The V-Piano sounds good, for a 10 year old Piano. No match for Fantom tho imho! Thank you very much for that comparison, i have wished for so long for somebody to do that! Whats your opinion having actually played them side by side?
I still own the V-Piano. By far the best key action of any electric piano I’ve tried. Keep in mind you only heard one preset, the V-Piano has over 25 factory presets that come with a lot of parameters that can be changed. I sold my Fantom 8 because of the polyphony problems that is has. It’s still ridiculous to me that they haven’t solved that problem till today.For me it’s just like the RD 2000 with more sounds that you’ll never use, worse keys and a colour touch display. The issues that I have with the V -Piano are: gain staging, stereo image (too narrow) and the weight. Still love the design and use it today mainly as high resolution MIDI controller.
@@rolandv-piano thank you for your detailed answer! I didn‘t know about Polyphonie issues with the Fantom - what’s that about? I‘d love to hear more of your Vpiano, there aren’t many around, so playing one myself is less likely and the videos on UA-cam are all 10 years old and bad quality… I‘ve heard about resonance issues of the v-Piano…is that correct? And it’s kind of funny that the Vpiano has the better keybed then fantom, because on paper it’s two whole generations apart :D Oh and one more question - when playing Fantom and vpiano- did they feel similar? Because many are saying in Fantom wouldn’t be „the real“ vpiano (like they said for rd2000 too). But to me it’s kind of Strange that Roland wouldn’t put their best piano in their flagship…I mean they don’t Even sell the Original Vpiano anymore, so it wouldn’t make any sense to make a worse piano for Fantom:D
There’s a string resonance parameter but other than that you can use the 4 band eq. I must admit it’s very hard do get the right sound especially live because of the rich detailed sound that the V-Piano produces. I’ll do more videos on the parameter settings. Regarding the Fantom, the key bed is heavier than the V-Piano and is not responsive and deep enough. It’s impossible to play pianissimo while the V-Piano can go to farther extremes than a real grand piano. I play on 200k grand pianos regularly and that kind of softness/light playing is not achievable in real life because of the weight of the keys and the wooden hammers. So I’ve noticed the V-Piano is too light in that regard. Things you can’t do on the Fantom 8(at least before I sold it): -You can’t play a big arpeggio while holding the pedal, the bass notes will slowly disappear one by one in stead of ringing the whole time - You can’t creat layers with multiple V-Piano tones -You can’t have full polyphony on all tones in a layered preset. Only one or two complex sounds have full dedicated polyphony (there is a setting for that in the matrix) the rest will be cut off depending on how complex your sounds are and what kind of chords you play
@@jakob5947 I have a V-Piano, and I've spent a fair bit of time with the RD-2000. The beauty of the VP is it's a no expense spared, purpose built piano designed as a showcase for Roland's then state-of-the-art piano modelling tech. The way the action connects with the sound engine is the real attraction of this instrument. It's not merely the feeling of the keys, there's an immediacy to the triggering of the sound, as well as finesse of dynamic control that you just don't get with other digital pianos. It's an incredibly solid and heavy unit, which is definitely a factor in the feel of playing it. The RD-2000 misses this. The action is still very nice, but to me the keys feel spongier (I prefer harder felt), and the dynamic control is definitely secondary to that of the V-Piano. Regarding sound, you cannot judge the V-Piano by its stock presets. Some of them are fine, others are quite poor in terms of realism (Vintage Piano 2 in particular). Treat it like a synthesizer and you can get stunning results. You can edit the physical modelling down the tiniest detail. For instance you can edit the tuning of each key individually, the hardness of each hammer individually, string thickness, and an abundance of other things. I have no issues at all with resonance. Is it the best sounding piano on the market? No, you'll probably get more realist results with Keyscape, or Ravenscroft, or whatever. Is it the best feeling digital piano? Definitely up there with the best, and it responds very much like an acoustic instrument. It's quite uncanny to play really.
Do you know how the V-Piano keybed compares with the Roland A90? I owned the A90. High quality, but the keybed was a bit heavy feeling for me. I am way more comfortable with my acoustic piano’s lighter action and shallower travel. I am shopping for a digital piano and have no idea what to get these days.
