All digital pianos looks good when you play strong bass chords. The problem is on the middle subtle passages, on fourth and 5th octaves, that´s where you notice something electronic.
Overall what I have noticed is that Rolands tend to sound a little artificial but do a better job of making you feel connected to the sound through the keys. While the yamahas are little more realistic in sound but feel just a tad less responsive. It's not that they're hard to play or aren't responsive. The only real way I have of describing is in feeling connected to the sound the way I do on my acoustic piano.
I bought an RD800 a view weeks ago, but after a few days of playing it I returned it and switched it for the CP4. I've always had Roland piano's and synths, and the RD800 is an awesome stage piano, but i'm realy happy I've got the CP4 now. I found the action on the roland a bit heavy, especially when you're playing fast. The sound however of the Roland is great (string resonance is cool) but the CP4 fits easyer into a mix. Especially live. A big plus for the Yamaha is it's transportability. Sound might not be as detailed as the roland, and the techniques used by Yamaha might be old, but he... it just sound good. There a three very usable piano's onboard. The Roland has (in my opinion) just one good piano. Then again...,If you want to hear a real Grand Piano....then buy a real Grand Piano. But for live, stage and practice, I'm happy with it!
"I found the action on the roland a bit heavy". If anything that's a plus if you're from a true pianist background. Digital piano are usually much too light to play any full fledged classical piano piece (Schumann, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart) because their action being so light it won't allow to be played at the virtuosic level. So it's rather ironic that people who play those digital pianos actually complain when the piano is too close to the real thing, they prefer that toy like light action for their assuredly non classical repertoire. I've played in music conservatory over hundreds of Grand pianos and a heavy action piano is quite common. That's how you can discern those who have proper piano technique from amateurs.
goognam goognws no sense the action of a piano just need to be practice on...iv played 100 of pianos the action dont matter that much to real pianist..light heavy etc come down to a matter of personal taste what matter is reaction time precision, double escapement..quality of build. I own both a rd800, a cp4 and a grand yamaha c7 wich i just bought. The cp4 is one step ahead in sound quality and the way sample are tied to the actual mecanism. The cp4 has also the new cfx sample wich sound better. The rd800 is fine but will sell it.
goognam goognws I absolutely agree. Heavy action is more like the real thing, especially when playing classical. However for playing in a band that's focused on cover songs and some jazz music I prefer the action of the cp4. The wooden keys are realy nice and the action comes close to some of the yamaha grands. But again, all a matter of taste.
Roland RD 800 has a more detailed sound (which is good for demos but not always so in musical context) .. Over all the Yamaha CP 4 is more musically pleasant to me .. I would choose the Yamaha
I agree almost completely with you Tim. I also perform with a band and really enjoy the CP4 for it's stage friendly configuration. Of course as you said the piano sounds are also very good. Although, I do think the action is more realistic than the Roland, meaning a bit heavier which I prefer. The rest of the sounds that we typically use, organs, strings are very good as well, and easily modified with the EQ. I only like one of the preset EP sounds which is just great the 70's and 80's {drawing a blank on the name} sorry. One that one of my favorite performers Leon Russell still uses that sound today. The last one before the clav. Just love that for some songs. Layering on and off during songs is so easy, it makes performing even more of a pleasure.
yeah Roland samples seem to always be geared to the whole cutting through the mix thing, which of course is of value, but itseems to be their philsoophy across all their sampled keyboards.
I recently bought a Yamaha CP4 after owning a Korg Sg pro stage 88 key piano which I loved. The CP4 is an excellent stage piano and after reading all the hype about the Roland RD 800, it caught my interest so I went to G.C. and they set one up for me NOOOOO Comparison ! CP4 beats the hell out of it. In my opinion.... but I truly thought it would be close. No.
Really. I have the CP4 as well and I just went to check out the RD800 today and loved the piano sounds so much that I bought it. The Concert Grand, Yamaha Studio and the NX piano sound awsome. The NX sounds even better than the original Roland RD700NX I had and which I traded in for the RD800. The CP4 sounds awesome as well. They both have different characters and can be used to different styles.
