Roland A-70

All of the above reviews above are pretty accurate.

To me, the keys seem too short. Action is ok, with a little resistance, but if I switch from my PC88, or my RD300, I miss a lot of notes... not because I'm going from a weighted to a nonweighted, I actually fall off the front end of the keybed. Yes, I wish the A-70 had the A-90's keys in a 76 note version... but NOT with the 60+ pounds that goes with it. Picky...

Because the manual is pretty klugey, it took me FOREVER to figure out how to change the pitch change wheel from two half steps to one half step.... and I've yet to figure out how to program it to allow a program change to be pressed, but not implement the change while the pedal is down. Grrrrrrrr. And, I've yet to figure out a way that allows a global transposition without three button presses...

I'm using the VE-RD1 card, and while the organs have good tone, there isn't a Leslie in the effects section. The vibratos are part of each patch, controlled by the mod wheel. Again, grrrr.

Excellent midi capabilities. If you visualize it, you can do it.

I wish this board could accept SRX cards, or ANY cards that would allow upgrades.

Even with the VE-RD1 card and all of it's good pianos, only about half of them are really usuable. I don't know if it's the way they were sampled, or the fact that this board needs finer velocity resolution, but if you strike the note at, say 55, some of the stereo piano patches sound good. Strike just a bit harder, and the timbre changes as though you struck it at 100... it's just not subtle enough.

Hasn't broken yet.

A lot of the previous reviewers have raved about the keyboard action. While it IS better than a lot out there, I wish it were more substantial. It's better than my Yamaha KX76, but nowhere near my old Roland MKB-300.

It's pretty straight-forward to use. The manual is a bit weirdly worded at times. The rig is not difficult to figure out. But there are some tricky bits.

The feel of the keyboard is nice. Feels solid. Like a synth-action, but the keys have weightier springs (slightly) and the keys have some mass to them (a little). Has some nice features for a person with a more complex MIDI setup. Separate outs, very flexible routing. And some assignable sliders. There are three assignable buttons, which while they are called "transpose" "mono" and "portamento", can be assigned to other controllers.

One unpublicized bonus is that the keyboard HAS release-velocity.

Nice bright display.

If you want to get one of the expanders, it might be useful for a "backup" synth,
but if you already have outboard rigs, it might not be worth it.

I'm very particular about velocity sensing. I've tried the Roland A-37, the kurzweil SP-76, and the Fatar SL-760. The A-70 exhibited the same problem.

Namely there is a lack of resolution. With the A-70's most linear velocity settings, there are huge gaps in the output. Values jump from 102 to 106 to 114 to 123 to 126. In other words if you hit the hey hard, there are only 5 possible values above 100. If you are listening, you hear it. You hit a key hard a few times, and you can tell it's not changing then --bang -- "oh. a louder note finally."

If you mess with the velocity curves, you can make the top range have more resolution but you have to kiss the lower velocities good-bye.

I expected more for a self-proclaimed "expandable controller".
Unfortunately, I don't know which 76 key rigs don't have this compromised velocity sensing. I know my K2000 was able to generate all 127. Alas.

Otherwise, it's ok.

It seems to be built pretty solidly, metal bottom, molded plastic top & sides. Top & bottom white notes protrude past casing. Probably fine.

The only support I've used from Roland is the website, which, for as "slick" as it is,
proves to be useless more often than not.

Part of my frustration is with the industry at large. Our ears have a dynamic range of over 120dB more than any dumb ol' synth. One of the most important musical qualities is dynamic control. 127 possible loudnesses, 127 possible filter cut-offs, etc etc; these are all ways to make the experiencing of thumping on some dumb plastic box more satisfying. But the Industry says, just give 'em 50 velocities. Those folks won't notice the difference. Anybody else out there notice?

