Roland FP-90X FAQ | Get To Know The Roland FP-90X | Digital Piano FAQ

 

 The FP-90X is the follow-up to the Roland FP90 and the flagship portable piano of Roland’s beloved FPX series and is without question one of the most powerful and capable all-in-one portable digital pianos currently on the market.

Continuing our series on the top FAQ for popular pianos, we ran the Google analytics to find out the top 10 Roland FP-90X FAQ. 

Whether you’re new to exploring the FP-90X or deciding whether or not to pull the trigger, our hope is that having these questions answered all in one place will be helpful. Check out our full digital piano review of the FP-90X for a more in-depth look at the overall performance of the FP-90X.

Let’s get started!

 

Top 10 Roland FP-90X FAQ

FAQ #1: How Much Does the FP-90X Cost?

Up first in our Roland FP-90X FAQ - the price.

In Canada, The FP-90X currently runs for $3,499.99 for the slab on its own (includes DP-10 damper pedal), and up to just under $4,200 if adding the KSC-90 wooden designer keyboard stand and KPD-90 3-pedal board. The floating 3-pedal unit RPU-3 is an option as well, as is the more portable KS-20X stand. In the United States, you can currently find the FP-90X for around $2,500 for the slab, or around $3,200 for the entire bundle.

This does make the FP-90X more expensive than its main competitors, namely the Kawai ES-920 and Yamaha P-515, but the FP-90X justifies its heftier price tag with its more advanced key action, piano sound engine and speaker system (more on this under question 2).

 

FAQ #2: Is the FP-90X Worth the Money?

This is a great question because there are a number of very capable slab digital pianos that cost a lot less than the FP-90X, such as the Kawai ES-920 and Yamaha P-515 mentioned above, as well as Roland’s own FP-60X is quite a bit less. Here’s exactly why for some people, the FP-90X is absolutely worth the extra money.

First of all, Roland’s PHA50 action has a longer pivot length than the actions in the instruments mentioned above meaning it offers a deeper sense of control, plus it also offers a wood/plastic hybrid key construction for durability, a triple sensor, escapement and nicely textured keytops. Even if you’re a classical pianist, you’ll feel at home with this action.

The second reason is the PureAcoustic Piano Modeling sound engine, which is currently Roland’s most advanced sound engine and the same one they use in their top-of-the-line LX series home digital upright pianos. The FP-90X is the only portable Roland digital piano to feature this remarkable sound engine, which also happens to deliver limitless polyphony on acoustic piano tones and offers extensive editing capabilities like damper resonance, string resonance, and soundboard type.

Finally, there’s the speaker system. The FP-90X is equipped with a 4-speaker system with two mains and two tweeters for clarity, boasting a robust 60 watts of power that easily outguns its competitors. For gigs, you can actually fill a medium-sized with the FP-90X without the need for an external amp.

We should also mention the mic input, as well as the tactile equalizer with sliders as additional great value adds.

 

FAQ #3: When Were the FP-90 and FP-90X Released?

The original FP-90 came out in the fall/winter of 2016, and the newly updated FP-90X first hit North American store shelves during the winter of 2021.

Roland tends to average 4-year product cycles with their models, whereas some are updated faster, and in the case of the FP-90X, there was closer to a 5-year FP-90 run before its release.

 

FAQ #4: What are the Weight/Dimensions of the Roland FP-90X?

This is actually a really important question, especially if you’re thinking about the FP-90X has a portable, gigging stage piano. The overall unboxed dimensions of the FP-90X are a width of 5.2”, depth of 15.3” and height of 5.4”.

 

FAQ #5: What are the Differences Between the FP-90 and FP-90X?

This is a pretty important question for folks who might already have an FP90 and are wondering if the FP90X is worth the upgrade, or for people who might still have an opportunity on an FP90 so they have to choose between the two.

The first upgrade is a major speaker enhancement, with the FP-90X receiving a redesigned, upgraded speaker system. Secondly, the FP-90X also receives the new BMC sound chip, which delivers far more complexity to the PureAcoustic Ambience modeling engine and the SuperNATURAL engine.

