Topic: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

I have used a Roland FP-30x for 6 years with Pianoteq, and I have always been pleased with the default velocity curve -- it's been a joy to play.  But it's time to upgrade my keyboard as its beginning to show its age.  So, of course, I ordered the new FP-40 assuming it would be a nice upgrade with the same key action but the benefit of up firing speakers if I should ever use the onboard speakers (I don't as I pump Pianoteq thru a Focusrite 4i4 to Adam Audio T7V studio monitors).  Unfortunately, they have messed with the super light, light, medium, hard and very hard key touch sensitivity so that the lows and high registers reach higher volumes easier and that you have to pound the mids to get higher volumes.  Since this is not a linear curve, messing with Pianoteq velocity curves will not solve the problem as it applies the curve to all keys.  Dropping the on-board touch sensitivity to light was the closest I could get to replicate the FP-30x but it's still unacceptable.  Needless to say, the keyboard was returned.  Now I have obtained Nuvola GX from Costco which looks pretty much like the FP-30x and I thought was just a rebranded FP-30x.  I like that the black keys are less slip resistant, but alas, it too suffers the same fate as the new FP-40 when it comes to using it as a MIDI controller for Pianoteq.  Do I really have to buy another FP-30x to get a linear velocity curve?  I considered the Studiologic MKII but there are reports of it freezing when fussing with the knobs and buttons.  I could also go the FP-90x which I hear has a better key action but what about its onboard velocity curve -- anyone just using the default linear curve with Pianoteq and the FP-90x? But this is a $2000+ solution!   What about the Roland A88 MKII controller and its touch sensitivity with pianoteq -- default Pianoteq velocity curve ok with this controller?  This is a $1300 solution if it works.  Any ideas people?

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

pianoteqlover1 wrote:

I have used a Roland FP-30x for 6 years with Pianoteq, and I have always been pleased with the default velocity curve -- it's been a joy to play.  But it's time to upgrade my keyboard as its beginning to show its age.  So, of course, I ordered the new FP-40 assuming it would be a nice upgrade with the same key action but the benefit of up firing speakers if I should ever use the onboard speakers (I don't as I pump Pianoteq thru a Focusrite 4i4 to Adam they have messed with the super light, light, medium, hard and very hard key touch sensitivity so that the lows and high registers reach higher volumes easier and that you have to pound the mids to get higher volumes.  Since this is not a linear curve, messing with Pianoteq velocity curves will not solve the problem as it applies the curve to all keys.  Dropping the on-board touch sensitivity to light was the closest I could get to replicate the FP-30x but it's still unacceptable.  Needless to say, the keyboard was returned.  Now I have obtained Nuvola GX from Costco which looks pretty much like the FP-30x and I thought was just a rebranded FP-30x.  I like that the black keys are less slip resistant, but alas, it too suffers the same fate as the new FP-40 when it comes to using it as a MIDI controller for Pianoteq.  Do I really have to buy another FP-30x to get a linear velocity curve?  I considered the Studiologic MKII but there are reports of it freezing when fussing with the knobs and buttons.  I could also go the FP-90x which I hear has a better key action but what about its onboard velocity curve -- anyone just using the default linear curve with Pianoteq and the FP-90x? But this is a $2000+ solution!   What about the Roland A88 MKII controller and its touch sensitivity with pianoteq -- default Pianoteq velocity curve ok with this controller?  This is a $1300 solution if it works.  Any ideas people?

Have you tried using the Roland Piano Designer app? It gives more control over touch sensitivity.

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

pianoteqlover1 wrote:

... Unfortunately, they have messed with the super light, light, medium, hard and very hard key touch sensitivity so that the lows and high registers reach higher volumes easier and that you have to pound the mids to get higher volumes.  Since this is not a linear curve, messing with Pianoteq velocity curves will not solve the problem as it applies the curve to all keys. ... Any ideas people?

Yeah-- This is something I've been looking at lately. You might want to check it out too (just MacOS or Windows, no Linux version it seems).

VelPro
https://springbeats.com/velpro/

Additionally or alternatively, if your version of Pianoteq includes the NoteEdit feature, you can also try adjusting the volume and hammer hardness (and/or other parameters) for note ranges (like bass or treble) or for individual "problem" notes/keys.

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Last edited by Stephen_Doonan (29-09-2026 22:52)
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Linux, Mac OS, Pianoteq Pro, Organteq, Vidal MIDI controller

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

Since this is a key-dependent velocity issue, I would advise you to adjust the Velocity Offset of each note independently using the Note Edit feature (Note Edit of the Velocity Offset is available in Pianoteq Standard and above). This should allow you to correct the overall velocity differences of the different keys.

