Best
Home Digital Piano
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Overall: With Ivory-Like Keys
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Best Feature: Premium Keyboards
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TedScore™: 9/10
Best
Versatile
Digital Piano
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Overall: SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
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Best Feature: PHA-4 Standard Keyboard
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TedScore™: 9/10
Best
Beginner
Digital Piano
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Overall: SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
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Best Feature: Weighted Hammer Action Keys
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TedScore™: 9/10
I’ve recently discovered the Roland FP60X, a digital piano that strikes the perfect balance between compact elegance and advanced technology. With its SuperNATURAL Piano engine and PHA-4 Standard keyboard, it promises an authentic playing experience.
What I love about the Roland FP60X is its ability to deliver rich, high-quality sound thanks to its built-in speakers and various sound options. If you’re on a quest to explore a wide range of music styles with deep personalization, this might be the digital piano for you.
Keep reading to see how it can elevate your playing experience.
Overview of the FP-60X
I’m excited to introduce the Roland FP-60X, a digital piano that combines high-quality sound with a sleek design. This instrument is perfectly placed in the mid-range market and offers advanced features that cater to both budding pianists and experienced players.
Design and Build Quality
The FP-60X boasts a modern and stylish aesthetic that complements any setting. It’s designed with portability in mind, making it easy for me to transport between venues or practice spaces. The build quality is solid, ensuring durability without sacrificing elegance.
When I look at it, I see a compact design featuring an intuitive layout that enhances my playing experience. Its lightweight nature doesn’t compromise on stability, making it a reliable choice for live performances.
Key Features
The 88-Key PHA-4 Standard Keyboard offers a realistic touch response that closely mimics an acoustic piano, which I find immensely satisfying. This feature allows for expressive playing from delicate passages to vigorous chords, making it great for those who value touch sensitivity in their practice.
Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano Sound engine is a standout, delivering rich and detailed tones that capture the nuances of my playing style. I can easily adjust the equalizer settings to fine-tune the sound to my liking, making it versatile for various musical genres.
The FP-60X truly excels in providing a dynamic and immersive sound experience.
Roland FP-60X
FEATURES: SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
OTHER INFO: PHA-4 Standard Keyboard
- Features the SuperNATURAL sound engine
- Lightweight design and built-in Bluetooth connectivity
- Relatively expensive
When you click ‘Check Price’, you’ll see there are loads of great places to buy this item. Our personal favorite is Sweetwater for the US, and Thomann and Gear4Music for the UK & Europe.
They are the largest music retailers, with excellent customer service, competitive prices, really fast shipping, and the longest guarantees.
The professional musician who wrote this article combined many things,
from the product build, manufacturer’s reputation through to feedback
from other users, to create our famous TedScore™.
Key Action and Playability
When I explore the Roland FP-60X’s key action and playability, two elements shine: the lifelike Ivory-Feel Keys and the responsive Touch Sensitivity. These features ensure an authentic piano-playing experience, catering to both novices and professionals seeking precision and expression.
Ivory-Feel Keys
The FP-60X’s Ivory-Feel Keys are a revelation. They replicate the texture of real ivory and ebony, giving my fingers a comfortable feel. This design offers more than aesthetic appeal. It ensures a firm grip during long sessions, minimizing slipping.
The keys feature the PHA-4 Standard Keyboard with progressive hammer action, providing weighted keys. Lower keys are heavier, replicating an acoustic piano’s action. This weighted design supports dynamic playability, which is crucial for nuanced performances.
Touch Sensitivity
The FP-60X’s touch sensitivity is remarkably advanced. It detects the slightest variations in my touch, translating them into expressive sound changes. This aspect brings my playing to life, as the instrument responds fluidly to my intensity and speed.
Adjustable sensitivity settings further enhance user customization. I can calibrate the touch response to suit different pieces and styles. This flexibility is invaluable for practicing subtle pianissimo or robust fortissimo passages, catering to diverse musical expressions.
Sound and Expression
The Roland FP-60X is renowned for its impressive sound quality and expressive capabilities. Let’s explore its unique features and the built-in speaker system that enhances its rich tonal quality.
Supernatural Sound Engine
The SuperNATURAL Piano technology combines sample-based tones with advanced modeling, creating a strikingly realistic piano sound.
When I play, I notice how it captures every nuance, from the softest pianissimo to the most vigorous fortissimo. This beautifully expresses the dynamic range. The 256-note polyphony ensures that complex pieces are rendered without note dropouts, providing seamless performance.