I appreciate your response. I guess it is really a matter of personal preference. I think I was over expecting with all I was reading, and did not find the action to compare with the CP4 { for my liking}. I must say the piano sounds on the CP4 also had it beat. It must be nice to be able have both. I guess I am a one piano type of guy. I sing and play rhythm guitar in our band, so I have 3 guitars, PA etc. so I can't afford both. I am sure you will agree the EQ on the CP4 enhances the organ sounds that some people said, were just okay.I don't agree. If they worked the EQ properly, the organ sounds are great. I went back a second time to play the RD800 and still did not get the feeling I got when I first sat down on the CP4. I have had it a month, done 4 shows and still can't wait to get home from work and play it. Maybe not as nice as coming home to a beautiful babe but by God sometimes it sounds prettier. Ha ! Enjoy your pianos !
I disagree. There is no comparison the RD-800 is much closer to a real instrument than the CP4. CP4 has no sympathetic string resonance at all. That's a huge let down. Maybe you like the samples of the piano used in the CP4 better but that's subjective so I won't discuss that. The lacking of string sympathetic resonance on the CP4 is a serious and objective limitation. I do hear it very clearly when the same excerpt is played on both instruments. From a pure musical standpoint even if I liked the individual notes samples on the CP4 better ( I don't) I would never take that as a compromise over a properly dynamically resonating instrument.
Kevin Gault It might not be important to you. But as someone who has played Steinway Grands model B and D for years, I can tell you it is a dealbreaker. This is the soul of the piano. The notes should sound multidimensional not just the same sound for a given key not matter what other notes are being played.
Kevin Gault String resonance is the core of piano sound. What you wrote is utter nonsense. It is not some kind of "superfluous" aspect of acoustic piano sound it is what makes each composition's harmonies and voices sound the way they do. It seems you have no real training in acoustic piano. Because if you did you would never have written this or you may simply represent the brand. Lack of sympathetic string resonance is the prime reason that midi replay of famous classics sound dull and soul less not just sample quality. This is NO optional part of piano sound it is primordial. With today's DSP technology it is possible to render it very well. Roland does it on the RD-800. The CP4 is the same old loop and stretch technology served 10 years ago with an updated piano sample. Any DP that is incapable of rendering this is nothing more than a SEQUENCER of piano samples and falls in a lower category than true digital pianos instruments like the RD-800.
I play RD800 twice a week in my church & have CP4 here in my house, I like both but to me RD800 is great for playing in a band because it can layer up to 4 sounds, for piano-centric gig I prefer Yamaha because of its realistic & clean pianos
The RD-800 easily wins this comparison. If you listen short passages on both instruments it is apparent how the RD-800 has string resonance as well as damper resonance while the CP4 only has damper resonance. The difference is a more sonorous and rich sound that is dynamic and responds more like an Acoustic piano on the RD-800. The CP4 sounds bland like any string on the keyboard is not affected by WHICH other strings are being resonnated (played) around it. That's one big shortcomming for a musical instrument like a piano that has multitude of notes resonating together at any given time when played. Even though they picked pretty sound samples on the CP4, for a more realistic and artistic instrumental response the RD-800 is superior.
Not in these demos, it doesn't. and I have played both and somehow the CP4 plays better than the Roland in actuality. Just was not impressed when playing the Roland. The CP4 is the closest thing to playing an A.P. and has multiple excellent sounds with easy usability.
John Alfieri Yes in these demos the CP4 is coming short. The RD-800 is the better instrument of the two by far. The CP4 is not responding to harmonic open strings environment around each note and this can be heard. Again, i think you like the particular recorded piano sample in the CP4 but a home audio receiver can also play nice recorded piano notes sounds, it does not make it a good instrument. Try this. Just open two tabs side by side set the 1st tab to 2:35 and the other to 3:40. Then carefully listen 5 sec of 1st tab, pause, and listen 5 sec of 2nd tab and pause. Repeat. That way you can compare how each keyboard responded to the players musical phrasing. After you get past the recorded sampled sound, The CP4 sounds bland and flat and just really just boring. The RD800 has live resonance and dynamic response. You can even notice the demonstrator is getting more engaged when he plays on the Roland and as a result playing some passages better.
goognam goognws Well, I hate clichés bu in this case, we will have to agree to disagree. You are obviously partial to Roland. I had a Roland many years ago and a Korg SG Pro X for the past several years, so when I went in to this and at first, I was going to buy a Korg until I played the CP4. I bought it because I was extremely impressed with it. After two weeks or so I started reading that it's big competitor was the RD800 so I went to play one and honestly, I would have traded it in if it blew me away. It did the opposite. I felt so much better about my choice, so as they say it's personal preference. I know what I enjoy playing and hearing in a stage piano as you do. Neither of us are wrong. If you look on the different sites it's about a split. I have preformed with it several times now and it is just an excellent stage piano for many reasons. I am sure we will both get a lot of enjoyment from both pianos. I think that's the main objective here.
