First let me begin with a shout out to our good friend
Frank Ventresca for his lightning fast delivery of the Roland RD-2000 Stage Piano at a great price. All it took was one email to Frank@AudioProCT.com and the unit was at my doorstep.
Frank has saved me and others on this forum thousands of dollars over the years. He deserves many thanks from all of us.
I had previously purchased a Roland RD-88 from Frank to be used as a controller keyboard for my GENOS, also delivered by Frank. What kept bothering me was the 3 MIDI channel limit imposed by Roland on this device. There was no way to layer more than 3 voices.
Roland intentionally crippled the RD-88 so as not to cannibalize the sales on their higher priced RD-2000.
The RD-2000 can send and receive on all 16 MIDI channels and serves as one of the finest 88-key master controller keyboard with graded hammer action and escapement.
It can layer 4 internal voices over 4 external voices with comprehensive control over all MIDI parameters like Volume, Panning, Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Key Range, Velocity, Pitch, Transposition, MIDI Channel, MSB, LSB, Program Change, Mono/Poly, Attack, Decay, Release, Cutoff, Resonance, Portamento settings, Pedal & Wheel Assignments, etc.
As a fully featured master controller in a studio environment, the RD-2000 stands heads and shoulders over the RD-700GX which I have been using since 2009.
The RD-2000 has the finest collection of Electric Pianos that outclasses the GENOS. Roland engineers put a lot of design effort to come up with an 88-key master controller with a nice collection of over 1100 internal voices that integrates easily with Apple MainStage with a slew of assignable knobs, sliders and wheels while keeping the weight under 50 lbs.
Roland achieved their objective at a reasonable price point and deserves a solid 10 rating.
However, there is just one thing I wish Roland had included to make me 100% satisfied. I wish Roland had included the default Expressive Grand 88 Key piano sample that came with my RD-700GX unit.
Roland engineers meticulously sampled each and every note of a 9’ New York Steinway Model D at multiple velocity levels to create this masterpiece. This is Roland’s crown jewel. This is what made the RD-700GX an instant favorite amongst piano players. This is the finest piano sample in Roland’s inventory.
The RD-700GX was designed to showcase Roland’s mastery in sampling technology. The PHA-2 action was tailor made to bring out the best playability of this Steinway sample. The weight of the keys was just right and the action was fast like a whip.
While nothing can replace a Steinway Model D, many cannot afford to spend $171K or have the space and acoustic environment to do it justice. The RD-700GX at $2k was the next best thing to having a Steinway Model D in your home. Paired with ADAM A7X monitors it was a match made in heaven. The combination came at $3,198 and gave the most satisfying aural experience for pure piano enjoyment.
I instantly felt connected to the default Expressive Grand voice and did not even bother to explore any other voices on the RD-700GX. The cheaper RD-700SX unit did not have this sample. You had to get the GX version to enjoy this voice.
Soon after the release of the RD-700GX, Roland announced the SuperNatural Piano Kit (K-RD700GX1). I bought this expansion kit for $264 hoping to get an even better piano voice.
I was disappointed. The SuperNatural Piano based on V-Piano technology was not better than the Expressive Grand based on traditional sampling. It sounded a bit artificial. I stopped using it.
After having reached the level of perfection, authenticity and playability of the Expressive Grand sampled piano on the RD-700GX one would expect Roland to carry over this masterpiece and showcase that front and center on all subsequent models.
Sadly, it did not happen with the RD-2000 Stage Piano.
When you turn on the unit, you are greeted with the Stage Grand voice which is a modeled piano based on V-Piano technology. It does not sound anywhere close to the realism of the Expressive Grand. Then you keep scrolling to find 16 more modeled pianos, none of which inspires or sound authentic.
After the first 17 modeled pianos, you get to hear the first SuperNatural Piano – Concert Grand. The next 17 Piano voices are all based on SuperNatural technology which still falls short of the Expressive Grand Voice.
As you scroll further you get to hear the sampled pianos, but the Expressive Grand is nowhere to be found.
I have a feeling someone higher up in the Roland marketing department made a decision to promote their V-Piano technology and downplay their true and tried traditional sampling technology. How else would you explain the omission of the Expressive Grand voice, the crowning achievement of Roland’s sampling technology?
The RD-2000 comes with 2 sound expansion slots and one can download 6 free expansions from Roland’s
AXIAL website.RD-EXP04 includes the Expressive Grand Voice along with many others from past RD-700GX/NX models.
