Roland A-70EX

I found this keyboard to be so easy to use that by the end of the first day I felt I had mastered it enough to use in a live setting. The manual is not the worst I've seen but it could be improved in certain areas.

The keyboard action is just right for me. It seems to be the perfect mix between a synth feel and a piano feel. The Midi setup is extensive and the A-70 should be able to handle just about anything you could throw at it.

The piano sounds in the VE-RD1 Expansion board are awesome and the A-70 is the perfect platform to bring these sounds out. The ease of layering in other sounds with your original sound is a real time-saver in a live performance. The Rhodes/EP sounds on the VE-RD1 are certainly adequate as are several Hammond-type sounds. The rest of the sounds are just OK. Not a problem though, the A-70EX is doing its job by covering piano/EP type sounds as a stage piano while you do your major synth work with a dedicated synth.

I have used the A-70 in over a hundred gigs within the last year and a half and have never experienced any problems with it. Very reliable.

Never used Roland support.

I would buy this keyboard along with the VE-RD1 board in a heartbeat if mine were stolen or whatever - especially at the price they are going for today. I bought mine after the first reduction in price and I thought I got a steal then. I also use a Roland XP-50 and I find that the A-70EX is nice complement to the XP. I also like the A-70 because it does not have the bulky weight of the A-90EX or other similar controllers, yet it has the majority of A-90 features. Additionally, the keyboard's size (76 keys) fits nicely onto the backseat of my midsize car. I think I'd have a few problems with this with a larger keyboard. I can visualize this keyboard as being the centerpiece of my rig for years to come. I'm somewhat surprised that more people haven't discovered this benefits of this unit.