Roland introduces the RD-800, an 88-key digital stage piano that features their flagship hammer-action and weighted keys design.

RD-series stage pianos have been around for over 25 years, and now Roland releases the latest version, with updated looks and improvements in sound, feel and versatility.

At the core of this instrument is Roland's "SuperNATURAL" digital audio processing technology, which has been used to great effect on many of their products. This time, the technology is put to better use because Roland expanded and improved the acoustic piano sounds that are available.

The new Concert Grand tone was mentioned as an example, derived from the V-Piano Grand, there are also upright tones and other acoustic sounds. Clavs and electric piano sounds were also improved. All in all, there are over 1100 additional sounds that include Virtual Tone Wheel organs, vintage electric pianos and keys, organs, modern synths, and many others.

To better manage the RD-800's many sounds and features, it comes equipped with a color LCD and panel knobs with LED indicators. The interface was tweaked to make tone shaping convenient even while performing, providing quick access to essential functions such as tone layering, keyboard split point and more.

The onboard Piano Designer provides advanced tone shaping control over essential tonal elements that include hammer noise, string resonance, key-off resonance etc. Even deeper control is possible via the Individual Note Voicing feature, which lets you adjust level, pitch and tonal character independently for all 88 notes! Another nifty feature of the Roland RD-800 is the new Tone Color knob, this single knob allows for dramatic and expressive sound manipulation.

Aside fro the sound, the instrument's playability and feel were also improved. It comes with Roland's top-of-the-line PHA-4 Concert Keyboard with Escapement and Ebony/Ivory Feel, equipped with the latest touch-detection technology. Professional artists comment that they notice quite an improvement over its predecessor.

Check out the artist impressions when they got their hands on the new RD-800:

If the piano features are not enough, the RD-800 also comes with 56 effects that include amp and cabinet simulation, phaser, tremolo etc. It also has a 5-band EQ and a nifty WAV player/recorder. Check out the full specs of the RD-800 at Roland Connect. You can see the keyboard up close and personal at Roland's NAMM 2014 booth.

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