What a great comparison. Man they both do things beautifully yet so differently. Goes to show you how far your dollar stretches nowadays with digital pianos (especially with the RD-88). Amazing performance from both instruments. Far exceeds anything that was imaginable 20yrs ago! Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
I own the MODX8. But both keyboards have pretty nice piano sounds. Great to hear them side by side to really hear the difference. I'm partial to the Yamaha's brighter sound, especially for playing with a band. BTW - excellent playing! Thanks for the comparison!
Would you prefer modx8 over rd88? I think rd88 sounds better in piano but considering other sounds and functionality, it seems like modx8 would be better. Im trying to buy it for live session and recording
@@jameskim7132 Tried both and finally owned the modx8. They are made for different purposes. The rd88 comes in a small package, equipped with internal speakers, and covers a lot of sound aeras with a few options. But the modx is a real and huge fm synth, its rompler is strongly deep, and it becomes easy to dial within the different sounds. You can build your own sounds, live sets. And as I found the CFX too polish compared to my NS2, but less brighter than my sold Roland FP4, I am gonna load third party pianos to find the sound I like, with its imperfections, as the modx enables you to store 1go of samples. Last but not least, the drum section and sound design is in another league. Actually, the question of the place of a piano in a band context can be solved internal eq's. And again all depends on the kind of music you will play
I have to wonder if you learned how to edit the sounds well, and even layer a few different piano sounds together on the MODX - because I thought the piano was bad until I learned how to edit everything, now I think the piano sounds I get from it are top notch! I combine different piano voices on it, and it sounds totally realistic like the chords vibrating when you play a real piano.
@@Johnherlihy1 Hey John, could you maybe tell me how you edited your modx piano to sound more realistic like the rd-88? I just bought a modx and im scared I won’t be able to get sounds as realistic as the rd-88
The Roland for sure. All the way for piano and feels. Was at guitar center playing both side my side and I gotta give it to Roland. Coming from a Yamaha guy all my life. Im slowly transitioning to Roland’s RD line up for piano sounds. They’re just better. Fuller. And maybe have a back up keyboard like the modx for everything else
RD88 any day over modx. Light Weight + onboard sound + perfect key action + deep integration with mainstage based 3rd party sounds and effects. While the acoustic piano sounds very nice on RD88, I usually play the grandeur from native instruments with my RD88. I think RD88 is ground breaking for its price / portability
When you watch comparisons on TH-cam and play it in person the preference change a lot. Here I would definitely choose MODX, but after playing them in store , ooh wow! Roland kills it big time, specially if you’re looking for a realistic piano sound and keys responsive . I bought the MODX more for the functionality is way more ample.
Yes. Didn't even consider the Roland. Wasn't even in the market. Then one of my students bought one and I had to have it. One aspect of touch often overlooked is provided by the built in speakers. Even if you can't hear them, when ones fingers feels that sound the realism becomes unreal.
You didn't edit the voices on the MODX, that is why. I have owned both, and the MODX is way better after you edit and layer piano voices on it. All you did was sat down and played preset voices. The piano sounds good on the Roland, no denying that, but the MODX is way better after editing voices on it and combining piano voices with layers.
I was sold on the MODX, was shopping for a lightweight keyboard with great piano sound and the MODX sounded the best to me - on the Internet. However, when I got it home, the pianos all sounded like crap, no matter if it was through good headphones, studio monitors, I even bought a keyboard amp thinking that would do it. I will say right here, I was strictly looking for piano sound, I'm learning piano, but am a retired pro musician and have a critical ear. So, if you are looking for a synth, yeah, MODX is great. I found out that to get good piano sounds from the MODX you have to deep dive, do some detailed tweaking, so I did that, still, meh.Downloaded the Bosendorfer patches, still meh. Plus a headache. I'm not ultra tech savvy, but I can usually figure things out, but in the end I was pissed. Why would you put out a keyboard with great piano sounds that you have to tweak the daylights out of to find? I took it back, got the RD 88 and was smiling within the hour. Yeah, sounds like a piano, and all the adjustments are at your fingertips. At first I was a little bummed because the action seemed stiff, I have arthritis in my hands and need a light action, like the MODX7 had or similar. But lo and behold, you can adjust the action on the RD 88 and it is a breeze to do. I say all this to maybe save another soul a lot of hassle, money and sweat. If you are really good with adjusting parameters and have a lot of time to do so, then MODX is a fine choice, plus it is a killer synth. But if you, like me, are looking for solid piano sounds and don't want to pull your hair out to get there, buy the RD 88, I love it more every day. Connects easily to Logic, too. MODX, not so much.
