Ryan Harrell

If you’re learning to play piano, a MIDI keyboard can be an affordable alternative to a full-fledged digital piano. While you will have to make some compromises, the low cost makes it possible for anyone to pick up a MIDI keyboard and start learning. This article looks at the best MIDI keyboard for learning piano you can buy right now.

I’ll be honest: this is a confusing topic to write about.

Nominally, “MIDI keyboard” usually means a controller (such as the Akai MPK Mini) without any built-in sounds that you use to control a DAW. Originally, these keyboards used to have MIDI-only ports (hence the name), but virtually every modern MIDI keyboard has USB as well.

Which basically means that they are not just “MIDI keyboards”, but also “USB keyboards”.

But most digital pianos, workstations, and synthesizers also have USB and MIDI, and they have built-in sounds. You can very well connect your Yamaha digital piano to your computer and use it to control your DAW.

So when I was shortlisting keyboards for this roundup, I had to wonder: should I focus only on MIDI keyboards, or should I include synths, digital pianos, and workstations as well? What really is the difference between them at all since technically they can all be used as MIDI keyboards?

Which is why this review includes every kind of keyboard on the market – MIDI-only keyboards, digital pianos, and even workstations.

The one thing they have in common is that they’re great for learning piano.

So with that disclaimer, let’s look at the best MIDI keyboard for learning piano you can buy right now.

Best Overall

This portable keyboard is one of the best MIDI keyboards for learning the Piano. I love the intuitive design that makes it clear right off the bat that beginners will find it easy and pleasurable to use. Coming in at a mere 4 Kg, this keyboard is quite portable and gets around fairly often. You can carry it wherever you go without any problems. It has port and I/O that widens the range of stuff you can do with it.

Aside from that, it comes with Bluetooth options. Create your music on this MIDI keyboard and play it to selected entertainment systems that have Bluetooth capabilities. As a mark of the portability, this keyboard not only runs on electricity but can use AA batteries too.

The features of this keyboard ensure that all and sundry can use it with ease. As it comes with 500 pre-installed sounds, there is virtually no limit to the music you can mix and produce. The sounds are from Juno DS’s experienced synthesizers. While in use, I observed the clarity and realistic nature of these sounds.

A feature that I am quite sure new users and beginners will find appealing is the Loop Mix. With this feature, you can add sounds that will be played on a loop and make it easy for them to make music.

What we don’t like

Well, as a “proper” player, I found the keyboard too simple for my tastes.

Best Digital Piano: Yamaha P45

The Yamaha P45 is a digital piano from Yamaha that sports a great build and that comes with 88 weighted keys.

As it is an entry-level keyboard, I didn’t expect much in terms of design and performance from the P45. Nevertheless, while it doesn’t exactly take the breath away, it is still a remarkable budget option. The Yamaha looks solid. It does not come with any bells and whistles; rather, it sports a simple yet professional look. You have no doubts with the Yamaha P45; it is a piano that simply encourages you to play.

It is encased in plastic. The matte finish makes it look sturdy, and indeed, as I carried it, I could feel the strength of construction. It is a keyboard that with proper care will last for a long time. Unlike other pianos on this list, the Yamaha comes in just 2 color variations: black and white.

The solid build does not imply that it is clunky or has to be lugged around. The Yamaha is meant to be carried around. Hence the design screams portability. Set up is very easy. It comes with a stand that ensures the safety and efficiency of this keyboard.

The keys are not made of wood, which isn’t exactly surprising: it is a budget level keyboard after all. Instead, they are made of plastic. Nevertheless, they are well built and firm. I loved the realistic feeling I got from the keys. This is likely because these keys come with an actual hammer to weigh them down.

If you do not like the touch sensitivity of these keys like I didn’t, the option to adjust them is present. I used this feature and got a level I found very satisfactory.

As for the sound of this Piano, it is quite good. This is even more remarkable when you remember that it is an entry-level piano. It comes with different instrument sounds like Grand pianos, Vibraphone, Strings, and others.

What we don’t like

The Piano’s key action lacks more than 2 sensors. Hence, when I tried playing fast repeated notes and controlling the sound, I found it really hard.

Best Entry Level: Alesis Recital 88

This keyboard from Alesis continues the company’s tradition of producing quality keyboards that have a great design, and that can stand the test of time.

It comes with 88 full sized keys. These fully weighted and sensitive keys are great to touch. I found them great and easy to use. Furthermore, their being fully weighted indicate they have a professional feel. Longtime players and beginners looking to experience the weight of professional keyboards will feel comfortable with this keyboard.

The Piano comes with a feature that correlates the amount of force used on a key with the amount of volume generated. Therefore, the harder you press on the keyboard, the louder and sharper the sound becomes. This makes for interesting sounds for players that have the slightest ounce of creativity.

The keyboard comes with customizable sensitivity levels. On a keyboard with already sensitive and responsive keys, this is great.

It comes in a small, portable size. The portability is further strengthened by the option of using D-cell batteries on the keyboard. It is also AC powered.

The Piano comes with 12 pre-installed voices and 3 effects: modulations, reverb, and chorus. Considering the price of this entry-level Piano, it has many rich features. It comes in 2 modes, the lesson mode, and the split mode. It also has the metronome feature and the transpose feature. Aside from the standard pitch and mod wheels, the keyboard comes with some other buttons like the octave up and octave down buttons that help users to extend the note ranges of the keyboard.

It is compatible with a host of software and MIDI hardware devices. It comes with Ableton Live Lite that gives you even easier ways of producing great music. Altogether, the features and the design make this a very satisfactory keyboard.

What we don’t like

Sound quality from the Alesis Q88 is slightly disappointing.

Best Workstation: Roland FA-08 88

Fresh from out of the box, it is clear that this new keyboard from Roland means business. Unlike previous keyboards that I used in the Fantom series, there are no bells and whistles attached to this keyboard. The design is minimalistic and straight to business. The keyboard comes with 88 keys, each of which is weighted. While testing, I observed the responsiveness of each key is quite impressive. Considering that this is a weighted keybed, I found the keys fast and great to use. I do not predict player fatigue as a result of the keyboard.

The interface of the keyboard is set on a large LCD panel. The panel houses navigation buttons, a scroll wheel, and other buttons and knobs. All the main settings can be found on the LCD panel.The high-quality of the LCD panel is a testament to the level of detail and attention put into creating this keyboard. The layout is never redundant, and every single layout is meant to make it easier to use.

On the left side of the panel, there is a sound modification area. On this side, 6 knobs exist, with each knob fully customizable and controlling different sound effects. As a controller keyboard, it has a DAW control button. This can also be found on the left-hand module of the keyboard.

Moving on to the right side of the keyboard, you have the arpeggiator which is flanked by the chord control. These are fully customizable to ensure ease of use. You have many tweaks you can make here. There is also a tap tempo button, which I found to be a nifty addition to the keyboard. All these buttons, knobs and controllers are found on this bad boy, along with other controls.

Moving on to the connections, it is clear that Roland has discarded fancy and ultimately pointless parts in favor of more practicality. The keyboard has a host of connections that I found very useful. At the rear of the keyboard, you will find 2 balanced and 1 unbalanced ¼” outputs, a sub out, an SDHC slot, a pair of USB ports, and many other connectors.

The sound that emanates from this keyboard is mighty impressive. Roland is known for churning out keyboards with impressive sounds and does so once again with the Roland FA-08 88. The synthesis engine on this baby is quite good. It has a 128-note polyphonic synthesis engine. There is a slew of instrument sounds that accompany the keyboard. From drums to guitar, the number of represented instruments is quite great.

As for the effects on this keyboard, they are no less impressive. You have a high degree of control over the tones and Studio Sets. One feature I liked is the way the keyboard allows you to have a Studio Set with a multi-effect for each. You can choose from the over 60 effects on the keyboard. The sequencer allows you to sequence up to 16 tracks, which is really remarkable.

Overall, this workstation is very impressive.

What we don’t like

The keys on this keyboard are not velocity-sensitive. The lack of a touchscreen on the LCD is another gripe I had.

Most Portable: Williams Legato 88

This entry-level keyboard comes with 88 fully sized and weighted keys that give the feel of a more expensive piano.

It comes in a matte black décor. This makes it look compact and more professional than its more flashy contemporaries. It is lightweight and can be carried around with ease. Nevertheless, it won’t fool anyone into believing it is more than a budget option.

On the panel of the keyboard there is a Power Switch, the standard effects buttons, Metronome mode, Reverb mode, the Split mode and a host of other buttons. It lacks a screen which is a bummer but is not surprising at this price. The rear panel of the keyboard features a number of ports for connectivity. There is a MIDI port, sustain jack and other I/O.

On first sight, it seems Williams is out to make the cheapest keyboard on the market and sell as many units as possible.

This is underlined by the tacky looking design and the horrible plastic housing. The buttons, knobs, and design look cheap. The semi-weighted keys of the keyboard feel like the normal keyboards on the market. The plastic keys feel super-cheap.

During testing, despite the bad aesthetics of the keyboard, it surprisingly doesn’t sound as bad as it sounds. It sounds warm and of acceptable quality. As it is still a low-entry device, the speakers cannot compete with the sound obtained from bigger and more expensive keyboards. The speakers sound bad and do not allow you to enjoy the full range of sound.

What we don’t like

Well, as this is a budget device, Williams has decided to eliminate features that would increase the price. For instance, it lacks a screen and recorder. The keys are also not graded and feel more like organ keys than piano keys.

Over to You

There are a lot of MIDI keyboards around that are fantastic for learning piano. Some offer more than just MIDI out and even double up as entire workstations and digital pianos.

We’ve covered some of the best MIDI keyboards for learning piano in this roundup. Pick the right option for your needs from this list and start jamming!

For more recommendations and advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Also read:

• Want a general-purposes MIDI keyboard for controling your DAW? Here are our top picks.
• Yamaha loyalist? Then you’ll love our roundup of the best Yamaha keyboards
• Beginner learning to play the piano? Check out our guide to the best digital pianos for beginners

References:

• Should I get a MIDI keyboard or a digital piano? [Quora]
• Digital Piano vs MIDI Controller [Reddit]
• Roland (official site)
• Yamaha (official site)
• Williams (official site)

The Yamaha P125 is the most recent update in Yamaha’s legendary P series of mid-range digital pianos. An upgrade to the ever popular P115 (and before that, P105), this keyboard adds new features, better speakers, and a smart app for beginners as well as serious pianists. Find out if this is the perfect digital piano for you in this Yamaha P125 review.

Yamaha’s P series has to be one of the most successful line of musical equipment ever made. The P95 was a critical and commercial hit, the P105 drastically reduced the weight (we reviewed it here) and the P115 added new smart features.

The P125 is the latest iteration in the P series. Launched in early 2018, it’s Yamaha’s mid-range flagship and remains one of its most sought after digital pianos, especially among serious pianists.

While not much has changed in terms of build quality or the sound engine, Yamaha has added better speakers and paired everything up with a very handy smart app. It’s not a revolutionary upgrade, but an evolutionary one. Truth be told, this is what I expected when the P125 was first announced – the P115 was already touching the limits of what’s possible in a mid-range digital piano and there wasn’t much room to revolutionize the keyboard further.

Is this upgrade worth the money? Are the new speakers truly better? What kind of buyer will the P125 appeal to?

Find out in this Yamaha P125 review.

Yamaha P125 Review: At a Glance

Here’s everything that I think about the Yamaha P125 review in one glance. Use this if you’re in a hurry or want something for reference later.

For a more detailed Yamaha P125 review, read on.

Build Quality & Design: 4.2/5

Why change what’s not broken?

That’s the philosophy Yamaha seems to have approached with the P125. Nothing much has changed as far as the build quality, weight, and design are concerned. Visually, you won’t even be able to tell the P125 and its predecessor, P115, apart.

While you might blame Yamaha for being lazy with the upgrade, I personally don’t think there was much room to change things. The P series reached its pinnacle of build quality with the P105, and there isn’t much you can do to improve things further.

Nonetheless, let’s take a closer look at the overall design, build quality, and other physical features in our Yamaha P125 review.

Portability

The biggest change since the P105 has been portability. Yamaha smartly recognized that the people buying their mid-priced keyboards weren’t just serious beginners, but also amateur artists dragging their keyboards around to live gigs. The weight dropped substantially in the P105 iteration, going from nearly 40+ lbs to barely 26lbs.

This feature hasn’t changed much in the P125. The weight is still the same, though the dimensions are the tiniest bit smaller. However, when placed next to its predecessor, you can’t really tell them apart.

The P125 remains one of the lightest digital pianos in this price range. It is substantially lighter than Yamaha’s own arranger keyboards like the DGX-660 (46 lbs). The only comparable keyboards that weigh less than it are the Casio PX-160 (24.5lbs). The difference, however, is minute enough to be immaterial; any adult should be easily able to carry the P125 around to live gigs.

Build Quality

The build quality is unmistakably Yamaha. The chassis is made from high-grade hard plastic with a glossy finish. The buttons, though small, are tactile and have a satisfying click. The keys are high quality plastic. The black keys have a matte finish for better while playing.

I do think that Yamaha sacrificed long-term durability for portability. As good as the plastics are, I would have preferred something even tougher. A digital piano isn’t something you buy every couple of years; if you’re buying this one, you’ll likely use it for a decade. Given that gigging musicians might also buy it, tougher construction would have better handled the rigors of the road.

Another miss is the lack of textured keys. A lot of high-end digital pianos nowadays have textured keys to simulate the ebony/ivory keys on actual grand pianos (a feature called Ivory Touch). This feature has started seeping into mid-priced digital pianos as well. I would have liked to see Yamaha step things up a notch and include textured keys in the P125.

Design

There’s nothing much I say about the design except that it’s “striking” and “minimalist” – words I’ve repeated for every P series keyboard since my original P105 review.

Yamaha’s design philosophy for it’s keyboards is rather simple:

• Low-end keyboards (such as the PSR series) have a friendlier, more expressive design. PSR-series digital keyboards look like digital keyboards with large buttons, dials, and screens.
• Mid-range keyboards, such as the P-series, look like halfway between a real upright acoustic piano and a digital instrument. The buttons are visible, but they are smaller and there is no screen.
• High-end keyboards, such as the YDP series, are meant to simulate acoustic pianos. The controls are hidden away and they’re usually sold with upright furniture stands to mimic real pianos.

You have to see the P125’s design choices within this context. Yamaha wants to acknowledge that this is a digital piano, while also giving the impression that it could be an acoustic instrument.

The small buttons (which I had criticized earlier for being too small) and minimalist aesthetic, thus, are intentional.

Overall, the P125 looks decidedly Japanese. The layout is extremely clean and the buttons are neatly organized. The only striking feature is the red line that runs across the length of the keyboard.

If you like your digital pianos to look like the real thing, you won’t be disappointed.

I have to point out that the layout has a slight right hand bias. The controls are placed near the left side of the device which makes them easier to use for right-handed players (since your left hand would be free). Perhaps if the buttons were placed more in the center of the keyboard, it would be better.

Oh and before I forget, you can also get the P125 in white color which, despite being a dust magnet, looks absolutely stunning.

Conclusion

To round up this section of our Yamaha P125 review, I’d say that this is one of the better built mid-priced digital pianos. It uses some of the best plastics and has a gorgeous, minimalist design. Although not as “real” as the YDP series keyboards, the P125 does a great job of looking and feeling like an actual acoustic piano.

To sum it up:

• Beautifully built; everything looks and feels premium
• Minimalist design looks stunning
• Small buttons and lack of textured keys are a miss

Sound Quality & Performance: 4.4/5

The Yamaha P125 looks good, but does it sound as good as well?

Let’s find out in this section of our Yamaha P125 review.

Keyboard

Let’s talk about the single most important part of any digital piano: the keyboard.

Like all of Yamaha’s mid-range keyboards, the P125, like its predecessor, has 88 full-sized keys with Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action.

Since the keyboard is arguably the most important part of any digital piano, I feel this part deserves a more detailed explanation.

Yamaha’s keyboards have three types of graded hammer action:

• GH/GHE (Graded Hammer Effect): This is Yamaha’s premium weighted action and is only found in its top of the line YDP-series and up. The components are higher quality and offer a smoother and quieter performance.
• GH3: This is similar to GHE but the action is faster. Press a key and it springs back into place faster than the GHE. It’s similar in performance to the GHE, but is meant for faster playback.
• GHS (Graded Hammer Standard): This is Yamaha’s mid-range weighted action and is meant for beginners and intermediate players. The keys have variable weight which helps mimic the action of a real-world piano.

