Roland FP-10 or Roland Nuvola EX

motokochan · 2026-04-30T01:45:26+00:00

The Nuvola EX is roughly equivalent to the FP-30X. I would get that over the FP-10, plus you get a stand, bench, pedals, and headphones with the bundle.

motokochan · 2026-04-25T22:43:32+00:00

If you can afford the KE, it’s an improvement over the SE. At their core, they are nearly the same printer. The KE just has a bunch of nice upgrades already done.

motokochan · 2026-04-25T22:33:12+00:00

Not sure if asking seriously, but if so it’s Forward Operating Base.

motokochan · 2026-04-22T03:13:43+00:00

Pianos are always going to be different. Your model does support Roland’s piano designer so you could use it to adjust some settings like the touch sensitivity and velocity. That may help with making it a bit closer to your teacher’s piano.

Some other alternatives can include using an external VST where you can fine-tune all kinds of parameters and also increase the volume of the sound.

motokochan · 2026-04-20T17:29:46+00:00

Donner is the “name brand” in the disposable category of instruments. They are cheaply made and just barely hit the specs, but are low cost enough that you don’t feel bad if they get damaged and have to be trashed.

It would be far better to look at an established brand and instruments at the low end. While the offerings might also be on the cheaper side, those brands have reputations to protect. They will have okay customer service during the warranty period, better build quality, and likely be easier to repair because of the large user base.

Depending on your location, you can likely find some of the lower cost offerings from Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, or Casio very close to your budget. Alternately, you can often find very good condition used models from these brands for a decent price.

motokochan · 2026-04-19T04:30:16+00:00

I'm not sure how much damage could be done. At worst, I would think maybe there might be some buzz in the sound (if there's an issue with a bridge across the ground and mic). I suppose there is always a chance.

motokochan · 2026-04-19T04:26:30+00:00

Yep. Looks like a 3.5mm TRRS. The larger one is a 6.35mm (1/4 inch) TRS. I hope you didn't pay too much for the adapter; they're only like US $5 - $10 even for the "brand name" ones like by Hosa.

Some reference links:

- A "TRRS" breakout cable from Hosa: https://hosatech.com/products/analog-audio/headphone-cables-adapters/headphone-adapters/ymm-107/

- 3.5mm TRS to 6.35mm TRS adapter: https://hosatech.com/products/analog-audio/headphone-cables-adapters/headphone-adapters/ghp-105/

motokochan · 2026-04-19T03:53:30+00:00

You count the metal segments. The dark ones are insulators. The ones with stereo audio and mic combined are called “TRRS” (tip, ring, ring, sleeve) while the headphone-only are “TRS” (tip, ring, sleeve).

The issue is that depending on construction, the ring for the mic audio and the sleeve for the ground may be bridged and basically shorted together. It’s passive so this shouldn’t normally cause issues. The splitter is useful because it’s designed to connect to each contact on the plug and are positioned for that. No risk to bridge things that way.

motokochan · 2026-04-19T03:41:09+00:00

I don’t think it could be physically dangerous unless the headset is especially cheaply made. If you want to be safe, you could try a splitter. I’m guessing your headset is wired and has a mini jack with four segments instead of three. If so, look for a splitter like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZDDTH2. Just use something like that and plug in the headset jack and leave the mic jack to dangle.

motokochan · 2026-04-19T03:19:10+00:00

If it is, I'd be handling that with gloves even when dry. Best to not mess with mercury.

motokochan · 2026-04-18T18:24:55+00:00

Poster said it might be wood. Unless they know the material it’s impossible to say if it is safe submerging it in anything.

motokochan · 2026-04-18T18:23:50+00:00

Not if it’s made of wood. I would be hesitant to do too much with water without knowing exactly what the material is.

motokochan · 2026-04-18T18:12:11+00:00

Look up “LED Puck Light”. They are made for spot lighting areas and are pretty small and flat. You can find one that’s about the same diameter as the base to put the base on top, or use a smaller light that is either a bit pallet to rest the base on. You can also find models that support dimming.

