[QUOTE=OK1;15030808]
If you could try out an RD300 or an RD700NX, I think either of these would suit you perfectly. Well built stage pianos, decent sounding and because they are not possibly in the greatest of demand today, you may get them at a bargain. Nothing wrong with them, just that people like shiny new toys.

If I had to pick one, it would be the Roland RD700NX - great sounds in one really good keyboard -
/QUOTE]

Hi, I'm going through this whole process at the moment and was wondering what is the reason that you dismissed the RD800? What changed after the 700nx? I was going to buy a fp30 to learn to play piano and have it double as a nice hammer action controller for my production as I have excellent libraries like The Giant, Keyscape aswell as a Reface CP. I came across a RD800 for the same price as the FP30 and now I'm torn between buying a new reliable but basic product or getting the RD800 that seemed like a no brainer to me for the price until I stumbled on this thread.

[QUOTE=SpiritsGroove;15047774]The OP appeared to be price sensitive, and the 800 is likely to be more expensive than what was the OP's stated needs.

I also recall the 800 had some kind of electrical issue, and was withdrawn for a while i.e sales was stopped (unless Im mistaken and mixing this up with the 2000). Definitely one of the recent Roland stage pianos had an issue with its electrical power.

Ordinarily the RD800 should be ok, its a Roland. Been a while since I played a RD800, so my memory about its sound quality is probably not very current.

I do not recall that the sounds especially impressed me, but I am critical and parting with money for anything can be difficult. As a controller keyboard. Roland makes great keybeds, but you may still need to adjust velocity sensitivity in hardware on the keyboard or in software (see my earlier posts where I went into some detail on this) to align the touch with your sampled pianos/and your preferred feel *which will also change as you become more proficient with playing weighted keys and your fingers/wrist muscles become stronger.

One issue with the FP30 is unlike the Roland RD 800, it does not have any modulation wheels or pitch bend. Not needed if all you play is piano, but it may come in handy for more advanced use. I use my mod wheel to control the volume of one of my audio tracks in my DAW, in real time. A minor issue, but one worth noting.

Clearly an RD800 has a lot more going for it than an FP30 in terms of breath of sounds and quality of same., minus its lack of onboard speakers, which is expected. Very few professional stage pianos, have on board speakers.

[QUOTE=OK1;15049108]I ended up missing out on the RD800 and settling for the FP10 as a glorified midi controller. Im always looking around locally for good deals am tempted by a CP33 at the moment. Im pretty strapped for space so this has the potential to act my as my master keyboard since it has pitch/mod wheels + 5 pin Midi. Should I even entertain replacing the FP10 with a CP33?

My hardware setup right now is:

Roland FP10 for controlling Kontakt libraries
Behringer Odyssey ( If I go with the CP33, I could use this to play faster lead lines via midi)
Juno 106
Reface CP


CP33 seems perfect for controlling the Kontakt, Reface CP, Juno 106 (opens it up to velocity control), Repro 5, etc
Odyssey as controller for Juno Bass and Solo's + VST Mono Synths

[QUOTE=SpiritsGroove;15098522]It is a bit difficult to advise, cos I have two experiences with 2 different CP33's.

1. It was the main keyboard at a church I once attended. But those keys had been played so much and the keyboard had some issues with a squeaking sound coming from its own sound generating unit, when certain on-board piano patches were selected, for which I do not recall a solution was ever found.

2. I bought a CP33 (showroom demo) for relatively cheap - the shop actually lied to me, and it was much later that I realise they sold me the very same demo unit I had played, and not a brand new keyboard from their store. It made me realise that people are deceiptful - this happened at a branch of a major store Dawsons in the UK - pretty unfortunate what people can do when money is involved.

i also occasionally experienced these glitchy sounds like a high pitch occasional chirp, and never discovered what the cause was. But I no longer play the CP33 sounds, since I only use it as a keyboard controller.

About 2 years after I bought it the keybed failed, and this was replaced 100% by the store cos it was on warranty. Serves them right. The new keybed installed by Yamaha was definitely better than either my original keybed or the one in the CP33 at my church.

So if you are buying a CP33 used, it is very possible that the keys may have issues and you will not realise this...Typically this manifests as an unevenness in playing. I am ok with my current state of the CP33, but as you can see it is a bit of a gamble buying used. The CP33 used the same keybed as the CP300, and when I played that keyboard once at another church, i also did not find the key movement to be as smooth as I would want it. I suspect that Yamaha improved the keybed over time, so my replacement keybed is better than the initial version that was installed in the CP33 and the CP300. (my opinion)

At least you have my experience to consider.

At this point in time, I am unlikely to buy a hardware keyboard, since all my sounds come from a computer.

The discussion below is from a computer based system, where all the sounds come from a computer.

