Casio PX-S1100 vs Roland FP10 | Digital Piano Review & Comparison

 

When the Roland FP10 digital piano hit the market a few years back it was almost instantly dubbed a ‘category killer’ due to its high-quality piano sound, and most importantly, due to the presence of the Roland PHA4 action.

The Casio PX-S1000 quickly became a great challenger due to its own unique value proposition (while the PX-S3000 was a huge hit in the next price point up), and the Casio Privia PX-S1100 seems poised to keep the battle going.

With that in mind, we’ll be comparing these two super popular, value-packed entry-level portable digital pianos that happen to remain among the most interesting match-ups in the class.

Let’s get into it.

 

Casio PX-S1100 vs Roland FP10 - Background

The PX-S1100 arrived fairly recently with the PX-S3100 Privia digital piano so we’ve been putting it through its paces and comparing it to other popular models in the same price range and class. We recently compared it to the Yamaha P-125 which was a very interesting look, so the Roland FP10 is next on our list.

This is also undoubtedly an interesting comparison, especially since the focus of these two instruments is a little bit different. Where the Roland FP10 is very much offered as an inexpensive practice instrument with a great tone and action but stripped-down features, the PX-S1100 is a little bit more versatile, and with discreet line outputs plus battery operation and a super slim cabinet, the S1100 is more equipped to serve as a gigging piano.

This is the general orientation of each of these pianos - the FP10 is very piano-centric, while the S1100 is more versatile and capable of being used as a gigging piano. With that important distinction out of the way, let’s get into the sound.

 

Digital Piano Sound Comparison

An enjoyable sound is so critical to the enjoyment of just about any instrument. If you can't connect with an instrument’s sound, it's going to be tough to connect with the instrument as a whole. When it comes to pianos, a weighted key action is also quite critical, and some would argue it’s actually more critical, but we’ll start here by comparing everything sound related between these two pianos.

When considering the best digital piano tone generators on instruments available for under $1,000 CAD, we’re looking at two of the most sophisticated options in the class here, especially with regard to the acoustic piano sound.

 

Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine

The FP10 is equipped with Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine. While this is a somewhat stripped-down version of the engine and does not possess the new higher-powered BMC chip featured in the FP-X instruments, this is still a very good sound engine with expressive sound.

In fact, even though the FP10 isn’t supposed to have compatibility with Roland's piano designer, at least at the time of this review we’re still able to connect the FP-10 to the Piano Designer and access all sorts of parameters that are lurking under the hood of Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano engine.

With Piano Designer, you’re able to edit things like the lid height, damper resonance, string resonance, hammer noise and more.

Polyphony isn’t crazy, but it’s solid at 96 notes. Considering that the FP-10 is built for solo piano playing, 96 notes is more than enough.

 

Casio’s Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source

The PX-S1100bk is equipped with Casio’s Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source, and this has consistently been a well-reviewed since it first started appearing in Casio models a few years ago.

Via the new Casio Music App for iOS and Android, which replaces the Chordana Play App, you’re also able to edit various sound-related parameters. The S1100 also offers onboard control of Hall Simulators (reverbs) and a Surround Sound feature.

Polyphony is quite robust here at 192 notes meaning the S1100 is powerful enough to get into some serious layering and even arranging.

 

How does the Playing Experience Compare?

The default grand piano sound on the S1100 is very dynamic (much more dynamic than is typical in this class), and you have a lot of variety in terms of the tonal palette, from soft to loud.

The musical experience is also quite nice over on the FP-10, but we are hearing more tonal variety on the S1100. The dynamic range is also very nice on the FP-10, but again, we’d give the nod to the S1100 here overall as well.

To harken back to our first point regarding the importance of a good sound for one’s enjoyment of a given instrument, both pianos get a thumbs up here, whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced player.

 

Onboard Speaker System

One big surprise when getting these two digital pianos side by side was how well the FP-10 speakers actually stack up against the S1100.

The S1100 is using a dual downward-facing system with 16 watts of amplifier power and a pair of tone ports so your ear can get some direct sound.

The FP-10 is also using a downward-facing dual speaker system, but with no tone ports and only 12 watts of power. That being said, in some ways, we think the FP-10 is actually producing more bass response despite its lower-rated power output.

There is definitely a little bit more clarity and detail coming out of the S1100, but in terms of the overall depth of sound, the FP-10 more than holds its own.

 

Other Sounds

In terms of the non-acoustic piano sounds, we have a similar quantity of total presets here 15 on the FP-10 and 18 on the PX-S1100.

All of the basic tones that you'll need in any basic professional setting or even to have some fun with at home are covered, such as electric pianos, organs, strings and synths.

In general, the FP-10’s non-piano sounds are a little bit stronger across the board, especially with regard to the organ sound, but overall the total offerings here are quite similar.

 

Sound Wrap Up

When it comes to the core piano sound, as we often say at Merriam Pianos, it’s going to come down to a matter of personal preference. That said, we are hearing more tonal variety out of the S1100, and a slightly greater dynamic range.

The speaker trade-off is a better bass presence on the FP-10 despite less amplifier power, but slightly better clarity and overall detail on the S1100.

Lastly, while the range of sounds is pretty close on both the FP-10 and S1100, the non-piano tones are slightly better on the FP10.

 

Digital Piano Action Comparison

Roland’s PHA4 Standard Keyboard Action

Given that the FP-10 has been out for several years now, there are people that might be thinking that the FP-10 is yesterday's news and doesn’t currently stack up to some of the newer models from the likes of Casio, Kawai, or even Roland itself with the newer FP-30X.

Here’s the big reason why this would be sorely mistaken and why the FP-10 is still 100% relevant - the presence of the PHA4 action. Roland uses this action in many of their digital pianos right up to about the $2,000 price point, so the fact that it can be had in the FP-10 for significantly less money is huge.

This is a very capable and well-regarded action with triple sensor key detection, escapement and textured key tops- features generally not seen on actions available at this price point. The piano touch sensitivity is also adjustable to accommodate different playing styles.

If action is your top priority, you simply can’t beat the PHA-4 action at this price point, and this alone makes the FP-10 an extremely compelling option for many.

Casio’s Smart Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard

Looking over at the S1100’s Smart Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard, we certainly have some nice things to say about this action as well. The mechanical key action sound is actually a bit quieter on this action compared to the PHA4, and this is probably due to an increased level of key cushioning.

Now, it’s important to note that this is a very compact action, and this was a conscious choice by Casio in order to accommodate the incredibly slim cabinet of the PX-S1100. Basically, this means they had to shorten the pivot length below the norm to fit the action into such a slim case.

This also means that the Smart Scaled action is using a dual sensor, and does not feature any escapement. While there is a nice texture on the keys, all in all, the PHA4 action is undoubtedly a better key action, both on paper and in practice.

That said, we would still put the Smart Scaled action ahead of some others in the class, such as Yamaha’s GHS action (featured in the Yamaha P-45 and P-125) and Korg’s Natural Weighted Hammer Action.

Action Wrap Up

The action question here really comes down to this; if you’re already a fairly advanced player or intend to become one, the PHA4 is going to be a much more suitable choice as it behaves much more like a real acoustic piano action.

The Smart Scaled action is going to be just fine for beginner and intermediate players, but getting into more advanced classical repertoire will be difficult, and the differences between it and an acoustic piano action are more pronounced.

 

Features/Connectivity

There are some important differences between these two instruments when it comes to extended functions and accessory options, to the point that some of these functions could be a huge determining factor as to which action will be a better choice for you.

