Digital Piano Keyboards

Yamaha Corporation, which began producing musical equipments in its effort, has grown to become the world’s largest manufacturer of a full line of musical instruments. Their products serve the needs and desires of every individual worldwide on what exactly they are looking for. Yamaha Music Instruments aims to be the most preferred brand for music lovers, artists and upcoming musicians. After investing a considerable effort in finding an instrument which sounds like the piano, the keyboard came in but lacks its size and weight of the usual piano. The addition to their range of keyboards is the new Yamaha PSR-E333 Portable Keyboard.

Outlook:

Yamaha PSR-E333 is a Digital Keyboard which is lightweight and can be moved easily and has a black colour body finish. This is a classy keyboard which has all the necessary features of that of an artist’s instrument.

Design and Features of the Keyboard:

The Yamaha PSR-E333 Portable Piano Keyboard (model no: PSR-E333) has a dimension of about 43 (W) x 107 (H) x 17 (D) cm and weighs about 4.9 kg which is a suitable instrument for the beginners. This keyboard player has a full-size touch-sensitive keyboard with Ultra Wide Stereo sound features and a built-in tuition system. The ultra wide sound system gives a stereo and a good sound effect even while using headphones. This instrument has a back – lit LCD screen which displays the settings that are chosen, has a keyboard and shows a notation guide.

About the Keys:

The Yamaha PSR-E333 features a 61 key touch sensitive keyboard which means based on the pressure given on the keys, the tones vary bringing the effect of an original piano. Hence on harder striking of the keys, the volume and tones differ. This is indeed a cool feature for those who are experienced playing the piano and who are yet learning. More advanced option is the Y.E.S” and “Keys to Success” Lesson Functions especially for the beginners to learn by themselves is an interactive and systematic learning system.

Voices and Quality of Sound:

This Yamaha PSR-E333 keyboard has 497 dynamic, high quality natural sounding instrument voices. It has a number of styles about 106 accompaniment styles, 5 Chinese sounds and 102 built – in songs. The wide range of voices also combines the preset digital effects. The whole music database can be reached by the touch of a key to play the selected songs. It also includes the easy recording feature in which one can record up to five of the original songs composed. These are saved into the onboard memory which is ideal for practicing and composing for the beginners.

The Portable Grand Button:

This Portable Grand Button is a special function to call up the Yamaha’s famous grand piano sound. Thus there is a dedicated key for the piano voice which is also highly responsive to the touch.

Power – Off Mode:

The Yamaha PSRE333 has a new and is an Eco-friendly mode with adjustable timer is the power – off mode. It comes with a function that automatically turns off the power when the keyboard is not being used for a long period of time in order to prevent using the power unnecessarily. This is an excellent feature to support the long battery life.

Storage and Connectivity:

The Yamaha PSR-E333 connects easily to computers with the built-in USB terminal (to host) and has an internal memory of about 1.7 M Byte.

Power/ Batteries Required:

This PSR-E333 portable keyboard is supplied with an adapter to work or it requires 6 ‘AA’ size, LR6 or equivalent batteries for its operation. The keyboard consumes a power of 10 W.

Warranty Details:

A three year warranty is provided by the manufacturer for this portable keyboard. Any faults or defects in the piano within this time period will be repaired or replaced by the manufacturer.

In Short:

The Yamaha PSR-E333 is a portable keyboard that performs just like a piano except lacks its size and weight. This is a perfect instrument for beginners or to practice by oneself though may not be the best one for the professional players. The instrument is also built well and has a good sound quality. For those who are serious to learn some music in keyboards can go ahead as it is right one and worth the money spent on it.

Yamaha PSR-E333 Portable Keyboard – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Yamaha
Model Name	Yamaha PSR-E333 Portable Keyboard
Model Number	PSR-E333
Body Colour	Black
Dimensions	43 (W) x 107 (H) x 17 (D) cm
Control Interface	Keyboard
Number of Keys	61
Touch Response	Yes
Display	LCD
Backlight	Yes
Panel Language	English
Number of Polyphony	(Max.) 32
Preset Number of Voices	497 voices and 102 preset songs
Reverb	9 types and Ultra Wide
Chorus	4 types
Functions
Dual/Layers	Yes
Split	Yes
Panel Sustain	Yes (in menu)
Accompaniment	Styles Preset
Number of Preset Styles	106
Fingering	Multi
Custom User Styles	Yes
Other Features
Music Database	100
One Touch Setting (OTS)	Yes
Preset Number of Songs	102
Recording Number of Songs	5
Number of Tracks	2
Recording Function	Yes
Compatible Data Format	Playback SMF
Tuning	Yes
Piano Button	Portable Grand Button
Internal Memory	1.7Mbyte
Connectivity	USB TO HOST
Amplifiers and Speakers	2.5W + 2.5W
Speakers	12cm x 2
Power Consumption	10W
Music Rest	Yes
Warranty	3 years