I downloaded it. Sure enough the 7GX ExpressiveGrd voice sounds better than the modeled and SuperNatural piano voices on the RD-2000. This is the sample I am using. However, it is a watered down version of the full blown Expressive Grand sample featured on the RD-700GX.
It is easy to hear the difference when played side by side. Just hit and hold the lowest C at different velocity levels and examine the sonic textures.
Several others have raised the same complaint on the modeled voices on the RD-2000.
This former RD-700GX owner was unhappy enough with his RD-2000 upgrade to make a YouTube video explaining his reasoning. He liked every feature of the RD-2000 except the piano voice.
Roland RD2000 Review: I just don’t like it.Here is James Shawcross comparing the default modeled Piano Voice on the RD-2000 with his 1995 Steinway Model D.
Roland RD-2000 vs Concert GrandI agree with his comments. The Steinway Model D has a bell like clarity. It sounds so much brighter and transparent compared to the mellow and somewhat hazy sounds of the RD-2000.
The Expressive Grand voice sounds much closer to the Steinway Model D.
Roland is trying to popularize their V-Piano technology and there is one aspect where it is superior to sampling. With modeling the texture changes smoothly like a real piano as you increase the velocity with no abrupt jumps.
This is not possible with multi-samples. Even with 3, 7 or more samples taken at different velocity levels, you would hear an abrupt jump from one multi-sample to another as you cross the velocity threshold.
While this argument is true, in practice it falls short when the initial attack of these modeled voices cannot match the authenticity of sampled voices.
I would rather have a traditionally multi-sampled piano voice and adjust my playing technique than a modeled piano that responds evenly to velocity changes but lacks realism.
This brings me to the second aspect of the Roland RD-2000 – the keyboard feel and touch.
The RD-2000 uses a PHA-50 action. It is a step down from their Hybrid Grand action featured on the Roland LX706/708 models. It is a step up from the PHA-4 Standard action found on the RD-88.
Yes, the RD-2000 keys feel luxurious and more balanced relative to the RD-88. However, the PHA-50 action feels sluggish and damped compared to the PHA-2 action on the RD-700GX.
The PHA-2 action offers the right weight and speed for playing the Expressive Grand voice. For all other instruments besides the piano, the PHA-50 shines. I can get used to the luxurious touch of the RD-2000 and learn to compensate for the slight increase in viscosity.
The RD-2000 keys feel lighter than the RD-700GX. This can be easily compensated by changing the key touch value.
Here is Stu Harrison from Merriam Music explaining the various keyboard actions on Roland Digital Pianos.
Roland Digital Piano ActionsThe RD-2000 comes with 2 independent Sound Engines:
- V-Piano Technology
- SuperNatural Piano
Besides these two, Roland has two other Sound Engines:
- Pure Acoustic SuperNatural
- ZEN-Core
Stu Harrison compares these 4 Sound Engines in this in-depth video:
Roland Tone Engine Comparison Roland has released Operating System version 2.00 for the RD-2000 which adds two extra V-Piano expansions slots.
One can purchase the
V-Piano Expansion 01 German Concert for $149.
You can watch Yohan Kim for a
short demo of this new V-Piano.
It is most likely modeled after a Bechstein Grand Piano.
I will pass on this. I just cannot warm up to these modeled pianos. There is a reason why Yamaha still uses traditional multi-samples on their CLP/CVP Clavinovas and AvantGrand pianos. It conveys the most authentic piano sound closest to a real acoustic piano.
Roland came so close to making the perfect digital piano with their RD-2000 Stage Piano. It excels as a Master Controller and makes it a breeze to combine internal and external voices and store the settings within 300 Program Slots and instantly call them up via Scenes.
All they had to do was include their Expressive Grand 88 Key sample in its full glory from the RD-700GX and everybody would have been perfectly happy.
I hope someone from Roland reads this and includes this exquisite Steinway D sample on the successor to the RD-2000.
As of now, if you want to have the best master controller keyboard for studio use, get the Roland RD-2000. It pairs well with the GENOS.
If you want a lighter 88-key controller for gigging, the RD-88 fits the bill.
If you just want to practice playing the piano with a sound and feel that best approximates a Steinway Model D, find a used RD-700GX in good condition. If you have one already, hang on to it for life.
Best,
David
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