Thanks so much for tuning in and for the kind words about our videography! I will be sure to pass on the compliment to our talented videographer, Lee! :)
Good morning Stu. In 2001, I bought a Roland RD700 and still use it, sometimes, to this day. The last couple of years I’ve been playing on my Kawai ES920. I was gifted a Roland FP E50 for my birthday by my brother. All I can say is wow! I agree with your review and it really is a lot of fun. Been going to bed really late lately due to getting lost in the E50 with my headphones. The value here blows me away and I’m really liking the PHA 4 key action. Thank you for your review. Your the best piano/keyboard reviewer on the net!
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for taking the time to check out our review! I will be sure to pass along your kind words to Stu. :) Congrats on your Roland FP-E50! It is an excellent addition to the arsenal and offers something a little different than the RD700 and ES920. As you have experienced, the cost-to-value ratio is mind-blowing. Even if this model was priced at $1000 more, I don't think anyone would be asking any questions or thinking twice about it! Thanks again and enjoy your new piano!
Hi. I have a Kaway Es 8 and I had a Roland Fp 30. I'm curious to know if you consider the piano tones in this new Roland as "realistic" as the ones in Kawai. Thanks
Stu, You are far and away my favorite digital piabo reviewer! Pro pianist here, play at school and churches. Thank you soo much for going into detail about the accompaniment feature. I feel the same about Rolands and ph4 action, love the way they feel and sound. Have an rd88 which I bought during Covid (thanks to your review) for gigs and planning on buying this one for home practice to replace my broken Casio. I also love listening to your jazz inprov.. it is amazing! Could listen for hours. Much appreciated!! ❤
Hi Andrew! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for tuning in! I will be sure to share your kind words with Stu on your behalf. :) The Roland RD88 is a little powerhouse and the PHA4 action is phenomenal to play on. Thanks again and happy playing!
Great review and playing Stu. You are the best reviewer on You Tube for pianos/ keyboards. Thanks to all your reviews and comparisons, I finally picked up the FP E50 yesterday. Best suited for my purposes since I'm a guitar player and a beginner wanting to learn the piano properly now. Still exploring it but the arrangement and other features are great and it is very easy to operate because of your videos. I didn't even have to open the manual for now. :) After seeing your videos, it was finally a choice between the Yamaha DGX 670 and the FP E50 but since I already have a Roland FA06 with a 16 track sequencer and Arturia Keylab Essential 88/ Native Instruments S49 MK2 Midi Keyboards (all used for composition purposes), I really didn't need the advanced features and 16 track sequencer on the DGX 670 so went for the FP E50. Plus the DGX 670 is about 200 $ more expensive here. Mainly the piano action review of yours, weight difference, Zen Core and Supernatural engine and the sleek look/ compact size of the FP E50 was what tipped the scales in favour of the FP E50 since I was mainly looking for a digital piano. The other features in the FP E50 are an added bonus and in a sense make the FP E50 future proof for many years. I tested it yesterday and I agree with you that the speakers are loud enough for home use purpose. Got a very decent sound quality from the internal speakers and they are good enough for home use in my view. I only put it at about 40% Master volume and it was loud enough for my small room (11 x 8). The downward facing speakers are not an issue at all for me. The slider volume controls on the piano itself are a fantastic feature and really useful. Will write in with more once I've fully explored it. As some others have said, I hope to see parts 2, 3 and more and some tutorial reviews on the FP E50 on your channel in the future. Thanks.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks so much for sharing and congrats on your new Roland FP-E50! It is quite the powerhouse instrument for the money. The amazing core piano experience via the SuperNATURAL tone engine and PHA4 action is impressive on its own for this price point, but when you factor in the extensive accompaniment features and ZEN-Core inclusion, it really is a home run. We're glad to hear that you've been enjoying it so far! Thanks again and happy playing! :)
I purchased an FP-E50 a month or so ago and am really enjoying it. I stumbled upon on undocumented feature that I think other people should know about too. I wanted to be able control other synthesizers from the FP-E50 but since it doesn't have standard 5 pin MIDI ports I thought I was going to have to connect it to a computer and control other synths from there - or possibly have to buy a separate "USB midi host" device which are either expensive or somewhat flaky based on reviews. However, I found a comment somewhere claiming that on the older Roland FP-30 you can connect a USB MIDI interface (like the Roland UM-ONE mk2) to the USB memory port - the port that you would normally use for a USB flash drive - and then the FP-30 was able to send MIDI over that. So, I decided to try that with my newly purchased FP-E50 using an old E-MU brand USB MIDI interface that I already owned (similar to the Roland UM-ONE mk2) and surprisingly it works! It sends MIDI on channel 1 and also receives MIDI on channel 4. [Update: You can change what MIDI channel it sends from by pressing the Menu button, then select "Scene Edit", then "MIDI Setting".] Anyways, I really appreciate all of your reviews Stu and Merriam Music. Though I purchased the FP-E50 before you made this video, I had watched your reviews of the FP-30X and other instruments and had a good hunch that the FP-E50 would be the right choice for me since I basically wanted an FP-30x with more sounds and a better interface.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for tuning in and sharing this very helpful hack! USB-MIDI converters like the Roland UM-ONE are quite convenient for these situations. It is extremely helpful to know that the process and approach works with the Roland FP-E50! Also, congrats on your FP-E50! It is an absolute powerhouse and one of the best bangs for your buck on the market right now. I know you will be thrilled with what it offers musically. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
@@mungewell Your question prompted me to try that out and the answer is yes - though there are probably limitations. I've only just begun experimenting with this, but I have a Novation Circuit Tracks which has 8 knobs which by default sends MIDI CCs for 1, 2, 5, 11, 12, 13, 71 and 74. Making adjustments to some of those does affect the sounds on the FP-E50 and it's already added a new dimension to what I can do with this thing. Edit: after some experimentation I've settled on assigning the 8 knobs as follows: * CC 73 - attack time * CC 72 - release time * CC 76 - LFO rate * CC 77 - LFO depth * CC 74 - filter cutoff frequency * CC 71 - filter resonance * CC 11 - volume * CC 93 - chorus
@@jimrhoades8456 That's fantastic news! Although the items you mention are probably just scratching the surface. There is no Midi Implementation doc for the FP-E50 (yet), but there is for the FP-50 which is very detailed... obviously these aren't the same keyboard, but engineers tend to be lazy and re-use what's gone before (a good thing!). It includes SysEx to do some pretty deep stuff. There's also the Reference guide for the MC-707 which details the internal parameters of the Zen core, I wonder if any of these can be adjusted externally in realtime. It does mention assigning the 4 control knobs (which I don't think that the FP-E50 has) to CC's. Maybe parameter could be assigned via SysEx and then tweaked via CC. Pg 74 - "MFX Control": You can use MIDI messages such as control change messages to control the principal MFX parameters. This capability is called “MFX CONTROL (multi-effects control).” The editable parameters are pre-determined according to the MFX type. You can specify up to four parameters for multi-effect control. To use MFX CONTROL, you’ll need to specify which MIDI message (Source) will affect which parameter (Destination), and how greatly (Sens).
@@jimrhoades8456 If you look at the RD-88 implementation, there are SysEx descriptions for the MFX section (for each of Layer1/2/3). This doesn't give settings for external control, but does (suspiciously) have 12 'reserved' bytes.... which is the exact size that would be required to implement the same functionality as the MC-707!
Yes! First off, thanks to Merriam Music & Stu Harrison for this review. There is so much jammed packed into this Keyboard, it's hard to cover everything, let alone all the Sounds/Patches. For me, I've been waiting for this Keyboard for 20 years. I'm a guitar player, that also dabbles in piano. I started in the 80's on a Casio CT-7000, then moved to an Ensoniq ESQ-1 played through a Roland JC-120 when the early JC's had line inputs in the rear. What a great sound. But I really needed 88 Keys. So onto a Alesis QS8.1, then to a Yamaha P80, which I still play after 20 years. For Synth sounds I use a Ensoniq ZR-76. Now finally a Keyboard that covers it all for me. 88 Keys, Top notch Keybed, built in speakers, 256 note polyphony, half pedaling capability, Split/layering, Quality Piano Sample, and more tones and patches then you would ever need. Plus a host of other features. It's like if you only had radio, then TV came along. And all at a price that punches below it's weight class. Kudos Roland! Needless to say, always a pleasure to listen to Stu's outstanding keyboard skills and knowledge. Good Job!
Hi! Brent here! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out the video and write in with your thoughts and kind words! We appreciate it. :) The Roland FPE50 is unquestionably an important piano that is filling a hole in the market both in terms of feature offering and price point. It is remarkable that Roland has included so much at this price! I think this is the type of instrument that might need two or three review videos to cover all of its extensive features. Thanks again and happy playing!
Awesome review on this feature packed keyboard. Been waiting for a good review like this to help me make a decision to purchase and your review has certainly persuaded me. This is such a great value for the money and you did a terrific job hitting some highlights. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and talented playing with us. 👍🏼
At 3:28 you state that the keyboard will not connect with the Roland Piano app. You'll be pleased to know that with software update 1.20, which came available in January 2024, the piano app is now supported. So that's a step forward. Thanks for an excellent review.
As informative and fun as this review is, Stu barely scratches the surface. Didn’t talk much about the mic: Center Cancel (like karaoke) and auto-harmonies. Programable functions for the pedals. It’s an amazing value for the price. Please, a second part with more in-depth info! Yes, Stu! Go into the weeds!😊
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! The feature offering for the FP-E50 is robust to say the least, so, without making the video 3 hours long, it is quite difficult to cover everything haha! With that said, this might be a model that requires a second video instalment to cover all of the critical features. ;)
Yeah! I have been waiting (and actually asking) for this review. Thank you quite a bunch for this one. This instrument has so much to offer, though, that you have not been able to cover in this video, that should consider to record a second part.
You're very welcome! Thank you for your patience! And I definitely hear you. This might be a model that requires a second (and, perhaps, third) review video to cover all of the features on this powerhouse! :)
Hey Stu, thanks for this review. I found your video after ordering (in the uk) and it helped me build the excit meant before it arrived. My first impressions are great. I connected Bluetooth midi and Bluetooth audio on my iPad with no issues at all
Hi Chris! Brent from Merriam Music here! Congrats on your FP-E50! It is quite the powerhouse. I'm happy to hear that you've been enjoying it and have not been having any issued with the Bluetooth functionality. :)
@@MerriamPianosyeah, I’m certainly looking forward to its upgraded and better functions and features like heavier keys, better key dynamics, more polyphony, slightly wider music sheet stand to have a little more room to put music sheets on, modulation wheel, more realistic-sounding instrument tones, piano designer feature, tone editing, saving tones to favourites and the very cool and interesting soft pipe organ tone it has. Since I started to believe in the magic of Santa Claus since late summer this year, I bet Santa Claus is thinking about that I would really want and need a Roland FP-E50 as an upgrade to my Casio CDP-S360 that I currently have since my current one has limitations and lacks the features and functions I need like it has keys that are less weighted, inferior key dynamics making them less effective for complex piano music, the music sheet stand is not quite wide enough causing a little less room to put music sheets on, it lacks the piano designer feature, tone editing feature and the feature to save tones to favourites compared to the Roland FP-E50.
Thanks so much! We appreciate it. :) The FP60X still has its place as it has a higher-quality speaker experience as well as app connectivity whereas the FP-E50 does not. With that said, I suspect many customers will be choosing the FP-E50 over the FP60X due to its price and feature offering. We will be releasing a video comparison on this very soon by the way. ;)
Thanks for your detailed reviews Stu. I have spent an entire week's free time deciding which digital piano l am going to buy and you have assisted me greatly at coming to a decision. The price point is acceptable to me considering the amount of functionality included. Deciding factors for me other than the piano likeness of the action and sound are 1. being able to make adjustments on the instrument without getting an external app, computer and using the keys to assign functions + a display screen; 2. an adequate speaker set-up for home use. Quality other instrument sounds and rhythms to jam with my electric guitarist husband. 3. Proper line in and out if I at some point get to use it at church. 4. front facing double headphone jacks. 5. The capacity to attach 3 pedals. I have owned both an accoustic piano a Kawai keyboard and Roland keyboard. I was considering the ES920 & the FP60x, but they are just slightly to expensive to me and gives me less freedom to jam with my talented husband. To keep the price down I was considering the ES120 & FP30x, but I don't want to be interacting with an app to adjust the parameters and struggle fiddling with onboard settings without an intuitive screen. I also tried out the RD88 @ our favourite music store, but ultimately decided against it as it does not have a music rest and I didn't like the speaker set-up for home use. Hope my reflection helps some other peeps decide 😊. Oh yeah, I also like the inclusion of the vocoder.🎉
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your thoughts and insights regarding your quest for the perfect digital piano. Based on what you're describing, the Roland FP-E50 seems to be the perfect fit! It checks off the vast majority of the boxes you've laid out. It is a piano that has tons of features and customization options built directly into the piano opposed to having to be accessed via an app. It is certainly worth consideration! :)
Great review, and playing. I just got one and love it. Thanks for the tip with pianist 2 /split point backing setup for jazz. I did build some custom risers for a set of iLoud speakers to augment the sounds, and find the assignable triple pedals for fill variation helpful.
