Roland V-Piano 88-Note Digital Stage Piano

V-Piano

Before I start, I do not own a V-Piano, but as this is a relatively new piece of kit, I thought it would be nice to write a helpful review for those that may be considering purchasing one. Whilst I do not own a V-Piano, I did have the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time with one, and Roland\'s excellent staff at LIMS 2009, where I also spent 15-20 minutes playing the instrument.

The first thing to note is that this is a completely different way of producing a piano sound. There are no samples at all, each \'Piano\' is produced using detailed modelling, which allows you to \'Create\' the piano of your choice.

So - moving on, the V-Piano is VERY heavy - don\'t even think about getting one unless its either going to stay in one place, or you have at least 2 people to move it, as it really is too heavy for one person to do anything with.

The keys themselves are amazing, they easily exceed the beautiful keyboard on the Roland RD700-GX and feel exactly like an acoustic Piano. The action is exactly what y ou would expect as well, and because the instruments are modelled, rather than sampled - the expression is as real as a true piano.

The next thing to note is that this is a pure Piano - there are no other sounds - no EP\'s, no drums - just Pianos, and there are a fair number of them on offer. Because the Piano uses very sophisticated techniques to reproduce the sound, it is possible to do some things with the V-Piano, that you could not physically do in real life, for example use all steel strings across the piano, or continue using 3 strings per note, right down to the lowest note. These are somewhat gimicky, but show the potential of what is available to you.

Now the important part, what does it play like? Well, it really is an amazing instrument to play, and because of the way the sound is produced, it gives a feeling of reality, that is unsurpassed by anything else digital that I have played. The sound is beautifully reproduced, and the subtleties are faithfully included, whether you are playing a concert grand, or an upright chorus piano. There is easy access to things like tuning, which allows you to get a beautiful chorus effect, that you simply won\'t find on other instruments, no matter how good the effects are, because on the V-Piano, you are actually detuning strings.

I could go on about how good this is, but you really need to experience it. I played Classical, Jazz, Blues and some contemporary pieces, and there was a piano to match each of these styles, as well as countless more.

At £4,500 - this is not an impulse purchase, neither is the weight, but if you have the need to replicate a number of real acoustic pianos, either on stage, or in a Studio, there is quite simply nothing to beat this. Just make sure you have the muscle available to hoist it into position :)