NAMM 2017: Roland doesn't have a new synth but it does have a new stage piano

NAMM 2017: Roland elected to launch several new products at CES earlier this month - the GO:KEYS and GO:PIANO keyboards, GO:MIXER and Rubix audio interfaces - so it's perhaps no surprise that new NAMM product is a little thin on the ground. The company has unveiled the latest addition to its RD stage piano series, though: the RD-2000.

This, we're assured, is Roland's most powerful stage piano yet. There are two sound engines; the first handles the acoustic piano, which is said to incorporate Roland's latest V-Piano technologies, and while the second powers an electric piano library that includes classic EPs from the 1970s, plus all-new recreations of the Roland RD-1000 and MKS-20 from the 1980s. You'll also find more than 1,100 ensemble sounds that cover multiple musical styles.

You're offered an 88-note PHA-50 progressive hammer-action keyboard to play these sounds on - this features hybrid keys that are are constructed of both wood and moulded materials. There are also "extensive" controller features on the newly-designed interface.

There's a USB audio/MIDI interface built in, so you can integrate computer-based software instruments into your performances. In fact, users can control them with zones along with the internal sounds, and route their audio through the RD-2000. The main stereo outs are on XLR and 1/4-inch jacks, and there's also an assignable stereo sub output.

Find out more about the RD-2000 on the Roland website. A price and release date are still to be confirmed.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.