Hello,...a great demonstration of this great RD series from Roland. At that time I was close to buying the RD 700, but then a good offer for a used GEM-Promega 3 got in the way. I couldn't resist. Regards
What a coincidence! I had the same dilemma and chose GEM PM3 as you did. I have not encountered with RD700 after that but planning to get RD700NX in due course. RD600 is a great instrument for what it is. Thank you for your kind words btw :) I now have RD700 and love it. I sold PM3 years ago because I then had its piano module variant RP-X.
I played an RD-600 throughout high school. It was the best emulator of every sound I wanted. Electric pianos, synths, pads, and of course acoustic grands. I now regularly gig with an Rd-88, I believe to be it's spiritual successor.
I think Roland RD Stage pianos have been the best since they were introduced and every one of them somehow special. I first had an RD-500 and the latest RD piano interface is quite similar ( using RD700NX now). That's how good it was and there has been no other manufacturer that has been following the same solid design language for their stage pianos like that...
Thanks for the demo. Is there a published tone list for the RD-600? I downloaded the manual from all sources I've found, but it seems to miss a list of preset tones, although they are referred here and there elsewhere in the text. I've found a tone list added to the E600 manual, from page 82 but I don't know how far does that match those of the RD-600 tones.
Sorry to bother you again, but are the references to the tones explained anywhere? I understand they must be coded due to legal issues, but perhaps more experienced users have already figured these out. Most of them are obvious but several of them I just could not figure out. What is an "SA and CP piano"? Does "Comp" refer to Compressor in Comp Pianos? What makes the difference between Suitcase and Mr Suitcase? What is a D50 and FM? Does the Booking B organ refer to a B 3? I don't much care for synths and pads and leads, but kind of regret that there's only 2 Wurlis, as opposed to 6 Rhodes. And the Clavinets are all kind of cheesy
@@andrabian Hello, no worries. The following quote is from Roland site in 1986. SA is an acronym for old sound production technology by Roland, but it was a kinda state of the art one then so if you are into 80's music, SA sounds are still have their places. ''The RD-1000 was the most advanced digital piano of the time, built around Roland’s advanced SA (Structured Adaptive) technology for a more authentic piano sound. Just a year later, this pro-focused technology was also available in Roland’s home pianos, so you could enjoy the same piano sound used by the world-famous artists who made the music you grew up with. It’s a tradition that continues to this day with our current RD stage pianos.'' CP piano was a Yamaha brand electric piano and has a similar status as SA sounds or Yamaha's own DX electric piano sound. These kinds of sounds are regenerated by other manufacturers and because of copyright reasons, the names are usually deciphered. Yes, comp refers to compressor effect. Suitcase and Mr suitcase are just naming, may be has a meaning for whom named them :) D50 for Roland D50 and FM electric piano has a special tone so that you can realise that it is produced by an FM synthesizer. And yes, Booking B refers to B3 Hammond and Clavinets are not good. Actually I am not fond of Clavinet sound in general and the clavinet section on RD600 is at the end so I forgot to demo them :) The bottom lline is, there is no direct source for your queries. I put my 2 cents just for common sense and culminated knowledge. So keep reading and listening digital piano demos... Cheers!
Nice demo. I just found a nice RD-600 locally at a GC close to me for $199. Also. Csn get 2 year warranty for $46. Seems to be in very good condition. Do you feel the RD-600 is still a worthwhile purchase for a well cared for one in 2024? Service plan a waste or worth it?
Hi. If the proper TLC has been given to that RD600, I still recommend it. Check the key action thoroughly, should not be heard any friction sound and crackling noise while movement. Roland RD series are very well designed stage pianos, arguably the best ones comparing other brands and the models released before the supernatural piano technology somehow have warmer piano sound. I now have RD700 and I do not feel to buy a new piano for now. Last of all, RD600 is still such a great instrument and it sounds/feels the best comparing models of that era such as Yamaha P80/90/250, Kawai MP8, etc...
@@digitaldividemusicI should get that 2-year warranty with it just in case... Honestly, it is very nice of that shop presenting an option like that so would not miss that option unless it has a kinda hollow conditions :)
@musicaldracula2017 Appreciate the quick response and your insight. I played on it briefly. I will have 45 days days to play it since it's coming from s store. Best part is no shipping. Considering the overall condition it looks very well cared for, I think I will proceed with the purchase. Having other keyboards to midi it up to will be even better. The keyboard felt really good. I did not hear anything unusual. Considering the age and condition, doubt the warranty would be more than rolling the Dice. Can't wait to pick it up once it's released from police hold. For just over the cost of tuning an acoustic piano, I'm getting a classic Roland stage piano. Not a bad deal I'd say.
