Above and Beyond
Written: Nov 17 '06 (Updated Nov 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing Sound, Ease of Use, Array of Options and Features
Cons: Weight
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for an excellent keyboard, rich with features and a natural feel, check this one out! You won't be sorry.
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| zorrothepiking's Full Review: Roland Rd700 88-Key EXpandable Keyboard |
Background -
When I was young, my mom bought and restored an antique piano. None of us were particularly good at playing piano, but my grandma loves to play, and my mom enjoys her restoration projects. I started tinkering on the old piano and grew to love playing over the years. I never took piano lessons, and would be nearly lost if you put a piece of music in front of me. However, I did learn how to play by ear, and have since spent uncountable hours "tickling the ivories." I say all that so you'll know what point of view I'm coming from. I an not a concert pianist, and some would not consider me a pianist at all. I simply love to play. When I was preparing to go to college, my dad offered me a sum of money with which to buy something that I really wanted. After much thought, I decided to buy this keyboard, as the thought of living in a cramped dorm room without access to a "real" piano was quite unpleasant.
As I began my search for the perfect electronic piano, I really had only two criteria: (1) - It has to fit in my dorm room and (2) - the keys have to feel like a real piano. I hated the way all the keyboards I had played felt under my fingers. I wanted to feel like I was playing a piano, not like I was pushing buttons. After some searching, I had basically resigned myself to not being to find a suitable keyboard, thinking I'd instead replace my old bass or electric guitar. Luckily, I did some more research and came to find out about the Roland RD700. I read about how natural the keys felt and how awesome the sound was. Skeptical I called around and found a store that carried this keyboard. I went in, and to my delight, the feeling was amazing. Even without any speakers hooked up, I had to sit there and tinker with it for a couple minutes before I drug myself away.
But enough with the narrative, I suppose. I ordered the keyboard soon after.
Features -
I am not the best person to divulge the features of this keyboard, as I am not a professional player. I have played with it, but it's options and settings go far beyond what I could want or need. Below are some that I find most useful, but please forgive the fact that this list is far from complete.
Eq, Reverb, and Chorus: These provide the obvious related sound manipulation. They are dialed controlled with a button to activate or deactivate the system. This means you can set it where you like it, and then just flip it on and off as necessary.
Transpose: As someone who likes to jam with his brothers, this feature makes things a lot easier. If I'm playing by ear and just can't make it come together in some key, a simple push of the transpose button and a push of the key associated with the key we're playing in, and I'm instantly playing the right notes with a C-major pattern. Very nice for those old gospel songs that someone felt the need to write in Eb!!
Split and Layer: As you can guess, these features allow you to split they keyboard into two different sounds and/or to layer the primary sound with a secondary sound. Feeling mellow? How about a soft piano with some strings! Feeling kinda funky? Make the bottom half the keyboard slap bass with the top half a rock piano or organ. With hundreds of sounds to choose from, you'll be hard pressed to find a sound you can't emulate. Also, each of the tracks has its own volume, so you can crank the strings or keep them quiet compared to that piano! And of course, there's one slider to rule them. :)
Effects: I have only scratched the surface of the effects system. There is a great deal of customization and tweaking you can do to get the exact sound you're looking for. I picked out some synthetic effects I heard on some different songs, and was able to reproduce them without much trouble.
Expansion: I know there is midi expansion capabilities, but this is something I'll have to ask you to research for yourself. I haven't spent any time with it, as I don't have any external effect devices.
Quality, Craftsmanship, and Ease of Use -
The look and feel of this keyboard are absolutely fantastic. The case is attractive and simple, with an easy to use layout. The buttons have lights to help the user keep track of what features are currently activated, and use is very seamless. As an example, you can activate the Split feature by hitting the split button or just by turning on the secondary sound by pushing its activation button. Either will enable full functionality. It is very easy to switch between sounds and combinations of sounds, and if you find yourself returning to the same setup, just save it in the presets! I can't say enough about the feel, and this is something you should experience for yourself. There's a good chance that a local music store carries this keyboard, and I definitely recommend you go take it for a test drive.
The only complaint I have in this department is the layout of some of the sound options. You have quick access buttons for fast switching to genres of sounds (piano, electronic piano, organ, strings, etc...), but there seems to be several sounds after the last quick select button, many of which seem to be redundant entries from earlier sounds. I'm not sure why this is, and it makes finding sounds at the end take longer than necessary.
Sound -
I have only had use for the headphone jack and the 1/4" stereo output. I do not have a high quality amp (actually, it's a little 40Watt bass amp!), so I much prefer to listen to what I'm playing through headphones. The keyboard offers an excellent selection of sounds, including a rich collection of piano sounds. I can always find or make a sound I'm looking for, and have never wanted for more choices.
Reliability -
I have had absolutely no trouble with this keyboard. While in the dorm (a very dusty place), I kept it under a bed sheet to keep it protected from the elements; that is, dust and college students. Since moving into my house, I've just kept it in the study. I don't have any sort of electronic noise in the headphones or speakers, and the keys feel as wonderful as the day it arrived.
Other Information -
When I first ordered the keyboard, the fact that it came with a pedal was not advertised on the site. I ordered one an extra one, therefore, but ended up preferring the one that came with the Roland. As far as other gear, you'll need some sort of device to produce sound (head phones, speakers, amp, etc) because the keyboard does not offer any built-in speakers. I also picked up a keyboard stand and seat. This was also when I finally invested in some high quality head phones (Sony MDR-7506, hopefully an upcoming review). After all, what's the point of phenomenal sounds if you're listening to them on $8 ear buds? Or a bass amp? :)
Weighing in at just over 53lbs, this keyboard isn't the easiest thing to lug around. I bought a hard case for it, bringing the total weight to about 80lbs. I started leaving it in the dorm over the weekends because it was just too hard to wrestle the thing into my little Sentra.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
zorrothepiking
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Member: Josh
Location: Cookeville, TN, USA
Reviews written: 59
Trusted by: 11 members
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