The Headphone’s 3D Ambience effect further enriches my experience, simulating the spatial feeling of playing an acoustic piano. With an array of onboard sounds, including electric pianos, organs, and strings, I’m offered a broad palette to suit various musical styles.
This versatility makes it my go-to choice for achieving expressive performances.
Built-in Speakers and Quality
The FP-60X features an impressive built-in speaker system that delivers clear and detailed sound. When I play, the richness of the tones fills the room with depth and clarity.
These speakers are carefully designed to project both subtle nuances and more pronounced dynamics. Their capacity to faithfully reproduce sound is astonishing.
Playing through external amplifiers or using quality headphones offers a different experience, though the speakers provide fantastic standalone sound.
For practicing or performing, I’m constantly impressed by their ability to maintain sound quality without distortion. Whether I’m playing in a small room or a larger studio, the speaker design ensures that sound is evenly distributed, making every practice session enjoyable and effective.
Connectivity Options
The Roland FP-60X is packed with versatile connectivity features, ensuring seamless integration with modern devices. This section explores its Bluetooth and USB capabilities and its robust Audio/MIDI functionality, highlighting how these options enhance the playing experience.
Bluetooth and USB
I find the Roland FP-60X’s Bluetooth capability to be incredibly useful. The Bluetooth MIDI and Audio feature allows me to wirelessly connect the piano to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This is perfect for accessing music apps without the clutter of cables.
Another key feature is the USB interface. The USB-to-Computer port facilitates straightforward data transfer, notably for MIDI communication. This USB capability is essential for connecting with music software on my computer, expanding my creative possibilities.
Audio/MIDI Functionality
The FP-60X offers comprehensive Audio/MIDI connectivity, making it a versatile tool for any musician. With Bluetooth Audio, I can stream music directly from my devices, turning the piano into a high-quality speaker system. The MIDI over USB option allows for smooth integration with DAWs on my computer.
Although a wired MIDI connection using a 5-pin MIDI cable isn’t possible directly, a third-party MIDI host box can be a helpful solution. This workaround opens up even more opportunities to connect and collaborate with other MIDI instruments, enhancing the FP-60X’s versatility.
Enhanced Features for Performance
The Roland FP60X offers advanced functionalities tailored to enhance musical performances. Key features focus on personalizing the sound experience and expanding the creative possibilities for live and studio settings.
My Stage and Piano Designer
With My Stage and Piano Designer, the FP60X allows me to customize my piano experience in ways I find particularly effective. My Stage offers predefined setups that simulate various environments, enriching the auditory experience based on venue acoustics.
The Piano Designer feature gives me control over individual aspects of the piano sound. I can adjust string resonance, damper noise, and more, allowing for a tailored sound texture that fits my style. This customization is vital for musicians who desire a unique sound signature.
Equalizer and Vocal Effects
The integrated equalizer allows me to adjust audio frequencies, ensuring optimal sound clarity whether I’m performing solo or with an ensemble. This feature is crucial to maintaining the intended sound quality in diverse settings, from intimate rooms to larger venues.
Moreover, the FP60X includes vocal effects that can enhance performances involving singers. I can apply effects like reverb and chorus to vocals, elevating the overall sound experience. This is particularly useful during live performances where vocal clarity and texture are critical for audience engagement.
Practice and Learning Tools
Exploring the features of the Roland FP-60X reveals its dedication to enhancing musicians’ practice and learning. This digital piano is equipped with tools like a built-in metronome and dual headphone jacks, facilitating private practice sessions.
Built-in Metronome
As a musician, timing is everything, and the FP-60X understands this well with its built-in metronome.
I can easily set it to match different time signatures and tempos, which is invaluable for honing my rhythm. The metronome is audibly clear and integrates seamlessly into practice sessions, allowing me to stay on beat without any fuss.
This feature is incredibly useful for beginners and seasoned players alike. It’s not just about staying on time; it also helps develop a more structured practice routine. It is essential for polishing pieces and enhancing overall playability.
Private Practice Sessions
Privacy during practice can significantly elevate the learning experience. The FP-60X is designed with dual headphone jacks, making private sessions easily accessible. This means I can explore dynamics and nuances without disturbing others.
Sharing the session is also possible with a teacher or fellow musician, thanks to these dual jacks.