The Roland has a much more realistic sound and the feel of the keyboard is much better I tried them all out and I bought the the rd 88 by far the best move I ever made
To me, the Yamaha has an very artificial reverb sound. The Roland does a better job of the capturing the sympathetic resonances you would hear on an real grand piano.
I prefered both looks and sounds of Roland RD-88, but that is just my own taste. Yamaha MODX8 also does a good job in its way (but it's just not my preference way).
I haven't played rd88 but I tried testing the rd 2000 which also contains rd 88's sounds, I ended up buying the modx. The imperial grand expansion for modx suits to my taste
This is a great comparison... but would've rather seen it compare modx to the fp90. Both cost $2k so in the same price range. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to dump $2k on a keyboard, am I better off going for the modX for the flexibility of playing with FM synthesis while have a decent piano and proper hammer graded action - or - just go with the most natural-sounding piano sounds on the market along with one of the best keybeds but less functionality. I love the Roland sound and keys, but FM synthesis on the Yamaha is amazing. Any suggestions?
If you want a good piano with good sound and reliability go for Roland.I have a FP 4 from 2006 and its working fine.My son hit the keys every day on the drums sound.In the church we have a FP 7 from 2008 and works like a new one.
Do you think the Roland RD-88 sounds great on speakers and amps etc? I want to know so that I can buy one since I’ve fell in love with that keyboard now that I’ve heard it. Someone let me know please🙏
Great side-by-side comparison. I think they both sound quite good. How did the keybed of the MODX feel? I played played around with several of the Yamaha digital pianos and they all felt a little bit sluggish for my personal preference. I thought the PHA-4 with escapement on the Roland devices just felt really satisfying to me. I'm not familiar with all of the MODX features, but considering the $800 price jump to get the Yamaha, it'd be hard to convince me to steer away from PHA-4 + ZEN Core combo at an $1199 price point on the Roland...
Yeah 800$ is too much if you only focused on the action key. But this modx is a synthesizer with bunch of features that you cant find on digital piano.
@@dcool2u2 they are selling for $1199 before tax at Guitar Center. The PHA-4 on RD88 allows one to play Billy Joel's "Prelude/Angry Young Man" which I haven't tried yet on the MODX8+. Another TH-camr had negative comments about the MX88 with regard to keyboard action.
You can turn the speakers on and off independently of external/headphones. You can even save the default (speaker on/off) when you turn on the keyboard.
I have MODX8, the keybeds are awful. The piano sounds is frustating when you play repeated notes fast, the first note sounds loud, the following notes sound damped.
This is NOT a good comparison at all. As someone previously said You're comparing a Synthesizer workstation thats almost $2000 to a $1200 Stage piano, although not entry level, it has been scaled down from the other RD series stage pianos. I have actually just purchased a ROland RD 88, just waiting for it to get here. I love the futuristic look of the MODX and it has a touch screen, which is a far cry from the 128 x 64 older display type of the Roland. Overall however, I saved over $800 in buying the Roland and I'm quite impressed with the features it has on it. I like that you still get some rhythms on it to play with. With over 3000 sounds in it, I'm sure that I'll find something I like in there. BTW, the Roland sounded great to me, being that the guy doing the demo, played mostly piano and some pad but not any other instruments. Finally the Roland is just under 30 pounds. Just my 2 cents.