@musicaldracula2017 I think I will. This is at a guitar center. They offer 45 days to try out used. The warranty is based on cost of the item. Repair would cost way more than that if a key fails. I won't be able to check the friction until I pick it up. But I think for $46, I'm sold on the warranty. 27 year old keyboard and all. In the event of a failure, If they can't fix it. I get my money back. That's worth it.
Hi there. RD-1000 uses SA system to produce its 8 sounds and RD-600 has two of those SA EP sounds. ıf you are after SA type sounds, please check RD500 which has more SA type patches ( It has MKS-20 sound module inside ). I also have XV-3080 and it has a patch called RD-1000 which sounds pretty similar to original sound. Cheers :)
You are welcome. To me, its action smoother and much more piano like feeling comparing brand new entry level digital pianos. The action is neither heavy nor light. Just try to get a well looked-after one... Cheers
I still enjoy it Michael. Let me tell you one thing. I also have srx 02 and 11 piano boards and like them. But the behaviour of piano sound such as sustaining time after release or low/bass range footprint is fairly better on rd 600. I like old gears, needless to say, of course not all of them are right and there are some exemptions but I do not really believe that so called ''dated sound'' analogy... Cheers!
@@musicaldracula2017 Alot of people do like the RD-600 because they say it feels like a real piano. Take that piano sound at 4:28 lifted straight out of the the JV-80 and that featured in many pop records in the 90's because it just cuts through the mix. All the sounds are still usable today and older gear is making a comeback. I don't own anything newer than 1996. I have a Kurzweil K2500X but use it more for ambient sounds pads rather than the generic sounds but do practice my piano playing skills on it.
@@jaggass I have had GEM Promega 3, Motif ES8, Korg SP200, SP250, M-Audio Prokeys, Kurzweil SP88, Kawai MP8, Roland Fantom X8, Yamaha S80 and may be few more and the hammer action on Roland RD600 is better than all of them in general manner. RD600 shares the same action with A90/ex and they sound also very similar. Both device has plenty of patches from JV series as you said. SRX Ultimate Keys card and SRJV Session card have RD600 's one of the main piano patches also. As you said, they have been being used intensively and still have the potential for future projects because I do not believe so called 'dated sound' analogy. 90's synthesizers and digi pianos sing beautiful to me :) I am in a similar situation like you and do not have any new device. As you mentioned, it is better to concantrate on technic rather than chasing new devices... Cheers!
I also had RD-500 before RD-600 and to make the long story short, RD-600 without any doubt. However, if you plan to use it mainly as a midi controller, the keybeds are the same, so you can choose RD-500 so as to save some cash... Cheers
@@erickarmentia Yes they are very close. I now have RD700. The main piano sound better on 700, but 600 has more AP sound variant to choose from . Cheers
Yes, the sound feels like very open and uncompressed. It is still a decent instrument by any means. Thanks for the comment :) I now have RD700 and its second piano sound called mellow piano, sings beautifully to my ears :) Much better than so-called supernatural piano sound on later models. I use it with SRX02 and SRX04 since they enlighten the existing sounds as a compliment and I love it.
Hello,...a great demonstration of this great RD series from Roland. At that time I was close to buying the RD 700, but then a good offer for a used GEM-Promega 3 got in the way. I couldn't resist.
Regards
What a coincidence! I had the same dilemma and chose GEM PM3 as you did. I have not encountered with RD700 after that but planning to get RD700NX in due course. RD600 is a great instrument for what it is. Thank you for your kind words btw :)
I now have RD700 and love it. I sold PM3 years ago because I then had its piano module variant RP-X.
I love the RD line from Roland❤️ best of the best!!
Yes, the best and RD series have been with us a long time and I hope Roland never stop rehashing new RD variants in future... Thanks for passing by :)
@@musicaldracula2017 ❤️
I played an RD-600 throughout high school. It was the best emulator of every sound I wanted. Electric pianos, synths, pads, and of course acoustic grands.
I now regularly gig with an Rd-88, I believe to be it's spiritual successor.
