Roland FP-E50 seems like fun !

[Kaneda]

Been enjoying my Kawai ES110 for a long time but I've been on the lookout for quite some time for something that could offer more or less the same pianistic feel as the ES110 but being a lot more versatile and 'fun' in the process.

And I think I've found it in the Roland FP-E50. I briefly tried in the store and I already knew the PHA4 action was good, but I'll have to discover what this instrument has to offer by myself. Thankfully, the arranger part is 'up to date' and offers a lot more than the traditional, dare I say 'corny', Bossa Nova and the likes (not that there's actually anything wrong with the 'old' styles, mind you).
I have read and watched tons of reviews and all are very positive. Have looked at the competition from Yamaha (DGX670 with GHS) and Korg (XE20 with NH) but unfortunately, those key actions don't come close to the PHA4 from Roland (on a pianistic level). It's being delivered tomorrow so I'll post my findings

So, I'll probably have no more need for my ES110, and I'll be selling my MIDI controllers and all the rest of it as well, and I'll try and see if I can sell/transfer my DAW licences to someone else. Haven't touched these things in ages, having only played my CA58 (and the ES110 a bit) over the past few months ; making music in a DAW on a computer somehow feels a bit 'soulless' to me in the end, not to mention boring, really, but that's my personal opinion.

Might move out of my apartment to a bigger house and my ultimate dream is to go back to a full acoustic again. That Steinway Grand is probably going to have to be put on hold indefinitely (probably something for another lifetime) but something more attainable will more than likely be coming my way in the not too distant future.

Anyway, the FP-E50 is meant to offer me the 'fun factor' that my 'studio' setup failed to do. Fingers crossed

 

[Biggles]

Must admit, I like the look of those myself.

We will be calling in at PMT in Manchester to take a look at one.

If you remember from prior posts I do rate the PH4 action as the best in its price range.

Have you ordered one yet?

 

[Kaneda]

Yes, have ordered one, it should come in tomorrow, or the day after...
Will find the time to try it out in the next couple of days/weeks and post my findings !

 

[Old No7]

Be sure to determine what you really want/need from that board...

Keybed = Same 88-key weighted board as RD-88 or FP- series (that's good)

Tones = 1,018 with Supernatural piano and Zen-core sound engines (that's good)

Weight = 37 pounds

Speakers = No tweeter like on the RD-99 stage piano (downward facing as well)

But the "arranger" capabilities...........
While they are some fun at the start, they are very severely limited -- they don't "loop", and they will stop just as you get your groove going, and you can't sub any voices/tones or drum kits in what they chose for arrangements.

Old No7

 

[Kaneda]

Well, basically, all I want is kind of what the ES110 offers (check!) with some extra trimmings for fun (check!).

Nothing professional in mind, just for entertainment purposes. Speakers are more than fine for home use, and I mostly play with headphones anyway, and there are line outs if needed...

 

[andreacarducci]

Ho avuto la FPe50 per due anni e sono uscite fuori tante di quelle robacce che ci vuole un enciclopedia. meccanica rumorosa. Nessun GM midi. Nessuna programmabilità dei timbri e del drum kit, se non memorizzandole con le scene. Effetti dsp che amplificano su di un timbro in tempo reale, ma quando cambi il timbro ti "porti" dietro anche il dsp di prima come se gli effetti non siano in memoria con il preset. Suoni una scena e vuoi cambiare il solista con le voci FAVORITE, ma quando ritorni indietro, la voce che usavi da accompagnamento non esiste più. Non puoi memorizzare la trasposizione della tonalità quando richiami una scena. Quando registri una traccia di archi con il metronomo e poi vai a registrare la traccia 2 con un solista di violino, il metronomo non è più sincronizzato con la prima traccia. Quindi ti trovi senza tempo. Manca moltissimo la quantizzazione midi e tutto il resto del MIDI. Manca il volume fisico dei timbri in layer che permette di alzare il volume di uno o dell'altro strumento. Manca un tasto "panic" che riporta la macchina in default come al momento dell'accensione. Quando premi il tasto "one touch piano" ma prima hai suonato ad esempio, un church Organ e gli hai messo più effetto cattedrale, il pianoforte, avrà tutto il reverbero cattedrale messo sul church Organ e questo è una cosa drammatica. Il tasto ONE TOUCH PIANO dovrebbe obbligatoriamente essere un reset del timbro pianistico come il settaggio iniziale. E poi, forse mi sono dimenticato qualcosa...

 

[Biggles]

Translation

I had the FPe50 for two years and so much of that junk came out that it takes an encyclopedia. noisy mechanics. No GM midi. No programmability of timbres and drum kits, if not memorizing them with the scenes. DSP effects that amplify on a timbre in real time, but when you change the timbre you also "carry" the dsp from before as if the effects were not in memory with the preset. You play a scene and want to change the soloist with the FAVORITE voices, but when you go back, the voice you used to accompany you no longer exists. You can't memorize the translation of the key when you recall a scene. When you record a string track with the metronome and then go to record track 2 with a violin soloist, the metronome is no longer synchronized with the first track. So you're out of time. Midi quantization and all the rest of MIDI are very much missing. The physical volume of the layer timbres that allows you to raise the volume of one or the other instrument is missing. A "panic" button is missing that brings the machine back to default as when it was turned on. When you press the "one touch piano" button but first you played for example, a church organ and you put more cathedral effect, the piano, will have all the cathedral reverberation put on the church organ and this is a dramatic thing. The ONE TOUCH PIANO button should necessarily be a reset of the piano timbre like the initial setting. And then, maybe I forgot something...

Lik