Kind of a dumb comparison. The Roland is designed for pianists, and has features and sounds geared toward that. The Yamaha is a workstation type synth, with a completely different level of complexity. The Roland IS better for piano and keys, the Yamaha... everything else.
I'm a Roland fan, but in this video the Yamaha sounds better. The Yamaha includes all the sonic trash that is a part of a true acoustic grand. Both are very nice instruments.
I just bought a Montage 8, because I don't find the MODX8 keybed inspiring. If you are a good/Professional player, it is servicable. However, it doesn't inspire me to play.
I lot more signal processing in the Yamaha. I've noticed a lot of digital pianos fall short in the treble section. It's good he tests that. The Roland is no slouch.
MODX more reverb. Piano sounds more full and natural on RD88. But MODX CFX has a unique bright timbre which is very nice. For FM/DX full tine sounds quality, Yamaha is always the best, no one else can beat it.
This is a great comparison for me because I'm deciding between these two keyboards. The Roland if I want to just gig and do some occasional studio work or Yamaha if I plan to bury myself in the studio.
Thumbs down. It can't even be considered a comparison. Keyboards from different categories. One is a stage piano and the other is a synthesizer with multisampling capability.
Excellent video comparing the rd 88 and modx8. Love it. Btw this gentlemen's playing is immaculate
What a great comparison. Man they both do things beautifully yet so differently. Goes to show you how far your dollar stretches nowadays with digital pianos (especially with the RD-88). Amazing performance from both instruments. Far exceeds anything that was imaginable 20yrs ago! Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
I own the MODX8. But both keyboards have pretty nice piano sounds. Great to hear them side by side to really hear the difference. I'm partial to the Yamaha's brighter sound, especially for playing with a band. BTW - excellent playing! Thanks for the comparison!
Would you prefer modx8 over rd88? I think rd88 sounds better in piano but considering other sounds and functionality, it seems like modx8 would be better. Im trying to buy it for live session and recording
@@jameskim7132 Tried both and finally owned the modx8. They are made for different purposes. The rd88 comes in a small package, equipped with internal speakers, and covers a lot of sound aeras with a few options. But the modx is a real and huge fm synth, its rompler is strongly deep, and it becomes easy to dial within the different sounds. You can build your own sounds, live sets. And as I found the CFX too polish compared to my NS2, but less brighter than my sold Roland FP4, I am gonna load third party pianos to find the sound I like, with its imperfections, as the modx enables you to store 1go of samples.
Last but not least, the drum section and sound design is in another league.
Actually, the question of the place of a piano in a band context can be solved internal eq's. And again all depends on the kind of music you will play
The reverb on the Modx kill the comparison. Without the reverb you should here how beautiful it sounds.
Uh they both have reverb effects on
Both piano are beautiful, different characters.
Sounds of Roland is beautiful and real. love your grand piano.
Yamaha obvio es mejor por lejos, pero el roland RD88 es un piano mucho más liviano, barato, además de traer parlantes incluidos, es una maravilla.
I love Modx as a great multi purpose synth/workstation, (I have one), but acoustic pianos in the RD are more realistic (IMHO)👍🏻
Thanks for your honesty ! Thats the way Im hearing it too. I love yamaha piano sounds but the modx piano doesn't sound as real as the Rd 88.
I agree
I think so
I have to wonder if you learned how to edit the sounds well, and even layer a few different piano sounds together on the MODX - because I thought the piano was bad until I learned how to edit everything, now I think the piano sounds I get from it are top notch! I combine different piano voices on it, and it sounds totally realistic like the chords vibrating when you play a real piano.
@@Johnherlihy1 Hey John, could you maybe tell me how you edited your modx piano to sound more realistic like the rd-88? I just bought a modx and im scared I won’t be able to get sounds as realistic as the rd-88
The Roland for sure. All the way for piano and feels. Was at guitar center playing both side my side and I gotta give it to Roland. Coming from a Yamaha guy all my life. Im slowly transitioning to Roland’s RD line up for piano sounds. They’re just better. Fuller. And maybe have a back up keyboard like the modx for everything else
RD88 any day over modx. Light Weight + onboard sound + perfect key action + deep integration with mainstage based 3rd party sounds and effects. While the acoustic piano sounds very nice on RD88, I usually play the grandeur from native instruments with my RD88. I think RD88 is ground breaking for its price / portability
CP88 is better that RD88?