Casio CTK-4000 usability and the feature level make it beneficial for the novice level and the expert users. Many of the keyboards are designed to replicate the looks of a traditional keyboard and this one too falls in to that category. However, the most attractive point about the Casio CTK-4000 portable keyboard is the affordability. Though it is grouped by Casio under the portable keyboard variety, none can underestimate the quality of sound and the features employed. All in all, the Casio CTK-4000 is one of the best priced products and is worth every penny invested.

Overview

The CTK-4000 Electronic Piano Keyboard is of touch sensitive type with a total number of 61 keys. The highlight features are the 570 tones, digital effects and 180 rhythms. In addition to this, Casio’s Step-up-Lesson system a highly appreciated one for its convenience is integrated along with music challenge feature, thus making the keyboard an excellent companion for budding keyboardist. The user can connect MP3 player and is also equipped with MIDI capabilities.

Design

The CTK-4000 keyboard gains a classy and yet a contemporary look by fusing the technology at the right place. The core attraction is the keys layout, which has been arranged neatly. The white and grey body colour composition accentuates the appearance further. The buttons and control knobs are scattered in the area right above the keyboard layout. Since the breadth of the keyboard is quite broader, the set-up does not look cluttered. The built in speakers are elegantly placed at the either corners of the keyboard.

The power switch turns off automatically after six minutes of inactivity when employed using the batteries. The volume adjustment knob is directly placed below the power switch. Four controls are placed directly vertical and adjacent to the power switch. The four acts as a direct access to the specific function such as the metronome, scale editor, rhythm editor and recorder. The music controller switches such as the forward, rewind, start and stop are placed in a row. The tempo button to control the instrument speed is aptly positioned.

The Casio CTK-4000 Piano Style keyboard comprises of a number button layout (from 0 to 9) to change the parameters appearing on the display. Though it appears distinct, it is rather too tricky to operate the same. First and foremost, negative values cannot be fed, instead the decrease and the increase buttons must be used. The number buttons can be used to perform a wide range of operations. However, the ease of use can only gradually increase on continuous usage. At the same time, the idea of adding such intricate details for a lower budget keyboard is appreciable.

The display shines brightly with the blue back ground. The screen size is reasonably visible and denotes the menu that is currently chosen. To put it in a nutshell, the design parameters of Casio CTK 4000 is made somewhat unique. Almost all the features of the keyboard are laid out in the form of direct one stop button.  In most of the cases, such aspects are folded within the main menu and the user must navigate the same. Instead this approach is also user intended. It is because the user can get the maximum mileage of exploring the features. Considering the expertise level of the user, such a design permits them to explore the device in a wider context, thereby improving their playing skills to a greater extent.

Features

Keyboard Controls
The keyboard offers a great number of tones including a large variety of musical instruments such as the violin, flute and many more. Notable highlight is the layering of two tones so they reverberate simultaneously when the keys are hit. Furthermore, the keyboard can be split in to two tones by affirming each tone on the left and the right. It gives an astounding effect of two instruments being played. The pitch of the song can be alerted at ease suiting to that of the singer in three ways, viz transpose, fine –tuning and the octave shift. The fine tuning function tries to match the tune with that of the other musical instruments and the singing artist. The octave shift increments or lowers the overall pitch by + or – two octave units. However, the cut above the rest is that the pitch can be altered even when the keyboard split is active. It means either sides of the keyboard pitch can be altered to the octave shift.

Sound Sampling
The Casio CTK 4000 61-note Full Size Keyboard permits the user to sample up to five sounds that can be stored in the memory. It can be picked and played from the melody part of the keyboard. There are a total number of 570 sounds and hence the piece which the user would sample is stored from 571 to 575. Sadly though the sampling time is ten seconds and if the memory is occupied with other data, it cannot even complete the ten seconds time limit. This is too short duration to hear the glimpse of the soundtrack tried. But admit the fact that Casio has not cut corners in integrating such features, because it is highly useful for amateurs. It is even possible to add effects to the sample sound. Furthermore, the sounds sampled can be protected against the accidental deletion operation.