Both pianos use the PHA-50 keys, so this stays the same, but the 90X includes the new My Stage feature, which offers a whole bunch of very nice Piano Designer presets.

Lastly, Roland has included a built-in USB audio interface, and this will come in very handy for those who need a fine instrument for some studio or production work.

The well-liked LCD screen, music rest and dual headphone jacks return from the FP-90.

FAQ #6: PHA-50 - Which Portable Models Have It?

The PHA50 was until recently Roland’s most advanced action (since usurped by the Hybrid Grand action) and is only found in a couple of models that could be considered portable.

The FP-90X is the only FPX series piano to feature the PHA-50, with the Roland FP-30X and FP-60X featuring the PHA-4.

The RD-2000 and FANTOM-08 are the only other portable options that feature the PHA-50, however, calling the workstation FANTOM-08 portable is using the term ‘portable’ loosely. All three of these pianos are quite heavy, and that’s a result of the wooden componentry in the PHA-50 - there’s really no way to keep the weight down with a wooden action.

 

FAQ #7: How do you Take Apart the Roland FP-90X?

*Disclaimer: Don’t do this! That’s the official answer because if you do take apart your FP-90X, your warranty will be voided should you ever have a warranty claim, and this is clearly articulated in the owner’s manual.

If you’re willing to take the risk, the innards of pretty much every Roland product are very well organized, so if you do open it up by removing the screws on the side, you’ll find that everything is well laid out and easy to service.

 

FAQ #8: How do you Connect the FP-90X to Bluetooth MIDI?

The first step to getting Bluetooth MIDI going on the FP-90X is to make sure Bluetooth is turned on. To do this, press the function button, and Bluetooth is the first option that pops up so toggle that to make sure it’s on.

From there, start the pairing process, and you can do so by holding the Function key, and then you can pull up the Bluetooth menu from your smart device and select the FP-90X.

The Piano Every Day app has recently been replaced by the new simply titled Roland Piano App, which is simply great as it allows you to navigate all the sounds of the instrument like grand piano tones, synths, e pianos etc. as well as control features like the metronome, touch sensitivity and playback while also expanding the specs of the piano to include rhythms and educational features.

 

FAQ #9: How Do You Connect the FP-90X to a Computer?

To connect your FP-90X to a computer, simply plug one end of a USB cable into the FP-90’s USB connector and the other end into your computer. This gives you both a MIDI and Audio connection

FAQ #10: What Digital Pianos Compare Well to the FP-90X?

It’s good to have an idea as to some of the other options you’ll be running into when deciding on an instrument. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many legitimate comparable options to the FP-90X. This is due to the fact that there aren’t too many instances where musicians find themselves in situations where a high-end acoustic grand-focused keyboard with speakers and a premium action are needed.

As a result, the FP-90X falls into a niche category as a portable keyboard capable of a high-end acoustic and electric piano experience, without the full array of synthesizer-like features one would get with a traditional stage piano.

That said, this category is growing, and as we mentioned earlier in this article, the main competitors to the FP-90X are the Yamaha P-515 and Kawai ES-920.

Casio enters this conversation now as well with the recently released PX-S6000 and PX-S7000.

 

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for reading and/or watching! We hope that this top 10 Roland FP-90X FAQ will serve as a helpful reference for you on your piano shopping journey.

The post Roland FP-90X FAQ | Get To Know The Roland FP-90X | Digital Piano FAQ first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Roland Juno-DS88 vs FA-08 | Synthesizer Comparison & Demo

 

Roland has one of the fullest lineups of keyboards and digital pianos out there, with a variety of offerings built for just about every application. While we’ve covered much of what Roland has to offer in the digital piano space, today we’re going to circle back on a couple of synthesizer products that we’ve reviewed individually and compare them.

On that note, in today’s video and article we’ll be looking at the Roland Juno-DS88 vs FA-08. We’ll be discussing the similarities and critical differences, to hopefully clarify which product might be a better fit for you based on your needs.

While you shouldn’t sleep on other great options from Yamaha and Korg for this type of instrument, today will be a Roland-centric look.