Essentially, every GHS keyboard has weights built into the keys. The weights are heavier on the lower bass keys, and become lighter as you go up the octaves. This weight is meant to simulate the action of a real piano where bass notes tend to be more tightly wound, and thus, heavier.

Good weight distribution in any keyboard is paramount for accurate performance. Higher notes tend to be played faster. Bass notes, on the other hand, are often held longer. You’re not going to play a lot of staccato bass notes, but you might do that on higher octaves. If the weighted action isn’t variable, it would be very difficult to play fast, staccato notes on higher keys (this is why it’s next to impossible to play proper piano pieces on a synth action keyboard).

Yamaha’s GHS has been the industry standard ever since it was launched. Over the years, Yamaha has made small changes to the action, but by and large, it has remained largely the same.

Yamaha claims that they’ve made the GHS action on the P125 smoother than P115, but the difference was not noticeable to this reviewer. Perhaps the difference is in the durability of components, but that’s something you’ll only find out over extended use.

I would argue that Kawai’s RHC (Responsive Hammer Compact) action is better than Yamaha GHS in terms of sheer responsiveness. But in terms of sheer durability and versatility, you can’t beat the GHS. It’s perfect for beginners and intermediate pianists. It also works perfectly for a wider range of music styles. You can really hammer on the keys if you’re playing, say, rock ballads. And you can go really soft too – like the opening notes of Fur Elise.

Needless to say, like the P115, the P125 also has variable touch sensitivity. You have four settings to choose from:

• Hard – Ideal for pianists with a heavier playing style. Also works great for genres or songs that require a great deal of piano bashing (say, the last solo in November Rain)
• Soft – The soft setting makes the piano particularly sensitive. It’s great for pianists with a light touch or songs that require delicate control. For most songs, however, the soft setting will be too sensitive.
• Medium – The default setting on the P125. This will work for 95% of users.
• Fixed – This setting removes touch sensitivity altogether. You’ll want to use it in some synth-based tracks/sounds or if you’re using the P125 as a MIDI keyboard.

As I mentioned above, I’m slightly disappointed that Yamaha didn’t include textured keys on the P125. It’s time one of the big manufacturers bring this feature down to mid-range keyboards. You shouldn’t have to spend $1,000+ to know what ivory/ebony keys feel like.

Sound Quality

To understand the P125’s sound quality, you have to first understand how digital pianos produce sound.

Unlike synthesizers (which, as the name implies, synthesize sound from raw digital or analog signals), digital pianos are essentially samplers. That is, they include a bank of sound samples that are triggered when you press specific keys.

As with any sampler, the quality of the output sound depends a great deal on the quality of the original samples. If the original sound itself is poor, there is no amount of algorithm magic that can improve it.

Yamaha’s mid-range keyboards have a big advantage on this count. All these keyboards use the Pure CF sound engine. This sound engine uses samples recorded from Yamaha’s legendary CFIIIS 9′ concert grand piano that cost well over six-figures.

Since the source itself has such a rich and vibrant sound, the Pure CF sound engine, and by proxy, the P125, also sounds positively stunning. When you’re using the default concert grand piano sound, you’re practically playing the $100k CFIIIS 9′ piano.

But a few things have changed from the P115.

One of the biggest change is the use of 4-layer sampling. The P115 Pure CF sound engine included 3 layers of samples. Yamaha has bumped this to include an additional layer. This fourth layer adds a touch of richness to the sound that was previously missing. You’ll heart it particularly when you’re using the headphones, thanks to the stereophonic optimizer.

Speaking of the stereophonic optimizer, this is a new feature on the P125 that widens the sound when you’re using headphones. As someone who likes to play his music late at night, I’m a heavy headphone users. Most digital pianos, including the P105 and P115, sound scrunched up on headphones.

The stereophonic optimizer feature kicks in when you’re using headphones and widens the sound stage. This creates a sense of roominess that was previously missing.

A third and perhaps biggest new improvement to sound quality is a new set of speakers. Like the P115, the P125 also has two regular 12cm speakers and a pair of 4cm tweeters.

However, the speakers are placed in such a manner that they project sound in both upward and downward direction. This creates a richer sound profile and better mimics the free-ranging sound projection of an acoustic piano – as this visual from Yamaha shows.

You can now feel the sound envelop you. In rooms with good acoustics, the feeling is absolutely magical.

A big negative is the pedal included with the P125. This pedal feels light and chintzy, and doesn’t nearly do justice to the excellent build quality of the P125. I feel that Yamaha just packaged its cheapest pedal in order to bump up the perceived value of the device. You’ll want to throw it out asap and get a better quality pedal instead.

Another cool improvement is that the polyphony has been bumped up to 192 from 128 in the last iteration. You likely won’t even notice it but it’s good to know that you have additional room for extra notes – should you ever manage the keyboard that far.

Connectivity

Ever since the P105, Yamaha has included two connections as standard in the P-series digital pianos:

• USB to Host to connect the piano to a computer or MIDI  sampler
• L/R line out ports to connect to a mixer

The P125 is no different and includes both these connections, along with ports for sustain and pedal units. A gigging musician will particularly appreciate the L/R 1/4″ line out ports. They make it much easier to hook up the P125 to a mixer.

There are also two headphone ports located on the front of the device. These come in handy when you’re learning alongside a teacher.

I have to make a special mention of the USB to Host port. This is the port you’ll use to connect the keyboard to an iPad for using the Smart Pianist app. You’ll also use it to connect the piano to a computer for transferring files or using the keyboard as a MIDI controller.

While transferring MIDI files is standard enough, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that you can record audio directly via the P125. Just plug in the keyboard to your computer and play your piece. Instead of MIDI, you have the option to record it as audio – without relying on external converters or mics.

However, a big negative is that the P125 does not ship with A-B USB cable necessary for connecting it to a computer. You will also have to buy a Lighting to USB cable in case you want to connect it to an iPad or iPhone.

Given how much Yamaha touts the Smart Pianist app as a key feature (more on this below), I would have liked if they had thrown in a free A to B USB cable in the box.

Conclusion

To round up this Yamaha P125 review, I would say that this digital piano is a marked improvement over its predecessor. The new sound engine is richer, the sound quality on headphones is substantially better, and the new speakers do better job of projecting the sound.

However, lack of textured keys and a missing cable are definite misses and keep this keyboard from being “exceptional” instead of just being “great”.

Yamaha P125 Review: Features: 4.1/5

This is the part where Yamaha has made the biggest improvements. There are more sounds, a brand new app, and new modes to play around with. For a certain kind of buyer, these new features alone might be worth the upgrade.

However – and I think I can speak for most serious pianists – these features are hardly going to swing your decision. If you’re looking for a keyboard in this range, your top concerns are likely sound and build quality.

Having said that, I also understand that Yamaha doesn’t really have a lot of room to improve as far as the quality of the keyboard or sound are concerned. The only way to make this new offering stand out is through evolutionary changes such as newer sounds and smart apps.

Keep this in mind as you read through this section. These new features are nothing to ignore, but they’re also unlikely to be the only reason why you’d choose the P125.

1. There are 10 new sounds taking the complete range of built-in sounds to 24. There are the original 14 sounds found in the P115, but there are also new grand piano, electric piano, organ and string sounds.

My favorite new sounds are Organ Tutti and Vibraphone.

That said, outside of the grand piano and e-piano sounds, the P series’ onboard sounds have always been something of a miss. The guitar sounds are too artificial and organ sounds too tinny.

If you’re buying this for versatility, you’ll do better by picking an arranger keyboard.

Stick to the P125 for its core grand piano sounds.

2. The built-in effects is the same. You get one reverb effect with four room settings (hall, concern hall, club, and chamber) and that’s it.

This should suffice for most users though I do wonder if Yamaha missed a trick by not including some additional effects. A chorus or delay would have added some interesting sound design choices. Since there are new e-piano sounds, a flanger or phaser might have been nice as well.

Certainly adding more on-board sound effects is something Yamaha needs to consider for the next version of the P125.

3. Table EQ improves sound performance on flat surfaces. Remember when I told you how the P125 now projects sound in both upwards and downwards direction?

That sounds great when you’re using a stand, but if you’re keeping the piano on a flat, solid surface, you’ll get nasty reflections from the downwards facing speakers.

Yamaha smartly recognized this and built a Table EQ feature. This feature cuts out frequencies from the downwards facing speakers such that you get minimal reflections on flat surfaces.

A very handy tool if you plan to keep the P125 on a desk.

4. You get both Sound Boost and IAC. We saw these features in Yamaha P115 and they mark a presence here as well.

Sound Boost is an EQ + volume feature that boosts treble frequencies. The purpose is to make the high end stand out more when the piano is played with other instruments. The effect is marginal and likely won’t be noticeable in 99% of situations.

Intelligence Acoustic Control (IAC) solves the problem so many pianists have faced: low frequencies are just not audible enough at low volumes.

IAC boosts the volume of both top and low end frequencies at low volumes such that they cut through the mix more. The effect is particularly more pronounced with low frequencies.

I like it – it makes practice sessions particularly better. But it’s not nearly remarkable enough for Yamaha to dub it “revolutionary” as it has in its marketing.

5. There are more playing modes now. You already have the standard Duet Mode which has been around since P95. If you’re unaware, in Duet Mode, the keyboard is divided into two halves. It’s great for practicing alongside a teacher, or, as the name implies, perform a duet.

Refer to this graphic to understand all the different modes:

Additionally, there is now a Split Mode. This mode allows you to split the keyboard into two instruments. Both sections play separate instruments (usually a bass instrument on the low frequencies on the left and a treble instrument on the right).

You can change the split point as well.

There is also a Dual Mode where instead of separate zones, you can play two instruments at the same time. It’s great for creating more complex arrangement – like playing strings alongside a piano.

In practice, outside of Duet Mode – which is helpful while learning alongside a teacher – you’ll rarely ever use Dual or Split mode. They’re nice novelties to play around with but hardly something you’ll ever pull out in a live gig or even use on a semi-regular basis.

6. The P125 skimps on the accompaniment features. The P105 introduced the “Pianist Styles” feature that created backing tracks in different piano styles (Jazz, Blues, etc.). The P125 removes this feature altogether.

Instead, you get a wider range of Rhythm Accompaniments (also introduced in P105). This feature creates drums in different styles to play along to. From the 10 rhythms originally introduced in P105, you now get 20 rhythm styles, including some very effective Fast Jazz and Shuffle rhythms.

I can’t say I’ll miss the Pianist Styles feature – I don’t know anyone who used it regularly. But I do appreciate the expanded rhythm accompaniment feature – this is something you’ll use far more often.

7. There is a new app. This is Yamaha’s “big” feature for the P125 – a brand new app called Smart Pianist.

This app gives you complete control over the P125. You can choose from a range of onboard sounds, change the pitch, choose different reverb effects, pedal performance, etc.

Yamaha also touts its Smart Chord feature that allows you to extract chords from songs on your smartphone/tablet.

In practice, this feature only works if the track is simple enough and the chords audible enough. Don’t expect it to work with your Tool albums, though it should be able to extract chords from simple ballads.

The Smart Pianist app was only available on iOS when the P125 was launched. Thankfully, Yamaha has since expanded support to Android as well.

On the whole, the Smart Pianist makes controlling the P125 easier, but it’s not a revolutionary leap in technology. Given that you have to plug in your keyboard into your smart device, you likely won’t even use it much.

8. The onboard recorder is as dismal as ever. While I understand this isn’t an arranger keyboard, and that everyone can easily plug the P125 into a computer/smartphone, I’m yet again disappointed by the onboard recorder.

Like its predecessors, the Yamaha P125 only supports recording of two tracks. That’s abysmally low for modern day standards. I’m not looking to create complex arrangements on this keyboard, but Yamaha could have at least bumped this up to 8 tracks.

The limited tracks feel particularly egregious when you consider how Yamaha has expanded the number of sounds to 24. If you’re going to give me 24 instruments to play with, at least give me the option to record more than two of them.

Yamaha P125 Review: Overall: 4.3/5

The Yamaha P125 is an evolutionary change that improves on many of the shortcomings of its predecessor. The sound quality is the best it has ever been thanks to a new speaker arrangement, and the keybed has been fine-tuned even further.

There are also a bunch of new features to improve sound quality a little bit more. Table EQ, Sound Boost, IAC – these are all welcome additions, as are the new rhythm styles.

On the whole, if you’re looking for your first mid-range digital piano, the P125 would be perfect for you.

However, if you already have one of the older models from the P series (or its equivalent from Casio/Roland/Kawai), the P series doesn’t offer enough to warrant an upgrade.

To sum up this Yamaha P125 review, here’s a quick overview of all its pros and cons:

What’s good:

What’s not good:

My recommendation: Get the Yamaha P125 in two situations:

• You’re upgrading from a beginner keyboard (such as the Yamaha PSR E363)
• You’ve never bought a serious digital piano before

It makes little sense to upgrade to the P125 from an older model in the P series (or equivalent from other brands). You’re better off saving up for a high-end keyboard instead.

For everyone else, the P125 will be an excellent first “serious” digital piano.

Also read:

• Our list of the best digital pianos you can buy in 2020
• MIDINation’s pick of the best digital pianos for learning
• If you’re looking for a MIDI keyboard, read this article

References:

• Yamaha USA [Official website]
• What are the differences between different Yamaha actions? [Yamaha.com]
• Kawai keyboard actions [KawaiUS.com]
• The importance of weighted keys [SageMusic]

FAQs About This Yamaha P125 Review

Before I leave, let’s answer a few quick questions to round up this Yamaha P125 review:

Q. What extras will I need to purchase?

The P125 ships with an AC adapter and a pedal. However, as I mentioned above, the pedal is cheap and not satisfying to use at all. You’ll want to buy a better pedal at least.

In addition to this, you’ll also want to buy:

• A pair of headphones – preferably studio headphones for an accurate sound profile
• A USB A-to-B adapter for connecting the P125 to a computer
• A stand
• A Lightning to USB adapter if you’re using an iPhone or Mac, or a USB A to C converter if you’re connecting to an Android

Can you record with the Yamaha P125?

Yes, there are three ways to record with the Yamaha P125:

• Use the built-in recorder to record up to two tracks
• Connect the P125 to a computer and use a MIDI sequencer/DAW to record MIDI notes
• Connect the P125 to a computer and record audio directly via USB

And of course, you can always just place a mic next to the speakers, though I can’t see any reason why you’d want to do that.

Does it come with a stand?

Sadly no – the Yamaha P125 doesn’t ship with a stand. It does, however, have a nifty Table EQ feature to negate unwanted frequencies when using it on a table or other flat surface.

That said, you’ll want to buy a stand asap since that makes the playing experience significantly better.

Does the Smart Pianist app work on Android smartphones?

When it was launched, the Smart Pianist app was iOS only. This was a major negative and Yamaha quickly rectified this problem by launching the app on Android in early 2019.

So you can now use the Smart Pianist app on any device you choose – Android or iOS.

The Yamaha P105 is the replacement to the legendary and ever-popular Yamaha P95. Effortlessly easy to pick up, yet packed with features, this keyboard promises to hold its own in practice rooms as well as recording studios. In this Yamaha P105 review, we put this keyboard through the grinder and tell you if it’s worth your money.

As far as music gear companies go, Yamaha doesn’t really need any introduction. What Gibson is to electric guitars, Yamaha is to digital pianos. Yamaha absolutely dominates the low, mid, and even high-end of the digital piano market, leaving others to eke out niches here and there.

To this reviewer, this dominance is highly deserved. Yamaha is a legit pioneer in the digital piano space, leveraging its century-old history in acoustic gear to create the most realistic sounding digital pianos.

The Yamaha P105 is the company’s mid-range offering. It’s powerful yet portable and aims to be at home in the practice room as well as live gigs.

Does it meet this brief? Is it a worthy successor to the legendary Yamaha P95?

Find out in this Yamaha P105 Review.

Yamaha P105 Review: At a Glance

Here’s everything that I think about the Yamaha P105 in one glance. Use this if you’re in a hurry or want something for reference later.

For a more detailed Yamaha P105 review, read on.

Build Quality & Design: 4.3/5

Overview: The Yamaha 105 is built specifically for practicing musicians. Consequently, Yamaha has prioritized portability in this model. Yamaha knows that most gig venues don’t have their own acoustic pianos and musicians have to bring their own gear. As such, every single design decision on the P105 is meant to make live gigging easier.

Let’s take a closer look at the overall design, build-quality and other physical features.

Portability: Let’s talk about the biggest reason why you’d want to buy this unit in the first place – portability.

Unlike older models in the P-series, the P105 has lost a considerable amount of weight. It’s barely over 25 lbs – a far cry from the 40+ lbs of the P95. I had no problems dragging the P105 into my Uber to take to a gig.

