The new Roland HP-201 digital piano brings you unique piano sound, redefined authentic touch, and a beautiful cabinet design.
It is a full-size digital piano with an 88-key multi-sampled piano sound, along with Casio’s new PHA II keyboard with a fantastic, more extensive dynamic range.
For richer expressiveness and the closest feel to an acoustic piano, this piano features a continuous damper pedal mechanism.
In this article, we’ll explore the facts about the Roland HP-201 digital piano, its features, build, specifications, Sound, and also the benefits it comes with. Is it worth your money? Well, you have to read on to find out.
Features of the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano
The features of the Roland HP-201 make it stand out among other similar piano models. Not only does the keyboard pack unique sound features, it also incorporates excellent key-tone actions, ideal connectivity options, and a suitable design for pianists. Let’s have an in-depth look at these features that Roland incorporated in this piano.
Specifications
The HP-201 features 88 full-size keys with the brand’s PHA II keyboard action. It also includes four levels of touch-sensitivity, which we’ll explain later on in the review.
The sound generator on this piano is potent with CONFORMS to GM2/ GS/ XG LITE, accompanied by a maximum polyphony of 128 voices.
In-built you can find 285 tones that are available at the time of MIDI performance, along with the other 20 sounds.
The temperament on this piano is of 7 different types, selectable tonic. You also get an On/Off Stretched Tuning, while the Master Tuning is 415.3-466.2 Hz (which you can adjust in increments of 0.1 Hz).
The piano’s Transpose Tuning is from -6-+5, and this is in semitones. Effects on-board include Reverb effect (10 levels), Key Off Resonance which is only for piano tones, seven levels, Off), Damper Resonance which also is only for piano tones, seven levels, Off), and the Dynamics effect of 3 types, Off.
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The Roland HP-201 Digital Piano Design
The design on the HP-201 digital piano is as acoustic as its Sound. It is built into an attractive, elegant cabinet with front legs that enhance the HP-201’s realistic look.
The finishing on this piano comprises of durable and robust mahogany. With this instrument around your home or studio, the décor simply becomes attractive. However, due to the cabinet design, the HP-201 is not too much of a portable digital piano.
The piano weighs 54.0 kg, which is equivalent to 119 lbs or 1 oz, and this weight makes it hard to move it around alone or often. Its size is a bit more standard, which makes it possible for the piano to fit into reasonably enough spaces.
The dimensions measure 1,387 mm (54-5/8 inches) in Width, 422mm (16-5/8 inches) in Depth, and the height reaches up to 1,012 mm (39-7/8 inches).
Keyboard
To take you as close as possible to the acoustic grand piano feel, this Roland HP-201 features the new PHA II keyboard. It is a fantastic new keyboard technology that offers the same natural response present in grand pianos, which includes lighter touch in the upper range and heavier touch in the lower range of the keyboard.
The PHA II technology has a lighter resistance on pianissimo and stronger resistance on fortissimo, just like a well-maintained acoustic grand piano. Therefore, you can be sure that the HP-201 is for more professional use.
As earlier pointed out, the HP-201 features the brand’s most exceptional 88-key piano sound with true-to-life piano resonance, as well as individual multi-samples for every key. The keys are touch-responsive to the subtlest nuance and pressure-from the deepest, most powerful bass to the most delicate highs.
The touch-sensitivity of the keys includes four different levels which are; Light, Medium, Heavy, and Fixed. For a more acoustic feel when playing, the best touch-sensitivity level to use would be the Medium one.
Keyboard modes on-board the HP-201 include Whole, Dual (with volume balance adjustable), and the Twin piano mode, which divides this piano into two parallel octaves.
Sound Quality
Roland equipped the HP-201 with rich tones ranging from instrument voices and instrument modes. It offers 285 total sounds along with 65 preset songs to help you learn quickly. The 285 songs get assistance from the earlier mentioned polyphony count of 128-voices.
With such a polyphony count, you are more advantaged as a player. The reason for this is because the higher the polyphony count, the more unique possibilities you have to play singular notes without the fear of immature dropouts.
Additionally, you get assistance from the three-pedal functionality available in this digital piano. Though the Roland HP-201 allows you to record your original music piece, you are only limited to one 1 Track as well as 1 Song.
We thought this was a bit discouraging as most pianos with such advanced features and at the same price range offer a lot more in this area. For a sound generation, you get two (2) 25 W speakers, each measuring 12 cm.
Connectivity
There are plenty of connectivity options with the HP-201 digital piano. They include an AC inlet, a Pedal connector, Input jacks (L/Mono, R), Output jacks (L/Mono, R), MIDI connectors, both In and Out.
With the MIDI configuration, you can interface the piano to your PC and download and play records. If you wish to practice quietly, then there are two (2) Phones jack (Stereo) that can also be used to connect external sound systems.
There are also two (2) USB connectors, which are USB to Host and USB to Device. Finally, there is the Power Supply port with 48 W of power consumption.
Extra Features of the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano
Additional functions of the Roland HP-201 digital piano include a Panel Lock and a V-LINK. There is also a Metronome Function with the following Beat variation; 0/4, 2/4, 3 /4, 4/4, 6/4, and with eight levels of volume.