 

Roland Juno-DS88 vs FA-08 - Background & Similarities

It’s important to point out right away that both of these pianos have been on the market for a few years now and are frequently in stock with most retailers. This begs the question - are these pianos still relevant? Are they still viable options for the discerning consumer? The short answer is a confident yes, and we’ll be getting into that as we go.

 

Ivory Feel G Keyboard Action

For now, let's start by looking at some of the similarities between these two instruments. So, both of these instruments have the same fantastic 88-key action with the Ivory Feel-G Keyboard with Escapement. This is a slightly older action and precursor to the PHA4 and PHA50 which are most commonly used in Roland products today, feeling more like the PHA50 overall.

The repetition speed of this action is really good and it feels more substantial than the current PHA-4 overall.

 

On-board Sounds & Controls

Another similarity is that they both have a really great selection of onboard sounds. The quality of the sounds on the FA-08 is a little bit higher due to the presence of the SuperNATURAL engine which the DS88 and other JUNO series pianos (JUNO DS61 and JUNO DS76) do not have. If you're somebody who needs a professional level of detail in their sounds, the FA-08 is definitely the better choice here.

Both pianos have the ability to set up live presets, including things like multi-layers and splits. For people who are thinking about a gigging instrument, these pianos are equipped for that. However, you're limited to two different sounds at once over on the DS88, whereas on the FA-08, you could conceivably get up to 16 parts happening at once as a live patch.

Both pianos have some nice and intuitive real-time controls, such as a modulation lever, pitch bend wheels and sliders.

 

Roland Juno-DS88 vs FA-08 - Differences

Control Surface

The first big point of departure between these two pianos is the control surfaces. That said, both pianos have customizable and programmable LCD control surfaces that work to create custom sets of controls that you can call up for performances.

The DS88 has four assignable control knobs and a multicolor pad, whereas the FA-08 has six assignable knobs and quite a bit more functionality within each knob. You do however get four faders on the DS88, which is very nice, and these are not present on the FA-08.

 

Playing Modes

On the DS88, there are two setup environments. The first is Patch, which allows you to play one sound at a time, and the second is Perform, which allows you to save combinations of features, such as split and layer, and save into a performance preset mode.

On the FA-08, the same functionality is present with very similar language. The only critical difference here is that instead of switching back and forth between a patch mode and a performance mode, you have one part mode on studio set, and then getting into the full studio set with up to 16 parts is completely integrated with the sequencer engine.

If you're a performing musician whose going to encounter situations where you would need several layers and different split points, the FA-08 gives you this expanded functionality.

 

Onboard Sounds

When it comes to selection of sounds, the same general categories are represented on both pianos, even if the engines themselves differ.

Roland doesn’t specify the engine on the DS88, whereas the FA-08 has a couple of different sound and drum kit engines, including the SuperNATURAL Acoustic and SuperNatural synth engines. The SuperNATURAL engines are capable of a more complex overall piano tone, and allow users a greater degree of editability.

Check out the video to hear a comparison of each piano’s default piano sound. Beyond the acoustic piano sounds and organ sounds, the DS88 has 1,200 sounds including things like electric pianos, strings, synths, world music instruments etc. These sounds are strong, but not quite on the level of what you would want for professional studio use.

The FA-08 has over 2000 sounds, and the quality and fidelity here is definitely professional quality and fit for studio use. Polyphony is equal on both pianos at 128 notes. Both pianos also have Wave Expansion Slots so you can actually extend the total number of sounds via Roland’s Axial Website.

 

Sequencer Functionality Comparison

When it comes to the sequencers, you’ll notice 8 buttons on the Juno-DS88 and 16 on the FA-08 making it easy to assume that the function is essentially the same and simply doubled up on the FA-08.

But this actually isn’t really the case. The DS88 has a basic sequence function which they call the Pattern Sequencer. It’s not a full non-linear 16-track editing type sequencer like you get on the FA-08, and is instead essentially a loop sequencer, which is great for sketching out ideas for songs and arrangements.