Yamaha has also squeezed the dimensions by reducing the size of the speakers. Instead of full-fledged speakers, you get two small tweeters and woofers. The sound quality is arguably better while the dimensions are reduced further by a few inches – a big deal when you’re gigging.

Build Quality: The build quality is typically mid-range Yamaha – all smooth and robust. The keys have a wonderful smooth finish and the piano black really glistens. All the buttons are made of hard plastic and have a soft bevelled top that’s pleasant to touch. The main chassis is hard plastic + bits of metal. It’s lightweight without feeling flimsy. I can confidently say that this is one of the best built mid-range digital pianos you can find.

Design: Yamaha’s aesthetics in the P range is drastically different from its beginner-focused PSR range. There is a stronger focus on minimalism and getting out of the way of the player. This means minimal (or absent) screens and smaller buttons that allow you to focus on the keys, not the features.

This philosophy is amply on display in the Yamaha P105. It has no screen (nor should you need one in this category). All the buttons are small, tiny even, and are cleanly laid out along a single horizontal line.

A striking feature is a red line running along the top of the keys. I understand this is a personal preference, but I loved this aesthetic touch. It adds a pop of color to what can otherwise be a very minimalist and monotone design. Plsu, it helps create a visually distinct “space” for the keys.

I personally also love the angularness of the Yamaha P105. Everything is laid out in straight lines. From the speakers to the buttons, there is hardly any roundness in any element. It feels distinctly like a Made-in-Japan product.

Usability: Usability refers to the placement of different features/buttons and how they affect real-world usage. On this front, the Yamaha P105 can be a mixed bag. The focus on minimalism means that a lot of the buttons are smaller than they would be on a beginner-focused keyboard. There are also missing features like a screen. Plus, Yamaha has used very tiny LEDs to indicate status of different features (such as Record or Play). This makes for a gorgeously minimalist device, but it also makes it hard to gauge what state a button is in – especially if you have bad eyesight like I do.

Case in point: the master volume dial. On a beginner-focused keyboard, you bet this dial would be massive and within easy reach. But since Yamaha is targeting intermediate and even advanced musicians with the P105, the volume dial is narrow and doesn’t feel particularly tactile.

Sure, Yamaha’s pro audience wouldn’t mind this, but to a beginner switching to a better digital piano, the lack of user-friendliness can be off-putting.

Conclusion

To sum up this section of our Yamaha P105 review, I’d say that this is arguably one of the best looking AND best built digital pianos in this price range. The minimalist, distinctly Japanese aesthetic looks stunning. The portability is off the charts. The buttons are small such that you can focus on what truly matters – the keys – and not a parade of features.

To sum it up:

• Beautifully built; everything looks and feels premium
• Minimalist design looks stunning
• Small buttons draw attention to the keys, not the features

Performance: 4.2/5

Overview: I’ve seen a number of Yamaha P105 reviews that talk about the lack of features in the 105 such as different learning modes or composition capabilities found on Yamaha’s arranger keyboards.

To these reviewers, I’d say that you’re getting the P105 completely wrong.

The Yamaha P105 is meant for serious musicians. If you’re buying this, you’re not a first-time beginner tinkering around in her basement. A large screen, hundreds of sounds, learning modes – all the features a beginner wants – are intentionally missing here.

Why?

Because Yamaha’s serious customers want good keyboards, not just good features. This is meant to be an acoustic piano replacement in a live setting. Anyone playing it wants fast, responsive, and authentic piano sounds – everything else is secondary.

So when you read this review, keep this in context. Don’t compare the P105 to, say, the Yamaha PSR e363 – it’s not meant for the same customers.

With that out of the way, let’s continue this Yamaha P105 review with a closer look at the performance:

Sound Quality: You buy a keyboard for the sound quality and on this front, the Yamaha P105 delivers in spades. The grand piano sound, called the “Pure CF sound engine”, is based on the Yamaha CFIIIS concert grand piano – a $100k+ grand piano. The sound is full, rich, and strongly resonant – as you’d expect a grand piano to sound like.

There are two small speakers and two tweeters built into the P105. The tweeters are a new addition and add some much needed high-end to the sound. The frequency response is otherwise mostly flat save a dip in the lower bass registers. You’ll get better results if you plug it into external speakers, but for practice sessions and small gigs, the built-in speakers are totally worth it.

Other Sounds: While the grand piano sound is the heart of the Yamaha P105, you also get two acoustic piano sounds. These two acoustic pianos occupy the softer and brighter spectrums of the piano sound respectively and can add some variety to your playing. Though if you’re like me, you’ll keep coming back to the grand piano sound.

Apart from these acoustic pianos, you also get a bunch of classic electric pianos and organs, including a genuine Rhodes sound. These are all decent enough though none will blow your socks away quite like hearing the grand piano sound for the first time.

Key Quality: The keys on the Yamaha P105 are, in a word, fantastic. You get a full 88-key keyboard that uses Yamaha’s legendary Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action. This system replicates the resistance you find on an acoustic piano. Lower octave keys are heavier and become lighter as you go up the octaves. You can also change the velocity response as per your preferences, moving from soft to hard, or even removing it altogether (which helps if you’re using it as a MIDI instrument).

Connectivity: Speaking of MIDI instruments, you can turn the Yamaha P105 into a full-fledged MIDI keyboard. Just hook it up to the computer via the USB port and you’re all set.

Apart from the handy USB-to-MIDI, connectivity is a definite plus point on the P105. You get a dedicated 1/4″ line out which makes it dead easy to hook it up to an external mixer console. You can bypass the headphone out port altogether which makes monitoring much easier. As a gigging musician, this, along with the low weight, will be a massive timesaver.

Features: Most of Yamaha’s entry-level digital pianos are loaded with features. But as you go up the product hierarchy, you’ll find that Yamaha keeps stripping away features, focusing more and more on the essence of a great piano: authentic sounds, fantastic keybeds.

The Yamaha P105 is somewhere in the middle. It’s not as stripped away as the YDP series, nor is it filled with bells and whistles like the PSR series. There is no screen or complex arrangement capabilities. Instead, you get some basic features such as:

• Piano accompaniment: With this feature, you can play a chord (or heck, even a single note) and the P105 will create an entire accompaniment in ten different styles (such as Blues, Jazz, Boogie, etc.). Nothing groundbreaking but fun to use when you’re bored playing alone.
• Rhythm function: Switch this feature on to get basic drum patterns for practicing. These patterns are in different styles including Samba, Waltz, Swing, etc. I found myself using this feature a lot more than the piano accompaniment. It’s particularly good for practicing, though I wouldn’t be caught dead ever using them in a live gig.

Other features include a mini two-track MIDI recorder built in to record chord/melody parts. You also get duet mode which splits the keybed into two – great for practicing with a teacher.
And that’s it – the P105 does the bare minimum as far as features go. And honestly, if you’re looking for a piano in this category, you can’t really complain.

Conclusion

To round up this Yamaha P105 review, I would say that this digital piano ticks all the boxes that really matter. It has a fantastic sound engine, wonderful built-in speakers, and gorgeous keys. If you’re a serious musician, the lack of hundreds of sounds and different learning modes is likely not a priority either way.

Yamaha P105 Review: Overall Score: 4.3/5

The Yamaha P105 is great at what it does: offer its users an authentic acoustic piano experience at an affordable price. It’s gorgeously designed, has wonderfully responsive keys, and a full, resonant sound that sounds eerily like a real piano.

This is NOT a keyboad for beginners. You’ll find the lack of features frustrating and the keyboard does not even try to hold your hand through the features.

I would recommend the Yamaha P105 to any serious musician who wants a well-rounded, no-nonsense, portable keyboard at a reasonable rate.

What’s good:

What’s not good:

My recommendation:Get the Yamaha P105 if you are a serious musician looking for a portable keyboard for live gigs. It’s as close a replacement to a full-fledged acoustic piano as you can get in this price range.

If you’re a beginner, however, avoid the Yamaha P105. Instead, something from the PSR series which will be cheaper and have better learning features.

Also read:

• Our favorite digital pianos in 2020
• Need headphones for practicing? Check out our favorite studio headphones
• Starting to learn piano? See our top choices for best learning pianos

References:

• Yamaha USA [Official website]
• What are the differences between different Yamaha actions? [Yamaha.com]
• Kawai keyboard actions [KawaiUS.com]
• The importance of weighted keys [SageMusic]

FAQs About Yamaha P105

Before I leave, let’s answer a few quick questions about the Yamaha P105:

Q. What extras will I need to purchase?

Nothing really – the P105 comes with everything you’ll need to start playing right away.

However, you’ll want to invest in a stand as well as a foot pdeal. I would especially recommend the latter since a lot of piano pieces explicitly call for the foot pedal use.

Can you record with the Yamaha P105?

Yup – the P105 includes a two-track MIDI recorder built right in. It also has a USB-to-MIDI connection which allows you to plug it right into your computer. Once connected, you can record anything you want in your DAW or sequencer.

Does it come with a stand?

Sadly no – you will have to buy a stand separately. I found this to be a pretty big inconvenience since 88 key keyboards are, by default, very unwieldy. They also don’t fit standard 61 or 76-key keyboard stands. You will have to buy something designed specifically for 88-key keyboards, though I must admit that Yamaha’s own stands look really good.

What is polyphony in a digital piano?

Polyphony refers to the number of sounds an instrument can produce simultaneously. If you have 16 note polyphony, it means that the instrument can make 16 different sounds at the same time.

Most modern keyboards have at least 128 note polyphony, i.e. you can play 128 notes simultaneously. Of course, there are few situations where you’ll ever need that many, but 128-note polyphony should be considered the target figure (which the Yamaha P105 supports).

For this week’s query, we’re jumping off one of our earlier articles and sharing our pick of the best digital piano for a beginner. Unlike the other list, this focuses exclusively on beginners and their specific needs (low budget, ease of use, learning capabilities).

It used to be that serious pianists would regard digital pianos (and the people who learned to play on them) with disdain.

An acoustic piano is a real piano. You can’t get the same experience pushing buttons on a computer.

While I’ll be the first one to admit that the sheer richness of a gorgeous Steinway grand piano is nearly impossible to replicate, digital pianos are increasingly closing the gap. The best digital pianos today do a wonderful approximation of acoustic pianos that cost several times more.

So much so that if you tell a seasoned pianist that you’re learning your chops on a Yamaha or a Kawai, you’ll get a nod of approval, not a shake of disdain.

However, vast differences remain between offerings in the “digital piano” category. The products at the very top of the table cost nearly the same as a used acoustic grand piano (and perform nearly the same).

Meanwhile, the bottom end of the market is dominated by cheap, plasticky keyboards that will make you hate piano before you even learn how to play it.

So as a beginner, you have to be careful about what you pick. You can’t afford to splurge, of course, but if you’re not careful, you can end up with a crappy keyboard that’s a pain to play. Nothing will kill your enthusiasm faster than trying to play Chopin on a keyboard that feels like a child’s play toy.

Which is why I put this article together. Below, I’ll share my pick of the best digital piano for a beginner. I’ll discuss specific tips to keep in mind when evaluating your options. I’ll then share some of my favorite instruments in this category.

I. Quick Tips for Buying the Best Digital Piano

As a beginner, it goes without saying that your needs are very different from a pro user’s. You want reasonable quality, not concert-ready performance. And you need it at a price point that won’t leave a knot in your heart.

Based on these factors, here are a few essential tips for buying the best digital piano for a beginner:

1. Don’t confuse digital pianos with other keyboard-like instruments

The number one question I get from beginners buying their first digital piano is this:

What’s the difference between a digital piano, a MIDI keyboard, and a synthesizer?

This misconception stems from the fact that outwardly, all these instrument-types look the same. They all have that familiar set of black-white keys. They all purportedly let you make music. And they all are sold by the same few manufacturers – Yamaha, Akai, Roland, etc.

The differences between them, however, couldn’t be more vast:

• MIDI keyboards don’t have any onboard sound. Instead, they are just an interface to control a software instrument (on a computer). If you want to make music with a MIDI keyboard, you’ll need to connect it to a computer via a USB or MIDI cable (hence the name), start a software instrument, and connect the computer to speakers.
• Synthesizers combine a MIDI keyboard with an onboard computer. This onboard computer is capable of synthesizing (i.e. creating) sound – just like a software instrument on your laptop. A synthesizer can be technically programmed to play any sound – a guitar, an organ, and even a digital piano. Synthesizers usually have built-in speakers.
• Digital pianos are keyboards with built-in speakers that play piano sounds. You don’t need to connect it to a computer or synthesize sounds to play this instrument. While technically you can use it to control a software instrument (a la MIDI keyboards), that’s not the original purpose. Nor do digital pianos have sound synthesis capabilities (though some will offer a few selection of onboard sounds apart from piano – such as organs and xylophones).

A digital piano is meant for people who want to play the piano.

If you want to control a computer, use a MIDI keyboard. And if you want to create your own sound without a computer, consider a synthesizer.

But if you want to play Chopin and practice your 5th symphonies, you need a digital piano.

2. Buy the best keys you can afford

Once you get past the piano vs synth vs keyboard issue, you’ll find another question:

What kind of keys should you buy?

This is a mighty important question. After all, the keys are the raison d’etre of buying a digital piano in the first place. Cheap keys will kill your enjoyment of the instrument altogether.

Most digital pianos have semi-weighted or fully-weighted keys. This means that the keys have built-in weights to mimic the heft and resistance of acoustic piano keys.

For most beginners, I recommend semi-weighted keys. Yes, fully-weighted keys feel better, but they also have far too much resistance for inexperienced players. You don’t really have the finger strength to play them effectively.

Beyond this, every manufacturer has its own nomenclature for keyboard action technology (i.e. how the piano keys “strike” the sound surface). Yamaha, for instance, has three classifications for its key action:

• Graded Hammer Standard (GHS): The first key action to mimic acoustic piano keys. This is the technology most modern digital piano keys are based off. It’s still popular, especially in Yamaha’s entry-level and mid-range pianos.
• Graded Hammer or Graded Hammer Effect (GHE): An improvement over the GHS with better sensors. The most notable difference is in speed of note repetition (faster = better).
• Graded Hammer Effect 3 (GH3): The top tier of Yamaha’s keys. This action-type is found mostly on high-end keyboards. It features even better sensors, faster note repetition, and a lighter playing style.

In general, GH3 > GHE > GHS.

Other manufacturers will have their own classification and nomenclature.

Your goal, in general, should be to get the best quality keys you can afford to buy. If you have a budget of $500 and you find two keyboards, one with great keys and another with great features, always pick the one with better keys.

Trust me, you will regret buying poor quality keys far, far more than skipping on a few features.

3. Understand the sound source

An acoustic piano produces sound when a wooden hammer strikes a piano string.

Of course, you can’t have hammers and strings in a digital piano (it is digital, after all), so how do you produce sound?

Easy: an onboard computer with a sample of recorded sounds.

Digital pianos have recorded samples of all the sounds made by acoustic piano keys at varying velocity levels. When you press the C3 key on a digital piano, the computer finds the C3 key sample in its memory and plays it immediately. The onboard computer figures out how hard/fast you struck the key and modifies the sound accordingly.

(This is an oversimplification but you get the idea.)

Since you’re essentially playing recorded samples, the quality of the recording and the source of the samples has a huge impact on sound quality.

Simply put, if the recorded samples are from a cheap, beaten down piano, recorded in a basement with a broken microphone, you’re going to get crappy sound.

Which is why the best digital pianos on the market – the Casio Celvianos and Yamaha Arius’ of the world – use samples recorded from the world’s top acoustic pianos in tightly controlled studio settings.

Yamaha’s mid-range and up pianos, for instance, use samples from the famous Yamaha CFIII concert piano (which costs over $100,000).

Whenever you’re evaluating digital pianos, look at their sound engine. What instrument is the source of their samples? Are they recorded from the best possible keyboard in the company’s lineup?

Once again, strive to get the best sound engine/sample source you can afford. Along with the keyboard, this will have a big impact on your playing experience.

4. Get 88 keys (unless you have a space crunch)

How many keys should you get in your digital piano?

Simple: the same as any acoustic piano.

You’ll use your digital piano to play pieces that were originally written for acoustic pianos. This means that sometimes you’ll need to access bass notes in the lowest octave. And sometimes you’ll need to hit those high notes at the top of the range.

If you have 49 or even 61 keys, you can’t do that. At least not without some complicated fiddling with the octave up/down button.

So unless you have a space crunch, replicate the acoustic piano experience: get 88 keys. Skip all the 61-key and 76-key variants. They’re great for smaller spaces but not for an authentic experience.

