Roland intros LX-15 upright digital piano [NAMM12]

Roland has introduced its LX-15 digital piano, building on the technology found in the LX-10 and LX-10F.

Featuring the SuperNATURAL sound engine with Soundboard Behaviour system, it offers organic sound and expressive potential.

The Acoustic Projection system delivers a natural, multi-dimensional sound, with a range of new and expanded keyboard instrument sounds to choose from including modern grand pianos, fortepianos and harpsichords.

The keyboard has been upgraded to the PHA III (Progressive Hammer Action) system for enhanced playing feel, including escapement. There’s also a progressive damper pedal, making the whole experience much closer to that of an acoustic upright piano.

Added to this there’s USB audio recording capability and a stylish, classical cabinet design so it will look great wherever it’s placed.

You can read more about the individual features below.

Innovative Acoustic Projection Sound System

The LX-15’s newly developed Acoustic Projection sound system creates a multi-dimensional sound field with accurate piano-resonance characteristics. The technology is derived from Roland’s acclaimed V-Piano Grand sound system. Six speakers are used for this system: The upper speakers provide ambience or various resonance portions; the middle speakers, located near the keyboard, enhance the image of the direct piano sound; the lower speakers recreate the piano body sound for rich bass and energy. The blend of those speakers creates a unique, deep sound field that dramatically enhances the expressiveness of the SuperNATURAL Piano.

SuperNATURAL Piano with Soundboard Behavior

The LX-15 incorporates Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano technology for seamless velocity response, natural note decay, and authentic key-range behavior to reproduce perfect piano sound and expression. Newly developed Soundboard Behavior technology emulates the natural characteristics of string vibrations on the soundboard, and is not found on conventional sampling pianos. The technology is based on the V-Piano’s soundboard modeling, and can enhance sound clarity even when many notes are played simultaneously.

Expanded Piano Selection

The built-in piano selection has been expanded in the LX-15. In addition to modern grand-piano sounds, a newly added Early Piano category contains four fortepiano variations and two harpsichord variations. Enjoy a treasured lineup of instruments new and old, spanning centuries.

Polished-Ebony Finished Cabinet

The LX-15’s polished-ebony finish gorgeous design cabinet features a contoured design for a strong, bold look with classical elegance. The graceful design fits well into any home environment, from classic to contemporary interiors. The mirror-finished fallboard reflects the keyboard and moving fingers, bringing a sense of visual enjoyment to your playing. The top lid can be closed and opened smoothly to shape the piano’s overall tonal character.

PHA III Ivory Feel Keyboard with Escapement

Roland’s high-end PHA III keyboard accurately responds to the players touch, from the most subtle and delicate to the most dynamic technique. The escapement mechanism reproduces the authentic click-feel of a grand-piano keyboard. The keyboard also features Roland’s acclaimed Ivory Feel surface material, which replicates the texture of ivory and ebony.

Progressive Damper Action Pedal

The LX-15’s Progressive Damper Action pedal accurately reproduces the pedal response of an acoustic piano. When you first start to press the damper pedal, it offers lighter resistance, but as you continue to press, the resistance increases, just as on an acoustic piano. The damper pedal can also accurately express the unique sound decay when half-pedaling.

Built-In Audio/MIDI Recorder

The LX-15’s built-in recorder lets you capture your performances as audio and/or MIDI data — a convenient feature for pianists, as well as students who want to evaluate their playing afterward. Recorded audio data can be saved onto USB Memory*, and copied to an external computer for making audio CDs or for uploading to the Internet.

* USB memory is required for audio recording.

Exact pricing and availability is still to be confirmed. Be sure to also check out the new HP500 series of digital pianos.