eric Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 It feels really, really good. Roland rep told me they would be hitting the streets in about April. MAP is $2395. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I saw/heard this at NAMM. Here's my take on it and the RD300GX. The 700 has three 88-note fully sampled ac pianos. The new piano is sampled from a Hamburg Steinway and is referred to as "Expressive Grand" (or something like that). The 700 retains the other pianos from the RD700SX, i.e. the NY Steinway (SRX-11, etc.) and the Yamaha. The Hamburg sounds ruch and full. It would definately work for solo. Might just be great for jazz trio as well. It doesn't have the cut-through brightness of the NY Steinway. The Piano Designer feature seems to allow a bit more editing of the piano sounds than was previously available, but this isn't a new feature. I think the EPs on the RD700SX have to potential to be fantastic. The RD700GX does not have ARX slots (it does have two SRX) but it has the ARX-02 builtin. You have the same control over parameters as the Fantom G, but without the graphic interface. Roland, I believe, is using a combination of sampling and modeling. The EPs sounded too accurate to my ear to be fully modelled. But the great thing is you can do some extremely neat fine tuning such as the closeness of the tine to the pickup, the position of the tine, etc. which allows you to get some very important musical control over the sound that you simply can't get by ordinary filters/EQ. You can shoose from one of ten EPs which include a number Rhodes and a Wurly. It also includes a Dyno Rhodes. I love the "Ivory Feel" touch. I first played it on one of the HP pianos at last years NAMM and have raved about it since. It is very seductive. Roland does not use wood keys but they do use a two piece substructure which they claim has many of the same benefits (without the additional weight). I have a Slimline Clavinova which has wood keys but plastic feel tops. I would MUCH rather have the RD700GX Ivory Feel over the Yamaha. Your fingers are touching the "Ivory Feel" all the time where as the wood substructure is more subtle. The RD300GX gains the NY Steinway sample and I believe, it has the same sample set as the RD700SX. The RD700GX has 256MB of ROM while the RD300GX has 128MB. They have both doubled in size. 256MB of ROM for a stage piano is unheard of. Also, the RD700GX allows for eight FXs across the four zones so you're not going to be compromising sound as you develop large splits/layers. The size of ROM and number of simultaneous FXs is in the same ballpark as many ROMplers. The Mod level is improved. Previously it had an extremely short throw and was basically a switch. The new levers (on both) are now like the synths. Also some new switches have been added. The RD300GX gains the new action, NY Steinway and other new sounds. It now allows for three zones and the display is a very nice improvement. Weight is up a few pounds. These are extremely nice improvements to these stage pianos. The RD700GX has a build quality second to none. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayvon Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Could you notice sample layers on the Supernatural EPs Busch? Also I trust they managed to get a decent Wurly on there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks for the details, guys! "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raddtunes Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Busch - thanks so much for sharing all of this. I've always wished for at least two extra audio outs on my RD700sx. Is this such a big expense, and is there such a low demand for this feature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I got to try this board for about 5 minutes before being kicked off (hey the sign said for demos only - and that's what I was doing). It does feel incredible - maybe the best yet of all the weighted controllers(IMO). Still no AT however which is a bummer for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ferris Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Mark..that was 5 minutes longer than I got.....I started to sit down to play and thought I was going to hear "SECURITY" any second. Jeez...they were acting like it was Mozart's piano. Hey...good to meet you guys...Eric,Mark, Busch...I hope you're flight back was cool. Kind of fun to be up posting after everyone's gone to bed..huh Mark? https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709 2005 NY Steinway D, Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Yeah - the Roland dude actually seemed upset and said that they didn't want people messing with it because it could screw up the demo. I told him I don't think I broke anything. But I was menu diving at the time and wonder if the demo dude might actually have to read the manual to return it to it's demo state. Dependning on how events unfold I may just get the Nobel Peace Prize out of this. Still on shift here and as to posting at this hour... I feel like one of those "other forum" posters. BTW traffic was teh suck dude getting back to El Segundo. Tonight will be the worst as far as no sleep goes with dinner after the show but it is my last shift before going home tomorrow. Bring on the beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I