 

Casio PX-S1100 Features, Connectivity & Accessories

A huge selling feature of the PX-S1100 is the ability for it to run entirely on battery power. As opposed to a cabled power supply, simply plug in 8 AA batteries and you’re off to the races. Combined with its weight coming in at under 25 lbs and the incredible flexibility this instrument is capable of really starts to emerge.

The S1100 is also shipping with the WU-BT10 Bluetooth Adapter which gives the S1100 wireless MIDI connectivity and audio capability, meaning you can use your S1100 as a sound source by streaming audio directly from your smart device.

The connectivity is rounded out with dual headphone jacks, USB Type A and B, plus an audio line in, not to mention the ever-important 1/4” line out which means the S1100 is truly a gig-ready instrument and can also easily connect to an audio interface.

The S1100 ships with a music stand and very basic switch sustain pedal, but we’d recommend upgrading to at least the SP10 damper pedal, but there’s also the option to go with the SP34 3-pedal unit as well, and the CS68 designer keyboard stand.

Standards like a MIDI recorder, audio recorder, metronome, transpose, split and some built-in songs are all covered.

 

Roland FP10 Features, Connectivity & Accessories

The FP-10, like most digital pianos, does not offer a battery-powered option, though it is also quite portable at 27 lbs. If battery power is a factor for you then obviously this is a big consideration.

The connectors are similar with built-in Bluetooth Connectivity covering MIDI (there’s compatibility with Roland’s Piano Partner) but no Bluetooth Audio, USB Type A and B (use this to connect to a DAW) and a single headphone output, but the FP-10 does not have any discreet line output jacks. This makes it tough to sell the FP-10 as a legit gigging option.

The FP-10 also ships with a music rest and basic footswitch pedal that we would recommend upgrading to the Roland DP-10 damper pedal with half-pedalling capability. It however does not offer any triple pedal compatibility, so if that’s a critical feature for you, the FP-10 is out. Roland does however make their nice KSCFP10 designer stand available.

The same standards like a metronome, transpose, split, twin piano mode and some built-in songs are present here.

 

Closing Thoughts

When we take everything in, what we’ve got with the Roland FP10 is a great-sounding and great-feeling digital piano with convenient Bluetooth MIDI. If you're primarily focused on recreating the feeling of a real piano with an instrument with very accurate MIDI output, such as in a studio situation where you need a good MIDI controller, the FP-10 is simply unbeatable for the price given the PHA4 action.

If you're looking for something a little bit more well-rounded and gig ready, or if you’re specifically after something that offers battery operation, the PX-S1100 is probably your better bet.

In any case, we’ve got two great 88-key digital pianos here with differing sets of specs sure to be great options for many piano shoppers.

Thanks for reading!

The post Casio PX-S1100 vs Roland FP10 | Digital Piano Review & Comparison first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Casio PX-160 vs Roland FP-10 | Digital Piano Comparison

Hi and welcome to another piano comparison article. In this piece, we'll be comparing Casio PX-160 vs Roland FP-10. These are two darlings of the entry-level 88-key digital piano space, and certainly two instruments that our customers love.

The PX-160 really elevated the entry price range when it came out and caused other companies to play catch up. Roland's FP-10 was in many ways Roland's direct response to the PX-160.

Yamaha (particularly the Yamaha P45 and Yamaha P-125, huge sellers on Amazon), Kawai, and Korg also had their own musical instrument responses, but we're focusing on this comparison in our piano review today.

Also check out our individual reviews for the Casio PX-S1000 & Roland FP-10 review.

Discontinued Model: The Casio PX-160 has been replaced by the PX-S1000 and the CDP-S350.

Casio PX-160 vs Roland FP-10 - Sound Engine Comparison

Let's start by comparing the sound of these two instruments, and we've really got a good match-up here as far as grand piano sound is concerned.

Casio has in the past been a brand that's somewhat associated with the very entry-level portion of the market, but when the PX-160 digital piano hit the market a few years ago, it redefined what a $600 CAD digital piano should be delivered to the marketplace.

The PX-160bk is using Casio's Multi-Dimensional Morphing AiR Sound Source (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator), which is essentially a sample-based sound engine with some additive synthesis on top to add some of the extra nuances like after-touch, string resonance, and damper resonance, among others.

Overall, the PX-160 is generating a pretty authentic and satisfying concert grand piano tone, particularly when you're listening through headphones. It was the top piano sound for the category in our opinion for a few years easily.

It has 128-note polyphony and an onboard speaker system with a wattage of 8 watts per side.

When we flip over to the FP-10, it's important to remember that we're now looking at a newer instrument that actually arrived in response to the PX-160.

Roland has put their SuperNATURAL piano engine into the FP-10 and that unlocks all sorts of value to piano players who are aware of Roland's technology. It has a slightly lower polyphony of 96, but this only becomes an issue if you're doing a lot of layering. For solo piano playing, 96 notes are still fine and the SuperNATURAL Sound Engine is very nice.

The speakers on the FP-10 are a little weak at 6 watts per side, so the best way to enjoy the FP-10 is with a good quality set of headphones.

At first, listen between the two, they sound pretty close. The more you listen, you start to pick up some differences. The FP-10 in the extremities of the range delivers a slightly more authentic sound and timbre, closer to that of a real piano.

There's a certain clarity to the sound that we're hearing on the FP-10 that starts to get a bit distorted and not quite as well constructed on the PX-160.

Both pianos have a decent selection of other sounds, including some nice electric piano sounds (e.piano), as well as others like synths, harpsichord, and string ensemble.

Overall, we do have to give Roland slightly higher points as far as expressive sound quality is concerned, but this was expected since the FP-10 is the newer instrument.

 

Digital Piano Action Comparison

The action on these two instruments is probably the most impressive thing about each one. Both of these hammer action keyboards have triple sensors, which means that you're getting accurate MIDI output touch sensitivity that goes beyond what most digital keyboard actions were capable of, say 10 years ago when dual sensor actions were the norm.

The fact that you're getting the PHA-4 Standard Keyboard in the FP-10 for this price point is somewhat mind-blowing because the PHA-4 ivory feels key action from Roland is one of the most reliable and well-liked plastic actions out there.

Casio has put the Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II with simulated ebony and ivory keys in the PX-160, and this was definitely the best action available for the price when the PX-160 came out.

So, the match-up between these two actions is pretty subtle. It's hard to say one is objectively better, so we'd recommend trying both out yourself.

That said. one thing we noticed is that the PHA-4 has a less lateral motion on the keys, and thus less mechanical noise. This won't matter for most styles of music, but if you're tackling some more advanced classical rep, the extra motion can be problematic.

The PX-160 isn't marketed as an advanced practice instrument anyway, but it's something worth noting in our side-by-side comparison here.

Both pianos have a moisture-absorbing texture on the keys which is nice, but one other difference is that the PHA-4 keyboard has escapement. Escapement replicates the sensation you get when playing an acoustic grand piano, and it can make playing fast passages for experienced players easier.

That's it for the comparison of these high-quality actions. Let's move on to some features and connector specs.

 

Features & Connectivity

The first feature difference between these two we'll point out is that the PX-160 has two 1/4-inch stereo outputs that are separate from the headphone jacks. This is great if you want to connect to an amplifier or stereo for[ some sound reinforcement, or if you were actually thinking about using the PX-160 as a gigging stage piano instrument.

