ROLAND ANNOUNCES RD-800 STAGE PIANO

The Ultimate Stage Piano, Built for Live Performance

Los Angeles, CA, January 15, 2014 — Roland is pleased to announce the RD-800 Stage Piano, a powerful and intuitive instrument designed for fast, effortless operation while performing. Featuring an enhanced collection of world-class pianos, the latest weighted-action keyboard technology, a streamlined interface, a unique Tone Color function, and much more, the sleek RD-800 brings the respected RD series into a new era of sound, feel, and versatility.

The RD-800’s logically organized panel provides an inviting color LCD and many dedicated controls, and it’s simple to execute essential tasks such as selecting and layering tones, setting split points, adjusting effects, and more. Live Sets let users store their favorite setups and recall them instantly with dedicated buttons, and all the panel knobs have LED indicators for easy visibility in dark environments.

Outfitted with Roland’s new flagship PHA-4 Concert Keyboard with Escapement and Ebony/Ivory Feel, the RD-800 offers the finest keyboard action available in a stage piano. Featuring the latest touch-detection technology, the PHA-4 delivers high-resolution sensing and lightning-fast response for unmatched expression. Additionally, the keys are finished with specially developed materials that provide the natural texture and tactile sensation of real ivory and ebony keys on a fine acoustic grand.

Powered by the acclaimed SuperNATURAL® Piano sound engine, the RD-800 features a large selection of authentic grand piano sounds designed for the stage. There are 5 acoustic piano types and 34 variations to choose from, including a new Concert Grand tone derived from Roland’s flagship V-Piano Grand and a newly developed upright piano sound.

With the onboard Piano Designer, users can customize sounds to suit a performance venue or personal playing style. It’s easy to modify tonal elements such as string resonance, key-off resonance, hammer noise, and many others. Even deeper control is available with Individual Note Voicing, which allows the player to adjust the pitch, level, and tonal character independently for all 88 notes.

The RD-800 also includes many newly enhanced SuperNATURAL-based electric pianos representing classic instruments from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Users can choose among 5 types and 56 variations, and it’s possible to fine-tune parameters such as mechanical key on/off noise, key off resonance, damper noise, and more. Effects to enhance EP sounds include a number of tremolo variations, an authentic phaser, and an amp simulator with several speaker types.

Going far beyond piano tones, the RD-800 provides an enormous variety of additional sounds for maximum versatility on live gigs. Over 1100 tone variations are available, including 10 different Virtual Tone Wheel organs, a SuperNATURAL-based clav, a wide range of vintage keyboards, and up-to-date synth sounds for modern music styles. The RD-800 also includes master MIDI keyboard features for playing and controlling external sound sources on stage or in the studio.

The RD-800 offers a large array of sound processing options with dedicated real-time controls, making it simple to enhance tones in a multitude of ways while performing. Included are reverb, delay, Modulation FX, EQ, and many others, plus a unique and powerful Tone Color function newly developed for the RD-800. Tone Color allows players to dramatically alter many different sound elements with a single knob, such as widening or narrowing the stereo image, morphing between two different sounds, or boosting the presence to cut through a dense stage mix.

For more information, visit www.RolandConnect.com.

http://www.rolandconnect.com/product.php?p=rd-800