I'm running the JV sounds i find them to be very helpful in complimenting my Jv2080.I find that the parameters for edit ing the sounds are limited but they work and it does make a difference.The manual is a poor representation of how to operate this workhorse

The keyboard action took me a while to get accustomed to.I find the black keys are a little small and quite smoothe.I love the idea of being able to assign control functions to many faders and knobs.Also having stored the patch names of different modules you may be using so u can scroll thru the keyboard instead of the module ,THis is Quite Sexxy.I'm dissappointed that this baby doesn't carry a card to store performances .Tell me if there is a way.If u are really into Ure controller there are many combinations u can experiment with(HINT :uusing the remote in u can get another keyboard to communicate to with a device the a 70 is controlling

most of the sound still have some work to be desired ,but I consider them tops among the others(KORG YAMAHA etc)The a 70 works good for Carribbean music Funk and playing strings It's the bomb>i'm still to master using my controller functions to express myself and i need another FC port and Breath controller port.

well the first couple months i had it i thougth i had to return it>I had to clean the keys once.FIx the hold port,and it freaked out on me in the middle of a gig just had a blank screen ,had to resort to my xp 80 and do everythig manually( that sucks)up till now the only problem i have is that if i move my pitch bend to the right it stay a little outta tune ,I have to flick it back to the left to get it 440Hz
other than that it work perfectly fine now.I need no back up

the company here in Barbados who suppose to Roland dealers solution is to CALL ROLAND...................CALL ROLAND the are no help IT's sad

I definitely wouldn't do without this baby I need U A 70.been playing for 10yrs.I luv the technology behind this machine and its compatability with other roland gear.This keyboard is very user friendly and allows u to take control of all that gear i use.I control a JV2080 TG77 U-220 and an XP 80.the A 70 is the best to get

A controller capable of so much is going to be fairly complex, even for people used to a lot of midi. I found some things hard to find but overall it's pretty easy to get up and running fairly fast. Manual is so, so, better than some Roland gear, but still not good. Editing is fairly easy once you find your way around the menus, but not real logical.

Polyphony depends on the sound source you're using. I personally like the feel and action of the keyboard a lot, I've been playing it for about a year, it's my main stage controller. Mine came with the JV-1 expansion board installed, which is a good board with lots of good sounds, but they're pretty much identical to the JV-880 stock patches and since I already own that module it just duplicated most of the sounds. Something to keep in mind if you own any JV series stuff. There is another card available. Midi capabilities are extensive on this board, but I really haven't used most of them so can't comment a lot on that. I use it strictly for stage and like to keep things as simple as I can.

I think the sounds on the expansion board are generally really good. The only thing it lacks is good rock organs and that's typical of most modern Roland gear for some reason. I think they try to force you to buy the expensive expansion boards to get the really good patches.(One of the things I don't like about Roland). The velocity control is good but here's my major bitch, and with Roland gear there always is one. The aftertouch is so sensitive it makes it unusable. I've always used aftertouch a lot for vibrato on sax, fiddle, and guitar type patches, but with this thing it comes on way too easy. It kicks in when you are using only moderate pressure, and you can't adjust it. You pretty much just have to turn it off which is a drag for me. I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd known that in advance. I give it a low rating in this category for that reason.

It has been reliable for me, I've had no problems in over a year. I read some people have had trouble with the keys, but no me.

Support for this particular product is not very good. There was none at all for the JV-1 expansion board, not even a patch list.

The editor is fairly simple and intuitive. The feature that lets you edit a slider, button, or controller's properties by just moving it is a handy one at times - at other times it's a pain in the butt! I sometimes need to edit performance parameters (ext section) while playing. I have to play very lightly when doing this, or it'll automatically switch to adjusting the aftertouch assignment! Once when trying to adjust the 'master transpose' setting, it re-assigned aftertouch to 'program change up'. You can imagine the mess.

MIDI flexibility is quite impressive. As far as the electronic features are concerned, it's excellent. I'm not crazy about the feel of it though. The black keys are tapered slightly more than normal, and have a slightly odd texture. As for the action, it's somewhere between a piano and typical synth touch. It's pretty good if you're going to be doing a lot of piano based playing, but if you're looking to do fast B3 or synth parts forget it.

I use this thing 3 - 6 nights a week. While it's structurally sturdy, the keys are constantly going out on me. It's probably due to 'bar smoke' getting between the carbon button boots & the circuit board. The keys usually lose some sensitivity, become intermittent, then fail completely. I've had the controller for just over a year, and have had 12 keys go out on me. They're not easy to get to to fix, either.

