REVIEW: Roland C-30 Digital Harpsichord
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2023
- Roland's now discontinued C-30 digital harpsichord is highly sought after for performances and rehearsals. It offers a complete package of French and Flemish harpsichord sounds, postiv organ, fortepiano, with temperaments at the touch of a button. Here is a review and try out of all the sounds. There are musical examples from the Bach Sinfonias, the Clavierubung II, Mozart, and Byrd
- Hudba
Wow. Those two Positiv organ tones were very impressive. This would make a great chamber organ. What a lovely instrument, and lovely playing as well!
The organ sounds have a real "breathy" feel to them in the flesh
The renaissance painting recreation is on the other side of that panel. It slides out. I ended up removing the lid to accommodate a Roland C-200 above it. All the Roland Classic series keyboards are great but for some reason, Roland was ultra quiet about letting people know about them. They were never featured in music gear catalogs. Apparently the strategy was selling them in piano stores exclusively which really limited their exposure. This harpsichord was kind of a labor of love between Roland’s founder and his daughter who played harpsichord and wanted the most accurate electronic version. They worked hard to get it right and they did. I love the forte piano sound on this as well as the two organs which can be combined. The C-200 has all of this and more but not as much effort went into the harpsichord sounds as the C-30. Still decent though. The C-230 is another piece that came out around the same time as the C-30 and has similar casing structure. This one is all about the organ but has excellent harpsichord sounds as well. Also includes forte piano, celeste, and chimes. You can combine many of the sounds. I’m surprised that you didn’t demonstrate the wonderful clunky, woody key noises that are adjustable and bring added realism to the sound. This is indeed a great piece and worth the outlay. My first exposure to the Roland Classic series was the C-180. It has great organ sounds, and includes piano, strings, choral, and a few others . The organ sounds (with stops) are excellent and where the main focus was. It’s all plastic construction and very portable. Finally, when you played the organ I immediately recognized the piece and my brain went into overdrive to identify it. I guess the keyboard player for Soft Machine borrowed that as an intro to the song “A Certain Kind” on the first Soft Machine album. Who is the original composer?
Wow thanks for the info - I will try to investigate if the renaissance portrait lies behind the panel. I am not fully conversant with every function as the keyboard is at my parents' house in UK and I don't have that much time to explore it. The organ excerpt was Byrd Pavane Earl of Salisbury, which just came to mind when I was recording the video.
@@captaingra It’s there. You’ll be amazed. Thanks for the composers name. You played that very nice. Funny how some classical bits ended up being snuck into various modern rock stuff.
This is when I first got mine. Demoing the celeste voice. czcams.com/video/7R1j4dnKRnw/video.htmlsi=Je3ceCeP9ghBLMRj
I own one of these. It's very versatile. The "dynamic" harpsichord setting actually has a good use: with the buff and 4' combined, it provides a good clavichord simulation.
Will try that one thanks as did not include in my review
I never knew this existed. Now of course I would like to get my hands on one. Bach of course is one of my favorite composers and in addition to that I love the medieval and Renaissance music too. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Hope you manage to get hold of one - there are some around second hand
I have one for sale. I'm in the UK
I have wanted one of these for over 10 years, I still do!
Hope you are lucky and can pick up one second hand. I saw one listed online in Hungary
I have one for sale! I'm in the UK
That actually surprised me and now I want one. Great demo!
Hope you manage to get hold of one second hand
I have one for sale. I'm in the UK
Lovely sounding instrument . Great review , thanks .
Many thanks for watching
Thank you for a brilliant review!
Many thanks for watching
I didn't know there are digital harpsichord! Amazing video and playings, thank you for uploading!
Roland made three different models but has discontinued them. The C-30 was the closest to a real harpsichord among them while the other two were classical organs with harpsichord and fortepiano functionality. Hopefully if you search around you might find some good examples second hand.
There’s vst instruments that are sampled. I’ve seen it being used on a wooden hauptwerk midi ‘organ’.
The best so far for me, love this one.😊😊😊
Stays in tune well! Nice playing.
Unlike my real one haha
You are very lucky to have acquired this instrument. This instrument is no longer available for purchase in Japan. I tried it out at a music store when it first came out, and it was a wonderful instrument. Since it is an electronic instrument, I think it will reach the end of its lifespan at some point, but I think it can still be played well, so please enjoy it.
