Roland Clan Forums

Finding my 700nx hard to play for "fast stuff", and it doesn't have the bounce feel of my old SX. Would the 800 give me the NX quality with a more spry keybed?

Hi,

well, I bought an RD-800 just few weeks ago after testing it intensively at a music store nearby.
It's definitely "faster" than I am, as I'm able to play the 3rd part of the Moonlight Sonata not as presto agitato as it is required (160 bpm) but reaching around 130-140bpm. I think the 160bpm would be no problem for the RD-800, it's definitely a problem for my fingers ;-)

Alberti arpeggios, chromatic scales and trills are definitely possible. The PH4 keybed is extremely fast due to the 3-sensor technology allowing repetition even if the key is not completely lifted. The resolution is noticeably high, which requires a little more sensitivity in your fingers as you can hear even small velocity variations.

I have no comparison to an RD700. I used an AKAI MPK88 master keyboard before. The faster I got, the more spongy the feeling at my fingertips was. Starting at around 110-120 bpm it became nearly impossible to play a clearly definite Alberti-Arpeggio as it was required in the Sonata.

The Ebony-Ivory-Feel is definitely something you should get used into it. During the first few days I tended to slip from the keys, but now I love this feeling of nearly "flying" over the keys.

Cheers
Arno

Thanks - your answer sounds encouraging! I guess it's all up to the difference between the PHA3 and PHA4. Unfortunately, no RD800 nearby to try out - I'll have to order one and hope that it's at least no worse than my 700NX, and then try to sell the one I don't want to keep.