5. Skip all fancy features

In the “must have” feature list for digital pianos, you get quality keys.

In the “good to have” list, you have sound engine, 88 keys, and learning tools (at least for beginner pianos).

Finally, in the “nice to have – but not necessary” list you have all the features marketers like to trumpet on sales pages: 256-note polyphony, hundreds of built-in sounds, etc.

The first of these oft-marketed fancy features is 256-note polyphony. On paper, it sounds great (which is why it is marketed so heavily) – you can play 256-notes at the same time!

But unless you’re a centipede, you’re not going to ever have a situation where you need to have 256-sounds playing simultaneously.

The most you truly need is 128-note polyphony. And even entry-level digital pianos offer that.

The next: built-in sounds.

This is another “good on paper” feature. Who wouldn’t want a digital piano that can play organ, xylophone, clavichord and harpsichord sounds?

Except that most of these built-in sounds are usually cheap (a general rule: the higher the number of built-in sounds, the worse they sound). Moreover, outside of novelty situations, you’ll almost never want to play a harpsichord.

If you’re getting these features without paying extra, go ahead and get them.

But if you’re being charged a premium because of these features, choose something else.

6. Make learning aids a priority

This article is on the best digital piano for a beginner. It stands to reason that this audience also needs good learning aids.

While I always recommend that you find a good piano teacher, you can also learn a great deal from the built-in learning features in many low-end pianos. Casio ‘s entry level keyword are particularly good from this perspective, offering both interactive and passive lessons.

These aren’t necessary, but they can accelerate your learning. They can also make it easier to practice and help you pick up better playing habits.

Between two equal digital pianos at the same price tag, always pick the one with better learning features, especially if you’re a beginner.

On that note, let’s answer the original question: what’s the best digital piano for a beginner?

II.The Best Digital Piano for a Beginner

Here’s my pick of the best digital pianos for beginners, sorted into different categories:

Best Overall: Yamaha P71

Yamaha is a brand name I and countless musicians implicitly trust when it comes to digital pianos. You can even say that Yamaha created this product category, being the first company to pioneer digital pianos.

Because of their pedigree, it’s hard to go wrong with a Yamaha keyboard as your first piano. As this affordable but powerful P71 shows, most of Yamaha’s entry-level offerings do a great job of marrying price and performance.

For beginners looking to seriously start making music, the P71 is a fantastic choice.

Design

This keyboard is quite portable despite its small size. The form factor is slim with a depth of just 12 inches. You can carry it around easily, which makes it great for home use. You can also easily keep it out of reach when not in use since it weighs so little – just 25lbs.

A side effect of the low weight is that the quality of materials in use isn’t particularly high. The keyboard is made of plastic which makes it light but also fragile.

However, the keys are fully-weighted which offers a professional-like playing experience.

Performance

The P71 has great sound performance. The tones are great and give the piano a great overall sound. It has a reverb effect, which is great, but we’d have wanted more options.

The dual mode allows you to play up to 2 instrument sounds at the same time.

It is easy to play, unlike some other complicated pianos on this list. Just switch it on and start jamming – no instructions necessary.

What We Don’t Like

Although it has many features we find appealing, we have to say we were disappointed by the lack of an LCD screen. This feature is too useful to not to be included, especially since some modern digital pianos offer it at a lower price point.

Recommended For

The P71 piano is recommended for beginners and intermediate players

Buy from: Amazon

Best Entry-Level Digital Piano: Alesis Melody 61 MKII

How cheap can you really get when it comes to digital pianos?

As the Alesis Melody 61 shows, plenty!

This is one of the cheapest digital pianos on the market. And while it has tons of flaws, none of them are so bad that I won’t recommend it to absolute beginners. Especially given this throwaway price tag.

Bottomline: if you’re on a very tight budget, the Melody 61 MK3 is for you.

Design

This digital keyboard comes with a very modern, yet stylish look (your children will love it). It has a professional feel to it despite being for beginners. With the 61 keys that come with it, beginners can easily master the keyboard.

During testing, we also observed that it is very easy to detach from the stand. It can be carried around as it is quite portable – another plus if you’re buying it for your children.

Performance

It comes with 300 instrument voices and 300 auto-accompaniment rhythms. This makes it great for kids since they can hear their favorite tunes with just the press of a button.

It comes with dual keyboards and a split keyboard. Each of these features makes it easy to play the instrument.

With the dual keyboard, you can play 2 instruments sounds at the same time.

Of course, the 61 keys is a letdown. I would have preferred it much more with 88 keys. But given its focus on children, the lack of two octaves is acceptable.

What we don’t like

The lack of 88 keys and the plasticky quality of the keys.  

Recommended for

This keyboard is recommended for parents that want to introduce their kids to the piano. It is easy to play and comes with fun features that will attract the kids to the instrument.

Buy from: Amazon

Best Performance: Yamaha DGX660

Including the DGX660 in this list of the best digital piano for a beginner is cheating a bit. This is a beast of a machine that’s often more at home in mid-range and even professional roundups.

But I understand that there are some beginners out there with the budget for a truly serious experience. And if that’s you, you would fall in love with the DGX660. It’s not just the best beginner digital piano; it’s the best mid-range, intermediate piano as well.

Design

The size and the weight of this digital piano do not make it very portable. Aside from the size, it comes with accessories like a matching stand, and it is quite easy to install. It comes in black and white hues.

It comes with an LCD screen that we observed made it easier to use the keyboard. The screen display lessons and other things that make it great for beginners.

Performance

The weighted keys make it easy to use this piano. Weighted keys are great for beginners as it helps them when they graduate to using similar keys on professional pianos.

The sound from the keyboard is quite clear and sound convincing. It comes with 10 different piano sounds and a plethora of other instruments sounds.

It gives a realistic piano experience and has many useful features. One particular feature that we like is the ability to use a microphone to amplify your voice.

What We Don’t Like

For beginners, the amount of features that this piano comes with can be intimidating. It is also relatively heavy.

Recommended For

This instrument is overall impressive and is undoubtedly one of the best digital pianos at this price. We recommend it for anyone who can afford it.

Buy from: Amazon

Best for Portability: Roland GO:Keys 61-key

Need a digital piano that doesn’t hog the entire desk? Or need something that isn’t sold in those dreary black colors?

Then the GO-61K is for you.

Although it has 61 keys, this keyboard finds its place on my list because of its compact form factor, great design, loud speakers, and robust Roland performance. The keys feel great and the weight, at under 12lbs, is a revelation.

Throw in features like Bluetooth connectivity and you have a digital piano that’s perfect for those who prize portability.

Design

This digital keyboard is designed in an intuitive way that makes it easy for beginners to handle it with ease.

It weighs a mere 4 Kg. Therefore, it is quite portable and can be carried on the go without any hassles.

It can be operated via AC, or you can plug in AA batteries to make music whenever you want to.

The piano comes with Bluetooth options. You can easily stream music from the piano to selected entertainment systems.

Performance

It comes with many features that improve the overall ease of use and performance. It comes with more than 500 sounds pre-installed in the keyboard. They are drawn from Juno’s very own Juno DS from experienced synthesizers.

The sounds are very realistic and enjoyable to hear.

To ease new players into playing the keyboard, there is the Loop mix which creates a loop of sounds you can add sounds to for your entertainment and education.

With this feature, it is very easy to start making music.

The speakers are loud and sound impressive.

We also enjoy the fact that it comes with a 3-month free subscription to the piano learning app Skoove.

Recommended For

This digital piano is recommended for everyone who wants to have fun with an uncomplicated piano, but the friendly features make it especially great for beginners. We especially like the Bluetooth connectivity.

Buy from: Amazon

Best Education Features: Alesis Recital Pro

As its name implies, the Alesis Recital is meant primarily for beginners starting their digital piano education.

Consequently, it prioritizes education over everything else. You get a fantastic learning mode built-in, plus even more lessons and modes online. Throw in robust all-around performance and decent key quality and you have a digital piano that’s perfect for learners of all shape and form.

Design

This digital piano comes with 88 full sized keys. The keys are sensitive and are fully weighted. This means they are heavy and leave a satisfying tingle in the fingers when pressed down. They feel quite nice, and beginners will love them.

A design we found intriguing is that when you increase the force on the keys, the piano ejects a louder volume. The harder you press, the louder it sounds.

The keys are sensitive to touch, and the sensitivity can be adjusted using the different sensitivity levels.

The keyboard can be powered by the AC adapter or 6 D-cell batteries.

Performance

You have 12 pre-installed voices in this piano. Furthermore, there are 3 effects: modulation, reverb, and chorus.

With the 128-note polyphony, it is a very feature rich digital piano.

Some of the extra features that come with this piano are :

• Lesson mode
• Split mode
• Metronome
• Transpose

 What We Don’t Like

Although it ticks many boxes, sound quality from this keyboard is a tad disappointing.

Recommended For

Beginners who do not want to spend a lot of money but still want to enjoy great features.

Buy from: Amazon

Best Compact Digital Piano: Casio CTK-240

Need a digital piano but struggling with a space crunch? Want to play anywhere without lugging around heavy power adapters? Want a “just play” experience without struggling with intimidating 88 keys?

Then the Casio CTK-240 is for you.

Normally, I would never recommend 49 keys to anyone. But I understand there are some of you who have a space crunch (hello, dorm room) or need something that’s absolutely portable. Which is why the CTK-240 finds a spot on my list.

Design

This digital piano is a strong contender for the best designed keyboard for beginners. The 49 full size keys are of great quality and are easy to use. They feel great and are quite responsive. They are smooth to touch and do not feel cheap.

Performance

As a beginner digital piano, it comes with loads of features to make learning easier.

It comes with a lesson system that beginners will find super helpful. It teaches beginners how to play the keyboard. The lights installed at the bottom of the keys light up whenever you use them in this mode.

The dance music mode of the keyboard is another performance feature that we like about this piano.

It can be connected to your IOS device via the audio import. It comes with 48 note polyphony, which although isn’t a lot, is adequate for beginners.

What We Don’t Like

It is light on features that will interest anyone other than a beginner.

Buy from: Amazon

Over to You

Choosing the best digital piano for a beginner isn’t easy. For starters, as a beginner you often know too little about these instruments to make a meaningful decision. Second, while the mid-range and high-end of the market has a few brands and models, the lower-end, beginner-focused market is crowded with competitors.

Hopefully, this article made it easier for you to find a digital piano that fits your needs.

For more recommendations and advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

References:

• Yamaha (official website)
• Williams’ digital pianos (official website)
• Roland digital pianos and keyboards (official website)
• Casio digital pianos (official website)

Choosing the best cheap MIDI keyboard can be harder than you think. It used to be that your options were limited to a handful of products. But thanks to industry consolidation, higher competition, and the entry of dozens of cheap but competent Chinese brands, you have more options than ever. Picking the best MIDI keyboard under $100 from these can be a challenge.

Which is precisely why we created this buying guide: to help you pick the best cheap MIDI keyboard for your needs.

This segment of the market has exploded in the last few years. It used to be that you would default to the Akai MPK Mini or the mini version of Novation Launchkey, but the number of options available to you today is truly astounding. There are ultra-cheap options that start at less than the price of a movie night for two. Then there are slightly more expensive options that pack in large 49 key keyboards for under $100.

It’s not just the number of options; working within a small budget also means that you have to make compromises. Do you get a larger but inferior keyboard? Or do you stick to better but fewer keys? Should you skip the pads and sliders and knobs? Or should you get a hybrid that balances keys + controllers? What about integrations?

All of these questions can impact your decision. It’s not enough to buy the best cheap MIDI keyboard; you have to buy the best keyboard for you.

In this guide, I’ll cover all these issues. We’ll start with a list of our top recommended MIDI keyboards. Then I’ll share a detailed buying guide to help you make a more informed decision.

Overview: What You Need to Know

Normally, I jump right into sharing a short review of each of the keyboards I mentioned in the above list. But because we’re talking specifically about “cheap” keyboards, there are a few things I felt we should clarify.

“Cheap” MIDI keyboards speak to a particular segment of the market. If you’re looking at this category, you likely fall into one of these buckets:

• You’re a beginner looking to buy his/her first keyboard
• You’re an experienced musician looking to buy a throwaway “use and abuse” secondary keyboard
• You’re looking for something cheap and portable to take with you on the go

There is a certain expectation that if you buy a “cheap” MIDI keyboard, you’ll have to sacrifice quality. And while this is certainly true, you can still get a lot of quality for remarkably low prices in this category.

Case in point: the Akai MPK Mini MK2, which made our “best MIDI keyboard” list finds a spot here as well. Sure, it doesn’t have the best of keys, but it is affordably priced enough to be considered “cheap”.

We reviewed 16 keyboards in compiling this list, which included models from nearly every manufacturer big and small – Akai, Novation, Worlde, amoon, etc. In coming up with our final list, we looked at a few things, such as:

• Budget: “Cheap” can mean different things to different people. An experienced producer might find a $300 keyboard cheap, while a beginner might scoff at a $50 price tag. For the purpose of this article, we defined cheap as “priced under $100“.
• Number of keys: There are plenty of keyboards that offer 49 or more keys under $100, but very few of these are halfway decent. For the most part, we focused on keyboards with 25-37 keys, i.e. 2-3 octaves of range.
• Pads: Since this is a list of the best cheap MIDI keyboards, we omitted pad-only controllers such as the Ableton Push. Of course, we did include plenty of keyboards that combined pads with keys. But pads, for the most part, were not a priority.
• DAW integrations: While we love a keyboard that integrates with every DAW under the sun, we were partial to those that prioritized the popular DAWs such as Logic Pro, Ableton, FL Studio, and Avid Pro. We would love a keyboard that works as well with LMMS as it does with Ableton, but if we had to choose, we would pick the one that focuses on Ableton over others.
• Control options: We would love a cheap MIDI keyboard that can pack in 16 encoders, 8+1 sliders, and a full-range of pads, but we know that’s not possible in this price range. Thus, we focused more on keyboards that prioritized good keys and offered control options as a value-add. The sideshow, rather than the star, so to speak.
• Brand: Brand shouldn’t really matter, but we’ve found that better brand usually means better service. And musicians, while they’re not a biased bunch, do care about the brand value of the gear they use. Thus, we focused mostly on brands you know and recognize – Akai, Novation, etc. There are some fantastic keyboards on the market from no-name Chinese manufacturers, but we can’t recommend them outright because of the dubious quality of their brand.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the top MIDI keyboards from our initial shortlist.

The Best Cheap MIDI Keyboard: In-Depth Overview

In previous articles, we wrote about the best 25-key, 49-key, 61-key, and 88-key MIDI controllers. While these lists covered pretty much the entire gamut of MIDI keyboards, they did not focus specifically on cheap controllers.

Thus, in this guide, we’ll focus only on keyboards you can buy for less than $100. Most of these are limited to 25 keys, but there are a few options with 37, 49, and even 61 keys.

Read on to see a detailed overview of some of our top picks for the best cheap MIDI keyboard:

Best Overall: Acorn Masterkey 25

When it comes to cheap 25-key MIDI controllers, my top option is usually the same: the Akai MPK Mini MK2 (full review here).

However, the Akai MPK Mini has a few clear flaws:

• It is priced near the $100 mark, making it slightly (and only slightly) more expensive for beginners
• It doesn’t have traditional pitch/mod wheels
• The square edge and short key length makes playing the keyboard a little difficult

This is precisely why I picked the Acorn Masterkey 25 as my choice for the best cheap MIDI keyboard.

Acorn isn’t a big brand in the MIDI controller space, and I was honestly surprised by the quality of this keyboard. It fixes so many of the niggles I have with other keyboards in this category.

For starters, you get two traditional pitch/mod wheels. If you’re like me and like to bend your notes, you’ll love the tactile wheel of the large, rubber wheels.

Next, the keys, though narrow, are long and taper off before the edge of the controller. This is easier on your wrists and easier to play as well, especially if you have long, slender fingers as I do.

There isn’t much to offer in terms of control options, but a master slider and four separate knobs offer just enough to keep you happy. A tiny LCD screen (missing from so many competitors) shows track information.

But the best feature by far is the free copy of PreSonus Studio One Artist edition. This DAW normally retails for close to $100, but the Acorn Masterkey gives it away for free. A terrific value, especially if you’re a beginner who has been stuck with free DAWs so far.

Portability isn’t the Masterkey’s strong suit. At 3.6 lbs, it is heavier than my Alienbook. That weight isn’t wasted, however; the chassis is fittingly heavy and durable.

If I have any complaints, it’s about the lack of pads. Even 8 basic pads would have been enough to take this keyboard from “great” to “must buy”.