Built-in Songs
The demo songs can be directly accessed using the song bank button. Besides the regular functions such as the forward, rewind, start and stop, some active elements are also added. The user can select a particular length of the song which is difficult to be trained and can listen to it. But the start and the end measure has to be specified. Alternatively, the left hand or the right hand part of the song can be turned off and the user can play with the existing part. Customisation is the chief tool employed by Casio to utilise the keyboard to its fullest extent.

Step-up Lesson
As the name implies, the step-up lesson enables to break the songs in to shorter phrases and practice the phrases and finally blend it together. All the songs are pre-split in to the right, left and both the hand phrases. Simultaneously during the playing session, the user is notified with various messages such as the wait, next phrase, from top and complete. Once the song is selected, the voice fingering guide and the display shows the correct keys to be hit, even if the wrong keys are entered, the keyboard waits till the right key is entered. The keyboard allows the user to continue the practice at their preferred pace. At any point of time, it is possible to cut the length of the phrase, stop and turn off the voice fingering guide. A score card based performance evaluation can be activated, if the user is keen to develop the skill seriously.

Music Challenge
It is something extra-ordinary feature to be added to the portable and affordable keyboard brand. The music challenge measures the user’s reaction speed in responding to the on-screen indicators and the fingering guide instruction. The efficiency is measured based on the time taken to switch from one note to the other within a particular song. The maximum limit is 0.1 second and higher score means, the time taken must be less than 0.1 second. The music challenge ends on completing 20 notes. At the end of each session, the playing time is displayed followed by the average score.

Registration Memory
The registration memory is something like that of storing the keyboard set-ups that are used frequently. The facility lies in the ability to collect the stored one instantly. It is possible to register up to 32 set-ups. Registration bank button allocated separately on the keyboard can be accessed easily. Prior to saving it to the registration bank, the details such as the rhythm, tone, tempo, transpose and many more have to be configured first. The only draw back noted here is the maintenance of the registration memory. Once the power is exhausted, the data is no longer stored in the memory. Hence, it is advisable to use the batteries and the external power adaptor simultaneously during critical conditions.

Recording Features in Casio CTK-4000
The user can record the song being played directly on the keyboard. The songs can be divided in to parts and each part can be recorded to a track. The recorded tracks can be mixed up to give a song. The flexibility in recording the built-in songs even while playing along is good. Up to six songs can be recorded and saved in the computer. Similar to that of registration memory, the recorded ones can delete automatically if the keyboard is not connected to power source or drained off batteries.

Performance

The sound quality is something good in CTK-4000 for a compact keyboard. The in-built songs are a good collection. The keyboard can actively split in two layers and produce different sound effects. The touch sensitive keys are soft and keep the music going for long hours without any major strain.

Verdict

Casio CTK-4000 surely gives a surprise for the beginners and also for master players. It is because for a compact variety it has features that are added to improve the playing skills to a greater extent. With the step-up lesson and the music challenge feature, the user can extremely capitalise the opportunity to learn the keyboard in a professional manner as tutored by a teacher.

Casio CTK-4000 Digital Keyboard – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Casio
Model Name	CTK-4000
Dimensions (H x W x D)	37 7/16 x 14 13/16 x 5 1/8 inch
Weight	10.1 lbs
Number of keys	61
Keyboard Type	Organ
Key Touch Sensitivity	Yes
Number of Polyphony	48
Number of Voices	570 tones built-in, sampling tones 10
Colour	Silver
Reverb types	10 types
Chorus types	5 types
Functions supported	Layer and Split
Number of Preset Styles	152
Auto Accompaniment	Built in Rhythms ,chords, Rhythm controller
Recording capacity	5 songs
MIDI	IN/OUT
Terminals	USB Port, Phones/Output jack, Audio In jack
Warranty	1 year

Korg has launched the digital piano SP-170 at an affordable price. There ought to be an underlying concept in every product made, and this one breathes some fresh air both in terms of design and technology front. In regard to the design, one would be astonished at the plain and simple look with an admirable finish. The other concept which Korg has decided to shred off is the conventional notion of digital piano resemblance and operation. The deviation noted from the regular digital pianos to that of Korg SP-170 is that the latter has established all the operations by the key itself thereby eliminating the need of third control such as the display screen and many more. Though it could be viewed as a leap from the traditional grounds, we must actually take into account as how far Korg SP-170 has succeeded to reach the pinnacle of innovation.