You can set the loop length to one, two, four or eight-bar sections and then play up to eight phrases to construct and playback a texture. This can be really easy and fun to play around with and because the DS88 offers battery operated power supply with a DC 9V or 8 AA batteries (you can plug in a wired power cord adapter too), you could pretty much take it anywhere to work on songwriting.

Over on the FA-08, we get into the full workstation style sequencer where you could conceivably build an entire backing track to a song that you were writing, whether or not to decide to keep it as the song develops. At the least, you'd have the MIDI information that you could render through even higher-quality plugins after the fact.

This is perhaps the single biggest difference between these two pianos - the sequence functionality.

Connectivity - Audio In/Out, USB & MIDI

Another important comparison between these two pianos is of course the connectivity specs. Both pianos have a very impressive list of ports.

On the DS88 we’ve got both pedal hold jacks and pedal control jacks, 1/4” mic input (with mic input reverb and vocoder sound effects and auto pitch), stereo mini EXT input and 1/4” L/MONO, R line outputs. There’s also a 1/4” headphone jack, MIDI in and out, USB memory port (USB flash memory) and USB computer which supports both USB MIDI and Audio - this is great for DAW control mode.

Over on the FA-08, the selection of connectors is even more impressive. To start, there’s a 1/4” headphone jack, main 1/4” L/MONO, R line output and a second 1/4” sub output. There’s a line in, a guitar or mic input, 3 different foot pedal jacks, MIDI in and out, as well a USB flash drive and USB computer port that supports USB MIDI and Audio high speed.

 

Comparison Summary

Let's summarize the main critical differences between these two instruments. The sound selection is great in both cases, but there’s a difference in sound quality. You've got the supernatural engine in the FA-08 providing a thicker, lusher tone than what the DS88 can muster.

There’s a phrase pad sequencer on the DS88, whereas on the FA-08 you get full 16-track sequencing options. Both pianos have an assortment of real-time controls and multi-effects, while Roland offers a variety of keyboard stand options for folks looking for a compatible one.

 

Final Thoughts

In our view, the Juno-DS88 works really well for people who are looking for a casual, portable creative tool to take along with portability. Singer/songwriters and those who need synth functionality at live gigs but with an emphasis on piano and e-piano will really like this instrument.

The FA-08 is a very different beast. This is a full workstation for people who are either doing fairly complex live gig setups or for people who are fully immersed in music production and looking for that tactile connection you can’t get from a computer mouse.

Time with the owner’s manual will be a must for folks looking to capitalize on the potential available here.

Thanks for reading!

The post Roland Juno-DS88 vs FA-08 | Synthesizer Comparison & Demo first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Roland FP-30 vs Kawai ES110 | Digital Piano Comparison, Review & Demo

One of the most requested videos we’ve ever done was our comparison of the Roland FP-30 digital piano (since replaced by the Roland FP-30X) and Kawai ES110 (soon to be replaced by the Kawai ES120). These are two of the best-selling portable digital pianos in the world, and both are often touted as the two best options in the price range.

In this companion article to the video comparison, we’ll be taking a close look at both pianos, detailing their similarities and differences, while trying to paint a picture as to which one might be the best fit for you based on your personal needs.

Let’s get right into it.

Roland FP-30 vs Kawai ES110 - General Impressions

Let's start with some general impressions first. The ES110 is a great instrument for a wide number of reasons. For one, it weighs 26lbs meaning it’s one of the most portable 88-key weighted action digital pianos available. The FP-30 alternatively weighs a little bit over 31lbs.

The trade-off here is that due to the lower weight, the ES110 has less amplifier power with 14 watts in total compared to the FP-30, which has 22 watts of total power, and as a result, has a fuller sound overall, even though the ES110 actually has a warmer bass register.

Both pianos have very good actions, sound engines and overall functionality which is why both are so popular, with both beginners and more experienced musicians. Let’s compare how they sound.

Digital Piano Sound Comparison

Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging Sound Technology vs Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano Sound

The ES110 is using Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging engine, with a handful of different concert grand piano samples. The core sample is from their EX concert grand piano, and this is recorded with 88-key piano sampling for a very high degree of authenticity. 192-note polyphony means you’re not going to have any concerns in this regard, and there’s a nice variety of reverb settings including Concert Hall and Small Hall.

