Article written by musician and songwriter Leyla Ek.
In this article, I examine 5 keyboards in 5 different price categories that make it easy for you to write and record your own music.
In my assessment, I have looked at factors that enable your sense of play to be natural - with the bonus of recording your music and playing with multiple tones. Everything from acoustic to electronic - which gives you endless opportunities to play and experiment, create your very own own orchestra with cinematic sounds to top-class radio-pop productions.
Below I have listed the most important factors in my assessment and the thoughts I had when I selected them.
Sound quality and range of sounds
Where do the sounds come from? Are they digitally created in the keyboard or have they been recorded (sampled) from real instruments; famous grand pianos, acoustic pianos, etc.. What exactly is the difference between digitally generated sounds and sampled sounds. Which one is best?
Sound quality is often linked to the cost of the keyboard in the keyboard-world. A cheaper digital piano often does not have the same high quality samples from real acoustic instruments as a premium keyboard. But with the digitally generated sounds that are included today, there are still many who in an almost perfect way are able to reproduce the sound of a real instrument. I have mainly looked at these factors in the lower price ranges. In the higher price ranges, I have looked at factors such as: which instruments and brands have they recorded ("sampled") the sounds from, and how famous are they in the music industry? I also look at how many sounds they have in respective categories: Can the instrument generate both acoustic instrument and electronic tones? How many sounds are included? Does it give us to the possibility of creating music in different genres?
Keys and adequate resistance
How similar is the feeling of your keyboard to the the keys on a real acoustic piano? Why is this important?
When I have played with customers - from beginners to professional musicians - I discover that we all have one thing in common. We all want to express our feelings and thoughts in our playing. We want to play naturally without any tense muscles that prevent us from practicing proper technique. This is related to the keys and how touch-sensitive they are. That is, the keys should be stable but also flexible and give back the reverberations that reduce mistakes and respond well to movements and expressions. You should be able to sing through your instrument.
Materials
Today, synths are designed to feel like real acoustic pianos but with the bonus of a expansive library capable of a wide array of sounds and extra features. I have selected instruments that will not only use the latest technology in the digital piano world, but I have also looked at its structure and materials that make the instrument unique. How they are built plays a role in their characters and contributes to both appearance and feel. Important for novices is that they can practice on a keyboard that is similar to the acoustic keys - making it possible for them to practice and play with the right technique.
Recording music
It was once difficult to create your own music and record yourself. But today's technology makes songwriting easily accessible. Therefore, it is important to include and focus on the connection between songwriting and keyboards. Being able to put together different sounds and musical ideas allows us to create our own unique expression. This is the future and newest addition in the digital-piano and keyboard world. Thus, I have included it as one of the most important parameters for these keyboards.
With the music program Logic Pro X, I have tested recordings on various instruments to assess how efficient and fast the workflow was as it needs to be when I am in my creative flow and quickly want to record my musical thoughts and ideas.
Synth-history
Short background:
Digital pianos or keyboards, as they are often called, have grown in popularity and today replace acoustic pianos in many homes. Their quality depends on several factors. Above all, they are cheaper, but also advanced and often have a large library of sounds in addition to the natural piano sounds. Also they enable you to record yourself and create your own music with simplicity. Another important factor is that keyboards today are designed to mimic the feel of real acoustic pianos and also do so in a very accurate way. This also makes the keyboard a long-term investment where you can practice and develop musical skills. Last but not least, keyboards allow you to practice in silence which makes it easy for your family, loved ones to continue with their daily activities in the house while you can practice and write music without disturbing anyone.
Price range up to 10 000 DKK
Roland RD-88 Stage Piano
https://www.digitalpiano.com/dk/roland-rd88-stage-piano.html
An affordable instrument and easy to carry. The Roland RD-88 has a full-size keyboard with 88 keys - just like on a real piano. With 128-tone polophony, you have the opportunity to create massive chords. Fully wireless operation with battery power and Bluetooth connection for wireless smartphone connection allows you to play the background music through the built-in speakers while you play your favorite songs.