Design

The Korg SP-170 piano purely belongs to the ‘plain and simple’ design notion. There is neither any major display screen nor any control buttons on the front panel. Even though it might be overlooked by many, it could be considered as a design perfected by Korg to take ahead the wired look of digital pianos to a classical appeal. Whatever be the marketing strategy applied, the piano rocks a marvelous finish with excellent aesthetic appeal. It comes in two colours, viz the traditional black and the delightful white, and a limited numbers of dazzling red is also available. The set as such is compact and robust, but in a way it gives a grandiose appearance. It consists of two in-built speakers housed in bass reflex compartment that magnifies the speaker efficiency and sound output.

The rear part of the digital piano houses the major action. The power switch, two headphone jacks, volume knob are placed at the rear side and the front panel is stripped off everything besides the power LED. The connection is simple and since Korg has provided additional cord hook facility, the user can be sure that the power cord will not come off recurrently. At the same time, the cord limits easy unhooking process since it is strung around the cord hook. There is an also an option available to connect the external components. Apart from the afore-said connection and set-up there is not at all any complications whatsoever with respect to the buttons and controls. Simplicity should be the keyword that is sprinkled throughout the product structure.

The Korg SP-170 consists of a dedicated groove for inserting the music stand. The music stand is accessorised with the product. Once the music stand is inserted, the piano acquires almost a traditional acoustic piano look sans the fact that it is completely portable.

Features

Natural Weighted Hammer Action (NH)

As stated earlier, Korg has admonished the usage of external buttons and controls to create music. On the other hand it completely relies on the integrated Natural weighted hammer action to spin out low register to higher notes. The idea is simple and the keyboard is logically divided into sections. The confirmation sound, key touch, transpose, MIDI capabilities are articulated into three regions. The actual trick lies in getting accustomed to the hit. The heavier touch gradually becomes lighter in the higher register and thus can get in to the tune of any playing style.

Pitch Control Function

The pitch control function enables the user to adjust the pitch while playing along with the other instruments. Again this could be done in half step using the E5 and the F5 keys. The prime keys involved in the action are A#7, B7 and C8 respectively. The reset action can also be meticulously reversed. The pitch control function at normal circumstances could be avoided because Korg Sp-170 consists of multiple velocity layers to resonate the sound dynamics.

Key Control Touch Function

Korg SP-170 88-note Digital Piano is designed to accommodate the playing strength variation to that of the sound output. But the user needs to activate the function by hitting the white keys allocated between D2 to F2. As stated earlier, three different touch can be stimulated using this function, viz, light, heavy and standard. The light touch is activated at the right end corner of the keyboard and a soft stroke is sufficient to produce the sound. When the function is not enabled the keyboard remains in the standard touch mode.

Transpose Function

Transpose key is again trickily embedded within the keys. The user can shift the keys to a range of eleven semitones. It is interesting that Korg has managed so many details in the keyboard. Take for an example, F3 key gives + 5 semitones and the key can sound the F3 pitch. On the other hand, pressing the F32 key gives raise to -6 semitones and gives the F#2 pitch. Likewise, whatever be the name of the key pressed the same becomes the transposed key. Hence, if we transpose upward, the notes present in the upper score produces the pitch in the lower score.

Reverb and Chorus Effects

The reverb effect produces a depth to the sound and the chorus effect adds width to it. The reverb and the chorus effect operations are made simple. The prominent keys involved are#7, B7 and the C8 keys and along with these, by hitting either the A5 or B5 produces reverb or chorus effect respectively. It is appreciable that many a times; the user need not fiddle around the piano to set the effects, because the keyboard itself contains everything, straight from the pitch adjustment to chorus effect. Besides, it delivers harpsichord, grand piano, organ and several others with a total package of ten preset sounds.

MIDI capabilities

Korg SP-170 Digital Piano Keyboard supports MIDI functionalities. At instances, when the SP-170 is employed as controller in the MIDI area, there must be a good compatibility between the external MIDI devices. It is possible only to alter the MIDI channel by pressing either of the keys in the C4 to the D#5 range, which is considered as the default MIDI control. SP-170 also effectively transmits MIDI program change number. Most importantly, for every preset sound, there is program and sound change messages can be sent forth.

