Roland GP-9 Digital Grand Piano

Up to this point, even the most advanced digital grand pianos fell short of the mark in terms of encapsulating the look, feel, sound, and experience of an acoustic grand piano. With the brand new Piano Reality system, Roland seeks to challenge this notion. Piano Reality seeks to create a connected, symbiotic relationship between every element of the piano experience. The sound engine, keyboard, speaker system, and pedals are all meticulously designed to work together to meaningfully recreate an acoustic grand piano experience.

This revolutionary new Piano Reality experience is exemplified on Roland’s latest flagship digital grand model: the GP-9. Featuring a stunning cabinet redesign, Piano Reality Hybrid Concert action with haptic vibration, Piano Reality Concert sound projection system, and Piano Reality Modeling Concert Sound Engine, the Roland GP-9 offers the latest-and-greatest digital piano technologies with a traditional acoustic grand piano look.

As the famous saying goes, “the devil is in the details.” Roland has taken this adage to heart as they have painstakingly engineered the GP-9 to capture even the subtlest of details of playing a grand piano. For instance, taking inspiration from their LX708 model, the Roland GP-9 features a brand new action with haptic key vibration. This adds a new layer of authenticity as it impressively emulates the subtle vibrations that a player experiences from an acoustic grand piano’s body while playing.

Simply put, Roland’s new GP models are not just mere updates to their corresponding predecessors; they are transformative instruments that are successful in their intention to usher in a brand new era of digital grand pianos.

While Roland has been relying on their trusted PHA-4 and PHA-50 actions for a number of years, the new GP lines introduces a brand new generation of actions. The flagship Roland GP-9 features the top-of-the-line Piano Reality Hybrid Concert keyboard, which provides unparalleled expressivity, control, and authenticity. Not a single detail of the tactile experience of playing an acoustic grand piano has been overlooked with this new action.

The Piano Reality Hybrid Concert keyboard’s list of features is quite impressive. Progressive hammer action, escapement, composite plastic/wood keys, Ebony/Ivory Feel key texture, highly-advanced acceleration sensor technology, extended pivot length, and haptic key vibration are all included on this new action from Roland. The culmination of these features is one of the most authentic grand piano feels ever created and implemented in a digital package. Even the most advanced players are sure to enjoy the playing experience the Piano Reality Hybrid Concert keyboard provides.

Each of these details unquestionably contributes to the action’s overall impressive performance. However, the updated sensor technology has to be singled out here as being one of the most impressive innovations that Roland has offered with the GP-9’s action. The speed and accuracy of tracking is mindblowing. The immediacy of feedback and impressive tonal/dynamic rendering of a player’s performance is sure to make people forget that they are playing a digital piano.

Roland’s GP-9 introduces the Piano Reality Modelling Concert sound engine; a state-of-the-art sound generation system that provides unparalleled customizability of even the tiniest of sonic details. It is equipped with 324 total tones, including 4 grand pianos, 5 upright pianos, and 5 classical pianos. All ‘Piano’ category sounds benefit from limitless polyphony, while the other instrument sounds have a max polyphony of 256 notes.

While some piano purists will have their biases against modeling technology, it is encouraged to put any preconceived notions to the test against the GP-9’s sound engine. The onboard Piano Designer allows for expansive custom-tailoring via 13 adjustable parameters. It is also important to note that Roland has successfully addressed many of the concerns and complaints of past modeling engines. Every note and resonance rings and decays naturally in full detail.

The Piano Reality Ambience feature is one of the most sophisticated and realistic renderings of physical environments ever to be found onboard a digital piano. Players can select between 6 types and 11 depths of ambience to help bring their performances to life in a whole new way. This immersive detailing is even captured in the headphone experience via the Piano Reality Headphones Ambience system.

