Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards FP90 or is it worth waiting for 90x?

I have found it is possible to get a white Roland FP90 at a slight discount, $150 less than FP90X.
However talking with Roland it is not likely we will see any 90X until end of Q1 next year. I have already waited for 4 months so I looked at the differences and to me it looks like it boils down to Stages and improved sound chip. How much do you use Stages? I noted that Stu from Merriam music in his review really seemed to like it. But can you produce the same effect with more parameter settings and stages just simplify it or is it limited to the 90X?

Has anyone upgraded from 90 to 90X and can comment on the differences?
I am a piano player and my music is classical and contemporary pieces. I will only be playing at home. I have played piano for a number of years so my main goal is playing the piano, and maybe work with garage band to add a few instruments but nothing advanced.

I love the keyboard action since I managed to test out a fp90 a few months ago and I really love how it feels to play. Compared with Kawaii it is better and in my view the best action I have found in a digital piano so far. To my knowledge action is the same between 90 and 90X.

Appreciate any insight you can give me!

[align:right][/align]The main difference is you get pure acoustic modeling of 8 pianos fp-90x
Versus supernatural modeling of 4 pianos fp-90

Mystage is a shortcut to settings you can achieve manually

The fp-90x also gains usb audio in and out.

This makes it very easy to hook up a computer or iPad and play virtual instruments through the fp-90x speakers.

The fp-90x loses Bluetooth page turning although there are ways around, like using midi.

The fp-90 is supported by a now unsupported piano partner 2 app

The fp-90x uses the current piano everyday app

Both are still supported I believe with the virtual designer app.

Thanks, this was very helpful. What about the new chip itself does it improve the sounds or is it barely noticeable?
I read somewhere that for service of the FP90 actually they come to your home instead of 90x which have to be sent it in. Is this correct?

The USB in and out does sound like a great function. How do I connect with my laptop to use garage band with the 90?

Are the differences so considerable that it is worth 6 months wait and $150 extra for the 90x instead of 90?

Some prefer the pure acoustic modeling, some don’t. Some don’t like any Roland modeled sound.

I believe warranty service is the same.

You just plug in the usb cable for garage band to work

That is entirely your value choice on waiting or saving money.

Thanks, I meant is there a difference in acoustic modeling between the 90 and 90x?

Without USB in and out how do I connect garage band to the 90?

> is there a difference in acoustic modeling between the 90 and 90x?

There is. But it doesn't appear to be revolutionary and is difficult to describe. You can look up online samples.

Mind the built-in speakers aren't very good. Good headphones or external speakers can improve the sound a lot. Problem is that it appears to "match" with some headphones/speakers better than with others, no idea how and why exactly.

I have recently recently tested at least 15 digital pianos (Kawai ES920 and CN 39, Yamaha P125, P515, DGX 670 and a couple of clavinovas, Korg SV2 88S, Casio PX S1000, Dexibell S1, Roland F701, and a couple of other brands/models I cannot remember) and I was used to own a FA08.

My opinion is: if you want an instrument able to sound like a reasonable approximation of an acoustic piano, don’t go with a Roland.

Yes they are different.

Since the fp-90 doesn’t have usb audio but does have usb midi.

Usb cable for midi.

Lineouts or headphone outs for sound out of the fp-90

Aux in for sound into the fp-90.

Depending on your computer that may require and external audio interface.

I upgraded from the FP30 to the FP90X. I nearly always play with external monitors as I don't like the internal speakers of either very much. I play a mix of the FP90X onboard piano sound and vst pianos. I really love the FP90X having built in audio interface - thats what usb audio in and out is. I have my monitors permanently connected to the audio out of the FP90X. When I want to use a vst, or for my online piano lesson, I connect the laptop. Then the FP90X are able to send both midi and audio to each other over the 1 usb cable. The FP90X then mixes both vst audio and internal audio to play over the monitors or headphones (of course you can have just one or the other sound sources).

If you plan on using vsts or ever connecting to a laptop, the built in usb audio interface in the FP90X is really convenient. But you can achieve the same on the FP90 I think, just with more cables. I used to do that with my FP30. I used a separate USB audio interface that connected audio and midi from the FP30 and the monitors. Then 1 more usb cable from the interface to the laptop.

My opinion too.

Hello,


+1!

Cheers and happy considering,

HZ

His opinion too!!

Don't want to watch the complete more than 1 hour.
Can you point us to the exact time where he talks about that issue?

Never watched his videos, I started one and my conclusion was that at most five minutes worth of information and the rest is a way to get more money from youtube.

About the sound, I know several folks do not like or do not think Roland sounds like pianos, but most times I heard a good player demoing on a well recorded video, I thought it sound damned good. But I agree for some kinds of music, classic in particular, it may not sound appropriate.

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthre...t-worth-waiting-for-90x.html#Post3168458


Oh sorry about that... 31:19. I believe it is an observation in support of "a reasonable approximation of an acoustic piano, don’t go with a Roland."

First it is a fp-30x which has a different piano engine than the fp-90 or fp-90x

You mean the part where he compares sympathetic resonance of the undamped keys and doesn’t compare the sympathetic resonance in a depressed key because the es110 doesn’t have it?

I decided to wait for the 90X for a few reasons:
1) Really like Mystages
2) USB direct to laptop for use with garage band
3) Talked to a technical specialist on Roland who confirmed it would be hard to match Mystages manually
4) The improved sound due to the new chip
5) More future proof.

Plan to keep this one for a real long time so might as well get the latest version.
Question is when it will come in from Japan? Talking to Roland they truly don't know when next shipment will arrive due to chip shortage and the shipping constraints.

I did look hard at the Kawai which I can find locally but the keyboard feeling can't really compare and it is a more noisy keyboard than the Roland PH50

Good choice. Hope it comes in soon!

As far as I can tell my stage is just a combination of a piano tone, and an ambience.

This could be stored in a registration.

So I disagree, it could be easily implemented, without the my stage button.

So you agree with the rest of my reasons since I see you have the 90X?
What made you go for 90X, any other reasons than what I listed?
Curious to know other advantages of the x version

Yes, I think those are all valid reasons and I think you will enjoy the my stage function.