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That's definitely very interesting!! Thanks for questioning him on all that...

Maybe the 'rich strings' thing is a polyphony issue?? Maybe more samples are used with-in that patch or something??? If not.... then maybe that's the sort of thing that can be fixed with a software update (rather than the processor thing)

Very nice to hear the issue on my video doesn't seem to happen, where just playing piano on its own, with 8 notes etc. However he didn't seem too confident in his answer... but confident enough.

Did he get the issue to happen when playing back .WAV though?? because that's one of the big deal breakers for me as you all know.

If not, then maybe this will be an option for me... really hope so. Absolutely crazy how the problem doesn't seem to happen on the FP yet it does on the NX (a better keyboard!) - The only thing that's putting me off now is that forum that someone linked to saying the problem DOES happen. I'm waiting for a reply from Japan still for their view on the issue and if it happens on the FP or not.

Hopefully sometime next week I'll make a visit to the music shop and I'll carry out very strong tests on the FP and the CP5, and will report back

Thanks again for this

We have a problem!

I've just been talking to the same youtube user.... and asked him about the audio playback etc.

I got this reply

I tested it a bunch this morning. I started playing some preset background music (not sure if it was a .WAV or not) and was clearly able to reproduce unfortunately. I can barely hear the problem without the backing track, but was able to when playing the chords even faster than in your video.

I never notice that when playing, but yea that sucks for you, as it is quite noticeable in your piece. Being a processor issue is a good guess. Looks like you might have to wait for the next gen's, unless by some magic a software update would fix the problem.

So... unless the preset backings are MP3 (which I doubt) It looks like we're going to have the EXACT same problem as playing back audio in the NX. And as you know the audio play back is also what i'm in it for.

He also says he could get the normal cut off problem when playing faster than me in my video... So that worries me, if it happens without audio it will definitely happen WITH audio play back, and although he says 'faster' It sounds like me doing 'ragtime' sort of vamping (which can happen a lot in shows I play for) the issue is going to arise again.

Obviously I will still test for myself... but what on earth are we supposed to do now! There's NO other Roland Stage piano that has SN pianos... and it seems none of the Roland keyboards can actually handle SN pianos 100% ... never mind with audio playback!!

This really is annoying.

But the 700NX can handle SN pianos 100%, as long as you don't play MP3 / WAV files or layer it, correct?

And if you layer it with strings it seems to be only the strings that suffer, and not the SN piano, correct? I played with that some yesterday and I believe I can get the strings to behave somewhat better if I increase the reserve for them.

I ran into tons of polyphony issues several years ago when rendering complex piano pieces (many notes and lots of continuous pedal) via Kontakt. It's quite an eye-opener to see the polyphony count skyrocket past 300 on an 88 key instrument. Left, right, note release, key up/down noises, it can all add up to a much larger number than one might imagine. The worst part was the Kontakt note stealing algorithm wasn't very sophisticated, so the absence of most of the stolen notes was conspicuously audible.

Anyway, I just spent half an hour or so playing several of those complex piano MIDI files on the NX and I couldn't hear any note stealing, decay truncation, or anything else weird going on. I know that doesn't help you JHbackingtracks with the way you want to use the NX, and I don't like running into limitations in the expensive things I buy, but the NX so far is working out pretty well for us.

All those bad news come too late, as I have already ordered it! :P

Anyways, as long as those are confined to playing over a backing track, I'm fine. I guess I'll just have to see how the situation plays out, and if I'm not satisfied I'll just return it.

Unfortunately not correct! If I play block chords, or vamp.... or play about more than 8 notes at the same time with a quick release, I get the horrible 'cut off' sound. As shown in my video at the start before I play with an audio file. (It happens more on the Concert grand patch)

So when playing a lot of the songs I would play with a solo piano, it just can't handle it... and especially when coming through a loud theatre system the cut off is ridiculous. So it's not just when you layer sounds

It's strange because the problem isn't actually a polyphony issue, it's the processor not being able to handle the 'quick' release or something, because you can easily sustain and press all the notes down and no notes drop out.. so it's not a polyphony issue, it seems to be the processor not being able to handle the SN sounds.

I can't respond to the polyphony issues, I use mine simply "as a piano." I played another Roland keyboard with the same action and ordered the FP-7F sight unseen. I think the action and feel of the keys is outstanding, better than acoustic uprights that cost 3x the price of the Roland. Now if someone could help me adjust the sounds....

When not playing back audio, I use mine simply as a piano as well... but on the NX, when using it simply as a piano I can still replicate the 'cut off' sounds when playing more than 8 notes (and sometimes only a few notes after playing a demanding sequence a second before etc.) When vamping on block chords and playing a solo in the right hand, it just can't handle it and does the horrible 'cut off' so - can you not reproduce this problem with the FP??

I will be glad to help you adjust the sounds as soon as I've had a play on one and get to grips with how it works compared to the NX.

That would be great. I am using it with the settings "as is" when I got it. I have it on the grand piano setting, and to me the sound are very muted, not really alive at all. I am too lazy to figure out how to change the settings! But the action I think is unbelievable. It even has that little "bump" that you get on a grand action when you press the key down slowly.

