Digital piano: description, review, specifications, manufacturers, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Today, along with conventional acoustic pianos, their electronic counterparts are a success. Of course, they cost much more, but any digital piano has both its pros and cons. For now, we will focus on the basic understanding of what these tools are, and at the same time look at some of the most popular models.

What is a digital piano?

Tools of this type appeared on the world market quite a long time ago. This was due to the fact that in most cases the synthesizers of that time were equipped with a soft keyboard, which could not compete with the piano mechanism in transmitting all the subtleties of the sound of an acoustic instrument.

On the other hand, the synthesized sound itself from the standard General MIDI set was completely different from what could be achieved from a real piano or grand piano. The first digital piano, according to history, was created back in the 30s of the last century by Harold Rhodes. Howeversuch tools were most widely used by the 90s.

What is the difference between a digital piano and a synthesizer?

As already mentioned, many musicians didn't like synthesizers with the keyboard. It was on the creation of a full-size weighted keyboard that the main efforts of almost all manufacturers of equipment of this type were directed.

In this case, one must also take into account the moment that an ordinary piano has a hammer mechanism, and the sound is extracted by hitting the strings with a hammer. Actually, the main task was the problem of how to create an electronic instrument in such a way that it exactly repeats the mechanics of a conventional piano, and at the same time allows you to reproduce all the subtleties of the game and has an absolutely indistinguishable sound.

I must say that such attempts were ultimately successful, and today you can find quite a lot of serious models that are not inferior in quality to "live" instruments. However, here you can immediately note the most important drawback of absolutely all models. The fact is that electronic pianos, by virtue of their design, are equipped with speakers through which we, in fact, hear the reproduced sound, while a real instrument is acoustic, that is, we perceive the sound immediately after the hammer hits the string. At the same time, in different rooms, the sound is different, depending on the vibrations of the string, resonance, etc. But modern digitized sampling solutions more than compensate for this, because many instruments combineIt combines the capabilities of a regular piano and synthesizers with a huge number of timbres and real-time effects applied.

Classification of digital pianos

If we talk about classification, here you can divide the instruments according to the professional level (entry level, training tools, semi-professional and professional models), by the type of keyboard used (with or without hammer action), by the presence of additional sound banks or effects, by the presence of a sequencer with the ability to record played parts, as well as by the type of performance (desktop or floor) or by the type of outputs and interfaces through which instruments can be connected to sound amplifying equipment or to a computer.

Now let's take a closer look at several models from the most famous manufacturers of such equipment. Let's make a reservation right away: only models with 88 full-size weighted keys that respond to pressing force will be considered. In addition, the question of which digital piano to prefer will be considered. The price, reviews and main features will also not go unnoticed.

Yamaha

Let's start with a simple model. This is a Yamaha P95 digital piano. This desktop-type tool belongs to the entry level, its price is about 23 thousand rubles. Among the main advantages, it is worth noting the use of Graded Hammer Standard technology, which, when using a special microprocessor chip, allows you to simulate different pressing force on the keys in different octaves (in the lowerrequires more force than the top).

The same technology is also responsible for the ability to adjust the resistance of the keys to pressing. Judging by the reviews of many teachers of music schools, this can be useful if a young child is learning to play the piano. Over time, the setting can be changed towards emulating a real keyboard.

More serious models - Yamaha DGX series. They come with a fairly large bank of sounds and effects, and are also equipped with a sequencer for recording your own compositions. The cost of one of the most popular models of this class Yamaha DGX 650 fluctuates around 76-77 thousand rubles.

Even more advanced models are Yamaha CVP601 and Yamaha YDP-142C. These are already full-fledged floor-type instruments with three pedals, like a real piano. They feature a hammer action keyboard and sound almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

In addition, the instruments have their own bank of sounds and effects, 128-voice polyphony, the ability to record your own compositions and an LCD screen for monitoring parameters. The cost of such models is quite high and starts somewhere from 200 thousand rubles.

Roland

Roland is one of the leaders in the keyboard market. In their line you can find tools for every taste. So, for example, two instruments can be especially distinguished - Roland RD-300NX and RolandRP-301RW.

The first instrument belongs to the desktop type, has a built-in sound bank for 200 timbres, effects (90 pcs.), A built-in sequencer and auto-accompaniment. When buying such a model, it will cost somewhere around 120-125 thousand rubles.

The second modification is a real floor-standing digital piano with three pedals. Its main feature is the ability to record up to 600,000 notes in the device's memory. Polyphony - 128 voices. As for the cost, it is in the range of 75-80 thousand rubles.

Casio

Casio does not focus on high-end synthesizers and workstations, but the Casio digital piano is not just an instrument, but even a work of art with a natural, incomparable sound. Among these products you can find both entry-level instruments and the complete semblance of a real piano.

First, let's take a look at the Privia PX-350 digital pianos. In general, this is a fairly simple tool from the entire line. It doesn't have much to brag about, but it's great for learning to play a real instrument or as a MIDI keyboard.

More interesting models are the Casio PX-850 and the Casio Celviano AP-650BK digital piano. In both cases, we have a floor type instrument with three pedals. The first model is interesting in that it has a special function of acousticresonance, which gives the instrument exactly the natural sound that is appreciated by connoisseurs. For such a Casio digital piano, the price fluctuates around 67-69 thousand rubles.

The second instrument (Celviano) features 256-voice polyphony, 240 timbres, accompaniment in the form of 1802 styles, a wide range of resonance characteristics settings, but most importantly, powerful acoustics (60 W for each speaker). If the PX-850 is best used at home, then the Celviano is suitable even for small concert halls and venues. In terms of price, this is somewhere around 97-100 thousand rubles. The younger model AP-420 will cost about 45 thousand rubles.

Korg

Another eminent keyboard manufacturer is Korg. The company is mainly focused on the production of professional workstations, but here you can also find digital pianos like the Korg LP-380WH.

This floor-type instrument is of interest in terms of using a hammer-action keyboard with Real Weighted Hammer Action mechanics, that is, it is on this instrument that you can reproduce all the nuances of the game, like on a regular grand piano. In addition, there is a special function Stereo Piano System, which allows you to achieve an unrivaled stereo widening effect. Such a tool costs around 100 thousand rubles.

Kurzweil

Another no less famous manufacturer of professional workstations, Kurzweil, did not leave digital pianos without attention.

So, for example, a full-fledged digital floor-type piano Kurzweil MP-10 looks very interesting, having in its arsenal not only a solid set of timbres, 78 accompaniment styles and a complete imitation of real piano mechanics at the keyboard, but also 9 tracks for recording, as well as a very powerful sound.

Digital workstations

Finally, I would like to say a few words about workstations. Among the most interesting models are, say, Yamaha Motif, Korg Triton, Korg Trinity, Roland Fantom, Kurzweil PC3X and many others.

As you can see, these are professional instruments of the highest class, so they are inexpensive. By the way, although they belong to the class of workstations (Workstation), nevertheless, they can also be called digital pianos, but only with the most advanced features.

Conclusion

Now it's probably clear what a digital piano is. Reviews of professional musicians, teachers and even parents suggest that simple models can be used for training, however, preferably a floor type (especially for children). In addition, sometimes it is advisable to choose exactly those models that are equipped with a headphone output (this way the child will be able to play and the parents will be in silence). However, for serious musicians, semi-professional or professional models are better suited, but it all depends on how prepared the musician himself is and where he is goinguse a specific tool.