If Velocity Offset is not sufficient for your needs and you want to go deeper, the next thing you could do after that would be to adjust the Hammer Hardness note-edit curves in the piano, mezzo and forte range (this options requires Pianoteq Pro).

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

Alexis Thibault wrote:

Since this is a key-dependent velocity issue, I would advise you to adjust the Velocity Offset of each note independently using the Note Edit feature (Note Edit of the Velocity Offset is available in Pianoteq Standard and above). This should allow you to correct the overall velocity differences of the different keys.

If Velocity Offset is not sufficient for your needs and you want to go deeper, the next thing you could do after that would be to adjust the Hammer Hardness note-edit curves in the piano, mezzo and forte range (this options requires Pianoteq Pro).


Thanks for the responses.  While it was interesting seeing what Pianoteq itself could do to solve the problem by playing around with curves along with note editing, I cannot get the Nuvola GX to work with my workflow.  I had both my old 30x side by side with the plugged into the same Pianoteq instance.  The fact that the old 30x still sounded betters with no modification is very telling.  I've decide to re-buy the 30x as its probably going to go the way of the dodo soon, and I have no complaints with it and its the cheapest solution (assuming Roland hasn't messed with the touch sensitivity in the last 6 years on it)  Also, I work with other VSTs inside Reaper so any other expressive VST are going to present similar problems but will have none of the tools Pianoteq provides.

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

pianoteqlover1 wrote:
Alexis Thibault wrote:

Since this is a key-dependent velocity issue, I would advise you to adjust the Velocity Offset of each note independently using the Note Edit feature (Note Edit of the Velocity Offset is available in Pianoteq Standard and above). This should allow you to correct the overall velocity differences of the different keys.

If Velocity Offset is not sufficient for your needs and you want to go deeper, the next thing you could do after that would be to adjust the Hammer Hardness note-edit curves in the piano, mezzo and forte range (this options requires Pianoteq Pro).


Thanks for the responses.  While it was interesting seeing what Pianoteq itself could do to solve the problem by playing around with curves along with note editing, I cannot get the Nuvola GX to work with my workflow.  I had both my old 30x side by side with the plugged into the same Pianoteq instance.  The fact that the old 30x still sounded betters with no modification is very telling.  I've decide to re-buy the 30x as its probably going to go the way of the dodo soon, and I have no complaints with it and its the cheapest solution (assuming Roland hasn't messed with the touch sensitivity in the last 6 years on it)  Also, I work with other VSTs inside Reaper so any other expressive VST are going to present similar problems but will have none of the tools Pianoteq provides.

as mentioned above Velpro is agnostic of any VST and you can create curves by zones on your keyboard for various VST's . Also GIG performer allows you to divide your keyboard in zones and has a dedicated velocity curve editor by zone with a nice smooth function to perfect your curves.

Re: Trying to upgrade from 6 year old Roland FP-30x

Pianistically wrote:
pianoteqlover1 wrote:

Thanks for the responses.  While it was interesting seeing what Pianoteq itself could do to solve the problem by playing around with curves along with note editing, I cannot get the Nuvola GX to work with my workflow.  I had both my old 30x side by side with the plugged into the same Pianoteq instance.  The fact that the old 30x still sounded betters with no modification is very telling.  I've decide to re-buy the 30x as its probably going to go the way of the dodo soon, and I have no complaints with it and its the cheapest solution (assuming Roland hasn't messed with the touch sensitivity in the last 6 years on it)  Also, I work with other VSTs inside Reaper so any other expressive VST are going to present similar problems but will have none of the tools Pianoteq provides.

as mentioned above Velpro is agnostic of any VST and you can create curves by zones on your keyboard for various VST's . Also GIG performer allows you to divide your keyboard in zones and has a dedicated velocity curve editor by zone with a nice smooth function to perfect your curves.

What troubles me about MIDI software solutions is this: once you’re in the MIDI realm, there are only 127 possible velocity values. To map 127 values onto 127 values, you either change nothing, or some multiple input values get mapped to the same output values while other output values go unused. You necessarily lose resolution.

So it seems to me it must always be preferable to get the velocity curves right in the keyboard hardware itself, where it can (presumably) read and process raw sensor values, before it gets “downgraded” to 127-step MIDI velocity.

That does raise a question, though. Internally, when Pianoteq implements a velocity curve, the input is 127-step MIDI, but is the output 127 discrete steps (as it appears on the graph), or does Pianoteq internally map the output to a finer resolution and interpolate smoothly between points?

Last edited by Coises (Today 16:59)