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Test of Roland's V-PIANO and new PHA-III keyboard.


bmichels

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No digital piano will be able to re-create the feeling of the soundboard resonating from the strings of an acoustic piano.


But the Roland V-Piano is the best yet at trying
:thu:

 

I hope some genius will come up with some new speaker technology capable of doing even that!

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I originally posted this in a new thread, but now I have realized that it belongs here:

------------------------

 

Hi all,

 

I am new to this forum. Here is my back story:

 

I used to play the piano for 10 years, but then came a 10 years long break. (I had other things to do, and lived at a place where did not have access to a piano.)

 

Now I would like to get back to the piano (home use only, fun and self development for me and my family), and I am looking for an instrument.

 

I do not need "pro" stuff (I don't plan to perform on stage), but I would like something decent. Oh, and I am on a budget.

 

* * *

 

I have taken a quick look at the currently available digital pianos, and if I had and infinite supply of money, I would probably go for the V-Piano from Roland. But I don't have nearly as much to spend...

 

... also, I expect the model-based simulation to keep improving in the following years, and with any luck, it's also going to get more affordable.

 

So as a first step, I consider buying only a midi keyboard, without any built-in synth module, amp or speaker. (I hope to get this at the fraction of the price of a full-blown integrated digital piano.) I plan to use this keyboard with some el-cheapo synth module (maybe even software) for a while, and with time, I plan to get something decent to complement it. (I guess the model-based sound generation engine of the v-piano will eventually make it's way to external synth modules / virtual instruments.)

 

But the keyboard itself is going to stay with me for a long time ... so if this is commercially feasible, I would like something which feels and plays as close as possible to real grand pianos.

 

Here come my questions:

 

1. What do you think of my plan? Is this a reasonable approach?

 

2. Can you suggest me a midi keyboard which has "proper" keyboard action? (By proper, I mean PHA-III, or at least PHA-II with escapement, PHA-II, PHA alpha II, or something similar.)

 

3. Here is something I worry about: can the output of state-of-the art keyboards properly captured by MIDI? Can all the nuances of the play be described with the proper parameters? (I used to work with midi, and I seem to remember that there are only a very few basic parameters stored for each played note ... but that was ten year ago, things might got more sophisticated since then.)

 

To rephrase the question: are cutting-edge digital pianos (V-Piano and the like) properly designed and built from separate modules (keyboard and synth), connected with a clean interface (midi), or is there a non-standard, proprietary flow of information of other, non-midi parameters from the keyboard to the synth module?

 

I hope it's the first case, because if it's the second, I have to give the plan of acquiring only a midi keyboard first, and later getting a proper synth module, and still achieving (near) V-Piano - like audio quality.

 

Thank you for your help:

 

Kristof Csillag

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Strange nobody compared V-Piano to Yamaha Avantgrand N2. It doest not cost more that a V-Piano PLUS 4 amplified speakers PLUS the stand ... and it has a real AC Grand piano action keyboard.

 

 

And...The new YAmaha Avantgrand N1, to be anounced a NAMM, may give V-Piano some competition. it is supposed to be priced like the V-Piano, but (1) with a real AC action, and (2) built-in speakers, so in fact way cheaper since no need for extra costs on speakers and stand.

 

What do you think ?

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I went today with my piano teacher (and 2 AKG 240 mk2) to a very large reseller that had on display to try all the EP that we wanted to test:

 

- Kawai MP10

- Roland V-PIANO

- Roland RD700-NX

- YAmaha CVP 509

- YAMAHA Avantgrand n2

 

I came with the idea of buying the CVP509 because it has everything in one: Piano, Multiple sounds, and many many features to make piano more fun.

 

But... after 4 hours of test, we really did not like the keyboard of the CVP, nor the keyboard and sound on the Kawai, and did not get so much impress by the Avantgrand.

 

So... The winners, by far (for our taste) are the 2 Rolands. The V-Piano being very very slightly better than the RD-70O NX, but really the RD-700 NX at half the price of the V-Piano impressed us a lot.

 

So, my question is: If I take the V-Piano, is there a midi rack/module that I could plug in the V-Piano through Midi, and that can add to the V-Piano everything that the CVP509 or a TRyros has (additional sounds, arranger, rythmes, sampler, Accompaniment style, drums kits...).? A sort of Tyros4... RACK ;)

 

Thanks in advance for your advices

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