Overall, this is the perfect keyboard for someone just starting to build his studio. It’s small yet full-featured with great quality keys. The free software is a massive bonus as well.

Buy this if you:

• Are on a budget
• Need to prioritize the keyboard over pads and other control options

Best Overall (2nd Pick): Akai MPK Mini MKII

It’s impossible to create a list of the best cheap MIDI keyboards and not include the 800 lbs gorilla in the fray. The Akai MPK Mini MK2 is, by far, the best-selling MIDI keyboard on the market, and for good reason.

Why?

Because while the MPK Mini barely gets anything wrong. The entire package is tiny, lightweight and portable. The keys, while not full-size, are wide enough for comfortable playing. The pads, while not like its elder siblings’ MPC-style, have enough responsiveness and push to hammer out a few beats. Then you get 8 knobs, a dedicated arpeggiator, nice, rubbery octave up/down buttons, and the proven Akai brand.

All of this at a price tag that, after all the usual promotions, is deliciously low and you can see why it tops most charts for the best cheap MIDI keyboard.

Of course, nothing is completely perfect. The small size and sharp-edged keys can be uncomfortable over long periods. The 4-way joystick is a poor replacement for traditional pitch/mod wheels (and it’s awkwardly placed as well). The knobs don’t have nearly the same resistance as the MPK49’s encoders.

But all of these are moot problems; for its price, the Akai MPK Mini MK2 is one of the best MIDI keyboards you can buy.

You can read a full review of this keyboard here.

Buy this if you:

• Want a tried and tested product from a respected brand
• Need an all-around keyboard that offers both pads and knobs

Best Performance: Novation Launchkey Mini 25

The Novation Launchkey 25 is the smallest version of Novation’s prestigious Launchkey series of MIDI keyboards. Its larger variants, especially the Launchkey 61, regularly show up on “best of” lists. And the Launchkey 25 is no different.

Cut from the same cloth as the Akai Mini MK2, this keyboard packs in a set of 25 keys along with pads and controls. Unlike the Akai, however, the Launchkey 25 has a few crucial differences:

• You get 16 pads, not 8
• The pads are backlit
• You get dedicated navigation control buttons

These features transform the Launchkey 25 into a fully-realized hybrid controller, and not just a keyboard. Plug it into your computer and it integrates seamlessly with most DAWs. Load a clip into the pad and it lights up.

There are issues, of course. The keys are plasticky and a tad too springy (though newbies tend to prefer the springiness). The pads aren’t as responsive as you’d want them to be. And the controller is seriously missing dedicated pitch/mod wheels.

However, for keyboards in this price range, you can’t really ask for more. If you’re a beginner who can spend a bit more, I recommend getting the Novation Launchkey 25 over cheaper $50 keyboards. From the keys to the large number of pads, you’ll appreciate the drastically better performance.

Buy this if you:

• Want more than 8 pads
• Need better quality keys than $50 keyboards

Best Pad Controller: AKAI Professional APC Key 25

The Akai APC series is all about one thing: pads.

The APC Key 25, which is the keyboard variant of the APC Mini, offers an astonishing 40 tricolor pads packed into a tiny, 1.7 lbs chassis. This is fewer than the APC Mini’s 64 pads, but considering that you also get a full-sized 25-key keyboard, it’s a great compromise.

40 pads really open up possibilities in terms of music production. Instead of using your controller as a small drum machine, you can transform the APC Key 25 into a full-fledged controller. Use it to launch clips, effects, and of course, hammer out drum patterns.

The 25-key keyboard complements the pads perfectly. With a traditional pad-only controller (like the APC Mini), you have to keep a separate keyboard to create melodies. The APC Key 25 combines the pads and keys to make it easy to create melodies and chords from a single unit.

I should also mention that the APC Key 25 is designed to be used with Ableton Live. While it integrates well with other DAWs, you will find the most value if you use it with Ableton Live.

Sure, there are problems aplenty. The small pads are easy to mishit and don’t have nearly the same responsiveness as Akai’s MPC line of pad controllers. And the keys are plasticky and feel nowhere as good as Akai’s MPK series.

But as with most things, it’s about the complete experience. The APC Key 25 is a fantastic machine if you don’t want to compromise. You get the best of both worlds – full-sized keys and 40 pads – at a great price tag.

Buy this if you:

• Use Ableton Live
• Need pads as well as keys and don’t want to buy separate instruments

Best for Budget Buyers: midiplus 32 AKM320

The keys are clicky and become loose over time. There are no pads, knobs or sliders. And three awkward clicky buttons have replaced the pitch/mod wheels you’re familiar with.

There’s a lot of things wrong with the midiplus 32 AKM320.

The price, however, isn’t one of them.

The midiplus 32 n is precisely what you’d want if you were in the market for the best cheap MIDI keyboard. It has almost no features to speak of and makes compromises left, right, and center.

But it is extraordinarily cheap and packs more than 2 octaves of keys – 32.

The keys are low profile and slim with a sharp square edge that ends just short of the chassis. These aren’t waterfall keys, but because of the little indent before the end of the chassis, they’re not hard on your wrists.

Unlike most other keyboards on this list, it also has 32 keys, i.e. 2.5 octaves.

The slim keys and portability-focused design makes this extremely easy to carry around. The entire unit weights just 1.6 lbs – less than a Macbook.

You don’t get any pads, knobs or sliders, of course. But you do get a volume control knob (a strange and unnecessary addition) and large octave up/down buttons. In place of traditional pitch/mod wheels, you get three buttons that do a relatively poor job.

But given the price, I can’t really complain. If a keyboard is your priority, this is the best budget MIDI controller you can buy right now from a respected manufacturer.

Buy this if you:

• Are on a budget
• Don’t need any pads, knobs or sliders

Best for Portability: Akai Professional LPK25

If you’re prioritizing portability, you can’t go wrong with the bestseller in the category (and a keyboard I personally use on the go) – the Akai LPK25.

Weighing in at a measly 635 grams, this is one of the lightest keyboards on the market. Coupled with a tiny footprint that’s barely wider than a 13″ laptop and as tall as a brick, this keyboard is extraordinarily easy to carry around.

You get 25 mini keys, keeping in line with the portability-focused nature of this device. There are no other control options save a dedicated rubber octave up/down button and two dedicated buttons for sustain and arpeggio.

Using the LPK25 is easy given the lack of control options. Plug it in and nearly every DAW will recognize it instantly. This is great for beginners who don’t want to get bogged down by too many options or integration niggles.

No wonder it ranked as the “best for beginners” pick in my roundup of the best 25-key MIDI controllers.

Of course, there are some issues. The keyboard is inconsistent in detecting the force of each touch. Some touches register as gentle nudges. Others as punchy noises. This can be a problem if you plan to take this thing to a live situation.

The lack of control options is also obviously a problem. But given the focus on portability, I wouldn’t consider it a serious flaw. Akai could have easily tacked on a few pads here, but that would have made this keyboard far less portable.

On the whole, for its purpose – portability – this is a great keyboard, priced affordably, from a top brand.

Buy this if you:

• Are a beginner and need something easy to use, or
• Want something that is ultra portable

Best Large-Sized Keyboard: midiplus i61

Most keyboards on this list have either 25 or 32 keys. This is mostly because of the difficulty of squeezing in more than 3 octaves of keys into a package priced under $100.

Which is what makes the midiplus i61 so remarkable. Not only did midiplus exceed the 3-ocatve range, it’s managed to offer a whopping 5-ocatves of range, i.e. 61 keys, in a budget-friendly package. This is barely 2 octaves away from a full-sized keyboard.

Creating this affordably priced 61-key keyboard requires some compromises, of course. You don’t get any pads, knobs, sliders or other control options. As far as features go, this keyboard is as barebones as they come.

What you do get is a set of 61 full-size keys. These are synth-action keys with a certain springiness that beginners will like. They’re not anywhere close to being as responsive or piano-like as some of the higher priced variants on our best 61-key MIDI controller list.

They do, however, get the job done – giving you access to 5-octaves of range without having to hunt around for the octave up/down buttons.

Apart from the 61 keys, you also get dedicated pitch/mod wheels. I would have preferred if they were located to the left of the keyboard – that would have made access to lower notes easier while using the wheels.

You also get a tiny LCD screen that shows track information. Additionally, you get connectivity via USB or MIDI ports.

That’s not a lot to write home about, but given the price constraints, this is one of the rare 61-key MIDI controllers that can fit into the “best cheap MIDI keyboard” category.

Buy this if you:

• Want a full 5-octaves of range
• Don’t care about features and control options

So that covers our picks for the best cheap MIDI keyboard you can buy in 2019.

That still leaves us with a question – what should you look for in a MIDI keyboard?

I’ll share some buying advice in the next section

Buying Advice for Cheap MIDI Keyboards

Music equipment is expensive. Excluding the software and the computer, the cost of setting up the simplest of beginner studios is several hundred dollars.

But among $2,000 Fenders and $1,000 Yamaha digital pianos , MIDI keyboards stand unique as among the cheapest gear you can buy.

Sure, you can easily splurge $500 on a professional-grade Akai, but for most users, $200 is enough to get a competent MIDI controller. Which is a roundabout way of saying that MIDI keyboards are inherently cheap.

Of course, some keyboards are cheaper than others, like the ones you saw above. What you’ll want to look for in these keyboards is very different from what you’d want in a $300 keyboard. Essentially, you’ll have to compromise – do you want a great keyboard or should you settle for a mediocre one with more features? Do you get 16 pads or make do without them?

Given these price constraints, there are a number of things you should consider when buying the best cheap MIDI keyboards.

Figure out your requirements

MIDI controllers typically fall into three categories:

• Key-only controllers: These keyboards – such as the midiplus i61 – only offer a keyboard. There are no other control options – knobs, pads, sliders, etc. You’ll want one of these if you only intend to use the controller to play melodies and chords.
• Pad-only controllers: These controllers only have pads, like the Ableton Push. They might have some additional sliders, knobs, and buttons, but the primary focus is on the pads. You’ll want one of these if you want to launch clips, play drums, etc. You can’t use pad controllers to play melodies or play chords.
• Keyboard-pad hybrid controllers: Most MIDI controllers fall into this category, i.e. they combine some control options with a keyboard. The number of keys can vary between 25 to 88. The control options can range from 8 pads (as in the Akai MPK Mini) to as many as 40+ pads (like the Akai APC 25).

Most serious producers have separate pad and keyboard controllers. I personally use an Ableton Push with an Akai MPK249. I wouldn’t recommend this for most people, however. Not only is the cost extremely high, you’ll also want a large enough desk to accommodate multiple devices.

Which is why most ‘regular’ producers – the amateurs, hobbyists, and beginners – will want a hybrid controller. By combining a few control options with a keyboard, you get the best of both worlds.

What you prioritize – keys or controls – will depend on how you play music. Do you use Ableton Live’s Session View to launch clips? Then you’ll want a controller with tons of pads like APC Key 25.

Or do you play melodies and compose songs in the Arrangement View and only occasionally use the drum machine? Then pick a cheap keyboard like the Akai MPK Mini.

It’s crucial that you go through this exercise. The more you understand how you work and make music, the better purchase decisions you’ll make.

Also, factor in how your needs will change over time. Are you actively learning? Or has your learning stagnated and you’re happy to just play the way you’ve always played? If you expect to grow a lot in the next 12 months, pick a more powerful keyboard that won’t constrain you.

Features to look out for

Apart from the above, which impact the way you approach music production, there are a number of other features you need to consider when buying the best cheap MIDI keyboard, such as:

Pad controls

Pads are one of the most important features on any MIDI controller. Here are a few things you should look for in your controller’s pads:

• Pad size: Large pads are easier to tap but take up valuable device real estate. Ideally, all pads should be as large as the ones on the Akai MPK Mini MK2, but if you go beyond 8, you’ll just sacrifice portability completely. Consider how you use the pads to figure out the right size for you. If you want to tap out drum patterns, you’ll want something that’s at least as large as the Novation Launchkey 25 pads. Smaller pads, like the ones on Akai APC 25, are great for launching clips but not so great for tapping out drum patterns.
• Pad responsiveness: MPC-like pads are impossible to find in this price range. The best you can get is velocity sensitive pads. Consider this a bare minimum. Without this responsiveness, every hit will register equally loudly. This might be okay for launching clips but will make it impossible to tap out drum patterns.
• Pad color: Backlit or color-coded pads are much easier to use since they give you a visual cue of each clip loaded in the pad. For instance, when you load a clip into Novation Launchkey, the pad lights up, showing you that it is “ready to go”. Colored pads can also help you figure out what kind of clip is loaded into each pad (drum, snare, hi hats, etc.).
• Pad location: Most small MIDI keyboards place the pads at the top of the controller. This is generally a good location for the pads. I would advise against buying any keyboard that places the pads too far to the left or right; that would make it difficult to tap out the pad while you’re playing the keyboard.

Other control options

Knobs, sliders, buttons – all of these can greatly enhance your playing experience, giving you quick access to important controls. The end result is an experience that is more intuitive and intimate – crucial ingredients for creativity.

Here’s what you should look for in these control options:

• Knob quality: Of all the control options apart from pads, I consider knobs to be the most versatile. They let you control a huge array of options in your DAW, from volume and panning to dry/wet controls. You want the knob to be “tight”. That is, there should be some resistance when you try to move them. Otherwise you’ll find that any sharp tap on the keyboard will change the knob’s position, ruining your sound.
• Knobs vs encoders: Knobs usually have about 240 degrees of movement. Encoders offer a full 360 degree of movement. You’ll usually find encoders on high-end keyboards.
• Knob location: While this is up to personal preference, I find that knobs are easier to use with the right hand. Most keyboard manufacturers agree, which is why you’ll find that keyboards typically have the knobs located to the right. Unless you’re left-handed, avoid keyboards where the knobs are placed to the left or the bottom of the keys.
• Sliders: Sliders are great for EQing but don’t offer much utility beyond that. Few cheap MIDI keyboards offer sliders, so this isn’t something you have to worry much about. But if they do, pick sliders that offer resistance or tightness when you move them. You don’t want the level to go up/down easily.
• Buttons: Customizable buttons are a common feature in MIDI keyboards in the mid-range and up, but you’ll rarely find them in cheap keyboards. Customizable buttons are mostly used to launch clips or get quick access to a function. They’re not a necessity by any means but it’s good to have them. Since you won’t use buttons frequently, you can mostly ignore their quality – as long as they work, of course.
• Layout: Layout is often overlooked when evaluating all the control options. Always think of how your two hands will interact with the keyboard in a live setting when you consider the layout. You want to be able to play the keys with one hand while also getting full access to all the control options with the other hand. If any control options are awkwardly located (say, the bottom left of the keyboard), it can be difficult to access them. The Pad-Knobs-Sliders-Button (from left to right) usually works well in most keyboards.

Controller keys

The quality of the keys on the controller is obviously important. Here’s what you should consider:

• Key type: MIDI controllers typically have synth-style keys. These keys have a lot of springiness, i.e. they immediately jump back into position once you press them. In contrast, semi-weighted keys, which are usually found on high-end controllers, jump back based on the location of the note. Lower note are “heavier” and jump back slower than higher octave notes. You won’t find any semi-weighted keys in the “cheap” category, however, so you’ll have to make do with synth-style keys.
• Key size: Most keyboards offer “full-size” keyboards. This refers to the length of the keys, not their width. In contrast, “mini” keys refers to shorter keys – commonly found in portable controllers. I recommend getting full-sized keyboards unless portability is a big priority for you.
• Key width: Keys can be either full piano-style or narrow/slim. Narrow keys are obviously harder to play and can lead to mistakes. However, they also let you stretch your fingers over a wider set of keys – great if you want to touch those hard-to-reach notes. Plus, narrow keys make for a smaller and thus, more portable controller.
• Pitch/mod wheels: Traditionally, keyboards have thick rubbery wheels that are used to “bend” the note, i.e. the pitch/mod wheels. Ideally, your choice of keyboard should have these dedicated wheels if you intend to bend notes a lot. Some controllers, such as the Akai MPK Mini, offer thumbsticks, while some others replace the wheels with buttons. These are all poor replacements. Your first priority should be to get traditional pitch/mod wheels.

