Established during the 1970s, Roland has been in the business of producing high-quality instruments for many decades.
These include synthesizers, drum pads, speakers, you name it. Among the tens of thousands of instruments it manufactures, the Roland FP-30x stands out among the rest.
Let's discuss why this is such and what to expect when you get your hands on the Roland FP-30x keyboard.
Design
Although the original acoustic grand piano remains on top of the hierarchy, it will take almost an entire village to move it around from one area to another.
With the FP-30x digital piano, you won't have to worry about that. Its lightweight composition makes it easy-to-carry wherever you want to position it.
You also have the choice to buy it in either black or white. Regardless of what color you choose, expect a sleek and smooth finish on the FP-30x's exterior.
In terms of portability, the FP-30x weighs 32.6 pounds, making it slightly heavier than other pianos.
However, you still won't have any trouble bringing the digital piano along with you during gigs and live shows.
Like most digital pianos, the Roland FP-30x Supernatural piano can be assembled in a multitude of ways.
If you don't have enough space in the house, you can purchase it as a standalone portable keyboard. Buying this version lets you put it on top of your desk.
In short, you have yourself a portable digital piano that meets grand piano standards.
Keyboard
The key action is equally as important as the digital piano sound. Without it, you may feel discombobulated with untimed notes playing in the background.
Playing fast-paced classical pieces like Beethoven's Flight of the Bumblebee or Mozart's Turkish March requires precise and responsive hammer action.
Any delays or unresponsiveness from the digital piano may hamper your playing experience.
With Roland's acclaimed PHA 4 Standard 88-Key weighted hammer action, you get fast and receptive results with each key.
These are beneficial when you want to do warm-up exercises such as chromatic and full major scales.
No matter how soft or hard you press a key, the PHA 4 Standard keys remain consistent throughout your playing sessions.
The last thing you want is your fingers to slide away from slippery keys, thus going off-key or out of tune.
Piano playing should also not require physical pain, so you should try to avoid keys that give you blisters and scratches due to their rough surface.
Luckily, the Roland FP-30x consists of ivory feel keys. "What exactly are these?" you may ask.
With the ivory feel feature, the PHA 4 keyboard can absorb moisture from wet spots for a more-controlled grip.
Whether you have dry hands or sweaty palms, expect the grip to stay consistent and comfortable in all 88 keys.
Indeed, these qualities prove that the ivory feel of a PHA 4 keyboard stands out over its plastic counterparts.
Sound
The Supernatural Piano Sound Engine Technology enables the Roland FP digital piano to sound realistic.
The FP-30x simulates a music hall setting because the Supernatural sound engine composes all the melodies, harmonics, and tones you hear in an acoustic grand piano.
Today, we have tens of thousands of online concerts and recitals becoming more common because of the world's current situation.
Therefore, you should maximize the Supernatural sound engine to help your audience and listeners remain connected with the music during online gigs.
If you are the type that wants to expand and diversify your music taste, you are going to love this next feature.
The FP-30x contains a total of 56 sounds to choose from. Therefore, you won't feel bored playing the same tones over and over again.
When you want to produce multiple audio layers or play around with the Supernatural Piano engine, you better take advantage of the sounds we are about to share.
For the sake of this article, we won't discuss all 56 sounds. Instead, we will go over some examples that stand out.
Concert Piano
Of course, we have to start with the first option of every digital piano. What better way to reconstruct a concert setting by incorporating the concert mode?
With the help of its built-in speakers, the FP-30x gives you unique sounds that replicate pianos used for theaters and musical sites.
Thanks to its versatility, which we'll get to in a bit, expect to bring the concert experience anywhere you go.
1976 Suitcase
Do you want to throw it back to the 70s? Try out the 1976 suitcase if you want to bust a move and get the family's dancing shoes on.
If you are inclined to cover Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album or Bill Withers’ "Just the Two of Us," this mode is the way to go.
Church Organ
Bridging the generation gap has never been made a lot easier thanks to the old-school genre.
If your family loves Motown, funk, and soul genres of the mid-80s and 90s, all of you should be ecstatic with the Church Organ sound mode.
Wurly 200 + Soft Pad
We are certain that you need a few ounces of jazz in your life. You don't need to look any further with the Wurly 200 and Soft Pad mode.
These offer acid jazz notes and smooth synth sounds will make Robert Glasper and Herbie Hancock proud.
Polyphony
This feature is for you if you want to play like expert musicians or enhance your overall playing experience.
Also known as multi-tonal, polyphony refers to the number of different tones the digital piano can produce simultaneously. One of the golden rules for most pianos is to have a higher polyphony value to hear all the keys.
Even though you have ten fingers, a polyphonic value of 10 is not enough because the sustained pedal will not play the previous notes anymore.
Fortunately, the Roland FP-30x comes with 256-note polyphony. That means you can simultaneously play all the scales, from the C major down to the B flat minor.