The FP-10 on the other hand has a single headphone output and not a discreet line out. So, for people who are considering this for some type of a gigging keyboard, having the mini jack as the only output is a bit limiting.

The PX-160 also has an optional triple pedal unit (SP-33) matching keyboard stand (CS-67 Stand). The FP-10 also has the option for a matching stand (KSCFP10 Stand), but it does not have a port for a triple pedal. They both come with a basic sustain pedal, but the PX-160 has the advantage of offering triple pedal flexibility.

We'd highly recommend if you're thinking about the FP-10, go with the DP-10 damper pedal with half-pedaling as an add-on accessory.

Both come with their own built-in music stands, though these music rests are probably only going to be able to handle a pretty light book.

One feature that favors the FP-10 is the Bluetooth MIDI connection allowing for wireless connection to apps, like Roland's Piano Partner 2 for iOS and Android.

The PX-160 requires a wired connection via USB connectivity as it has no Bluetooth connectivity. The PX-160 has a 2-Track recorder with Playback while the FP-10 has no on-board recorder. Both pianos have a Metronome, Duet Mode, and Twin Piano Mode with Transpose (shifts the pitch in semitones.)

 

Closing Thoughts

To sum everything up here, it's not exactly an apple-to-apple match-up that we're dealing with after all. The actions are both great, though the PHA-4 has an advantage on paper with the escapement and an advantage in practice with less lateral movement. Both would be great MIDI controllers with a DAW though.

The acoustic piano sound for the most part is quite comparable, though we do hear more detail and authenticity on the FP-10 side.

The PX-160 has a lot of practical pluses in other areas though. The addition of the triple pedal, the 1/4-inch outputs, and a better visual layout are all check marks.

So, there are some differences here that make it a little bit hard to tally up exactly which one is going to come out on top as a better option for pianists. In the end, it really is going to depend largely on your use case.

Thanks for reading and click here to shop for more digital pianos.

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Yamaha P45 vs Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Review, Comparison, & Demo

 

 Welcome to another piano comparison at Merriam Music. Today, we are comparing the Yamaha P45 vs Roland FP-10, two absolute titans of the entry-level market, both with tons of fans and lots of potential shoppers all around the world.

This comparison has been requested many times by our readers and viewers so we're happy to cover it here, and in the accompanying video. In a part of the market that also has compelling options from Casio (Privia and CDP series) and Korg, the P45 and Roland FP-10 still manage to be among the best sellers, the P45, particularly on Amazon.

We'll be comparing the actions, sound engines, and main features to see exactly how these two oft-compared pianos stack up to one another.

 

Opening Thoughts

These two pianos are very similar in some respects, the most obvious being price. These are both priced in the United States for under $500, and in Canada, both are available for under $750. Visibly, they appear to be very similar in terms of their size and stature.

At a quick glance, you might think to yourself, "Well, the Yamaha P45 and the Roland FP-10 are essentially equal offerings from two different companies, and, I've always gone Yamaha before, so I'm not really missing anything by not taking a serious look at the Roland,"  This is where you would be very wrong.

Hiding under the hood of these two instruments are some remarkably different specs that ultimately result in divergent musical experiences. Let's start by checking out the sound engines.

Piano Sounds: Yamaha P-45

The piano sound consists of some different aspects when we're in the digital piano realm. The first factor is of course the computer that functions as the tone generator. The second aspect is the onboard speakers. We'll start by checking out the sound on the Yamaha P45 88-key digital piano first. Right away it's clear, even in spite of its affordable price tag, that it's a pretty responsive piano.

P-45 Advanced Wave Memory (AWM)

The P-45 features the Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) stereo sampling sound engine here. The grand piano sound is certainly on the brighter side, but that's fairly expected since apes the timbre of their real pianos. Yamaha tends to have a brighter, clear sound on both their acoustic pianos as well as digital pianos.

 

Speaker System

The speakers on this are 6 watts apiece, so it's a total of 12 watts of power. For an instrument of this price and size, that's plenty. In fact, it's hard to build an instrument that's this light with much if any more power.

The speakers on the P45 are on the bottom of the instrument, so they are downward-facing. The sound quality is good, but you do get a better playing experience when playing with headphones.

 

64-notes Polyphony

We're getting 64-note polyphony here on the P45 which is definitely quite dated considering what most other options in the price point are offering.

In terms of other instrument sounds, the P-45 has 10 on board. Accessing them is really easy with a very user-friendly interface. There are a couple of nice electric pianos, organs, strings, harpsichord, and vibraphone. The pipe organ is particularly nice.

 

Piano Sounds: Roland FP-10

Let's now move over to the FP-10. If you're a Yamaha person and have never thought of a need to look outside of the Yamaha lane for a product, this particular matchup should give you some pause. We try and be as objective as possible in these reviews, but to be honest, the FP-10 blows the P-45 away in virtually every respect.

96-notes Polyphony

The FP10 has a polyphony of 96 versus 64. This 32-note difference gives the Rolan d a bit of an edge, especially if you're going to be doing some layering, but it's also indicative of a more complex tone generator. 

The FP10 has a polyphony of 96 versus 64. This 32-note difference gives the Roland a bit of an edge, especially if you're going to be doing some layering, but it's also indicative of a more complex tone generator.

 

Super Natural Piano Sound Engines

The FP-10 is using Roland's SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine, and it's actually incorporating and allowing you to access and tweak all kinds of synthesis parameters such as damper resonance, string resonance, and others. The SuperNATURAL sound engine is available in different levels throughout the Roland lineup, but even this more basic version has a lot going on.

Objectively, you can argue that there's just more technology going on here behind the piano tone itself. But then we get into the number of tones, and instead of 10, as long as you're using the piano partner app wirelessly, you're given access to more than 30 on the FP-10, including some really nice synths. The quality is definitely higher across these other tones as well. 

 

Speakers

In terms of onboard speakers, you're not getting much of an improvement. They're literally the same with 12 watts of power on both. Still, it's pretty hard not to come away feeling that the FP-10 is delivering a much more realistic piano tone, that also happens to offer more polyphony and more sounds.

 

Piano Action: Graded Hammer Standard vs PHA-4

Now let's talk about action because if you are a parent enrolling your child in piano lessons, the action is probably going to be the most important thing to get right to ensure that the new student is building good habits right away.

Fortunately, we're dealing with two weighted action digital pianos here with full-size graded hammer actions, which is crucially important if you actually intend to learn piano.

Yamaha's Graded Hammer Standard (GHS)

The action on the P-45 is Yamaha's Graded Hammer Standard or GHS for short. This is an action that Yamaha has been using on their instruments for quite some time. There are things that are likable about it, and others that are undoubtedly drawbacks at this point in time.

The GHS action has polished white keytops, so that gives it a good grip in some situations, but it also makes it a little less comfortable to play in more humid situations. Fortunately, there's a matte finish on the black key which feels nice.

It's missing escapement, but for somebody who has never played piano before, this will be a non-factor. But if you are using this as a practice instrument and going back and forth between it and an acoustic, it would be a little more helpful to have both instruments with escapement for familiarity.

The other thing about the action which is a bit of a knock against it is the presence double sensor. If you had any intention of using this as a MIDI controller, and you were wanting to trigger some really high-quality samples on a DAW, the double sensor does not really deliver a particularly accurate MIDI output for professional use. For beginners, it shouldn't really matter, but of course, it will be less sensitive than a triple sensor action.

