will get the retrofitted unit like I am reviewing.  I would comment that it would have made more sense to put the AC jack beside the ON/OFF button located on the other side of the back of the keyboard.  Perhaps a modification for the RD-900…

     

    FEATURES

     

    The most immediate superlative for the RD-800 is the phenomenal piano sample newly derived from Roland’s V-Piano Grand and brand new for this RD model series.  From the moment you touch the Concert Grand button, you default to an amazingly rich acoustic piano sound.  The sample is incredibly responsive with the RD-800 action and rings with all the nuances you would expect in a piano sound from resonance to decay to hammer sound.  There are 5 acoustic piano types and another 34 variations to choose from including a new upright piano sample that’s so good it should come with a beer barrel as an accessory. What really makes these piano sound sets “superNATURAL” is the ability to edit the sounds within designer mode.  By clicking “ENTER” to the right of the Value Dial to access editing, you can change things like hammer noise, string resonance and key off resonance with the amazing ability to even edit individual note voicing for pitch, level and tonal quality.  Most users would never need to get to this expert level of sound editing but it’s cool to have this amount of truly supernatural control.

     

     

    In addition to the concert acoustic piano sounds, the RD-800 features brand new vintage electric piano samples from Rhodes to Wurlitzer variations, tone wheel organ samples, clavinet, strings, brass, analog pads and leads, over 200 varied bass samples, and tons of classic synth and GM sounds across the spectrum.  All in all, there are over 1,100 tone variations with limitless editing capabilities there in.

     

     

    rd-800controlsgal-550c5608.thumb.jpg.ab70eee7da96878821f22efd41c14642.jpg

     

     

    Another feature that I truly love is the collection of real time control knobs that control a variety of EFX, EQ and Modulation parameters.  When any section of parameter controls is activated, an LED cuff around the associated knobs lights up.  That’s a wonderful feature for real time control changes on a dark stage.  The most versatile knob is the Tone Color knob as it’s functionality changes depending on the tone or sound selected.  When you have selected a piano tone, turning the Tone Color knob changes your sound from a mono sound to a hard-panned stereo sound.  On an electric piano sample, your sound morphs across the years of ep’s from a Silver Top to Mark 1 to Mark 2 to Dyno.  On a Clav sample it gives you real time control to accent certain frequencies of the tone to make it brighter or a grungy in the mid range.  It’s great to have that much immediate control of your sound with one button.  In addition to the Tone Color Knob, there are these additional sets of knobs:

     

    a.     modulation fx with depth and rate control (for a cool "Mu-tron" phase shifter on ep)

    b.    tremelo with depth and rate control

    c.     amp simulation with variable overdrive control

    d.    EQ/Delay/Assignable buttons  - controls four bands of EQ, type/level/feedback/time or 4 separate assignable functions respectively.

     

    There are also four adjacent sliders with on/off buttons that be used for a variety of purposes from adjusting separate tone levels in layering or live set mode or even adjusting draw bar settings on the fly for tone wheel organ sounds in designer mode.  For the B-3 enthusiast, in designer mode, you can toggle from draw bar to draw bar and even edit rotor speed and spread - great functionality.  This is always the worst part of leslie simulation.  Hats off to Roland!

     

     

    screen-be0bf7d0.jpg.c9c250212ece749628f56d4a62752666.jpg

     

    All of this great functionality is displayed on a good sized high definition color LCD screen in the center of the keyboard face.  It’s bright and very easy to read.  To the right of the LCD screen are all the cursor buttons and wheels to maneuver functions on the display.  Another nice feature of the RD-800 is that after selecting the category of tone (ie:  concert piano, electric piano, etc), touching the value dial immediate calls up the running list of sound variations for that category and shuttling to the next sound is easily done by turning the dial or using the INC or DEC buttons.  Hitting the adjacent exit button selects the corresponding sound and you’re on your way.

     

    Above the 10 Tone Category knobs lie 10 Live Set selector buttons from A to J.  These buttons add user programmability to the RD-800.  Here you can save your own combinations of sounds and layers or even your own edited versions of the tones.  There are up to 200 possible slots available for live sets meaning the combinations possibilities and edits are extensive.

     

    The RD-800 also features the following:

     

    1.     An  inboard rhythm and percussion collection of 200 various styles and genres, all tempo adjustable.

    2.     A split keyboard button that allows the user to easily assign any of the four layers to a specific zone of the 88 key keyboard.

    3.     An audio recorder that allows users to record their performance in WAV format to a USB thumb drive (not included) through the WLAN adaptor port on the back of the keyboard.

    4.     2 XLR outputs, 2 ¼ inch outputs, 1 mini stereo input for external input like iPod or iPad.

    5.     1 MIDI input and 2 MIDI outputs with versatile MIDI control possibilities.

    6.     USB output for connection to computer.

    7.     4 Pedal Jacks for damper, FC1, FC2 and EXT control.

    8.     Headphone jack

    9.     Demo modality for various tone sets.

    10.  2 additional assignable buttons (S1/S2) that can be assigned tasks like up or down octave.

    11.  Combination pitch bend/mod wheel – I would personally prefer to have separate controls for these functions but the toggle is sturdy and responsive.  

     

    CONCLUSION

     

    If you can’t tell from the tone of my review thus far, let me emphasize in conclusion that the Roland RD-800 leaves me thoroughly impressed.  This keyboard is designed to be a functional but powerful staple for any keyboardist’s set up, whether it’s a pro touring globally or a weekend warrior playing Billy Joel at the country club.  It’s well constructed and thoughtfully designed.  At a street value of $2499, the RD-800 will be an investment that will keep you on the cutting edge of “superNATURAL” quality for some time.

     

    For more information about the Roland RD-800 including specs, audio demonstrations and video, visit here:

     

                               

     

    To Purchase the Roland RD-800:

    Sweetwater

    B&H Photo

    Amazon

    Ebay

    Reverb

    Musician's Friend

    Guitar Center

     

    __________________________________________

     

    chris-head-dde56fa3.jpg.4128555fc941442c3834fbb781ed0587.jpgChris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel and country music industries. Although graduating college with a B.A. in Psychology, he is a classically trained pianist and has worked in the music industry professionally for over 35 years. As a resident of Nashville, he is involved in the recording industry working in the genres of Gospel, Country and Rock.  Since 2004, he has toured globally with the classic rock act Little River Band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  For more useless trivia and minutiae concerning Chris or to contact him directly, feel free to visit his personal website www.chrismarionmusic.com.

     




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.


×
×
  • Create New...