hi

I am currently working towards grade 4 and need a digital piano and wanted some advice on the right one to get.

I have a budget of £250-£400

With a low budget look for the CASIO's.
Use the "SEARCH"-button on top of the page and you will find out that they are the best budget digital.

thanks i will have look

I found these two pianos any comments on either:

http://www.rockingrooster.co.uk/productCasioPX720AshWalnut-137-120.html

http://www.rockingrooster.co.uk/productCasioAP24DigitalPiano-137-120.html

Tom16, if you want a console model,the PX-720 with AIF soundsource is good and it's a very good price!

Look at the specs here:

http://www.casio-europe.com/euro/emi/privia/px720/

The AP-24 is NOT: it's an older model: Polyphony is very low (32), you must have at least 64 for normal playing and the new standard is now 128.

AP-500 is good but more expensive, there is now also a new AP-200.
PX-800 is best with a better amplifier/speaker system, but if you use good headphones, PX-720 is enough.

If you want it cheaper, consider the 'portable' models: PX-120, PX-200 and PX-320.

Read this comments here also:

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/6/5007.html

PS: For about 70 pounds more consider the YAMAHA Arius YDP140 (consolemodel): the sound is good but you may find the keyboardaction (GHS) to light.

And the stagepiano Roland FP-4 is vééééry good but more expensive: around 750 pound.

k thanks

Is their a huge difference in sound between an ecoustic piano and a digital piano

thanks

1. It al depend on the soundsamples they use.

Roland and Yamaha are best. Casio is good. Kawai is average.

2. The soundsystem: speakers and amplifier(s).

With a amplifier of 8 Watt you can't expect to hear the full richness and bass of a real accoustic piano.
BUT with good headphones, there is not that much difference anymore.

Then you have the digital toprange like YAMAHA CLP-380 and ROLAND HP-207 they have very strong and good amplifiers an several speakers, so the sound is very realistic.

3. For the real acoustic pianofeeling the keyboard 'weighted' action is VERY important. Casio's 'Progressive Hammer' is good, the YAMAHA GHS is poor, the GH(E) action is good, GH3 is very good and NW is splendid.

For Roland; their 'PHA II keyboard with Escapement (and "ivory feel" for the HP-207)' is problably the best on the market today.

KAWAI have also best or second best action with their 'AWA PRO' real wooden keys action, but most people found the sound a bit less.

REMARK! : In the forums more and more people complain about the building quality of the Kawai keyboard !!!

Thanks

The yamamha i proberley go with from:

http://www.normans.co.uk/Items/ydp140da?gclid=CPeGq4ODtZQCFSAtEAod4hEDUg

As the casio inc delivery is the same price

And it looks a lot better

Watch out:

Test the YDP-140 before buying, as a skilled pianoplayer you may find the action too light!
IT's has only the GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) action.

You may find the GH (or GHE) action of the YDP-160 much more realistic !

Look here:

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Cont...TRIBUTE,00.html

I will go in and have ago see what it is like.

AT THE MOMENT i have a casio keyboard and the keys on that are to light, so it should be ok if not i will get the 160

thanks for your help you have been really usefull

The Casio keyboard[/b] you're probably referring to is one of their 61-key "teaching/beginner" keyboards with lighted keys. If that's the case, then this keyboard has non-weighted keys and is not a digital piano.

The Yamaha YDP 140/160 is a dedicated home digital piano and therefore should provide you with better weighted 88-keys and touch.

If you want to compare your Casio keyboard's key-touch with Yamaha's YDP-140/160, then its more like comparing apples to oranges[/b]...

You should compare the YPD-140/160 with these instead (click the link):

Casio Celviano AP-200 (Casio Europe official website)

Casio Celviano AP-400

Casio Celviano AP-500


The YDP-140/160 as well as the Casio Celviano AP-500/AP-200/AP-400 are all "console-type" [/b] home digital pianos. Comparing now the Casio Celviano AP-200/400/500 to the YDP-140/160 will be more an apples to apples comparison[/b]

And, of course, no matter what replies you receive in this forum regarding key-touch or the feel of the weighted 88-keys of various digital pianos (from Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Casio), always remember that these aspect can be subjective as well...if you'll read other threads you'd notice that different people have varying opinions on how one digital piano feels. If you can go out and try any DP in any local music store, it should be way better than just looking and reading specs in the internet. Once you're in the store, however, beware of too much sales-talk[/b]...because you might end up spending beyond your budget.

I've been very happy with my Celviano AP-500 since last December. The touch is fantastic.

The AP-400 looks similar but seems to have smaller speakers, fewer sounds, no SD card slot, and fewer output ports. (But comes in different finishes and has the "duet" mode.)

tender if you have a casio-ap500 could you point your favorite and least preferred things about it.

how is the sound of strings in your piano?
does it have jazz voice?

how are the rythms?just piano and drums or more instruments?

Sounds like having just bought one you're about to find out!

It has a strings sound as one of the buttons on the cabinet and several others that you can dial in via the other MIDI instruments. I consider myself a pianist rather than a digital orchestrician and don't have any opinion on how they sound. If I cared much and didn't like the Casio strings I'd just use a strings sound on PC software that was more to my liking.

The installed rhythms are drum rhythms. I'm not sure what you mean by "piano and drum" rhythms. If you get serious about using rhythms, the way you do it is to set them up for your entire piece in MIDI, by editing them on your computer. Then you either play them through your computer via the AP-500 Line In, or export them as MIDI files on the SD card and have the AP-500 play them as you play other instruments yourself.