Thanks a million! We really appreciate it! We're glad that you enjoyed it! Also, congrats on your FPE50! It is a fantastic machine and it sounds like you have built a nice little rig for yourself to enjoy it. :)
This is the best review I’ve seen of this keyboard, thank you. I just wish that manufacturers in this price bracket for these piano arranger types of keyboard had midi in and also multi zone multi voice splits/overlays. I had this on my M1 back in the 1990s so it’s frustrating that functions I considered standard then are now not so
Thanks so much! We appreciate that immensely! :) I know there are a lot of applications where a traditional 5-pin DIN MIDI connection would be the preference. With that said, there are work arounds (USB to MIDI connectors, MIDI hubs, etc.) that can allow for flexible connectivity. Also, in this case, the FP-E50 is so fully-loaded with features that its extremely difficult to argue the amazing value it presents.
they don't include it anymore because it can be done much better on a computer and it costs a lot more to put a microchip in one of these than just allowing you to connect your computer
Well done and very professional review! I especially like your detailed comments on key action. Thank you, Stu! IMO by far the best reviews on YT. Looking forward to the coming releases, maybe a Kawai MP-12? 😉
Thanks so much! We really appreciate the kind words. We have not received notice about a Kawai MP12 yet, but we will keep you in the loop if we hear anything. ;)
You're very welcome! The PXS3100 certainly has its strengths as well (portability and excellent piano tones for instance), but the FP-E50 is definitely tough to compete with due to how rich in features it is. :)
Okay-I got the Roland FP E-50 today. I’ve been playing for the last two hours and I have this to say. Woweeee! This is so much fun. This is the most entertaining, good-sounding, and versatile instrument I’ve ever owned. I’m smiling so hard right now. Thank you for the review that made me buy this. I didn’t have $1000 in disposable income and also, have no regrets. ❤ OMG, so much fun.
Hi Jason! Congrats on your new Roland FP-E50! I'm so happy to hear that you've been enjoying everything it offers (although I am not surprised in the least ;) as it is an amazing instrument with a boatload of fun, engaging features! Happy playing! :)
There are buttons numbered 1-5 and a billion tones that are numbered. I find the menu a bit cumbersome. Even using the favorites menu is slow. I’d love for there to be a that we can just type in a number and get directly to a tone (or rhythm). The favorites bank is still cumbersome. I should be able to type on “331” and go directly to synth lead or whatever 331 is. Yamaha’s cheapest keyboards gave that function. I’m sure it can easily be implemented in a firmware update. If you have a contact at Roland, please make this suggestion. Thanks !
Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for tuning in! The FP30X and FP-E50 have the same core action and tone engine, so there is not too much difference between the piano experience. With that said, the FP-E50 has far more features and capabilities packed into it (hence its more expensive price tag).
I just bought this E-Piano and after setting it up, it sounded relatively fine. The speakers sounded a little muted on the normal concert piano sound but it was fine. After about a day I’ve noticed it sounds really muffled. When plugging in headphones, it sounds just fine. I don‘t want to return it cause other than the sound it functions perfectly but I can’t seem to find a solution.
Hi there! Congrats on your FP-E50! It is an amazing piano with tons of features. I know you will be pleased with it. Please kindly note that there are two settings for the speakers (stand or desk). These two modes adjust the equalization of the speakers to optimize the sonic experience. Make sure you have the setting selected for the specific context of use. That will ensure the clearest and best sound.
Stew all the general has to do @thebasicbuilder241 is go to settings in piano designer, You can lift the top of the piano to clear it up some and you can also go into Settings there’s a 3 band equalizer. It has bass mid and high you can booster high about 12 dB which should help
First of all, thank you so much for the great review! I currently own an "old" but still valid Roland FP-7 which at the time was the top of the Roland line up. I am considering an upgrade with the FP-e50: especially regarding keyboard quality, piano feeling and speaker quality, would it be worth it? Thanks!
Hi! Brent here! Thanks so much for the support. We appreciate it. It comes down to a matter of personal preference, but I think the FPE50 is certainly worth it. The combination of the excellent core piano experience via the PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL tone engine and ZEN-Core engine is quite impressive given the price tag in my opinion. :)
Stu, nice review as usual. Just 3 quick questions: 1) When using the accompaniment feature, do I have the option of using only the drums and not the full band to accompany me? 2) Is there an easily accessible EQ on the keyboard? 3) Due to the extra height of this keyboard, which bag on the market does it fit in neatly?
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for tuning in! You can switch between the drums and full accompaniment using the "Accompaniment On" button. In terms of EQ, it does not have an onboard EQ like the FP90X model does, but you can adjust the piano sounds by digging into the "Piano Designer" feature. :)
I was thinking about the Casio -7000 but thinking this might be more versatile. Although that Casio is beautiful. The super natural of Roland is awesome. Decisions ... great video as always.
Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words! We appreciate it. It is definitely a difficult call between two excellent pianos. We hope our review videos can help you narrow things down. :)
Another excellent review video, Stu. I like Casio and Yamaha gear, but Roland has always been my favorite for years. I have, and have had so much Roland/Boss gear since the early 1980's. My 6 note 1983 JX-3P was super expensive, with minimal capabilities in comparison to entry level keyboards today. Even my Fantom X6 Audio Expansion looked really nice, had so much capabilities for the time, but not so easy to use and comprehensive like this FP-E50. I plan to get this in a few months. It is incredible, especially for the price, and almost perfect for everything I want in an 88 key digital piano. I thought the RD 88 was great as a more compact, lighter and portable RD 88 and for about half the price, and ditto for the Fantom 06/07/08 as opposed to the Flagship Fantom series. So you get a combination of the RD 88 and Fantom 08 in one keyboard, with probably the most innovative and ingenious auto arranger and user interface, and all the right connectivity, with the headphone jacks in the front, and the pitch bend/modulation wheels. What more can you ask for at $1000 USD? Simply incredible instrument. 👍🎹🎵💯🔥
I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts and points! Roland has drawn a real line in the sand with the FPE50. It redefines value for the entire digital piano market in my opinion. There is so much technology and so many features packed into this powerhouse instrument. It is quickly becoming a favourite choice amongst players of all levels. :)
@@MerriamPianos The closest competitors to the FP-E50 is the Yamaha DGX-670 for slightly less, but still don't have all the capabilities, and the Kawai ES120 at about the same price as the DGX-670 that features the sample of their flagship $250K acoustic concert grand piano, with great keyboard and action, with detailed adjustments to simulate all the acoustic and tactile feedback and resonance of a real acoustic grand, but only 27 voice tones, and falls short in almost everything else that the FP-E50 has for that price. With it's feature set, it probably rivals and in ways may surpass the much more expensive Yamaha arranger keyboards.
I would like to use this as a portable piano, with the triple pedal unit, and a foldable stand. But the portable Roland RPU-3 triple pedal isn't compatible because it uses three 1/4" jacks, where as my FP-E50 has a single multi pin input port. Is there an adaptor or must I buy the screw on furniture pieces which include the pedals? Relinquishing the portability?
Hi there! Thanks for the question! The FPE50 is only compatible with the KPD70 pedalboard, which needs to be attached to the KSFE50 stand. I certainly get the frustration with that fact, but I guess the intention was that gigging situations would only require a single sustain pedal for most contexts of use.
Thank you for your review I called the shop the day you were filming and was asking so many questions about this model and the rep said we are literally filming that keyboard as we speak and that it would be available to watch in a couple days. I’m glad I waited to see your review I definitely want to buy it. If your able to I would love to see a comparison video between the Roland FP-E50 vs Yamaha DGX670 which I was told is why Roland built this model to compete with Yamaha? Thank you for all your hard work in making such informative videos!
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for tuning in! I'm happy that you were able to check out the review video prior to making a decision. The Roland FPE50 is an absolute powerhouse! Given the incredible dense feature list, it is quite impressive that Roland was able to offer it at the price point they did. Roland has definitely drawn a line in the sand with this model. As for a comparison with the DGX670, we will do our best to tackle it, but we have quite a few videos ahead of that in the queue. For what it's worth, given the fact that all of the features and functions are combined with a truly amazing musical offering via the PHA-4 action and ZEN-Core/SuperNATURAL tone engines, I would personally give a pretty substantial edge to Roland on this one. Thanks again and all the best!
Some points of comparisons are the following: 1) Speakers: Yamaha has upward facing speakers with woofers + tweeters while Roland has downward facing woofers with no tweeters. Drum beat sound quality is particularly affected when there are no tweeters or speakers facing the player. 2) Piano Quality: Yamaha has the CFX samples with both the VRM (Virtual Resonance Modeling) and Natural voices. Roland has their SuperNatural piano. Both engines use sampling as well as modeling. Extensive sound editing capabilities on the Yamaha: Touch Sense Offset and Depth, Harmonic Content, Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release, equalizer, harmony, etc. Same on the Roland. 3) Touch Sensitivity: Yamaha has 128 types vs Roland 100 types. Both are above the 5 types offered by FP-30X, P125a, and ES120. This allows better control of the piano samples in the area of dynamic control. 4) Arranger Styles: Yamaha offers 263 styles and Roland 177 styles (after update). Yamaha also offers more styles in their MusicSoft website. 5) Number of Variations per Style: Yamaha offers 4 variations vs Roland 2 variations. More variations allow for more nuanced backing tracks. 6) Intro/Ending: Yamaha offers 3 Intros and 3 Endings, while Roland offers just 1 intro and 1 ending. 7) Sounds: Yamaha has 601 voices + 29 Drum/SFX kits. Roland has 652 voices + 74 drum sets. Yamaha has Super Articulation, Mega Voice, Natural, Sweet, Cool, and Live! voices. Roland has the Zen-Core engine. 8) Expandability: Yamaha has MusicSoft while Roland has the Roland Cloud. 9) Screen: Yamaha has a large color screen. Roland has a monochromatic screen with a blue backing light, similar to their BK-5 arranger. 10) Microphone: both have a built-in microphone suite (3-band EQ, reverb, chorus, panning, noise gate, compressor, etc) to connect a dynamic microphone and sing 11) Yamaha DGX-670 other features: Piano Room, Score Display for piano lessons, Bluetooth Audio, recording, playback, compressor, layering sounds, full-featured equalizer, DSP effects of all types, 16-track sequencer, registration memory, follow lights, Karao-Key, USB audio interface, etc. 12) Yamaha DGX-670 more features: Vocal Cancel, Pitch Shift, Time Stretch, 500 Records on Playlist (unlimited via USB), Tap Tempo, Intelligent Acoustic Control, Stereo Optimizer, etc, etc. Same with Roland. 13) Apps: Yamaha DGX-670 offers Chord Tracker (extracts the chord sequence of an audio song stored on your device), Visual Performer. Roland has similar apps.
@@deadstick100 I haven't played a Roland FP-E50 yet, but I am familiar with all Roland digital pianos (I also owned two before) as well as their dedicated arranger keyboards ( I also owned one of their dedicated arrangers). The FP-E50 doesn't cut it for me. It is not a better arranger nor a better digital piano than the DGX-670. It is a sort of combo between an FP-30X and an entry level arranger keyboard like the Roland EX-50 with the old fashioned screen of the BK-5. I guess it is great for Roland fans who want to upgrade from the FP-30X.
I can honestly say from what I have seen so far, this keyboard is giving you the Fantom 0 series in a digital piano. The only issue I have with it is how it looks. But a great alternative to the Yamaha DGX.
I just got my Fp e50 and I was surprised and confused when I went to connect the Roland piano app to it and it didn’t work. But here’s the weird thing! When I went into my Bluetooth section on my iPad both the midi and audio Bluetooth for the e50 where present and connected. I tried the keyboard with a piano lesson app I use and it worked via Bluetooth. So while I think it stinks that it doesn’t work with the Roland app I am very happy that it works with my other apps
Congrats on your FPE50! It is a wonderful piano and I know you will be thrilled with what it offers musically! It is unfortunate that it is not compatible with the Roland Piano app. However, it is awesome that you have found apps that do work in conjunction with it. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy your new piano! :)
Excellent video. I have improved the playing experience by adding a set of iLoud speakers and a Yamaha sub woofer. With some careful editing I created very inspiring scenes
Ciao Brent e Stu. Un pianoforte piuttosto stupefacente con un ottimo prezzo. Gli speakers sono ottimi e generano un suono molto ricco nonostante gli 11 watt, molto probabilmente dipende anche dall'altezza maggiore del pianoforte. L'ho confrontato side by side con Casio px s3100 e Yamaha DGX 670 . Le differenza fra questi prodotti sono parecchie. Il keybed è completamente diverso come pure il suono del campione di pianoforte. Vanno provati! E' bello vedere Stu come suona il pianoforte! Ciao dall'Italia.