Performance

Considering the performance part, Korg SP-170 MIDI Keyboard gets a warm welcome particularly amongst the players who are keen to apply pressure and play. The feel of the keys and the feedback is remarkable. Compared to the Yamaha P-85, the SP-170 tries to imitate an artificial grand piano effect. The sound effects created such as the harpsichord contains an original touch to it. Whatsoever be the output of the piano, it is the sound that is heard all that matters. Well in Korg SP-170, the in-built speaker does not establish a sync partnership to give out the expected output. The sound effect manifested from the speakers could have been a bit more prominent. However, if maintained at a low volume the speaker effect is felt. Particularly practise sessions when played softly gives the required output.

Verdict

Korg deserves an all round applause for designing such a basic digital keyboard that completely depends on the key for all sorts of operations. At the same time, such a complete new concept takes its time to roll the intended effect. The only concern is that the user must grow with the instrument, because as stated earlier it consists of several keys in combination to achieve the desired property. Hence, the user should get in to practice to only rely on the keyboard function and nothing else. On the contrary, the same point can be perceived as Korg’s intention to just keep the players always fingered to the keys rather than muddling around the display and buttons, so it would create an atmosphere of playing an acoustic keyboard. All in all, it is a good one and can be surely used by beginners, provided they are really serious to learn the keys in a proper fashion.

Korg SP-170 Digital Piano Keyboard – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Korg
Model Name	Korg SP-170
Model number	SP 170
Dimensions (H x W x D)	5.24″x 51.65″ × 12.8″
Weight	26.68 lbs
Number of keys	Number of keys
Keyboard Type	Organ
Key Touch Sensitivity	Yes
Number of Polyphony	120 notes
Voices	10 sounds and 10 demo songs
Colour	Black , White and Red (limited edition)
Number of Tones	88
Speaker	in-built
Amplifier	9 Watt × 2
Power Adaptor	DC 12 V
Battery	No
Accessories	AC power adaptor, music stand and Damper pedal
Warranty	one year

The classic appeal of playing an acoustic piano can never be gratified with the conventional electronic keyboard. Lot of assumptions, loom around the mind of buyers as whether the keyboard produces any sound at all! Selecting a standard keyboard from the market is crucial, as one must come in terms with the application part of the instrument. It is unwise to purchase a higher end keyboard for beginners and vice versa. Even if the decision is made, yet another hurdle is budget feasibility. Being one of the leading manufacturers, Yamaha specialises in making products that cater to a particular market segment. Yamaha never delude the buyers with too many options in the electronic keyboard making it midway for professional and amateurs. Yamaha’s top notch business strategy is making versatile keyboards even for beginners. Yamaha PSR-E323 is one such item.

Design:

Yamaha PSR-E323 body design is rectangular in shape with a subtle silver coating. Compared to the Yamaha PSR 233 model, the size is intact and the weight is reduced from 4.9 Kg (10lbs., 13 oz) to 4.5 Kg (9lbs., 11oz.), by truly making it portable and compact keyboard. The buttons are white and black and made up of tactile rubber. In previous cases, many of the rounded buttons were poorly designed; the same is kept at a minimum in the PSR-E323 model. This PSR-E323 digital piano keyboard is the first to line up by introducing touch sensitive keyboard, comprising of 61 touch sensitive keys. The instrument is accompanied with a backlit LCD screen with good visibility from a reasonable distance. The rear part consists of pedal jacks and headphone jacks. Yamaha could do some improvement in the type of jack, as it still uses DIN type of jacks, whereas Casio uses the latest USB. The buttons and controls are slightly bigger and bolder accompanied by appropriate labeling, which was missing in the E313 model. Pitch of the note in the octave can be transferred either upward or downward in the main, dual and split modes. Playing in difficult key is facilitated by the transpose function. Every operation is notified on the display screen. The chord display notifies the name of the currently played chord, whereas the keyboard display indicates the note, melody and the chord notes.

Features:

Touch sensitive keyboard:

The highlight feature in PSR-E323 is the improvement in the keyboard type. From the regular keyboard, Yamaha has upgraded to the 61 regular-sized touch sensitive keys and 32-note polyphony. The touch response approximately creates an acoustic piano effect. In Acoustic keyboard, the sound difference is created by the variation in impact while striking the key. The higher the pressure applied, a louder noise is produced and vice versa. The touch sensitive keyboard tries to replicate the same functionality. It detects the pressure applied on each strike of the key. As a result the volume varies with the pressure, thereby creating the nearest acoustic effect. It is possible to change the tone or sound while playing.  The sound produced is highly appreciated by music teachers and beginners. Considering the practice range for beginners, this is an extremely prominent feature that is patched up.

