Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Help finding a new keyboard - RD-2000 vs Dexibell S7 vs ???

Hi all,

I've recently been looking at upgrading my Roland FP30 to something that would fit my workflow better. I am not a trained pianist, and have only been playing for a few years. I am a hobbyist composer and like to compose/draft on piano, so some features I am looking for are:

• Decent key action. It doesn't have to perfectly simulate a grand piano because I don't have enough experience playing on grands to remember what they feel like
• Good set of sounds that are easy to navigate through and load up on different tracks. They don't have to be the best sounds because for a finished song I would use VSTs, but I like to do everything on the piano instead of having to load up VSTs every time I want some strings or something. I would prefer very good piano sounds though.
• A record button that can record audio/preferably also MIDI data so I don't have to transcribe
• Bonus points if it can double very well as a MIDI controller for my DAW

Some pianos I've been considering are the RD-2000, Dexibell S7 Pro, Nord Stage 4, and Kawai MP11SE.

RD-2000 - Only piano I've been able to try of the list, love the action of the PHA-50 keybed, but don't love the piano sounds. Its one of my complaints with the FP30.
Dexibell S7 Pro - I've heard good things about it, it sounds very good to me, and cheaper than the Nord. Worried about the keybed as I have not been able to try it.
Nord Stage 4 - Similar to Dexibell but more expensive from what I can tell. Good sounds but worried about keybed.
Kawai MP11SE - I am not totally thrilled about this because it seems it doesn't have the greatest selection of sounds.

I'd like to stay under $3,000, preferably around the $2,500 range but can stretch if need be.

I would love any input or advice regarding this, most of these pianos are not available locally at my Guitar Centers/Sam Ash (Northern NJ if anyone has any dealer recommendations in the area). Thanks everyone!

Kawai MP7SE should be added to your list.

There is no Nord Stage 4. So you presumably mean either Nord Stage 3 or Nord Piano 4.

Dexibell S7 Pro will feel broadly similar to those Nords, as all three use some version of the Fatar TP-40. Not identical. But they should feel closer to each other than they would feel to the Roland or the Kawai (or than the Roland and Kawai would feel relative to each other).

Kawai MP7SE has more sounds than MP11SE. It still has a nice action, probably better than what's on the Nord/Dexibell.

I don't think any Nord has any recording ability (for either audio or MIDI), you'd have to at least connect something like a smartphone, if you didn't want to connect to your computer. Dexibell and RD2000 record audio to USB. I believe the Kawais can do that and also record MIDI.

When you talk about sounds that you can load up on different tracks, do you mean you want the keyboard to have its own ability to record something, then play that back while you lay something else over it? I don't think any Nord, Dexibell, or Kawai does that, nor that particular Roland. Their lower cost FA-08 does this, though it has has a lesser action and piano sounds. From Korg, you could look at the Nautilus (or Krome and Kross which have lesser actions and piano sounds). I think Casio PX-560 does this, too. Also Kurzweils... Forte, PC4, K2700. Actions vary...

Thanks, I meant the Nord Piano 4! I have tried the Stage 3 and it was a bit too light for me, I heard the action is different on the Piano line.

Regarding the loading sounds on different tracks I definitely used the wrong term here. I just mean the feature that I know the RD2000 has where you have multiple channels or whatever that a sound can be on, then I can have for example Piano on ch1 and Strings on ch2 and adjust the faders for volume/change which sound is actively playing. Just so I can have a couple sounds ready to mess around with. I don't need the ability to play something then play that back and play over it, which I know a lot of (all?) workstations have.

I tried the Nautilus but wasn't thrilled with the action, and have tried some other Korgs but don't remember the models, so haven't been looking at Korgs since then (though I actually know the employee at Korg who recorded the all playing no talking video!)

Good to know the Nord doesn't have recording, I definitely missed that.

I will take a look at the MP7SE, I didn't know it had more sounds.

Ah! Indeed, that's a feature you'd find in any workstation. What you're asking for is basically just "layers" which is much more common, and definitely opens up a wider range of possibilities. All the boards you mentioned can do that, as well as the MP7SE that looks like it has been added to the short list.