"Jazz Voice" is also something I'm not familiar with. The keys have adjustable sensitivity and the sounds have adjustable brilliance. You can investigate this through the manual to which I think I've directed you in other threads.

My favorite attributes are the touch of the keys and the tone quality of the default piano with the reverb turned off. (The reverb is a touch too dramatic for my taste.)

My least favorite attribute is probably the minimalistic LED display, but it certainly tells you enough of what you need to know. The features are not hard to get at.

I also added an inexpensive mixing console (Behrenger Xenix 1202FX, $110) and a microphone ($30) and my kids use it with MIDI downloads for karaoke--I'm using the line in feature much more than expected. A more comprehensive LCD display might provide more information on what's on the SD card for this purpose.

I purchased this as a better set of compromises than an upright piano. Zero regrets.

Oh, I see in your other posting that you meant the "voice doo" Jazz voice--the MIDI instrument that sounds like somebody saying "doo" as you press a key.

I was just playing with this the other day (MIDI instrument 074). It's convincing in the middle registers. Not so much the far upper and far lower registers. Same as a person's voice! I can't compare it to other manufacturers' implementations though.

A feature like this falls into the "digital gimmick I'll never use" category for me.

i found it so cool in rolands (they call it scat voice... and it looks like a a cappela choir but with single voices..

those groups were one man makes the melody and the other fill the harmony and there is no accompaniment

it looked real ind yamaha and roland demonstration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEi_BkbVQTQ
its in this video

and in this one its the last instrument he plays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jicjyXyr9bc wait till the end

i dont like jazz usually but this voice pleased me...

the strings sounded like this or worse?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojn0pnSm3OY (2:20 seconds)

im anxious

drums its just a drum and a piano

my synth has strings guitar organ sax and bass in the accompaniment and then i can play a piano in the right hand... does it has this?or just drums

Strings: I can't really make a comparison. The piece he's playing was designed for that specific instrument.

Rhythm: There is some sort of chord accompaniment system in the Casio that might play more than just drums--I never used it but it's described in the manual.

"Doo" sound: the DP in your video uses several syllables (doo, dow, bop) and has probably been carefully set up for the piece being played. Celviano is just "doo."

ohh i really miss that sound... the bop and dow are the cool ones.. and they mixed them right... in the other video they seem just one instrument

is there some software synht?

well i couldnt find better strings demo than that. but i hear one in the internet that was better... kaway strings look good too but casio not much.. only acceptable...

well the accompaniment could make the chords in the piano and that would be very poor

If you don't like the strings patch included in the AP-500, and you happen to have a PC with a processor above 2.4 GHz (AMD or Intel), then you may like to check this out:

Garritan\'s Personal Orchestra

Or you can go big-time and buy more comprehensive sample libraries of orchestral instruments like these (click each link)

East West Quantum Leap: Symphonic Orchestra

Vienna Symphonic Library

These 3 VSTi (Virtual instruments) coupled with a recent PC (which has a processor speed above 2.4 GHz...especially Core2 Duo Intel processors) can give you more realistic strings (as well as other orchestral instruments) to use.

Alternatively, if you want a "fresh" set of instrument sounds (you'd need a PC again of course to use this), you can check this out:

E-MU Proteus X2 - Software Sound Module

It's quite possible that you may or may not like all of the instrument patches included in the Proteus X2 but "software" sound modules like this can add sonic palette (or instrument sound variety) to the built-in instrument patches of the AP-500.

Or even this:

EMU- Modern Symphonic Orchestra

thanks for the advices...

i was already searching for a physical sampler so that i dont need to turn on my computer (its amd x2 5200+ at 2,7ghz its has enough power but i dont want ot turn it on and plug it just to play... and it has vista x64 so its complicated for the usb midi drivers to casio

do you know hardware samplers like roland and yamaha and korg? a little machine that has ryhtms like tango rhumba tecno hip hop, pasodoble and has much more instruments including that jazz scat voice dooh and bap ??

i would put it next to the casio ap-500 and will turn it on with the piano and it will be plug with midi

i have heard good things about garritan.... by software its always chep but i would need the other computer which is a amd 2000+ at 1,6ghz so its not enough

You may be looking for these:

Roland MC-808

Drum machine selections

Good luck choosing.

thank you that is what i have in mind.. if i find something in 500 euros price... i could buy it (i would download the orhcestra softwares ou piano vsti

i only buy physical things

The following is OT

Do you consider Software to be physical or not?
In other words: Do developers deserve to be paid for their hard labor or do you think it is right to copy just because you can and that there is a low probability you will get caught?

Same thing with scores: is it OK to xerox them even though there are copyrights on them?

What do you think about intellectual property?

You might have guessed, I am in the Software business.

i understand your point and you are right
butin the end i would not pay it..

since its physical i would use it more.

roland fantom xr looks good... but its expensive..
is there something like it but cheaper?

compositor20: more and more I'm convinced you should have went for the Roland FP7 instead of the Celviano, it's much more in line with what you seem to be aiming for in the end: richer tones, more rhythms/accompaniments, Cakewalk software included. All that with great piano action and samples. Have you looked into it at all?

now its too late...


i was thinking in something like roland cellsonic or yamaha motif rack es (i reaaly like the yamaha motif rack XS but its expensive...)

there is a brand edirol sd-20 which is cheap but i dont know if it is good...

the teach me function i can have it in midi trhough computer (i dont know if the soun will be good..

i didnt want a piano that looked like my old entertainement arranger synth... i wanted one with complete furniture and a closed area for the keyboard