Features - Roland RD-170 Owner's Manual

RD-170 Features

Features

Excellent sounds
You must have read this a thousand times, yet we are
pretty confident that you will agree that the
RD-170's 64 sounds (including a high-quality stereo
grand piano) are truly amazing. This may come as no
surprise when you know that most of them are
derived from the flagship RD-700 and the SRX-series
Wave Expansion Boards, while the Rhodes and other
electronic piano waveforms are brand new.
Excellent expressiveness
The RD-170 comes with an 88-note hammer-action
keyboard that helps you bring out the best in the 64
sounds (or "Tones" as we call them). It responds to
even the subtlest nuances of your playing.
In addition, the RD-170 supports a "half-damper" (i.e.
continuous) damper pedal, which means that the
duration of sustained notes depends on the pedal's
position (this effect can be obtained with the sup-
plied damper pedal). While this is a matter of course
on acoustic pianos, other electronic instruments only
recognize "on" and "off" positions.
New attractive look
The RD-170 looks and feels like a "real instrument",
with an attractive metal housing and stylish wooden
side panels. The RD-170's design fits right in with
your "heavy-duty" stage rig, while it looks equally
good at home, in music schools, or in a studio.
Split, layer, master keyboard
Split and layer functions are available for creating
lush sound combinations. Master keyboard functions
are also provided, allowing you to control two parts
of a multitimbral sound module (or two modules) via
two separate sections.
Even though the RD-170 only has a 3-character LED,
you'll always get plenty of clues as to what can be
set: some of the numerous buttons light up in differ-
ent colors (Upper= red, Lower= green, Setup=
orange), while you can also ask the RD-170 to display
the name of the currently selected parameter.
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16 programmable setups
All of the RD-170's parameter settings (including the
MIDI–related parameters) can be saved to one of the
16 on-board memories. Recalling even complex set-
tings is a matter of pressing just one button.
All settings can be archived via MIDI (Bulk Dump),
which is, of course, essential for touring musicians.
2-track recorder
The RD-170 also sports a 2-track recording function,
allowing you to record new ideas right away. This
function can also be used for educational purposes,
of course, e.g. for practising the left- and right-hand
parts separately.
Have fun!