Patches, Layers, Scenes . . .??

[OldDude]

I just received my new Roland FP E50 keyboard a few days ago. I was pretty excited having seen so many YouTube unpack/demo/analyze clips - all of which heaped mounds of praise on it. I'm missing something somewhere. Although it's clearly a very nice and very professional piece of music gear, I'm frankly disappointed. There's nothing I can find that's similar to combos or patches allowing you to stack and individually control/mix three or more independent voices. The Korg Kronos, for example, has combos that allow for multiple layered voices. Each voice may have it's own volume level and octave choice, as well as relative placement in the stereo soundscape.

I'm a mundane player at best. So, I need all the help I can get to create really strong tonal moods to enhance my lackluster performance. All my previous keys had robust sound choices (see list in my signature). I'm really not finding it here. Am I missing something? I find the preset layers and the drum tracks contained in the scenes less than stellar.

 

[anotherscott]

Many digital pianos and arrangers have limited split/layer capabilities, and the FP-E50 seems particularly limited in this respect (I think max of two playable sounds at once, split or layered). Since you just received the FP-E50, maybe it can be returned for something more suitable? If you're looking for an 88-key hammer action board with speakers, accompaniment functions, and the ability to combine at least three sounds, possibilities might be Yamaha DGX-670, Korg XE20, Casio PX-560. If some of those things I listed aren't must-haves, there could be numerous other options, depending on what you need.

 

[Biggles]

You are limited in what you can do with the DP’s that have Arranger functionality, notice the term that I use. They are Not DP’s with full Arranger features, they have limited features, for what you seek you will need to spend vastly more cash and even then you will have a product that is still in development.

A full Arranger with 88 keys is not a cheap product and there is only one, the Korg Pa5X 88 that has the ability to layer sounds and have a hammer action keybed.

Even then you have limited number of voices that you can have in the available Layers although in said layers there can be multiple voices.

Comparing a £700 keyboard with one that cost £3000 is not a fair comparison.

Perhaps you should have been looking at a Korg Nautilus 88 or a Roland Fantom 08, assuming of course that your main criteria is a keyboard with hammer action and 88 keys.

 

[OldDude]

Many digital pianos and arrangers have limited split/layer capabilities, and the FP-E50 seems particularly limited in this respect (I think max of two playable sounds at once, split or layered). Since you just received the FP-E50, maybe it can be returned for something more suitable? If you're looking for an 88-key hammer action board with speakers, accompaniment functions, and the ability to combine at least three sounds, possibilities might be Yamaha DGX-670, Korg XE20, Casio PX-560. If some of those things I listed aren't must-haves, there could be numerous other options, depending on what you need.

This is my first keyboard with an accompaniment feature. Actually, I've never leaned that way because they're not really a good match for my playing style. I'm a right hand block chord player using left hand octave bass with the occasional fifth thrown in. I learned to play by using lead sheets with guitar chords and lyrics only. I'm not a skilled pianist. I don't really have the option of returning this KB having purchased it online. I'm in Korea and the keys came from Japan.

Mostly, I just being whiney. I was hoping I had overlooked some functionality and one of you folks would give me a magic solution for my tone envy. Thanks for the good info and advice.

 

[OldDude]

You are limited in what you can do with the DP’s that have Arranger functionality, notice the term that I use. They are Not DP’s with full Arranger features, they have limited features, for what you seek you will need to spend vastly more cash and even then you will have a product that is still in development.

A full Arranger with 88 keys is not a cheap product and there is only one, the Korg Pa5X 88 that has the ability to layer sounds and have a hammer action keybed.

Even then you have limited number of voices that you can have in the available Layers although in said layers there can be multiple voices.

Comparing a £700 keyboard with one that cost £3000 is not a fair comparison.

Perhaps you should have been looking at a Korg Nautilus 88 or a Roland Fantom 08, assuming of course that your main criteria is a keyboard with hammer action and 88 keys.

Yeah. I wasn't really shopping for the arranger bit. I just recently gave up my Korg Kronos in our immigration move to Korea. I was really spoiled by it's sound capabilities and sound creating functions through 'combos'. I'm just spoiled and whiney. You're completely right in all your observations here. Thanks.

 

[anotherscott]

I was hoping I had overlooked some functionality and one of you folks would give me a magic solution for my tone envy.

Since swapping the board for something with more built-in splt/layer capability is not an option, another possibility would be to add that function externally, e.g. by connecting to your computer (or an iPhone of iPad if you have one). But the FP-E50 doesn't have much MIDI functionality, so there's not much you can do to easily integrate the internal and external sounds/functions... you'd probably end up using either an all-internal or all-external setup at any given time (i.e. when using the external sounds, the board would probably basically be functioning the same way a soundless controller would).