Some positives are the weighting which feels good, as is the repetition speed. They also use this action in the Yamaha P125.

 

Roland's PHA-4 Standard Keyboard Action

Over to the FP-10. If there's one thing that set's the FP-10 apart from everything else in the class, it would be the action. The PHA-4 Standard Keyboard Action that the FP-10 has is the same action that Roland puts on their RP-501, F-140, FP-60, and FP-30, which in the case of the RP-501, is an instrument that's 3x the price of the FP-10.

That's an incredible value that you're receiving on the FP-10 for this price because it's not some stripped-down version of the PHA-4. You are getting a triple sensor for better touch sensitivity, escapement and nice ivory feel on the keys.

On paper and in practice, despite both being weighted key actions, the PHA-4 simply outguns the GHS action as a borderline high-end action available at an entry-level price.

 

Yamaha P45 vs Roland FP-10 | Features & Connectivity

There's quite a bit of overlap between these two when it comes to features and optional accessories.

They both come with an included music rest, footswitch style sustains pedals, and power adapters for the power supply.

Both are available with a matching keyboard stand for an additional cost, though neither one has an option for a 3 pedal unit.

 

Bluetooth MIDI vs USB to host port

Now, a big difference between the two is that the FP-10 has built-in Bluetooth MIDI connectivity. The Yamaha P45 does have a USB to host port, so you can hook this up to a computer and output MIDI to it, but it's really nice being able to do things wirelessly.

 

Headphone Jacks

Neither one of these instruments has official audio line-outs. They both are equipped with headphone jacks though,  so you can use the headphone output to connect to an amplifier.

Both pianos have all the basics covered like a metronome, dual mode, duo mode, and transpose. 

Closing Thoughts

Here are some closing thoughts and general takeaways on the comparison here. First of all, you may just have a subjective preference between the tone P-45 or the tone of the FP-10. There's nothing invalid about that.

But beyond that, the FP-10 really does pack an objectively superior piano sound, both in terms of specs and how it works in practice, and the same can be said about the piano action. The Bluetooth Connectivity for connecting to Apple and Android devices might be a big deal too.

That said, the P-45 is a tried and true instrument, and the fact that it's almost impossible to find in stock really says something.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the accompanying video to hear these 2 in action! Visit Merriam Music for more piano reviews and article

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Roland FP-30 vs Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Comparison

 

 Today we’ll be comparing the specs and performance of two entry-level models of the Roland FP lineup as we see how the FP-10 and FP-30 compare.

We’ll cover all of the critical differences between these two pianos that really do much of the heavy lifting for Roland’s digital piano lineup considering how affordable they both are so that hopefully if you’re looking within this general category for your next instrument, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision.

With that in mind, we’ll jump in to see exactly how the piano actions of these two pianos measure up to one another.

Discontinued Model: The Roland FP-30 Digital Piano has been replaced by the FP-30X, please see our YouTube review here.

 

Piano Action: Roland FP-30 vs Roland FP-10

This will actually be the easiest and most straightforward part of our comparison because the action utilized in both pianos is literally exactly the same.

PHA-4 Standard Keyboard Action with Escapement

Roland puts the PHA-4 Standard Keyboard action with escapement and ivory touch into both the FP-10 and the FP-30, and there’s really no difference between them.

The PHA-4 hammer action is equipped with a triple sensor, although some of the marketing literature doesn’t necessarily make that very clear. This means both pianos will have exactly the same MIDI accuracy and touch sensitivity, so the real differences are going to come down to sound-related aspects and some of the features.

Interestingly, you’ll also find the PHA-4 action in the next model up in the FP series – the FP-60. Roland also uses it in the F-140R, the RP501R, and the RP-102.

Basically, it’s the go-to Roland action for their beginner and mid-range lineup. This means you would need to spend almost three times as much money as the FP-10 before you got any sort of meaningful improvement in the action.

For people out there who are focused on a good-feeling practice instrument or something that’s going to deliver the best touch in as portable and as inexpensive a package as possible, it’s really hard to dispute that either instrument, but especially the FP-10 as delivering fantastic value.

We’ve got a lot of experience with this action over at Merriam Music, and it’s an action that we’re very fond of it.

It’s not at all a clunky action so there isn’t an overabundance of mechanical noise or anything like that, it hits the key bed a little bit harder than say a comparable Casio, Kawai, Korg, or Yamaha action.

 

Key Texture

We really like some type of texture on the keys when it comes to digital piano actions as it adds some extra grip, which is especially helpful in more humid playing environments. The ivory feel here actually winds up absorbing a little bit of that extra moisture that sometimes gets generated.

The escapement, feature or some people call this let-off, is a simulation of the feeling you get on a real acoustic piano when the hammer comes off the knuckle. When you’re playing in the softer dynamic ranges such as pianissimo, the escapement is a nice feature to have. It actually adds a lot of authenticity to the experience.

There’s no question we’ve got a great-feeling action here that we would say is well suited for contemporary repertoire, and it works really well for jazz. For somebody just starting out in the classical world, we think you’d have no issues working up to medium difficulty repertoire with this action until you might want to consider an upgrade to an acoustic piano or high-end digital piano.

 

Piano Sound: Roland FP-30 vs Roland FP-10

Now we’ll be able to get into some real differences between the FP-10 and the FP-30. Let’s start with the speakers.

 

22-watts vs 12-watts Speakers

The FP-30 has 22 watts of speaker power while the FP-10 has 12. Given the FP-10’s size and price, those 12 watts actually give quite a bit of horsepower – certainly more than what any of us were expecting the first time we sat down at one.

There’s actually a fairly decent amount of body and depth to the sound, along with some adjustable reverb settings. It’s probably only going to be sufficient for situations where you’re really playing by yourself or maybe playing along with one other person as it’s not enough sound to fill up a medium room nor would it be enough for a performance situation.

Ideally, you might want to get the amplifier setup going or invest in a solid set of headphones to take advantage of the SuperNATURAL sound engine that the FP-10 is equipped with.

 

FP-30's SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine

The FP-30 is also equipped with the SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine, but there is a slight difference in the chipset between the FP-10 and the FP-30.

 

96 vs 128 Polyphony

The FP-10 has 96-notes of polyphony, whereas the FP-30 has 128. What does that actually mean for someone playing both pianos? For starters, you will hear a slight difference in the richness or complexity of the tone. The FP-30 sounds a little bit thicker, and you can especially hear that difference once you compare the treble ranges.

Unless you’ve got them side by side comparing the default grand piano tone though it’s going to be pretty hard for an average listener to tell the difference between these two in terms of the piano sound that it produces aside from the extra volume the FP-30 has at its disposal.

 

Onboard Sounds

When it comes to the sheer quantity of the different types of sound presets that each instrument has on board, there are about three times the number of tones on the FP-30 than on the FP-10. There are a few more acoustic pianos, electric pianos, and definitely more in the generic “other” category which is going to include things like strings, pads, vibes, synths, etc.

 

Features & Connectivity

Bluetooth MIDI

When it comes to features and connectors, both pianos are equipped with Bluetooth MIDI. Roland makes a few of their own music apps which both pianos are compatible with, and while they work with both Apple iOS and Android devices, things seem to run a little bit smoother with Apple devices. Bluetooth wireless technology isn’t a given in the price range, so kudos to Roland here.

Roland’s Piano Partner 2 and Piano Designer are compatible with both pianos, but you’re given more parameters to work within Piano Designer on the FP-30.