As far as onboard speakers go, the GP-9 is immense. An 8-speaker array, consisting of two 25 cm cabinet speakers (with speaker box), two 16 cm spatial speakers (with speaker box), two 8 cm center near-field speakers, and two 2.5 cm near-field speakers combine for a total of 150W of speaker power, which Roland aptly calls the Piano Reality Projection Concert Sound System. The synchronicity between the sound system and the mechanical elements, namely the pedals and keyboard, is quite remarkable and feels convincingly close to the ‘real thing.’

Aside from traditional 5-pin DIN MIDI connectors, the GP-9 is fully equipped with every connectivity option anyone would ever need. A stereo miniature input jack, ¼” output jacks (L/Mono, R), USB computer port (compatible with USB audio/MIDI), USB memory ports, and two headphone jacks, stereo miniature and ¼” respectively, are all included. This ensures that the GP-9 can integrate seamlessly into any performance situation.

The GP-9 can also be used wirelessly with the Roland Piano App as well as the Piano Designer thanks to Bluetooth MIDI. While the Piano Designer is still accessible onboard, the app provides a much more convenient and user-friendly experience that allows players to refine the tone and touch settings with ease. On the other hand, Bluetooth audio allows the GP-9 to double as one of the most powerful and high-fidelity sound systems you will ever experience.

There is so much technology and innovation packed into the GP-9 that it is easy to overlook other aspects of the piano, such as its gorgeous cabinet. Elegant curves and an eye-catching high-gloss polished finish grant the GP-9 with the aesthetic impact of a top-tier acoustic grand piano. However, the overall physical design of the instrument is not purely for looks.

Like a standard acoustic grand, the GP-9’s lid can be set to do different positions, all of which adjust the sound character the same way an acoustic grand’s lid does. Furthermore, the smart touch control panels backlighting can be turned off to avoid distraction and maintain the impression of an acoustic piano. Yet again, Roland has not left any stone unturned when it comes to bridging the gap between a digital and acoustic grand piano.

• Piano Reality Modeling Concert Sound Engine with Piano Reality Ambience
• 88-Key Piano Reality Hybrid Concert Keyboard with hammer action, escapement, Ebony/Ivory Feel, dynamic sensor acceleration technology and haptic key vibration
• Piano Reality Responsive Concert Pedal (capable of continuous detection) with damper modeling
• Function assignable Soft and Sostenuto pedals
• 150W Piano Reality Projection Concert Sound System with 8-speaker array
• Immersive Piano Reality Headphones Ambience system for quiet practice
• Elegant 5’ baby grand piano cabinet with adjustable lid and high-gloss polished finish
• Wireless Bluetooth MIDI and Audio connectivity lets users connect to Roland Piano App and Piano Designer app and allows the GP-9 to be used as a powerful, high-fidelity home stereo system
• 324 onboard tones, including 14 distinct acoustic piano sounds
• Onboard Piano Designer with 13 adjustable parameters to custom-tailor piano sounds
• Twin Piano mode lets teachers and students play side-by-side in the same octave range
• 394 internal songs, ranging from Listening, Ensemble, Entertainment, Let’s Sing DO RE MI, and Lesson
• Play standard MIDI files (format 0, 1) and audio files (WAV: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit linear format, MP3: 44.1 kHz, 64 kbps – 320 kbps, requires USB flash drive) via the USB Memory port
• Convenient functions, which include built-in metronome with 80 rhythm patterns, dual, split, TwinPiano, transpose, speaker auto-mute, volume limit, panel lock, panel sleep, and much more

For those that wish to avoid the high costs, upkeep, and volume of an acoustic grand but still desire a grand piano aesthetic, Roland’s GP-9 is the ideal choice. Unlike other digital grands that have reduced cabinets, the GP-9 is a full-fledged 5’ baby grand. It is the type of instrument with the gravitas and grandeur to attract the eye of anyone that comes into its presence. Even better yet, it provides one of the most authentic grand piano playing experiences you will ever find, which is a result of the impressive technology and innovation packed into this flagship model. Tone, touch, and looks no longer need to be compromised when going the route of a digital grand.