Free is Cool: Roland Updates the V-Piano with New Sounds
(ShackMan | Posted 2010-01-23)
Roland's flagship V-line has been at the forefront of synthesized and sampled instruments since the V-Drum kit was released and suddenly gave parents one less reason to worry about having a drumset in the house. Since the V-Bass, V-Guitar, V-Synth, and V-Accordion (Yeah, the V-Accordion), the V-Piano has continued in the same tradition. It won the Winter NAMM 2009 Best in Show award and the Musikmesse Interntaional Press Award in Frankfurt 2009 for its Component Object Sound Modeling technology which produced a "living piano engine" that soared "beyond the limits of previous sample-based instruments." Now it's getting an upgrade.
The V-Piano system includes two categories of sounds: Vintage, which replicates the sound of acoustic pianos, and Vanguard, which allows the pianist to create new and innovative instruments beyond the limitations of the traditional acoustic piano.
The V-Piano Evolution adds two new sounds to each category. "Vertical" sounds like a warm, mellow upright piano, and "V1 Impactance" features the "Vintage 1" piano, but with heavier hammers for more power and energy. In the Vanguard category, users can experiment with "Metallic SB," (the SB stands for Sound Board) which is based loosely on the previous "All Silver" model. Creating a unique metallic tone, it projects a virtual soundboard made of thin metal boards sandwiched between thin wooden boards. The "Triple Large" sound fetures an extended piano body and tripled copper-wrapped strings on each key.
Unlike many items we feature on this site, I am proud to say that this item will feature an MSRP of $FREE, which, by my estimations, gives it a rough street price of $FREE. New Roland V-Pianos will be shipped with the downloadable upgrade already installed.