There are of course other great apps out there such as Garageband as well.

 

Standard Functions

Standard functions like a metronome and twin piano mode are covered on both instruments, but while the FP-30 also has Split, the FP-10 does not.

In terms of other features, the FP-30 has a recorder function and the ability to playback USB audio (SMF, WAV) through the USB flash drive on the back while the FP-10 doesn’t have either one of those functions.

 

Headphone Jacks Differences

Another difference – we’ve got two headphone jacks, a 1/4-inch, and 3.5-mil on the FP-30 to choose from while the FP-10 has a single 3.5 mil headphone output.

Neither instrument has a line out to connect to an amp, so you’ll need to use the headphone port if you plan on doing that.

 

Pedal Systems

Another important difference has to do with the pedals, and this is probably going to be one of the biggest deals for people with piano experience or who plan on taking piano lessons. The FP-10 does not have a port for the three-pedal unit option, whereas the FP-30 does.

While you need the KSC-70 designer keyboard stand for the KPD-70 triple pedalboard to function, just having that as an option will be a huge deal for some people.

At the very least with the FP-10, you’re going to want to upgrade yourself to the DP-10 Roland sustain pedal since it only includes a basic switch pedal in the box. A proper damper pedal makes all of the difference.

Both instruments come with a music rest for your sheet music as well as a power adapter.

 

Closing Thoughts

So, we’ve covered all of the key areas where these instruments are similar and where they depart from one another. The one that’s probably going to be the biggest sticking point for a lot of folks is the fact that the FP-10 doesn’t have the triple pedal option.

Both instruments are extremely good value, and for folks that just need as good action in as affordable and compact a package as possible, the Roland FP-10 will really stand out here.

If some extra sounds, more speaker power, a few extra features, and that triple pedal option are important, the FP-30 is well worth the extra few hundred dollars.

If there’s one area we’d like to see improved in the future, it would be to have each instrument have a dedicated line output as a traditional stage piano or synthesizer does.

Thanks for reading! Visit Merriam Music for more piano reviews and Articles. Also, visit our Youtube Channel for more in-depth piano covers.

The post Roland FP-30 vs Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Comparison first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Roland FP-60 vs FP-90 Digital Piano Comparison, Review & Demo - Piano Partner 2, Bluetooth Connectivity

Introduction

Roland's FP series has always been a trend-setting series of pianos. For portable, all-in-one units, the FP's have consistently delivered the best actions, durable constructions, and reliable sound production for an affordable price tag. The FP series are used world-wide as both professional stage pianos and home use instruments. The FP-60 and FP-90 are the top to models in the lineup as of 2019, and the comparisons between them are frequent and sometimes less than conclusive. Stu Harrison and Merriam Pianos sit down to discuss the similarities and differences between these wonderful portable pianos.

Roland FP-60-BK vs Roland FP-90 Digital Piano Comparison - Video Transcription

Hi, everybody. And welcome back to Merriam Pianos. My name is Stu Harrison. And in this video, we're gonna be comparing the Roland FP-90 digital piano - the flagship piano of the line - and the Roland FP-60 digital piano, both all-in-one 88 weighted notes digitals. We're gonna be covering the sound quality and tone, the piano's speaker systems, the piano action, both the critical features and, of course, what the main competitors are. I love both of these instruments, and have used both in professional settings. Somethings on stage as a part of a band, sometimes without ANY sound reinforcement whatsoever in smaller venues like the 120 Diner. It legit has enough power to do so. By the end of the video/article, hopefully, you're going to love them as well. So, let's get started.

Comparing Piano Tones and Engines

All right, so let's get into the sound. We've got the Roland FP-90 in white, we've got the Roland FP-60 in black. We're gonna talk about how the piano sound compares, we're gonna talk about how the e-piano, the electric piano stuff, compares as well as some of the other ones. And also, because these two have onboard speaker systems onboard, we're also gonna make some comments about how the onboard tone production comes off, rather than sending through an amp or listening to it on headphones.

Let's get into the piano sound. The big difference between the FP-60 and the FP-90 is in fact it's piano engine. On the FP-90, it's using full modeling, which means you've got unlimited polyphony and the piano tone is being generated in real time with a computer algorithm which sounds very fancy because, quite frankly, it is. Up until a few years ago, this was not technology that you could even put on something that was lightweight and relatively inexpensive like this because the computing power wasn't available. You have to have something fast enough to essentially run a short, you know, lines of code that will tell the computer how to generate the sound based on how you've played the note and whether there are other notes that are also playing at the same time. It's a fairly complex thing.

So, on the FP-90, as was at first with the V-piano, you've got modeling technology; you've got computer-generated real-time tone. Now, that is only for the acoustic grand piano sound, all the other ones are still sample-based. On the FP-60 digital piano, which uses the latest SuperNATURAL piano sound engine, (Roland's flagship sound engine), that is a more conventional sampling engine that obviously applies some modeling and some synthesis on top of that. So, the difference in sound creation process between the two is probably the biggest difference in terms of, you know, comparing patches. And so, I'm just gonna play a couple of quick chords on each back and forth, and low, mid, high range. So, hopefully, you can start to hear some of the differences in how it's processing the overtones, how it's processing the sustain. The more you listen, the more you can actually hear a difference. That's not to say that you're necessarily gonna prefer this, but it does expose itself as a difference.

So, there's a quick sample where you're hearing both...or all three, low, mid, and high. One other thing that I was trying out just to see if I could really start to pick up on a difference in how its processing the piano sound, is I was playing intervals back and forth at exactly the same time. And on some of them, you actually start to hear a bit of a chorus effect which tells me that the harmonics that this is producing are totally different than the harmonics that that is producing. Otherwise, you wouldn't have any kind of a phase going on that was that obvious, which is kind of cool. I mean, for people who are super piano nerds like myself, that's kind of cool. Some of them are completely perfect, and then some of them, you start to hear just a bit of a phase. There's one for sure. You can hear one there too. So, just these little clues that it's a completely different set of...circuitry's different set of algorithms and programming that are generating that piano sound.

Moving on to the electric piano sound, this is where the differences are going to start to diminish a little bit because to my ear, pretty much, you've got an identical set of samples on both of these instruments. The wav forms are virtually identical. And the organ and synth sounds as well, you're gonna notice a complete parallel sound bank on both.

And then the rest of the general midi bank and a large range of additional sounds specifically from Roland are the same between the two pianos. So, one is left wondering whether the only meaningful technical difference between these two is in fact the acoustic piano engine and the speaker system (there is the mic difference of course, but that may only be meaningful to a small number of users)
On paper, the sound system should be a big, big difference in terms of the sound you're getting out in person, if you're not using any sort of an amplifier. And both have tweeters that face towards the player, so all of the lovely detailed piano sounds reach your ear. And at first, I was a tad surprised and even disappointed in the FP-90 because when I set the volumes to exactly the same on these two, the FP-60 actually seemed to produce more sound. And in some context, I actually preferred the clarity, even though it was a little bit trebly, the clarity out of what was coming out of the FP-60. I'm going, "What the heck is going on with the FP-90?"

