Roland Keyboards: 10 Best Picks As a Musician
Roland has been making some of the best digital pianos & keyboards for so many years. In this article we’re going to be taking a look at what makes Roland so good and unique, as well as which ones are the best.
In my current rig, I use the FA 08 and the Gaia. I also have the RD88, the FP-10, and the FP90X in my studio. I own and or have extensively tested every keyboard you see in this list below.
Editors note* This post was updated in January of 2025 to include the GP-9 series, the new Juno, and the Roland RD88 EX and to also remove dated products.
Roland FA-08 – Best Overall Workstation For Live Music
What they do so well is they make their workstations be MIDI compatible. Being MIDI-compatible means that if you are looking to hook up to your laptop and record and explore more sounds, you can do so very easily and also do so with the luxury of an amazing keyboard bed.
The FA-08 is an extremely powerful, light-weight studio and MIDI controller all in one. The FA-08 is their answer to MIDI controllers and also is the upgrade to the Fantom G series.
The Juno DS-88 is for the touring musician, as well as for the classical piano player looking for an affordable, yet a quality product that you can use at all levels.
Its key bed is the same as the Fantom Series and this is something that makes this instrument special. It is a lightweight keyboard, making it extremely easy to tour with.
Features
- Ivory feel weighted key bed
- A sampler that features 16 assignable pads
- Six assignable sound modify modifying knobs that also work with MIDI
- Microphone and guitar mic jacks built-in for performing or recording
- USB ports that allow for MIDI use with a laptop
- Comes with over 2,000 unique sounds that can be altered and shaped with the assignable sound knobs
- Extremely lightweight allows for a great touring product
- Home screen that is very user-friendly and lit up
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The Juno DS-88 is for the touring musician, as well as for the classical piano player looking for an affordable, yet a quality product that you can use at all levels.
Its key bed is the same as the Fantom Series and this is something that makes this instrument special. It is a lightweight keyboard, making it extremely easy to tour with.
The The Juno DS-88 is for the touring musician, as well as for the classical piano player looking for an affordable, yet a quality product that you can use at all levels.
Its key bed is the same as the Fantom Series and this is something that makes this instrument special. It is a lightweight keyboard, making it extremely easy to tour with.
The Juno DS-88 will give you very realistic sounding pianos and organs and the ability to bend them to your liking. The Juno series began in the 1970s and they have given us a keyboard now that lives up to the hype that the original Juno’s did.
This comes equipped with over 1200 different patches, with each patch being unique.
The Juno DS-88 is also a MIDI controller, which makes it also very appealing to touring musicians who may want an affordable keyboard that has a really nice key-bed.
Pros
- Easy to manipulate sounds
- Sampler
- 8 pads that can be used for triggers and for running MIDI
- MIDI capability
- Weighted keys
- Over 1,200 preset patches
will give you very realistic sounding pianos and organs and the ability to bend them to your liking. The Juno series began in the 1970s and they have given us a keyboard now that lives up to the hype that the original Juno’s did.
This comes equipped with over 1200 different patches, with each patch being unique.
The Juno DS-88 is also a MIDI controller, which makes it also very appealing to touring musicians who may want an affordable keyboard that has a really nice key-bed.
Pros
- Easy to manipulate sounds
- Sampler
- 8 pads that can be used for triggers and for running MIDI
- MIDI capability
- Weighted keys
- Over 1,200 preset patches
Roland Gaia SH-01
The Gaia is a synthesizer that is good as an introduction to synthesizers. It comes with a built-in easy to use arpeggiator and it has the capability to produce very large and rich sounding pads and basses.
With only 37 full-size keys, this synthesizer is extremely portable and I think it gives you more bang for your buck than say a micro korg. This is one of those products that you hear a patch and instantly want to write a song based around that specific sound.
The Gaia has been used on a ton of songs for Vinyl Theatre in the early days and it was my trusty go-to for many years.
This device only weighs 10 pounds so it makes for an easy to travel with a synthesizer. They made this product to compete with some of the portable synths out there on the market and I think this synthesizer outshines most of them around its price.
This synthesizer can also be used as a MIDI controller
You’re starting to see this more and more with newer products and this is something they are doing extremely well. With three oscillators, resonant filters, and 9 envelope generators, it’s like owning three different synthesizers in one.
The price of this synthesizer is something that is extremely affordable, especially for a synth like this that will last you throughout your musical journey.
Comparing the Gaia to what other companies are putting out, the Gaia definitely gives you the most bang for the buck. Let’s take a look at some of the specs and things that make the Gaia a great buy.
Features
- 37 full-size keys
- Three oscillators
- MIDI-capable
- $600 makes for an affordable synthesizer
- 64-voice polyphony for a massive sound
- Layer up to 5 simultaneous effects including flanger, delay, reverb, and low boost
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