It is a pleasure to play. I saw some at a Tokyo dept store about 8 years back. But I acquired mine second hand in UK from a music store during the lockdown. I really don't know how long they last, but I still have a Kawai digital keyboard from 30 years ago that is still going strong.
If I had read/heard about this instrument in passing I think I really wouldn't have seen the point. Watching your demo I completely get it! Great little instrument (and, evidently a good demo too, nice one!)
Thank you for the appreciation, I think you have to take it in terms of the overall package and the fact you can use this in performance and it will look and sound good. The sounds are sampled from real instruments in Japan so not just electronically generated.
This was great and I appreciate your playing, comments and presentation of the instrument's possibilities. We have had a lot of problems with our modern, acoustic harpsichord and I am searching for an alternative. Strings breaking and issues with plectra among other things has me on the lookout for an electronic instrument than can co-habitate with acoustic strings and baroque winds. This sounds like it might fit the bill. Thanks again. Mostly Baroque (US)
I definitely recommend this instrument as an alternative if you can get your hands on one - they are only available second hand now unfortunately.
Nice room and nice presentation.
I love the C-30 harpsichord sound of the key release and resonance of the sounding board.
I know it's sampling. But it's important to reproduce the harpsichord sound faithfully.
My C-30 in Japan has so beautiful picture board printing angels playing music.
It makes me feel better.
That is great that you were able to get a C-30. I wish I could get hold of that beautiful picture board too, but so far have not found anywhere that sells them. I do find it a good faithful and perfect harpsichord sound too (in contrast the real thing that I have is uneven, some notes sometimes don't sound, and hard to tune).
OK another thing to add to my bucket list that I want now!!❤
Truly you hope you find one!
Thanks for reviewing this compact little instrument.
Many thanks for watching, I will do a further review in future
What a marvellous little instrument!
It is indeed an absolute pleasure to play
Would you like one? I have one for sale (UK)
I’m sorry to hear that Roland have discontinued the C30 digital harpsichord. For all its oddities (and there are many) it was a serviceable instrument. The digital samples of the French instrument are so accurate that they even copied the dead notes of the original. My favourite was actually the Chamber Organ, but why not make each stop draw separately? One 8’ was only available with the 4’! There is also a digital celesta one can access by much arcane pushing of buttons. If one has the expression pedal, it can be used to switch between two different harpsichord registrations, imitating a double manual instrument. Perhaps its greatest asset is that stability you mentioned in your review. I purchased mine in 2007 in the States, and should I switch it on today in 2023, it will be as perfectly in tune as it was the day it arrived! Thanks for your review.
Many thanks for sharing your experience. Actually I have not discovered how to access the celeste on it!
@@captaingra Perhaps I can assist! I shall paraphrase the owner's manual : Whilst holding down the temperament button, press the Organ II button. The LED will turn orange and then the Celesta sound will play. To return to the Chamber Organ, follow exactly the same procedure as above and the instrument will again play as a Chamber Organ. It really isn't so arcane as I remembered, except that none of this is marked on the control panel. In my button pushing, I've more than once set off the pre-recorded pieces in its memory by accident. Just more of this wonderful little instrument's idiosyncrasies.
Thanks a lot for that - never realized!
I enjoyed this. I see the C-30 is still on the Roland website… I own the Rodgers 2-manual version called “Grand Double Harpsichord” from 1994. It was $10,000 back then, but I paid under 6,000. Thanks again
I would love to get my hands on one of those Rodgers instruments
A great shame that Roland discontinued this and the sister instrument, the C-230 Positive instrument. I was lucky enough to find a C-230 for sale, purchased for rehearsal, continuo and verse anthem use by my then church. It was being sold privately by a musician who was upgrading to the C30, which was released slightly later, and who as a harpsichord specialist, preferred the wider range of harpsichord sounds. The C-230, had a couple of Harpsichord sounds, but not as detailed, and was considerably more detailed in the pipe 'continuo' organ options, with about 11 stops. We also found the fortepiano, whilst not perfect, useful for pre-service rehearsal in a restricted space where an acoustic piano or decent clavinova would not have fitted, and, for a bit of fun could amuse choristers with an authentic rendition of the Harry Potter theme on Celesta! Aesthetically, both the C-230 and C30 would not look out of place in a church or concert setting, and on one Sunday when our main organ had a technical failure, the C-230 stood in very effectively indeed. As a MIDI enabled keyboard, I also hooked up Hauptwerk to it on a few occasions. I'm not aware of anything else on the market that replaces them quite as successfully, so they should hold their second-hand value very well.