If they fixed the fussy key problem, I'd buy another one in a second -otherwise, no way. I've been playing for 30 years now (since i was 7) with 10 years of classical piano training at the start of it. In the past, I've been a huge Roland fan. I've owned the JX-8P, S-50, JD-800, and now the A-70. My reliability problems started with the JD-800, and have continued with the A-70. I got the JX-8P in 1985 (i think). That unit uses brass leaf switches in its keys - I've never had a single problem with it.

Why can't somebody just make something reliable already?

There are some really nice features to this thing. If you're editing a controller parameter, simply move the controller you wish to change, and it comes up on the screen (very nice!). The manual's extensive as well. Everything is laid out nicely.

The midi features are pretty much unparralleled for a controller. There's a joystick as well as pitch bend and mod wheels, and several sliders, buttons, and footswitch imputs. Every one of them is assignable to anything you can think of, and that includes the wheels and joystick. There is even sys-ex capability, for those adventurous enough to use it. There are four midi zones, plus settings for a midi effects processor, and 64 performances. Midi connections include 4 outs and two ins. The outs can be individually enabled/disabled, and the ins respond differently, pending on your application. The feel is very nice for a non-weighted controller, allowing great speed in technique.

I don't use the internal sounds - no cards installed, though Roland has two available.

Agh, here's where my troubles lie. I've had my A-70 for a year and a half, and use it on every gig - anywhere from 4 to 10 a week, pending on the time of year. I keep having keys losing sensitivity, which means that if I accidently play that note, it'll clank at full volume. I've also gone through 2 of the 3 assignable foot switch jacks, and the final one is about to go. Maybe it's different for people who use it solely in a studio or home, but I've grown unbelievably frustrated with it.

Service with Roland is extremely expensive, even if the product is still under warranty.

I think I bought the last one in the whole city of Chicago - I had to search around for it, but couldn't resist the price. The feel is wonderful, and midi control is spectacular. That's why it's really unfortunate that I wouldn't buy it if I had everything to do over again. I've broken three keys now - it's the way the instrument is designed that causes this problem to be inherent. I do expect a lot from a controller, as I dish out a lot of abuse. Still, this is no excuse, and I can't keep putting my primary controller in the shop. As much as I love what this machine can do, it's just not roadworthy.

Fairly easy to use, intuitive layout. I have the A-70EX version with the VE-RD1 board.
I am really satisfied with the Acoustic and Electric piano sounds of the VE-RD1.
I can get some very soothing Acoustic / Electric combinations out of this unit.
Once I got use to the basic sound editing parameters, I was able to edit and polish sounds with relative ease.
The manual seem no better or worse than any other I've had.

The main reason I will probably keep this keyboard forever is the action.
I don't like true piano weighted, hammer action keys - they are just a tab too heavy for me.
Neither do I like the very light, organ style action.
This "semi-weighted" action was what attracted me.
I've had other Roland Keyboards (JD-800, JX-8P, JX-10), Kurzweil (Midi-board), Ensonic (TS-10, EPS),
Kawai, Aleis, and when I felt the action on the A-70 I was relived that someone had finally got the action I prefer.
I then found a A-70 with the VE-RD1 board (mostly Piano, electric piano, strings, a few other various).
I think roland put the curved tops on the black keys to make it a bit easier to go between.
Really I bought it for the action and the VE-RD1 sounds are a nice bonus.

A-70EX has same sounds as A-90EX. So consult a review of the A-90Ex.
Both EX's have the VE-RD1 board. If one is mainly satisfied with piano, piano combinations, Rhodes sounds the VE-RD1 is a good source.
There is a variety of piano samples.
The effects are easily implemented. With the ability to use four voices to make up a patch, or four patches to make a voice (whatever Rolandspeak is I don't remember)
its easy to take two sounds, pan one right, another left, detune one a little, then add one or two more sounds with or without effects to fill up the sound abit.
With the VE-RD1 board one can assign different effects individually to each of the four voices (if you chose to use four);
I am not sure if that can be done with the VE-JV1 board.
Good overall in the piano department. Don't get the VE-Rd1 if you want synth sounds.

