LHousehold
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Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
So I have a Roland digital piano, the FP5 to be exact. I don't own a good softsynth piano plugin, but this piano has amazing sound quality. I'm aware that some hardware synths can be used almost as softsynths through sonar with MIDI, as oppose to just recording their audio output. Is this true also for digital pianos? And if not, what would you say is the best way to utilise the piano's sounds in my project, aside from actually playing it (because I already know that). Any help appreciated.
Windows 7 64 bit Cakewalk Sonar X2 Producer Cakewalk A-500PRO MIDI controller
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Beagle
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/21 13:21:38
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sure - if I understand your question.
it's not a "softsynth" - it's a hardware synth, but you can record the sounds from it in either of 2 ways:
direct - just plug the LINE outputs into the LINE inputs of your soundcard and set up an audio track and record away!
MIDI - you can record the MIDI from the roland, then edit the MIDI as desired (I always have to edit mine because my timing is never 100% correct), then set up the MIDI track's output to send the MIDI back to the roland. then follow the directions above for the DIRECT by hooking up cables from the output of the roland back to the inputs of the soundcard.
when you press RECORD on the transport, it will send the MIDI to the keyboard, the keyboard will then send the audio to the soundcard and will get recorded on the AUDIO track.
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Lanceindastudio
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/22 01:12:05
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You can use hardware synths if they have midi to control softsynth plugins, but to get your pianos sound into sonar, you need to record the audio into it with audio cables as Beagle mentioned
Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS Motherboard i7 3770k CPU 32 gigs RAM Presonus AudioBox iTwo Windows 10 64 bit, SONAR PLATINUM 64 bit Lots of plugins and softsynths and one shot samples, loops Gauge ECM-87, MCA SP-1, Alesis AM51 Presonus Eureka Mackie HR824's and matching subwoofer
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losguy
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/22 11:41:46
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Congrats on your FP5... that is a sweet piano with a great keyboard action. (I own one, can you tell?) The sounds are indeed pretty good, though I only use them when I just want to bang something out on the keys without booting up the PC (switch on, turn up speakers, and go!)... nice. Otherwise, I use it as a MIDI controller to get MIDI into my DAW, where I run TruePianos (FP5 + TruePianos Diamond: now THAT is a GREAT combination). What the other dudes said is spot-on, a far as hookups go. (They are great dudes BTW... props!). The FP5 programs like a GM2 instrument (if you are not familiar with General MIDI, then you can read more about it here). I think the FP5 manual may provide some Roland-specific info too. That's useful if you want to program patch changes over MIDI, or if you want to add any expressive modulation to the sounds. Also, it can be nice if you want to play all the parts at once (multitimbral) right from the keyboard over the line outs. That's how the "Demo" songs work... basically, you'd just be making your own. I don't actually use the FP5 that way (I do pretty much everything sound-wise with softsynths any more) so I can't really offer specific help in that regard, so I apologize in advance for that!
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Guitarhacker
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/22 17:45:39
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If it has a midi out on it, the answer is yes.
You can buy some pretty decent sounding piano samples from Cakewalk,,, the Steinway Grands ($20?) and you only need the Sound Center Player.... it comes with Music Creator and X1 (IIRC).
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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Jim Roseberry
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/22 18:05:58
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Some hardware synths have VSTi plugin editors (like the Korg M3)... but the VSTi is just a glorified remote control. IOW, The VSTi itself generates no sound. You still have to record the audio outputs of these units to get the tracks into Sonar.
As has been mentioned, treat the FP5 like you would any other hardware synth.
Connect the MIDI I/O and Audio I/O... and you're set.
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LHousehold
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Re:Can I use a Roland digital piano as a synth?
2011/07/23 16:08:13
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Hey thanks for the help guys. Yeah, it looks like what what Beagle said is the only solution, an option which I was considering. Now, losguy, you say TruePianos is good with it? I've been considering getting truepianos for a while. The convenience of VSTi is something that can't be beat. Funny you should come and confirm what I was wondering; that is, playing truepianos with the FP5. Perhaps I'll go and buy it after all...
Windows 7 64 bit Cakewalk Sonar X2 Producer Cakewalk A-500PRO MIDI controller
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