On the FP-30, we’ve got the SuperNATURAL sound engine, with 128 notes of polyphony. More or less, the difference in piano tone between these two really just comes down to personal preference. Both sounds have tons of detail and complexity to the tone with additional elements like damper resonance, damper noise and fallback noise, and they offer the user the ability to edit a decent number of parameters within those tones.

At this point, pop over to the video to hear some playing examples of both of these pianos as you’ll really get a clearer idea of the tonal differences that way.

Importance of High-Quality Sound

Something we tell everybody who's shopping for a piano, whether it's an acoustic or a digital, and whether you’re browsing Amazon or actually setting foot in a showroom, is to never compromise on the acoustic piano sound because at the end of the day, it's really nice to be able to just sit down, turn your piano on, and immediately piano sound that you love and inspires you to play.

If you're starting with a foundation where the primary objective is to start building piano playing experience, especially for beginners, the odds increase of successful endeavour increase if the player really enjoys the piano sound.

Non-Acoustic Piano Sounds

While the ES110 has 8 total acoustic piano patches compared to 6 on the FP-30, there are 19 total sounds on the ES110 which is nearly doubled up on the FP-30 with 35.

Both pianos have a nice selection of harpsichord tones that are going to work quite well if you’re practicing some Baroque music.

Electric pianos and synths are probably the highlights aside from the acoustic piano patches on both instruments as the ES110 and FP-30 have a nice selection of highly useable e-piano and even some synthesizer tones.

Overall, quality is pretty much a draw, but the FP-30 of course wins from a quantity perspective

Stereo Speaker Systems

As we briefly noted above, both pianos have a solid set of speakers. The ES110 is somewhat limited from a power output perspective with only 14 watts of power, but the quality of the speaker system is very high and the result is an especially warm bass register.

The FP-30 has more punch with 22 watts of power though the difference is not as pronounced as one may think when comparing the specs sheets.

Sound Wrap-Up

To sum up, what you're getting with both pianos regarding sound as a whole when it comes to the acoustic piano sounds, there’s no question that both instruments have excellent default piano patches.

The ES110 has a wider dynamic range and a more authentic tonal palette with the differences between loud and soft playing. This dynamic range tends to be a little bit compressed on the FP-30, which for a classical musician may be a consideration. For contemporary styles, it probably won’t matter.

The ES110 also has a greater polyphony count, though, at 128 notes, the FP-30 is no slouch in this category with many fine stage pianos sitting at 128 notes.

On the other hand, the FP-30 has almost double the total sounds and a more powerful speaker system.

Digital Piano Action Comparison

The key actions on both of these instruments considering the price point they’re both available at, are simply outstanding. You can’t go wrong selecting either one of these, whether from a performance or durability perspective.

Kawai’s Responsive Hammer Compact Action

The ES110 is using Kawai’s first-generation version of their Responsive Hammer Compact action (RHC). There’s a second-generation version of this action now featured in their newest KDP series home digital pianos with a triple sensor, but this first generation is still using a dual sensor.

The dual sensor means this action will not be quite as accurate from a MIDI output perspective as a triple sensor keyboard action, so that’s something to keep in mind.

There’s a slight texture on both the white and black keys, and the edges are nicely rounded. This makes it really easy and smooth for playing anything with a lot of thick chords where your fingers have to straddle multiple keys.

In terms of the sense of weighting, this action is a little bit lighter than we have over on the FP-30, but it’s not as light as what you would get over on the Yamaha P125 for example.

Roland’s PHA4 Standard Hammer Action

Over on the FP-30, we have Roland’s PHA-4 Standard action, and you’ll find this action throughout Roland’s lineup on models up to twice the price of the FP-30.

This is a very well-liked and popular action and is generally regarded as the top action available at this price point. In fact, some people even prefer this action to the more expensive PHA50 action featured throughout the upper portion of Roland’s lineup.