I prefer the drier, simple Fantom pianos, you can then adjunt at your taste using external FXs. The V Piano sounds good but comes filled with too much reverberation, the same with my Korg Kronos, it's a great studio keyboard, but it just doesn't cut well on stage, the Fantom doesn't sound so good on its own but it blends great with other instruments, that's why you see many Fantoms on stage, it's such a versatile and easy to use keyboard.
You can play only the dry signal on the V-Piano. The instrument only contains piano sounds and is made for serious pianists. That being said, the V-Piano has his own limitations since it was manufactured almost 15 years ago. It is true that the sounds in the Fantom are more copressed and that is the reason why it sounds better/louder.
As often in comparison videos like that, the difference is only due to different effect settings. You can achieve an equal or even better sound on Fantom by tweaking around a little bit.
Plus once fitted into a mix or sent to typical mediocre venue speakers, no one will even notice a difference. I think the vintage V-Piano is best for those who already have one or have access to one, nevertheless.
Yes, thank you. Sometimes the difference between someone saying this piano sounds better is a 3db shelving EQ from 150 to 300Hz. People listen to these videos and even audition pianos in the store using headphones that are not linear or studio quality. People don't understand the complexity of audio and then go off saying something sounds awful and don't qualify it with "what are you listening with?" What is ear trained for: are you a professional musician, sound designer, audio engineer? How much time do you spend a day on a Steinway D Concert Grand to make statements about the V-Piano? And so much more....
I just found a brand new V-Piano in a big local store that for some reason they left out of inventory, they offered it with a reduced price from the original, I had no option but to buy it. I hope it was a good buy, it’s been too long since Roland came out with it that I am afraid it is obsolete at this 2021, I would like to learn the opinion of the ones that knows about it.
It’s one of the best MIDI controllers out there, has the best touch of any stage piano I played on but you won’t like the internal sounds when you compare them to other modern sampled instruments. If you got it at a discount, it’s a great buy because the V-Piano is a rare instrument and it’s very hard to find.
@@rolandv-piano Thanks for your response, I understand that the internal sounds can be edited so could it be that I find a Setting that I like better than the internal?? on the other hand you mean that is a great midi controller because the touch?? or for its midi capabilities?
@@plata3000 Yes, you can make your own presets and edit the parameters in the menu or via the computer software. I think the V-Piano offers the best velocity sensitivity of all MIDI controllers I ever tried. Even if you play a VST, the V-Piano will send more accurate MIDI information to your DAW than other controllers. Don’t forget to update your V-Piano. You will get an extra 3-4 tones that sound really great. Check the Roland website for that.
@@rolandv-piano after playing for few hours my new V-Piano, all I can say is that you are completely RIGHT!!! OMG what an instrument, the problem now is that anything else I have played feels like a toy…. thanks a lot for your advices!!!
I also wanted to purchase a brand new V-Piano in 2013 but bought FP7F as it was much cheaper. Now I can not find a second hand V-Piano in Istanbul. I wish I had bought the V-Piano because the V-Piano was something else even better than the sampled Keyscape or the modelled Pianoteq.
No comparison, The V-Piano sounds far better. I have the Fantom 8 and wished it sounded like the V-Piano. Just dreaming here, wished I had the sounds of the Kronos 2 with all the other features of the Fantom 8. I traded the Kronos 2 to buy the Fantom 8... mistake :( But back on topic the V-Piano sounds vastly superior to the Fantom. When I layer up pianos to try to fill out the sound on the Fantom it still sounds plasticy.
from this vid, it sounds like the Fantom just needs EQ There's an inherent dullness to the Fantom, though, not well shown in this vid, I think they dun goofed the design of the sound somewhere, bit it the internal sound engine or the sound circuitry. I've heard it in person and in yiutube vids. It is an annoying bit not heard in their other gear I've got (JD-Xi, FA-08, Juno-DS61, MC-707).
my ears are not able to distinguish a NOTABLE difference......it's a silly comparison, because you are comparing a stage piano to a workstation......a workstation does a million different things..again, not a good comparision
@@rolandv-piano regardless: the fact that it has ANY V-Piano is simply a bonus: a workstation is a production studio in itself, and a stage piano, is, quite plainly: a portable piano for a stage....and for that matter, there is nothing sacred about the Roland V-Piano...I have several of Roland's products and I love them, but there are other piano sounds out there that are just as good if not better.
