F-100 Digital Piano from Roland

The F-100 Digital Piano from Roland made its debut at this year's Summer NAMM show. This 88-note instrument offers grand piano sound and hammer action in a compact maple cabinet designed to occupy a minimal amount of space. Twenty tones are provided, along with onboard rhythms and a song recorder for practice.Damper and soft pedals built into the cabinet, and there are also speakers, a music stand and keyboard cover.

With space more and more at a premium, players will appreciate the F-100's sleek cabinet. It includes a transparent acrylic music stand and removable keyboard cover designed to complement the simulated maple finish. Damper and soft pedals are also built into the stand, for more natural and expressive playing. An 88-note Progressive Hammer Action Keyboard further bolsters this expressiveness, with a heavier touch in the lower range and lighter touch in the upper range.

Twenty tones are provided--including acoustic grand and electric piano, strings, choir and bass. The piano sounds are taken from Roland's latest sample library. "Split" presets are also included for playing different tones in the upper and lower register. A reverb effect is provided for concert hall sound. And with 64 voices of polyphony, note cut-off is a thing of the past.

While the F-100 is certainly fun to play, it's also great for practice. An onboard metronome helps students perfect their timing using a standard click tone or 16 preset percussion patterns, while the handy Song Recorder makes capturing a performance easy. In addition, the F-100 includes 65 preset songs that can be used for practice or listening enjoyment. A stereo Line input makes it possible to play along with CDs. And all of this music can be heard on the F-100's built-in stereo speaker system.

Connections to the F-100 include MIDI In and Out, stereo 1/4-inch outputs, dual Headphone outputs (stereo mini-jack type), and stereo RCA inputs.