Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
Perhaps one of the great advantages the CP4/40 have over a lot of the opposition is that apart from the Nords, these are the first DPs I've come across which sound not only acceptable but actually very good in mono. For gigging pros, this is a really important point which Yamaha have really addressed. I spent about an hour this morning really honing a stock mono sound which is warm and expressive. When I switched back to some of the stereo offerings, I found myself _preferring_ my mono creation.
I haven't yet had chance to check out the RD800 but my memories of using my old RD700GX mono are not happy ones. It never failed to disappoint me how a DP which sounded so wonderful in the studio could sound so crappy live.
Btw, I agree with Marko that the standard presets don't show the CP4/40 at its best – but the good news is that you can go really quite deep with the editing to create a sound you like with relative ease. The first port of call for customisers should be the Velocity Depth and Offset parameters, closely followed by the Filter Cut-off and Res controls.
I should add the caveat that you may need to adjust these further depending on your amplification. The above sounds good to me through a single QSC K10, my standard amp.
I demoed the CP4 and RD800 again this afternoon for over an hour. They are both so nice sounding in their own way. At this point, Im changing my mind and leaning more to the the RD800. I might give the action to CP4 but just by a slight hair. Now, I think the RD800 might be the clear winner in overall sound and functionality - the whole package. The RD800 has something new that I was never able to hear with the RD700nx. Surprising to me because I'm not a Roland fan. I dug into the piano and tone designer as well as the live set edits. Wow, very impressed with the sound I was getting. AND I think I finally understand and hear what the "string resonance" is all about. Yes, the sound is "alive" with string resonance. Roland did something different this time around with the RD800 that truly addressed everything I disliked about their piano sound. Im certain I would have purchased the the RD800 today if I didn't know the MP7 is on it's way. I can't imagine the MP7 disappointing me and Im sure that will be my choice in the end. As nice as the RD800 is I cant see myself spending $2,500 on it knowing that the MP11 is within that reach and the MP7 much less. HOWEVER, Im glad and fortunate to have options now.
I think I finally understand and hear what the "string resonance" is all about. Yes, the sound is "alive" with string resonance.
Told ya! It is a real thing - glad you've come across to our side.
You got me, ando! I think you might be right without a doubt. I can somewhat detect the string resonance on my ES7 , but clearly on the RD800 with the option of 0-127. On some pieces I played with the string resonances turned up gave a very full, organic tone that indeed seems to come "alive" . This does not necessarily means it sounds "better" than the CP4 but certainly more "believable" . Maybe this is why I prefer the sound of the CG on my ES7 over the CP4 as I mentioned in a previous post.
So, I guess it's fair to say that string resonance is a credible and beneficial feature on a digital piano if properly implemented into the sound engine by the manufacturer. I'm also assuming string resonance can vary per manufacturer and not all sound and perform the same.
So, I guess it's fair to say that string resonance is a credible and beneficial feature on a digital piano if properly implemented into the sound engine by the manufacturer. I'm also assuming string resonance can vary per manufacturer and not all sound and perform the same.
Very much so. But I guess it's in the eye of the beholder which brands make a given piano come alive. For me, any string resonance is better than none - but some do it better than others. Roland does it well, Casio was reasonable. Kawai is good on their higher models. I can't recall if I ever experienced it on a Yamaha product - but if I did it wasn't great. The Yamahas have a nice overall tone in terms of samples, but they don't quite feel "alive" to me. That's why I won't even bother trying to track down a CP4 to try out (unless it's right in front of me, but I won't drive across town to find one). I was very disappointed by Yamaha's continued neglect of string resonance. I have a Yamaha acoustic anyway - plenty of resonance there! I'm very excited to try the Kawai MP7 because it might just fit the bill for a quiet practice/small gigs piano.
CP4 has music rest option. What do you do with RD800? No rest option, same as 700NX? Just curious what Roland owners do. I know it's not necessarily a significant feature for some. But it's a fairly important option on my checklist while shopping for my second DP.
It's a good question and is considerably significant to me. Do Roland assume their customers are too talented to need music? It is a big big problem for any serious classical musician not to have a music rest option while you are learning new pieces. Classic players don't busk. But it didn't stop me buying an RD700 NX. I have bought an adjustable music stand which stands immediately behind the piano and is the perfect answer until the music is memorised, which takes a long time for me.
CP4 has music rest option. What do you do with RD800? No rest option, same as 700NX? Just curious what Roland owners do. I know it's not necessarily a significant feature for some. But it's a fairly important option on my checklist while shopping for my second DP.
It's a good question and is considerably significant to me. Do Roland assume their customers are too talented to need music? It is a big big problem for any serious classical musician not to have a music rest option while you are learning new pieces. Classic players don't busk. But it didn't stop me buying an RD700 NX. I have bought an adjustable music stand which stands immediately behind the piano and is the perfect answer until the music is memorised, which takes a long time for me.
My V-Piano doesn't have a music rest either, but it's a slab, and unlike the V-Piano Grand, wasn't marketed for classical musicians. I suppose it allows for a shiny clean top surface, perfect for piling classical music scores on. (I have two big stacks on top to weigh the DP down, so that it wouldn't move when I thump hard..... ).
When I pointed out the absence of a music rest to my dealer, he threw in a Stagg music stand for free, which I mount behind the slab. It also means that I can play from two scores at the same time (one on the stand, the other on top of the slab).
Told ya! It is a real thing - glad you've come across to our side. 
).