Hi Roberto! As always, thank you for checking out the video and sharing your thoughts! We appreciate it. I definitely agree with your synopsis of the FPE50. It is an excellent combination of features. The PHA4 action provides an excellent touch and the 11W speakers are quite rich sounding. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
Thanks so much for such a thorough review. Would you be so kind to forward me a resource where I can see how to record a multitrack song on this keyboard? Thank you!!
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to tune in. Unfortunately, I don't have a video showing multitrack recording on the FP-E50. I don't believe Roland has released a video showcasing that particular functionality yet. With that said, I will pass the suggestion along to our production team for you!
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for reaching out! We will definitely be doing more comparison videos that feature the Roland FPE50 and we have received a few requests for a comparison with the FP60X. We will do our best to tackle that as soon as we can. With that said, the decision between the FP60X and FPE50 ultimately comes down to how the instrument is going to be used. If the arranger and accompaniment features are appealing, the FPE50 is the clear choice. However, if you're going to be using the instrument purely for piano practice purposes, the FP60X may be the preference as the speaker system offers a nicer sonic experience. There is also the question of app use. The FPE50 is not capable of connecting to Roland's Piano App, but the FP60X is.
Something i never thought about concerning the fp E50. I read a review where someone complained about the deeper sound box, that is, bottom to top of keys. They said it made the keyboard and your hands sit higher when playing. If they lowered the stand they said they then couldnt get their knees under the piano. Not sure if that is a problomatic thing with the e50 or anyone else encountered this. Watching the video I can now see when Stu plays the e50 it is higher than the fp60x by quite a lot.
That is perhaps a problem for players using a folding X-stand. However, we recommend using a Z-stand like the Profile KDS450MA. That should allow you to get the piano low enough without being uncomfortable and ensuring there is ample space for your knees. :)
I think this is what I might upgrade to from the FP-10. I like Roland's heavier key touch, but would like an expanded tone set, accompaniment, and LCD screen. This could replace both my FP-10 and Casio CT-X5000.
For sure! If you are enjoying the FP10, but are looking for those more expanded features, the Roland FP-E50 is the perfect solution. It is an awesome piano that offers excellent value. :)
Stu, can you please do a beginner tutorial for those of us who are struggling with getting started. The User Manual is absolutely impenetrable and might just as well be written in Spanish. It probably is, I can't tell. A lot of new users will be extremely grateful to you.
Hi Chris! Brent from Merriam Music here! The FP-E50 is an amazing machine that is packed with a lot of features and capabilities (as you are discovering). With that said, I think a follow up video that digs into using these features and onboard functions is a great idea. I will pass on the suggestion to Stu and our production team for you. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
@@MerriamPianos Hello Brent. Thank you. I'm sure there must be a lot of users in the same boat as I am, who have been quite happily playing on FP 30x or 60x's both of which are quite straight forward, to play. They don't really require much tuition. But sitting down at an FP-E50 is a whole new ball game. Roland, have just chucked us in the deep end to either sink or swim. There's nothing on the Roland website to offer assistance or guidance. So I'm sure I speak for many others when I say, we are greatly looking forward to your future vids. On behalf of myself and many others, I sincerely thank you.
Just bought this yesterday for NZ$2000 (US$1160ish), sold my kawai es110 with stand for NZ$1250 (really surprised i was able sell it with that price!). Anyway this is a big upgrade and advance for me and my kids, they just started learning piano since we only play nursery songs😊. Have no idea about accompaniment since we only play it plain piano! and it’s good to see this demo. Just a question, can you please guide me on how to record the sound from it while we play and video using ipad or iphone? What do we need in terms of cable?
Congrats on your new FP-E50! It is a really fun instrument with a fantastic core piano experience! In terms of recording sound, you can take the line outputs and plug them into an audio interface that is connected to your computer/device and running through a Digital Audio Workstation. You will need 1/4" cables (1 if you are okay with a MONO signal and 2 if you are looking for a STEREO capture). :)
@bim360 I also own es110. I wanted to replace it by Es120, but after this review I'm thinking about FP-e50. How do you compare key action and keys feeling in es110 and fp-e50?
This review seems to be aimed at intermediate/advanced players. I'm researching for my very 1st digital piano ever and I also sing. What I'm interested in are the specs on the speakers (amps/size/how many), midi/bluetooth features and microphone specs/demo. Also, if there is a lesson or chord/lyric display option like it's competitor the Yamaha DGX 670. If I'm on this review I'm already sold on the 88 key/weighted graded features and a top brand name. Love the playing but would appreciate a 2nd part review aimed more at beginner/low intermediate players looking to sing/record along with learning to play.
Hi! Brent here! Thanks for tuning in and writing in! The FP-E50 has two 12 cm speakers that are 11W each. It does have Bluetooth MIDI and Audio, but it is not a model that is supported by Roland's Piano App. It does offer chord identification and display as well as the ability to upload chord progressions into the arranger features. There is certainly a lot to dig into with this model, so I like your idea about a follow-up video. I will pass the suggestion on to our production team. :)
You're very welcome! The FPE50 uses the same PHA4 action as the FP30X as well as the same core SuperNATURAL tone engine. So, from that perspective, the piano experience is quite congruent. With that said, the FPE50 does have a second engine: the ZEN-Core engine, so I suppose it has the edge in that department. :)
Great in-depth review, thank you for uploading this! One criticism I've read for the auto-accompaniment feature is that it doesn't seem to allow muting individual tracks (i.e. to keep only the rhythm section). Are there ways around this? Or is it possible to build chord sequences with only bass/drums maybe?
Thank you kindly! While the manner in which to do it is escaping me at the moment, I believe you can isolate the rhythm section in the auto-accompaniment. If I recall correctly, you can assign the wheels to become faders for the accompaniment elements (rhythm section and additional instrumentation respectively).
The PHA4 and PHA50 actions have not changed drastically in that time frame. The PHA50 will still be a heavier touch with greater control because of the longer pivot length.
Hi everybody, I've been playing for many years with a Studiologic SL 880 Fatar midi controller with 88 weighted keys connected to a Yamaha psr 630. I think this (old) Studiologic keyboard has a little excursion between Forte and Piano, so it is hard to emphasise some parts of the music. Is the fp-e50 action good enough to distinguish between Piano and Forte? From this point of view (Piano and Forte) is there a difference between Fp-e50 and Fp90x? Thanks
Hi there! Thanks for the question! The FP-E50's PHA4 action serves as an excellent action for MIDI controlling. In addition to it having a nice heavy, controlled touch, it has a high-performing triple sensor system that does an impressive job at rendering a player's performance nuances. With that said, the FP90X will allow you to control soft dynamics even better due to its longer pivot length and heavier weighting.
Hi! Brent here! Thanks so much! And thank you for the suggestion. The FP-E50 is so rich in features, that it might very well call for a follow up video to cover even more of its features. I will pass along your question to the production team and, perhaps, we can cover this topic in a future video.
I'm considering purchasing this piano for my studio. Can I use this in conjunction with my DAW Logic 11 for recording purposes? This was a Grrr8 review!
Thanks for the suggestion! We are not a Kurzweil dealer at this time, so it is a bit tougher to tackle reviews on those models. With that said, we keep a list of potential models to review/compare and will certainly add the K2700 to that list for you. We will do our best! :)
The Center Cancel button is used to minimize the main melody of a playback song, which makes it easier for someone to play/sing the melody overtop the accompaniment. While the FPE50 has lots of accompaniment features, it isn't exactly a karaoke machine. I would still recommend a standalone karaoke machine to be used for that purpose.
Hey I just purchased this, and my question is: are the sounds we hear connected to a different set of speakers because my concert piano 001 doesnt sound anything like what you just played around the 4 minute mark! I did notice that the sound is alot more incredible with headphones on thats for sure
Hi! Brent here! The sound captured in this video is a direct line out feed from the tone engine with no additional post-processing or alterations. With that said, it makes sense as to why the sound may be more consistent with the headphone experience you are hearing. :)
@@MerriamPianos SO as opposed to hearing the sound in an ambient room, im hearing it directly from the piano, is that correct, like If I had headphones on right? I just want to make sure i didnt get a lemon lol
Also, when I plug the keyboard (1/4 jack to 1/4 jack) to my speakers, is there a way that the sound ONLY comes out of my studio monitors and not the keyboard itself? When I tried that the sound was coming out from both the keyboard speakers and the monitors. Thank you for your time and advice!@@MerriamPianos
Roland FPe50 or Yamaha sx700 better for live gigging along with a singer? Better styles and sounds? Better onboard controling without having to access menus?
It is a matter of personal preference, but I personally find the FP-E50 to be more comprehensive in terms of sounds and features, including vocal processing. :)
I have a question not necessarily related to this keyboard, but are there any keyboards that when you use them as a midi controller, you can get the sounds back through the actual speakers?
The sliding controls are a great addition. But there is one thing I don't understand - why is Roland still using Bluetooth 4.2? 5.3 is the latest and Ver 5.0 has been around for quite some time already.
I agree! The sliders are quite convenient and a wonderful addition. In terms of the Bluetooth version, I am not entirely sure. I suppose that would be a question that has to be fielded directly to Roland.
The question is: why should they? BLE 5 offers ultra low power modes/devices which make no sense here or high bandwidth devices that basically don’t exist in consumer environments. So no reason to integrate a ble version for features that are not used
The Roland ZEN-Core tone engine is onboard the unit. Access to the engine and the core built-in sounds does not require a subscription. However, if you would like to sign up for the Roland Cloud, there are subscription fees/plans.
As always, a great review of the tool. I recently sold my FP30x and was thinking about a more interesting instrument. The Phantom series is not entirely interesting to me, the price is high, and I only play music at home. This Tool is right to the point of my interest, Thanks for the review. I agree with you, midi bluetooth works very unstable. I have tried Macbook, iPad, iPhone, Samsung tablet and many others. There is no connection with the computer at all, as I did not try, with the iPad 50/50 but constant delays in the processing of sound and tasks, the iPhone was connected almost always, but the midi slowed down, Samsung is just a mockery of the user, so I consider the bluetooth connection to be unfinished by Roland . The wire solves all problems, but then it complicates the connection with the tablet))) But we need less wires))) Thank you, we look forward to further interesting reviews from you.
Thanks so much for tuning in! The Roland FPE50 might be the perfect fit if you're looking for something more interesting and entertaining than the FP30X. In terms of the Bluetooth MIDI, I am of the same mind. While wireless technologies continue to improve, I still rely on wired connections. I find them more stable and more reliable. :)
Hi there! It is a good question! I am guessing they are from the SuperNATURAL engine opposed to the ZEN-Core engine. I don't believe Roland specifies that info in their literature though.
I have not personally tried it in conjunction with an iPad or tablet. I believe it would be compatible in theory, but the performance might not be as good as with a laptop or computer. Perhaps, one of our community members here can chime in if they have any experience with using it conjunction with an iPad. :)
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! I think the FP10 and FP30X will still very much have their place given the difference in price, but the FPE50 is a very attractive choice that will have many choosing it over the FP60X given its expansive features. With that said, the speaker system and pure piano experience of the FP60X is still superior to the FPE50 (hence the difference in price on that front too).
I think Brent is pretty much saying the small oval speakers on the FP-60X sound better because they are facing up, as opposed to the FP-E50 larger speakers which are facing down. Not sure what the rationale of Roland is, but common sense tells that speakers are supposed to face the player (do you listen to your home stereo speakers facing the wall?), which is why every digital piano company does that in their better instruments: Kawai ES120 vs ES920, FP-30X vs FP-60X, P-125 vs P515. Well, with the exception of Casio, which still needs to understand that a piano that costs $2,700 (PX-S7000) should have a better speaker design. But you can complement the FP-E50 subpar speaker performance with a pair of small studio monitors or even some small powered speakers from Amazon (some for just $60), sitting at ear level. That should make a significant different in sound presentation. After all, the FP-60X has simply a couple of small speakers (with no tweeters, just like the Kawai ES520 and ES920), so that is not an advanced speaker system anyway and you can buy a pretty cheap powered speaker these days anywhere.
The FP30X and FP-E50 use the same core piano tone engine (SuperNATURAL). So, they are quite similar sonically. With that said, the different enclosure design and speaker placement do affect the sonic experience as well.
I'm using DP mainly as a MIDI controller and want to upgrade from FP10 to FP-E50 for pitch and mod wheels, but it would be nice to have some decent speakers for quick fiddling around (FP10 speakers are poor). How would you rate E50s speakers compared to Kawai ES920 or Roland FP60X?
The FP-E50 is a fantastic piano with a great feature list! In terms of the speaker system, it is quite comparable to the FP30X. It is not quite the same power and quality as the ES920 or FP60X models.
