The P-105’s Intelligent Acoustic control really worked as advertised through the venue’s P.A.
It was wonderful to be able to enrich the music in a live setting like that.Īs for amplification, the sound was pristine. For a number of songs, I did the recording passes live and was then able to play and pause them when desired (not unlike using a looper pedal), and for our first song, I pre-recorded the bass line on one track and a second piano part on the other before heading to the gig. To beef up our sound, we took advantage of the two-track recording function in order to bring in bass lines and melodic ideas that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to play at the same time as my main piano parts.
One trip achieved!Īt a particular show with the P-105, my piano/violin duo was playing without the full rhythm section we sometimes have, and we knew the set would feel less full for this reason. Enter the P-105, which I put in its soft case and slung over my shoulder with ease.
Thus, I’ve been borrowing friends’ portable keyboards and have been continuously frustrated with the dinky grand piano sounds on a wide variety of them. This is taxing because I also have a stand and accessory bag and can’t put the P-60 over my shoulder to load in in one trip. Sometimes I use my older Yamaha P-60, which has very authentic sound but weighs about 40 pounds. Acoustic pianos are usually absent from the venues I play, so I almost always bring my own keyboard. This is a big deal for me for two reasons. I took the P-105 to a recent gig and, being rather petite, couldn’t believe how easy it was to carry an 88-key weighted digital piano by myself. The keyboard is split at the F# below middle C by default, and you can change the split point by holding L and pressing a key. For instance, if you wanted a bass in the left hand and a vibraphone in the right, you’d hold down the L button while pressing the Bass button and then hold down the R button while pressing the Vibraphone button. The assignable split is also extremely easy to use.
The duet mode is ideal for lessons, as teacher and student can split the keyboard to be able to play identical phrases in the same note range, as opposed to playing in different octaves as one would need to on an acoustic piano or on any digital that lacks this feature. This function makes recording a songwriting session or even a gig easier than using the stereo headphone out and a Y-cable-which is what some affordable digital pianos and portable keyboards would make you do.
Additionally, the stereo 1/4" line outs make it easy to connect to your recording interface, speakers, or mixer. The USB-to-host connection lets you transfer your musical ideas to your computer as MIDI files for further work in a DAW or sequencer. Once you come up with a great piece of work, the onboard two-track MIDI recorder lets you capture it.
In addition, separate drum patterns give you ten different rhythms to jam along to. They’re more like having an extra person sitting to your left, but they exist on all sounds, not just piano. These aren’t accompaniment styles with full instrumentation as on an arranger keyboard (think PSR or Tyros).
The best MIDI keyboards for beginner and pro musicians.