Roland V-Piano Review

Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Geary Yelton

           
 

THE ULTIMATE IN PHYSICAL MODELING?

FIG. 1: The V-Piano uses physical modeling to emulate every component of an acoustic piano. It lets you modify its virtual components in unprecedented ways, and it offers a touch-sensitivity that's impossible on sampled pianos.

Until fairly recently, the only practical way to virtualize an acoustic piano was to sample each note at numerous velocities and then format the resulting data for a sample player. That technique has been the basis of every digital piano since Kurzweil introduced the K250 in 1984. Then, in 2006, an upstart software developer called Modartt introduced Pianoteq, which successfully reproduced the sound of a grand piano using physical modeling. Until then, attempts at piano modeling were relatively crude and unconvincing. Since the late '90s, Roland has been independently pursuing the dream of creating a completely convincing modeled piano through its own R&D efforts.

Fast-forward to NAMM 2009: Touting the V-Piano as the pinnacle of its V Series — which includes the V-Guitar, V-Drums and V-Accordion, among other products — Roland hosted a major press conference with some dynamite performances (see Web Clip 1). The assembled members of the press saw video clips demonstrating the V-Piano's core concepts; you can watch the same clips on Roland's dedicated V-Piano site (roland.com/V-Piano).

The V-Piano is an 84-pound, 88-note keyboard instrument that re-creates the sound and experience of playing a fine acoustic piano (see Fig. 1). Physical modeling emulates components such as the strings, frame, soundboard and damper. The V-Piano lets you specify all the parameters that make up a piano's components and then change them at will. You can build a virtual piano from scratch, defining characteristics such as the number, tuning and resonance of the strings. You can change those parameters in real time using a front panel dial or an expression pedal, or call up an entirely new piano by simply changing programs.

Bonus Material

Bonus Material: The Grand Tour

The Whole Package

The V-Piano was delivered in two very large boxes: one containing the piano itself and the other containing the impressively hefty KS-V8 stand. I spent most of my setup time assembling the stand, which has four adjustable feet and channels that attach to the legs for hiding cables. The piano attaches to the stand with four knob bolts, which should make tear-down and setup a snap as long as you have at least two people to handle the weight. Once assembled, the stand is absolutely rock-solid, without the least bit of wiggle. It doesn't collapse without disassembly, though, so you'll need plenty of room to transport it if you're in a hurry.

The generous monochrome LCD on the V-Piano's sloped control panel has four assignable function buttons below and a large Value dial to its right, with Write and Exit buttons below that. On the left are knobs for volume and ambience (reverb depth) and buttons that enable Roland's V-Link and instant transposition. Another button accesses the 4-band parametric equalizer (you can switch the high and low bands from peaking to shelving). Four more buttons summon any four presets, called Tones, that you indicate. On the far-left, a USB jack accommodates a memory stick or CD player. A ¼-inch headphone jack is conveniently located on the piano's front-left corner, with a nearby hook for hanging your headphones mounted on the piano's underside.

FIG. 2: The Mac- and Windows-based V-Piano Editor simplifies the process of designing and modifying virtual pianos. The Unison Tuning screen lets you detune all strings played by a single key, relative to one another.

The V-Piano comes with a very nice pedal housing containing three pedals for sustain, sostenuto and soft-pedal functions; the latter two are reassignable. A single cable with a DIN plug connects the pedals to the piano's jam-packed rear panel. Also on the back, three ¼-inch connections let you connect an additional footswitch and two expression pedals or footswitches, all of which can control various parameters in real time. Real-time control of parameters such as hammer hardness and string resonance opens up new dimensions that other pianos can only dream of.

In addition to a coaxial S/PDIF output, you get four balanced ¼-inch outputs and four balanced XLR outputs. The concise manual suggests a four-speaker setup, with two speakers positioned near the performer carrying the dry stereo signal and two spaced farther away carrying the ambient signal. Other rear panel connections include Type-A and -B USB jacks; a pair of ¼-inch inputs that let you route a line-level stereo signal (from an iPod or synthesizer, for instance) through the V-Piano's outputs; and MIDI In, Out and Thru ports. One minor complaint is that there's no way to control the input's level except at the source.