Hi Stu, I have to say, I love the way you play, and also yours reviews. I have a question for you. Despite the fact that I think you lean more towards the Roland brand, I am doubtful about what type of instrument is the one that fits my needs. I'm a novice pianist, but I'm starting to compose and three pieces of equipment really caught my attention: The Roland FP E50, the Yamaha GSX 670 and maybe the Roland Juno JS88. My musical foundation is not very solid yet, but it would be nice to have an electric piano to complement my acoustic piano and to have a tool on hand that allows me to compose. It is important to tell you that for some unknown reason, the Yamaha keyboard is sold in my country (Mexico) for more than double the price (around $2,300 USD), but both Roland have a much more decent price (just over $1,000 USD). Based on the above, which do you think would be the right one for my needs? And since I highly respect your opinion, personally which would you prefer, the FP E50 or the DGX 670? Thank you very much and greetings.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for tuning in and writing in with your question! At the end of the day, it really comes down to a matter of preference. The FPE50 and DGX670 are both excellent and highly-versatile instruments. With that said, my personal preference is the Roland FPE50. To me, the action is more authentic feeling and the feature offering is immense. However, when it comes to tone, they are quite different. If possible, my recommendation would be to test both out a showroom to decide which one you resonate with most. :)
They are both exceptional stage-worthy instruments that have some overlap of features. With that said, each instrument has their specific strengths and features that set them apart. We will do our best to tackle this comparison for you in the near future. :)
FPE-50 or Yamaha CK88? Please help me decide :( I'll use it for playing live The only downside I see on CK88 is that it doesn't have much Epianos like Roland does.
It really is a matter of preference of course, but, for me, the FP-E50 has a superior touch and a much more impressive collection of non-piano sounds (including e.pianos like you mentioned). The ZEN-Core engine is really appealing too! :)
Hi! Brent here! The fact that the core piano elements (SuperNATURAL tone engine and PHA-4 action) are of a very high quality on the FPE50, it is definitely capable of serving as an appropriate instrument for classical playing. With that said, it also has tons of fun features to dive into when you're looking for a bit of a break from rigorous practice. :)
Hi, does the Zen Core function has any limitation to the tone that can be downloaded? For example, is it able to download some more Juno synth sound via the cloud function, if one has a license? Thanks.
That model of pricing & function or setup might be the one I am looking for? I am looking for models that has digital piano feature- quality piano sound & touch and yet had tons of flexibility functions such as like a keyboard have ( automatic cords ) . I am not musically trained but a music lover who could only play by ear and don’t know to read notes at all. Stu, let me know if this model is perfect for me compare to Kawai digital piano? I know that Kawai digital piano sound and keyboard touch much more like a realistic acoustic piano than any other brands! However it’s lack of functional like a keyboard have and cost around $5-6k usd to have the best piano experience. Please advise, thanks
Hi! Brent here! The Roland FP-E50 is definitely an option worth considering as it is a hybrid of an arranger, stage, and at-home digital piano. The value packed into this model is incredible. Truthfully, there is no Kawai piano that offers the same level of arranging/accompaniment features as this type of model. The closest thing would be an MP7SE or MP11SE, which definitely have a lot of perks and features that are superior to the FP-E50 (which is reflected in the price point). However, this is not quite an apples to apples comparison for a variety of reasons.
Thanks Bent for reply. I’ll definitely consider Roland fpe50 than Kawai digital piano for this price point even though it has Sk Kawai sound included, simply because the sampling of SK Kawai is very realistic to an acoustic grand piano. I rather trade off Sk Kawai sampling sound for arranger features that Roland has for that price point. Thanks again for advice and insight.
I purchase this keyboard from your review. I really do like it. I traded in a Roland machine that sequenced for this and miss that function. Can you recommend a budget-friendly looper machine that I can connect to my FP-E50 and record several parts to make fun, short loops ( and maybe song motifs) ? Thanks so much in advance.
We're happy to hear that our review helped in your decision making process. Congrats on your FP-E50! It is a remarkable instrument on all fronts. Are you looking for an audio-based looper or a MIDI-based sequencer? There are a few different approaches one could take on this front.
@@MerriamPianos I guess I’m looking for an audio-based looper. I have Mixcraft, but never use it. I want to be able to for example, play a bass line, rhythm, maybe a motif I make up and then play over it. 3-4 layers is fine. I don’t need to make an 8-16 track master. I just want I have fun playing. Thank you!
We are not a Korg dealer at the moment, so reviewing Korg models is a little trickier to manage. We do periodically get newer models on trade that make things a little easier for us to tackle review and comparison videos. In either case, I believe the Korg Liano is already on our list of potential video candidates as we have received one or two requests for it in the past. :)
I own a DGX-670 and also had the DGX-660. The DGX-670 main strengths over the DGX-660 are: 4 variations per style, 3 intros and 3 endings, extensive piano sound editing capabilities, color screen, quality of the sounds (from the PSR-SX series), audio interface, Bluetooth audio, as well as a host of modern features taken from their upper-level arrangers. Compared to the Roland FP-E50: 1) Speakers: Yamaha has upward facing speakers with woofers + tweeters while Roland has downward facing woofers with no tweeters. Drum beat sound quality is particularly affected when there are no tweeters or speakers facing the player. 2) Piano Quality: Yamaha has the CFX samples with both the VRM (Virtual Resonance Modeling) and Natural voices. Roland has their SuperNatural piano. Both engines use sampling as well as modeling. Extensive sound editing capabilities on the Yamaha: Touch Sense Offset and Depth, Harmonic Content, Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release, equalizer, harmony, etc. Same on the Roland. 3) Touch Sensitivity: Yamaha has 128 types vs Roland 100 types. Both are above the 5 types offered by FP-30X, P125a, and ES120. This allows better control of the piano samples in the area of dynamic control. 4) Arranger Styles: Yamaha offers 263 styles and Roland 177 styles (after update). Yamaha also offers more styles in their MusicSoft website. 5) Number of Variations per Style: Yamaha offers 4 variations vs Roland 2 variations. More variations allow for more nuanced backing tracks. 6) Intro/Ending: Yamaha offers 3 Intros and 3 Endings, while Roland offers just 1 intro and 1 ending. 7) Sounds: Yamaha has 601 voices + 29 Drum/SFX kits. Roland has 652 voices + 74 drum sets. Yamaha has Super Articulation, Mega Voice, Natural, Sweet, Cool, and Live! voices. Roland has the Zen-Core engine. 8) Expandability: Yamaha has MusicSoft while Roland has the Roland Cloud. 9) Screen: Yamaha has a large color screen. Roland has a monochromatic screen with a blue backing light, similar to their BK-5 arranger. 10) Microphone: both have a built-in microphone suite (3-band EQ, reverb, chorus, panning, noise gate, compressor, etc) to connect a dynamic microphone and sing 11) Yamaha DGX-670 other features: Piano Room, Score Display for piano lessons, Bluetooth Audio, recording, playback, compressor, layering sounds, full-featured equalizer, DSP effects of all types, 16-track sequencer, registration memory, follow lights, Karao-Key, USB audio interface, etc. 12) Yamaha DGX-670 more features: Vocal Cancel, Pitch Shift, Time Stretch, 500 Records on Playlist (unlimited via USB), Tap Tempo, Intelligent Acoustic Control, Stereo Optimizer, etc, etc. Same with Roland. 13) Apps: Yamaha DGX-670 offers Chord Tracker (extracts the chord sequence of an audio song stored on your device), Visual Performer. Roland has similar apps.
@@renelopezgarcia5160 My pleasure! I would suggest VST pianos such as Garritan CFX, particularly if you want to upload videos on TH-cam. You can also tweak your default DGX pianos, depending on your application. Digital pianos are typically better for live sound, and good quality VST pianos will sound better for an album. May I ask how you use your DGX-670?
The Roland pianos, including the FP-E50, have excellent organ tones. Perhaps, we should consider a video series focusing on these various models' non-piano tones.
Thank you for the indepth review, Sir. This helped me decide. I'm replacing an older casio electric piano that just feels so bad compared to the alesis and KORG triton-88 that I had. And my god... the casio electric piano patch is so bad...
You're very welcome! Thanks for tuning in! We're very happy to hear that you this review was helpful in your decision process. The FP-E50 is an exceptional, fully-loaded piano! :)
@@MerriamPianos I figured it out. You have to first EXPORT and then the device makes a csv file you can edit. Thanks for the swift reply.hopefully folks see my message and it helps. 😌
Absolutely! It would be a wonderful piano solution for church settings! Furthermore, its PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL tone engine make it a wonderful choice for piano practice and studying as well. :)
Here's a shout out to this channel's videography, which is always stunning. That colorful, beautiful bokeh in the background is gorgeous.
Thanks so much for tuning in and for the kind words about our videography! I will be sure to pass on the compliment to our talented videographer, Lee! :)
I have a Roland HP-230 I bought in 1997 and it still is going great.
That is amazing longevity! Very cool! :)
Good morning Stu. In 2001, I bought a Roland RD700 and still use it, sometimes, to this day. The last couple of years I’ve been playing on my Kawai ES920. I was gifted a Roland FP E50 for my birthday by my brother. All I can say is wow! I agree with your review and it really is a lot of fun. Been going to bed really late lately due to getting lost in the E50 with my headphones. The value here blows me away and I’m really liking the PHA 4 key action. Thank you for your review. Your the best piano/keyboard reviewer on the net!
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for taking the time to check out our review! I will be sure to pass along your kind words to Stu. :)
Congrats on your Roland FP-E50! It is an excellent addition to the arsenal and offers something a little different than the RD700 and ES920. As you have experienced, the cost-to-value ratio is mind-blowing. Even if this model was priced at $1000 more, I don't think anyone would be asking any questions or thinking twice about it! Thanks again and enjoy your new piano!
Thanks for your review and especially the PH 4 comment. Very helpful. 👍🏻
Hi. I have a Kaway Es 8 and I had a Roland Fp 30. I'm curious to know if you consider the piano tones in this new Roland as "realistic" as the ones in Kawai. Thanks
The PHA4Concert on the RD700 is a different PHA4 than the PHA4Standard on the FP-E50 though🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 How so? There are different PHA4 models? What is the difference?
Thank you! I’ve been waiting for this review!
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)
Another excellent, informative and articulate review. Many thanks, Stu.
Thanks so much for tuning in! We're glad you enjoyed Stu's review! :)
Stu, You are far and away my favorite digital piabo reviewer! Pro pianist here, play at school and churches. Thank you soo much for going into detail about the accompaniment feature. I feel the same about Rolands and ph4 action, love the way they feel and sound. Have an rd88 which I bought during Covid (thanks to your review) for gigs and planning on buying this one for home practice to replace my broken Casio. I also love listening to your jazz inprov.. it is amazing! Could listen for hours. Much appreciated!! ❤
Hi Andrew! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for tuning in! I will be sure to share your kind words with Stu on your behalf. :)
The Roland RD88 is a little powerhouse and the PHA4 action is phenomenal to play on. Thanks again and happy playing!
Great review and playing Stu. You are the best reviewer on You Tube for pianos/ keyboards. Thanks to all your reviews and comparisons, I finally picked up the FP E50 yesterday. Best suited for my purposes since I'm a guitar player and a beginner wanting to learn the piano properly now. Still exploring it but the arrangement and other features are great and it is very easy to operate because of your videos. I didn't even have to open the manual for now. :) After seeing your videos, it was finally a choice between the Yamaha DGX 670 and the FP E50 but since I already have a Roland FA06 with a 16 track sequencer and Arturia Keylab Essential 88/ Native Instruments S49 MK2 Midi Keyboards (all used for composition purposes), I really didn't need the advanced features and 16 track sequencer on the DGX 670 so went for the FP E50. Plus the DGX 670 is about 200 $ more expensive here. Mainly the piano action review of yours, weight difference, Zen Core and Supernatural engine and the sleek look/ compact size of the FP E50 was what tipped the scales in favour of the FP E50 since I was mainly looking for a digital piano. The other features in the FP E50 are an added bonus and in a sense make the FP E50 future proof for many years. I tested it yesterday and I agree with you that the speakers are loud enough for home use purpose. Got a very decent sound quality from the internal speakers and they are good enough for home use in my view. I only put it at about 40% Master volume and it was loud enough for my small room (11 x 8). The downward facing speakers are not an issue at all for me. The slider volume controls on the piano itself are a fantastic feature and really useful. Will write in with more once I've fully explored it. As some others have said, I hope to see parts 2, 3 and more and some tutorial reviews on the FP E50 on your channel in the future. Thanks.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks so much for sharing and congrats on your new Roland FP-E50! It is quite the powerhouse instrument for the money. The amazing core piano experience via the SuperNATURAL tone engine and PHA4 action is impressive on its own for this price point, but when you factor in the extensive accompaniment features and ZEN-Core inclusion, it really is a home run. We're glad to hear that you've been enjoying it so far! Thanks again and happy playing! :)
I purchased an FP-E50 a month or so ago and am really enjoying it. I stumbled upon on undocumented feature that I think other people should know about too. I wanted to be able control other synthesizers from the FP-E50 but since it doesn't have standard 5 pin MIDI ports I thought I was going to have to connect it to a computer and control other synths from there - or possibly have to buy a separate "USB midi host" device which are either expensive or somewhat flaky based on reviews.