@@rolandv-piano Stage pianos tend to outdo workstations all the time these days, $3k+ Montage cannot kill the $650 P-125, for example, and FP30X outdoes P-125 to my ears, and only the Kronos 2 and Grandstage hold their own, but sound compressed and flattened in comparison. Then FP60X and FP90X are even better. Fantom doesn't compete with all of these, lol! But the workstations are popular for their tremendous versatility. Stage pianos are best suited to pianists not interested in the a workstation and its sonic and sound design aresenal. BUUUUT, pianists who should be picking up stage pianos are buying workstations instead due to misleading salesmen looking to get a higher commission on the workstations (at least in the US). For a few folks, less weight is a must and workstations like the Kross2-88 and Juno-DS88 become the necessary options. Too bad no one's making a quality, light-weight stage piano without shoddy built-in speakers. Not surprising that the V-Piano seems to sound better despite its age.
The V-Piano sounds good, for a 10 year old Piano. No match for Fantom tho imho!
Thank you very much for that comparison, i have wished for so long for somebody to do that!
Whats your opinion having actually played them side by side?
I still own the V-Piano. By far the best key action of any electric piano I’ve tried. Keep in mind you only heard one preset, the V-Piano has over 25 factory presets that come with a lot of parameters that can be changed. I sold my Fantom 8 because of the polyphony problems that is has. It’s still ridiculous to me that they haven’t solved that problem till today.For me it’s just like the RD 2000 with more sounds that you’ll never use, worse keys and a colour touch display. The issues that I have with the V -Piano are: gain staging, stereo image (too narrow) and the weight. Still love the design and use it today mainly as high resolution MIDI controller.
@@rolandv-piano thank you for your detailed answer! I didn‘t know about Polyphonie issues with the Fantom - what’s that about?
I‘d love to hear more of your Vpiano, there aren’t many around, so playing one myself is less likely and the videos on UA-cam are all 10 years old and bad quality…
I‘ve heard about resonance issues of the v-Piano…is that correct? And it’s kind of funny that the Vpiano has the better keybed then fantom, because on paper it’s two whole generations apart :D
Oh and one more question - when playing Fantom and vpiano- did they feel similar? Because many are saying in Fantom wouldn’t be „the real“ vpiano (like they said for rd2000 too). But to me it’s kind of Strange that Roland wouldn’t put their best piano in their flagship…I mean they don’t Even sell the Original Vpiano anymore, so it wouldn’t make any sense to make a worse piano for Fantom:D
There’s a string resonance parameter but other than that you can use the 4 band eq. I must admit it’s very hard do get the right sound especially live because of the rich detailed sound that the V-Piano produces. I’ll do more videos on the parameter settings.
Regarding the Fantom, the key bed is heavier than the V-Piano and is not responsive and deep enough. It’s impossible to play pianissimo while the V-Piano can go to farther extremes than a real grand piano. I play on 200k grand pianos regularly and that kind of softness/light playing is not achievable in real life because of the weight of the keys and the wooden hammers. So I’ve noticed the V-Piano is too light in that regard.
Things you can’t do on the Fantom 8(at least before I sold it):
-You can’t play a big arpeggio while holding the pedal, the bass notes will slowly disappear one by one in stead of ringing the whole time
- You can’t creat layers with multiple V-Piano tones
-You can’t have full polyphony on all tones in a layered preset. Only one or two complex sounds have full dedicated polyphony (there is a setting for that in the matrix) the rest will be cut off depending on how complex your sounds are and what kind of chords you play
@@jakob5947 I have a V-Piano, and I've spent a fair bit of time with the RD-2000.
The beauty of the VP is it's a no expense spared, purpose built piano designed as a showcase for Roland's then state-of-the-art piano modelling tech. The way the action connects with the sound engine is the real attraction of this instrument. It's not merely the feeling of the keys, there's an immediacy to the triggering of the sound, as well as finesse of dynamic control that you just don't get with other digital pianos. It's an incredibly solid and heavy unit, which is definitely a factor in the feel of playing it.