I think Roland RD Stage pianos have been the best since they were introduced and every one of them somehow special. I first had an RD-500 and the latest RD piano interface is quite similar ( using RD700NX now). That's how good it was and there has been no other manufacturer that has been following the same solid design language for their stage pianos like that...
Great demo. Thanks!
Glad that you enjoyed. Cheers :)
I enjoyed the demo, thanks for showing and playing.
Thank you for your kindness...
I want this piano really bad
Thanks for the demo. Is there a published tone list for the RD-600? I downloaded the manual from all sources I've found, but it seems to miss a list of preset tones, although they are referred here and there elsewhere in the text. I've found a tone list added to the E600 manual, from page 82 but I don't know how far does that match those of the RD-600 tones.
I still have the user manual and have the voice list at the end. Please check other sources. Cheers :)
@@musicaldracula2017 oops, you are right. I found this little chart on p80.
@@andrabian Cool :)
Sorry to bother you again, but are the references to the tones explained anywhere? I understand they must be coded due to legal issues, but perhaps more experienced users have already figured these out.
Most of them are obvious but several of them I just could not figure out. What is an "SA and CP piano"? Does "Comp" refer to Compressor in Comp Pianos? What makes the difference between Suitcase and Mr Suitcase? What is a D50 and FM? Does the Booking B organ refer to a B 3? I don't much care for synths and pads and leads, but kind of regret that there's only 2 Wurlis, as opposed to 6 Rhodes. And the Clavinets are all kind of cheesy
@@andrabian Hello, no worries. The following quote is from Roland site in 1986. SA is an acronym for old sound production technology by Roland, but it was a kinda state of the art one then so if you are into 80's music, SA sounds are still have their places.
''The RD-1000 was the most advanced digital piano of the time, built around Roland’s advanced SA (Structured Adaptive) technology for a more authentic piano sound. Just a year later, this pro-focused technology was also available in Roland’s home pianos, so you could enjoy the same piano sound used by the world-famous artists who made the music you grew up with. It’s a tradition that continues to this day with our current RD stage pianos.''
CP piano was a Yamaha brand electric piano and has a similar status as SA sounds or Yamaha's own DX electric piano sound. These kinds of sounds are regenerated by other manufacturers and because of copyright reasons, the names are usually deciphered.
Yes, comp refers to compressor effect. Suitcase and Mr suitcase are just naming, may be has a meaning for whom named them :)
D50 for Roland D50 and FM electric piano has a special tone so that you can realise that it is produced by an FM synthesizer. And yes, Booking B refers to B3 Hammond and Clavinets are not good. Actually I am not fond of Clavinet sound in general and the clavinet section on RD600 is at the end so I forgot to demo them :)
The bottom lline is, there is no direct source for your queries. I put my 2 cents just for common sense and culminated knowledge. So keep reading and listening digital piano demos... Cheers!
Nice demo. I just found a nice RD-600 locally at a GC close to me for $199.
Also. Csn get 2 year warranty for $46.
Seems to be in very good condition. Do you feel the RD-600 is still a worthwhile purchase for a well cared for one in 2024?
Service plan a waste or worth it?
Hi. If the proper TLC has been given to that RD600, I still recommend it.
Check the key action thoroughly, should not be heard any friction sound and crackling noise while movement.
Roland RD series are very well designed stage pianos, arguably the best ones comparing other brands and the models released before the supernatural piano technology somehow have warmer piano sound. I now have RD700 and I do not feel to buy a new piano for now.
Last of all, RD600 is still such a great instrument and it sounds/feels the best comparing models of that era such as Yamaha P80/90/250, Kawai MP8, etc...
@@digitaldividemusicI should get that 2-year warranty with it just in case... Honestly, it is very nice of that shop presenting an option like that so would not miss that option unless it has a kinda hollow conditions :)
@musicaldracula2017 Appreciate the quick response and your insight. I played on it briefly. I will have 45 days days to play it since it's coming from s store. Best part is no shipping. Considering the overall condition it looks very well cared for, I think I will proceed with the purchase. Having other keyboards to midi it up to will be even better. The keyboard felt really good. I did not hear anything unusual. Considering the age and condition, doubt the warranty would be more than rolling the Dice. Can't wait to pick it up once it's released from police hold. For just over the cost of tuning an acoustic piano, I'm getting a classic Roland stage piano. Not a bad deal I'd say.
