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Roland RD-700GX
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Roland RD-700GX

Digital Piano from Roland belonging to the RD series

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« Excellent Digital Piano »

Published on 12/25/13 at 12:28
Touched piano 88 keys, fully adjustable. Choice of super light, light, medium, heavy, very heavy. Can superimpose up to 4 sounds or split the keyboard as you want (with or without recovery).

There are a total of 26 sounds of classical piano (all styles) and 17 additional sound card with "super natural".
The electric pianos are the numbers 30, 9 "super natural".

There are two slots for add SRX cards or card "super natural" (opportunities has been removed in the next version, the RD700NX).

All parameters can be changed, there has a lot of possibilities to modify the sounds. This was especially relevant for electric pianos as acoustic pianos are already excellent with default settings.

Then there are many other sounds very good qualities that make this a truly versatile piano synthesizer.

Four effects can be allocated to a sound. Reverb or delay, chorus and two additional effects to choose from 120.

UTILIZATION

Very good sensation of touch, lovers of classical and jazz will not be disappointed. For me it is a decisive choice, I preferred to other affected (Yamaha, Korg, clavia).

The interface is excellent, once you read the manual to understand the general operation and then we can do without it is so easy to handle. The possibilities are huge, everything is customizable (modification of a sound, creating a patch, feel of the keyboard, management MIDI ...)

Master keyboard functions are powerful and easy to take hand (opportunities to create their patches to drive expanders, midi out of 3 available).

SOUNDS

The acoustic piano sounds are very good, those card "super natural" are excellent.
The "super natural" card brings a definite plus, the sounds are very accurate and have a very good momentum. That said the other sounds of acoustic pianos are also very good and that I often juggle a sound to another to test "different colors" when interpreting a song. I do not choose the same sounds depending on whether I play rock, classical or jazz.

As I am a fan of electric piano, I will develop my impression hoping that it may enlighten others.

There are a total of 9 sounds electric "super natural" 21 pianos and electric piano sounds that are not "super natural".
Changes that can be made are therefore not the same. The sounds of electric "super natural" pianos do not have the same effects as other sounds, they are fewer (8 effects to be 120 and 6 choices of amps available). on the other hand, they have their own parameters (simulation of the distance from the microphone to the amp etc ...).

Listening to the sounds of electric pianos delivered by default in the device can be disappointing at first. The rhodes are less well defined than korg or clavia, too pronounced effects (including phaser ...) tarnish the sound. In fact we must reprogram all or even to find the sound that suits us best.

Moreover, to the sounds of electric pianos, do not hesitate to change the type of hit (light instead of using the default), otherwise you get not capture all the nuances. As the type of hit is a clean patch and not a tone, it is not practical at all. It would be better that we can assign the type touched a tone, it would avoid recreating a patch just for that. And we can not let the hit "light" by default because otherwise it would impact the tones also acoustic pianos that they need a hit "medium" or "hard" (short I hope you understand me) .

You can have good rhodes after programming, but the electric sounds that I find most beautiful are the simulated sounds of famous RD1000 and mks20 of Roland (type SA EP "super natural"). This is a unique characteristic of pianos Roland grain, it is in this type of sound that electric piano excels. Surprisingly, I found that the sounds "super natural" power can not simulate rhodes as well as other piano sounds delivered to the device (I think the tones "E.Piano NY" and "Vintage EP" which however are not "super natural" sound "more rhodes", especially after adding appropriate effects).
We manage to do good Wurly with "super natural", they are not transcendent but they sound correct.
Programming FM sounds do not give the expected results, nothing to do with a yamaha sy-77 or even a dx-7, we do not find the same feelings and the same shades.


The other very good sound (acoustic guitar, electric, bass) with a preference for choirs and pads (the strings are of good quality but not enough). The quality of these sounds is the RD-700GX synthesizer apart in addition to being an excellent piano.

I personally have two expansion cards. The "super natural" card for acoustic pianos and the SRX-07 (ultimate keys). The SRX-07 is very versatile and provides more than 400 additional sounds. Acoustic pianos SRX-07 are obviously withdrawals relative to RD700GX but I think the electric piano sounds overplay supplement. I do not think the worse but just different and complementary. I often play with, they are not ridiculous.


OVERALL OPINION

This is the best digital piano I&#39;ve owned so far. Just for a touchdown for the diversity of sounds of acoustic and electric pianos, for its ability to master keyboard I do not intend to part so soon. And I hope to keep a dozen of year again. I paid the price of argus (1300 €), for me it was worth the price.