The RD-2000 misses this. The action is still very nice, but to me the keys feel spongier (I prefer harder felt), and the dynamic control is definitely secondary to that of the V-Piano.
Regarding sound, you cannot judge the V-Piano by its stock presets. Some of them are fine, others are quite poor in terms of realism (Vintage Piano 2 in particular). Treat it like a synthesizer and you can get stunning results. You can edit the physical modelling down the tiniest detail. For instance you can edit the tuning of each key individually, the hardness of each hammer individually, string thickness, and an abundance of other things. I have no issues at all with resonance.
Is it the best sounding piano on the market? No, you'll probably get more realist results with Keyscape, or Ravenscroft, or whatever. Is it the best feeling digital piano? Definitely up there with the best, and it responds very much like an acoustic instrument. It's quite uncanny to play really.
@@Nismology5 this is the best describtion of the V-piano I’ve ever read! Thank you so much!!!
But can you get service and parts for the V. I will stay with a Fantom 8
marasy's choice
Do you know how the V-Piano keybed compares with the Roland A90?
I owned the A90. High quality, but the keybed was a bit heavy feeling for me. I am way more comfortable with my acoustic piano’s lighter action and shallower travel.
I am shopping for a digital piano and have no idea what to get these days.
V-Piano has lighter keybed than SL Grand. Studio Logic is more affordable and practical.
I prefer the drier, simple Fantom pianos, you can then adjunt at your taste using external FXs. The V Piano sounds good but comes filled with too much reverberation, the same with my Korg Kronos, it's a great studio keyboard, but it just doesn't cut well on stage, the Fantom doesn't sound so good on its own but it blends great with other instruments, that's why you see many Fantoms on stage, it's such a versatile and easy to use keyboard.
You can play only the dry signal on the V-Piano. The instrument only contains piano sounds and is made for serious pianists. That being said, the V-Piano has his own limitations since it was manufactured almost 15 years ago.
It is true that the sounds in the Fantom are more copressed and that is the reason why it sounds better/louder.
Hi! Which exact version of V Piano is this? Thanks!
V-Piano Stage with the latest update that has extra sound patches.
As often in comparison videos like that, the difference is only due to different effect settings. You can achieve an equal or even better sound on Fantom by tweaking around a little bit.
Good luck with that!
@@rolandv-piano
No problem…
Plus once fitted into a mix or sent to typical mediocre venue speakers, no one will even notice a difference.
I think the vintage V-Piano is best for those who already have one or have access to one, nevertheless.
Yes, thank you. Sometimes the difference between someone saying this piano sounds better is a 3db shelving EQ from 150 to 300Hz. People listen to these videos and even audition pianos in the store using headphones that are not linear or studio quality. People don't understand the complexity of audio and then go off saying something sounds awful and don't qualify it with "what are you listening with?" What is ear trained for: are you a professional musician, sound designer, audio engineer? How much time do you spend a day on a Steinway D Concert Grand to make statements about the V-Piano? And so much more....
I just found a brand new V-Piano in a big local store that for some reason they left out of inventory, they offered it with a reduced price from the original, I had no option but to buy it. I hope it was a good buy, it’s been too long since Roland came out with it that I am afraid it is obsolete at this 2021, I would like to learn the opinion of the ones that knows about it.
It’s one of the best MIDI controllers out there, has the best touch of any stage piano I played on but you won’t like the internal sounds when you compare them to other modern sampled instruments. If you got it at a discount, it’s a great buy because the V-Piano is a rare instrument and it’s very hard to find.
@@rolandv-piano Thanks for your response, I understand that the internal sounds can be edited so could it be that I find a Setting that I like better than the internal?? on the other hand you mean that is a great midi controller because the touch?? or for its midi capabilities?
@@plata3000 Yes, you can make your own presets and edit the parameters in the menu or via the computer software.
I think the V-Piano offers the best velocity sensitivity of all MIDI controllers I ever tried. Even if you play a VST, the V-Piano will send more accurate MIDI information to your DAW than other controllers.