Eu acho o RD88 melhor, pq na parte de synths , o CP deixa a desejar@@Gangl10n
When you watch comparisons on TH-cam and play it in person the preference change a lot. Here I would definitely choose MODX, but after playing them in store , ooh wow! Roland kills it big time, specially if you’re looking for a realistic piano sound and keys responsive . I bought the MODX more for the functionality is way more ample.
Yes. Didn't even consider the Roland. Wasn't even in the market. Then one of my students bought one and I had to have it. One aspect of touch often overlooked is provided by the built in speakers. Even if you can't hear them, when ones fingers feels that sound the realism becomes unreal.
You didn't edit the voices on the MODX, that is why. I have owned both, and the MODX is way better after you edit and layer piano voices on it. All you did was sat down and played preset voices. The piano sounds good on the Roland, no denying that, but the MODX is way better after editing voices on it and combining piano voices with layers.
John Herlihy thanks for the input, I’ll try that
@@dmncnito blessings!
@@Johnherlihy1 algún video para recomendar para ver me intereso los que planteaste saludos.
Rd88,real sound
I was sold on the MODX, was shopping for a lightweight keyboard with great piano sound and the MODX sounded the best to me - on the Internet. However, when I got it home, the pianos all sounded like crap, no matter if it was through good headphones, studio monitors, I even bought a keyboard amp thinking that would do it. I will say right here, I was strictly looking for piano sound, I'm learning piano, but am a retired pro musician and have a critical ear. So, if you are looking for a synth, yeah, MODX is great. I found out that to get good piano sounds from the MODX you have to deep dive, do some detailed tweaking, so I did that, still, meh.Downloaded the Bosendorfer patches, still meh. Plus a headache. I'm not ultra tech savvy, but I can usually figure things out, but in the end I was pissed. Why would you put out a keyboard with great piano sounds that you have to tweak the daylights out of to find? I took it back, got the RD 88 and was smiling within the hour. Yeah, sounds like a piano, and all the adjustments are at your fingertips. At first I was a little bummed because the action seemed stiff, I have arthritis in my hands and need a light action, like the MODX7 had or similar. But lo and behold, you can adjust the action on the RD 88 and it is a breeze to do. I say all this to maybe save another soul a lot of hassle, money and sweat. If you are really good with adjusting parameters and have a lot of time to do so, then MODX is a fine choice, plus it is a killer synth. But if you, like me, are looking for solid piano sounds and don't want to pull your hair out to get there, buy the RD 88, I love it more every day. Connects easily to Logic, too. MODX, not so much.
Nice. It’s a gem.
The Roland has a much more realistic sound and the feel of the keyboard is much better I tried them all out and I bought the the rd 88 by far the best move I ever made
Thanks for the video!!! The Yamaha sounded brighter to me but, I suppose you could always tweak the sound on either unit to get the sound you want.
The RD piano sounds fantastic although I'm a die-hearted Yamaha fan
To me, the Yamaha has an very artificial reverb sound. The Roland does a better job of the capturing the sympathetic resonances you would hear on an real grand piano.
I own the MODX, after doing editing it sounds amazing. This man is just playing a preset that has not been edited.
I prefered both looks and sounds of Roland RD-88, but that is just my own taste. Yamaha MODX8 also does a good job in its way (but it's just not my preference way).
Can you get a three pedal unit on a RD88?
Beautiful authentic piano sound of RD 88. Try to head to head between RD 88 with CP 88. I think CP 88 has sound engine difference than MODX 8
WHAT SONG ARE YOU PLAYING AT THE BEGINNING?!
I dig it.
Both tasty piano sounds! But yamaha suits to my style ❤ very warm
I was set on getting the MODx8 but IDK now. Roland sounds great!!!! I've been a Roland man for years and I think they hooked me again.
I haven't played rd88 but I tried testing the rd 2000 which also contains rd 88's sounds, I ended up buying the modx. The imperial grand expansion for modx suits to my taste
I think it's one of his own songs...he plays it quite often in countless keyboard reviews.
🤣
For me the Roland RD’s pianos are way better. And I’m a Yamaha guy
This is a great comparison... but would've rather seen it compare modx to the fp90. Both cost $2k so in the same price range. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to dump $2k on a keyboard, am I better off going for the modX for the flexibility of playing with FM synthesis while have a decent piano and proper hammer graded action - or - just go with the most natural-sounding piano sounds on the market along with one of the best keybeds but less functionality. I love the Roland sound and keys, but FM synthesis on the Yamaha is amazing. Any suggestions?
If you want a good piano with good sound and reliability go for Roland.I have a FP 4 from 2006 and its working fine.My son hit the keys every day on the drums sound.In the church we have a FP 7 from 2008 and works like a new one.
Hola tengo un modx7 como puedo aser para que se escuche en mis trasmisión de Facebook así de excelente
Rd 88 real sound👍
What piano sound do You use in Modx
Do you think the Roland RD-88 sounds great on speakers and amps etc? I want to know so that I can buy one since I’ve fell in love with that keyboard now that I’ve heard it. Someone let me know please🙏
Great side-by-side comparison. I think they both sound quite good. How did the keybed of the MODX feel? I played played around with several of the Yamaha digital pianos and they all felt a little bit sluggish for my personal preference. I thought the PHA-4 with escapement on the Roland devices just felt really satisfying to me. I'm not familiar with all of the MODX features, but considering the $800 price jump to get the Yamaha, it'd be hard to convince me to steer away from PHA-4 + ZEN Core combo at an $1199 price point on the Roland...
Yeah 800$ is too much if you only focused on the action key. But this modx is a synthesizer with bunch of features that you cant find on digital piano.
I'm late to the game here, but I bought the RD-88 and I love the sounds.
But I hope you decided to buy one two years ago. I just paid $1599 new!
@@dcool2u2 they are selling for $1199 before tax at Guitar Center. The PHA-4 on RD88 allows one to play Billy Joel's "Prelude/Angry Young Man" which I haven't tried yet on the MODX8+. Another TH-camr had negative comments about the MX88 with regard to keyboard action.
May I know if what is the first song that has been played?
in my country rd 88 is quite expensive... modx is more reasonable in price... i can see the demo guy love the key action on the rd
Uwielbiam twoje filmy 👍 ale przyszła chyba pora na nową melodyjkę w testach 😛😉
both amazing
When you play in a band you can see the diference.The Roland pianos just cut trough the mix.You have a piano in the band.
So does the MODX
i think i'll wait for the roland....
Can you compare the Rhodes on both of them?
in the rhodes winner Yamaha modx8
What is that song you played for the first half of the video? It’s so beautiful. 👍🏻
No debate here- the MODX just sounds better. what is there to think about on this one
In the Roland rd88 when you have a signal cable out , Does the speakers still work ? Or do they mute ?
You can turn the speakers on and off independently of external/headphones. You can even save the default (speaker on/off) when you turn on the keyboard.
I have MODX8, the keybeds are awful. The piano sounds is frustating when you play repeated notes fast, the first note sounds loud, the following notes sound damped.
