Roland GO:Keys Review for pianists who commute (3 pros and 1 con) 

Thanks for the tip about the Casio CTS1! I just checked out the specs and it looks like you can layer up to 2 sounds on the CTS1. And it also comes in red which, I'm not gonna lie, is an actual selling point for me. I agree the Go:Keys just keeps on giving! I'm now using it in my music classroom and it makes daily load-in and strike such a breeze. I agree about the key action. I like it way better than say, the Casio Privia which is twice the price...

@@kristinfung Also - if you want something with more keys check out the Studiologic Numa Compact 2 or 2x - I have had both and use them as the main piano tier on a tour and they've got the Fatar TP9 Piano action which is sort of semi weighted, and to be honest I really enjoy it. Again they're light at about 7kg each, which for 88 keys is good. They can split or layer 2 voices and they've got built in audio over USB which means you can hook up a laptop or iPad and use them as sound sources. The new "German' and 'Japanese" grand sounds and the new Rhodes you can download from the Studiologic website are very nice and you have 2 configurable effects and some master EQ, compression so a bit like a budget Nord. The only downside is the built in speakers aren't great sounding, they are a bit on the tinny side. However you can disable these if you plug them into an external speaker, or alternatively I tend to keep them on when playing a gig for a bit of vibratory feedback through the keys. For the money I really rate them as a keyboard and having the drawbar controls on the Numa 2x is really nice for modifying parameters of the organ and synth sections. You can hear some of old EP sample (which I thought was pretty nice) here facebook.com/BBLOC/videos/203728600546214

@TheRealMask3r Thanks! I'm glad you appreciated me sharing my honest feelings about it even if I didn't play it very much in the actual video.

instablaster.

@@kristinfung in 15 minutes imma play a gig with this keyboard, very versatile but piano sounds lack a bit of balance in the low registry.

@@TheRealMask3r How was it?

@@kristinfung very nice, thank you! But a bad thing for the keyboard, its touchable pads react very weird when there is humidity in the air

Thanks @Dr! I try to reply eventually, but life off the internet takes priority. :)

Thanks for watching @Joanna Woon! I really appreciate your encouragement! Okay, I'll make more! :)

Kristin Fung awww you’re so nice.

Glad to help!

Cool, thanks! I'm upgrading soon and will be posting more videos.

How is it??

Emily! I'll let Roland know! xoxo

Thank you Juliet! I'll do more soon!

Yeah, the lack of split voices still bugs me. Another update after gigging with this keyboard a few times: the volume really differs from voice to voice so there's a lot of adjustment that needs to be done when switching between voices, and the volume is adjusted by buttons -- not knobs -- which is kind of annoying. Still no regrets for the price of this toy - it's not my primary baby, if you know what I mean.

Thank you Jay!

@@kristinfung It's my pleasure Kristin! I sub to your channel.

I would LOVE a 3 way split on this keyboard! I paid $100 per sound, didn't I? :)

@@kristinfung heck yah.

I haven't even fully explored those yet! Thanks for the tip.

You're kind! Thank you @Jose Luis Hernandez :) PS: cool concerto performance

Thank you very much @Kristin Fung. I just bought your EP Massive Stride on iTunes! You have a beautiful voice and your compositions sound very good! :) All my best wishes of success to you from Miami Florida ♪♫♬

Yes, there is a port you can plug your sustain pedal into!

Thanks so much! Yeah, I saw that there were other reviews out there already where people play it more, so I didn't feel the need to do that. I wanted to talk about how this keyboard fulfills my personal wishes. All the best with your decision!

That's a great keyboard! Definitely not as cheap, but more powerful. I wish it had built-in speakers but I'd totally save up my pennies for it.

I own the 88 keykross. If you want a more powerful keyboard, you could go with the korg e k50 or the casio ctx series keyboards you can also find the kross 61 on the 2nd hand market. They are cheaper in the 2nd market. I got mine for free along with a fender 65 amp

1) Have only tried at home and the max volume is loud enough to fill the room but doesn't hurt your ears (and the bass is quite good actually). But I haven't tried it in other places like street or playing with another musician, so can't tell you about that yet. 2) Haven't tried it on an amp yet, but it sounds nice on a pair of monitor speakers i have (the cheapest presonus speakers on amazon). I gotta say the sound doesn't improve here, but the sound quality is pretty nice for its price. 3) No, just input. But you can also use it as a Bluetooth MIDI controller. 4) Yes; and no, but you can run it on 6 AA batteries. 5)No clue about what you're saying about a 2 track sequencer. Hope I have helped you.