Very good so far, no problems. Seems to be a sturdy controller.

Have not needed it so far, so I can not say.

I would replace it because of its action.

This is a controller which, by nature, can be complex to operate. The more options, features, and control you have, the more complex the controls have to be. But still, as far as the operation goes, it's fairly simple.

The manual, on the other hand, sucks. Everyone knows this. Roland makes great products, we can only dream that they will one day wake up and start giving their customers what they've been asking for for years - better authors for the manuals.

I literally had to play with the board until I figured it out. I read and read the manual trying to understand how to control and assign certain parameters with no success. I just had to dive in and figure it out myself.

Shame on you Roland!

Roland has always been on the forefront of making products with real, practical abilities and not just bells and whistles. Though old, this controller is probably the very best 76 key controller out today. Three independent MIDI outs are a life saver... who wants to carry around three keyboards or plug and unplug cords, etc.

It offers any feature you can need and all the control over your midi device you could want and then some - for instance, who honestly wants to use a keyboard split?? Maybe it's personal preference, but there's really no practical PERFORMANCE way to implement this ability. Maybe it's good if you want to play bass with your left hand, but when I perform, I have a bass player, I don't do it myself. Maybe it has some studio use, but in the studio you would lay down separate tracks any way. Maybe it's for sequencing. I hate sequencers. Who knows what it's good for??!!!

Anyway, I'll be keeping my A-70 for a long time...
Did I mention the incredible feel for a synth??

I don't have any internal sounds, though you can buy one of I think three expansion cards. But any I've ever heard in the A-70 or A-90 are really not worth the money, any money. But internal sounds aren't what you buy a controller for.

I could use it to prop my car on while changing the oil!

I have to tell you, Roland rocks here. I bought my A-70 refurbished online and, as such it came with a full Roland warranty. Well, when I received the board in the mail, I noticed one of the keys were sluggish, so I called the place I bought it from immediately. They told me "well, it has a full warranty, so just take it to an authorized Roland repair service," which I did.

After repairing the key, the shop told me it would cost me $170 b/c it key was busted and that is not covered under the warranty.

I called up Roland and explained what happened. They said that the place I bought it from should have asked me to ship it back and replace it, which, I agreed, they should have done. That's usually how defective merchandise is handled. But the work had already been done and now I was without my keyboard b/c I wasn't willing to pay for a repair on something I had just bought, and the mail order store was of absolutely no help.

After explaining my situation, the Roland guy didn't give me a hard time or anything. He simply said, and I swear this is a quote: "Don't worry about it, consider it fixed." WOW! I was blown away. That's what I call service. I gave him the name and number of the shop and the next day the shop called me and said I could come pick up my board b/c it was taken care of.

That rocks. I would give Roland a 20 for resolving a problem that wasn't even their responsibility to resolve, but it only goes to 10.

I would replace this keyboard in a heartbeat. I love it!

As far as Master Keyboards go, this one isn't too bad to setup.
This is the 3rd Master keyboard I've owned, this one is certainly no more difficult to work than the others. I think as the technology and flexibility of our instruments grow, so does the need to spend longer and longer flicking through the pages of the manual. The manuals not brilliant, but I can work the instrument, so it must have rubbed off somewhere.

No sounds as standard (wouldn't mind adding one of the expansion cards to give it some though). Very good action. MIDI is the same as the A-90, don't quite understand how the MIDI IN remote works, it seems to only allow the same 4 channels to transmit through it as are in use (maybe that's just my setup).

The keyboard action is amazing. I've owned a wide range of keyboards over the last 10 years, from some synths with no keyboard expression at all, to 88-key fully-weighted master boards that need a mallet and a sandbag to get a loud note. The A-70 is the best medium I've played between pianos and synths. I use the A-70 with a JV-2080, I've got the 60&70's board for this, this is where the A-70 excels.
Whether playing Rhodes Piano, Hammond B3 or analogue synths, the feel and expression is there.

I have a story on this, I have used the A-70 without backup, and I'm glad that I was using it at the time. Whilst setting up on a stage not much bigger than a drum riser, this board took a 6 foot stage dive. Now this really is <don't try this at home, kids> stuff, but the board survived with a tiny scratch and went on through that gig without a problem.

