Thinking of getting a digital piano
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@LuFins-Dad said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
From an FP30X to a Kawai GX2 to an FP10? You do realize that there is a pretty wide range between all of those, right? Do yourself a favor and drive in to a Roland store. I think you will find that the HP704 or a CLP745 is closer to the GX2 than the FP10 in terms of how enjoyable they are to play. Don’t get me wrong, there is a wide difference between the HP704 and an acoustic grand, but the 704 is far closer than the FP products could ever be.
“You get what you pay for” isn’t always true (I like the 704 better than the LX series, for instance), but it’s not always false, either…
The acoustic was just a flight of fancy, imagining a future purchase. I am intending to buy a digital. I like the idea of connecting it to PianoTeq and using that for live playing, which makes the on-board sound generation meaningless. The speakers are meaningless in any case, as I'll always use headphones when playing. So I was thinking an FP-10, with the PHA4 action, might be a good inexpensive option for me, as long as I get a stable stand. The 704 has their more expensive action, which I assume is better. I can go to guitar center to see how the two roland actions feel compared to each other.
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Guitar center can order the HP product, but they rarely stock it. Just not their business model.
Me/rry/Christmas
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@LuFins-Dad said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
Guitar center can order the HP product, but they rarely stock it. Just not their business model.
I think they have the 90x, which also has the better action. I was just there a few days ago. The keyboards are mostly on the wall and you can't use pedals, so I couldn't really test the sound much. But I'll go back and concentrate on the feel of the keyboards.
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The 90X? My bad, I was thinking the 30X. Yeah, the 90 would have the same key action and the basic technology of the HP704. Still not a fan of those stands, but meh.
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Costco has its own Roland model based on the FP-10, and sells it for $550 including furniture stand, bench, and headphones. Too bad they don't have it available for pickup, and delivery is $90. I'm apparently obsessed with saving a few hundred dollars on this purchase due to internal household financial dynamics.
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So I was thinking an FP-10, with the PHA4 action, might be a good inexpensive option for me, as long as I get a stable stand.
I bought a Roland RD-700 stage piano over twenty years ago. Still have it and it has never had any issues after all these years. I bought a sturdy four post stand for it and find it very stable even on carpet. Like you I do not care at all for those wobbly scissor stands.
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Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
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There's no latency with a computer plugged into the digital. You don't need the interface box, IMO.
I have a 12 year old MacBook Air running PianoTeq connected to my Roland - no issues.
Get yourself a cheapo used laptop on eBay, dedicated to the piano, and put it on a cheapo stand next to the piano. That's all you'll need.
Also, you can use PianoTeq in "demo" mode to access all the other instruments. However, some keys will be disabled. Nevertheless, you have a good sampling to decide if you want/need more. I have the Steinway and Steingraeber packs. I'm happy with them.
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I got big latency when I connected without the box. It's easy to tell because the piano will still play through its speakers even as it sends the midi. So if you hear a double beat, once when the piano strikes and again when the pianoteq strikes, there's latency. The only way I got rid of that was to use the ASIO drivers through the box.
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@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
On my piano, there's a setting to disable "local control" - that's what causes the piano to play through it's own speakers rather than pushing to the Mac and THEN to the piano speakers. A noticeable difference.
If I select a harpsichord in PianoTeq and forget to turn off "local control," I get both playing from the piano's speakers - it's funky to say the least.
Lot to learn, but once you've got it, you'll enjoy.
I find myself just leaving Pianoteq set on Hamburg D. However, switching to something else produces a different experience - but you get used to that after about half an hour.
Perhaps @kluurs has more ideas.
How's the action, by the way?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
It's probably the windows driver. There may be something I can do about it, but I'm happy with the box.
Education is extremely important.
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@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
It's probably the windows driver.
Get a ...
Never mind.
Here's how mine's set up (pardon the blurry pic).
The hookup.
From left to right:
- Computer USB input from piano (I got a right-angle USB cable)
- Computer audio output to piano audio in
- Headphone jack
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Action is pretty good! This is the first thing I ever played on it. I didn't know pianoteq automatically recorded everything, but apparently I can just save anything I play to Mp3. A whole new universe of unwanted sharing awaits me. My fingers got stuck on the keys a couple times, but I'll get used to it.
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I have a slightly different setup in that I have the output going to a DAC/headphone amplifier which I use to listen to the piano. It's a a little overkill. At first, I didn't realize it was always recording, but I love it as if that one in thousand times I think "that was really good. No one would believe you played it" - is there for posterity. When I plan to make a recording, things don't always go as planned.
When I first started playing, I experimented a bit with different instruments, but as with George, I've settled into the Hamburg Steinway. For a while, nearly all of my practice was on the digital, but now I'm back to being balanced, playing the grand about 35% of the time and the Roland the rest. It's nice for real work where I want to play a couple of lines 1100 times until muscle memory is better. Playing the real piano keeps me honest - and sometimes brings out things I didn't catch on the digital.
I'm using a PC to store Pianoteq and also for Roon and streaming. I don't use it for anything else.
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@kluurs said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I have a slightly different setup in that I have the output going to a DAC/headphone amplifier which I use to listen to the piano. It's a a little overkill.
But still you listen to the pianoteq sounds, right?
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@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
I have to admit your proximity to the bathroom door is quite inspirational. To be able to traverse between the ivory gods and the porcelain false gods is nothing short of brave.