With your focus on actions, the Yamaha P515 could be another to check out. It does have recording functions.

Thanks! I really want to try the P515 but as many others on the forum have lamented, they're out of stock until late this year at the earliest If I could find a clavinova with the NWX action to try in person that could at least give me an idea of if waiting for the p515 is worth it.

Are you or anyone else familiar with the action of the Nord Stage 3 vs Piano 4/Dexibell S7 Pro? I tried the Nord Stage 3 and if the action isn't much different on the Piano4/S7 Pro then I can take them off my list I think. I like them a lot for their sounds, but if the action is similar I know I wouldn't enjoy playing them.

If you are considering RD-2000, look also to Roland FP-90X - it has the same keybed PHA-50 but updated sound engine - the same as on LX models, and still plenty of sounds. It is cheaper and you can add a wooden stand with pedals to it.

The reason I've not been considering the FP90x is because it doesn't have as many controls on it as I want, that stage pianos have. I imagine navigating sounds on the FP90x is the same as the FP30. I'd like to be able to layer sounds and have them more easily browsable like on stage pianos/workstations.

Actually it looks like the FP90x has layering for 2 instruments at once so may be worth checking out.

Setting aside DPs designed as true stage pianos for a moment, most DPs, from the low end up to high end, both portable and cabinet designs, support basic layering of 2 voices AKA instruments AKA sounds AKA patches, such as a piano layered with an EP, or strings, or ...... You generally can adjust the balance of volume between these two voices so that they are equal or one will be more dominant sounding than the other.

As to stage pianos, any portable, like an ES110 or FP30, can be put on a stage and used for gigging, and many people do, and they may sound fine, but these are not DPs truly designed for regular stage work like an RD2000 or MP7.

Stage pianos have many sound/effects config options, to include options for layering 3 or more voices. On a Kawai MP7, these are called “zones”, for instance MP7 has buttons and sliders to control 4 zones with several knobs and menu options for adjusting/manipulating the characteristics of each voice/zone .. ... Roland and other brands may have their own lingo for stage boards.

I’m definitely a dexibell fan.

Have 2 of them. I recently played a RD88, sonically from a piano purist POV, it doesn’t compare.

How do you compare your Dexibell action to the RD88? And which Dexibells do you have?

thanks. I looked up my FP30 and it does have layering as a feature but it's not as easy/convenient as a stage piano. I really liked the ability on the RD2000 to easily add different sounds to different layers and easily switch between them. I guess I'll have to do more research into each model to make sure it looks convenient enough that I'd want to use it. I imagine any actual stage pianos will be good and it might vary with other DPs.

P3
S1

the Roland action is wonderful
The P3 is a shallow hammer action

What’s superior about the German PLT is it’s harmonic character. Something the Roland doesn’t have.

I tried a few pianos again at GC.

• RD-2000 - still like the action but really don't like the piano sounds honestly. Not the biggest deal since I use pianoteq often and a million other piano VSTs but still defeats the purpose of not having to use my PC if I don't want to.
• Used Yamaha P255 - Really loved the sound of the CFX here, didn't love the action but thought it was okay. A little stiff/heavy for me.
• Yamaha YC88 - Thought it wasn't as good in action/sound as the P255, but it was okay overall. Better sound than RD-2000.
• Nord Stage 3 again - Really hated the piano sounds on this with my headphones. Don't understand why they sounded so bad. Don't like the key action at all I've decided, not sure if Piano 4 or the S7 Pro would be better.

Ah okay, you haven't tried the S7 Pro have you? Really wondering if that action would be good enough for me or not.

No I haven’t. Your first post said what you were looking for; not trying to say anything other than the fatar TP40 action is one of the standards for professional DP’s.

Right. I understand its a standard and common and great for a lot of performers. Just trying to understand how it might feel in the Dexibell that's all.

Aren’t you looking at the CP88 by Yamaha?

From listening to demos I was surprised at the YC88’s brittle character.

I haven't really looked at it since it's not available anywhere that I could find (lots of keyboards are unavailable though). But I might look into it more after hearing the beautiful CFX in the P255. Just tried the YC88 because it was at the Guitar Center.