Pedals available are the Damper (half-pedal recognition), Soft (half-pedal recognition), and the Sostenuto. The number of notes stored in this digital piano is approximately 10,000 notes. The Tempo measurement for Quarter note ranges from 10 to 500.
Benefits of Using the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano
There are some significant benefits of using this digital piano, and they vary depending on their features. The following are some of the significant gains we realized of owning the HP-201.
- Easier for students- With the Twin piano mode, students can split the piano into two halves where they can sit side by side with their instructors and follow the instructions.
- Realistic Sounds- Since the HP-201 digital piano features the PHA II keyboard, it has an improved and broader dynamic range. The 88 keys feature authentic sound samples of their own.
- Damper Pedal- This offers you a more acoustic feel, along with continuous effect with way better expressions.
- Esthetic Quality- The HP-201 has an elegant cabinet that brings out the piano’s beauty. With a mahogany finish, this piano adds beauty to wherever it is placed.
Reasons for Buying the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano
So, why should you consider purchasing the Roland HP-201 digital piano?
As you have seen, this keyboard was designed with advanced features that enable it to be used more professionally. From the full-size keyboard featured with 88 keys each with multiple samples of its own.
Also, the keys have the touch response, which means that they all react to the slightest pressure from the lower tones to the delicate treble tones.
The touch response is best for beginners as they learn the foundations of finger techniques. With the answer, it becomes easier for the novice when they decide to advance on to a weighted keyboard.
Some professionals prefer digital pianos with a lighter touch on the keyboard. If perhaps you prefer this kind of manual, then the HP-201 will be the right fit for you.
Who Is the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano For?
Although the piano is fit enough to be used by intermediate level pianists, it would still do justice to beginners. However, for beginners to thoroughly learn and utilize the HP-201’s potential, then there must be an instructor to guide them through.
Features such as the Grand Piano Sound, PHA II keyboard, and the Continuous Damper Pedal indicate that pro pianists would benefit a lot from this digital wonder. From our point of view, the HP-201’s full potential will be best exhausted by an intermediate piano player.
Buying Guide
Before buying any digital piano or anything, makes sure you analyze its value. You can do this by comparing it with other instruments in the same price bracket, and see how it fairs.
One of the most important factors to observe before purchasing a piano is its touch. What you want, whether you are a beginner or not, is a piano whose touch is close to an acoustic.
The sensitivity of the keys matter a lot, and seeing that the HP-201 hoards an amazing touch-response of four sensitivity levels is proof that it’s a fantastic keyboard.
The other part you should look into is the piano’s sound, which we technically consider a piano’s heart. Without sounds of high quality or proper sound mechanisms, even pianos with the most elaborate of keyboard actions fail to attract anyone.
Therefore, search for a piano that can give you what you want to hear in terms of sound quality. Finally, check for warranties, guarantees, and accessories.
How to Clean the Roland HP-201 Digital Piano
For piano keys to continue offering excellent touch-sensitive performance, you have to keep them clean. The cleaning durations depend on the number of times it is in use.
If the Roland HP-201 is used within a learning institution, then it would require cleaning every week.
Here are the steps to guide you through the cleaning process:
- Prepare a cleaning solution by adding some water to a small container with 1-3 drops of light dishwashing soap.
- You’ll then need to take a damp soft, and lint-free cloth which you’ll then dip it slightly in the cleaning solution you earlier prepared.
- Rub the lint-free damp cloth gently over all the white keys – this will remove any dust or fingerprints on top of the keys. Proceed by taking another soft dry lint-free cloth to wipe any remaining moisture on top of the HP-201.
- Take another soft damp, lint-free cloth and slightly deep it in the cleaning solution; this you will use for cleaning the black keys. Follow similar steps as those of the white keys.
- There are also commercial cleaning sprays for these functions and work quite good too.
Roland HP 201 Pros and Cons
Let’s have a look at both the pros and cons of this Roland digital piano.
Pros
- Twin piano mode great for learning.
- Authentic sound samples.
- Damper pedal for better expressions.
- Inclusions ranging from connectivity options to the available functions offer impressive playability.
Cons
- The only minor issue we didn’t like is the piano’s speakers- they lack vitality, which compromises the experience of using this piano.
- Otherwise, you can use the Output jack to connect external sound systems such as amps and speakers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we now have the needed knowledge about the piano in question. The Roland HP-201 digital piano has multiple features that an intermediate level piano player would need for intuitive performances.
There are many effects on-board this digital piano that allows a full pianist control of their creativity. The piano brings new sounds, as well as redefined authentic touch to elegant cabinet design.
It boasts a total of 88-key multi-sampled piano sound, which comes with the new PHA II keyboard. The keyboard technology mentioned above has a dramatically more comprehensive dynamic range that most digital pianos in the same price bracket lack.
Additionally, this piano features a Continuous damper pedal for richer expressiveness that delivers an acoustic feel.
In addition, check out our comparison of Roland and Korg to see how they compare.Â
