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I am considering the purchase of a Roland KR-107 mainly because of the accompaniments that are provided with it. Other things too, but that is the main thing. However, it is kind of pricey.

Just wondering if anyone has any other digital piano they would recommend as a comparable but less expensive option.

Thanks.

Roland are out of the high end arranger market...they no longer make the G-70 or the E-80, and nothing new appears to be coming, probably because they haven't really anything new to put in the instruments. Yamaha and Korg have continued to upgrade their arrangers (with SA and DNC voicing respectively), but Roland has only been re-hashing the older arranger technology in the newer low-end instruments like the GW-8 and Prelude...the KR-series seems to be pretty much what it was several years ago.

There's a thread on the new Yamaha CVP-series here on Piano World.

https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb.../Yamaha%20CVP-509/505/503/501%20wil.html

I believe Kawai make a type of instrument similar to the CVP and KR, and also there are arranger based pianos from Casio.

Snazzy

I am not very familiar with all these fancy features on a digital piano. For example, I know nothing about "arrangers" in digital pianos. So, I do not know the significance of the previous posting.

The Roland KR-series is basically a digital piano with "arranger keyboard" features, namely "accompaniments" or, as they are more commonly called, "styles".

Roland has not upgraded it's KR line as much as Yamaha, Korg, and perhaps Kawai...this may or may not matter to you.

Yamaha's arranger piano equivalents of the Roland KR-series are the CVP line.

If you want a basic digital piano, then you'd best look for something other than the Roland KR-107, and look at their HP-series.


Snazzy

I guess the closest thing to it would be Yamaha's CVP line. Maybe the CVP407 aor CVP409. The user manuals are available for download. That is the best way to learn about them.

Les expensive? That's easy. Find a digital piano that can double as a midi controller. (All of them can but some have speaci features that make them outstnding as controllers) One example might be the Yamaha CP33 for $1200. Then you add a computer. The $1K Apple Macbook would be ideal because it comes setup already with the software you need to record and edit music.

Perhaps I misunderstood what you were asking.

What do you want to know about arranger pianos?

Snazzy

Well, my interest in the KR-107 is pretty simple. I like the ability to have a drum playing along with me, or a bass, or a complete orchestra. And I like the idea that it follows me as I play. That is my only interest in that "arranger" stuff. Can I get that without going to such an expensive digital piano ?

Here is one for well under $1K
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-DGX-630B-Digital-Piano-with-Bench-584332-i1502173.gc

For about $2.5 K you get this
http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=412

For $50 you can buy software that adds the feature to any keyboard.
http://www.1manband.nl/omb/index.htm
There is a free sample version of this, so you can try before you buy.

I prefer the software route

Nearly any DP will do what you describe. Some have more voices and ability to combine them, but basically anything over about $500 will have a decent key action and a good selection of voices built in. You could go to a music store like Guitar Center or Sam Ash and ask them to show you the functionality of a variety of DPs. That would help you understand what the various options are.

I have had the Roland KR-7 for about five years - it's the precursor to the KR-107.

http://www.roland.com/products/en/KR-7/index.html

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=725

The biggest difference that I can find is that the KR-107 uses flash memory for external storage (my KR-7 uses 3 1/2" floppies - fortunately I have a computer that has a floppy drive).

I tried the KR-107 in the local music store (using my standard headphones for comparison), and couldn't tell the difference in the sound.

As for the piano sound, I'm using Pianoteq now (which beats the KR-7's internal piano sound hands down).

There are many other sounds that can be useful, but keep in mind that they will be "triggered" by a keyboard - which doesn't really emulate the way a violin is bowed or a sax is blown. So, I've given up on these sounds - except for perhaps the vibrahpones (which are much better on Pianoteq).

Do I sound a bit down on my KR-7? Well, it has a nice action and keyboard, and looks nice in my living room, but in truth I wish I'd spent more time looking around. It was a rash decision on my part, and usually I regret it.

Spend some time looking around.

Glenn

I think you messed something. He said "...playing along with me..." This I think implies an automatic accompaniment and/or a built-in drum machine. You will not find these features on most digital pianos. The way these typically work is you pick a music style like say "latin" you play a left hand chord and the DP will then loop a latin style accompaniment using the notes in that chord until you play another chord. Most allow you to just play the root of the chord. So it makes playing out of a fake book easy -- when you see a chord symbol just play the root with one finger once

This sounds interesting. I am going to look into this option.
Thanks.

And thanks for all who replied. I do appreciate the help.

I assumed he meant he wanted to press a key and hear not just a piano, but also a drum and string in the background (eg multiple voices at once). If he really wants to be accompanied, you're correct, he needs more. Maybe he will elaborate.