In this article, we’ll be taking a look at Top 10 best Roland keyboards & digital pianos as well as the guide on how to choose the right one for you.
A Japanese Company known as Roland manufactures Roland keyboards. The company makes electric musical instruments such as keyboards, bass/guitar instruments, electronic drums, recording devices, organs, and synthesizers. The company was founded in 1972, and since then, it has continued to produce quality instruments and is now recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of electric musical instruments.
Roland has an extensive product range of keyboards that are high in quality, durable, and easy to operate for beginners. There are many options to choose from within different price ranges. The manuals are pocket-friendly. Professionals and music producers, due to their top-notch sounds and designs, recognize their instruments widely.
Top 10 Best Roland Keyboard & Digital Piano On the Market
Why Choose Roland Keyboards?
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Ability to Record
Roland digital pianos have recording features that are built within the keyboards to record music. Musicians or students practicing in a session are enabled to register their courses to review later. These instruments would allow musicians to record their performances for future purposes. These models also have a USB port that allows the transfer of the music files to another computer.
Recording music allows the musicians to learn their mistakes by referring to the recorded musical piece. Music teachers have appreciated this make of pianos because it will enable them to record exercises for students to apply during class time.
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Silent and private practice
Roland digital pianos are now designed in a way that you can plug in headphones. Headphones keep the sounds away from the other listeners only limited to the piano player. Plugging headphones ensures privacy and reduces distractions. It also prevents outsiders from hearing the player’s mistake. Most of the reviews from the Roland keyboards users have appreciated this design.
Using headphones not only enhances privacy but also enables flexibility because you now practice when people are around and cause no disturbances.
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Affordable and Easy to Maintain
Roland keyboards come in many varieties with different price ranges that affordable to purchase. The pianos are found in significant outlets in most countries in the world, reducing the cost of importing.
Roland keyboards have a digital engine that is not affected by factors such as humidity and temperature that affect tuning. They are tuned before purchasing, so one does not have to tune manually.
These pianos are durable because the synthetic materials use to make the body and the keys are easy to clean. The fact that the keyboards are already tuned reduces mechanical maintenance and makes it easy for the users to use. Synthetic materials have a long lifespan lowering the cost of buying a new piano, especially if the keyboard is for children who want to learn to play the piano as they grow up.
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Quality Tone and Touch
Roland digital piano is upgraded to produce tones and sounds like that of an acoustic piano. These pianos have a sophisticated keyboard action that provides high-quality tones and brings out an acoustic touch. They have quality sound engines combined with the technology of sound modeling, behavior modeling, and multisampling.
All these qualities come with the digital piano making competitive since the piano technology produces real tones like that of an acoustic piano.
Digital Piano keys are made in a hammer-action design instead of spring action design found in other pianos. It not only enhances the authentic detail but produces feel-good sounds. Both the audio and behavior modeling enables the digital pianos to adapt to changes in the playing styles and the size of the room without affecting the tone and sounds produced.
Top 10 Best Roland Keyboard & Digital Piano Reviews
1. Best Overall -Roland FP-10 Weighted Digital Piano for Beginners
Brilliant features
- Has access to digital sheet music
- Compact, portable, space-saving design
- Bluetooth connectivity
- The flexible and sleek exterior makes it look right at home
- Powerful sound system
- It is affordable, considering its performance and features
- Has a transpose function to shift the pitch
Watch out for
- No line of jacks
- All its ports are in the back
The Roland FP-10 is an entry-level digital piano. It is highly portable ensuring that you can play anywhere the inspiration gets to you. Its compact space-saving design does not compromise on its sound quality, with its 88 note PHA-4 standard Roland keyboard as well as Roland’s super NATURAL piano tones.
The advanced piano technology ensures the tone it produces is superior to the satisfaction of professional pianists. Like other small-sized portable pianos, the Roland FP-10 is appropriate for playing at home, however, due to the sophisticated technology used in its design; it produces a powerful sound that will project clearly in small performance venues. Thus an external sound system is not required.
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2. Best 61-key Portable Keyboard -Roland GO-61K
Brilliant features
- Lightweight and compact making it portable
- Easy to use
- Touch-sensitive keys
- Loop mix feature allowing you to be creative
- Over 500 in-built tunes
- Bluetooth connectivity
Watch out for
- No split function
Roland GO-61K is an entry-level piano, and it is easy to use; it has a loop mix function that makes it possible for someone to produce songs even without prior music experience. Besides the mix loop feature, it offers a wide range of sounds to make your music exceptional. The piano is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to download tunes on the internet, and you can learn to play them on your keyboard.