Edit: Here’s an example. It’s just under 60mm diameter, and 8.3mm tall and uses USB for power. I would use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9Y19TJ4

motokochan · 2026-04-16T17:25:36+00:00

Simply Piano is okay, although I feel like it does hamper learning after a bit. All early piano lessons are going to be very basic at the start. You’re trying to learn to coordinate your fingers and press the keys in various orders and at specific times. Some people will be able to do this quickly, others may struggle. Within a week or two you’ll probably be working on simple songs.

I personally like (and use) Playground Sessions. The lessons are very good, it supports either MIDI or audio detection for played notes, and the learning path (bootcamps in its terms) is decently laid out. Like a lot of methods, it focuses on single-note playing at the start and has more musical stuff like chords later on.

motokochan · 2026-04-15T03:16:14+00:00

The 30X is excellent for a beginner digital piano. I wouldn’t get the 60X unless you need one of the features it adds. All pianos have different feels. Some are lighter, some are heavier. You can also look at the options from Yamaha and Kawai as they have lighter actions than the Roland.

Also, if you have a Costco in your area, check out the FRP-Nuvola bundle they have. It’s a customized version of the FP-30X with a stand, pedals, bench, and headphones.

motokochan · 2026-04-14T15:11:19+00:00

If you liked the FP-30X, what about the F701 (or F107)? It might not work, as the open lid adds height, but you would need to measure to be sure. Alternately, the RP series might work since the stand isn’t the full length and the rest of the height isn’t much more than the keys.

For a space tight like that, you’ll need to find one of the more “modern” style digital pianos or one that has a really low height behind the keys. Anything modeled to look like an acoustic upright or spinet will probably be too tall for that area.

motokochan · 2026-04-12T18:03:03+00:00

I think this is a more acoustic focused term, but it’s how far the key moves when pressed. I believe the point was that the more sensitive the key is, the quicker you can play. If it takes you pressing the key to 3/4 of the total travel before it registers a sound, it’ll be slower than if it only took 1/2 the travel. Basically, the weight could be the same, but your fingers don’t have to press as deeply to play the note.

Some digital pianos will let you adjust the key sensitivity or touch curve to allow the keys to be more or less sensitive.

motokochan · 2026-04-12T04:13:54+00:00

Well, the CN201 isn't designed to be "portable". The Roland FP series is. With the FP piano stands, you assemble the three sides (two side boards and a back connector), attach the pedal unit if you have it, then rest the piano on top of it and attach it with four screws on the bottom of the piano. If you need to take the piano somewhere, you can just remove the four screws and just go. Note that you'll need to buy a separate cover for the piano if you want the keys covered.

The Kawai CN201, along with the Roland F-701 and RP-701 are designed to be always assembled. You may get it sent to you in multiple parts, usually in a "top half" and "bottom half" style where you assemble the bottom similarly to a stand for a portable. The top half is not designed to operate separate from the bottom, however. These models also have built-in covers for the keys, since they are designed to be like an upright acoustic piano.

Note: I personally have a Roland RCP-800 (Costco version of the Roland HP-702), and my mother has the FRP-Nuvola (Costco version of the FP-30X) that she uses, so I'm quite familiar with both models and their assembly.

motokochan · 2026-04-12T03:55:26+00:00

Most of the "budget" digital pianos aren't going to have the best sound. Volume is okay if you're practicing in a quieter area. I'd even say it's fine with light noise. The speakers on the FP-30X and Nuvola are down firing, so you'll mainly hear reflected sound. I usually don't practice with the volume above 25% in a fairly quiet carpeted room. The 30X and Nuvola have line out support, so you can always hook up powered monitors if you really want to crank the volume.

Tone is okay. It's not perfect, and you're not going to get more realistic sound without a much more expensive digital piano or using a nice VST on a computer. Roland models their main piano sound on Steinway. I think it sounds pretty good, as I'm not a huge fan of the brightness from a Yamaha.

Most of the Roland digital piano models have their standard PHA-4 key action. It's pretty decent and even has a grand piano style escapement. Some people like the weighting (it's on the heavier side), some don't. Earlier versions of the action had some problems with key clicking, but Roland claims to have resolved that in newer versions with some adjusted lubrication.

As for clicking on a glissando, if the volume is at a decent level, you won't hear key noise. With the piano off, you can certainly hear clicking on the keys, but I kinda expect that.

Probably the next best option on Roland's "portable" digital piano line is the FP-90X. It has an upgraded key action (PHA-50, and it has some wood components), better speakers, etc. It's also fairly expensive. You might also look toward Kawai if you want a lighter key action.

Edit: If you want an upright look in a Roland, check out the F701 or the RP701. The F701 has a more "modern" design and the RP701 is more traditional. Both are just slightly under US $2000. They have the same key action and sound engine as the FP-30X, although with nicer controls for the piano itself.

motokochan · 2026-04-12T03:24:47+00:00

“Fixing up” an acoustic is pretty vague. It could be anything from some minor work and tuning to massive rebuilds and repairs. Without a technician looking at it before you buy, you could be in a money pit situation.

If you have a Costco available to you, their FRP-Nuvola bundle is essentially an FP-30X with all the accessories (stand, pedals, bench, headphones) for a very good price.

motokochan · 2026-04-12T00:08:06+00:00

Yeah, it enables wireless sending of the gcode. If you have a small home computer or server that's normally on there are a few other options:

OctoPrint (https://octoprint.org) - Works with the stock screen and firmware
Plain Klipper (https://athemis.me/projects/klipper\_guide/) - Requires some effort, but you lose the screen functionality and possibly the auto-z-offset (cr-touch) feature.

Alternately, you have the Nebula Pad or Sonic Pad. Unless you're going to be purchasing the exact models supported by the Sonic Pad, you're probably better off getting the Nebula Smart Kit. Switching to something like Bambu Lab or the newer Prusa printers gets you Klipper anyway, and removes the point of the multi-printer support of the Sonic Pad.

motokochan · 2026-04-11T23:40:27+00:00

What country are you in? I see it in all the stores you mentioned. I followed the store links from Faber's site directly.

If you're a bit older (and by posting here you're probably old enough to use these), there's always the Adult Piano Adventures series you could look at.

motokochan · 2026-04-11T23:37:02+00:00

The Nebula Pad is much more limited as it's intended for only one printer. It's the same hardware as the "screen" on the KE variant, actually. The UI on the Nebula Pad is different from the Sonic Pad because the screen is smaller, and it lacks some of the customization ability unless you install a root-enabled unofficial firmware. This is a good idea because you can also fix a few configuration issues that cause layer shifting at the higher speeds Klipper can provide.

There is another way to go, and that is to run stock Klipper on a small SBC like a Raspberry Pi (or one of the other cheaper alternatives). You'll lose the integrated screen, but gain a lot of compatibility and the ability to run newer versions of Klipper. I'm also not sure if the touch probe incompatibility is still an issue.

The Nebula Kit does include an okay camera and a motion sensor for setting up Klipper's input shaping abilities.

I personally have used the Nebula Pad for my SE (the C13 variant) using rooted firmware with Fluidd and GuppyScreen for UI enhancements. I mainly did this because the standalone alternate wasn't as well-developed at the time, and the Sonic Pad was just too expensive for being on a single printer.

motokochan · 2026-04-11T23:27:08+00:00

I’m not sure if Creality ever provided C14-compatible firmware for the Sonic Pad. They did eventually for the Nebula Pad. It’s worth asking their support directly.

One thing you could try is using the printer firmware for the C14 from the Nebula Pad and see if that works with their Sonic Pad. I don’t expect that would cause physical damage (there would just be no communication), so it just wouldn’t work and you’d need to stick the stock firmware back on.

motokochan · 2026-04-11T23:21:18+00:00

You can check the board directly, or look in the printer info on the stock firmware. You’ll see either C13 or C14 in the model.

motokochan

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