Well, here is a little trick that I realized that you, kind of, need to use to get the full power of the FP-90 because, remember, you're talking about an amplifier power that's like twice as much as what's in the FP-60. So, we should be getting more powerful sound. For whatever reason, the FP-90's equalizer has a substantially bigger effect over the dynamic range than what the FP-60 seems to. So, if I've got the EQ set at 50% over here and I pump up the volume, and I do the same thing over here, the FP-60 is actually producing more sound to the player than the FP-90 is. However, you move the EQs up on the FP-90, and all of a sudden, it's like you've flicked on the hyperdrive and that's where all of the extra wattage comes out. And then there's no comparison, the FP-90 does not distort at full volume, full EQ, and like it's this big, rich base that you're getting. Whereas if you do the same thing on the FP-60, the speakers start to break up, it's almost unplayable at max volume with max volume EQ. That's where the other big difference comes out.

So, in terms of tone, you've got the acoustic piano engine difference and you've got the speaker difference. But to get the full power of the speaker, remember you need to be able to push the EQs up pretty well all the way, and that's where you're gonna take advantage of the near, I think it's about 60 watts that the FP-90 has onboard versus under 30 on the FP-60. Generally speaking though, both give you with a wide dynamic range to play with.

Okay. So, that finishes off sound, now let's move on to the action. But before we do, here's a quick summary of the differences between the FP-60 and the FP-90

Comparing the PHA-50 to the PHA-4 Actions

Talking about the action, these two instruments are completely different beasts. They both have ivory feel and a triple sensor, and they don't feel like 1000% different from one another, but it's different enough that if you've got the budget for both and you're tossing back and forth between the two, you do not wanna make a decision if you can until you've played both; you might have a strong preference for either. The difference on the FP-60 is you have the PHA-4 action, (which stands for Progressive Hammer Action with Escapement - 4th generation) which is the same action as you're gonna find in a lot of the other Roland product like the F-140, the FP-30, the FP-10. This is an action that Roland has been refining and developing, and has enjoyed a lot of success in the industry for, I think, close to 10 years.

The FP-90 digital piano on the other hand is using the PHA-50, which is a fairly new design for Roland, and could be argued is their best attempt to date to deliver an authentic grand piano touch in a portable unit. This is an action that you're gonna find on their DP-603, the FP-90, the RD-2000 is using this action as well. And it uses a wood core in the key, as well as the escapement, and it's using a triple sensor. So, the sensitivity is very different and quite frankly, the sense of weight and the bottom of the key bed even feels a little bit different between these two instruments.

In terms of my own preferences, I actually find places and times where I prefer one over the other and vice versa. The FP-60 is a super easy action to play, you don't have to think about it that much. It's definitely less sensitive than the FP-90. But if you're on a gig, for example, where you're backing up, you know, you've got three or four other people on the stage and sensitivity is not necessarily what you're worried about, you just want an action to be able to punch on when you need to and be sensitive enough, I find the FP-60, for whatever reason, to be a really fun instrument. It reminds me a lot of the FP-50 digital piano, which if I'm not mistaken had the same action. And I've played the FP-50 tons, you know, in professional settings. So, this seems very familiar, and I like that it's got such an upfront, bright and rich sound that cuts through, you know, really easily, and I find that the sound is very well matched to the action.

On the FP-90, if I was doing any sort of solo piano work or if I was doing...definitely, if I was doing any classical, this is a 100% the route that I would wanna go because this is giving me all the nuance that I find very, very difficult to pull out of something with the PHA-4 keyboard action. The triple sensor combined with that wood weight in there, just makes this respond so much closer to an acoustic grand piano, if that's what you're used to. If that's your comfort zone, you're gonna really appreciate that and enjoy that. And when you push this action, when you really start to hammer on this action, this, sort of, maxes out much later in the game than this. I feel like on the FP-60, if I'm giving this like 50% or 60% of, sort of, my maximum force, I'm already getting, like, the full response out of the sensor on this.

There are some similarities on the action: They both have escapement, they both have exactly the same texture on the top of their keys, which I like in both cases - it's a great feel . But again, just to wrap up, really the big difference here in action, PHA-4 and the PHA-50. Wood core, triple censor, all kinds of range in color, great for solo. This one is a nice, punchy keyboard that's easy to play, nice for giving action. In my opinion, really, really great for any kind of pop, contemporary or even professional use when you're backing somebody up.

So, let's move on to features and functionality. Before we do, we're just gonna splash those specs up on the screen so you can see them one more time.

Features: Similarities and differences

The Roland FP-90 and the FP-60 are very similar in terms of the features that it offers you or me, the players, the end users. They have virtually the same user interface, that gives you easy access to the ambience (reverb) settings, the volume sliders which are easy and satisfying to use, the tone banks are also the same, and both come with built-in music stands and available matching keyboard stands. They're also both available in black finishes or white finishes, and both also come with a DP-10 Damper Pedal out of the box.

There are a couple of exceptions that we wanna cover just so that everybody understands what the differences are. The main difference between the FP-90 and FP-60 in terms of functionality is actually the microphone. The Roland FP-90 has a mic input. It's not an XLR, it is quarter-inch, but you could still adapt pretty much any dynamic mic and put a quarter-inch into there (no Phantom power, so condensers are out).

The point is, this is going to allow you to use a mic during a live performance or overtop of a pre-recorded performance, and the microphone function on here allows you to add vocal effects such as doubling, add compression, and echo effect. It's actually really engaging and fun, particularly if you're a singer-songwriter or somebody even just who wants to maybe improve your singing voice, and piano is where you've always been or vice versa. We know a lot of singers who are working on their piano chops and want an instrument that's gonna be able to support the repertoire and the genres they enjoy doing. FP-90 is really well suited for that. There is no microphone available on the FP-60. I mean, of course, you could always set up an amp, plug an amp, you know, a microphone in and do all of that. It's a little less convenient and you'd have to have some sort of effects processing going on, either through your phone, iPad or maybe a computer to replicate what the Roland FP-90 is doing.

Features: Bluetooth

hey both have Bluetooth midi support, which is becoming a really popular feature within the digital piano world. The Bluetooth technology on both of these allow you to connect music apps, such as Roland's Piano Partner 2 or Garageband with your smartphone to enhance your playing and practice sessions. The Piano Partner 2 is their main companion app that allows for direct interface between the instrument, access the rhythm accompaniments. The Piano Designer app also functions through the Bluetooth connection, They also allow for their piano technician app, which kind of lets you edit the piano sound. Obviously, way more functionality on the FP-90 because you're accessing that modeling, sort of, the V-piano modeling sound engine in there, whereas this is just the SuperNATURAL sound engine. So, a few more parameters to play around with on that. But by-and-large, kind of, offering up very, very, very similar things.

Features: Ports

In terms of the connectivity, they both have discrete audio outs, which is a huge plus. You don't have to send the audio out through a headphone jack. And they both have independent switches for their onboard speaker systems, which is even more awesome. (I don't know why more keyboards do not offer this, but I really like the fact that they do).

If you've got this plugged into an amp, you have the option of using the onboard speakers or not using the onboard speakers because there's gonna be situations where one or the other are, you know, appropriate. So, having the switch is great.

You've got USB memory connections out to computer or other device. You've got the ability to plug in USB keys as well. And you've got the auxiliary audio jack so that if you have a cable, you wanna listen to iPhone, iPad, Android, whatever, digital device of music on it, you can wire it in.