Taste is something very personal. To me the RD-800 still sounds too much like a Roland piano. I just don't like the sound of them. It's hard to explain what I think is wrong with every single Roland piano sound I've heard in the past 25 years but to me they just sound too clinical, too round, too polished and synthetic. I do can imagine that a lot of people love Roland for exactly those distinctive features but it's not for me. Roland does have some great other sounds though.
Hi Paul. In my opinion, if you are actually using it for stage... You have it ! The CP4 sounds great, cuts through the band, with that compression button, the action is the best, and the user friendliness is far better than Kawai mp7. The weight is very good. I have tried them all and as of now it is the best. I think I will wait for Yamaha's next offer in a few years and see what they come with. There could be a couple of improvements I an sure but right now, it is like they say, "The best Stage Piano" out there. Enjoy
goognam goognws You seem to be out numbered. As I read reviews and comparisons on different sites, I was incorrect. It's not a split. The CP4 is winning the comparison substantially. You seem very partial to Roland which is okay,but in one demo for the RD800 the comments were 99% negative and sounded much like mine. So say what you will and as adamantly you want, most musicians do not agree with you. As I said I played both and there is no comparison. If there was, I would own the RD800 right now. I don't.
John Alfieri I think you prove by your own comments that your criterias are not those of a musician at heart but of someone who focuses on liking the piano files sound samples stored in the memory of your cp4. Those same sound files could be graved on an audio CD and played through an audio system but its not a true instrument. The cp4 is much less of an instrument than the RD-800. And of course on youtube nobody can test the keyboard and realize it's much less involving. Playing a piano dynamically and listening to recorded piano notes sounds are two very different things. Maybe the piano that was recorded for the cp4 was brighter and more to your liking but you're not playing that piano on the cp4 just listening to limited samples of it. Whereas the timbre of the original piano used for the RD-800 might be less to your liking but what Roland does in its supernatural technology is make a much better digital instrument with 100 times better velocity sensitivity, full sympathetic resonance of strings and not the old loop and stretch toy like software used in the cp4. I suppose the type and style of your playing is already satisfied with something that play a wave file and you don't need a true instrument. The choice for you is simply based on the timbre of the original acoustic piano that was used. After you got used to that you became blind (i should say deaf) to the joys of playing a finer more responsive stage piano like the RD-800.
goognam goognws Wrong again. Who has the blinders on? You do. I have played for 30 years and yes I DID play both pianos. As I said I would have bought the Roland if it impressed me. It did not. I have more of a musician's heart than you know, and I found a much better feel and in most cases sound with the CP4. The only one, I was not too happy with was the EP sounds, but guess what ? they can be edited. It just so happens that the sampled AP sounds on the CP4 are very good. So I am not as you say "satisfied" with all of the sampled sounds. It's just that the Roland DOES NOT compare,and what you don't want to admit is you ARE losing this argument pretty decisively. Or else, you are right and everyone who disagrees is wrong. I'm sure that's what you have convinced yourself. I have news for you, if you don't already work for Roland, you should, because right now, you're just a part of the hype that makes people believe that it's a great piano. It's not. CP4 wins hands down ! as one of the many subscribers have written. They're right, sorry you're not.
Roland fits the presenter's playing style much better. So, a different presenter may have the CP4 fit their style best. The piano sounds are distinctly different, and it comes down to sound over anything else. Talk of sympathetic resonance and so forth is valid enough, but it's not the meat of the issue which is the sound of the instrument. And that comes down to personal preference. I go for Yamaha, but it's not like I don't respect and appreciate Roland's sound and I think the Roland has a bigger range of dynamics and seems the more vibrant of the two instruments. Each brand does their own qualities quite well.
Good video sound good playing Comparison Roland just a bit more punch On low end keys octave scale notes sound frequency Amplitude...etc....than Yamaha Both are great portable piano synthesizers for different taste's Haider a khan solo pianist musician huntsville Alabama USA January 2022
The speaker they are using or maybe they are just using the pick up from the camera, but sounds too hollow. Hard to get a true feel of the sound. I have played on the RD-800 through the Roland kc-600 keyboard amp and was blown away by the sound. Have not had the opportunity to play on the CP4, but have always been a yamaha fan. This was not an effective comparison for me...