Vocal performer:

Yamaha PSRE 323 comes with 482 dynamic instrument voices such as 108 panel voices, 361 XGlite voices, and 12 Drum Kits and Sound Effect Kit. The PSR-E323 also has 106 accompaniment styles and 102 built-in songs. It also comprises of 212 drum beat style with two variations. The two way stereo sound can be varied with 4 extra levels of chorus, DSP level and 9 types of acoustic values. The music data base covers 100 songs and the special two track recording feature can save up to five of user’s original songs, which is a good supplement for practice session. When compared to old Yamaha PSR 340 which originally contained 5 tracks, is shrinked to two tracks in this model. For eager composers, updating the keyboard with software permits to use more than two recording voice. Using the split mode selection, different voice for each hand is possible. The Sustain pedal jack at the rear is worthy for practicing and playing piano pieces. The most distinct and surprising aspect, is the sound quality integrated in such a beginner keyboard. The user manual can be understood easily without any complication.

Song Lessons:

The Yamaha PSR-E323 keyboard with Portable Grand Function is made highly interactive by infusing an educational suite in it. The user can monitor and improve performance and make the practice a very sensible one. Learning session can be interesting with the preset songs. In the “Listen and learn,” feature, the keyboard guides the user to listen and play. With the “timing” feature, the user can test their skills. “Waiting” feature is judging the chords, songs, melodies and timings. The Yamaha E323 has further items like, “Phrase Repeat,” and “Keys to Success.” It allows the player to opt a phrase in any one of the 102 preset songs already available with the keyboard, and can practice till it is easy for the user. It becomes all the more advantageous, as score is displayed on the LCD screen. The user can play any one of the preset songs “step by step”. It provides good approach, for music teachers to tutor the students effectively. The YES Yamaha Suite is advanced learning tool constructed in the instrument. It teaches to play and even master a song with simple lessons. The lesson can be learnt separately or using both the hands.

Other Features:

Yamaha has brought its unique Portable Grand Button feature in the PSRE 323 model too. The keyboard transforms to produce spectacular and rich sound. The access functionality is simple with just a touch of the grand function button.

MIDI:

The E323 possess MIDI capability. In simple words, it is possible to transfer and download style files and MIDI songs between the computer and keyboard. The files are stored in the internal memory. This MIDI functionality gives a realistic effect, because the sound is recorded in a two dimensional format, so as to avoid the cross over of reverb and sustain. The accessibility is made simple with just a press of button connecting to the PC. The songs can be edited, played and mailed if necessary.

XGlite:

The XGLite, an excellent key derived from Yamaha. It brings out sounds with a natural feel and has an extensive collection of almost 500 voices. Compatibility with third party software is appreciable. Sometimes, the voices in XGlite often felt as repetition of the standard voices. This could be avoided in the future models and can try recording innovative sounds.

Sound Effect:

Yamaha has tried the maximum to trigger out best sounds from almost all of their keyboards. This one is no exception. The sound quality is good and with the effect of the touch sensitive keyboard, the user gets a good feel and control to produce the desirable effect.

Speakers:

It is a good return on investment when the speaker quality is measured. Yet, at some instances, the volume output must be high so as to render a good listening, but the 2.5 watts per speaker is not efficient enough to pull the desired output. Connecting an amplifier through the amp/auxiliary socket solves the issue.

Distinct Effects:

The Yamaha PSR-E323 MIDI Keyboard consist of reverb effect. The Reverb effect mimics the sound in different environments such as a small room, concert hall or stadium. It fills the sound, by providing more “body” to it. Another distinct sound effect is the chorus effect that gives a richness and warmth to the voice. The user has good options of chorus type to be selected. Miscellaneous effects such as sound of barking dog, running water, and a creaking door add fun to the players especially if they are children.

Battery Life:

Yamaha E323 uses AA batteries and the battery life is almost 30 days and varies with usage. The keyboard also supports optional power adapter.

Warranty:

The Yamaha offers a limited warranty period of 1 year for PSR-E323 Portable Keyboard.

