When it comes to sounds, Roland has a long-standing pedigree of being one of the best sound designers on the market. Korg’s RH3 and Kawai’s RHCII actions come closest but you don’t find them in any of the FP-30X’s direct competitors in the same price range. While other instruments might include better controls or more sounds, it is hard to beat Roland’s PHA-4 Standard in terms of realism. In terms of playability, the FP-30X really doesn’t have much competition in the sub-$700 price bracket.
Having realistic key actions and responses not only enhances the believability factor but also lets beginners build up transferable skills that apply to real acoustic pianos in the future. With graded keybeds, keys in the lower registers require more force than those in the upper registers. These keys also include escapement modeling, which makes the keys feel even more true-to-life by including a subtle ‘notch’ feel, which is present on real acoustic pianos as well.įinally, the PHA-4 Standard keyboard is graded. With that said, some people might find heavier actions to be less versatile for playing certain styles of music, though this will mostly depend on your prior experience, as what one player considers heavy, another player might say is just fine.
It is heavy, but at just the right amount, giving it a realistic feel that comes close to matching real acoustic pianos. I personally really like the weighty feel used on the PHA-4 Standard key action. Using a mechanical hammer mechanism, Roland manages to emulate the feel of acoustic piano playing, where every keypress causes the hammers to strike true strings. It’s also featured on Roland’s more expensive premium digital pianos such as the Roland RD-88 which we recently reviewed.ĭespite being plastic, the PHA-4 Standard keys have a faux-ivory finish that helps enhance the illusion. The key action is purely plastic and stands alongside other great examples like Kawai’s RHC and Korg’s RH3 action. The PHA-4 Standard key action is great, and I can honestly say it is among my favorite key actions, even up to the past the beginner level. The FP-30X uses Roland’s PHA-4 Standard key action, the same key action found on the original FP-30 (and the lower-priced FP-10). Companies invest a good amount of money into R&D to develop realistic feeling keys to emulate real-life acoustic pianos, which is no small feat considering the size constraints.Ĭonsidering the FP-30X is priced in the entry-level price range, it needs to do well to stand out from the pack. The most important aspect of any digital piano are the feel of the keys.
There are 5 LED lights which give you an indication of what the current levels are. You change the output volume with two buttons, each for incrementing and decreasing the volume value respectively. My biggest gripe with this button-based control scheme is the volume control. These include transposition and metronome settings, which are commonly used during practice. Behind the keys, there are some printed text hints which mark most of the commonly used key functions.
#Roland fp 30x manual#
If you don’t have the presets memorized, you’ll need to have the user manual by your side.ĭespite my qualms, Roland does try to make things usable. To access most features, you need to rely on button-key combos, which are something I’ve always found to be quite annoying (although it does keep the front panel looking clean and minimal).įor example, if I wanted to switch between different piano sounds, I’d need to hold down the ‘ Piano’ button, and hit the corresponding key on the piano to choose the voice preset I want. The buttons themselves feel tactile, but I’m not a fan of how limiting the control scheme feels. The user interface consists primarily of 13 tall buttons, most of which include backlights to indicate their activation state, which is helpful if you’re using this digital piano under low light conditions (such as on stage). In my opinion, this makes the FP-30X look and feel cleaner. The user interface is ported over wholesale from the original FP-30, but with redesigned labelling which feels more consistent in design than the original’s mixture of text and symbols. If the last generation is anything to go by, the FP-30X will last you for quite some time. I wish Roland used a different kind of plastic that would avoid this.Īpart from that, both are equally well built with good quality plastics and solid body construction.
This isn’t a big issue but does make it harder to keep the instrument looking neat. Those look like real scratches, but they are not, and can easily be removed with a piece of a wet cloth or your finger.
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