All user reviews for the Roland RD-800

I`ve played on a Roland RD-800 in a music store a while back, it has 1113 instrumental sounds on it. The only thing that`s tricky about it. is when you have the cathedral organ or the Grand Pipes, then you go and select another instrumental sound on it, then back to whatever you had, you have to turn the dial on it until you find where you had it. They ought to put presets on it just like the Technics Pianos have, But overall they are lots of fun to play on too. I tried other instruments just as well. With the Roland RD-800, you can have up to four different instrumental sounds at the same time. But an overall a great keyboard. To operate the Roland RD-800 lookup www.manualslib.com/ then Roland RD-800.

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UTILIZATION

VERY NICE KEYBOARD, BETTER THAN THE RD700 AND THE KORG SV1, SO IT'S VERY GOOD.
I PLAY PROFESSIONALLY ON AN ACOUSTIC YAMAHA PARLOR GRAND AND I FIND THAT THE KEYBOARD OF BOTH IS SIMILAR, WHICH CAN ONLY BE TAKEN AS A COMPLIMENT.

SOUNDS

THE SOUND? NOTHING COMPARES TO AN ACOUSTIC PIANO, BU IT'S NOT BAD AT ALL, IT'S ACTUALLY STUNNING

OVERALL OPINION

FOR ME, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST RIGHT NOW
QUITE TRANSPORTABLE
IT'S NO TOY, IT'S SIMPLY A NO-FRILLS, SOLID, GOOD PIANO.

88 keys
It has lots of sounds, but I'm especially interested in the pianos and EP

UTILIZATION

The keyboard is a bit better than the RD700NX, which is already very good.
Nice finish, the keyboard is a bit more sensitive and complex, the 700NX is a bit duller

Roland pianos remain the standard when it comes to imitating a piano, far ahead of the Nord Lead and others

SOUNDS

The grand piano 1, without imitating the Vpiano gives me mixed feelings.
The sound is realistic, rich and expressive, but the connection to the piano itself is an exercise of fantasy and imagination for a pianist.
The velocity is exaggerated and you can trigger a FFF sound with a mF, it has Steinway Grand flair.

It's pretty awful to play because you need to control everything and limit your playing dynamics, unlike with a real piano.
In the end, you end up not profiting from the quality of this Grand piano 1, because it doesn't really respond in a "normal" and progressive way.
According to the specifications, it is possible to adjust the dynamics of the RD800, but it remains to bee seen how that is achieved, the relationship between sound and keyboard, with which curve, and whether it can improve the realism of this Grand piano 1.

Things settle with the revisited RD700NX piano sound.
The dynamics are more realistic, although still light for a pianist.
And you can finally profit from the sound quality and the playing comfort of the RD800
The sound is a bit more precise and well-defined than on the RD700NX, without being groundbreaking.

The Rhodes, Wurlitzer and EP are also slightly better.
The tremolo with the direct-access buttons is very practical for oldies.

Not so good is the disappearance of the direct access to the compressor, which comes in really handy when you play instinctively.
Now you have to go inside the settings and program things, which is a hindrance when you want to apply some feeling onstage.

The rest of the sounds are typical Roland: Very realistic pianos and EP, trivial organs, pads ranging from very good to kitschy.

OVERALL OPINION

In the end, the RD800 represents a slight progression from the RD700NX, which nevertheless remains relevant.

I'll finish asking why people insist on including 20 acoustic piano sounds that aren't perfect, rather than working on one single one that is realistic, like a Quantum Leap.
Which makes me think that these pianos still lag behind the realism of a true sample and it's a bit frustrating because I'm absolutely used to their ease of use.
You carry it with you, connect it and that's it.

I'm a bit disappointed because I always await new models with a lot of expectation, thinking that I will finally find a realist substitute piano, one that makes me feel good when playing.
But that's still not the case, even if I must admit that this piano is of a very high quality.

I'll be eagerly awaiting the RD900.

1113 tones, 88 keys, ... you can download the user manual from the Roland website.

UTILIZATION

The RD 800 has the aesthetic design of a piano not of a synth, it's sober...
What a delight! Right from the first touch, the keys are skilfully weighted and feel very nice. I'm rediscovering it and it's great.
Moving from the RD 700 GX to the RD 800, the manual seems clear, but my view might be subjective, having previously owned an RD.
The main access buttons are accessible and effective, the display is now a color one, but no bigger than on the RD 700 nor is it touchscreen, you must always use the wheel (maybe for the RD 900?)
The patches and setups can be accessed extremely fast.
I won't give it a 10 only for the connections, which are on the bottom part of the piano's front panel, making them less visible and accessible than on the RD 700, although on an "aesthetic" level, the cables are hidden away.

SOUNDS

In terms of sounds...I'm still stuck at sound "0001" – Concert Grand – what a sound! It's a real delight. The sampling is precise and brilliant right until the sound fades away completely. I'm really amazed. This Concert Grand alone justifies its purchase. It's no use to have 12000 sounds if they don't feel right. Just go a and try it out and you'll see what I'm talking about!
The other sounds rise to the expectations, be it the electric pianos or other sounds. Typically Roland, the sounds are brilliant and dynamic, more for pop rock, funk than classical music.
You can really make expressive music with this keyboard, from velvety to a percussive and explosive sounds, depending on the force on the keyboard.

OVERALL OPINION

I got it two weeks ago and it's a real treat. Owners of Roland pianos should go test it, it's worth it. I've had Yamaha (CP5) and Roland (FP7, FP7F, ROLAND RD 700) before, but the RD 800 is a true revelation and a source of inspiration. I'll still use the RD 700 until I configure a couple of things on the 800, but I can't wait to make the switch.
Yes, it has won me over despite its price of about $2900, which is the normal price for pianos in this category. It is much better than my previous purchases, both in terms of sampling and keyboard.
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