TheRealMask3r answered your questions super helpfully here. 1 & 2) I would add that the Saw & MG Bass sound is super powerful and so are many of the organs and lead synth sounds. I've played it outdoors and indoors and would never use the built-in speakers for amplification other than practice at home. Sounds great coming through an amp and/or house speakers. 5) Also have no clue which 2-track sequencer you're referring to. Maybe the Loop Mixes? You press the Loop Mix button, then you activate or de-activate the pre-made sounds by pressing the C and B keys in each octave (e.g. C = start drum loop, B = stop drum loop).

@@TheRealMask3r 🙏 Can I use Go:Keys as MIDI player from PC via USB? If Yes, can I play this way all Go:Keys sounds or only Go:Keys GM sounds ?🤔

Yep, it's the portability and price of this keyboard that serves my needs for rehearsals, jams, busking, and other fun gigs. I'm not looking for a portable piano myself as I already have a heavy one that I bring around if I absolutely have to.

Lucky you with a B3! Have fun.

No, you'd have to use a cable that's 1/8 inch on one end and 1/4 inch on the other.

Haha, amazing!

Yes, I would still recommend it because of its portability and the action of the keys (I have mine set to Medium because I like a bit of resistance to keep my fingers in shape). If you really need lower or higher notes, there's an octave shift function. I admit I do feel dissatisfied every now and then when I reach down and want to play a note lower than C while doing something high up top with my right hand. But it's not the end of the world for me, and I'd rather practice on this keyboard than other portable options. It's so light that you could bring this to a coffee shop or beach whenever you're docked and practice there. (Battery-powered, woo hoooooo!)

@@kristinfung And I like the price too. I do have the Roland FP-30 which is so heavy and when you put it in a hard shell case it's also 50 pounds and very unwieldly to travel with. I love that keyboard which is great when I want to practice at 3am(LOL). I have it embedded/fitted in an old grand piano case sitting next to my Steinway. People think I have two grand pianos(LOL-again).

@@billligon4005 Yes! There are so many affordable options now for a portable and more-than-decent sounding keyboard, and the GO:Keys is one of them. I too have a Roland (FP4) and I can't imagine travelling with it anymore. I'm curious to know more about your grand piano case. Was it once a real grand piano or is it just the case? And how do *I* get a grand piano case in my life?

I am not sure if I would recommend it because the volume control is not very accessible. Its volume is controlled by a touchpad and screen instead of actual buttons or knobs.

You just need a cable that is 1/8" on one side and 1/4" on the other. Or what I did is I got a 1/8" inch cable and attached it to a 1/4" adapter cable so that I could get more length.

I haven't tried the Go Piano :)

I'd definitely still recommend it. It's a keyboard that makes beginners happy.

The key action is adjustable from soft/medium/hard in the settings, but I agree it's totally what you pay for.

Yes, I think it's perfect for a beginner because it's pretty sophisticated for such an affordable price.

Matt Wu semi-weighted, more on the light side unfortunately I tested it in a shop😞

Some people really don't like the semi-weighted feel of these keys but I'm totally fine with them. Personal preference.

Hello Kristin. Have you tried the Roland GO Piano too?

I haven't yet, @@iaminmusicministry! I like my Roland FP4 for feel/sound.

@@ternitamas @Matt Wu But you CAN change the action from soft/medium/hard on the Roland GO:Keys, which is an option that suprised me.

I think the classic piano sound is better than other synths on the market. If you don't want the other synth sounds, get the GO:Piano.

Yes, it does but I don't ever use it for my purposes.

The nord case is called The Nord GB61 and it's the one that fits 61-key nord keyboards. :)

Hey @Jose Luis Hernandez, I haven't tried the GO:Piano. Not many people have mentioned this but you can adjust the feel of the GO:Keys in the settings menu.

I haven't played the GO:Piano myself but I'd be surprised if the piano sounds are different. The GO:Keys is meant to be more of a synth so it has synth sounds that the GO:Piano doesn't.

@@kristinfung thanks for your answer. I think I'm going to buy a go keys 🤗

@@c4g4n Check out some other reviews on youtube. The piano and other instruments do sound better on the GO:Piano.

Definitely not - but it's made my daily commuting life within the city so convenient and less expensive

Yup, you can do MIDI in/out using the USB port. And there's no L/R output, just a stereo mini headphone jack output. Since the making of this review, I'm now using a 1/8 TRS to 2x 1/4 Mono Y-Cable, which you can peep in my latest live performance video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3eqVSoDbHCQ.html

@@kristinfung thanks for your response. I'm not sure if that 1/8 will bring out a recording quality. I'm pretty much looking into bringing the audio output to Pro Tools.

