Would somebody with a Roland HP-207 tell me if there is a way to increase the effect? When I use the pedal, the difference between a normal note and one with the una corda pedal depressed is so slight as to be useless. At first I thought the pedal wasn't working, but I verified that it was functioning by changing the pedal to a bend, and it was fine...

Una corda on a Steinway (which I hear is where the HP-207 samples are from) is much more obvious, so I can't help thinking that there must be a setting somewhere to increase the effect, but I can't find anything like this in the manual or the menus...

I own a Roland Hp-207 and, if it is possible, I don't know how to fix it; I just assumed that's the way it is. At first I had the very same experience as I believed it was not working.
I agree with you in considering the difference slight, but I believe it's just enough as it makes the trick.

Hi.

I've not tried it in a HP-207, but in the Kawai CN32 happens the same. I'm not completely sure, but I think that it's possible to change it in the menu. Have you checked it?

I owned an upright piano and the differece was more evident, the sound became very dark and muddy.

Thanks for asking, it has not yet occured to me that I should check the una corda pedal before buying. I'll be testing the instrument again later today and ask the clerk about it.

Please notice that a store is not always the best place for testing an instrument, it could be a lot of noise around. Try to check it with a good pair of headphones. And take a look by yourself in the menu options. Sometimes a clerk doesn't knows anything about what is selling.

I am really sorry, but I was so absorbed in my playing, testing and comparing that I forgot to ask or try.

Even on any acoustic piano, the una
corda effect is not all that
striking, in my opinion. In fact,
I believe that you can simply
never use the una corda, even
in pieces that have the notation
for it, and it won't matter at
all. Moreover, I've seen different
editions of the same piece where
one had una corda and the other
didn't, which should indicate
that it's use is not critical.
In more than 30 yrs. of playing
I've never used anything but the
right pedal, and I don't believe
I'm missing out on anything in
the pedal dept.

On digitals, the una corda
effect is even less striking
than the already small one
on an acoustic, but to my way of
thinking this is nothing to be
concerned about, because you
don't really need una corda.

Gyro, it depends on the instrument. The una corda on my Petrof 9'2 is a huge difference. Less so on my Yamaha 6'2, but it still is audible. I notice a difference more when I'm playing a passage with the una corda rather than just testing one note, so be sure that you are testing the pedal in this manner. My Petrof is a much warmer sound than the Yamaha, and so I don't really care for the una corda sound on the Petrof as a result. It works better for a brighter piano, IMO.

Generally, the una corda gives the note less ring. This does not make it easier to play softer, it just changes the tone. I use this when accompanying voice students, for example.

As for una cordas on DPs, it has been my experience that they do have less of an effect than on acoustics, as Gyro said. I generally have no need of it when accompanying voice students on a DP.

If you are playing a piece that calls for una corda, I would consider the time period of the piece. Una corda even on a modern piano is not the same as on a period fortepiano. Most "una cordas" today are really "due corde" (two cords).

The soft pedal is midi controller 67, an on/off switch. If the effect is not what you like, that has to do with the sound generator, not the pedal. Some units let you adjust this (Pianoteq for one).

I own a HP203 and with that the una corda pedal makes a very distinguishable and nice difference.