Thanks for the info. I bought a lower priced C-200 first myself before finding the C-30.
Awesome!
Very nice 😊
Thank you for the illuminating review. A couple of follow-up questions: What was your impression of the amplifier and electronic adjustments to volume/tone/equalization? Please describe in more detail the alternate tunings.
Did you feel that the size of the manual and keys was smaller than or comparable to those of authentic period Instruments? Did the tactile feedback from the keys reflect any changes to the registration, coupling, etc.? What were your thoughts as to how Roland could have improved their use of the developed mechanical and electronic technologies?
Hello and many thanks for the questions. In terms of the amplifer, it was more than adequate to project the sound in a way in keeping with an acoustic instrument and can even go beyond if you want to (but that would be less authentic). I am not keen on the reverberation setting as I have that fairly neutral. The alternate tunings - I hear the most difference between Meantone and modern tuning, as those with the others are more slight. The key touch do reflect the changes of registration - with two 8' and 4' together the resistance is greatly increased as you would find on a real harpsichord. For me the biggest improvement that could be made would be the material, shape and colour of the keys, which are plasticky, small, and with modern white with black keys.
Danke vielmals.Das "Roland" ist viel besser als ich dachte. Ich wurde angenehm überrascht.
Yes has to be played to be believed
Omg i'll try to get my hands on one of these
Hope you make it, mate
So regrettable that they stopped producing these. Such a need as they are a great work horse. We’ve used them a lot. Dread the day they stop working. Thank you for the great video. Well done finding one! It’s like getting the best prize ever at the bottom of the box of cereal……
Yes absolutely - I was amazed I found one in UK. I will be posting a Q&A about it in a few weeks
@@captaingra I read on a forum somewhere that the strange keyboard decision was due to budget and the primary reason to stop making them was because the specialist factory in Italy where they were making them was sold off. No idea if it's true. But it sounded like it was never a main line Roland product that could be made in more than one place which is really interesting.
They have a current weird product for sale which is a digital piano in a rather nice wooden cabinet. Mind boggles why they went that route. Not saying I wouldn't buy one if I had the money because it's the sort of thing that appeals to me, but I can't imagine why it got past marketing.
@@dees3179 I have read various accounts but as far as I know they were made in Japan. They were very niche products and I guess they did not find them economical. Pity as there had been some kind of product like this for 30+ years
Wow..i never knew that digital harpsichords also existed. Your video just came up my youtube feed. So I clicked out of curiousity.😮
Many thanks for tuning in . The instrument is actually a joy to play. Unfortunately very rare to find these Roland models now as no longer made.
The variation and reververations of the sound in every beat.
I would think Roland confused a Haprsichord with a Clavichord and that’s why they came up with that design of the instrument and keys, it would make more sense imo.
They had an earlier model about 30 years ago that was a stunted triangular shape. You could say this kind of shape resembles a clavichord or a virginal (like something from Vermeer!)
I don't believe there was any confusion. It's modelled on a virginal, an early type of harpsichord which was sometimes rectangular.
The early C-80s were shaped like a spinet and for the C-30 the shape indeed does look like a virginal or clavichord.
The C-30 is one of the best digital harpsichords ever produced, but I agree that the keys could be better. They do feel toy-like and are small, so rehearing on the instrument requires a change of thought and technique. I do wonder why Roland did not try to reach the quality of their at-the-time Rodgers keyboards? Even so, the C-30 is excellent and absolutely qualified for Baroque performance. Once the orchestra plays, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference. And no tuning needed! The temperaments are a brilliant addition, and the fortepiano allows for all those great Mozart and Haydn works. A curious note, the manual states that one must combine fortepiano sounds to achieve the authentic minimum, which is a bit odd. But I suppose that allows for more individual sounds? Anyway, great video! Make more!