Well the RD-300NX is all SN pianos I believe, but you're taking a step backwards in action. This cannot be a polyphony issue because supposedly my NP88 has 40-60 notes polyphony, and yet, when I play the exact same way, I get none of the problems that I got on my RD-700GXF and you're getting on your RD-700NX.



I'm curious dewster, could you help shed some light on why the NP88 doesn't have any polyphony issues, note stealing, etc. with a Nord spec'd polyphony of just 40-60 voices? When looking at that, it seems so low since the norm today is 128 voices, yet I have NO issues with the NP88.

I think the reason it happens on these particular Roland 128 polyphony ones, is it's not actually a polyphony issue (as I can sustain and play all the notes and don't get any cut offs) its a problem with the actual processor not being able to 'keep up' with what I'm playing?? e.g me playing a quick 'stab' with 8 notes and the sound just cuts out. Rather than doing a 'note steal'

Thats my view on it anyway...

Yeah, I spoke with a Roland tech on the phone at length about this, and he acknowledged a deficiency in the RD-700GXF processor but didn't outright say there was issue on with the RD-700NX. Of course he wouldn't, it's their flagship stage piano. I know it is super frustrating for you. I went and played the RD-700NX and V-Piano at length this week, and perhaps it's because I've been playing on the NP88, but the RD-700NX felt just terrific. It sounded and played so well, and the beautiful LCD screen, it's a great instrument, aside the issues with note stealing.

There is only one SN AP in the 300NX: Concert. The 700NX has Concert, Studio, and Brilliant. I'm not sure which I like the sound of the most, Concert or Studio. Brilliant is too clangy IMO.

I believe all three of the SN EPs transferred over from the 700NX to the 300NX, and a boatload of PCM sounds too. Too bad the value wheel and other control knobs didn't make it.


It may be the way Nord defines polyphony. One voice to them might mean one note and all the extra stuff such as L&R (stereo), note-off damp sound, key noises, etc. though that's pure speculation on my part. It may be that you can't layer it (true?) so that load is off of it. And it could simply be that you just haven't stressed it enough or in the right way.

Am I correct in saying that no one here, including JHbackingtracks, has heard the SN AP note cutoff issue with just the SN voice playing (no layering, no WAV/MP3 playing)?

Thanks dewster, I think you're probably right, because purely from a technical point of view, I see no other way for the NP88 to sound as good as it does with no issues associated with lack of polyphony, even though it says 40-60 on paper.

I did hear the decay drop off sharply on my RD-700GXF, but only while applying the fast thick comp chords. Interestingly, also on my RD-700GXF, when switching back to non-SN piano voices, playing the same way did not result in the abrupt shortening of decay.

This was with no layering and no WAV/MP3 playing?

Yep. I never used the WAV/MP3 feature on my RD-700GXF. When I did layer the RD-700GXF...good grief it was bad. Serious cutting out issues. But again, I played the same choppy thick comp chords with both SN and non-SN and I never experienced the cut off with non-SN pianos (or any other DP for that matter), just with SN pianos.

Which is why it HAS to be a problem with the SN pianos....... (or more a problem with the processor) not being able to handle the 'goodness' of the SN pianos

I wonder if the note cut can be produced on the NON-SN pianos with audio playback. How bad/good are the non SN pianos compared to the SN ???

Maybe that could be another option for me, the GX???

Dewster - If you watch my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNNGiJjPEI4&feature=channel_video_title - You'll see the problem happening without any layering, or music playback. I then show it WITH audio playback, and then again without. It's much worse with audio playback.... but still not acceptable without audio playback.

It seems to have a mind of its own, and can get worse/better sometimes... and in the video, that's it about half way i'd say, I've heard it 50% worse... it seems to be what you do, and the amount of time you spend doing it that makes the next part worse etc.

My head is absolutely done in through all these forums and Roland contacting, and more keyboard searching and just everything.... - If only I could have just purchased the NX and everything work 100% (I used to think highly of Roland....)

I've watched your video before but only heard the note chop problem once you engaged the backing track, not before.

Now I'm pretty sure I hear it in the first 8 seconds. Thanks, you've answered the question I've asked many times now. I'll try to do that on our NX after the group class is over this evening and report back.

Any FP7F owners try the MP6? Also had ivory feel but felt much heavier. Didn't have the bounce at the bottom but felt harder to play. This is coming from a beginner though. Some acoustics do feel like the Roland but others feel like MP6. I'm about to get the FP-7F because I still like it better for now.

The fact that the owner's manual for the RD700NX warns you that the board will sometimes have its processor overloaded and will not be able to keep up is a pretty good indication that Roland has not put enough processor in to do the work the board is promising. When problems actually crop up, there should be no surprise. Buyer beware.

I've tried both and bought the FP-7F. The MP6 is better at some stuff though, but I preferred the feel of the keys and the AP sounds better and seeing that was what I set out to get, it was an easy'ish choice for me..


Regards. Rimmer