Price range 10 000 - 15 000 DKK
Roland FP-90X
https://www.digitalpiano.com/dk/roland-fp-90x-white-stage-piano.html
Roland FP-90X Digital Piano is an extremely versatile instrument, perfect for the stage or in your living room.
Roland has combined a realistic sense of keyboard together with a selection of acoustic piano instrument sounds. You also get an excellent range of additional voices, including electric piano, tonewheels, tubes, strings and synths.
Their SuperNATURAL piano system contains innovative software that models the complex physics of a piano hammer striking a string stretched across a soundboard. The sound is much more realistic for several reasons. First, the tone gradually changes as you play harder, without sudden pauses, unlike a sampled instrument.
This is definitely the keyboard that lights up the eyes of music directors, teachers, songwriters and artists as it is an all-in-one keyboard that easily gets the job done. Surprisingly, the keyboard turns on in less than two seconds, which is much faster than any other keyboard .
You can connect a microphone, set your levels and effects and record each song in excellent sound quality and you can record an entire night's performance on the 8 GB memory and have your selected tracks on the internet before going to bed.
Price range 15 000 -20 000 DKK
Korg Model SV-2S
https://www.digitalpiano.com/dk/korg-sv2s-stage-piano-88-keys.html
The renowned Korg SV-2 stands out with its attractive appearance. With its sleek, curved retro style, the SV-2 turns many people's heads. The curved surface feels warm to touch, a solid keyboard that will stand the test of time.
The same feeling of quality is maintained with the buttons and knobs. The distinctive retro style is not just for charming your audience. These controls have good feedback and follow your movements precisely.
Korg SV-2S has fantastic sounding piano, organ & electric piano sounds and is perfect for the singer-songwriter who needs a good-looking instrument with high quality sounds. Perfect for jazz and performances as well.
The other crucial feature of the SV-2 is the tube valve to the left of the front panel. Although it is still something of a visual gimmick, the heat it adds to the audio signal is worth it.
With a focus on practical control, the front panel is designed in a way that makes a lot of sense. You do not need the user manual to use this keyboard.
The only possible disadvantage is that it does not have a pitch or mod-wheel, but due to the nice design, I have selected this as the winner in this price range. It charms the audience, and it feels very natural to play, both fast and nuanced.
SV-2 has 128 polyphony and more than ten times the sampling data as the previous model SV-1. This is a huge difference.
The weighted keys gives you the level of control required to play expressively.
Price range 20 000 - 30 000 DKK
Clavia Nord Stage 3
https://www.digitalpiano.com/dk/nord-stage-3-digital-piano.html
Nord Stage 3 is a real digital masterpiece. On this synth you can work in all genres. Create cinematic movie music to pop to electronic music. Nord Stage 3 shows the breadth and main strength of digital technology: infinity. It has three sections; Piano, organ and synthesizer, all of which can be played simultaneously. Among the impressive suite of different sounds you will also find sounds from the world's best grand piano models such as Steinway Model D, Yamaha C7, Kawai SK-7, Fazioli, plus some nice upright pianos.
In addition to the large audio library, you can create and build your own sounds yourself. A dream for those who want to be able to write music. Now you have the opportunity to create your very own orchestra, your own band, and easily write and produce your music with the synth's sounds and tools - record, polish, and share with family and friends.
In summary, this instrument is not only the perfect tool to learn everything you need to know about about music production, it is also a beautiful piece of furniture at home or on stage.
Price range 30 000 - 60 000 DKK
Kawai K-300 ATX3
https://www.digitalpiano.com/dk/kawai-k-300-atx3-hybrid-piano.html
Kawai ATX 3K-300 is a 122 cm traditional upright piano, with subtle contemporary design elements and is one of Kawai's best-selling pianos. A smart invention, a truly acoustic piano but at the same time equipped with a wide range of digital capabilities. The ATX3 model is built in natural materials, strings, keyboard, real soundboards and works like a real acoustic piano, but when activated in Silent Piano mode, the acoustic sound is quiet and you can feel the vibrations of a beautiful concert grand piano through your headphones without having to disturb any neighbors.
This authentic acoustic piano gives you the natural feel when you play so that you can practice the right technique and control music phrasing and rhythm. This is crucial when you want to create music and record yourself.