The auto-accompaniment features that I think you're talking about are the keyboard's built-in loops mixes. You can activate/remove different instruments and elements in the mix one at a time. They're all pre-made loops though, so for example, if you want to play with the Funk loop mix, it's always gonna be in the key of G minor-ish sort of tonality. Outside of the loop mixes, there are some synth voices on the keyboard that build extensions off of whatever chords you're playing, but those are pre-set as well and sometimes they react elegantly to the sevenths and extensions I'm playing, and sometimes not. Sorry I've been really busy with life outside of RU-vid to do a more in-depth demo video with all the features. Maybe someday!

Kristin Fung thanks, that's very helpful

What do you want to use it for? And what is specifically bad about it in the Amazon reviews?

I just wanna use it to start learning! And the reviews on amazon were saying how some of the parts are cheap and break easily.

@@myytaccount2242 I don't know what those people are doing with their keyboards but I've been taking mine around town in a soft case for 3 years and playing outdoors and indoors with it. I've been careful to keep it covered from direct sun and rain :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UEO7NJzKLts.html

You can totally hook it up to an amp, but you need a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter cable because the only output is a 1/8" headphone jack.

Hi @Martin Egger, could you be more specific? I'd like to help but I don't understand what you might be asking.

@@kristinfung hey. I noticed that there is an adjusting sound coming from the touch buttons when changing the sounds and styles. And I wanted to aks you if it can be muted?

@@martinegger391 Oh, I get what you're asking now. Go to Settings > Touch Sounds > On/Off.

That's really good feedback for Roland. I agree with all of them! I would love it if you could make your own loop patterns and split voices. And you bring up a great point about a music stand. I didn't even think about that. I think it's because this keyboard was never designed for an advanced musician... it was designed as a playstation for total beginners to get them interested in playing keys and having fun with sounds.

Yup, it should work!

Good question

@@danielnaimowicz9397 @Valerie You can use a USB micro B plug to record midi with it.

What about a store like JB Music? Maybe a music store can order it for you and deliver it to you.

Yupangco Music Store!

@@MangoCharrot Thanks for helping!

Gfreezy619 good to know. That's what I am trying to find out.

@@MauriceCalis I still think the classic piano sound of the GO:Keys is just great.

You have to order it through Nord. They stopped mass-manufacturing them but they make ones by special order. I ordered mine through the local music instrument store in Canada, Long and McQuade and it took a few weeks to be ready. They're not cheap, though... over $100 CAD, I think.

@@kristinfung I see, Thanks for your information, and have a nice day !

It does via the headphone jack, so you have to use your own 1/8" to 1/4" inch cable.

thanks a mil- regards from Ireland

Tough question! I like the extra sounds on the Go:Keys, plus I'm fortunate to already own another piano-keyboard (Roland FP4) that serves all of my digital piano needs.

It depends on the AA batteries you get, but I estimate 8-16 hours

Same!

Kross 2 looks good because it's an actual workstation whereas I think Roland GO:Keys is meant to be a beginner's toy.

It's the Nord soft case for any of their 61-key electro keyboards. There's a similar Yamaha case out there: same size, cheaper, but not as much padding.

Nord makes them by custom order only now, I believe... and I ordered mine through my local Long and McQuade store.

You can totally do this by using the "Record a Song" function. But it doesn't function as a looper, it functions as a recorder that you can keep layering sounds upon. There ARE pre-made Loop Mixes that play in a loop until you stop them (like the one I demonstrated in my video), and you can, for example, play a loop and then Record it as a song and then keep recording layers on top of that. Does this answer your question?

@@kristinfung superb, I'm in the process of ordering the keyboard now on the strength of You're reply, i live in Thailand but not in the tourist part so hopefully I can find a outlet to purchase it, thanks for your help...

@@andyfin990 Let me know how it goes! I'd be interested to see how it all turns out for you.

@@kristinfung cheers, it's bought and paid for now just waiting to be delivered, if I don't like it it's your fault, haha, can't believe how cheap it is, Thanks again for the info..🙏

@@andyfin990 How long til you get it? And if you don't want it, I'll take it! Haha. I could use two, since it doesn't split sounds...

You can adjust between Soft/Medium/Hard touch in the Settings. The keys feel only OK to me. The action is bearable and not super annoying.

Yup, it's weird. I just use an adapter cable.

Joke's on me... I'm not even endorsed!

Batteries haven't died on me yet. Longest gig I did so far was 2 hours long.

@@kristinfung thankyou very much!

@@kristinfung Thanks!!!

No

They have a few patches that are already layered for effect

HAHA ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tnO209fe_6Q.html

@@kristinfung amazing voice. ;) loved it!

Okay okay. Next time. :)

krishna bhakta why is it that bad??

lol...

details pleaseee

Sure, blame me for your personal shopping decisions. I'm still happy with my purchase! :)

Um...return it 🙄🤦‍♂️