Verdict:

To paraphrase, the Yamaha PSRE 323 keyboard is excellent for beginners in the early teens and below that age. Especially, the highlight is the touch sensitive keyboard. Considering the age limit of the users, it is highly appreciated. The initial music learning experience must be a pleasant one and, the transition from using this basic keyboard to acoustic keyboard would be effortless for ambitious keyboardist. Yamaha focus on avoiding frustrations with the users, and hence has kept all the complications of an electronic instrument at bay. The concentration is fully tuned to deliver rich learning, listening and playing experience. All together, the features are evenly balanced and one might be surprised at the quality it performs at such a reasonable and affordable cost.

Check other Yamaha Piano Keyboard Reviews, Latest Digital Pianos in this website.

Yamaha PSR-E323 Digital Piano Keyboard – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Yamaha
Model Name	Yamaha PSR-E323
Dimensions (H x W x D)	132mm x 945mm x 369mm
Weight	4.9kg
Number of keys	61
Keyboard Type	Organ
Key Touch Sensitivity	Yes
Tone Generating Technology	AWM Stereo Sampling
Number of Polyphony	32
Number of Voices	108 + 361 XGlite + 13 Drum/SFX/SE Kits
Colour	Silver
Reverb types	9 types
Chorus types	4 types
Functions supported	Dual/Layers, Split and Panel Sustain
Number of Preset Styles	106
Fingering Intro	Multi / Full Keyboard
Style Control	Main x 2, Filling-in, Ending
Number of Preset Songs	102
Data Capacity	Approx. 10,000 notes
MIDI	IN/OUT
Recording Function	Yes
Internal Memory	373KB
Connectivity	DC IN DC IN 12V Headphones x 1 Sustain Pedal x 1 USB port x 1
Power Consumption	10W
Accessories	AC Power Adapter Music Rest
Warranty	1 year

Roland has been a leader in digital piano technology for many years and is known for professional quality instruments. The company boasts to have introduced a new chapter of evolution in the world of digital piano keyboards with its latest HP series of SuperNATURAL Pianos. Today, we will review the HP 305 belonging to this series. In this series, Roland has made the magical combination of the elements of the revolutionary V Piano with the company’s own multi-sampling technology. Roland claims that its HP305 delivers a unique sound, expressivity, and even the rich playing experience of a traditional acoustic grand piano. Let us find out if we have a winner in our hands.

Design:

Roland has paid very close attention to the design elements of the HP-Series, co-ordinating cabinet details with simulated wood grain or matching colours, and also adds the ability to cover the control panel with the fallboard for a more traditional look. All of its elements have been made as compact as possible. The Classic Position and 3 pedals with traditional design make playing easier and enhance its piano-like appearance. The front legs provide a luxurious look, which are classically shaped. A centralised control panel with dedicated buttons assures easy and intuitive operation, by connecting two headphones, two players can practice independently at the same time. The HP305 Digital Piano is available in three spectacular finishes of polished ebony, satin black, and rosewood.

SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine:

The Roland HP 305 features the new SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine, which we had mentioned earlier. This engine combines Roland’s state of the art V Piano technology and its 88 key stereo multi-sampling technology. The new sound engine was developed after intense research on the different characteristics of acoustic pianos. The goal of the sound engine is to reproduce rich tones and expression of a concert grand piano.  The HP 305 provides 128 polyphony, which are more than sufficient for the complex pieces. Roland has tested all 88 notes of a variety of world class pianos and applied its unique digital technology to reproduce the rich tone and expression of the world’s finest pianos.

Ivory Feel keys:

The Ivory Feel keys on this piano replicate the natural appearance, texture, and the moisture absorbing properties of real ivory and ebony keys. The keyboard offers same feel as grand piano, heavier touch in lower range, lighter touch in upper range and light resistance on pianissimo passages and stronger resistance on fortissimo.

Features:

The Roland HP-305 88 key Digital piano Keyboard is equipped with a metronome and three-track recorder function, and can playback a variety of songs so you have all you need to support your progress. Playback your favourite built in songs with accompaniment, commercially available music files, and music CDs to make your practice more enjoyable. The HP 305 has been loaded with a library of play-along songs from jazz to classical.  You can store songs in HP 305 in variety of formats, which include SMF music files, files stored on USB flash memory, and audio CDs. You can select the parts in SMF file to play back. You can play an orchestra part in the playback and play a piano part to create a powerful performance. The tempo of the playback song can also be changed, the Centre Cancel function can be used to minimise the melody part in Audio CD, and the possibilities are endless.