Many thanks for your insights - as of now on my C-200 and C-30 I still don't know how to operate every single function!
Hi Captain Gra, CZcams gifted me a peek into your channel, so I subscribed immediately. Looking forward to those inventions and sinfonias!! Should I hope to find them here, or do you have another channel for your performances??
Thanks so much for tuning in. I completed last week the Inventions and Sinfonias so please find them under the Videos section or the categories on my channel. So happy you are subscribing.
The Allen Organ Company of Allentown, PA, USA, had a similar instrument on the market over 50 years ago. It came in two sizes, on as an upright and the other, similar to an actual harpsichord (similar in looks to a grand piano). It was only slightly successful, but had several different tonalities, each one fairly authentic.
Would love to see one of those
I was working at a music store in New Orleans at the time. I believe we sold two of them. @@captaingra
At one time, Bob Ralston played one on The Lawrence Welk TV show. @@captaingra
I have bought a Roland fp 10. I have found the first harpsichord sound to be better than the four piano sounds- I would love to have access to a fortepiano sound. Unfortunately I have not been able to connect the instrument to a tablet via bluetooth.
Fantastic review and playing.
Two questions:
- Is it possible to change the general tuning? Say A=423?
- Don't you find a bit strange the perfect tuning of the octaves or the registers? I think we should be able to "detune" it a little bit.
Thank you.
Antero.
Many thanks for the question. It has some standard Baroque tunings and also pitching at the touch of a button
i played one in an outdoor recital, i guess it was good for that purpose. I found the keys to be wider than many harpsichords. 6 1/4" is my preferred octave. I also thought the key depth was greater than on harpsichords.
Great to hear of your experience. I have only tried it in the home. I guess the keys feel a bit short and plasticky compared to the longer square wooden keys on my two manual harpsichord. But I do love playing the Roland. It is an absolute pleasure.
@@captaingra You certainly are right about the plastic. I wasn't considering the length of the key vertically, just the octave width, when I commented that the keys are bigger
Great!❤
I love Roland and much prefer it to Casio. My brother had a harpsichord that he wanted to give me one time but my husband said we didn’t have room for it. I want a Roland digital piano. With a midi we can get actual harpsichord. Hopefully I can get one one day. I love harpsichord almost as much as pipe organ and flute and oboe. I play them all but harpsichord is so refreshing. I play the Italian concerto. Love baroque!
Many thanks - hope to feature the Italian Concerto on a future recording
That’s really interesting! I like a 61-key keyboard, but I’d certainly prefer to have full-size keys, too… 1:28 But it’s really cool that it actually dynamically changes the key weight/travel/resistance! How’s it do that? Little electromagnets that push back on each key???
Thanks a lot for watching. I don't know how the mechanism works but there is a realistic plucking feel to the keys. The resistance increases if you add more stops, just like the real thing. Yes, the keys feel a little bit dinky. Almost like a toy keyboard.
That’s really interesting! I had not heard of a keybed that specifically aims to reproduce the tactile sensation of a harpsichord’s keyboard. This might be the start of a fun internet rabbit hole…
Nice video! Thanks for sharing. The problem is really where to find this instrument to buy 😑🤔
I was lucky to find this one in the UK during the lockdown
What would be the difference between the Roland Harpsichord sound engine on this keyboard vs one of their flagship keyboards? Would it sound the same?
One of their flagship keyboards will be a piano with a hammer action keyboard and a generic "harpsichord" stop. The Roland has a plucking action keyboard with sounds sampled from two historical instruments in Japan, one French and one Flemish. The Roland harpsichords settings have two 8' stops, a 4' and a lute/buff stop, all of which are combinable. In addition the Roland as various Baroque tunings and temperaments at the push of a button as well as two continuo organ stops (you can hear the breath from the virtual pipes)
Thanks for review! Great instrument. I wonder if its possible to find Roland C-30 for sale, - seems very hard to get. I living i Norway, and its probably extremely rear i my country. Maybe, some day i will get one! :)
At any given time you might one or two examples on sale somewhere in the world. I happened upon mine second hand in UK during the early stages of the lockdown. If someone is willing to ship then you might be able to source one abroad or elsewhere in Europe.