The Roland Go Key has a compact design weighing 8.6 pounds; the piano is also battery operated with in-built speakers making it highly portable. The Roland GO-61K s equipped with over 500 sounds from the Roland synth models; you can thus use the sounds to imitate the sounds and create beautiful music. It has 61 touch-sensitive keys ideal for beginners. Going for about $320 is quite reasonable, given all its features and performance.
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3. Best Stage Piano -Roland JUNO-DS88
Brilliant features
- It is easy to transport
- Has a high-quality keyboard
- Has numerous sound options
- Easy to edit samples
Watch out for
- The LCD screen is a bit small
The Roland JUNO-DS88 is best known for its great sound and the ease in use, as well as the value it offers. It is equipped with some powerful enhancements to ensure it produces the best music. It has 88 weighted action keys. Its compact size and smart operation that makes it appropriate for rehearsing, recording or playing live. If you are going for a street performance or just recording some music in your studio, JUNO-DS88 will work just fine.
JUNO-ds88 is lightweight and is quick and easy to set up, making it suitable for bands (music on the move). It also has a battery power option making it an excellent choice for street performance, clubs, and pubs. The JUNO-DS88 has highly adjustable parameters that allow the player to easily select the performance modes, and this piano sets you apart from other pianists. As a beginner, you will start with the onboard sounds, but as you progress your synth too should improve, the modern synth supporting waveform will give you access to the best sounds giving you more musical inspiration
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4. Best 88-key Weighted Digital Piano -Roland FP-30
Brilliant features
- Highly portable
- Bluetooth MIDI connectivity
- Great sounds
- Touch-sensitive weighted keys
- Powerful speakers
- Can play MIDI/WAV files from a flash drive
Watch out for
- Limited external outputs
- Limited sound customization options
The Roland FP-30 (Full Review Here) is part of the Roland FP series. The FP series is known for its high quality; it is compact and still powerful, making it suitable for both home and stage performance. The FP-30 is an improvement from the FP-20. It comes with loads of new features such as the 88-note PHA-4 Standard keyboard with an ivory feel and escarpment. It is a lightweight with a compact design making it appropriate for musicians on the move.
Roland FP-30 is equipped with powerful digital features, Roland’s super NATURAL sound system together with the inbuilt speakers provide a dynamic music sound to your performance. The keyboard allows you to record your songs and save them for later use. It also has a headphone jack that allows you to play privately without anybody hearing your music. Its stylish and sleek design makes it suitable for your home stage or studio.
5. Best Upright Digital Piano -Roland RP-102
Brilliant features
- Easy, smooth operation
- Produces authentic sounds
- Compact for an acoustic piano
- Bluetooth connectivity and compartment with piano partner 2
- Has 200 preset songs
- Fully weighted keyboard keys
- Budget-friendly
Watch out for
- Limited options for sound customization
Factors considered when choosing a piano include your budget, space occupied by the piece and the lifestyle you live. If you want to find the best budget keyboard piano, Roland RP-102 is a great piece, all factors considered. It is compact, with great features, affordable and it produces excellent performance. It is equipped with Roland’s super NATURAL sound engine that guarantees a rich and quality sound. Besides the super NATURAL piano sound, the piece has a variety of non-piano sounds that give your work versatility. The non-piano sounds can either be played alone or along with the piano tunes.
The Roland RP-102 is one of the best upright piano, which has a PHA-4 88 key standard keyboard with ivory feel on the keys. It has an inbuilt Bluetooth connectivity allowing you to play your piano in conjunction with your Smartphone or tablet.
This piano is compatible with the Piano Partner 2 apps for both Android and iOS, which allows you to use your phone as a remote controller of your keyboard where you can access functions and settings that are not present in the control panel. It is ideal for your home with its 200 inbuilt songs not to mention its traditional look. It is also compact ensuring that it does not occupy too much space.
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6. Best Keyboard Workstation -Roland FA-06
Brilliant features
- Excellent sounds
- High speed
- The keyboard is of high quality
- Has an audio/ MIDI interface
- It has a 16 track sequencer
- Very portable for carrying around
Watch out for
- Few routing options
- The keyboard is not weighted
Roland FA-06 is part of the Roland FA series, known for its lightweight designs that hold lots of power. The fantom series was a huge success; the FA series succeeded in the Fantom series. The FA series is an improvement of the fantom series, meaning that it retains some of the features the fantom series had. The FA-06 is equipped with many features such as high-quality sounds and numerous effects. The keyboard has access to over 2000 sounds from the INTEGRA-7; moreover, you can increase your sound collection further with optional wave expansion.