Twin Mode:

To help the piano teachers, the HP 305 digital keyboard includes Twin Piano Mode, which splits the keyboard and pedals into two separate parts covering the same octaves. This allows the teacher to play along with their student, which highly speeds up the process of learning.

Green:

Roland technology also enables this piano to feature environmentally friendly, low-power consumption without sacrificing output level.

Sound:

This breakthrough sound engine delivers seamless variations in tone, from pianissimo to fortissimo, decaying sounds which linger and fade naturally without any kind of looping. It also has an authentic sound transition from note to note across the digital piano keyboard. The natural touch of the Roland HP 305 digital piano keyboard comes from the use of hammer mechanisms that precisely reproduce the unique touch of an acoustic grand piano. It interacts with the SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine to mirror the subtleties while playing and hence, delivers finer rapid key strike expression.

Its special speaker system reproduces the sound generated by the Piano sound engine as a clear and spatial sound to allow players to give beautiful and smooth performances true only to the grand pianos. The piano tone is based on key range and touch with perfect smooth decay.  The tone change smoothly and naturally.

Warranty:

Roland offers its HP 305 Digital Piano Keyboard three years warranty.

Verdict:

The sound and touch of the Roland HP 305 Piano Keyboard is a result of persistent pursuit of characteristic of grand pianos. While the HP 305 is a mid market model, great attention has been paid to its sound quality, touch, and design. All the elements of HP 305 are made compact; the minimalistic and modern design of HP 305 makes it look like a true acoustic piano. Players can enjoy their performances to their hearts’ content on the PHA II Ivory Feel keyboard with escapement, which offers a natural texture and tactile feel. If at all there is anything such as a disadvantage with the Roland HP 305, it is its high end price tag. However, its amazing sound and performance justifies the bulky cost.

Roland HP-305 Upright Digital Piano – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Roland
Model Name	Roland HP 305 Digital Piano Keyboard
Dimensions (H x W x D)	1387 x 421 x 1039 mm
Weight	57.5 Kg
Keyboard	88 keys (PHA II ivory feel Keyboard with Escapement)
Touch Sensitivity	Touch: 5 levels/Fixed Touch
Display	7 segments, 3 characters, LED
Speakers	12 cm x 2, 5 cm x 2
Piano Sound Engine	SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine
Polyphony	128 voices
Tones	337 tones (including 8 drum sets, 1 SFX set)
Digital effects	Reverb (Off, 1 to 10), Rotary Speaker Effect (only for organ tones, Slow/Fast) Only for Piano Tones: Damper Resonance (Off, 1 to 10), String Resonance (Off, 1 to 10), Key Off Resonance (Off, 1 to 10)
Tracks	3 tracks
Songs	Recorder section: 1 song Internal Memory: Max. 99 songs
Temperament	8 types, selectable temperament Key
Stretched Tuning	On, Off
Master Tuning	415.3 to 466.2 Hz (adjustable in increments of 0.1 Hz)
Note Storage	Approx. 30,000 notes
Control	Song Select, Play/Stop, Rec, Rewinding, Fast-forwarding, Track Mute, Mute Volume, Tempo, Tempo Mute, All Songs Play, Count-in, Song Volume, Center Cancel (only for audio playback)
Tempo	Quarter note = 10 to 500 Audio Playback Speed: 75–125%
Resolution	120 ticks per quarter note
Metronome	Beat: 2/2, 0/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 3/8, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 Volume: 0 to 10 levels
Internal Memory	Max. 99 songs Song save: Standard MIDI Files (Format 0)
External Storage	USB Memory, Floppy Disk (when using an optional floppy disk drive)
Playable Software	Standard MIDI Files (Format 0/1), Roland Original Format (i-Format), Audio File (WAV 44.1 kHz / 16-bit Linear Format), Audio CDs (CD-DA) (when using a CD drive)
Internal Songs	72 songs
Rated Power Output	30 W x 2
Pedal	Damper (capable of continuous detection), Soft (capable of continuous detection, function assignable), Sostenuto (function assignable)
Other Function	Panel Lock, Classic Position, V-LINK
Connectors	AC inlet, Input jacks (L/Mono, R), Output jacks (L/Mono, R), USB connector, MIDI connectors (In, Out), Phones jack (Stereo) x 2, External Memory connector
Power Consumption	85 W
Package	Owner’s Manual, Power Cord, Music book, Headphone Hook
Warranty	Three Years