However, I found a comment somewhere claiming that on the older Roland FP-30 you can connect a USB MIDI interface (like the Roland UM-ONE mk2) to the USB memory port - the port that you would normally use for a USB flash drive - and then the FP-30 was able to send MIDI over that. So, I decided to try that with my newly purchased FP-E50 using an old E-MU brand USB MIDI interface that I already owned (similar to the Roland UM-ONE mk2) and surprisingly it works! It sends MIDI on channel 1 and also receives MIDI on channel 4. [Update: You can change what MIDI channel it sends from by pressing the Menu button, then select "Scene Edit", then "MIDI Setting".]
Anyways, I really appreciate all of your reviews Stu and Merriam Music. Though I purchased the FP-E50 before you made this video, I had watched your reviews of the FP-30X and other instruments and had a good hunch that the FP-E50 would be the right choice for me since I basically wanted an FP-30x with more sounds and a better interface.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you so much for tuning in and sharing this very helpful hack! USB-MIDI converters like the Roland UM-ONE are quite convenient for these situations. It is extremely helpful to know that the process and approach works with the Roland FP-E50!
Also, congrats on your FP-E50! It is an absolute powerhouse and one of the best bangs for your buck on the market right now. I know you will be thrilled with what it offers musically. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
That's very interesting.... can the parameters of the ZenCore sounds be adjusted (in real-time) via a controller/FaderFox sending CCs (or other)?
@@mungewell Your question prompted me to try that out and the answer is yes - though there are probably limitations. I've only just begun experimenting with this, but I have a Novation Circuit Tracks which has 8 knobs which by default sends MIDI CCs for 1, 2, 5, 11, 12, 13, 71 and 74. Making adjustments to some of those does affect the sounds on the FP-E50 and it's already added a new dimension to what I can do with this thing.
Edit: after some experimentation I've settled on assigning the 8 knobs as follows:
* CC 73 - attack time
* CC 72 - release time
* CC 76 - LFO rate
* CC 77 - LFO depth
* CC 74 - filter cutoff frequency
* CC 71 - filter resonance
* CC 11 - volume
* CC 93 - chorus
@@jimrhoades8456 That's fantastic news! Although the items you mention are probably just scratching the surface. There is no Midi Implementation doc for the FP-E50 (yet), but there is for the FP-50 which is very detailed... obviously these aren't the same keyboard, but engineers tend to be lazy and re-use what's gone before (a good thing!). It includes SysEx to do some pretty deep stuff.
There's also the Reference guide for the MC-707 which details the internal parameters of the Zen core, I wonder if any of these can be adjusted externally in realtime. It does mention assigning the 4 control knobs (which I don't think that the FP-E50 has) to CC's. Maybe parameter could be assigned via SysEx and then tweaked via CC.
Pg 74 - "MFX Control":
You can use MIDI messages such as control change messages to control the principal MFX parameters. This capability is called “MFX CONTROL (multi-effects control).” The editable parameters are pre-determined according to the MFX type. You can specify up to four parameters for multi-effect control. To use MFX CONTROL, you’ll need to specify which MIDI message (Source) will affect which parameter (Destination), and how greatly (Sens).
@@jimrhoades8456 If you look at the RD-88 implementation, there are SysEx descriptions for the MFX section (for each of Layer1/2/3). This doesn't give settings for external control, but does (suspiciously) have 12 'reserved' bytes.... which is the exact size that would be required to implement the same functionality as the MC-707!
Yes! First off, thanks to Merriam Music & Stu Harrison for this review. There is so much jammed packed into this Keyboard, it's hard to cover everything, let alone all the Sounds/Patches. For me, I've been waiting for this Keyboard for 20 years. I'm a guitar player, that also dabbles in piano. I started in the 80's on a Casio CT-7000, then moved to an Ensoniq ESQ-1 played through a Roland JC-120 when the early JC's had line inputs in the rear. What a great sound. But I really needed 88 Keys. So onto a Alesis QS8.1, then to a Yamaha P80, which I still play after 20 years. For Synth sounds I use a Ensoniq ZR-76. Now finally a Keyboard that covers it all for me. 88 Keys, Top notch Keybed, built in speakers, 256 note polyphony, half pedaling capability, Split/layering, Quality Piano Sample, and more tones and patches then you would ever need. Plus a host of other features. It's like if you only had radio, then TV came along. And all at a price that punches below it's weight class. Kudos Roland! Needless to say, always a pleasure to listen to Stu's outstanding keyboard skills and knowledge. Good Job!
Hi! Brent here! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out the video and write in with your thoughts and kind words! We appreciate it. :)
The Roland FPE50 is unquestionably an important piano that is filling a hole in the market both in terms of feature offering and price point. It is remarkable that Roland has included so much at this price! I think this is the type of instrument that might need two or three review videos to cover all of its extensive features. Thanks again and happy playing!
Personaly I don't think the PHA4 is a top notch action. Just my opinion🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 That's cool! To each their own.
Awesome review on this feature packed keyboard. Been waiting for a good review like this to help me make a decision to purchase and your review has certainly persuaded me. This is such a great value for the money and you did a terrific job hitting some highlights. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and talented playing with us. 👍🏼
You're very welcome! Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in! We're glad that you have found our reviews helpful. Happy playing! :)
Have you bought it? If yes, which case did you buy for it?
At 3:28 you state that the keyboard will not connect with the Roland Piano app. You'll be pleased to know that with software update 1.20, which came available in January 2024, the piano app is now supported. So that's a step forward. Thanks for an excellent review.
Thank you kindly for sharing! And thank you for tuning in! We appreciate it. :)
Finally! Been waiting for this to be reviewed here.
Thanks for your patience! We're excited to finally release it! :)
As informative and fun as this review is, Stu barely scratches the surface. Didn’t talk much about the mic: Center Cancel (like karaoke) and auto-harmonies. Programable functions for the pedals. It’s an amazing value for the price. Please, a second part with more in-depth info! Yes, Stu! Go into the weeds!😊
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! The feature offering for the FP-E50 is robust to say the least, so, without making the video 3 hours long, it is quite difficult to cover everything haha! With that said, this might be a model that requires a second video instalment to cover all of the critical features. ;)
3 hours long LOL
@Merriam Music Yes, please, a part two would be fantastic!
Hey @AdiascarCisneros, I can't find anything on the karaoke feature. Can you explain that a little more?
Yeah! I have been waiting (and actually asking) for this review. Thank you quite a bunch for this one. This instrument has so much to offer, though, that you have not been able to cover in this video, that should consider to record a second part.
You're very welcome! Thank you for your patience! And I definitely hear you. This might be a model that requires a second (and, perhaps, third) review video to cover all of the features on this powerhouse! :)
@Merriam Music Indeed! Thank you so much! You guys are phenomenal! And Stu's piano performance is outstanding! I just love to listen to him playing!
Hey Stu, thanks for this review. I found your video after ordering (in the uk) and it helped me build the excit meant before it arrived. My first impressions are great.
I connected Bluetooth midi and Bluetooth audio on my iPad with no issues at all
Hi Chris! Brent from Merriam Music here! Congrats on your FP-E50! It is quite the powerhouse. I'm happy to hear that you've been enjoying it and have not been having any issued with the Bluetooth functionality. :)
This is something I would really like to have for Christmas this year as an upgrade to my Casio CDP-S360 that I currently have.
Fingers crossed that you're able to get your hands on one by Christmas! The FP-E50 is quite the powerhouse. :)
@@MerriamPianosyeah, I’m certainly looking forward to its upgraded and better functions and features like heavier keys, better key dynamics, more polyphony, slightly wider music sheet stand to have a little more room to put music sheets on, modulation wheel, more realistic-sounding instrument tones, piano designer feature, tone editing, saving tones to favourites and the very cool and interesting soft pipe organ tone it has.
Since I started to believe in the magic of Santa Claus since late summer this year, I bet Santa Claus is thinking about that I would really want and need a Roland FP-E50 as an upgrade to my Casio CDP-S360 that I currently have since my current one has limitations and lacks the features and functions I need like it has keys that are less weighted, inferior key dynamics making them less effective for complex piano music, the music sheet stand is not quite wide enough causing a little less room to put music sheets on, it lacks the piano designer feature, tone editing feature and the feature to save tones to favourites compared to the Roland FP-E50.
@@MerriamPianos I did not get a Roland FP-E50 for Christmas like I was hoping for.
Listening to you play makes me want to buy one
The FP-E50 is a lot of fun! I think that is quite evident from Stu's face when he's playing it! :)
How FP-60X makes sense now?
Excellent review by the way. Thanks you so much Stu.
Thanks so much! We appreciate it. :)
The FP60X still has its place as it has a higher-quality speaker experience as well as app connectivity whereas the FP-E50 does not. With that said, I suspect many customers will be choosing the FP-E50 over the FP60X due to its price and feature offering. We will be releasing a video comparison on this very soon by the way. ;)
Thanks for your detailed reviews Stu. I have spent an entire week's free time deciding which digital piano l am going to buy and you have assisted me greatly at coming to a decision. The price point is acceptable to me considering the amount of functionality included. Deciding factors for me other than the piano likeness of the action and sound are 1. being able to make adjustments on the instrument without getting an external app, computer and using the keys to assign functions + a display screen; 2. an adequate speaker set-up for home use. Quality other instrument sounds and rhythms to jam with my electric guitarist husband. 3. Proper line in and out if I at some point get to use it at church. 4. front facing double headphone jacks. 5. The capacity to attach 3 pedals. I have owned both an accoustic piano a Kawai keyboard and Roland keyboard. I was considering the ES920 & the FP60x, but they are just slightly to expensive to me and gives me less freedom to jam with my talented husband. To keep the price down I was considering the ES120 & FP30x, but I don't want to be interacting with an app to adjust the parameters and struggle fiddling with onboard settings without an intuitive screen. I also tried out the RD88 @ our favourite music store, but ultimately decided against it as it does not have a music rest and I didn't like the speaker set-up for home use. Hope my reflection helps some other peeps decide 😊. Oh yeah, I also like the inclusion of the vocoder.🎉
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your thoughts and insights regarding your quest for the perfect digital piano. Based on what you're describing, the Roland FP-E50 seems to be the perfect fit! It checks off the vast majority of the boxes you've laid out. It is a piano that has tons of features and customization options built directly into the piano opposed to having to be accessed via an app. It is certainly worth consideration! :)
@@MerriamPianos thanks guys. Good Day from Australia!🇦🇺
Just purchased my FP-E50. These videos were so helpful!!
Absolutely adore mine took back the Yamaha dgx 670,no comparison ❤
Some of the best virtual pianos ive heard
Totally! The FP-E50 is a seriously impressive instrument. :)
killer playing
I'll be happy to pass along your kind words to Stu! :)
Brilliant review. Thank you.
You're welcome! Thank you so much for the kind words! :)
Great review, and playing. I just got one and love it. Thanks for the tip with pianist 2 /split point backing setup for jazz. I did build some custom risers for a set of iLoud speakers to augment the sounds, and find the assignable triple pedals for fill variation helpful.
Thanks a million! We really appreciate it! We're glad that you enjoyed it! Also, congrats on your FPE50! It is a fantastic machine and it sounds like you have built a nice little rig for yourself to enjoy it. :)
Which case did you get for it? It is a bit hard finding one to fit it because of its height. Thanks in advance!
I really enjoyed this review.
Thanks a million! We appreciate it. :)
This is the best review I’ve seen of this keyboard, thank you. I just wish that manufacturers in this price bracket for these piano arranger types of keyboard had midi in and also multi zone multi voice splits/overlays. I had this on my M1 back in the 1990s so it’s frustrating that functions I considered standard then are now not so
Thanks so much! We appreciate that immensely! :)
I know there are a lot of applications where a traditional 5-pin DIN MIDI connection would be the preference. With that said, there are work arounds (USB to MIDI connectors, MIDI hubs, etc.) that can allow for flexible connectivity. Also, in this case, the FP-E50 is so fully-loaded with features that its extremely difficult to argue the amazing value it presents.
they don't include it anymore because it can be done much better on a computer and it costs a lot more to put a microchip in one of these than just allowing you to connect your computer
@@phoenix4193 yes unless you want to simply slave the keyboard from another keyboard which is what I would like to do.
Awesome review and playing as usual!
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to check out the video! :)
Well done and very professional review! I especially like your detailed comments on key action. Thank you, Stu! IMO by far the best reviews on YT. Looking forward to the coming releases, maybe a Kawai MP-12? 😉
Thanks so much! We really appreciate the kind words. We have not received notice about a Kawai MP12 yet, but we will keep you in the loop if we hear anything. ;)
Nice update from Roland, might consider getting this too, since it is so versatile.
Absolutely! It's a hard instrument to pass up on when you look at its impressive feature offering and cost-to-value ratio! :)
About time you get to reviewing this keyboard.