Roland FA-06 keyboard powers up quickly; in 8 seconds, all changes you input are also instant which means there will be no delays. All the features are easily accessible. The LCD screen is large ensuring easy access to sounds and functions. It has a 16 track sequencer with a continuous loop recording that makes it easier for you to create songs quickly. It also has a 61- velocity-sensitive keyboard with a pleasant sticky feeling. The manual is also very light making playing very fast.
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7. Best Midi Keyboard Controller -Roland A-800
Brilliant features
- Easy access to every feature
- It provides access to secure connections
- Works with both Mac and PC
- Highly compact and lightweight
- Has 45 assignable controls
Watch out for
- Difficulty in engaging the aftertouch
- There is no way of disabling the bender lever from sending MIDI data
Roland A-800 is a keyboard you can use anywhere, on stage, in the studio or even in your bedroom, wherever the inspiration finds you, Roland A-800 is the perfect keyboard for you. This keyboard is equipped with features that will assist you in getting the most out of your music creations.
Besides having 61-velocity sensitive keys, this keyboard has assignable control knobs and buttons that you can assign the controls according to your choice. The features of This keyboard have been enhanced to eliminate vertical shake as well as the mechanical noise on the keystrokes.
Roland A-800 has been designed such that everything is within your reach, and you can easily access every feature on your keyboard when performing making the art of making music inspiring and accessible. Whatever your level of expertise in music is with a Roland A 800, you will make incredible music that people will appreciate.
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8. Best Cheap 25-key Portable Keyboard -Roland K-25M
Brilliant features
- The keyboard of high quality
- 25-note velocity-sensitive keyboard
- It has a three-position stand that tilts the module to get a better view; the flat option is also there.
- Has a 16 –pin flat cable connector
Watch out for
- The keys are a bit small
Roland K-25 is a 25 critical velocity-sensitive keyboard designed to be used together with the Roland Boutique Series synth. It measures less than 12 across, making it very portable. When paired with any boutique, with a step sequencer, it makes the inputting notes sound more organic. Roland K-25 makes Roland Boutique modules mobile music-making equipment.
The Roland K-25 M is compatible with various Roland models such as JU-06, JP-08, XJ-03, and VP-03 models. This compatibility makes it a vital piece of music. With a weight of one pound 9 ounces, and a height of 1.75 inches and a width of 12.12 inches, the Roland K-25 M is pretty very portable, and it can comfortably fit in a backpack or laptop bag making it perfect for a traveling musician.
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9. Best 37-key Synthesizer -Roland JD-XI
Brilliant features
- 37 touch-sensitive keys
- High-quality sounds
- Numerous high-quality features.
- It is highly flexible
Watch out for
- Lacks an SD card for storage
- The shift button is not centrally located
Roland JD-XI is a highly portable synth; it has a compact 37-velocity sensitive keys keyboard with a configurable response. It has a unique crossover sound engine giving both of the analog and the digital goodness. On the analog side, you get the bass and lead tones while the digital team gives you versatility and clarity. JD-XI is a collection of quality tools all put together in one equipment. The JD-XI has the auto pitch feature which can help you achieve robotic vocal sounds, with its high-quality gooseneck mic, you can be able to sing synth sounds without the use of the keyboard.
When its pattern sequencer is used together with a selection of onboard sounds, it will allow you to create a complete song that has both digital synth and analog synth. Working with the JD-XI will give you a lot of fun and big sound. With JD-XI, you will be able to build loops of any music genre with both real-time and step recording modes as well as the RT-REC style.
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10. Best Professional Synthesizer -Roland Fantom-6
Brilliant features
- High-quality sounds
- It has an analog filter
- Computer integration
- It has a well-built touch screen that allows you to control the DAW and Synths.
Watch out for
- A bit heavy
Roland Fantom-6 is a music work station keyboard, which is equipped with powerful production tools with computer integration to ensure that your music creation process is smooth. It has an expandable sound engine that produces the best of Roland’s electronic and acoustic sounds. It is designed for dramatic and rapid production of sounds.
Fantom-6 offers a complete music composition platform with RGB pads and a classic TR-REC pattern sequencer. It has knobs, sliders, and buttons for control of the many features it poses. Each user can choose what they prefer to use. It works well with computers and DAW from its touch screen. It has a semi-weighted 61-note keyboard that feels precise, solid and playable. Its sound engine can be described as a sonic power, and it is based on partials, each comprising of careful note.
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Different Types of Roland Keyboards
The different Roland keyboards include the Roland Digital Pianos, the Roland Portable keyboards, stage pianos, grand pianos, and midi keyboard controllers. Roland’s products are made with an innovative sense that keeps up with music technology. Their electric instruments have sounds already relieving music ‘producers and musicians the burden of coming up with new designs.