People have different taste. So nothing is better.. its like comparing lebron james and kobe bryant.. they are both good, its up to you who do you need on your team. It also depends who is your point guard or shooting guards, meaning” it depends what other boards do you have to compliment with”. 👍🏼 get the board that you think you like coz only you alone can tell which is which. Dont depend on others opinion 😂👍🏼👍🏼
Yamaha has more than 100 years of piano building experience so the sound of its digital pianos will always be more authentic than any other comparable brand of hardware digital pianos. The RD 800 overtones have a very short length (despite its supposed sympathetic string resonance) and don't flourish like the CP4 does and the RD 800 sounds synthetic and clunky. I hate playing classical on a digital piano but with the CP4 I was pleasently surprised, not ideal but not bad either. You can forget classical music on a RD 800 all together. You can try to find a Roland keyboard anywhere on a Michael Jackson concert, you won't find it, except for a D50 and an analog Jupiter 8, which were killer synths for their time. Jackson's musicians only used Yamaha and Korg keyboards, knowing that Jackson was (more than most of us) dangerously critical of the whole process of studio recording, performing live and choosing the right instruments and equipment.
At this point in technological history it's just splitting hairs. Even Casio has nice sounding samples, that 20 years ago would have swept the market. If you neglect that this is a comparison flick and close your eyes, it'd be easy to believe all patches were from one instrument. 2cents
Of course, the sound of Roland's digital. If it was not digital music would have strings! The sound of Roland is, and has always been higher than yamaha!
I am doing an international tour with the RD800. I have played both piano but..Roland always the top!!!. RD800 allows you to create any piano sound. Good player!!!
Amigos, I have a Yamaha upright B3 piano and my RD800 sounds better (note for note)....this is enough. On RD800 you can modify all...example... 100 level of key touch, 100 level of bright or mellow, charater, sound level and more other for individual notes. This demo is not significant. It needs a long time to learn a piano. ;)
Le CP4 est bien inférieur au RD-800. Ca s'entend bien à l'écoute cote à cote des même passages. Le RD-800 reproduit la résonance sympathique des cordes. Le CP4 non. La richesse des résonances est bien meilleure sur le Roland. Le CP4 sonne constipé produisant toujours le même son pour chaque note quelles que soient les notes tenues en même temps.
goognam goognws Techniquement, le Roland est clairement supérieur, mais au final, le Yamaha sonne tout de même beaucoup plus naturel et agréable. Enfin, c'est mon avis.
Jean V Après un quart d'heure sur un grand piano qui n'a pas besoin d'une prise de courant ils font tous deux pale figure. ça reste de grand jouets qui rappellent un peu le piano mais c'est un abus de nom quand même. Ils ont leur intérêt d'un point de vue prix mais après entre les deux; il n'y aucun piano c'est juste une question de gout personnel.
All digital pianos looks good when you play strong bass chords. The problem is on the middle subtle passages, on fourth and 5th octaves, that´s where you notice something electronic.
Casio bass sounds fake
Dziękuję za pana porównanie elektrycznych pianin.
Overall what I have noticed is that Rolands tend to sound a little artificial but do a better job of making you feel connected to the sound through the keys. While the yamahas are little more realistic in sound but feel just a tad less responsive. It's not that they're hard to play or aren't responsive. The only real way I have of describing is in feeling connected to the sound the way I do on my acoustic piano.
I bought an RD800 a view weeks ago, but after a few days of playing it I returned it and switched it for the CP4. I've always had Roland piano's and synths, and the RD800 is an awesome stage piano, but i'm realy happy I've got the CP4 now. I found the action on the roland a bit heavy, especially when you're playing fast. The sound however of the Roland is great (string resonance is cool) but the CP4 fits easyer into a mix. Especially live. A big plus for the Yamaha is it's transportability. Sound might not be as detailed as the roland, and the techniques used by Yamaha might be old, but he... it just sound good. There a three very usable piano's onboard. The Roland has (in my opinion) just one good piano. Then again...,If you want to hear a real Grand Piano....then buy a real Grand Piano. But for live, stage and practice, I'm happy with it!
