NEW ROLAND E-X30 - Can this Keyboard BEAT Yamaha PSR, Casio CT-X & Korg?

Summary

In this detailed review, Jeremiah Sehun explores the Roland EX-30, an entry-level 61-key keyboard targeted at beginners in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Boasting an impressive 256-note polyphony, 706 voices, and 347 styles, the EX-30 excels in versatility and sound quality. Key highlights include duo and split modes, piano and chord features, MP3 trigger pads, microphone input with DSP effects, a configurable mixer, tempo lock, and fade-out functions. While missing Bluetooth and auxiliary inputs, its portability, extensive customization, and user-friendly interface make it a standout value for money. Jeremiah praises its capabilities but notes that marketing, pricing, and build quality will determine its success.

Takeaways

• 🎹 The Roland EX-30 is an entry-level 61-key touch-sensitive keyboard primarily targeted at markets in India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Indonesia.
• 🔊 It offers an impressive 256-note polyphony, surpassing competitors like Casio CTX 5000 (64 notes) and Yamaha PSR-S975 (128 notes).
• 🎼 The keyboard features 706 built-in voices and 347 music styles, including region-specific options for India, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Oriental market.
• 🎹 It supports duo mode, split mode, and personalization of sounds with 11 reverb effects and 12 chorus effects, enhancing performance flexibility.
• 🎵 The EX-30 includes a piano button for instant piano sound, as well as advanced arranger features like auto harmony and autofill in style variations.
• 🎛️ Unique features for this price range include chord detection, tempo lock, configurable fade-out, and extensive OneTouch settings for each style.
• 🎚️ The keyboard supports scale tuning for non-Western temperaments and allows triggering of MP3 samples via 12 dedicated buttons.
• 🎤 It has a microphone input with DSP effects, a full mixer for volume control of layers, accompaniment tracks, and phrase pads, which is rare at this price point.
• 📀 Recording capabilities include a sequencer with 10 user slots for one-pass recording, and USB connectivity for MIDI and loading additional styles.
• ⚡ Missing features include Bluetooth connectivity and an auxiliary input, but it offers quarter-inch stereo outputs and assignable pedal functions.
• 💡 The user interface is designed for ease of use with tactile buttons, minimizing deep menu navigation for live performance adjustments.
• 🏆 Overall, the keyboard delivers exceptional value and features for an entry-level instrument, though market success will depend on pricing, marketing, and build quality.

Q & A

What is the Roland EX-30 keyboard primarily targeted for?

The Roland EX-30 is primarily targeted at beginners and entry-level players in developing markets such as India, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Indonesia.

How many keys and what type of sensitivity does the EX-30 have?

The EX-30 has 61 fully touch-sensitive keys, allowing expressive play similar to a standard piano.

What is notable about the polyphony of the EX-30?

The EX-30 has 256 notes of polyphony, which is unusually high for an entry-level keyboard, ensuring that players will not run out of notes even when layering sounds or using complex accompaniments.

How many voices and styles are included in the EX-30?

The EX-30 includes 706 voices and 347 styles, many of which are categorized for specific countries, reflecting the markets it targets.

What makes the EX-30's accompaniment and style features unique?

It offers autofill in style variations, OneTouch settings (4 per style), fade-out with configurable duration, and full chord detection including full keyboard detection, which is rare at this price point.

What connectivity and input/output options does the EX-30 provide?

The keyboard offers a microphone input with DSP effects, USB to host and device for MIDI, and ¼” L/R stereo outputs. It does not have auxiliary input or Bluetooth connectivity.

What are the recording capabilities of the EX-30?

The EX-30 has a sequencer with 10 single-pass recording slots for user songs. Multi-pass or layered recording requires an external DAW via USB MIDI connection.

How does the EX-30 support non-Western musical traditions?

It includes a scale tuning feature that allows users to adjust tuning away from equal temperament, catering to Middle Eastern, Indian, and other oriental music styles. Additionally, the 12 scale tuning buttons can trigger MP3 phrase pads.

What features improve the user experience for performance and practice?

The EX-30 has tactile physical buttons for almost all functions, a piano button to quickly switch to a piano sound, tempo lock to prevent jumps during registration switching, and assignable pedal input for sustain, soft piano, rhythm start/stop, or registration changes.

What are the main drawbacks of the EX-30?

The main drawbacks are the lack of Bluetooth and auxiliary input for streaming audio, limited multi-pass recording in the sequencer, and minor concerns about build quality based on previous Roland models.

How does the EX-30 compare to competing keyboards like Casio CTX 5000 and Yamaha PSR-S975?

The EX-30 surpasses them in polyphony (256 vs 64/128), number of voices, accompaniment features, microphone input, and style functionalities, making it a highly competitive entry-level option at a similar price point.

What factors will influence the success of the EX-30 in developing markets?

Success depends on pricing affordability, build quality, and effective marketing strategies to reach the intended audience in regions with lower per capita GDP.