saw/heard this at NAMM. Here's my take on it and the RD300GX. The 700 has three 88-note fully sampled ac pianos. The new piano is sampled from a Hamburg Steinway and is referred to as "Expressive piano" (or something like that). The 700 retains the other pianos from the RD700SX, i.e. the NY Steinway (SRX-11, etc.) and the Yamaha. The Hamburg sounds ruch and full. It would definately work for solo. Might just be great for jazz trio as well. It doesn't have the cut-through brightness of the NY Steinway. The Piano Designer feature seems to allow a bit more editing of the piano sounds than was previously available, but this isn't a new feature. Busch. great report, Busch. I am especially interested on the GX upgrades/improvements over the SX I noticed the internal memory is now 4 MB vs the SX's 1 MB. The GX has 242 tones vs the SX's 208 It appears the additional wave rom is mostly used for the new Hamburg sample and the Supernatural EP I am interested in other other audible differences. With the extra 34 tones, it appears they beefed up some instruments. Let me know if anything stands out in this category. Great work, as usual ! Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Is the 300GX action different than the 700sx? Better? Does anyone have an opinion on how it compares to say, the Studiologic VMK Plus series, which Fortner and Keyboard seemed to love? I imagine whenever Keyboard reviews either of these, they'll say, but that means waiting until they get their review unit in and it gets published, but who wants to wait? TIA! "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewall08530 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Busch and everyone else. Thanks for the info on the RD 300GX. The upgrades they've made: it's as if they came to me and asked, what would we have to do to make you buy this keyboard again?...lol I think I'm going to be selling my 300SX and getting the new one unless it's over 2 grand but I'm guessing it's going to go for around $1500 "street". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwhite9 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I'm gueesing the next one offers the supernatural piano and is a clear upgrade w/ the EPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I notice the 300GX uses the alpha version of the PHA II action.. I guess that means its more or less the light action of the 300SX again... which I liked anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resigned Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 "I saw/heard the new RD-700GX at NAMM. Here's my take on it and the RD300GX. The 700 has three 88-note fully sampled ac pianos. The new piano is sampled from a Hamburg Steinway and is referred to as "Expressive piano" (or something like that). The 700 retains the other pianos from the RD700SX, i.e. the NY Steinway (SRX-11, etc.) and the Yamaha. " To my knowledge this is the first time I've seen in print that Roland samples Yamaha pianos along with Steinways. Their websites only say that they sample "multiple brands" and there's been a debate as to what that meant exactly. I assume Busch got his info from Roland's reps as I don't imagine that Roland will officially acknowledge this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Looks wonderful, but would I want to lug around an extra 10kg on top of my FP-4? Hmm - heart says I'm interested, head says think of your back! Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37 Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Could you notice sample layers on the Supernatural EPs Busch? Also I trust they managed to get a decent Wurly on there? Yes, that's what I want to know, too! Busch, could you hear velocity-switching? If so, how much? C'mon, this is important! Especially on Rhodes and acoustic piano patches. By the way, thanks for the review! Did you get to play the RD300GX? If so, how did it feel and sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Admitedly, I'm intrigued by the Hamburg Steinway samples. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 "I saw/heard the new RD-700GX at NAMM. Here's my take on it and the RD300GX. The 700 has three 88-note fully sampled ac pianos. The new piano is sampled from a Hamburg Steinway and is referred to as "Expressive piano" (or something like that). The 700 retains the other pianos from the RD700SX, i.e. the NY Steinway (SRX-11, etc.) and the Yamaha. " To my knowledge this is the first time I've seen in print that Roland samples Yamaha pianos along with Steinways. Their websites only say that they sample "multiple brands" and there's been a debate as to what that meant exactly. I assume Busch got his info from Roland's reps as I don't imagine that Roland will officially acknowledge this. Yes, I heard it from a Roland rep and it was part of his demo spiel--it was repeated. The interesting thing is I could have sworn that at an earlier NAMM a different rep said the same piano was from a Bosendorfer. The one I'm talking about here is the original 88-note sampled piano first found on the Fantom-X series. When it first came out, I remember reading a report that detailed the Dan Blessinger recording sessions that created the piano sample (among other instruments). They could have said what the piano was at that time. I've never been