One thing that I do wanna clarify, because this has come up with a couple of customers and I don't see it talked about a lot, it's kind of glossed over, is the fact I've had people who have bought wireless headphones to use with, you know, Roland devices, use with Kawai devices because they see Bluetooth and they assume that means that they can use this to listen to what they're doing with a wireless headphone. That is not offered, this is not something that you can do with this, so do not buy yourself wireless headphones to use with the FP-90, FP-60, any Roland product, any Kawai product. The reason that most of those companies have not released or don't support that is the Bluetooth protocol, generally speaking, has a bit of a lag time that other Bluetooth connections, sort of, accommodate for, but when you are playing a key in real time, there's no way to accommodate for that lag. So, if you did have the Bluetooth connection, you'd be playing it and then a split second later, you'd be hearing it, you'd be kind of caught in this crazy delay. It's almost unplayable. So, at this point, it's not something that digital piano companies are putting out there, and don't buy it. It's a wired headphones only. Although, you can use the Bluetooth to transmit audio to the speakers. So, if you wanna do that, you don't have to use the wire.

Features: Stands and Pedals

One last thing, both instruments also come with an available stand (the optional KSC-90 stand for the FP-90, and & optional KSC-72 stand for the FP-60) in both black and white. However, the triple pedal board on the Roland FP-90 is not something that comes on the FP-60. If you want the triple pedal on the FP-60, it's the standalone RPU-3 triple pedal unit, or the KPD-90 for use with the stand. Whereas the FP-90 has that beautifully integrated triple pedal system (KPD-90 pedal) that looks more like a piano. So, let's sum up those features and we'll move on to the end of our comparison review.

Market Comparisons

So, what does the Roland FP-90 and the FP-60 compare best to out in the market? Well, they're both fairly new and the other companies, mostly Yamaha and Kawai, are still kind of playing catch-up. The new FP release really was, kind of, leading the industry about a year ago. The Roland FP-60 and the FP-90 are gonna compare well with the ES8 from Kawai, which kind of sits about halfway between the two of them. It's also gonna compare well to the Yamaha P255 or the Yamaha P515. Again, sort of, sitting in between the two of them and very, very similarly priced. So, if you're the kind of customer who likes to literally look at every single option in the market before making a decision, those would be the ones that you'd wanna check out. However, if you're already familiar with Roland, you've liked what they've done in the past, I can promise you you're not gonna be disappointed with these products. They are really, really super solid and pretty well suited for a wide variety of musical scenarios, from intimate venues to full-on gigging duty.

Like I said, the FP-60 is, in my opinion, a great practice instrument for somebody who is involved more in contemporary music, whether it's pop or jazz or R&B, and also needs something lightweight that could possibly be used for gigging and they need something, you know, decent from an action standpoint. And the speaker just needs to be loud, doesn't necessarily need to have a whole lot of bass. It's just so perfect and an incredible value for what you're getting for the money. On the other hand, the FP-90, for some really serious, more classical players or just players who generally are mostly used to playing on acoustics, this PHA-50 action is a real treat. And of course, as long as you remember to jack up the EQ sliders at the same time as the volume, you're gonna get major, major torque out of these speakers, an amplifier that definitely outpowers the FP-60. And then, of course, the microphone volume is a nice plus. Or the microphone slider, I should say, and the option to be able to plug in a mic is a nice plus. And finally, the difference in the piano engine. We've got full modeling and, of course, we've got Roland's SuperNATURAL piano modeling technology.

So, thank you very much for watching our comparison video between the Roland FP-90 vs FP-60 portable digital pianos. Hope you've enjoyed it. If you have not subscribed yet, please do. We'd love to see you back for more videos. In the meantime, happy shopping, and thanks for watching.

The post Roland FP-60 vs FP-90 Digital Piano Comparison, Review & Demo - Piano Partner 2, Bluetooth Connectivity first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Review & Demo - SuperNATURAL Piano, Bluetooth Audio, PHA-4 Action

Introduction

Roland's FP-10 Digital Piano has quickly become the dominant entry-level digital piano in the market today, providing a stellar action (PHA-4 standard keyboard), class-leading piano tone from the Supernatural Piano Engine, light-weight portability, bluetooth midi, and an available keyboard stand (KSCFP10). The FP-10 picks up on where Yamaha's P45 and Casio's PX-160 left off, bringing a level of realism that even an experienced player would be satisfied with in casual or professional settings - something rarely said about affordable digital pianos.

Stu Harrison from Merriam Pianos takes us through the FP-10 in depth in this video and accompanying article - we hope it helps your research, and perhaps the FP10 winds up being the perfect piano for you!

Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Review Video Transcription

Welcome to another piano review here at Merriam Pianos! Today, we have got the FP-10 digital piano from Roland. We're going to be listening to this 88-key digital piano and putting it through its paces. In short, this is a complete beast for its price point. We're gonna be looking at the action. we're gonna be looking at its sound engine. We're gonna be looking at how it integrates with all of Roland's cool apps, which really extend the functionality of this instrument. And of course, we're gonna be putting this into context with where it sits with the rest of Roland's FP line.

Looking at this instrument, it is a lightweight, compact instrument that really is essentially the Roland 88-note PHA-4 standard keyboard action with a tiny, little compartment built around it. When I look at this instrument and when I sit down and really think about what it delivers the end user, essentially, this is an instrument that if the only thing that you really have as a priority is a good solid piano sound and the action, and you're not looking for a ton of other onboard features, you don't really care about how powerful the onboard speakers need to be, the FP-10 is a complete slam-dunk because the action that you're getting in the FP-10 is exactly the same action as you're getting in the Roland FP-30 and the FP-60 digital piano, which means you'd have to spend more than four times the budget of the FP-10 before you get any improvement in the action. That's just mind-blowing. The PHA-4 action that we are playing here today on the FP-10 is actually Roland's top action from probably five or six years ago. So, you think about how much you had to spend back then to get what you can now have, at least in Canadian dollars, for just $699. It's crazy.

I remember the day Roland came in, our Roland digital piano rep in the area, his name's David, he came and he said, "Stu, I've got something for you to try." I had no idea what it was that he was about to show me. He pulled me over, he had loaded an FP-10 into the showroom, sat me down in front of it, asked me to play it. He didn't show me the model number. I honestly thought that it was some kind of an update to the Roland FP-30, it was that good. And then he told me, "No, brand new model coming in. It's underneath that price point," and then he told me the price. I think we ordered something like 15 on the spot just based on that one demo. It was just crazy good how much you get for the price.

Keyboard Action

Anyway, so back to the action. So, we've got the PHA-4 standard keyboard action, which is Roland's mainstay 88-key hammer action. The PHA-4 keyboard includes escapement, that's also coming with a nice ivory feel on the white keys, as well as an ebony feel on the black keys - the natural texture adds a familiarity which feels good, and contributes to the action having a true 'piano look'. It's also built with a graded hammer action (the bass notes have a heavier hammer-weight than than in the the treble range). So, the textures help a little bit with grip, whether it's a dry or a humid environment that you're in. Even for somebody with a few years of experience, whether that be in front of an upright piano or grand piano, if the action is really the priority here, this isn't gonna disappoint - the authentic feel is convincing.

The PHA-4 is definitely one of the more quiet keyboard actions that you can access at this price...in fact the comparison with the Casio PX-160 is pretty notable in this regard. It's got a nice fast key repetition making it an ideal instrument for personal use across a wide range of genres.
The action also has a triple-sensor, which is considered a high-resolution sensing action, which makes it sufficiently accurate for professional applications requiring midi connectivity or integrating into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or soft-synth environment, but it also increases the overall touch sensitivity with the end result being a greater range of expressive sound.