My piano teacher managed to get his hands on one. He likes it a lot. It is sad that Roland has stopped making it so that it is basically unobtainable now.
Yes a superb instrument and a pleasure to play. You may be lucky and find a second hand example if you look around. I got mine that way in UK
@@captaingra Sadly, I no longer think I can find one that is affordable. I should have bought one when I had the chance.
Well keep looking and you might see one. Really these days finding any at all is a challenge. But you could expect to pay $3000 or $4000
I have been watching the E-Bay and other online resources (in the EU). Sometimes a second-hand item appears here or there, usually the cost is in the range of 5000-6000 EUR... simply too much for a hobbyist... (getting it from outside the EU would add some 1000-1500 EUR to the price).
@@jankucera8180 truly hope you strike lucky and find one second hand
I've looked high and low for a C-30 but can not locate one here in the southwest USA. Is there comparable instrument one might suggest I pursue if I can't get the Roland?
You may be able to get a second hand one for sale somewhere in the USA and I saw one for sale in Hungary recently! I don't know of any comparable instrument in production
Does the set of keys placed on top add to the overall timbre?
Chichester University (or Bishop Otter College if you're of a certain age) has one of these Roland electronic harpsicords and it definitely holds its own, especially in less than favourable conditions where a real instrument would be adversely affected by the temperature and humidity. I'm not a keyboard player, but do enjoy the classic 'clunk' when the keys are released which you don't get with some harpsichord presets on some electronic keyboards. Similarly with some electric pianos where you don't get that door knocking sound on the high notes as you would do on a concert grand.
The Roland does indeed give a realistic sound and feel. The only disadvantage compared with my two manual harpsichord is that you can't play some harpsichord music where two keyboards are specified (like Goldberg Variations).
@@GeorgeL78 It can't really be helped as it's part of the design. I bet your teacher can't not make 'hammer noise' no matter how hard they try. I do notice that extra sound when hearing recordings of piano music, but it's a characteristic rather than an annoyance. It's a sort of hollow, deep tapping or knocking sound and only heard on solo piano music or when the orchestration is thin to let the piano come though. It's like someone knocking their knuckles on a table with every note played in the top two 8ves. Probably not helped by the relatively heavy gauge to short string length and high tension on those high notes.
The Roland C-30 has most of a plucking action and does not make much of a clattering noise with the keys apart from this
Great presentation ! Could you tell me what piece you play at 3:56 please ? I like it
Many thanks for watching. That's the last movement of Bach's Italian Concerto in F
Thank you very much, I'm gonna check it out !@@captaingra
Doesn't the lid obscure the view when you are playing in an ensemble? Is it possible to remove the lid from the instrument?
Am sure the lid can come off but never tried it. Alternatively, you would need to position it in the right way. The height of the lid is not too great but I admit I have never used this one in an ensemble (have used the Roland C-200 organ)
It comes off very easily.
Looks more like a hohner D6, but it’s pretty cool
Am not familiar but I suspect the Roland has a lot more fidelity to the originals. The sounds are electronically sampled from museum instruments in Japan and there are baroque tunings and temperaments at the touch of a button. Plus the keyboard has a plucking action which grows in resistance as you add stops, just like on the real thing.
I'd like to buy one....but impossible to find.
I hope you get lucky as I did and can find one second hand somewhere
It's a fancy electronic keyboard (synthesizer) that imitates the sounds of various instruments. What's so unusual about that.
I guess if you watch the video, it explains that it is all packaged in a case that looks like an old virginal and contains a harpsichord plucking action, rather than the plastic springy keys or faux hammer action you get on most digital keyboards.
The keyboard definitely has a unique feel that replicates harpsichord action very well. When you play this, it really does feel like a real harpsichord. I have Roland synthesizers with Orchestral cards that have harpsichord sounds but it doesn’t come anywhere near the accuracy of this instrument. When these came out they were real expensive. $5,000.00 US if memory serves. I really wanted one but that was too expensive. When I heard they were discontinued, I sprung into action and managed to find a brand new one at a dealer for under $3000.
Yes that's right, they were priced around $5,000 in this configuration. I was lucky to get mine second hand
@@captaingra I was lucky to get mine too. They had dropped the price way down to clear and they sold fast. I think mine was the last one this dealer had.
