Roland RD-88 Stage Piano
The Roland RD-88 is one of our favourite stage pianos on the market because of its lightweight and compact design, making it perfect for those needing a portable keyboard. Weighing at just 13.5KG, your back will be saved when going to-and-fro from your gigs. Nothing is worse than having to lug around a huge keyboard. This Roland Stage Piano is the perfect lightweight keyboard for live performances. Usually when a live keyboard is compact and light, the realism and quality of the action have to be sacrificed. This is absolutely not the case with the RD-88, as it features the PHA-4 action found in many Roland Digital Pianos. This has individually-weighted keys, graduating in feel from left to right, ivory/ebony feel and escapement, just like a high-end Grand Piano. It even has built-in speakers, which is easy to forget when picking it up! These speakers are surprisingly loud for the size, making them perfect for home practice and small rehearsals. The speakers can be turned off/on with a button on the front panel. All the best Stage Pianos need to have the highest quality sounds possible and they need to be accessed/edited instantly. Due to the hands-on approach on the front panel, with plenty of onboard parameters to control the 90+ inbuilt effects, the RD-88 is exactly that. Piano sounds, there is also a massive selection of popular instruments. You will find Organs, Strings, Clavs, synth sounds, and many more, all courtesy of Roland's Zen-Core sound engine.
Once you have found your perfect sounds, you can then split/layer 3 independent zones. Each Zone can be either be from the internal sound engine or from a source external to the RD-88, like Apple's Mainstage Software. The technology in the RD-88 has been designed with the future in mind. Zen-Core is more than just a sound engine, it is also an Eco-System, unlocking the potential of your Roland gear like never before. Zen-Core allows you to seamlessly share patches between Zen-Core compatible products, enabling you to use your favourite instrument for each specific musical part required.
For example, you can perfectly craft a vintage Zen-Core synth sound on the Jupiter, put that into your Roland Fantom to create a track and then place the final version into your RD-88 to play live. You can even directly communicate with the Roland Cloud Zen-Core sounds and have your favourite sounds stored on your computer, synthesiser, workstation and stage piano. The RD-88 slots perfectly on top of the Roland KS-10Z Keyboard Z Stand and fits in the Roland CB-76RL Keyboard Carrying Bag.
For users looking to layer/split more instruments, have a more detailed effects section, a modelled piano and a hybrid wooden action, check out the RD-2000. If you require a keyboard with the same great feel and do not need sounds/speakers, check the Roland A-88 MKII Midi Keyboard Controller.