Thank you for being patient! We're excited to finally release this highly-anticipated review! :)
Thanks a lot, much better then pxs 3100 but nearly same price range in europe, buying decision shifted😊greetings from Germany
You're very welcome! The PXS3100 certainly has its strengths as well (portability and excellent piano tones for instance), but the FP-E50 is definitely tough to compete with due to how rich in features it is. :)
Okay-I got the Roland FP E-50 today. I’ve been playing for the last two hours and I have this to say. Woweeee! This is so much fun. This is the most entertaining, good-sounding, and versatile instrument I’ve ever owned. I’m smiling so hard right now. Thank you for the review that made me buy this. I didn’t have $1000 in disposable income and also, have no regrets. ❤ OMG, so much fun.
Hi Jason! Congrats on your new Roland FP-E50! I'm so happy to hear that you've been enjoying everything it offers (although I am not surprised in the least ;) as it is an amazing instrument with a boatload of fun, engaging features! Happy playing! :)
There are buttons numbered 1-5 and a billion tones that are numbered. I find the menu a bit cumbersome. Even using the favorites menu is slow. I’d love for there to be a that we can just type in a number and get directly to a tone (or rhythm). The favorites bank is still cumbersome. I should be able to type on “331” and go directly to synth lead or whatever 331 is. Yamaha’s cheapest keyboards gave that function. I’m sure it can easily be implemented in a firmware update. If you have a contact at Roland, please make this suggestion. Thanks !
Thanks for the video Stu. Trying to decide between this and the FP-30X.
Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for tuning in! The FP30X and FP-E50 have the same core action and tone engine, so there is not too much difference between the piano experience. With that said, the FP-E50 has far more features and capabilities packed into it (hence its more expensive price tag).
Great review as always! Thanks!
Thanks a million! We appreciate that. :)
I just bought this E-Piano and after setting it up, it sounded relatively fine. The speakers sounded a little muted on the normal concert piano sound but it was fine. After about a day I’ve noticed it sounds really muffled. When plugging in headphones, it sounds just fine. I don‘t want to return it cause other than the sound it functions perfectly but I can’t seem to find a solution.
Hi there! Congrats on your FP-E50! It is an amazing piano with tons of features. I know you will be pleased with it. Please kindly note that there are two settings for the speakers (stand or desk). These two modes adjust the equalization of the speakers to optimize the sonic experience. Make sure you have the setting selected for the specific context of use. That will ensure the clearest and best sound.
Stew all the general has to do @thebasicbuilder241 is go to settings in piano designer, You can lift the top of the piano to clear it up some and you can also go into Settings there’s a 3 band equalizer. It has bass mid and high you can booster high about 12 dB which should help
First of all, thank you so much for the great review! I currently own an "old" but still valid Roland FP-7 which at the time was the top of the Roland line up. I am considering an upgrade with the FP-e50: especially regarding keyboard quality, piano feeling and speaker quality, would it be worth it? Thanks!
Hi! Brent here! Thanks so much for the support. We appreciate it. It comes down to a matter of personal preference, but I think the FPE50 is certainly worth it. The combination of the excellent core piano experience via the PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL tone engine and ZEN-Core engine is quite impressive given the price tag in my opinion. :)
@@MerriamPianos Thank you very much Brent!
Jackpot, smash-hit, bingo, this gear covers every need that I could have and then some more. I see here my first piano 🙂
Absolutely! The Roland FPE50 is a powerhouse! :)
Stu, nice review as usual. Just 3 quick questions: 1) When using the accompaniment feature, do I have the option of using only the drums and not the full band to accompany me? 2) Is there an easily accessible EQ on the keyboard? 3) Due to the extra height of this keyboard, which bag on the market does it fit in neatly?
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for tuning in! You can switch between the drums and full accompaniment using the "Accompaniment On" button. In terms of EQ, it does not have an onboard EQ like the FP90X model does, but you can adjust the piano sounds by digging into the "Piano Designer" feature. :)
Have you used sustain while playing the Concert Piano?
Brent here! Yup - I have used the sustain pedal in conjunction with the main concert grand patch without any issues.
I was thinking about the Casio -7000 but thinking this might be more versatile. Although that Casio is beautiful. The super natural of Roland is awesome. Decisions ... great video as always.
Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words! We appreciate it. It is definitely a difficult call between two excellent pianos. We hope our review videos can help you narrow things down. :)
Very Nice!!
Thank you so much! :)
Like that screen!
Thanks for tuning in! :)
The direct competitor of the Roland FP-E50 is the new YAMAHA CK 88 pls can you do a comparison of the two.
Thank you kindly for the suggestion! We will do our best to tackle that for you! :)
Another excellent review video, Stu. I like Casio and Yamaha gear, but Roland has always been my favorite for years. I have, and have had so much Roland/Boss gear since the early 1980's. My 6 note 1983 JX-3P was super expensive, with minimal capabilities in comparison to entry level keyboards today. Even my Fantom X6 Audio Expansion looked really nice, had so much capabilities for the time, but not so easy to use and comprehensive like this FP-E50.
I plan to get this in a few months. It is incredible, especially for the price, and almost perfect for everything I want in an 88 key digital piano.
I thought the RD 88 was great as a more compact, lighter and portable RD 88 and for about half the price, and ditto for the Fantom 06/07/08 as opposed to the Flagship Fantom series.
So you get a combination of the RD 88 and Fantom 08 in one keyboard, with probably the most innovative and ingenious auto arranger and user interface, and all the right connectivity, with the headphone jacks in the front, and the pitch bend/modulation wheels.
What more can you ask for at $1000 USD?
Simply incredible instrument. 👍🎹🎵💯🔥
I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts and points! Roland has drawn a real line in the sand with the FPE50. It redefines value for the entire digital piano market in my opinion. There is so much technology and so many features packed into this powerhouse instrument. It is quickly becoming a favourite choice amongst players of all levels. :)
@@MerriamPianos The closest competitors to the FP-E50 is the Yamaha DGX-670 for slightly less, but still don't have all the capabilities, and the Kawai ES120 at about the same price as the DGX-670 that features the sample of their flagship $250K acoustic concert grand piano, with great keyboard and action, with detailed adjustments to simulate all the acoustic and tactile feedback and resonance of a real acoustic grand, but only 27 voice tones, and falls short in almost everything else that the FP-E50 has for that price. With it's feature set, it probably rivals and in ways may surpass the much more expensive Yamaha arranger keyboards.
I would like to use this as a portable piano, with the triple pedal unit, and a foldable stand. But the portable Roland RPU-3 triple pedal isn't compatible because it uses three 1/4" jacks, where as my FP-E50 has a single multi pin input port.
Is there an adaptor or must I buy the screw on furniture pieces which include the pedals? Relinquishing the portability?
Hi there! Thanks for the question! The FPE50 is only compatible with the KPD70 pedalboard, which needs to be attached to the KSFE50 stand. I certainly get the frustration with that fact, but I guess the intention was that gigging situations would only require a single sustain pedal for most contexts of use.
Thank you for your review I called the shop the day you were filming and was asking so many questions about this model and the rep said we are literally filming that keyboard as we speak and that it would be available to watch in a couple days. I’m glad I waited to see your review I definitely want to buy it. If your able to I would love to see a comparison video between the Roland FP-E50 vs Yamaha DGX670 which I was told is why Roland built this model to compete with Yamaha? Thank you for all your hard work in making such informative videos!
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for tuning in! I'm happy that you were able to check out the review video prior to making a decision. The Roland FPE50 is an absolute powerhouse! Given the incredible dense feature list, it is quite impressive that Roland was able to offer it at the price point they did. Roland has definitely drawn a line in the sand with this model. As for a comparison with the DGX670, we will do our best to tackle it, but we have quite a few videos ahead of that in the queue. For what it's worth, given the fact that all of the features and functions are combined with a truly amazing musical offering via the PHA-4 action and ZEN-Core/SuperNATURAL tone engines, I would personally give a pretty substantial edge to Roland on this one. Thanks again and all the best!
Some points of comparisons are the following:
1) Speakers: Yamaha has upward facing speakers with woofers + tweeters while Roland has downward facing woofers with no tweeters. Drum beat sound quality is particularly affected when there are no tweeters or speakers facing the player.
2) Piano Quality: Yamaha has the CFX samples with both the VRM (Virtual Resonance Modeling) and Natural voices. Roland has their SuperNatural piano. Both engines use sampling as well as modeling. Extensive sound editing capabilities on the Yamaha: Touch Sense Offset and Depth, Harmonic Content, Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release, equalizer, harmony, etc. Same on the Roland.
3) Touch Sensitivity: Yamaha has 128 types vs Roland 100 types. Both are above the 5 types offered by FP-30X, P125a, and ES120. This allows better control of the piano samples in the area of dynamic control.
4) Arranger Styles: Yamaha offers 263 styles and Roland 177 styles (after update). Yamaha also offers more styles in their MusicSoft website.
5) Number of Variations per Style: Yamaha offers 4 variations vs Roland 2 variations. More variations allow for more nuanced backing tracks.
6) Intro/Ending: Yamaha offers 3 Intros and 3 Endings, while Roland offers just 1 intro and 1 ending.
7) Sounds: Yamaha has 601 voices + 29 Drum/SFX kits. Roland has 652 voices + 74 drum sets. Yamaha has Super Articulation, Mega Voice, Natural, Sweet, Cool, and Live! voices. Roland has the Zen-Core engine.
8) Expandability: Yamaha has MusicSoft while Roland has the Roland Cloud.
9) Screen: Yamaha has a large color screen. Roland has a monochromatic screen with a blue backing light, similar to their BK-5 arranger.
10) Microphone: both have a built-in microphone suite (3-band EQ, reverb, chorus, panning, noise gate, compressor, etc) to connect a dynamic microphone and sing
11) Yamaha DGX-670 other features: Piano Room, Score Display for piano lessons, Bluetooth Audio, recording, playback, compressor, layering sounds, full-featured equalizer, DSP effects of all types, 16-track sequencer, registration memory, follow lights, Karao-Key, USB audio interface, etc.
12) Yamaha DGX-670 more features: Vocal Cancel, Pitch Shift, Time Stretch, 500 Records on Playlist (unlimited via USB), Tap Tempo, Intelligent Acoustic Control, Stereo Optimizer, etc, etc. Same with Roland.
13) Apps: Yamaha DGX-670 offers Chord Tracker (extracts the chord sequence of an audio song stored on your device), Visual Performer. Roland has similar apps.
@@Instrumental-Covers well that was a bucket load of information so which one do you like better personally?
@@deadstick100 I haven't played a Roland FP-E50 yet, but I am familiar with all Roland digital pianos (I also owned two before) as well as their dedicated arranger keyboards ( I also owned one of their dedicated arrangers). The FP-E50 doesn't cut it for me. It is not a better arranger nor a better digital piano than the DGX-670. It is a sort of combo between an FP-30X and an entry level arranger keyboard like the Roland EX-50 with the old fashioned screen of the BK-5. I guess it is great for Roland fans who want to upgrade from the FP-30X.
That’s awesome! I am so anxious to get mine! What type of stand/bench do you have?
I believe Stu is using the custom stand in this video along with an RPB series Roland bench (if I recall correctly!).
I can honestly say from what I have seen so far, this keyboard is giving you the Fantom 0 series in a digital piano. The only issue I have with it is how it looks. But a great alternative to the Yamaha DGX.
It does have quite a bit of cross-over with the Fantom-0 series models, but with onboard speakers. It is an excellent, fully-loaded digital piano! :)
Thanks a lots.
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)
I just got my Fp e50 and I was surprised and confused when I went to connect the Roland piano app to it and it didn’t work. But here’s the weird thing! When I went into my Bluetooth section on my iPad both the midi and audio Bluetooth for the e50 where present and connected. I tried the keyboard with a piano lesson app I use and it worked via Bluetooth. So while I think it stinks that it doesn’t work with the Roland app I am very happy that it works with my other apps
Congrats on your FPE50! It is a wonderful piano and I know you will be thrilled with what it offers musically! It is unfortunate that it is not compatible with the Roland Piano app. However, it is awesome that you have found apps that do work in conjunction with it. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy your new piano! :)
Excellent video. I have improved the playing experience by adding a set of iLoud speakers and a Yamaha sub woofer. With some careful editing I created very inspiring scenes
Thanks so much! That is awesome to hear! Glad to hear that you're enjoying the FP-E50 experience with some enhancements.
Ciao Brent e Stu. Un pianoforte piuttosto stupefacente con un ottimo prezzo. Gli speakers sono ottimi e generano un suono molto ricco nonostante gli 11 watt, molto probabilmente dipende anche dall'altezza maggiore del pianoforte. L'ho confrontato side by side con Casio px s3100 e Yamaha DGX 670 . Le differenza fra questi prodotti sono parecchie. Il keybed è completamente diverso come pure il suono del campione di pianoforte. Vanno provati! E' bello vedere Stu come suona il pianoforte! Ciao dall'Italia.