The PHA4 is equipped with a triple sensor, meaning the touch sensitivity is very good and capable of highly accurate MIDI output. The texture on the keytops here is more dramatic than the texture on the RHC action, and Roland refers to this as the Ivory Feel.

Another thing that's important to note is that the PHA4 also has escapement on the action, whereas the Kawai does not have any escapement. Escapement simulates the sensation one gets when playing a grand piano and can help with increasing repetition speed.

Digital Piano Action Wrap Up

There’s an interesting quandary in terms of making a clear recommendation between the Roland FP-30 vs Kawai ES110. On the action front, we would say that the FP-30 is going to accommodate a wider range of pianists since it’s slightly heavier and has a triple sensor along with escapement - classical players will certainly appreciate all of these things.

On the other hand, we really appreciate the dynamic nature and the richness of the Kawai piano sound, and the action is still good enough even for piano lessons so if you prefer the sound of the ES110, you’re not really sacrificing with the RHC action.

Hardware Accessories

Both pianos come with all of the basics in the box, but there are also some additional accessories you may wish to consider as well.

To start with what’s included at no extra charge, both pianos come with sustain pedals, otherwise known as damper pedals (DP2 on the FP-30, F-10H Damper Pedal on the ES110) as well as music rests.

Of course, they both also include a power supply and owner’s manual so you have everything you need to plug your keyboard in and start playing without the need for additional purchases.

In terms of optional upgrades, you may wish to purchase, both pianos are available with matching designer keyboard stands and triple pedal units.

If you’re looking at one of these pianos primarily for portability, these accessories probably aren’t necessary. If however, you envision both pianos being fairly stationary in your home, you may want to consider these additions.

In the case of the Roland FP30, the stand is referred to as the KSC-70, while the pedal unit is called the KPD-70. Over on the ES110, the stand is the HML1 stand, while the pedals are called the F350.

Bluetooth and MIDI Connectivity

In terms of connectors, both pianos have a pretty solid selection built right in. For starters, both pianos are equipped with Bluetooth MIDI, and while this is quite common now when both of these pianos came out, this was a pretty big deal for the time.

Bluetooth Wireless MIDI connectivity is very convenient as it allows you to connect to iOS and Android devices and access music apps like Garageband without cables. You can also view sheet music from a tablet which is great.

Both companies also have their own apps that allow you to control the features and functions of the keyboards from a smart device like an iPad, meaning you use things like the metronome, transpose, drum rhythms, twin piano mode and even reverb setting without having to menu dive on the instrument itself.

Both pianos also have dual headphone jacks, but from here, this is where the connectivity options start to diverge.

The FP-30 has both USB Type A and Type B meaning there’s a flash drive that you can use the song recorder to record WAV files directly onto. The ES110 does not have any physical USB ports.

The ES110 however has traditional 5-pin MIDI ports both in and out, and more significantly, it also has dual 1/4” line out jacks (L/MONO, R) meaning you can connect it to an amplifier or PA system if you need more power.

The FP-30 does not have discreet line outputs, and this is probably the single biggest drawback of the instrument as it makes it that much more challenging to gig with since you need to fiddle around with adapters if you need to connect to an amp.

Final Thoughts

This pretty much wraps up our digital piano review and comparison of the Roland FP30 vs Kawai ES110. These are two highly capable instruments that absolutely dominate the class. Warranty claims are rare for both instances, but fortunately, coverage is great should a need arise.

The FP-30 costs about $100 more and that extra spend gets you a slightly more powerful amplifier, arguably better action and more built-in sounds.

On the Kawai side, the ES110 is about 5lbs lighter than the FP-30 at 26lbs and is an extremely portable instrument as a result. If the acoustic piano sound is really your main focus, the ES110 has arguably the top acoustic piano sound in the class (though some would argue Casio’s Privia grand piano sounds have a case here too).

Kawai has also included quite a few music books such as the Alfred method books built right in as part of a lesson function which is a nice bonus.

Thanks as always for reading, and make sure to check out the companion video on these great musical instruments!

The post Roland FP-30 vs Kawai ES110 | Digital Piano Comparison, Review & Demo first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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