How much did this cost?
I bought it second hand in UK during the lockdown for around 2,500 GBP - I have seen them for as much as US$4000 and they were around US$5000 new.
ist the action like on the real harpsichord?
Yes there is an action that feels like it has a plucking resistance
👍
They don't make these anymore. I rarely see them for sale anymore. I have one for sale, if anyone's interested
Indeed they stopped producing them before the lockdown and I bought mine second hand in UK. I am sure you will find a grateful buyer, depending on what country you are in
@@captaingra I'm also in the UK. Do please let me know if you know anyone who wants one
A few people are commenting about the instrument so you might want to alert them and keep track of the comments on this post
@@RenaissanceEarCandy id love to find out if you still have one for sale
Hi, I don't know if you saw my reply to you from a couple of days ago but I am interested in purchasing one. It sounds like you are in the UK and I'm in New England (CT) so this will be a challenge from a logistical point of view. Still, I'm game to problem solve if you are. Mostly Baroque
This would be quite interesting if a) it was still in production and b) if it was a bit more reasonably priced (4000 USD? Really?).
As for the variety of sounds and temperaments, there are software instruments that are even more impressive, and which only require a decent MIDI-capable keyboard [edit: and a computer with a good enough sound output of course].
Unless there is something about the key touch that imitates the harpsichord well enough to make it irresistible to harpsichord players - I didn't quite follow him about that part.
There is a definitely an authentic feeling plucking action in the keyboard. Plus there is there overall look - like a virginal and the ease of operation (different Baroque temperaments). However, the actual quality of the keys themselves are plasticky.
had no idea there was such a thing as a digital harpsichord
Very handy alternative to the real thing as never requires tuning or regulation plus more easily portable. The main issue is that Roland stopped making them before the lockdown so they are hard to find now, even second hand.
@@captaingra would you know why specifically Roland stopped making them?
I understand the last ones were delivered to shops at the start of the lockdown in 2020 and Roland that time felt the market was too small and niche to continue to produce these instruments. I hope they make a successor one day (there were earlier models they made 30 years ago in a different shape and spec, so we can hope!)
@@captaingraRoland used to own Rodgers Organ and I believe that owning that company is what led them in the direction of creating the Roland Classic series of instruments. The earlier instruments that they produced were very portable which was an advantage over the Rodger’s stuff. Even the C-30 and C-230 can be separated from their stands to make them very easy to transport. It was a great line and a great idea but Roland’s marketing department aimed these exclusively to piano stores and that limited their exposure. The first one I ever saw was the C-180 in a Sam Ash music catalog as a clearance/price slashed way down offering. I had never seen these before in Sam Ash or anyone else’s catalogs. I bought it figuring that if these had sold retail at around $1500.00 and were offered at $500.00, then they must be good. No regrets. Great little portable organ.
czcams.com/video/7R1j4dnKRnw/video.htmlsi=Je3ceCeP9ghBLMRj This is mine when it first arrived. I couldn’t wait to play it so I just put it on the box it came in and gave it a go. I’m demoing the celeste sound.
I viewed and commented thanks
that's a recording project...
Pity no Italian harpsichord stop!
French and Flemish only - I think it was because they were sampled from what was available in a Japanese museum
Looks more like a clavichord
Yes they went in for looks of a clavichord or virginal compared to the old model, C-70, which was more like a spinet
Roland really should just stick with making Digital Piano's and get out of the field of terrible Harpsichord creating, especially if they cant get the key sizes/length/color correct. I own a RP-102BK. For a console piano, the sound is terrible, its why I use VST's instead.
There are drawbacks in the keyboard construction but overall the sound is fantastic for the harpsichords and organs, and it is still a pleasure to play. Urge you to find and try one and then form an opinion.
Why would anyone want a harpsichord, let alone a digital one. 😅 the piano was invented to replace the awful things!
Uhh...uhhh...I can't think of a useful or meaningful response to this comment. Why are you on this site?
Haha well it's a matter of taste whether you want to listen to music played on period instruments, but that is what the Baroque era composers would have heard and played their music on
Why do people like steam trains? Weren't electric trains made to replace them? The answer is because old and awful as they may be they stir some people's souls. That's why you'd want one.