The immersive experience provided by the FP-60X extends with its 3D ambiance settings. It offers a unique sound environment through headphones that feels like an open performance space. This feature is imposing, allowing me to enjoy compelling practice sessions without needing to rely on external speakers.
Integration with Music Software
The Roland FP-60X offers an engaging experience, integrating smoothly with various music software and apps. It provides flexibility and creativity for enthusiasts and professionals alike, making it a versatile tool for both performance and production.
Compatibility with Apps
The FP-60X shines in its ability to connect with various apps, opening the doors to numerous musical explorations. It’s compatible with Roland’s apps, which are designed to enhance the capabilities of your piano.
Piano Every Day and Roland’s Zenbeats are beneficial apps that allow you to interact directly with your instrument, offering features like practice diaries and sheet music access. What’s even better? Bluetooth MIDI connectivity ensures that these apps communicate seamlessly with your piano.
Additionally, the integration doesn’t stop at Roland apps. The FP-60X also plays nicely with iOS and Android music apps. Whether you want to use it for practice, music learning, or just having fun creating new tunes, apps like GarageBand are fantastic options.
Recording and Composition
The magic truly happens when using the FP-60X in a recording setup. The piano is equipped with features designed for easy integration into digital audio workstations, which means less hassle for me when laying down tracks.
Many musicians like myself enjoy incorporating the FP-60X with software such as GarageBand or other Music Production Software. Its MIDI capabilities ensure that it connects directly, providing precise control over my sound.
It also pairs beautifully with apps like Roland’s Zenbeats, allowing me to explore new sounds and refine my compositions quickly. This makes the process of recording and producing music both fun and efficient.
Other Roland FP Series Units
Roland FP-30X Digital Piano
PERFECT FOR: Players at home or on the go
FEATURES: With ivory-like keys similar to that of an acoustic piano
OTHER INFO: The PHA-4 is one of Roland's premium keyboards
Roland FP-30X Digital Piano
- Lightweight and compact
- Bluetooth connectivity for speakers and headphones is included
- Purchase includes three free months of access to Skoove - Roland's online learning platform
- None!
When you click ‘Check Price’, you’ll see there are loads of great places to buy this item. Our personal favorite is Sweetwater for the US, and Thomann and Gear4Music for the UK & Europe.
They are the largest music retailers, with excellent customer service, competitive prices, really fast shipping, and the longest guarantees.
The professional musician who wrote this article combined many things,
from the product build, manufacturer’s reputation through to feedback
from other users, to create our famous TedScore™.
Roland FP-80-BK
FEATURES: SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
OTHER INFO: Weighted Hammer Action Keys
- Features the SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine weighted keys provide better control over dynamics
- It offers a range of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, USB, and audio inputs/outputs
- Higher Price Point
When you click ‘Check Price’, you’ll see there are loads of great places to buy this item. Our personal favorite is Sweetwater for the US, and Thomann and Gear4Music for the UK & Europe.
They are the largest music retailers, with excellent customer service, competitive prices, really fast shipping, and the longest guarantees.
The professional musician who wrote this article combined many things,
from the product build, manufacturer’s reputation through to feedback
from other users, to create our famous TedScore™.
Final Thoughts:
Roland FP60X
The Roland FP-60X is an exceptional digital piano with a mic input jack. This allows musicians to enhance their performances with vocals while using professional music production software.
With its powerful stereo sound system, the FP-60X delivers rich piano tones and authentic organ sounds, making it ideal for both practice and live performances. A damper pedal and music rest add to its functionality, providing a more traditional piano experience.
Additionally, the piano designer function allows users to customize their sound, while the ability to connect to an external sound system ensures that the music can be enjoyed at larger venues. For added convenience, it also includes a stereo miniature phone type output for easy connectivity to headphones or other audio devices.
Bluetooth Connectivity: Easy pairing with devices for music apps.
Built-In Rhythm Patterns: Perfect for keeping the practice sessions lively.
Compact Design: Fits well in small spaces while still looking sleek.
It’s also worth noting its versatility. The Roland FP-60X is ideal for a variety of settings, whether that’s a home studio, a performance venue, or simply a living room.
Ultimately, the combination of modern features, realistic sound, and responsive touch make it a compelling choice for musicians at different stages in their journey. The FP-60X might be an investment, but it can truly elevate your musical endeavors.
Wait! Don’t go yet…
Explore the key differences between digital and acoustic pianos in this insightful article, helping you decide which instrument best suits your musical journey!
