Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The CDP-S160 doesn’t simulate the feel of an acoustic yamaha piano keyboard piano as well as our top pick does, but it’s easier to use and a little more affordable. 61-key, entry-level Portable Keyboard featuring a wide variety of sounds and functions the PSR-E273 is an ideal first keyboard for aspiring musicians who are just starting out. The YDP-165 has hundreds of built-in songs and 303 practice exercises covering various skill levels.
From 1900 on, Yamaha began creating acoustic pianos—initially focusing on uprights. This gives them well over a century’s worth of experience crafting pianos. Upgraded from the yamaha digital piano YDP144, it has been equipped with ‘smooth release’, which offers the crisp tone heard when playing staccato as well as the lingering sound produced by releasing the keys more.
Yamaha was one of the first companies to release a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard; 1983’s DX-7. This keyboard and the entire DX line used FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis, and were hugely successful throughout the 80s. Other successful instruments include the SY series, CP series electric and analog yamaha electric guitars pianos, and the KX series MIDI controllers. The Yamaha synthesizer tradition was then carried on with the popular S Series, MM and MO series and Motif series instruments. The P series Yamaha stage pianos are also quite popular, and the new Piaggero Series piano focused keyboards are already starting to draw attention.
Most digital pianos include a simple sustain pedal, which lets the notes ring out, but it is usually lightweight and prone to flopping over and getting kicked around the floor. Even if your piano comes with a pedal, we strongly recommend upgrading to a sturdier, weighted pedal right away. Some digital pianos allow an upgrade to a three-pedal module, which adds the soft and sostenuto pedals found on an acoustic piano; we recommend getting one of these if your piano is compatible.
The Bluetooth capabilities feature both audio and MIDI, which gives you some great options. Some of these virtual pianos sound incredible and they will greatly improve the sound. The simple fix is that you can use the Recital Pro as a MIDI controller and use a piano VST. What this means is you will connect your digital piano to your laptop, (this is super common), and then you will use a virtual piano.