Never dealt with Roland support.

If it were lost, stolen, engulfed in flames, taken in divource settlement - I'd go mad(er). I use this as the centre of my setup and I think it's one of the best buys around - very good value for money.
I also own a Roland JP8000, Korg X5D, Yamaha HS8 (home organ) and a Yamaha A3000 (bought, sadly not through endorsements). It would be nice if it had a bigger screen - but if it were driven buy a big muso computer - it would cost a fair bit more.

I own an A-90EX and just purchased the A-70JV because Sam Ashe was blowing the A-70JV out for $499. The A series, while are complex and can be used in so many different ways, seem to be one of the most self explanitory keyboards I've owned (I've had a Korg M1, O1 W/FD, DW800, Alesis QS6, Ensoniq TS-12). I've hardly needed to open the manual, and when I have, I've been able to find what I needed. I guess it's easy to use if you're intelligent and know what you want it to do. If you're puzzled easily, any synth will give you grief. Though some are poorly designed and others offer bogus manuals, I find the A series to be a gem.

The polyphony depends on which, if any, expansion board you choose. I chose to purchase expansion boards in both cases because I was given a great price when purchasing it along with the keyboard. Also, the sounds on the VE-RD1 and VE-JV1 are great. For most purposes, it saves me the trouble of having to bring an outboard module that at best would sound as good. It is capable of much, but I do wish it had a built in rotary speaker effect. It has Chorus, Reverb, and EQ.

The A-70's keyboard is by far the best non-weighted keyboard I've played. It has a better feel than the Ensoniq TS-12. The TS-12 is weighted 76 keys, but has a spongy feel. I wish Roland would use this keyboard on their XP-80. The XP-80 feels weak in comparison. The sounds on the JV1 board are good and very versatile, but the pianos and organs on the RD1 are superior.

I have never had a problem with any Roland product that I have ever owned. I guess I take care of my gear better than most people. I expect the A-70 to hold up fine.

Since, I've never had a problem with their gear, I've never dealt with them in that manner. They were very helpful at the NAMM show when I had questions.

If you can get one of these before they're gone, I recommend it highly. For $499, I wouldn't wait too long. This has become my main stage and studio board. It's light enough to move around (unlike the A-90), and it can control all of your outboard gear. It is primarily a hardware based unit with approx. 70 buttons/sliders. Though it came out in 1997 or 98 it is by no means obsolete, nor do I expect it to be any time soon.

No further comments need to be made regarding Roland manuals - we all know they are not really user-friendly. But I must say that the manuals have somewhat improved over time. There still room for more improvements..
There are no preset sounds: see below.

Keyboard action - excellent. Great feel compared to most keyboards. The only set-back is the unusual roughening of the the surface of the black keys (is it made this way to increase friction and therefore prevent fingers slipping off the black keys???). I prefer the good old fashion smooth-surfaced keys - but one could still get used to this new feel.
Expansions - accepts VE cards. Never heard one nor do I intend to own one. I'd rather spend the money on a new sound module considering the cost of both are comparable.
MIDI - same as for the big brother, A-90. 2 MIDI inputs and 4 MIDI outputs with controllers for parameter changes make playing the A-70 a real enjoyment even while performing live. I literally have the whole orchestra on my finger-tips with my A-70 hooked on to my other sound modules. By carefully pre-programming the Performance mode (able to store up to 64 different "Performances"), the possibilties are limitless. Queer enough, there is a parameter for breathe controller but no port to receive a breathe controller.

Very expressive. Just love the feel of the keyboard action. Better than most keyboards I played.

Very reliable. No problems with it so far. It is much lighter than the A-90 and therefore easier to carry around. The light weight is due to the plastic body it is made of - makes it feel a little vulnerable to wear and tear if you're travelling a lot with it. But I take very good care of my instruments and there are no dents on my A-70...yet.

Never had to deal with them. But if I have to, they are usually helpful and get things done.

If it was stolen, I'd get one again. There is few good MIDI controllers like this one. Very addictive to play on it.