Demystifying the Roland V-Stage: A House of Worship Deep Dive with Ed Diaz and Ed Spence
At Washington Music Center, we believe the best way to explore new gear is by putting it in the hands of real players. That’s exactly what we did in our latest episode of "2 Eds Is Better Than One", featuring Ed Diaz from Roland and our very own Ed Spence.
This time, we took a deep dive into the Roland V-Stage Keyboard, a performance powerhouse built with worship musicians in mind—but packed with enough versatility to handle anything from Sunday - or any gig for that matter!
One Engine, Two Options
The V-Stage comes in two flavors:
- 88-key model: Weighted graded hammer action for authentic piano feel.
- 76-key model: Waterfall action—perfect for organists or synth players who want a lighter touch.
Both models are powered by the same engine, so it’s all about feel—not features.
Ready for Worship, Built for Everyone
Whether you’re a pro church MD, a traditional pianist stepping into electronics, or a newcomer navigating the modern worship sound, the V-Stage offers a clear, intuitive layout. Ed Diaz breaks it down:
- Organ Section – Classic tonewheel emulation with tweakable details like key click, leakage, and chorus/vibrato.
- Acoustic Piano – V-Piano engine delivers realistic, modeled acoustic tones with full polyphony.
- Electric Piano – Tine, reed, and classic digital models like the RD-1000 and MKS-20.
- Synth 1 & 2 – Zen-Core based engine with access to thousands of Roland Cloud sounds.
- Total Effects & Master Section – EQ, compression, routing, and even onboard mic input.
Each sound lives within a scene, meaning you can build full setups—organ, piano, synths, effects—and recall them instantly with zero load time.
Scenes: The Secret Sauce
Ed and Ed walk you through how to build your own "meat and potatoes" scene with layered sounds that you can switch, mute, or morph on the fly. Need to transpose mid-song? There’s a one-button solution for that. Want a felt upright piano with soft attack and narrow stereo field? Easy.
You can also assign pedals to toggle layers—like bringing in a pad under your piano during a chorus—without ever lifting your hands from the keys.
Organ Details That Matter
The V-Stage isn’t just organ-ish—it’s a serious tool for players who need it to feel right. You can dig into:
- Drawbar settings
- Key click sensitivity
- Leakage level
- Rotary speaker type (Leslie-style) and mic position
- Overdrive settings
- Rotor speed ramp up/down times
Whether you're chasing that clean, choir-ready sound or the gritty tones of gospel and jazz, the V-Stage lets you tailor every element.
Sound Editing Made Simple
With smart shortcuts (shoutout to the “hungry for knowledge” crowd), you can edit sounds quickly:
- Press and hold
Menu, tap the part you want to edit, and boom—you’re in. - Want to favorite a piano? Hold
Shiftand star it. - Add synths or layers on top? One button.
No menu diving required unless you want it.
Built for Real-World Situations
Worship spaces aren’t always ideal. Limited inputs? Mono systems? The V-Stage handles it:
- XLR & 1/4" balanced outputs
- Sub out for routing bass or pads to a separate channel
- Internal mixer and compressor
- Graphic EQ with presets for different rooms
- Mic input with dedicated effects
Final Thoughts
The Roland V-Stage isn’t just another performance keyboard—it’s a highly adaptable instrument made to meet the needs of today’s musicians, especially those serving in worship settings. From pro-level features to easy-to-use shortcuts, it’s as deep as you want it to be, and always ready to serve.
Want to see it in action? Come by Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center or catch the full video with Ed Diaz and Ed Spence to see just how much this keyboard can do.