I was also taken by the textured black keys, reminiscent of the old Ensoniq EPS.
The feel of Roland keyboards often appeals to me, but this is one aspect of a master keyboard that needs to be determined by the individual, since one player's "light and responsive" is another player's "soft and spongy". On the positive side, I particularly liked the 76‑note keyboard, which features Roland's implementation of weighted synthesizer action. For normal studio use, or the odd gig down the Frog and Artichoke, I doubt that these points would be of any major concern, but I would have some concerns about subjecting this machine to an extended touring schedule. The highest and lowest keys also seem a little exposed above the plane of the end‑cheeks. The review model was already showing signs of a couple of knocks in transit, and I doubt that life on the road would be any more forgiving.
Although the casing has a good, solid metal base, much of the upper surface, including the end‑cheeks, is made from moulded plastic. I found myself somewhat perturbed by the build quality of the A70. Happily, all of the important buttons retain their integral LEDs, which greatly assists in programming, and there are two adjacent backlit LCDs: one large 3‑digit display, and one 2‑line x 17‑character display. Gone, however, are the JD800‑style buttons of the A90, to be replaced with a slimmer variant, leaving more room for panel legending. Indeed, with the notable exception of the 'Panic' and sequencer control buttons, which are over on the right‑hand side of the front panel, the position and function of the switches and controls is nearly identical. The overall layout of the A70's control surface is very much in keeping with its older stablemates, particularly the A90 (reviewed in SOS September 1996). But the A70 has an extra trick or two of its very own. Roland have now chosen to bring similar operational features and expandability to a slightly shorter 'synth'‑type keyboard in the form of the A70.
The robust build quality, the feel and response of the piano‑weighted keyboard, and the optional expandability, in the form of high‑quality Voice Expansion Boards, were a combination that made it hard to ignore. There can be little doubt that Roland's 88‑note A90 master keyboard has won quite a few friends since its release in late '96. While Roland's A70 in its basic form is a well‑equipped but dumb controller, it can metamorphose into a Roland JV‑style synth, a General MIDI synth, or a piano at the drop of an expansion board.
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