"I found the action on the roland a bit heavy". If anything that's a plus if you're from a true pianist background. Digital piano are usually much too light to play any full fledged classical piano piece (Schumann, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart) because their action being so light it won't allow to be played at the virtuosic level. So it's rather ironic that people who play those digital pianos actually complain when the piano is too close to the real thing, they prefer that toy like light action for their assuredly non classical repertoire. I've played in music conservatory over hundreds of Grand pianos and a heavy action piano is quite common. That's how you can discern those who have proper piano technique from amateurs.
goognam goognws no sense the action of a piano just need to be practice on...iv played 100 of pianos the action dont matter that much to real pianist..light heavy etc come down to a matter of personal taste what matter is reaction time precision, double escapement..quality of build. I own both a rd800, a cp4 and a grand yamaha c7 wich i just bought. The cp4 is one step ahead in sound quality and the way sample are tied to the actual mecanism. The cp4 has also the new cfx sample wich sound better. The rd800 is fine but will sell it.
goognam goognws I absolutely agree. Heavy action is more like the real thing, especially when playing classical. However for playing in a band that's focused on cover songs and some jazz music I prefer the action of the cp4. The wooden keys are realy nice and the action comes close to some of the yamaha grands. But again, all a matter of taste.
how much pianos do you had
Excellent demo. Please compare the CP4 and MP7
Roland RD 800 has a more detailed sound (which is good for demos but not always so in musical context) .. Over all the Yamaha CP 4 is more musically pleasant to me .. I would choose the Yamaha
Profesjonalnie...
Pozdrawiam - Piotr.
I agree almost completely with you Tim. I also perform with a band and really enjoy the CP4 for it's stage friendly configuration. Of course as you said the piano sounds are also very good. Although, I do think the action is more realistic than the Roland, meaning a bit heavier which I prefer. The rest of the sounds that we typically use, organs, strings are very good as well, and easily modified with the EQ. I only like one of the preset EP sounds which is just great the 70's and 80's {drawing a blank on the name} sorry. One that one of my favorite performers Leon Russell still uses that sound today. The last one before the clav. Just love that for some songs. Layering on and off during songs is so easy, it makes performing even more of a pleasure.
CP4 is authentic all the way. RD 800 is nice and more of a POP piano aka punch but damn has the CP4 some warm rich pianos.
yeah Roland samples seem to always be geared to the whole cutting through the mix thing, which of course is of value, but itseems to be their philsoophy across all their sampled keyboards.
I recently bought a Yamaha CP4 after owning a Korg Sg pro stage 88 key piano which I loved. The CP4 is an excellent stage piano and after reading all the hype about the Roland RD 800, it caught my interest so I went to G.C. and they set one up for me NOOOOO Comparison ! CP4 beats the hell out of it. In my opinion.... but I truly thought it would be close. No.
Really. I have the CP4 as well and I just went to check out the RD800 today and loved the piano sounds so much that I bought it. The Concert Grand, Yamaha Studio and the NX piano sound awsome. The NX sounds even better than the original Roland RD700NX I had and which I traded in for the RD800. The CP4 sounds awesome as well. They both have different characters and can be used to different styles.
I appreciate your response. I guess it is really a matter of personal preference. I think I was over expecting with all I was reading, and did not find the action to compare with the CP4 { for my liking}. I must say the piano sounds on the CP4 also had it beat. It must be nice to be able have both. I guess I am a one piano type of guy. I sing and play rhythm guitar in our band, so I have 3 guitars, PA etc. so I can't afford both. I am sure you will agree the EQ on the CP4 enhances the organ sounds that some people said, were just okay.I don't agree. If they worked the EQ properly, the organ sounds are great. I went back a second time to play the RD800 and still did not get the feeling I got when I first sat down on the CP4. I have had it a month, done 4 shows and still can't wait to get home from work and play it. Maybe not as nice as coming home to a beautiful babe but by God sometimes it sounds prettier. Ha ! Enjoy your pianos !
I disagree. There is no comparison the RD-800 is much closer to a real instrument than the CP4. CP4 has no sympathetic string resonance at all. That's a huge let down. Maybe you like the samples of the piano used in the CP4 better but that's subjective so I won't discuss that. The lacking of string sympathetic resonance on the CP4 is a serious and objective limitation. I do hear it very clearly when the same excerpt is played on both instruments. From a pure musical standpoint even if I liked the individual notes samples on the CP4 better ( I don't) I would never take that as a compromise over a properly dynamically resonating instrument.