Other features

Besides the above, there are a few other things to consider when you select the best cheap MIDI keyboard:

• Portability: Most cheap keyboards tend to be portable, but some emphasize portability exclusively (such as the Akai LPK25). These portability focused keyboards tend to have a small footprint and low weight. The Akai LPK25, for instance, weighs just 640 grams. If you plan to take your keyboard with you as you travel or if you plan to bring it to gigs and jamming sessions, focus on portability. But if you plan to produce only at your desk, go ahead and ignore portability completely.
• Integrations: Your keyboard should integrate seamlessly with your DAW. Consider this a minimum requirement. Otherwise you’ll end up spending way too much time downloading configuration files and searching for drivers. Luckily, if you use one of the more popular modern DAWs – Ableton, Pro Tools, Logic Pro – integrations shouldn’t be a problem. Do keep in mind that some keyboards are designed to integrated with specific DAWs (such as Akai APC 25 with Ableton Live). In such cases, I would recommend choosing a controller that works specifically with your DAW.
• Ports: Most modern MIDI controllers use USB for plug-and-play connectivity, so this isn’t really a concern any more. Ideally, your controller should also offer MIDI input in case you want to connect it to other devices or your audio interface. A few controllers, such as the Arturia KeyStep, also offer CV/gate ports to connect to analog equipment. Unless you have a specific requirement, you can safely ignore all these other ports.

That’s it for now – this should give you a fair idea of what to look for in a good MIDI keyboard. We’re working on a detailed buying guide for MIDI keyboards that will expand on all these options. Check this space soon to learn more.

Final Words

With that, we come to a close in this extended guide to buying the best cheap MIDI keyboard. We’ve covered everything from the factors that should impact your purchase decision to a comprehensive list of the best affordable keyboards on the maret.

Just to recap, here is our list of the best cheap MIDI keyboards, sorted by category:

• Acorn Masterkey 25 (Best overall)
• Novation Launchkey Mini 25 (Best performance)
• Akai Professional LPK25 (Best for portability)
• midiplus 32 Key AKM320 (Best for budget buyers)
• Akai Professional APC Key 25 (Best pad controller)

Questions, suggestions, or doubts? Send us an email!

References:

• Yamaha (official website)
• Roland (official website)
• Casio International
• Novation (official website)
• Akai Pro (official website)

Experts referenced for this article:

The following writers, DJs, producers, and audio engineers contributed their suggestions for this post:

What’s the best 88 key MIDI keyboard to buy right now? We’ll look at this crucial category of full-sized, professional-grade MIDI keyboards. These keyboards are perfect for serious musicians, pianists, and anyone who wants the convenience of a full 7 octaves of range. Read on to find our top picks below.

A question from a reader prompted this article: what’s the best 88 key keyboard I can buy currently?

I’ve covered the best MIDI keyboards and the best controllers for Ableton in earlier posts, but I don’t have anything covering the largest key-size you can buy: 88 keys.

88-key keyboards are at the very top of keyboard totem pole. They’re big, usually expensive, and intimidating enough to keep casual buyers away. You don’t buy an 88-key keyboard as your first entry into the keyboard world; you buy it when you’re experienced enough to handle a full-size keyboard.

To that effect, I’ll share only a brief buying guide at the end of this article.

The 10 Best 88 Key Keyboards

Before I can share my list of the best 88 key keyboards, I want to clarify a few doubts you might have about keyboards, pianos, and synthesizers.

Let’s dive right into the question you wanted to see answered: what’s the best 88 key keyboard on the market right now?

Please note that if you’re looking for MIDI keyboards for specific DAW, you can find our best picks in these articles:

• FL Studio
• Logic Pro X
• Pro Tools
• Ableton
• Cubase

Here are my top 10 picks (I’ll share my reasons for these picks at the bottom of this post):

1. Best Overall: Yamaha DGX-660

Yamaha makes some of the best pianos in the world. I’ve consistently ranked some of its top models such as the YDP-181 at the top of my list of the best digital pianos.

The Yamaha DGX-660 combines the best features of Yamaha’s digital piano offerings at a price that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. It is expensive, but for a serious musician, this is about the cost of entry to a truly top-tier digital piano that will serve you well for years.

The DGX-660 features graded hammer standard (GHS) action. This means that the weight of the keys is graded – as you move from the lower bass keys to the higher notes, the keys get lighter. This is meant to mimic the touch and feel of an acoustic piano.

Along with the Pure CF sound engine (the same sound engine used in the best-selling YDP-181), the DGX-660 does a compelling imitation of some of Yamaha’s top-of-the-line acoustic pianos (which start at thousands of dollars). The keys feel nice to touch and the matte black finish looks really nice as well.

You can also change the touch-sensitivity to suit your needs. Switch it to ‘fixed’, for instance, and the keys will become non-responsive to touch strength (i.e. they’ll play at the same velocity no matter how hard or light you press). Choose the ‘soft’ setting and you’ll get a light, feather-touch sensitive playing experience.

But the DGX-660 isn’t just a digital piano; it is also an arranger. You can use the built-in 6-track recorder to record and arrange your tracks. There are hundreds of sounds and effects built-in, such as reverb, drums, etc.

Also read: Our guide on buying the best drum machines for your studio.

If there is one downside, it’s that the DGX-660 isn’t the lightest option around, nor the cheapest. If you’re looking for something more portable, I recommend the [recommendation].

The price, features, overall design and Yamaha’s proven performance makes this my best overall pick for the best 88 key keyboard on the market.

2. Best for High-Performance: Roland FP-90

This sleek, sexy machine is the successor to the wildly popular Roland RD-800. The RD-800 has long been a standard for serious musicians – a proven workhorse with a long list of features.

Roland essentially took that exact same keyboard and added a bunch of new features to take it all the way up to 11 in Roland FP-90.

The keyboard features a PHA-50 Wood and Plastic hybrid structure with escapement, which is Roland’s approach to recreating the acoustic piano feel. The velocity mapping is superb; the playing experience is just like a real piano’s.

Like all its performance offerings, the FP-90 also uses Roland’s physical modeling engine to create sound. This sound engine creates a virtual model of an acoustic piano. The result is lots of options to create subtle variations. For instance, you can choose between 7 different lid positions. Each of these mimics the effect of raising or lowering the piano lid, creating subtle differences in tone and sound quality.

This is a keyboard meant for stage performers. So you don’t just get a standard 88-key keyboard; you also get programmable faders and buttons. A big new feature is the built-in Bluetooth which gives you wireless MIDI. This greatly enhances the keyboard’s capability. Use it as a replacement controller for Ableton or Logic without worry about plugging it in.

Rounding up the feature list is a powerful set of 30W speakers. You can easily drag this to a small gig and not even use any external speakers.

Oh, and did I mention that you get a whole range of Roland’s classic electric piano sounds to choose from? This ranges from the 1976 Suitcase Rhodes to the Model 200.

There are a ton of additional features; I’ll cover these in a review later. For now, if you’re looking for a performance pick, the Roland FP-90 should be at the top of your list.

3. Best Value for Money Keyboard: Casio Privia PX-160

There’s little doubt that Casio makes fantastic digital pianos, especially in the sub $500 range. The Casio P-150 was a bestseller for years. The Casio PX-160 is an upgrade on the P-150 that retains the features that made the original so popular, and adds a few bells and whistles.

For starters, you get the same tri-sensor scaled hammer action. This time, however, it is slightly refined (hence the ‘action II’) for better acoustic-like playback. This action essentially relies on three sensors built into the keyboard to detect velocity, force, and timing. The keyboard translates these signals into acoustic sounds.

The PX-160 uses Casio’s AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) sound engine. This is similar to Yamaha’s Pure CF sound engine in that it is based on sounds recorded from a 9-foot concert grand piano. Combined with the tri-sensor action, this delivers a superb playing experience.

A nice surprise is the built-in speaker system. At 8W, the speakers are louder than Yamaha DGX-660’s. The speakers are ported to the back which means that if you place it against a wall (as you would in most homes), the sound will resonate off the wall creating an even richer, louder sound experience.

The PX-160 is lightweight and narrow in design. At under 25lbs, it is light enough to carry anywhere. The slender design also means you can place it on nearly any surface.

The PX-160 doesn’t fare too well as an arranger – you get just 2-tracks on the MIDI recorder and it doesn’t have as many built-in effects or sounds. However, if you’re looking purely for an affordable and capable 88-key keyboard, you won’t be disappointed with the Casio Privia PX-160.

4. Best for Beginners: Alesis Recital 88-Key Digital Piano

If you’re a beginner looking to get started with a full-size keyboard, don’t look further than the Alesis Recital 88-key keyboard.

This keyboard features semi-weighted keys. They don’t quite mimic the hammer action of a fully-weighted keys, but for beginners, it’s a nice compromise between synth keys and acoustic piano keys. The keys are velocity sensitive but feel slightly light overall (which can be an advantage for light-fingered beginners). The 128-note polyphony is a nice addition in this price range as well.

This piano is built for learning, so you get a ton of educational features (such as split and layer mode). The 20W built-in speakers are powerful enough that you don’t need any additional equipment. And the 5 voices (acoustic & electric pianos, organ, synth, and bass) give you a good foundation for different genres/playing styles.

Another plus is USB MIDI connectivity. You can plug this into your computer and use the keyboard as a MIDI controller for Ableton or Logic.

On the whole, the playing experience isn’t quite as good as some of Yamaha or Casio’s cheaper models, but for this price, the Alesis Recital is a great starting point.

5. Best Acoustic Piano Replacement: Yamaha P-255

The Yamaha P-255 is the successor to the popular but flawed P-155. Like its predecessor, the P-255 is inspired by one of the world’s greatest concert pianos, the Yamaha CFIIIS (which is also the source of the Pure CF sound engine). Yamaha’s engineers had a clear brief when making the P-255: replicate the CFIIIS as closely as possible.

And boy did they deliver!

The P-255 irons out all the kinks in the P-155. The keys are nimbler and the graded hammer action (GHS) is smoother. The polyphony has also been upgraded to 256 notes, which adds a subtle dynamic that was missing from the P-155.

The real stars, however, are a bunch of new features that go a long way towards replicating the acoustic piano feel. First up is string resonance. This feature duplicates the sound of that all non-struck keys make when you press down on a note forcibly. The effect is subtle but noticeable.

Another feature is sustain sampling. This mimics the sound produced by the soundboard and strings when you press the damper pedal.

Additional features include a 3-band EQ and a bank of effects and voices (including chorus, phaser, and tremolo). Make no mistake though – this is an out-and-out performance piano, not a general purpose keyboard. You’ll want this if you need the digital piano experience.

There are a few other features, such as the app controller for iOS devices. This app lets you edit and control all your piano’s features right from inside your smartphone. Nice to have and great for setting up presets.

Overall, the Yamaha P-255 is one of the best 88 key keyboards on the market. It does an impressive job of imitating one of Yamaha’s finest pianos ever. Even though it lacks modeling and arrangement features, it should be high on your list if pure playing experience is your priority.

6. Best for Portability: Yamaha P45

Need a no-frills full-sized keyboard that does a fantastic imitation of an acoustic piano without the costs?

Then the Yamaha P45 is for you.

The P45 is the successor to the P35. It’s light, compact, and nearly Spartan in its design. At just about 25lbs, it is also one of the most portable pianos on this list.

The crowing feature of the P45 is the GHS action. This feature is only found in Yamaha’s higher-tier keyboards such as our highly recommended DGX-660. You get the same acoustic-like action (lighter on higher notes, heavier on bass notes) at a an affordable price tag.

What’s missing is the Pure CF sound engine. Instead, you get AWM stereo sampling. This is based on stereo samples recorded from Yamaha’s acoustic pianos. It works well, but lacks the dynamism and subtlety of the Pure CF engine.

Additionally, you get 4 touch sensitivity settings (hard, medium, soft, and fixed) to accommodate different playing styles. The key tops are plastic instead of the synthetic ebony & ivory found on Yamaha’s high-end digital pianos (such as the P-255). They look good but don’t do a great job of absorbing moisture from sweat.

As far as other features go, the P45 is as barebones as they come. You don’t get a massive sound library, nor do you get a ton of effects. This keyboard is targeted at people who want an affordable digital-piano experience in a portable package.

Overall, the P45 is a fantastic pick for an acoustic piano replacement in an affordable, lightweight package. It lacks arrangement and modeling features, but makes up for it with fantastic key action and acoustic piano-like performance – all at a great price tag.

7. Best Workstation: Korg KROME 88-Key Workstation

The Korg KROME is a workstation, not just a regular old keyboard.

This means that unlike the other entries on this list, the KROME can function as a full-fledged audio production device.

Essentially, the KROME acts as a powerful hardware synth with highly capable 16-track sequencer built-in. Think of it as a copy of Ableton embedded right within your keyboard.

To start with, you get a bright and responsive 7-inch screen. Everything you need to control can be accessed here. You can change the instrument, add effects, and access the sequencer. The controls are intuitive and the screen is large enough even for the fat-fingered. Tap a parameter and you can adjust it with the large data dial to the right of the touchscreen. Hold on anything for a second and you get a pop-up with fine controls.

You get a full-blown synth with up to two stereo oscillators, four filters, two amps, and five LFOs on each voice. It’s not going to replace Serum, but for a hardware synth, it is both capable and powerful.

The built-in sounds are great as well, especially the acoustic piano sound (which uses Korg’s EDSx sound engine). There are good electric piano and clav samples, along with a drum kit.

The star of the show is the 16-track sequencer. The track editing is highly visual, which gives it a DAW-like workflow. You also get a piano roll editor for fine tuning recordings or adding/removing notes manually. You can pretty much create an entire track right from the workstation itself – no DAW necessary.

Overall, the KROME is a powerful workstation for experienced players looking for a hardware synth + sequencer combination. It’s ideal as a keyboard for live performances as well.

8. Best MIDI-Only Controller: Nektar Impact LX88+

Do you need a controller for your DAW and couldn’t care less about onboard sounds and acoustic piano-like performance? Do you need plenty of programmable buttons, pads, knobs, and instant integration with Ableton and Massive?

If you answered ‘yes’, then the Nektar Impact LX88+ is for you.

As one of the few 88-key MIDI keyboards on the market, I just had to put the Impact LX88+ on this list. As I said in my earlier article on the best MIDI keyboards, the LX88+ ticks off all the right boxes as far as MIDI controllers go. You get semi-weighted keys that feel nice and tons of programmable buttons.

My favorite feature, however, is the existing integrations with most DAWs and synths. You can control your instrument right from the controller without fiddling with key mappings. Hit the ‘mixer’ button and Nektar will assign the first 8 sliders to the 8 channels of your DAWs mixer automatically.

The fact that it also has 88 keys – a rarity among MIDI controllers – makes it one of my topmost recommended models.

Do keep in mind that as a MIDI controller, the LX88+ doesn’t have any onboard sound or speakers. You will need to plug it into your DAW to hear anything.

Overall, the Nektar Impact LX88+ is a great pick for someone looking for a controller for his DAW. It has tons of buttons and pads, a great keyboard, and a full 7 octave range. And at this price, you can’t really get a better deal.

9. Korg SP-280

If there is one brand I trust besides Yamaha, Casio, and Roland, it’s Korg. Korg’s synths and workstations are legendary among performers. The Korg SP-280 is Korg’s attempt at making a digital piano, and it is a fabulous one.

First off, this keyboard features Korg’s natural weighted hammer action keys. This is similar to Yamaha’s GHS keys. The keys are heavier in the bass notes and become lighter as you move to higher treble notes. This does a great job of replicating the resistance of acoustic keys.

Rounding up the NH keyboard action is a dynamic sound engine that automatically chooses from 4 different piano sounds based on your playing style. Should you choose to go pianissimo or fortissimo, the SP-280 will choose the right soundbank to recreate the acoustic piano effect.

But replicating an acoustic piano isn’t the SP-280’s only forte. It also has a number of built-in electric piano and organ sounds, including a fantastic vibraphone and harpsichord. Korg’s electric piano sounds are particularly well done and harken back to some of the classic sounds of Korg’s ’80s models.

You get 3 built-in touch sensitivity settings (heavy, normal, light), and 120-note polyphone. You also get 3 effects (rever, brilliance, chorus). The only missing feature is a built-in arranger.

Rounding up the feature list is a set of powerful 22W speakers. These are loud enough that you can perform in a small venue without hooking the SP-280 to a PA system.

On the whole, the Korg SP-280 is a great alternative to the Casios and the Yamahas. It looks great, feels nice, and comes at a great price.

10. Casio Privia PX-360

The Casio Privia PX-360 is the elder sibling of the bestselling PX-160. It boasts much of the same features but better build-quality, nicer keytops, and a standout touchscreen.

The keyboard uses a tri-sensor scaled hammer action with Casio’s AiR sound engine. This combination does a spectacular job of replicating the feel and sound of an acoustic piano. The action is graded, i.e. it goes from heavy to light as you move up the octaves. Synthetic ebony and ivory keys complete the acoustic piano experience (and serve a function purpose – the keytops are moisture resistant).

