A-88 or RD300NX

Other Roland synthesizers, modules, keyboards, etc.
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electricmonk
Posts: 5
Joined: 13:21, 5 August 2013

A-88 or RD300NX

Post by electricmonk »

Hi all,

I've been using an RD-150 for the last 10 years or so, but I'm pretty sick of its action and would like to move to a more responsive keyboard. I use Synthogy Ivory II as the sound engine, so I'm not really looking for a keyboard with sounds. I was pretty set on the A88, but then I tried the RD300NX and I found its keyboard to be slightly heavier and more fun to play - which is weird, because supposedly it has the exact same mechanism (Ivory Feel G with escapement) as the A88.

Another issue I'm not sure about is whether the A88 supports half-damping; it comes with the DP-10 pedal which does report the continuous pedal position, but nowhere is it specified if the A88 can interpret this and send the correct CC information out the MIDI port. Conversly, the RD300NX page does specify that it supports half damping.

Lastly, there's an 800$ price difference between the two, and I'm trying to decide if the touch is indeed different or if it's just a function of how they were set up or some psychological effect, and if both support half damping. And again, sounds are not a factor in my decision as I'm never going to use them.

Insights will be appreciated.

Thanks :)
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by howardS »

Were you using the RD300NX to play Synthogy Ivory II or were you playing the internal sounds on the RD?

Also, I looked at the manual for the A-88 and you can assign it to a variety of functions but by default it is set to CC64 which is hold. 0 is off and 127 is on. When you plug in a pedal with continuous functionality it also sends CC64 info with but now it can send values between 0-127. So long as your software can interpret this data then you should be good to go.
electricmonk
Posts: 5
Joined: 13:21, 5 August 2013

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by electricmonk »

I was of course using the RD300NX to trigger Ivory. As I said, I don't care for the internal sounds.

Any clue regarding to the keyboard feel difference?

Thanks!
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by howardS »

Sorry that I missed that. Were they set to the same velocity curves? Well, the RD300NX uses Key Touch to describe the curve, as set out on p.62 of the manual. The A88 actually calls it Velocity Curve, as set out on p.41 of its manual. Were they set the same?
electricmonk
Posts: 5
Joined: 13:21, 5 August 2013

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by electricmonk »

I have no idea, actually. Would you say with confidence that had they been set the same, the feel would've been the same? because the keys on the RD300NX actually felt physically heavier...
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by howardS »

I can't say for sure, of course, but I find that as you change the curve you have to hit the note harder to get to the same velocity level. To me that can make the board feel heavier. The A-88 and RD300NX are supposed to have the identical keyboards which is why I think it may be related to the velocity curves. Try to change it on your current controller and see if it feels heavier or lighter depending on the curve.
electricmonk
Posts: 5
Joined: 13:21, 5 August 2013

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by electricmonk »

Ok, I think I'll take the A88 home for a tryout. Thanks!
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by howardS »

Great. Let us know how it works out for you.
electricmonk
Posts: 5
Joined: 13:21, 5 August 2013

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by electricmonk »

Got the A-88 today. So far it's the most enjoyable keyboard I used, although the new unit I got (out of the box) feels a little bit TOO new - keys are too smooth. Seems like this should change over time, according to the manual - and indeed the display unit felt much more like a true grand piano. All in all, seems like a great choice.
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by howardS »

That's great. Enjoy!
tj76
Posts: 1
Joined: 15:24, 16 August 2013

Re: A-88 or RD300NX

Post by tj76 »

Hi! I've just stumbled over this thread. Congratulations! I don't think you'll regret your choice!

I own an a-88 since 3 months. So far I like it, although I am not using it on a regular basis. It's my gigging tool since I have an upright piano for home practice. I use it as a controller with pianoteqand and it works and feels just fine.

I bought it as a low-weigh replacement for my rd700gx (PAH II Keybed). The feel of the Ivory-feel-s is not as authentic as the PAH II and PAH III but it is not far at all from it and probably the best action you can get in a 16 kg controller. For daily practice I would probably prefer a more "grown-up" keybed (kawai vpc-1 or rd700nx, both VERY heavy) but for the road the a-88 looks like one of the best tools you can get in the present market (I've tried a Doepfer pk88gh, that comes built in a flight case (very nice), but its action appeared to be a bit of joke to me).

Enjoy!

TJ76

Edit: Yes, the a-88 allows half-pedaling
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