Kevin Gault It might not be important to you. But as someone who has played Steinway Grands model B and D for years, I can tell you it is a dealbreaker. This is the soul of the piano. The notes should sound multidimensional not just the same sound for a given key not matter what other notes are being played.
Kevin Gault String resonance is the core of piano sound. What you wrote is utter nonsense. It is not some kind of "superfluous" aspect of acoustic piano sound it is what makes each composition's harmonies and voices sound the way they do. It seems you have no real training in acoustic piano. Because if you did you would never have written this or you may simply represent the brand. Lack of sympathetic string resonance is the prime reason that midi replay of famous classics sound dull and soul less not just sample quality. This is NO optional part of piano sound it is primordial. With today's DSP technology it is possible to render it very well. Roland does it on the RD-800. The CP4 is the same old loop and stretch technology served 10 years ago with an updated piano sample. Any DP that is incapable of rendering this is nothing more than a SEQUENCER of piano samples and falls in a lower category than true digital pianos instruments like the RD-800.
Oh, and thanks so much for doing this...
I play RD800 twice a week in my church & have CP4 here in my house, I like both but to me RD800 is great for playing in a band because it can layer up to 4 sounds, for piano-centric gig I prefer Yamaha because of its realistic & clean pianos
Hands down I will always choose a Roland piano over anything especially the RD-line is the best of best!!
How bout a Roland RD800 versus Nord Stage Comparison?
The CP4 has the edge for acoustic piano realism. The RD 800 has more punch.
The RD-800 easily wins this comparison. If you listen short passages on both instruments it is apparent how the RD-800 has string resonance as well as damper resonance while the CP4 only has damper resonance. The difference is a more sonorous and rich sound that is dynamic and responds more like an Acoustic piano on the RD-800. The CP4 sounds bland like any string on the keyboard is not affected by WHICH other strings are being resonnated (played) around it. That's one big shortcomming for a musical instrument like a piano that has multitude of notes resonating together at any given time when played. Even though they picked pretty sound samples on the CP4, for a more realistic and artistic instrumental response the RD-800 is superior.
Not in these demos, it doesn't. and I have played both and somehow the CP4 plays better than the Roland in actuality. Just was not impressed when playing the Roland. The CP4 is the closest thing to playing an A.P. and has multiple excellent sounds with easy usability.
John Alfieri Yes in these demos the CP4 is coming short. The RD-800 is the better instrument of the two by far. The CP4 is not responding to harmonic open strings environment around each note and this can be heard. Again, i think you like the particular recorded piano sample in the CP4 but a home audio receiver can also play nice recorded piano notes sounds, it does not make it a good instrument. Try this. Just open two tabs side by side set the 1st tab to 2:35 and the other to 3:40. Then carefully listen 5 sec of 1st tab, pause, and listen 5 sec of 2nd tab and pause. Repeat. That way you can compare how each keyboard responded to the players musical phrasing. After you get past the recorded sampled sound, The CP4 sounds bland and flat and just really just boring. The RD800 has live resonance and dynamic response. You can even notice the demonstrator is getting more engaged when he plays on the Roland and as a result playing some passages better.
goognam goognws Well, I hate clichés bu in this case, we will have to agree to disagree. You are obviously partial to Roland. I had a Roland many years ago and a Korg SG Pro X for the past several years, so when I went in to this and at first, I was going to buy a Korg until I played the CP4. I bought it because I was extremely impressed with it. After two weeks or so I started reading that it's big competitor was the RD800 so I went to play one and honestly, I would have traded it in if it blew me away. It did the opposite. I felt so much better about my choice, so as they say it's personal preference. I know what I enjoy playing and hearing in a stage piano as you do. Neither of us are wrong. If you look on the different sites it's about a split. I have preformed with it several times now and it is just an excellent stage piano for many reasons. I am sure we will both get a lot of enjoyment from both pianos. I think that's the main objective here.
Taste is something very personal. To me the RD-800 still sounds too much like a Roland piano. I just don't like the sound of them. It's hard to explain what I think is wrong with every single Roland piano sound I've heard in the past 25 years but to me they just sound too clinical, too round, too polished and synthetic. I do can imagine that a lot of people love Roland for exactly those distinctive features but it's not for me. Roland does have some great other sounds though.