The standout feature, however, is the bright 5.3″ color touchscreen. This screen replaces all the buttons and kobs from the PX-360’s predecessor. You can control the entire keyboard from the screen without fiddling with messy physical controls. You can launch any of the 550 built-in sounds, open the 16-track recorder, and access the learning features (such as Duet mode) with a single tap of the touchscreen.

Despite all these features, the Privia PX-360 is surprisingly lightweight, weighing a measly 26lbs. It also has a narrow design which makes it easy to carry from gig to gig.

Overall, the PX-360 is an ideal upgrade to the PX-160. It boasts a better onboard recorder, a ginormous library of sounds, and one of the best touchscreens on any 88-key keyboard on the market.

So there you have it: my picks for the 10 best 88 key keyboards on the market right now.

Now that you know what to buy, let’s do a quick overview of how to buy keyboards, and what to look for when making a purchase decision.

MIDIKeyboard Buying Guide

I’m sure some of you reading this might be confused.

I’ll admit, so was I.

The word “keyboard” is incredibly broad. In my career as a producer, I’ve seen:

• Pianists use “keyboard” for their pianos
• Producers use it to refer to their MIDI controllers
• Performers use it to refer to synths and digital pianos

Depending on who you are and what you do, “best 88 key keyboard” might mean different things to you. Which is why I tried to include every kind of keyboard I could find in my roundup.

But what exactly is the difference between different types of keyboards? Or the difference between a digital piano and a midi controller? And what should you look for when buying them?

I’ll answer these questions briefly below.

But first, an answer to a question: do you really need 88 keys?

Digital, Electric and Acoustic Pianos

You’re all familiar with acoustic pianos. That’s the 1,000lbs behemoth that crushes Wile.E.Coyote every time.

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Acoustic pianos are expensive and difficult to maintain. You can’t move them around much. And God forbid if they get out of tune – you’ll have to call in a tuner who’ll take half your salary for half a day’s work.

That’s why in the 60s, Harold Rhodes invented the electric Rhodes piano. Much like an electric guitar, this piano used electric pick-ups to translate vibrations into sound. You could send the sound signal to an amplifier and apply audio effects.

The Rhodes piano enabled some fantastic innovation in sound. The strange, other-worldly effects in Pink Floyd’s music or the thick, driving bass in “Riders on the Storm” could be attributed to the electric piano.

In 1983, Yamaha introduced the YP-40, often credited as being the first digital piano. Instead of an electric pick-up, the YP-40 used a digital sound engine to create sound. A bunch of sounds were loaded on the YP-40’s sound engine. You could select a sound and press any key to hear it.

These early digital pianos were hardly acoustic piano replacements. Their tone was clunky and the keys never felt much like real pianos. What they did have going for them was their price. Since there were no moving parts, nor did they require expensive materials, you could make digital pianos for extremely cheap.

Over the years, digital sound producing capabilities have improved drastically. And with it, the quality of digital pianos on the market.

A modern digital piano has a sophisticated sound engine. Usually, this sound engine has a set of recorded sounds from high-end pianos (such as Yamaha’s Pure CF sound engine, which uses sounds from the Yamaha CFIIIS piano – priced at $54,000).

When you press a key, the sound engine springs into action, selecting the right sound based on the velocity and force of your touch.

Essentially, a digital piano is a pseudo-synthesizer that focuses on reproducing pre-loaded sounds.

The keys, too, have improved over time. Modern digital pianos mimic the hammer action of acoustic pianos. Yamaha’s Graded Hammer action, for instance, even makes the keys feel lighter as you move from low bass octaves to high treble octaves – just as on a real piano.

Most digital pianos can be plugged in via MIDI or USB cable into a computer. Thus, they can act as a MIDI keyboard, letting you enter notes into your DAW.

Choose Digital Pianos if

• You want acoustic piano-like sound without the cost or maintenance
• You’re ready to spend a minimum of $300 (ideally, $600)
• You want to prioritize piano sounds
• You want built-in speakers
• You don’t need pads, dials, sliders, and buttons for MIDI control

A modern-day high-end digital piano can perform as well, and even better than a low-end to mid-range acoustic piano. You might want to choose the latter for acoustics or even sentimental reasons, but in terms of performance, a digital piano is as good an option as any other.

Synthesizers and Workstations

A synthesizer is any instrument that can synthesize sounds, i.e. create them from scratch. This can be a software synth, like Serum. Or a hardware synth, like the MOOG Minitaur.

A synthesizer does not have to have a keyboard. A keyboard is useful for playing the sounds you created, but creating the sounds doesn’t require it. In fact, hardware synths are often sold with just the synthesizing unit. You can plug in a keyboard separately.

Of course, that’s not always the norm. Many of the best-selling synths in music history have built-in keyboards. The popular Nord Juno, for example, has a 49-key keyboard built into it.

Synthesizers can be analog, digital, or software. Analog synths, such as [example] create waveforms and give you the means of manipulating them. Digital synths are newer and create waveforms from a digital soundbank. And software synths take the same process to a software interface.

Synths are often colloquially called “keyboards”. You’ll often see the guy on the synth in a band referred to as the “keyboardist”.

While they were immensely popular earlier, hardware synths (either analog or digital) have become something of a niche buy recently. Modern software synths are so much more powerful than what even the best hardware synth can accomplish. You can usually get much better results by plugging a MIDI keyboard into your DAW and using a software synth like Serum.

Unless you need it for the performance aspect (a guy with a keyboard plugged into a laptop isn’t as nice to look at as a guy on just a keyboard), you don’t always need synthesizers anymore.

Choose synthesizers if:

• You want to create sounds from scratch
• You have a budget of $500 and up
• A software synth isn’t enough for your needs

This brings me to another kind of keyboard: workstations.

Workstations occupy a niche spot in the keyboard lineup. They’re essentially “hardware DAWs”. They have built-in recorders and arrangers, usually accessible through a LCD screen. Often, they also have a synthesizer built-in.

The idea behind a workstation is to give you the means to create an entire track right from the keyboard. You can choose a piano sound and lay down the rhythm. Then switch to drum sounds and lay down the drums on another track. And you can synthesize a guitar sound for the main melody.

Workstations are good if you like to “touch” your music. But in terms of capability, they’re far behind even a basic DAW. You’re usually limited to 16 or 32 tracks. You can’t add any plugins. And your effects are limited.

You’ll get far, far more utility out of using a full-fledged software DAW over a workstation.

Choose workstations if:

• You want the “intuitiveness” of creating, recording, and arranging tracks from the same device
• You don’t want to use a DAW

MIDI Keyboards

This brings me to the final piece of the keyboard puzzle – MIDI keyboards.

A MIDI keyboard is a keyboard that plugs into a computer and helps you control a DAW. Think of it as a physical interface for your DAW.

Instead of entering notes with your mouse (or God forbid, your computer keyboard), you can use the intuitive and familiar black-and-white keys of the MIDI keyboard to create your music.

MIDI keyboards don’t produce any sound of their own, i.e. they don’t have any built-in speakers. Unless they’re plugged into a DAW, you won’t hear a thing if you press a key.

In fact, it’s better to call them “MIDI controllers” than “MIDI keyboards”. The latter term is simply used to differentiate them from controllers that don’t have piano keys, such as the Ableton Push.

Because they’re meant to control a DAW (or a hardware synth), MIDI keyboards usually have poor quality keys. You’re unlikely to play them the same way as a conventional piano. Thus, you’ll rarely, if ever, find fully-weighted, piano-like keys on a MIDI keyboard.

To help you control your DAW better, most MIDI keyboards have built-in pads, sliders, and buttons. They’re usually pre-programmed to perform certain functions in the DAW or software synth. The sliders might be programmed to control the EQ, and the dials to control volume.

The lower key quality and the lack of synthesis capability means that MIDI keyboards are usually a) cheap, and b) limited to 49 or at most, 61-key arrangements. Though there are a few 88-key MIDI keyboards on the market, they are rare. You’re more likely to find 49-key, 32-key, and even 25-key options.

Prices have dropped drastically as the popularity of electronic music has increased. With everyone and their moms producing EDM, there is a glut of demand for MIDI keyboards. This has reduced prices to a point where you can buy a competent MIDI keyboard for under $100.

Overall, choose MIDI keyboards if:

• You want to control your DAW, not synthesize music from the keyboard itself
• Don’t care about key quality
• Need close integrations with the DAW to make controlling it easier
• Have a small budget

Do keep in mind that technically, you can use any keyboard – a digital piano, a synth, a workstation – to control a DAW, as long as you have a MIDI port. The only advantage MIDI keyboards have is better integrations and additional control options (pads, buttons, sliders, etc.).

3 Things to Consider Before Buying 88-Key Keyboards

If you’re in the market for the best 88 key keyboard, there are a few things you should ask yourself before making a purchase decision:

1. Do you really need 88 keys?

88-keys is the largest keyboard size you can buy. That’s the exact number of keys on a full-size modern piano, giving you a complete 7-octave range.

The idea of a full-size keyboard can be tempting, but for many people, it’s just overkill. Unless you’re playing piano pieces, you don’t really need 88 keys. In fact, for beginners, 88 keys can be downright intimidating.

Plus, a full-size keyboard is heavier and unwieldy. Not exactly perfect for lugging around to gigs.

If your goal is to produce music – either with a hardware synth, workstation, or DAW – a 49 or 61-key keyboard is a much better option. 49 keys gives you four octaves of playable range, and you can shift up/down octaves with the press of a button. The lower key count also makes them much more portable.

So before you plop down the cash for the best 88 key keyboard, ask yourself: what kind of music will I play with this keyboard? Does this music really require 88 keys?

2. What kind of music will you play?

What kind of keyboard you’ll buy will depend greatly on the kind of music you want to play. If you want to create ‘80s electronic pop, you’ll want a synthesizer with that traditional ‘80s sound. If you want to play Chopin and Bach, you’ll want a digital piano. If you want to produce songs with a DAW, pick a MIDI keyboard.

I’ve often seen beginners buy expensive keyboards only to later realize that they can’t fully utilize them.

Broadly speaking:

• Digital pianos are for playing piano pieces that require an acoustic piano-like performance
• Synthesizers are for creating your own sounds with a retro or ‘80s vibe and in a more intuitive physical form than a software synth
• Workstations are for recording and arranging complete songs, without the assistance of a DAW
• MIDI keyboards are for producing music using a DAW and software synth

3. What is my experience level?

The easiest way to ruin your music journey (and your finances) is to buy an instrument you’re not really ready for yet.

An expensive, high-end instrument is often more challenging to play.

A top-of-the-line Yamaha digital piano, for instance, has acoustic piano-like keys. This means that the keys are harder to press (i.e. require more finger strength). It also has features to mimic the complex acoustics of a real piano.

Advanced players might love these additional features. But for beginners, they can easily become too overwhelming. A new piano player will actually benefit from lighter keys and simpler acoustics.

This applies to key count as well. If you’ve never played the piano before, 88 keys will confuse you. A smaller 49-key keyboard will be much easier to control.

So before you decide what to buy, be honest with yourself about your experience level. If you’re a beginner, save your money and buy an entry-level keyboard. Reserve those $x,xxx keyboards for when you actually know what you’re doing.

Conclusion

You now know which are the best 88 key keyboards on the market right now. You also know the difference between different keyboard-types, and what features to look for when buying them.

Hopefully, this will help you make a better buying decision.

Here’s a quick recap of my top picks:

• Yamaha DGX 660 ($$)
• Roland FP-90 ($$$)
• Casio Privia PX160 ($)
• Alesis Recital ($)
• Yamaha P-255 ($$$)

If you have any questions or comments, just drop in the comments section below or send me an email.

Happy shopping!

References:

• Roland (official website)
• Yamaha (official website)
• Casio keyboards (official website)
• Williams digital pianos (official website)

Also read:

• Our favorite 61 key keyboards on the market right now
• Our pick of the best 49 key keyboards
• Our favorite digital pianos – for every need

What’s the best mini MIDI keyboard for touring musicians? What kind of features you should look for when buying one? Should you choose the traditional wired keyboards, or should you spring for a wireless one? I’ll share answers to these questions and more in this detailed guide to the best mini MIDI controllers on the market.

Mini MIDI keyboards have come a long way. When the MIDI format was first introduced by Robert Moog at the 1982 NAMM show, the only “keyboard” was a heavy Roland synth, weighing in at several pounds.

Today, we have keyboards like the Akai LPK25 that weigh in at under 1 lbs.

Mini MIDI keyboards are arguably the most popular sub-category within the broader MIDI controller segment. This is mostly due to their non-intimidating size and low cost. Although their primary customers are supposed to be touring musicians and producers, tons of beginners also prefer them.

This effectively bifurcates the market. There are serious musicians who need a small keyboard to use on the go. And then there are beginners who just need something small, cheap, and non-intimidating for daily use.

In this review, we’ve tried to take both these markets into account. Our top choice should please everyone – serious musicians and amateurs alike. But at the same time, we’ve also covered gear that works better for amateurs as well as more professional equipment.

Besides this article, I also encourage you to read our guides on the best cheap MIDI keyboard and the best 25-key MIDI controller.

At a glance, these are my picks for the best mini MIDI keyboards:

• Best overall: Akai MPK Mini Mk2
• Best performance: Akai MPK225
• Best budget: midiplus AKM320

A Brief Guide to Buying MIDI Keyboards

To use the term “mini” keyboard is to essentially refer to keyboards that have between 25 and 37 keys, i.e. two to three octaves of range. By virtue of their limited key count, all such keyboards can be classified as “mini”.

That doesn’t mean that all mini keyboards are equally portable. Some keyboards might have a small size but use a heavier chassis which adds to their weight. The Behringer Deepmind, for instance, packs in a powerful synthesizer into the keyboard and weighs in at a whopping 15 lbs.

Not exactly something you can drop into your backpack and lug around!

So while I’m tempted to just direct you to our page for the best 25-key MIDI keyboards, I feel that there are a few things I should clarify about buying mini keyboards.

Who are mini MIDI keyboards for?

If you’re reading this, you likely fall into one of the two categories:

• You’re a beginner looking for a cheap, small, and portable MIDI keyboard to help you produce music. You will primarily use it on your desktop with a laptop, but you also want to be able to carry it around to a friend’s place for a jamming session. Cost and ease of use are your primary concerns.
• You’re a serious musician who already has one or multiple larger keyboards at home. However, you want something that you can carry around with you to gigs and jamming sessions. You already understand how to use MIDI keyboards well and hence, features, not price is your top concern. Since you want to lug it around to gigs, you also want

Because the market is divided this way, you’ll find that most mini MIDI keyboards fall into two camps:

• Cheap and easy to use: These keyboards will typically have light synth-style keys, limited control options, and will cost under $100.
• Feature-rich but expensive: These keyboards will feature better keys – even semi-weighted keys – and offer better quality pads, knobs, and control options. They’ll be heavier as well on account of the better construction quality. Most such keyboards cost over $200.

Which of these two categories you go for will depend on your needs, of course. In the next section, I’ll help you understand these needs better.

How to evaluate your needs?

Barring broken keys and non-functional pads, the number one reason why most buyers are unhappy with their MIDI keyboard purchase is because they bought something that didn’t fit their needs.

This is an easy mistake to make. You might overestimate your skills and buy something that’s far too powerful (and expensive) for you to ever use. Or you might underestimate your own growth trajectory and end up with something that’s too underpowered for anything serious.

To help you make sense of your needs, try answering these questions:

• Will you use it on your desk or carry it around to gigs? In case of the former, you can sacrifice portability for functionality. In case of the latter, low weight and small size should be your top priority.
• How much desk space do you have? An often overlooked factor is desk space. While mini MIDI keyboards are, as a rule, small, some are taller than they are wider. This requires more vertical desk space since you’ll want to keep a laptop/desktop behind the keyboard as well.
• Do you need pads? I almost never recommend getting a MIDI keyboard without any pads – you never know when you might need them. But in case you already have a great pad controller (like the Ableton Push) and need something just for playing melodies, you can safely buy a keys-only controller (like the Akai LPK25).
• Do you know how to play the piano? If you’re an experienced pianist, you’ll be disappointed with the loose, plasticky synth-action keys found on most low-end mini keyboards. Though 25-37 keys is hardly enough to play your best Chopin rendition, you’ll enjoy using better keyboards (especially with semi-weighted keys) a lot more.
• How many control options do you want? If you’re a beginner, you don’t want tons of buttons, knobs, and sliders on your keyboard. It will just end up confusing you. If you’re a serious musician, however, you’ll want to prioritize customizable controls so you can play the way you’re used to playing.
• How will you use the keyboard? Do you want to just play some chords and melodies? Then buy a keys-only controller. Do you want to tap out a few drum patterns? Then buy a keys + pad controller. Or do you want complete control over your DAW? Get a professional MIDI keyboard with extensive control options. Analyze your playing style and usage before you decide what to buy
• Is it your primary or secondary keyboard? This might be a moot point for beginners, but if you’re a serious musician who already has a handful of keyboards, you’ll want to ask this question. Essentially, you want your new mini MIDI keyboard to fill the gaps left by your other controllers. Don’t get another portable keyboard with limited control options if you already have one Akai MPK Mini tucked away in your storeroom.
• Are you learning new skills? Of course you are. But what you want to know is your “learning trajectory”. Essentially, you want to figure out how quickly you’re picking up new skills. You won’t buy a new keyboard every six months, so you want something that will still be powerful enough to serve you in 6 months, 12 months, or even 5 years.