Yup I switched from yamaha to the RD88
This is NOT a good comparison at all. As someone previously said You're comparing a Synthesizer workstation thats almost $2000 to a $1200 Stage piano, although not entry level, it has been scaled down from the other RD series stage pianos. I have actually just purchased a ROland RD 88, just waiting for it to get here. I love the futuristic look of the MODX and it has a touch screen, which is a far cry from the 128 x 64 older display type of the Roland. Overall however, I saved over $800 in buying the Roland and I'm quite impressed with the features it has on it. I like that you still get some rhythms on it to play with. With over 3000 sounds in it, I'm sure that I'll find something I like in there. BTW, the Roland sounded great to me, being that the guy doing the demo, played mostly piano and some pad but not any other instruments. Finally the Roland is just under 30 pounds. Just my 2 cents.
here in Europe there's no such big gap between both. MODX8 can easily be found for 1250/1300e whereas the RD88 costs 1000/1100e...
Nowadays they cost about the same on the pre-owned market, around 950€.😅
Kind of a dumb comparison. The Roland is designed for pianists, and has features and sounds geared toward that. The Yamaha is a workstation type synth, with a completely different level of complexity. The Roland IS better for piano and keys, the Yamaha... everything else.
I have owned both, and after editing the MODX is better at piano and everything else.
That MODX piano just sounds artificial.
I'm a Roland fan, but in this video the Yamaha sounds better. The Yamaha includes all the sonic trash that is a part of a true acoustic grand. Both are very nice instruments.
I own a MODX, but I really dont like its keys. I have never played a Roland RD, but probably the keys is much better than MODX.
I just bought a Montage 8, because I don't find the MODX8 keybed inspiring. If you are a good/Professional player, it is servicable. However, it doesn't inspire me to play.
Acoustic Pianos
1- Yamaha
2- Roland
Forever
Does anyone know if RD88 is available in India yet?
Yes now available
I lot more signal processing in the Yamaha. I've noticed a lot of digital pianos fall short in the treble section. It's good he tests that. The Roland is no slouch.
yamaha wins
Hello, I wonder how many layers of sounds/voices can be assigned at the same time on roland? (Since I see some knobs there) thank you...
3 layers are possible to be assigned
3
And the winner IMO is... Yamaha. Hands down.
Roland has much, much better transient tone and stereo position. I think Modx would get lost in the sound of band.
MODX more reverb. Piano sounds more full and natural on RD88. But MODX CFX has a unique bright timbre which is very nice. For FM/DX full tine sounds quality, Yamaha is always the best, no one else can beat it.
"Me pareceu injusto", pois parece que o som do yamaha está com reverb; o roland, não.
Roland sweet~
RD88 and RD800 is similar keyboard
No. PHA4 standart and PHA4 concert slightly different.
I love roland piano
Hello. Would you reccommend the MODX as a stage piano?
After you edit and layer pianos on it is amazing
This is a great comparison for me because I'm deciding between these two keyboards. The Roland if I want to just gig and do some occasional studio work or Yamaha if I plan to bury myself in the studio.
Johnny Parker me too.. deciding which one to buy... have you decided yet? Ive heard key touch and piano sounds great on rd 88
Yamaha superb!
Modx Yamaha, melhor em tudo timbre mais aberto 🎹🙏🇧🇷
rd 88 is a low cost Keyboard.
yamaha always wins the game!
Yamaha sounds bether in acoustic pianos.May is the tuning .....................
2:27
Roland sounds better...
Yamaha piano string resonance stands out.
Sorry Roland, but you sound flat.
Modx 8 is a sampler.. you can load any piano that you want. RD 88 is a poor piano
Does my Steinway fit?
Again, comparing synthesizer with digital piano
rifqi shiddiq these instruments have 88 keys. They are designed for pianos. You always create Synth, and the piano is based on specific samples.
Since the Yamaha piano samples are quite big (a couple of hundred MB), I think it is a fair comparison.
Yamaha ma więcej pogłosu.
No ma bo porównywałem fabryczne presety 01.
Yamaha
MODX is my choice
Equalizar
Yamaha tecla liviana, ..roland ,tecla pesada...borregos
Thumbs down. It can't even be considered a comparison. Keyboards from different categories. One is a stage piano and the other is a synthesizer with multisampling capability.
Too much plastic in Rd-88.
Ja sprzedaję aluminium,miedz,mosiądz,a nie plastik! Ogólnie złom ;-D