Hi Paul. In my opinion, if you are actually using it for stage... You have it ! The CP4 sounds great, cuts through the band, with that compression button, the action is the best, and the user friendliness is far better than Kawai mp7. The weight is very good. I have tried them all and as of now it is the best. I think I will wait for Yamaha's next offer in a few years and see what they come with. There could be a couple of improvements I an sure but right now, it is like they say, "The best Stage Piano" out there. Enjoy
Yamaha still has the market cornered on natural piano sounds. I closed my eyes on this one and it's still Yamaha.
Agreed !!
Disagreed !!
goognam goognws You seem to be out numbered. As I read reviews and comparisons on different sites, I was incorrect. It's not a split. The CP4 is winning the comparison substantially. You seem very partial to Roland which is okay,but in one demo for the RD800 the comments were 99% negative and sounded much like mine. So say what you will and as adamantly you want, most musicians do not agree with you. As I said I played both and there is no comparison. If there was, I would own the RD800 right now. I don't.
John Alfieri I think you prove by your own comments that your criterias are not those of a musician at heart but of someone who focuses on liking the piano files sound samples stored in the memory of your cp4. Those same sound files could be graved on an audio CD and played through an audio system but its not a true instrument. The cp4 is much less of an instrument than the RD-800. And of course on youtube nobody can test the keyboard and realize it's much less involving. Playing a piano dynamically and listening to recorded piano notes sounds are two very different things. Maybe the piano that was recorded for the cp4 was brighter and more to your liking but you're not playing that piano on the cp4 just listening to limited samples of it. Whereas the timbre of the original piano used for the RD-800 might be less to your liking but what Roland does in its supernatural technology is make a much better digital instrument with 100 times better velocity sensitivity, full sympathetic resonance of strings and not the old loop and stretch toy like software used in the cp4. I suppose the type and style of your playing is already satisfied with something that play a wave file and you don't need a true instrument. The choice for you is simply based on the timbre of the original acoustic piano that was used. After you got used to that you became blind (i should say deaf) to the joys of playing a finer more responsive stage piano like the RD-800.
goognam goognws Wrong again. Who has the blinders on? You do. I have played for 30 years and yes I DID play both pianos. As I said I would have bought the Roland if it impressed me. It did not. I have more of a musician's heart than you know, and I found a much better feel and in most cases sound with the CP4. The only one, I was not too happy with was the EP sounds, but guess what ? they can be edited. It just so happens that the sampled AP sounds on the CP4 are very good. So I am not as you say "satisfied" with all of the sampled sounds. It's just that the Roland DOES NOT compare,and what you don't want to admit is you ARE losing this argument pretty decisively. Or else, you are right and everyone who disagrees is wrong. I'm sure that's what you have convinced yourself. I have news for you, if you don't already work for Roland, you should, because right now, you're just a part of the hype that makes people believe that it's a great piano. It's not. CP4 wins hands down ! as one of the many subscribers have written. They're right, sorry you're not.
CP4 wins hands down!
Roland fits the presenter's playing style much better. So, a different presenter may have the CP4 fit their style best. The piano sounds are distinctly different, and it comes down to sound over anything else. Talk of sympathetic resonance and so forth is valid enough, but it's not the meat of the issue which is the sound of the instrument. And that comes down to personal preference. I go for Yamaha, but it's not like I don't respect and appreciate Roland's sound and I think the Roland has a bigger range of dynamics and seems the more vibrant of the two instruments. Each brand does their own qualities quite well.
Tem que levar em conta tb as teclas, o RD800 pode combinar até 3 sons o CP apenas 2 (sem contar split), RD tem ritmos (de qualidade) e o visual tb!
CP4 FTW!!!
Decay on RD-800 is awfully too short
Galaxy II K4 - the best!
Yamaha CP4 is the best. I didn't have to listen carefully to notice it!
Good video sound good playing
Comparison
Roland just a bit more punch
On low end keys octave scale notes sound frequency
Amplitude...etc....than Yamaha
Both are great portable piano synthesizers for different taste's
Haider a khan solo pianist musician huntsville Alabama USA
January 2022
The speaker they are using or maybe they are just using the pick up from the camera, but sounds too hollow. Hard to get a true feel of the sound. I have played on the RD-800 through the Roland kc-600 keyboard amp and was blown away by the sound. Have not had the opportunity to play on the CP4, but have always been a yamaha fan. This was not an effective comparison for me...
I dont understand him, i just listen to the keyboard sound. Either of the two are fine with me
What about KURZWEIL ???!
CP4 kills it ... i love mine !
Thank you..