Don’t forget to update your V-Piano. You will get an extra 3-4 tones that sound really great. Check the Roland website for that.
@@rolandv-piano Great to learn all that !! thanks a lot..
@@rolandv-piano after playing for few hours my new V-Piano, all I can say is that you are completely RIGHT!!! OMG what an instrument, the problem now is that anything else I have played feels like a toy…. thanks a lot for your advices!!!
I also wanted to purchase a brand new V-Piano in 2013 but bought FP7F as it was much cheaper. Now I can not find a second hand V-Piano in Istanbul. I wish I had bought the V-Piano because the V-Piano was something else even better than the sampled Keyscape or the modelled Pianoteq.
I agree. For me it’s the best stage piano. I bought mine in 2015 but now it’s hard to find one.
The v-piano has greater resonance, giving it a pad-like, serene sound
It has 4 types of resonance: cross resonance, string resonance, damper resonance and soundboard resonance.
@@rolandv-piano Yeah. It’s disappointing of FANTOM, since it’s also based on modeling technology
No comparison at all. Between these two, the Fantom has the V-Piano licked!
No comparison, The V-Piano sounds far better. I have the Fantom 8 and wished it sounded like the V-Piano. Just dreaming here, wished I had the sounds of the Kronos 2 with all the other features of the Fantom 8. I traded the Kronos 2 to buy the Fantom 8... mistake :( But back on topic the V-Piano sounds vastly superior to the Fantom. When I layer up pianos to try to fill out the sound on the Fantom it still sounds plasticy.
I agree, the Fantom 8 is very disappointing when it comes to acoustic piano sounds. I think the Kronos has better sounds but I don’t like the touch.
from this vid, it sounds like the Fantom just needs EQ
There's an inherent dullness to the Fantom, though, not well shown in this vid, I think they dun goofed the design of the sound somewhere, bit it the internal sound engine or the sound circuitry. I've heard it in person and in yiutube vids. It is an annoying bit not heard in their other gear I've got (JD-Xi, FA-08, Juno-DS61, MC-707).
Lol, the levels for the v-piano are louder than the Fantom. It’s a given most would think the louder sounds better. Also, the EQ sounds different.
V PIANO
BEST CLASSIC PIANO SOUND EVER AND EVER FOREVER.
BEST KEYBOARD.
LESS N. PRESETS
AND.........
UNFORTUNATELY BEST WEIGH.....
The Fantom can do many more things then just piano.
my ears are not able to distinguish a NOTABLE difference......it's a silly comparison, because you are comparing a stage piano to a workstation......a workstation does a million different things..again, not a good comparision
No, it’s not, because Roland claims that Fantom 8 has an improved V-Piano engine.
@@rolandv-piano regardless: the fact that it has ANY V-Piano is simply a bonus: a workstation is a production studio in itself, and a stage piano, is, quite plainly: a portable piano for a stage....and for that matter, there is nothing sacred about the Roland V-Piano...I have several of Roland's products and I love them, but there are other piano sounds out there that are just as good if not better.
@@rolandv-piano Stage pianos tend to outdo workstations all the time these days, $3k+ Montage cannot kill the $650 P-125, for example, and FP30X outdoes P-125 to my ears, and only the Kronos 2 and Grandstage hold their own, but sound compressed and flattened in comparison. Then FP60X and FP90X are even better. Fantom doesn't compete with all of these, lol! But the workstations are popular for their tremendous versatility. Stage pianos are best suited to pianists not interested in the a workstation and its sonic and sound design aresenal. BUUUUT, pianists who should be picking up stage pianos are buying workstations instead due to misleading salesmen looking to get a higher commission on the workstations (at least in the US). For a few folks, less weight is a must and workstations like the Kross2-88 and Juno-DS88 become the necessary options. Too bad no one's making a quality, light-weight stage piano without shoddy built-in speakers.
Not surprising that the V-Piano seems to sound better despite its age.
@@Jason75913 Fantom 8 is the best and nothing can beat it.
Both are 100% identical. But your settings, eqs are different..
Absolutely not true!
@@rolandv-piano,
How V-PIANO and V-PIANO may be different??? That makes no sense...