able to locate the story on the web. It might have been only in print. This piano has found it's way into other products like the stage pianos. It might be a moot point as everyone prefers the SRX-12 Steinway. I have ALWAYS heard this referred to as a Steinway. At this show they distinquished the two Steinway samples as Hamburg and New York. The SRX-12 is now labeled as NY Grand (or something like that) in the presets. My problem with any of these hardware digital pianos is that I have a hard time saying yes, that's definately a Steinway or Yamaha. I firmly believe it's the looping. On the software pianos I have a much easier time. The character of the instrument seems more apparent to me. Now that Steinway has officially endorsed Garritan and Bosendorfer the same with VSL (their stage piano uses it), you might find more and more companies shying away from specifically identifying the piano sampled. Just like it's getting hard for anyone to say Rhodes anymore. BTW, I was also told that Scott Tibbits (spelling?) of Roland was responsible for the recording session on the Hamburg Steinway. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdkey Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I am sure I have seen that about the recordings above it must be on the net still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Warren Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 The interesting thing is I could have sworn that at an earlier NAMM a different rep said the same piano was from a Bosendorfer. I don't know about any of the other DPs but on my 300SX piano 2 definately has a Bosendorferish sound and piano 3 a Yamahaish sound. DigitalFakeBook Free chord/lyric display software for windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I notice the 300GX uses the alpha version of the PHA II action.. I guess that means its more or less the light action of the 300SX again... which I liked anyway... Just to clarify a bit - I spent more time at Roland playing and asking questions today. The 300GX is a different action than the 700GX. The 700GX is the only pro stage piano with the "ivory" feel, while the 300GX has the usual slicker plastic feel. I was not really allowed to do much with either the 300 or 700, but the rep steered me to the home pianos that had the identical actions. The "ivory" action is indeed sublime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Now that Steinway has officially endorsed Garritan and Bosendorfer the same with VSL (their stage piano uses it), you might find more and more companies shying away from specifically identifying the piano sampled. On a sidenote, I notice on the Garritan site that they're now posting release of their Steinway as "imminent". Closer reading says that it's expected in "Winter 2008". That's a curious sense of imminency! Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37 Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I didn't really get a chance to check much out, just heard some of the demo. What is really cool is the audio features, that lets you play back audio tracks and slow them down or speeding them up without changing the pitch. Ill have to demo it further in the store, because I didn't really hear much of the voices on board at all. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsant Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 In the 700GX, when you sustain a chord, then switch to new program, does the previous sound cut off abruptly too just like in the SX? I hope they've fixed this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 On a sidenote, I notice on the Garritan site that they're now posting release of their Steinway as "imminent". Closer reading says that it's expected in "Winter 2008". That's a curious sense of imminency! Well, it IS winter and it IS 2008. Just sayin' Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 On a sidenote, I notice on the Garritan site that they're now posting release of their Steinway as "imminent". Closer reading says that it's expected in "Winter 2008". That's a curious sense of imminency! Imminent: ready to take place; especially : hanging threateningly over one's head LOL, I wouldn't buy it Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 In the 700GX, when you sustain a chord, then switch to new program, does the previous sound cut off abruptly too just like in the SX? I hope they've fixed this! I don't believe so The Fantom G has a feature called " Patch Remain " It allows seamless changes, even with a sustain pedal The GX does not state this feature Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Ok and one more thing, both RD's I looked at had cables connected to both stereo outputs, so I don't think they were running mono. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I guess the new 700gx action has been available before now? I was at Houston Piano Co today and they had a five key cutaway of the action with escapement and ivory feel, and several models definitely had escapement if not ivory feel. I think it was the KR-107. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 The HR-207 has Ivory Feel with escapement. I'm pretty sure that's the one I played at last year's NAMM. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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