The piano on the CP4 sounds more realistic than the RD 800. Hands down.
People have different taste. So nothing is better.. its like comparing lebron james and kobe bryant.. they are both good, its up to you who do you need on your team. It also depends who is your point guard or shooting guards, meaning” it depends what other boards do you have to compliment with”. 👍🏼 get the board that you think you like coz only you alone can tell which is which. Dont depend on others opinion 😂👍🏼👍🏼
Yamaha has more than 100 years of piano building experience so the sound of its digital pianos will always be more authentic than any other comparable brand of hardware digital pianos. The RD 800 overtones have a very short length (despite its supposed sympathetic string resonance) and don't flourish like the CP4 does and the RD 800 sounds synthetic and clunky. I hate playing classical on a digital piano but with the CP4 I was pleasently surprised, not ideal but not bad either. You can forget classical music on a RD 800 all together. You can try to find a Roland keyboard anywhere on a Michael Jackson concert, you won't find it, except for a D50 and an analog Jupiter 8, which were killer synths for their time. Jackson's musicians only used Yamaha and Korg keyboards, knowing that Jackson was (more than most of us) dangerously critical of the whole process of studio recording, performing live and choosing the right instruments and equipment.
I totally adjust that.....in fact you can adjust all 88 keys individually
Roland have artificial sounds.CP4 is more realistic....
the RD800 weighs 47 pounds and the keys feel like they are made of rubber or something... no idea why any one would spend 2 grand on it
Yamaha CP4 Sound thin Compared to RD 800.
Even RD 300 Sounds better than Yamaha CP4
Great ! ! Yamaha CP4 is the best !!
Wow yamaha!!
At this point in technological history it's just splitting hairs. Even Casio has nice sounding samples, that 20 years ago would have swept the market. If you neglect that this is a comparison flick and close your eyes, it'd be easy to believe all patches were from one instrument. 2cents
My opinion is, buying Yamaha;)
If playing live was my main purpose i would not choose the roland. Roland digital pianos sound unefective on a PA system.
rd 800
ROLAND THE BEST ALL.
I, agree, I love Roland pianos!! Best of the best!!
Roland is best
Roland sound is electronic but more dinamic, Yamaha is more realistic but less dimanic than roland
Of course, the sound of Roland's digital. If it was not digital music would have strings! The sound of Roland is, and has always been higher than yamaha!
+D Mb your smoking crack, get your ears fixed man...no comparison yamaha smokes the roland
I smoked crack that bought his mother.
I prefer the Roland also!!
Yamaha is the winner
Kawai ...
Yamaha is good!
Yamaha is best
RD800 Wins!!!
no sabes de piano.
I am doing an international tour with the RD800. I have played both piano but..Roland always the top!!!. RD800 allows you to create any piano sound.
Good player!!!
el roland rd800 suena muy plastico, ademas no tiene piano original como el yamaha c7. el roland es bueno pero el yamaha es mucho mejor. saludos!
Amigos, I have a Yamaha upright B3 piano and my RD800 sounds better (note for note)....this is enough. On RD800 you can modify all...example... 100 level of key touch, 100 level of bright or mellow, charater, sound level and more other for individual notes. This demo is not significant. It needs a long time to learn a piano. ;)
And I add that...I prefer a piano where you can create your sound instead of a piano where he always uses the first sound
rd-800 sounded like a toy. super unnatural sound.
yamaha bien meilleur
Le CP4 est bien inférieur au RD-800. Ca s'entend bien à l'écoute cote à cote des même passages. Le RD-800 reproduit la résonance sympathique des cordes. Le CP4 non. La richesse des résonances est bien meilleure sur le Roland. Le CP4 sonne constipé produisant toujours le même son pour chaque note quelles que soient les notes tenues en même temps.
goognam goognws Techniquement, le Roland est clairement supérieur, mais au final, le Yamaha sonne tout de même beaucoup plus naturel et agréable. Enfin, c'est mon avis.
Jean V Après un quart d'heure sur un grand piano qui n'a pas besoin d'une prise de courant ils font tous deux pale figure. ça reste de grand jouets qui rappellent un peu le piano mais c'est un abus de nom quand même. Ils ont leur intérêt d'un point de vue prix mais après entre les deux; il n'y aucun piano c'est juste une question de gout personnel.
Tout à fait, mais branche n'importe lequel sur un ordi avec un VST piano de qualité, et là c'est une toute autre histoire ;)