Hi Roberto! As always, thank you for checking out the video and sharing your thoughts! We appreciate it. I definitely agree with your synopsis of the FPE50. It is an excellent combination of features. The PHA4 action provides an excellent touch and the 11W speakers are quite rich sounding. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
Thanks so much for such a thorough review. Would you be so kind to forward me a resource where I can see how to record a multitrack song on this keyboard? Thank you!!
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to tune in. Unfortunately, I don't have a video showing multitrack recording on the FP-E50. I don't believe Roland has released a video showcasing that particular functionality yet. With that said, I will pass the suggestion along to our production team for you!
Thanks Stu for your incredible review!... but i need a full comparation with the fp 60x!... Which one should I buy?...
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for reaching out! We will definitely be doing more comparison videos that feature the Roland FPE50 and we have received a few requests for a comparison with the FP60X. We will do our best to tackle that as soon as we can. With that said, the decision between the FP60X and FPE50 ultimately comes down to how the instrument is going to be used. If the arranger and accompaniment features are appealing, the FPE50 is the clear choice. However, if you're going to be using the instrument purely for piano practice purposes, the FP60X may be the preference as the speaker system offers a nicer sonic experience. There is also the question of app use. The FPE50 is not capable of connecting to Roland's Piano App, but the FP60X is.
Something i never thought about concerning the fp E50. I read a review where someone complained about the deeper sound box, that is, bottom to top of keys. They said it made the keyboard and your hands sit higher when playing. If they lowered the stand they said they then couldnt get their knees under the piano.
Not sure if that is a problomatic thing with the e50 or anyone else encountered this. Watching the video I can now see when Stu plays the e50 it is higher than the fp60x by quite a lot.
That is perhaps a problem for players using a folding X-stand. However, we recommend using a Z-stand like the Profile KDS450MA. That should allow you to get the piano low enough without being uncomfortable and ensuring there is ample space for your knees. :)
I think this is what I might upgrade to from the FP-10. I like Roland's heavier key touch, but would like an expanded tone set, accompaniment, and LCD screen. This could replace both my FP-10 and Casio CT-X5000.
For sure! If you are enjoying the FP10, but are looking for those more expanded features, the Roland FP-E50 is the perfect solution. It is an awesome piano that offers excellent value. :)
Stu, can you please do a beginner tutorial for those of us who are struggling with getting started. The User Manual is absolutely impenetrable and might just as well be written in Spanish. It probably is, I can't tell. A lot of new users will be extremely grateful to you.
Hi Chris! Brent from Merriam Music here! The FP-E50 is an amazing machine that is packed with a lot of features and capabilities (as you are discovering). With that said, I think a follow up video that digs into using these features and onboard functions is a great idea. I will pass on the suggestion to Stu and our production team for you. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
@@MerriamPianos Hello Brent. Thank you. I'm sure there must be a lot of users in the same boat as I am, who have been quite happily playing on FP 30x or 60x's both of which are quite straight forward, to play. They don't really require much tuition. But sitting down at an FP-E50 is a whole new ball game. Roland, have just chucked us in the deep end to either sink or swim. There's nothing on the Roland website to offer assistance or guidance. So I'm sure I speak for many others when I say, we are greatly looking forward to your future vids. On behalf of myself and many others, I sincerely thank you.
I need to know which one is better, the Roland FP e50 or the Kawai ES-120?
Just bought this yesterday for NZ$2000 (US$1160ish), sold my kawai es110 with stand for NZ$1250 (really surprised i was able sell it with that price!). Anyway this is a big upgrade and advance for me and my kids, they just started learning piano since we only play nursery songs😊. Have no idea about accompaniment since we only play it plain piano! and it’s good to see this demo. Just a question, can you please guide me on how to record the sound from it while we play and video using ipad or iphone? What do we need in terms of cable?
Congrats on your new FP-E50! It is a really fun instrument with a fantastic core piano experience! In terms of recording sound, you can take the line outputs and plug them into an audio interface that is connected to your computer/device and running through a Digital Audio Workstation. You will need 1/4" cables (1 if you are okay with a MONO signal and 2 if you are looking for a STEREO capture). :)
got it. thank you.@@MerriamPianos
@bim360 I also own es110. I wanted to replace it by Es120, but after this review I'm thinking about FP-e50. How do you compare key action and keys feeling in es110 and fp-e50?
This review seems to be aimed at intermediate/advanced players. I'm researching for my very 1st digital piano ever and I also sing. What I'm interested in are the specs on the speakers (amps/size/how many), midi/bluetooth features and microphone specs/demo. Also, if there is a lesson or chord/lyric display option like it's competitor the Yamaha DGX 670. If I'm on this review I'm already sold on the 88 key/weighted graded features and a top brand name. Love the playing but would appreciate a 2nd part review aimed more at beginner/low intermediate players looking to sing/record along with learning to play.
Hi! Brent here! Thanks for tuning in and writing in! The FP-E50 has two 12 cm speakers that are 11W each. It does have Bluetooth MIDI and Audio, but it is not a model that is supported by Roland's Piano App. It does offer chord identification and display as well as the ability to upload chord progressions into the arranger features. There is certainly a lot to dig into with this model, so I like your idea about a follow-up video. I will pass the suggestion on to our production team. :)
Thank you so much, E50 keyboard action and sound delivery is better than FP30x? Or it uses same technology? Please confirm.
You're very welcome! The FPE50 uses the same PHA4 action as the FP30X as well as the same core SuperNATURAL tone engine. So, from that perspective, the piano experience is quite congruent. With that said, the FPE50 does have a second engine: the ZEN-Core engine, so I suppose it has the edge in that department. :)
Great in-depth review, thank you for uploading this! One criticism I've read for the auto-accompaniment feature is that it doesn't seem to allow muting individual tracks (i.e. to keep only the rhythm section). Are there ways around this? Or is it possible to build chord sequences with only bass/drums maybe?
Thank you kindly! While the manner in which to do it is escaping me at the moment, I believe you can isolate the rhythm section in the auto-accompaniment. If I recall correctly, you can assign the wheels to become faders for the accompaniment elements (rhythm section and additional instrumentation respectively).
@@MerriamPianos Thank you for your reply!
How would it feel going from a PHA50 action (from 2019) to this one?
The PHA4 and PHA50 actions have not changed drastically in that time frame. The PHA50 will still be a heavier touch with greater control because of the longer pivot length.
Hi everybody, I've been playing for many years with a Studiologic SL 880 Fatar midi controller with 88 weighted keys connected to a Yamaha psr 630.
I think this (old) Studiologic keyboard has a little excursion between Forte and Piano, so it is hard to emphasise some parts of the music.
Is the fp-e50 action good enough to distinguish between Piano and Forte?
From this point of view (Piano and Forte) is there a difference between Fp-e50 and Fp90x?
Thanks
Hi there! Thanks for the question! The FP-E50's PHA4 action serves as an excellent action for MIDI controlling. In addition to it having a nice heavy, controlled touch, it has a high-performing triple sensor system that does an impressive job at rendering a player's performance nuances. With that said, the FP90X will allow you to control soft dynamics even better due to its longer pivot length and heavier weighting.
Good Demo, Please teach me How to edit the MyScence.svd file at mobile phone or windows pc, Thanks a lots.
Hi! Brent here! Thanks so much! And thank you for the suggestion. The FP-E50 is so rich in features, that it might very well call for a follow up video to cover even more of its features. I will pass along your question to the production team and, perhaps, we can cover this topic in a future video.
I'm considering purchasing this piano for my studio. Can I use this in conjunction with my DAW Logic 11 for recording purposes?
This was a Grrr8 review!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
Yup - the FP-E50 can be used as a MIDI controller for studio use with DAWs.
Do you guys have any interest in reviewing Kurzweil products? I have been very interested in the K2700.
Thanks for the suggestion! We are not a Kurzweil dealer at this time, so it is a bit tougher to tackle reviews on those models. With that said, we keep a list of potential models to review/compare and will certainly add the K2700 to that list for you. We will do our best! :)
Can anyone tell me how the center cancel function works? Is it usable for karaoke? Are there other pianos with the same function? Thanks
The Center Cancel button is used to minimize the main melody of a playback song, which makes it easier for someone to play/sing the melody overtop the accompaniment. While the FPE50 has lots of accompaniment features, it isn't exactly a karaoke machine. I would still recommend a standalone karaoke machine to be used for that purpose.
Hey I just purchased this, and my question is: are the sounds we hear connected to a different set of speakers because my concert piano 001 doesnt sound anything like what you just played around the 4 minute mark! I did notice that the sound is alot more incredible with headphones on thats for sure
Hi! Brent here! The sound captured in this video is a direct line out feed from the tone engine with no additional post-processing or alterations. With that said, it makes sense as to why the sound may be more consistent with the headphone experience you are hearing. :)
@@MerriamPianos SO as opposed to hearing the sound in an ambient room, im hearing it directly from the piano, is that correct, like If I had headphones on right? I just want to make sure i didnt get a lemon lol
Also, when I plug the keyboard (1/4 jack to 1/4 jack) to my speakers, is there a way that the sound ONLY comes out of my studio monitors and not the keyboard itself? When I tried that the sound was coming out from both the keyboard speakers and the monitors. Thank you for your time and advice!@@MerriamPianos
Hey does this have a split option, I can't seem to see one but just checking? so like Bass on the lower end and piano on the main section?
Hi there! Yup - the FP-E50 has all of the basic split, dual, and layer functions available. :)
Any ambience settings, like cathedral and such?
Yup! Absolutely! The FPE50 includes Studio, Lounge, Concert Hall, and Cathedral ambience settings. :)
Is it the sustain pedal that holds a chord as long as you keep your foot on? I hope it’s another pedal though
Yes, that is correct. However, the sound will eventually decay. The length of decay depends on the particular sound/patch you are using.
Roland FPe50 or Yamaha sx700 better for live gigging along with a singer? Better styles and sounds? Better onboard controling without having to access menus?
It is a matter of personal preference, but I personally find the FP-E50 to be more comprehensive in terms of sounds and features, including vocal processing. :)
I have a question not necessarily related to this keyboard, but are there any keyboards that when you use them as a midi controller, you can get the sounds back through the actual speakers?
Yes, that is possible for models that have USB audio interfaces. :)
The sliding controls are a great addition. But there is one thing I don't understand - why is Roland still using Bluetooth 4.2? 5.3 is the latest and Ver 5.0 has been around for quite some time already.
I agree! The sliders are quite convenient and a wonderful addition. In terms of the Bluetooth version, I am not entirely sure. I suppose that would be a question that has to be fielded directly to Roland.
The question is: why should they? BLE 5 offers ultra low power modes/devices which make no sense here or high bandwidth devices that basically don’t exist in consumer environments. So no reason to integrate a ble version for features that are not used
Does Roland Zen-core require a yearly subscription?
The Roland ZEN-Core tone engine is onboard the unit. Access to the engine and the core built-in sounds does not require a subscription. However, if you would like to sign up for the Roland Cloud, there are subscription fees/plans.
As always, a great review of the tool. I recently sold my FP30x and was thinking about a more interesting instrument. The Phantom series is not entirely interesting to me, the price is high, and I only play music at home. This Tool is right to the point of my interest, Thanks for the review. I agree with you, midi bluetooth works very unstable. I have tried Macbook, iPad, iPhone, Samsung tablet and many others. There is no connection with the computer at all, as I did not try, with the iPad 50/50 but constant delays in the processing of sound and tasks, the iPhone was connected almost always, but the midi slowed down, Samsung is just a mockery of the user, so I consider the bluetooth connection to be unfinished by Roland . The wire solves all problems, but then it complicates the connection with the tablet))) But we need less wires)))
Thank you, we look forward to further interesting reviews from you.
Thanks so much for tuning in! The Roland FPE50 might be the perfect fit if you're looking for something more interesting and entertaining than the FP30X. In terms of the Bluetooth MIDI, I am of the same mind. While wireless technologies continue to improve, I still rely on wired connections. I find them more stable and more reliable. :)
Hi! Thanks for the review. Do you know which engine the e-piano tones are from?
Hi there! It is a good question! I am guessing they are from the SuperNATURAL engine opposed to the ZEN-Core engine. I don't believe Roland specifies that info in their literature though.
If I buy the Roland cloud jump drive thingy, can I only use my ipad with it of do I need a pc or mac?
I have not personally tried it in conjunction with an iPad or tablet. I believe it would be compatible in theory, but the performance might not be as good as with a laptop or computer. Perhaps, one of our community members here can chime in if they have any experience with using it conjunction with an iPad. :)
Hello and thank you!
Is this model is a fp30x-fp60x killer?
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! I think the FP10 and FP30X will still very much have their place given the difference in price, but the FPE50 is a very attractive choice that will have many choosing it over the FP60X given its expansive features. With that said, the speaker system and pure piano experience of the FP60X is still superior to the FPE50 (hence the difference in price on that front too).