Sound Engine

Moving on to the sound engine, the features, and the port's that you get. The chipset is of course Roland's renowned supernatural piano sound engine This is where you start to understand why the instrument is obviously a little bit on the leaner side. The total wattage for the speakers on this thing is only 12 watts. So, even when it's completely cranked up, this is not going to give you a whole ton of bass and it's not gonna fill up more than about a small room, but will definitely still work as a personal practice instrument. So, you need to be able to, you know, possibly plug this into an amplifier or stereo if you want to get a nice full rich sound without having to use headphones. The polyphony is slightly lower than typical for a 2019 instrument, but still adequate for personal playing - at 96.

There's also an ambience function which essentially replaces a "reverb" setting which can be a fun setting to play around with since it can simulate larger spaces such as a stage...or leave it completely off to sound like it's in your living room.

Connectivity & Features

Brings me to the second point about the various ports that you get on the back of this. It's far less than on other Roland models, but isn't without options. You've got the port for the pedal, which is a quarter-inch jack, and then the only audio out that you get from this is actually like a 3.5-mill jack for what usually would be headphones. It also has the MIDI/USB port to a computer, and a USB to device port for updating the instrument (Type A and Type B connections), but can't be used for audio playback. And so, if you're looking for something with a lot of different discreet outs or an audio output that's separate from a headphone output, unfortunately, this isn't gonna give it to you. But again, please remember the price point, this is $699 or, you know, in US dollars even less. So, we're still getting a lot for the money.

One minor complaint of the instrument is that they don't include the standard Roland DP-10 damper pedal, which allows you to get half-pedaling technology that the rest of the FP series shares. Instead, they include a footswitch which is lightweight, easy to kick around, and doesn't give a particularly authentic feel...however I do appreciate that Roland is meeting a price point and that gets tough when we're under $1000 to be including things like the DP-10 pedal. I would highly suggest is for more experienced players upgrade to the DP10 sustain pedal - it will definitely increases the quality of the overall experience.

In terms of the onboard functionality, not a lot in terms of buttons to navigate, but just like they do on a lot of the other products, Roland has done a great job of giving us, kind of, a little cheat sheet along or rather in front of the keys. So, this function button, which I used to just be scared of on instruments because at any time I see function, I'm thinking, "I need to go digging 50 pages into a user manual." In this case, you really don't need the user manual at all, it's so intuitive. If you want to bring up, for example, the vibraphone sound, I'm just pressing and holding the function button and then pressing vibraphone, and there you go. And of course, pressing it just on its own returns you to the default piano. And using that same function, you can go through all of the different types of sounds, which is acoustic piano, electric piano, there's some harpsichord, vibraphone, some organs, like a jazz organ and string. Now, even though this is fairly basic, it still gives you the ability to layer sounds, which is pretty cool. And of course, you can still split the keyboard. You've got also the basics of an onboard metronome, which is really great. But beyond that, until you use the Bluetooth functionality, that's about the limit of what you can do here.

Roland FP-10 really comes alive when you match it up with either a smartphone or tablet and start using Roland's Bluetooth connection, which I have to say is remarkably easy to do. So, we've got an iPad. I'm sure you are all familiar with what one of these is. I should mention that Roland also releases its software for Android so you can use it with both platforms. Doesn't really matter whether you're a Mac user or an Android user. And I'm just going to pull up exactly how to get connected here because it's very, very straightforward.

App Recommendations

To help with the Bluetooth connection, this is just a recommendation. I like to use an app called...the title is BLE-MIDI, it's basically a Bluetooth MIDI program, it just manages the connection between this device and the piano device. So, you can see that the FP-10 digital piano already has black text and is not grayed out. Means it's in range, and I've already connected to it. If it wasn't, you could just press it and it would disconnect. In fact, if I press that, goes offline, and then if I wanna connect it again, it's there, it's in black, not connected. Press it once more and we're connected. That simple.
So, the two apps that are kind of directly related to the FP-10 that you'll wanna explore, the first one is called Piano Designer. Now, this is for piano nerds out there who really wanna dig in and customize the piano sound that they're able to use with the FP-10 digital piano. And so, I'm in Piano Designer right now, you can see that on the screen. And that gives you quite a few parameters that you're able to edit with the acoustic piano sound on here. This does not work with any of the other basic sounds, we're only talking about the acoustic piano sound here. But you can see that you've got the ability to adjust the lid. And so, with the lid open, this is kind of the sound. And all the way closed. A little bit more muted. So, usually somewhere in the middle is great. You've got hammer response. That's one of those things that's you more perceive than actually hear. You've got string resonance, damper resonance. You've got key touch that you can adjust. Your master tuning is there. So, this is pretty cool because even on a basic instrument like this, you can still customize the piano-playing experience to suit your needs. I think that's really great.

The second app, which you're gonna get a lot of use out of is called Roland's Piano Partner 2. And this is where essentially your device turns into a remote control and you can use this to change sounds, to split the keyboard. So, if we go into remote control, we can now see that we've got the ability to select various piano tones. And we've got some electric pianos. Wurly. But this is also where you get your split functionality. So, this is where one half the keyboard has one sound, one half the keyboard has the other sound. So, this might be in the left hand, let's say we want a bass and a cymbal. And in the right, let's say we want piano. Oops, that's electric. And then you can, sort of, do fun stuff like...

You've got dual mode, which means, of course, you're blending two sounds at once or twin piano mode, which is something that teachers would often use side-by-side with a student. So, you've got both the keyboard split into two but the ranges are matched. So, pretty cool. So, you can have two people at the keyboard both playing exactly the same pitches at the same time. And then you've got your metronome settings, which is always very handy. Using the Bluetooth Midi it also connects with the Apple Garageband app, as well as a multitude of other Daw Softwares and fun music-learning apps.

Loaded in this app as well is a good range of demo music, and you can also use it as a wireless recorder, which is something that not a lot of people realize is even available to you. So, that is kind of fun because the recorder is right here and it's remarkably easy to use.

Conclusions and Summary

So, where does the FP10 fit in the entire range of the FP piano series because we get these questions all the time, like why would I get an FP-30 if I can get an FP-10 for a few hundred dollars less? Or, you know, is the Roland FP-60 worth all of the extra money? Well, like I said at the very beginning of this review, the FP-10 literally is a great piano action surrounded by a little bit of black plastic and a headphone jack. The functionality is pretty limited, but if the priority is getting the best action you can for the dollar and speakers are not a big deal, onboard functions are not a big deal, and of course, lightweight is almost never a drawback, it's always a benefit because you can, like, throw this in a canvas bag and hop on a subway bus or, you know, run to a rehearsal with this. I know pro players that even use this just as a secondary instrument on stage because it's so light to bring to a gig. So, if all of those things sound like priorities for you and you're not gonna miss big, bulky onboard speakers and you're not gonna miss, you know, fancier LCD displays, you know, or real-time EQ controls, etc., etc., etc., the Roland FP-10 digital piano could be literally the perfect entry-level choice for you.
Roland makes this an easy thing to buy. Obviously, you can buy it just as a slab online from a number of retailers, including us at Merriam Pianos, but they also offer it with a matching stand called the KSCFP10. Another convenience is the included music rest, of course they provide the power supply. It also comes in two colours, a satin black or white, with the model codes being the FP-10-BK, or FP-10-WH.

All right. So, thanks very much for sticking around to the end.

Here is our rating of the Roland FP-10.

The post Roland FP-10 Digital Piano Review & Demo - SuperNATURAL Piano, Bluetooth Audio, PHA-4 Action first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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