If I was starting all over again or setting up another studio room, and money was tight, I think I would like to buy new to avoid buyer remorse, and it may be more expedient to really ask oneself - how important is it to have pitch wheels and modulation wheels on the same keyboard. Depends on the kind of music you make.., and how much real time MIDI control do you need in terms of wheels, sliders etc. Do you want all of these in one keyboard, or do you wish to split this functionality into several keyboards. So there isn't one answer - just like buying a car - your mileage may vary.

1. For a decent starter weighted piano - I think the Yamaha P35 or P45 (or keyboards in that range) represent an acceptable compromise of low price and an acceptable keybed. You lose wheels and pitchbend IIRC - do check. And I do not think buying one used would be a disservice cos the kinds of people who buy these keyboards, usually do not play them that much. This is the foundation 88 keyboard, budget. I only mention this cos piano is my main sound. This is an optional keyboard for some.

2. If you need wheels and sliders and synth action, you can then add a 2nd keyboard - which has these and you do not need weighted keys. Lots of choice here - too many choices.

Both keyboards can be combined into one live performance so you could play on the 88 note and bend notes with the 2nd keyboard - as both MIDI signals are sent into your computer.

3. Other options for a decent new MIDI Controller, more expensive than item 1 above, would include something like an SL 88 Studio or SL88 Grand depending on personal choice of budget and how much weight you need in your piano keybed.

Nevertheless I would suggest - master the equipment you have, at any point in time, and resist the urge to but another. IMHO most of the contributors to great musicianship, have not too much to do with gear., but with how well the user knows and ekes out the maximum benefit from any gear they have available.

The Roland FP10 is a keyboard i have played and its perfectly decent enough to take you quite far in your musical journey as a basic piano keybed.

Keep well and all the best.

I completely agree that one should try to make do with what he has available to him. My dilemma at the moment comes from a point of simplefying instead of gearlust that we see so often on these forums. I had a bunch of hardware and used very little of it to it's capabilities. The key to me being happy about the music I make isn't the minutea between an analog vs vst patch or whatever other details that don't really matter. The key was finally deciding that I would sit down everyday and really learn to play the piano. Fiddling knobs, arp's and sequencers are cool but they are not at the core of the music I want to make (Jazz, Funk, RnB)

So I did some research and bought a good no frills 88 key piano action that is the FP-10. After 1 month of putting in about 1-2 hrs daily I am still satisfied with my purchase. I'm not satisfied with everything else laying around.

My Juno 106 sounds great but so does TAL UNo LX so Im considering cashing in.

The Odyssey is keeper for me. Unfortunately it does not have the traditional pitch/mod wheels which I don't mind but it severely limits its use as a controller.

Yamaha Reface CP is cool but can be easily replaced by VST or a proper stage piano.

FP10 is fine as a controller and I'm happy with it. That makes 4 Instruments and still no proper pitch/mod wheels. I don't want to have to add a 5th solely for this function.

Considering what I wrote above I can't help but think that I would be better served replacing it with a Stage piano that covers controller, pitch/mod duties and Electric piano duties. I would be left with 2 pieces of gear better tailored to my needs that I can really dig in and try to squeeze every last drop out of.

1 stage piano + 1 synth seems sounds liberating to me at this point. No distractions, just sit down and focus on learning my instruments.

Problem is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of options that don't cost an arm and a leg. I dream of the new CP73 sometimes lol.

Local offers that could be a potential fit for me are:

- Cp33 (Cheaper than what I could sell my very new FP10 for. Buys me some time to save up and re-evaluate my needs in 1-2 years while maintaining some value.)

- Nord Electro 3 HP (doesn't solved the pitch/mod issue and I keep hearing how bad the keybed is)

- Korg SV1 (Covers everything other than pitch/mod)

- Roland RD88 (same as my FP10 with actually decent sounds and pitch/mod)

After writing all this down it sounds to me like the CP33 is a very safe bet . Or keep the FP10 and splurge on a Prophet

Which Yamaha Motif model exactly?? Only the "stage piano" or the synth models as well?

Korg D1 (weighted RH3 action), limited sounds, almost no features, cheap!

-- Korg D1 digital piano review, Keyboard Magazine march 2022

Note there's no USB connection so you need to connect MIDI cables.

I recently sold my RD-700SX and replaced it with a Kawai ES120. I initially bought the ES120 for mobile use but noticed that I enjoy playing it more than the Roland. It seems to provide for a more realistic velocity response, apart from having a lighter action that produces less acoustic noise. Even the internal sounds are not to be sniffed at, I'd be more than happy to use them in a live context.

I will probably get another ES120 for live use.

Hi,
If anyone is looking for a good weighted keyboard for the studio I can fully recommend the Roland Juno ds88, the action is good (pha4) and has enough assignable knobs and sliders to use it as a midi controller for your vst. USB connection (both midi/audio)... Plus loads of sounds (ranging from meh, to great) to keep moving without thinking about latency. It even has a mic input for vocoder, a you can import samples into it. I think is great for sketching a production or use placeholder sounds to revisit later.

It a great centerpiece for studio production really.