I think Brent is pretty much saying the small oval speakers on the FP-60X sound better because they are facing up, as opposed to the FP-E50 larger speakers which are facing down. Not sure what the rationale of Roland is, but common sense tells that speakers are supposed to face the player (do you listen to your home stereo speakers facing the wall?), which is why every digital piano company does that in their better instruments: Kawai ES120 vs ES920, FP-30X vs FP-60X, P-125 vs P515. Well, with the exception of Casio, which still needs to understand that a piano that costs $2,700 (PX-S7000) should have a better speaker design. But you can complement the FP-E50 subpar speaker performance with a pair of small studio monitors or even some small powered speakers from Amazon (some for just $60), sitting at ear level. That should make a significant different in sound presentation. After all, the FP-60X has simply a couple of small speakers (with no tweeters, just like the Kawai ES520 and ES920), so that is not an advanced speaker system anyway and you can buy a pretty cheap powered speaker these days anywhere.
does it sound as good as FP 30X. I watched some videos and the fpx 30 and 60 models sound more "realistic". Is it my Idea, am i biased?
The FP30X and FP-E50 use the same core piano tone engine (SuperNATURAL). So, they are quite similar sonically. With that said, the different enclosure design and speaker placement do affect the sonic experience as well.
@@MerriamPianos thanks after watching your videos i decided to buy FP 60X
Are you planning a comparison with the FP-60x? Would love to know if the 60x is worth the extra money.
That comparison is one that we are planning to tackle very soon. ;)
I'm using DP mainly as a MIDI controller and want to upgrade from FP10 to FP-E50 for pitch and mod wheels, but it would be nice to have some decent speakers for quick fiddling around (FP10 speakers are poor). How would you rate E50s speakers compared to Kawai ES920 or Roland FP60X?
The FP-E50 is a fantastic piano with a great feature list! In terms of the speaker system, it is quite comparable to the FP30X. It is not quite the same power and quality as the ES920 or FP60X models.
So does it connect to the cloud now?
Yup! It certainly does. :)
Hammer Keys or Weighted keys ?? Ivory feel, feel G ?? Bluetooth Connection?
Thanks
The FP-E50 uses the PHA4 action, which is a fully-weighted keyboard. It does have Bluetooth MIDI, but it does not have Bluetooth app connectivity.
Hi Stu, I have to say, I love the way you play, and also yours reviews. I have a question for you. Despite the fact that I think you lean more towards the Roland brand, I am doubtful about what type of instrument is the one that fits my needs. I'm a novice pianist, but I'm starting to compose and three pieces of equipment really caught my attention: The Roland FP E50, the Yamaha GSX 670 and maybe the Roland Juno JS88. My musical foundation is not very solid yet, but it would be nice to have an electric piano to complement my acoustic piano and to have a tool on hand that allows me to compose. It is important to tell you that for some unknown reason, the Yamaha keyboard is sold in my country (Mexico) for more than double the price (around $2,300 USD), but both Roland have a much more decent price (just over $1,000 USD). Based on the above, which do you think would be the right one for my needs? And since I highly respect your opinion, personally which would you prefer, the FP E50 or the DGX 670?
Thank you very much and greetings.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks for tuning in and writing in with your question! At the end of the day, it really comes down to a matter of preference. The FPE50 and DGX670 are both excellent and highly-versatile instruments. With that said, my personal preference is the Roland FPE50. To me, the action is more authentic feeling and the feature offering is immense. However, when it comes to tone, they are quite different. If possible, my recommendation would be to test both out a showroom to decide which one you resonate with most. :)
How does this compare to the RD88 which I own and really like?
They are both exceptional stage-worthy instruments that have some overlap of features. With that said, each instrument has their specific strengths and features that set them apart. We will do our best to tackle this comparison for you in the near future. :)
@@MerriamPianos Thankyou so much for your reply and I look forward to your comparison. Keep up the great work.
FPE-50 or Yamaha CK88? Please help me decide :(
I'll use it for playing live
The only downside I see on CK88 is that it doesn't have much Epianos like Roland does.
It really is a matter of preference of course, but, for me, the FP-E50 has a superior touch and a much more impressive collection of non-piano sounds (including e.pianos like you mentioned). The ZEN-Core engine is really appealing too! :)
Hello Merriam Music
Would this be a good fit for classical pianist that is looking for portability and a good piano sound with also having some fun.
Hi! Brent here! The fact that the core piano elements (SuperNATURAL tone engine and PHA-4 action) are of a very high quality on the FPE50, it is definitely capable of serving as an appropriate instrument for classical playing. With that said, it also has tons of fun features to dive into when you're looking for a bit of a break from rigorous practice. :)
@@MerriamPianos Hi Brent, thank you for your response. Appreciated!
Hi, does the Zen Core function has any limitation to the tone that can be downloaded? For example, is it able to download some more Juno synth sound via the cloud function, if one has a license? Thanks.
Yup! The FP-E50 can be used in conjunction with the Roland Cloud and can share sounds with other compatible instruments, etc.
Yes I control VSTs with it. Even plays back threw the speakers.
We actually will need and FP-60X vs FP-E50 the battle of the budget edition
That is a fantastic idea! We will add it to the list and try to tackle the comparison as soon as we can. :)
Yes, please.
They’re the same price now. The FP-E50 has to be the winner!
That model of pricing & function or setup might be the one I am looking for? I am looking for models that has digital piano feature- quality piano sound & touch and yet had tons of flexibility functions such as like a keyboard have ( automatic cords ) . I am not musically trained but a music lover who could only play by ear and don’t know to read notes at all. Stu, let me know if this model is perfect for me compare to Kawai digital piano? I know that Kawai digital piano sound and keyboard touch much more like a realistic acoustic piano than any other brands! However it’s lack of functional like a keyboard have and cost around $5-6k usd to have the best piano experience. Please advise, thanks
Hi! Brent here! The Roland FP-E50 is definitely an option worth considering as it is a hybrid of an arranger, stage, and at-home digital piano. The value packed into this model is incredible. Truthfully, there is no Kawai piano that offers the same level of arranging/accompaniment features as this type of model. The closest thing would be an MP7SE or MP11SE, which definitely have a lot of perks and features that are superior to the FP-E50 (which is reflected in the price point). However, this is not quite an apples to apples comparison for a variety of reasons.
Thanks Bent for reply. I’ll definitely consider Roland fpe50 than Kawai digital piano for this price point even though it has Sk Kawai sound included, simply because the sampling of SK Kawai is very realistic to an acoustic grand piano. I rather trade off Sk Kawai sampling sound for arranger features that Roland has for that price point. Thanks again for advice and insight.
I purchase this keyboard from your review. I really do like it. I traded in a Roland machine that sequenced for this and miss that function. Can you recommend a budget-friendly looper machine that I can connect to my FP-E50 and record several parts to make fun, short loops ( and maybe song motifs) ? Thanks so much in advance.
We're happy to hear that our review helped in your decision making process. Congrats on your FP-E50! It is a remarkable instrument on all fronts. Are you looking for an audio-based looper or a MIDI-based sequencer? There are a few different approaches one could take on this front.
@@MerriamPianos I guess I’m looking for an audio-based looper. I have Mixcraft, but never use it. I want to be able to for example, play a bass line, rhythm, maybe a motif I make up and then play over it. 3-4 layers is fine. I don’t need to make an 8-16 track master. I just want I have fun playing. Thank you!
Any plans for the Korg Liano?
We are not a Korg dealer at the moment, so reviewing Korg models is a little trickier to manage. We do periodically get newer models on trade that make things a little easier for us to tackle review and comparison videos. In either case, I believe the Korg Liano is already on our list of potential video candidates as we have received one or two requests for it in the past. :)
@@MerriamPianos That's unfortunate to hear. Looking forward to whatever's in the making and fingers crossed for the Liano.
Can you do a review of Yamaha Dgx 670 please?
Hi there! It is on our list of models to tackle a review for! ;)
@@MerriamPianos thank you so much!!! Great playing by the way!!!
I own a DGX-670 and also had the DGX-660. The DGX-670 main strengths over the DGX-660 are: 4 variations per style, 3 intros and 3 endings, extensive piano sound editing capabilities, color screen, quality of the sounds (from the PSR-SX series), audio interface, Bluetooth audio, as well as a host of modern features taken from their upper-level arrangers. Compared to the Roland FP-E50:
1) Speakers: Yamaha has upward facing speakers with woofers + tweeters while Roland has downward facing woofers with no tweeters. Drum beat sound quality is particularly affected when there are no tweeters or speakers facing the player.
2) Piano Quality: Yamaha has the CFX samples with both the VRM (Virtual Resonance Modeling) and Natural voices. Roland has their SuperNatural piano. Both engines use sampling as well as modeling. Extensive sound editing capabilities on the Yamaha: Touch Sense Offset and Depth, Harmonic Content, Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release, equalizer, harmony, etc. Same on the Roland.
3) Touch Sensitivity: Yamaha has 128 types vs Roland 100 types. Both are above the 5 types offered by FP-30X, P125a, and ES120. This allows better control of the piano samples in the area of dynamic control.
4) Arranger Styles: Yamaha offers 263 styles and Roland 177 styles (after update). Yamaha also offers more styles in their MusicSoft website.
5) Number of Variations per Style: Yamaha offers 4 variations vs Roland 2 variations. More variations allow for more nuanced backing tracks.
6) Intro/Ending: Yamaha offers 3 Intros and 3 Endings, while Roland offers just 1 intro and 1 ending.
7) Sounds: Yamaha has 601 voices + 29 Drum/SFX kits. Roland has 652 voices + 74 drum sets. Yamaha has Super Articulation, Mega Voice, Natural, Sweet, Cool, and Live! voices. Roland has the Zen-Core engine.
8) Expandability: Yamaha has MusicSoft while Roland has the Roland Cloud.
9) Screen: Yamaha has a large color screen. Roland has a monochromatic screen with a blue backing light, similar to their BK-5 arranger.
10) Microphone: both have a built-in microphone suite (3-band EQ, reverb, chorus, panning, noise gate, compressor, etc) to connect a dynamic microphone and sing
11) Yamaha DGX-670 other features: Piano Room, Score Display for piano lessons, Bluetooth Audio, recording, playback, compressor, layering sounds, full-featured equalizer, DSP effects of all types, 16-track sequencer, registration memory, follow lights, Karao-Key, USB audio interface, etc.
12) Yamaha DGX-670 more features: Vocal Cancel, Pitch Shift, Time Stretch, 500 Records on Playlist (unlimited via USB), Tap Tempo, Intelligent Acoustic Control, Stereo Optimizer, etc, etc. Same with Roland.
13) Apps: Yamaha DGX-670 offers Chord Tracker (extracts the chord sequence of an audio song stored on your device), Visual Performer. Roland has similar apps.
@@Instrumental-Covers thank you so much!!! I love my Yamaha dgx 670 but I’m
Looking for more piano sounds but with better quality
@@renelopezgarcia5160 My pleasure! I would suggest VST pianos such as Garritan CFX, particularly if you want to upload videos on TH-cam. You can also tweak your default DGX pianos, depending on your application. Digital pianos are typically better for live sound, and good quality VST pianos will sound better for an album. May I ask how you use your DGX-670?
Can you do a review of the E 50 against the 30 X?
We will do our best to tackle that review! Thanks for the suggestion! :)
How about organ patches
The Roland pianos, including the FP-E50, have excellent organ tones. Perhaps, we should consider a video series focusing on these various models' non-piano tones.
Can I use the RPU-3 pedal unit with the FP-e50?
The RPU3 is not officially listed as a compatible accessory on the FPE50, but, if I recall correctly, our Roland reps said that it is compatible.
Thank you for the indepth review, Sir. This helped me decide. I'm replacing an older casio electric piano that just feels so bad compared to the alesis and KORG triton-88 that I had. And my god... the casio electric piano patch is so bad...
You're very welcome! Thanks for tuning in! We're very happy to hear that you this review was helpful in your decision process. The FP-E50 is an exceptional, fully-loaded piano! :)
Is the ability to use CSV files documented anywhere? I don’t see in the manual how to do this. Thanks.
I have not come across this feature in any of the official Roland literature, but Stu stumbled upon this cool feature apparently. :)
@@MerriamPianos I figured it out. You have to first EXPORT and then the device makes a csv file you can edit. Thanks for the swift reply.hopefully folks see my message and it helps. 😌
Hermano este Roland FP-E50 me puede servir para tocar en mi iglesia y para estudiar verdad???😊
Absolutely! It would be a wonderful piano solution for church settings! Furthermore, its PHA4 action and SuperNATURAL tone engine make it a wonderful choice for piano practice and studying as well. :)
@@MerriamPianoshermano no se cuál comprar si el Roland FP-30x o el Roland FP-E50 cual me recomienda q es mejor
Ótimas considerações. Há possibilidade de você avaliar o Casio cts1 e cts500/1000? Abraços do Brasil.
Thank you for the suggestion! We will do our best to tackle those Casio models for you. I will pass the suggestions along to our production team. :)