1. Roland Portable Keyboard
This type of manual is common among people learning to play the piano for the first time. It features less than 88 keys in their key-beds. It also has a fewer number of whistles and bells compared to other pianos.
As the name suggests, portable keyboards are meant to be carried around; therefore, the lightweight plastics are the materials that commonly build them. Therefore, their build quality is less compared to other keyboards.
The fact that they are supposed to carry around makes them lack most of the designs found in other pianos. However, they are affordable and also produce great sounds and quality tone. Novice pianist prefers these keyboards because their designs are less complicated, but they still feature high rhythms.
Examples of portable keyboards that Roland has manufactured include the Roland GO series and the EX series. The GO series is beginner-friendly and has a quality sound engine compared to its low price.
2. Roland Digital Piano
Digital pianos are famous for their sound quality, and right keys compare to keyboards. Digital pianos come in two forms: the portable digital pianos and the digital console pianos. Console digital piano is similar to furniture- style cabinets in the making.
The cabinet-like part in console pianos contains sound systems that come multi-speakers. They are more expensive for this feature creates a perfect soundscape. For professionals who play pianos at their homes, this is the best option.
Portable digital pianos are an upgrade of portable keyboards as they contain fully weighted hammer action keys. Beginners who have better experience in playing the keyboard prefer portable pianos for dangerous practice.
3. Roland Midi Keyboard Controller
Roland keyboard controllers work to inform the computer when you press the keyboard. In the case where the manual is built separately from the desktop, the keyboard controller is also separate. It sends data back and forth from the keyboard to the computer via the microcontroller.
Roland has designed different keyboard controllers such as A-800, A-300, A-500, and A-49.
These keyboard controllers have the following features: 8 changing pads that have different functions such as controlling data and velocity. The pads enable aftertouch, finger drumming, and triggering grooves. They also have 45 controls, such as sliders buttons and knobs. Other features include:61 velocity-sensitive keys, expression pedals and are also USB Bus powered; hence, they do not require an adaptor.
These keyboard controllers are used in the studio, on stage, or any other outdoor activity.
4. Roland Workstation
Roland workstations enable a musician to compose because it offers a musical keyboard, sound module, and music sequencer. A workstation combines the three to make one piece of equipment.
The brands of the workstation in the market are FA-06, FA-07, and FA-08.
5. Roland Synthesizer
Roland synthesizers are designed to copy and mimic sounds of instruments such as violins. They also create unique sounds enhancing creativity.
The Roland synthesizers currently available in the market is the Fantom series such as Fantom 7, Fantom 8, and Fantom 6. The A – edge also dominates the market.
How to Choose the Right Roland Keyboard?
Roland offers a wide variety of consoles to choose from, for both novices and professionals. Choosing a keyboard is determined by several factors, such as the experience or level of skill portability, interest, budget, and type of music.
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Choosing Digital Pianos
If you are looking for a portable digital piano, the Roland FP-30 digital piano is a wise choice. Not only is it compact but also lightweight and small in size. It comes with speakers that produce quality sounds, and it has Bluetooth features and capabilities. Bluetooth can connect to other mobile devices. It has no onboard sounds, but you can use a USB stick on it.
For professionals, the RD-800 digital piano is the right choice. This brand has vintage sounds and a wide variety of samples that inspire creativity because of its modern synth options. If you are performers who attend gigs and concerts, this option favors you because it is portable. The digital piano comes with over 1100 sounds. For musicians who yearn for versatile and unique music, this is the choice for you. During studio sessions, the digital piano is a great choice.
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Choosing Keyboard Controllers
Keyboard controllers that come with the excellent software are the best to use. The Roland A-88 has unique software and is also light and compact. This midi controller has gained many reviews as being among the best keyboard controllers in the market. It’s a sound module, and the easily accessible knobs and switches make making music enjoyable and effortless.
When purchasing, the keyboard controller looks for these that have the right software that is easy to understand. Lightweight keyboard controllers that have quality sound modules and the correct switches are the best to choose. The right choice is Roland A- 88.
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Choosing synthesizers
The best synthesizers are those that are have updated sounds and quality recording capabilities. The Roland Juno-DS61 is a 61 key synthesizer that has the qualities stated above. The expansion slots available in this synthesizer enable direct downloads from websites.
It is also portable and can record recordings from USB drives.
Conclusion
The Roland company manufactures electric musical instruments of high quality, better affordability, and durability. It has continued with companies such as Yamaha and stayed relevant in the market. Their customers continue to give positive reviews a clear indication of customer satisfaction.