@digitaldividemusic Not bad at all and sounds great! You may also like to create a video so that I can see it... Enjoy :)
@musicaldracula2017 I think I will. This is at a guitar center. They offer 45 days to try out used. The warranty is based on cost of the item. Repair would cost way more than that if a key fails.
I won't be able to check the friction until I pick it up. But I think for $46, I'm sold on the warranty. 27 year old keyboard and all.
In the event of a failure, If they can't fix it. I get my money back. That's worth it.
Wait what sound is at 6:31, it sounds like the rd-1000 sound. I’m looking for a keyboard with the sound
Hi there. RD-1000 uses SA system to produce its 8 sounds and RD-600 has two of those SA EP sounds. ıf you are after SA type sounds, please check RD500 which has more SA type patches ( It has MKS-20 sound module inside ). I also have XV-3080 and it has a patch called RD-1000 which sounds pretty similar to original sound. Cheers :)
@@musicaldracula2017 thanks dude. So for clarification, the XV-3080 has a similar sound to the Roland rd-1000
@@incognitoboi4305 No worries mate :) and yes, it has the main RD1000 AP piano sound.
( XV-3080/5080/5050 etc...) Cheers
Check out the rd-88. It emulates all the classics pretty darn accurately.
Very nice sounds, thank you for the demonstration!
How do you like the RD600 keys compared to an acoustic piano or a more modern digital one?
You are welcome. To me, its action smoother and much more piano like feeling comparing brand new entry level digital pianos. The action is neither heavy nor light. Just try to get a well looked-after one... Cheers
does it have patch remain?
Yes. There is an option in the system menu so it can remain from where you power off or start from scratch...
pro
The piano sounds were good for it's time
I still enjoy it Michael. Let me tell you one thing. I also have srx 02 and 11 piano boards and like them. But the behaviour of piano sound such as sustaining time after release or low/bass range footprint is fairly better on rd 600. I like old gears, needless to say, of course not all of them are right and there are some exemptions but I do not really believe that so called ''dated sound'' analogy... Cheers!
@@musicaldracula2017 Alot of people do like the RD-600 because they say it feels like a real piano. Take that piano sound at 4:28 lifted straight out of the the JV-80 and that featured in many pop records in the 90's because it just cuts through the mix. All the sounds are still usable today and older gear is making a comeback. I don't own anything newer than 1996. I have a Kurzweil K2500X but use it more for ambient sounds pads rather than the generic sounds but do practice my piano playing skills on it.
@@jaggass I have had GEM Promega 3, Motif ES8, Korg SP200, SP250, M-Audio Prokeys, Kurzweil SP88, Kawai MP8, Roland Fantom X8, Yamaha S80 and may be few more and the hammer action on Roland RD600 is better than all of them in general manner. RD600 shares the same action with A90/ex and they sound also very similar. Both device has plenty of patches from JV series as you said. SRX Ultimate Keys card and SRJV Session card have RD600 's one of the main piano patches also. As you said, they have been being used intensively and still have the potential for future projects because I do not believe so called 'dated sound' analogy. 90's synthesizers and digi pianos sing beautiful to me :) I am in a similar situation like you and do not have any new device. As you mentioned, it is better to concantrate on technic rather than chasing new devices... Cheers!
@@musicaldracula2017 I also get my Linn 9000 back in a few weeks time.
@@jaggass Great drum machine... Congrat!
which one is better RD 600 or RD 500 ..? thx sir
I also had RD-500 before RD-600 and to make the long story short, RD-600 without any doubt. However, if you plan to use it mainly as a midi controller, the keybeds are the same, so you can choose RD-500 so as to save some cash... Cheers
@@musicaldracula2017 do you need an amp for the 600?
@@funnyasjared9852 Yes, the piano has no speakers, that's why you need an amplified speaker system.
Is the piano is comparable with rd 700
@@erickarmentia Yes they are very close. I now have RD700.
The main piano sound better on 700, but 600 has more AP sound variant to choose from .
Cheers
RD600 general piano sounds better than Rd700 and Rd800 and others, sound warm and natural.
Yes, the sound feels like very open and uncompressed. It is still a decent instrument by any means. Thanks for the comment :)
I now have RD700 and its second piano sound called mellow piano, sings beautifully to my ears :) Much better than so-called supernatural piano sound on later models. I use it with SRX02 and SRX04 since they enlighten the existing sounds as a compliment and I love it.