You won't have to worry about running out of notes when you try to master the bridge part of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on your digital PHA 4 keyboard.
Speakers
Its state of the art machinery and world-class speaker system will surely impress many amateur and professional musicians worldwide.
The acoustics and overall sound are so beautiful; you may have listeners wondering whether you are playing from your basement or a legitimate studio.
With the help of Roland's Supernatural sound engine, the built-in 11w x 2 speaker system plays these tracks at a high level.
The speaker system settings are adjustable depending on where and how you position the Roland FP digital piano.
Features
Modes
In real life, it isn't easy to play more than one instrument.
We've seen some videos of people attempting to do the modern-day magic trick, but it is no easy task. You may need your toes to do the piano playing while the fingers strum the guitar.
What if we told you that the Roland FP-30x enables you to play multiple instruments all at once? By the way, not all pianos have the following modes we are about to present.
You heard that right. The dual-mode lets you play two sets of presets simultaneously.
So if you want your keyboard to produce a sound with strings in the background, press the "piano" and "other" for presets to operate.
The split mode is for those who are inclined to play sophisticated music.
Unlike the dual mode, the presets are not tied together, meaning you can have different cadences and finger patterns.
This works well if you are thinking about an arrangement involving multiple major chords and bass lines.
Recording
The Roland FP-30x comes with a recording and playback feature for your layering needs. It is safe to say that other traditional pianos do not have these features.
The recording feature is self-explanatory. All you have to do is press the "record" button before playing your desired pieces.
Don't forget to hit the "stop" button once you have finished your recording session. Press the "play button" to replay what you just did.
Do you want to collect files of your previous arrangement and bodies of work? Insert a USB flash drive to store the recordings.
After doing this, press the Bluetooth and play buttons to convert the raw audio into WAV files.
By doing these steps, you will be able to produce and edit multiple layers on Garageband. So keep utilizing the recording features to maximize the Roland FP-30x.
Other Features
The Roland digital piano comes with extra features that you should be aware of.
One of which is the metronome, a tool that benefits music teachers. It serves as the cadence for a certain time interval.
Using the metronome will help students learn the importance of pace, timing, and feel. You can adjust the metronome's speed if you want to learn different speeds and tempos.
Teachers will enjoy the Twin Piano mode feature. If you want to have an easier time teaching your student, divide the piano into two equal 44-note keyboards.
Doing so will give you two middle C notes, giving you a better experience for lessons and duets.
Connectivity
Nowadays, Youtube covers and jamming sessions among musicians have become the staple of music production. However, don't you find it a hassle to synchronize your instrument with the audio or video played in the background?
If there's one advantage the FP-30x digital piano has over the standard grand piano, it can connect with accompanying apps and devices.
For starters, Bluetooth MIDI allows mobile phones, tablets, and computers to connect with the digital piano.
With Bluetooth midi, you can follow Youtube tutorials, jam along with other artists, and stream audio from the devices we mentioned earlier.
Besides the Bluetooth midi, another plug and play option you should try out is the USB option. The FP-30x allows you to connect your USB to the built-in port found at the back of the digital piano. Make sure you have either a type A or type B USB so that you can play along with your favorite hits.
Piano Every Day App
Can your antique pianos connect with a mobile application?
Kidding aside, Roland provides you with its Piano Every Day mobile app, a lifesaver for most musicians and music lovers alike.
With the help of Bluetooth MIDI, you can connect the app to the FP-30x digital keyboard.
You have unlimited access to music sheets. Therefore, you can play all the songs you have been wanting to cover without google searching the music sheets one by one.
You also save the environment because you don't have to print the sheets anymore.
Developing excellent keyboard skills entails tracking your progress, which is why the app comes with a practice diary that annotated your logged minutes and correct notes.
Lastly, the app serves as the remote control of the piano's features. This lets you optimize the settings of your speaker system, the supernatural sound engine, etc.
Accessories
Here are the following accessories that come with the Roland FP-30x digital piano:
- Music Rest
- Pedal switch (DP-2)
The music rest is the perfect spot to put your music sheets, whether these are hard copy or digital versions.
For its part, the damper pedal combines the features the una corda, sostenuto, and sustain pedals provide.
The next two accessories that we will feature can be bought separately.
Both items may be optional, but we highly recommend that you buy these to make the most out of the FP-30x PHA 4 keyboard.
Stand
If you want the Roland FP-30x to resemble a traditional setup, you need to use the KSC-70 keyboard stand with a music rest.
It boasts solid dimensions of 8.25"(height) x 57" (length) x 14.5" (width). These measurements result in a usable stand that can support the Roland FP-30x from side to side.
It is also not too heavy, weighing only five pounds. You can take it along with you to concert halls and jazz bars if you want to maintain some shows' formality.
KSC 70
Sustain Pedals
Most digital pianos have one common weakness: They do not have the traditional three-pedal unit.
While the basic universal pedal unit is easier and more convenient to use, it does not come close to the real thing.
With the KPD-70 Pedalboard, you have access to all three pedals.
These are essential for tone and dynamic shifts, giving you a more authentic grand piano sound and overall playing experience.
KPD 70
Summary
The Roland FP-30x emerges as one of the best entry-level pianos that give you the best digital piano playing experience.
The optimized piano engine brings realism and authenticity to the tones and notes.
The impeccable Bluetooth continues to step up its game with the midi function, connecting the device's audio directly to the speaker system.
With Bluetooth MIDI and superior built-in speakers, players will have an easier follow the beat and rhythm of pre-recorded tracks.
Pros
Cons
After testing the product intenstively, we believe that you should get your hands on the Roland FP-30x.
Many customers enjoy the speaker system's loud audio and the PHA 4 Standard hammer action the digital piano provides for the keys.
Most Youtube video reviews also love how the digital piano sounds reflect the big theaters and stages.
Furthermore, the many options, layers, and modes the Roland FP-30x offer convinced most buyers to purchase the digital piano.
These reasons and firsthand accounts from other artists and users should be enough to convince you to purchase the digital instrument.
Alternatives
If you wonder whether other digital piano options stack up to the Roland FP-30x, you'd be surprised at how many choices you can find in both physical and digital stores.
For the sake of this review, here are two digital pianos that deliver a great speaker system and unique features that are comparable to the Roland FP-30x.
Roland FP-30X VS Roland FP-30
Released back on January 19, 2016, another Roland FP model should be sought if you are running on a tighter budget.
While it contains some of the features possessed by the FP-30x (PHA 4 with Escapement), both pianos have a handful of differences.
The FP-30 only contains a maximum polyphony of 128 notes compared to the FP-30x's 256 notes.
Although you can still play songs, you may not play songs with complex arrangements on the FP-30x digital piano.
Roland FP30
The FP-30x's 56 sounds outnumber the 35 options the FP-30 possesses, giving you extra options for your recording sessions.
In terms of portability, the FP-30 goes for 31.1 pounds, while the FP-30x weights 32.6 pounds. The slight difference in weight gives the FP-30 an upper hand in this category.
However, the Roland FP-30x comes with a built-in music rest, making it easier to read the notes on your music sheets.
Now that we have finished weighing both pianos' differences, it is still up to you to decide which is the more superior digital piano.
Roland FP-30X VS Casio PX-S1000
The Casio PX-S1000 may be a couple of years older than its FP-30x counterpart, but it still packs good features and abilities.
For starters, it contains 88-Key Smart Scaled Hammer Action, which is similar to the PHA 4 Standard.
Both Roland and Casio's hammer action apply a detailed digital keyboard simulation, thus giving you a grand acoustic piano feel when playing.
If the Roland FP-30x uses the Supernatural sound engine, Casio has the Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR sound engine.
Casio PX S1000
It is responsible for producing powerful reverberations for a complete sustain. With the help of a sustain pedal (SP-3), you will get realistic piano notes and tones.
In short, Casio's version of the Supernatural piano engine will bode well for those looking for digital pianos at a cheaper budget.
Both digital pianos offer Bluetooth MIDI connectivity, allowing you to get that live concert experience anytime and anywhere.
In terms of built-in tones, Roland still has the upper hand over Casio and other digital pianos. The 18 sounds Casio's digital instrument possesses does not come close to the FP30x's 56 tones.
Roland FP-30X VS Yamaha P125
Another digital piano that musicians can go for is the Yamaha P125.
First, it houses the Pure CF Sound Engine, a mechanism that resembles audio from the iconic Yamaha CFIIIS 9' concert grand piano.
Basically, it works like Roland's Supernatural piano engine because of the superior audio quality both pianos produce.
Similar to the Roland FP-30x's PHA 4 Standard key action, Yamaha's Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) 88-key piano keyboard includes heavy and light touches for better expression.
Yamaha P125
The differences lie in the speaker system. On the one hand, the Roland FP-30x's makes use of a 3-band equalizer, which adjusts the speaker's settings according to the venue configurations.
On the other hand, Yamaha's 2-way speaker system amplifies the piano audio in both upward and downward directions.
The Smart Pianist App connects with the Yamaha P-125, letting you configure settings like rhythms and voices. Unfortunately, it is only available on Apple and iOS devices.
The Roland FP-30x has a slight edge because of its Bluetooth MIDI connectivity, a feature the P-125 lacks.
We hope you had fun going over the FP-30x as much as we did. Buying the piano is one thing, but learning the instrument is another.
May you start or continue harnessing your skills so that you can electrify the room with beautiful music.
For more questions or inquiries regarding the Roland FP-30x, please feel free to contact us.