What to look for in mini MIDI keyboards?

Now the all-important question: what should you look for in a mini MIDI keyboard?

The exact answer will, of course, depend on your specific requirements. But there are a few broad issues you should think about:

• Portability: Portability is a function of three things: size, shape, and weight. While size and weight are obvious (the lower the better, of course), shape is often overlooked. If the controller is overly tall or overly long, it will be difficult to keep in a standard bag. This is why some of the best mini MIDI keyboards like the Akai MPK Mini have roughly the same shape as a laptop.
• Durability: Durability is obviously important for MIDI instruments, but it is arguably even more important for mini keyboards. Why? Because you’re likely going to lug it around with you on tours and jamming sessions. A few dings here and there and you might find that the keys don’t work anymore or the pads don’t pop back after being pressed.
• Integrations: While technically you can make any MIDI keyboard work with any DAW or synth (the MIDI protocol is universal after all), you’ll have a far easier time if your controller integrates with your DAW out of the box. Look for keyboards that are designed specifically for your DAW. If you happen to use one of the popular DAWs – Ableton, Logic, FL Studio – this will be easy to find.
• Number of keys: Mini keyboards, by definition, are mostly limited to 25 to 37 keys. A few offer 32 keys as well. From experience, I find 37 keys to be a weird in-between two and four octaves of range. They also add to the size. Unless you absolutely need three octaves of range, I recommend going for 25 keys.
• Connectivity: Thankfully, nearly every modern MIDI keyboard offers USB connectivity. This means you no longer have to carry around your USB audio interface and a MIDI cable. However, a few modern keyboards also offer wireless connectivity via Bluetooth.
• Built-in sounds and speakers: Any keyboard that allows you to create your own sounds isn’t just a MIDI keyboard anymore; it’s a synthesizer and that’s a whole new product category. But a few MIDI keyboards, most notably the Akai MPK Mini Play, have a handful of built-in sounds and a small speaker. This isn’t meant to replace a full-fledged synthesizer. Rather, it’s meant to give you the ability to jam out some melodies without connecting to your computer. It’s a nice feature to have, but I don’t consider it a must-have.
• Mobile/tablet connectivity: Not a lot of serious musicians use their iPads or phones to produce music. However, if you’re a beginner with a free copy of Garageband or just want to have some fun, it can be fun to connect your keyboard to your tablet or phone and jam out some tunes. For this, you’ll need either a dongle to connect the USB cable to your mobile device. Or you’ll want the keyboard to support wireless connectivity via Bluetooth. If you intend to use your keyboard this way, consider this a must-have feature.

Should you buy wireless MIDI keyboards?

This brings us to a question that’s caused a lot of agony and heated debates among musicians in the last couple of years: wireless keyboards.

Wireless MIDI keyboards bypass the USB cable and connect to your computer via Bluetooth.

When they were first launched, wireless keyboards were mostly a gimmick. The Bluetooth protocol didn’t offer enough bandwidth to transmit MIDI signals with low enough latency. The end result was often hilarious as you would tap a note and only hear it back after a second (which, in latency terms, is a lifetime).

But as the Bluetooth protocol and batteries have improved, so has the potential of wireless keyboards. Modern wireless keyboards offer competent latency. Obviously, it’s not going to be as low as wired controllers paired to a powerful computer (the MIDI standard is designed for latency as low as 1ms), but it’s enough to be playable.

So the question is: should you buy a wireless MIDI keyboard?

Our stance on this is consistent: Only if you absolutely have to.

Wireless MIDI keyboards pose three big issues that stop me from recommending them wholeheartedly:

• Latency: Although it is improving, especially with Bluetooth 4.0, wireless just doesn’t have the bandwidth of traditional wired USB cables. Your latency is always going to be lower unless they develop a groundbreaking new wireless technology.
• Price: Wireless keyboards tend to be priced nearly twice of their wired counterparts. While it’s nice to be untethered, is the lack of wires really worth the much fatter price tag?
• Batteries: With wireless keyboards, you have to worry about yet another problem: batteries. You can plug your USB-powered MIDI keyboard and start playing right away. But with a wireless keyboard, you have to worry about keeping the unit fully charged. And who has time to take care of yet another thing to charge every day?

Our most recommended mini wireless MIDI keyboard – the CME Xkey Air 25 – has a battery life of just 10 hours (around 7-8 hours in the real world). That’s barely three jamming sessions. Is being wire-free really worth the hassle of getting your keyboard charged every couple of days?

Of course, there are advantages: you don’t have to worry about cables. And connecting to mobile devices becomes much easier. But the pros outweigh the cons.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the best mini MIDI keyboards you can buy right now.

The Best Mini MIDI Keyboard: In-Depth Overview

If you’ve gone through the above section, you have a fair idea of what to look for in mini keyboards and how to evaluate your own requirements.

Armed with this information, you can now pick the best mini MIDI keyboard for your needs from our list below:

Best Overall: Akai MPK Mini MKII

The keys are a little narrow, the pads not as responsive as they could be, and the build quality is a little suspect.

But despite all these flaws, Akai MPK Mini MK2 still ranks as our best mini MIDI keyboard and tops most bestseller charts.

The reason is simple: This Akai does nearly everything well enough. The keyboard is good enough to satisfy most people. There are enough control options for most musicians. And the size, price, and build quality is agreeable enough for anyone.

Which is to say, the individual parts might not be the best, but the overall package works really well together.

In terms of portability, the MPK Mini is perfectly sized. It is roughly the same size as a 13″ laptop and under 2″ thick, which makes carrying it around extremely easy. The weight is also under 1.6 lbs – less than a Macbook. You can throw your laptop and this keyboard into the same bag and not even notice the difference.

Besides the size, the other best feature is the number of control options you get. 8 pads, 8 knobs, and dedicated DAW controls make it easy to create complete tracks right from the controller without looking at your screen. Integrations are smooth as well, especially with Ableton and Logic (I didn’t get a chance to test it with FL Studio).

If there are any pet peeves, it’s the weird thumbstick that replaces traditional pitch/mod wheels. I understand that this was a space-saving compromise but it lacks the intuitiveness of conventional wheels.

Apart from these minor niggles, the Akai MPK Mini remains our top-most recommended mini MIDI keyboard. I recommend getting it in either black or the special edition red.

You can read a full review of this keyboard here.

Best Professional MIDI Keyboard: Akai Professional MPK225

Everything the Akai MPK Mini does, the MPK225 does better. For instance:

• You get semi-weighted keys instead of cheaper synth-action keys
• You get MPC-style pads instead of the rubbery APC-style pads on the MPK Mini
• The pads are RGB-illuminated
• You get 4 assignable banks for pads, 3 for the knobs, greatly expanding your control options
• The LCD screen packs in way more information and includes navigational keys

This is truly a “grown up” mini keyboard with all-premium components. Even the software is better, especially the accompanying MPC Essentials tool that gives you full MPC-like controls over the keyboard.

Where the MPK225 does falter is in its weight and size. At nearly 20″, the MPK225 can’t just be thrown into a backpack and carried anywhere (not that you’d want to treat a mid-$xxx device poorly). The 6.61 lbs weight is also similar to old school Alienware laptops. It’s not so large and heavy to make portability a challenge, but will certainly require some effort to carry around.

Apart from the portability concerns, there is little to complain about in the MPK225. Everything feels premium, from the aluminum chassis to the rubbery pitch/mod wheels. If you have the budget for it, this is a keyboard you’ll love to own.

Best MIDI Keyboard for Budget Buyers: midiplus 32 AKM320

If you want a keyboard that offers the bare minimum at the bare minimum price, you’ll want the midiplus AKM320.

Designed as a no-frills keyboard controller, the AKM320 offers nothing apart from a set of 32 keys. You don’t get any pads, knobs, buttons or sliders.

Instead, you get just 32 keys along with two pitch/mod wheels, and dedicated octave up/down and transpose up/down buttons.

Given the lack of control options, the AKM320 is extremely easy to use. Just plug it in via the included USB cable and your DAW will (most likely) recognize it instantly. There is nothing to configure or change; just tap the keys and start playing immediately.

The key quality is as you’d expect in a keyboard at this price range: shoddy. The plasticky white keys feel loose and jump up inconsistently. It’s not a good playing experience. However, it does get the job done: give you a physical interface to control your music.

More importantly, the midiplus AKM320 does all this at a price tag that’s ridiculously low. Unless you buy something straight off Alibaba, you won’t find a cheaper MIDI keyboard in the market.

The dimensions and weight fit the portability requirements as well. At under 1.6 lbs, you can carry this keyboard around anywhere. And while it is longer than most laptops at 18″ length, the narrow width – just 4.9″ – and low height (1.2″) make it easy to carry.

Best Wireless MIDI Keyboard: CME Xkey Air 25

As I said earlier, I’m not the biggest fan of wireless keyboards. There are still some unresolved latency and battery life issues. Considering the premium you pay for them in terms of price, these issues have to be addressed before I can recommend them wholeheartedly.

Having said that, if there is any wireless keyboard I can recommend, it’s the CME Xkey Air 25.

CME isn’t a big name in the MIDI keyboard category, but this manufacturer does make some of the best wireless MIDI keyboards on the market right now. The Xkey Air 25 is their smallest and most affordable keyboard.

There’s a lot to like about this unit:

• You get 7-9 hours of battery life during actual use – good enough for 2-3 jamming sessions.
• The latency is ~30ms on my system. Slower than a wired keyboard but good enough that you won’t notice it much.
• Slim profile keys take up little desk space and look good
• Low weight – the entire unit weighs under 1.5 lbs
• Aftertouch keys are responsive and feel good to play

The low weight, small size, and wireless connectivity make this one of the most portable keyboards you can buy.

Of course, there are plenty of problems with this keyboard as well. There are no control options for starters – no pads, knobs, or buttons. You can only use it to play chords and melodies, nothing else. The price tag is also exorbitant, especially when compared to equivalent wired keyboards.

But with that said, there is certainly some joy in being untethered. A USB cable might not take up much space, but the freedom of being able to take the keyboard anywhere (well, within Bluetooth range) can make you think that the price tag is worth it.

Plus, Bluetooth connectivity makes it much easier to use the Xkey Air with a mobile device. If you like making music on your iPad with Garageband, you’ll love this keyboard.

Best for Portability: Akai Professional LPK25

When it comes to portability, you can’t go wrong with the bestseller in the category: the Akai LPK25.

The LPK25 doesn’t boast a lot in terms of features. Even its keyboard isn’t perfect.

But it does have a tiny size and incredibly low weight, plus a price tag that’s hard to resist.

Let’s back up a second though. The LPK25 has 25 velocity-sensitive keys. They won’t give a Yamaha piano a run for their money but they’re useful enough for their primary function: entering MIDI notes and playing chords.

As a caveat, the velocity sensitivity can be inconsistent at times. You might find that pressing the note doesn’t always yield the response you expected. This makes using the LPK25 in life performances an issue.

Moving on, you don’t get much in the way of controls save dedicated arpeggio and sustain buttons. There are no pads, knobs, or programmable buttons. Crucially, you don’t get dedicated pitch/mod wheels.

While I would have preferred some control options, I know that it would have also affected the portability. Which, after all, is this keyboard’s primary selling point.

With a length under 14″, 3.8″ width and just 1.1″ height, this keyboard is among the tiniest you can buy. It’s barely larger than my 13″ Macbook and fits easily into any backpack.

Add in the ridiculously low-weight – just 650 grams – and you can see why it ranks as my top pick for portability.

Integration is quite seamless as well, mostly because there are no control options to worry about. Plug it into your USB port and you can start using it immediately with most DAWs, no installation necessary.

For what it claims to do – effortless portability – the LPK25 definitely ranks as one of the best options on the market.

Best Keyboard: Roland A-300-Pro-R

Roland makes some of the best pianos and synthesizers in the world. So it should come as no surprise to see the Roland brand name as our best keyboard pick as well.

The A-300-Pro-R is the smaller sibling of the popular A-500 (49-key keyboard). It packs in 32 keys, i.e. 2.5 octaves of range. Portability isn’t this keyboard’s strong suit; the unit weighs in at nearly 9 lbs and is 27″ long on its longest side. You won’t be able to drop it into your backpack and carry it to a gig.

The star of the show is the keyboard. Although the keys have synth-action (as opposed to the semi-weighted keys on the MPK225), they have Aftertouch. For the uninitiated, Aftertouch is responsible for the soft dulling of sound after you lift your fingers off the key. This creates a far more natural sound, plus improves the action greatly to give you an authentic piano feel.

This video should help you understand it better:

As great as the keyboard is, there are plenty of control options as well. You get:

• 8 velocity-sensitive dynamic pads
• 9 knobs
• 8 + 1 sliders
• 8 programmable buttons

Plus, you get complete DAW controls right on the keyboard itself. Combined with the built-in LCD screen and navigational joystick, it means that you can divorce your laptop screen and make music entirely from the keyboard.

There are some caveats, of course. The pads are small and don’t have the responsiveness of Akai’s MPC-style pads. The horizontally mounted pitch wheel is a bit more cumbersome than the traditional vertical pitch/mod wheels. The heavy weight and large size also make it one of the largest “mini” keyboards on the market.

Further, Roland’s integrations remain iffy at best, especially with the more popular modern DAWs like Ableton and FL Studio. And the price makes it difficult to buy for all but the most serious of musicians.

That said, as far as keyboard quality goes, the Roland A-300-Pro is one of the best mini MIDI keyboards you can buy right now.

Most Innovative Keyboard: Roli Seaboard Block

To call the Roli Seaboard Block a “keyboard” would be to severely undersell it; it’s far more than that – a powerful, innovative wireless music production center that will transform how you make music.

At the heart of the Roli Seaboard experience is Roli’s “5D Touch” technology. Instead of the conventional black and white piano keys, the Seaboard uses an innovative squishy, rubbery skin. It’s difficult to describe it in words; you’ll get a much better idea if you see it in action:

This 5D, squishy touch enables so many music making possibilities:

• Bending notes becomes far easier. You don’t have to wiggle around the pitch/mod wheels; just drag your finger from one note to the next
• You can get authentic sounding vibrato simply by wiggling your finger on a note
• Slide effects are far more natural – press a note, then drag your finger to the bottom and slide it to another note

The entire experience is particularly delightful for playing guitar, strings and wind instruments. If you’ve ever struggled to get authentic guitar sounds with your keyboard, you’ll love what the Seaboard brings to the table.

The squishy nature of this “keyboard” also makes it easy to use as drum pad.

Besides the innovative 5D touch, the Seaboard Block is also wireless and has a tiny size – it’s just 11″ long at its widest. You can connect it to your phone and get access to 100+ sounds over Bluetooth. This puts a complete music production center at your fingertips without worrying about DAWs and synths and integrations.

It’s hard to evaluate the Roli Seaboard Block. It is just so different than everything else on this list that you can’t really compare it to anything else.

What I can tell you is that the Seaboard Block – and Roli’s other instruments – are some of the most groundbreaking products on the market. Quietly and slowly, they’re changing the way we make music.

Final Words

With that, we come to a close in this extended guide to buying the best mini MIDI keyboard. We covered everything from the features you should look for in the keyboard of your choice to the process for evaluating your own needs.

Just to recap, here is our list of the best mini MIDI keyboards, sorted by category:

• Akai MPK Mini MK2 (Best overall)
• Akai MPK255 (Best for professionals)
• midiplus 32 AKM320 (Best for budget buyers)
• Akai LPK25 (Best for portability)
• CME Xkey Air 25 (Best wireless MIDI keyboard)
• Roland A-300-Pro-R (Best keys)

Questions, suggestions, or doubts? Send us an email!

Experts referenced for this article:

The following writers, DJs, producers, and audio engineers contributed their suggestions for this post: