An 88-key USB/DIN MIDI keyboard controller (around $999) whose reason for being is its keybed: Roland's PHA-4 Standard hammer action with escapement and ivory-feel keytops, widely rated as class-leading — among the best playing feel on any controller — with the caveat that there's no aftertouch (release velocity only). Connectivity is a genuine strength: 5-pin DIN MIDI In and Out, class-compliant USB-C with bus power, and three assignable pedal inputs (a DP-10 damper pedal and two USB cables are included), so it works as a standalone master keyboard as well as a computer controller. A left-mounted pod adds eight RGB-lit assignable knobs and eight velocity-sensitive pads, three keyboard zones, an arpeggiator and chord memory, eight snapshot memories, and a macOS/Windows control app for deeper mapping — plus MIDI 2.0 readiness (system v2.00+) that remains mostly potential for now. Two things genuinely split reviewers. First, the control layout: everything sits far to the left of the 88 keys, the pitch and modulation are merged into one divisive bender rather than separate wheels, and there are no faders — some read the streamlined panel as pleasingly simple, others find it ergonomically awkward. Second, the value: it's a keys-only board with no sounds, aftertouch or faders at a stage-piano price, so some feel a digital piano (same-or-better action plus voices) is the smarter buy, while others consider the action, build and future-proofing worth it. Integration is plug-and-play class-compliant with flexible zones, but there's no deep DAW mixer/transport auto-mapping, and there's no bundled creative software.
About this product
Roland's 88-key MIDI keyboard controller (2020), successor to the 2012 A-88. Uses the PHA-4 Standard hammer action with Escapement and Ivory Feel keytops (no aftertouch; transmits release velocity), plus eight RGB-lit assignable knobs, eight RGB-lit velocity-sensitive pads, two assignable buttons and a combined pitch/mod lever. USB-C, 5-pin DIN MIDI In/Out, three pedal inputs, and MIDI 2.0 readiness (system v2.00+). It has no onboard sounds — the RD-88 is the same keybed as a stage piano with voices.
Roland's A-88MKII is a full-size, 88-key MIDI keyboard controller built around one thing above all: the feel of the keys. It carries Roland's PHA-4 Standard hammer action — the same graded, escapement-equipped keybed found in the company's FP-series and RD stage pianos — but no sounds of its own, so its whole job is to be the best-playing plank in your studio and pass MIDI to your software and hardware. It arrived in 2020 as the successor to the 2012 A-88, adding a fresh RGB-lit control section, USB-C, and headline MIDI 2.0 readiness.
Reviewers are close to unanimous on the action — several rate it among the best on any controller — and on the connectivity, which keeps proper 5-pin DIN MIDI and flexible pedal inputs that many rivals drop. Where opinion divides is the ergonomics and the value: Roland clusters every knob, pad and the bender to the far left of the keyboard and skips a separate mod wheel, faders and aftertouch — and at around $999 for a keys-only board, some ask why not buy a digital piano that plays just as well and makes sound too.
