All Posts by Jaime Echagüe

Music Keyboard Yamaha PSR F51. Full Review. Is it Good?

Today we are analyzing a 61-key Yamaha keyboard in the PSR range. The Yamaha PSR E and F Series are a series of keyboards designed for beginners and people who want to experiment with a keyboard and a multitude of sounds without great pretensions. Then there’s the more professional PSR S series.

The Yamaha PSR F51 is the evolution of the Yamaha PSR F50 and they are the same, simply a change of acronyms.

It is a very inexpensive keyboard with 120 different piano and other instrument sounds and 32-voice polyphony. Polyphony is the number of notes that can sound at once. If you are playing on top of accompaniment also consumes the polyphonic memory but with 32 you have plenty for an initial level. We’ll tell you where to buy it, but keep reading that the review continues.

Where to Buy Yamaha PSR F51? (if Yamaha PSR 263 has better price the link will redirect you to this item)

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and the possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
  • A leader in fast shipments.
  • The price change a lot daily.
  • The best option in USA and worldwide

Apart from all that amount of sounds the Yamaha PSR F51 includes:

  • Pantalla LCD que mejora la usabilidad y el cambiar de funciones.
  • Efecto Reverb y Chorus (más brillo, como tocar en un iglesia)
  • Metronome and headphone output
  • Duet mode para tocar dos personas a la vez.
  • Power supply included.

I’m sure you’ll be interested in…

Advantages of the PSR F51

No doubt price below 100 € and portability as it only weighs 3.4 kg which makes you can take it to acoustic tests with other instruments that do not sound much like a guitar. In that case, it’s a good choice as a secondary keyboard. As mentioned above, it is battery operated and also comes with a power cord.

It has a headphone output so you can play silently and plug it into a small amplifier with minijack input.

It has two 2.5 W speakers but they are not very powerful either. We leave you a video so you can hear how it sounds and then we tell you its limitations:

Limitations of the Yamaha PSR F51

The Yamaha PSR F51 keyboard serves as a secondary keyboard for composing and practicing harmony. To make chords and see how they sound.

It is also suitable for having fun but you have to bear in mind that it is not suitable for learning. A piano needs at least to have sensitivity in the keys to regulate the volume, sustain pedal input to sustain the sound of the note in time (and this does not have it).

The Yamaha PSR F51 doesn’t even have a sensitivity (although you do have sensitivity and Hammer Action).

If your budget is about 100 € and you want a child to use it to learn this is not the option. But you have options with a sensitive keyboard and sustain pedal that also has MIDI to connect to the computer between 100 and 150 €.

Check out the Yamaha PSR E363 or the Casio CTK 3500 for a very similar price. Both keyboards feature sensitivity, sustain pedal input, and MIDI for connection to the computer.

MIDI is important because it lets you do things like record what you play in a program and then exports it to a score with a single click with any music production software.

On the other hand, if you want to study piano more seriously with a piano with Hammer Action (weight on the keys) at the end of the article we link our ranking with the best digital pianos of the moment in relation quality-price.

Yamaha PSR F50 vs Yamaha PSR F51

Nothing significant, it’s just a re-launch with aesthetic changes.

Where to buy it?

As we said before this keyboard you will find it at the best price in Amazon. If you are not happy you can return it without any problem and the logistics are the best. The keyboard always arrives without problems. Thomann and Woodbrass don’t sell it because they prefer models like the CTK 3500 and PSR E363.

If it’s worth it with this great keyboard although we leave you some very interesting post if you want more features and possibilities:

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

 

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Analisis-y-review-del-Casio-CTK-6200

Digital Piano Casio CTK 6200 Full Review. Is it a good choice?

The Casio CTK 6200 is a 61-key electronic keyboard with a great variety of sounds and an interface that although it has many controls it becomes very intuitive. It has basic equalization functions.

Note: Casio CTK 6250 has been released, so direct links to shops will drive to the new model

The Casio CTK 6200 is perfect to compose, play live with a great richness of sounds since it has line output and it is is perfect because it is very portable.

review-casio-ctk-6200

You have to keep in mind that although it has a sensitive keyboard, the keys do not have the texture and Hammer Action of an acoustic piano. This limits you to study piano, anyway, you can see if you like the first year, but you need Hammer Action to evolve correctly in the piano study.

Hammer Action is the weight of the key which is different from the sensitivity.If you already play piano it will be good for the live and to take it to other places instead of a heavier piano. But if you are thinking of one more piano for conservatory (without so many extra sounds, just piano sounds) spend a little more and go to the Casio CDP 130, one of the cheapest of Casio keyboards with a considerable Hammer Action. If your budget is limited, it is at least as sensitive as the keyboard we are analyzing.The Casio CTK 6200 has three elements that we consider essential:

  • Sustain pedal input (not included).
  • USB MIDI to connect to your computer.
  • Sensitive keyboard to make dynamics (but not Hammer Action).

And it is a keyboard with many sounds and accompaniment possibilities. Designed to play and have live DJ functions. You can record tracks, touch them and manage them with the sequencer, and so on:

  • 700 sounds 210 rhythms + 10 user rhythms (means you can create them, you can also create up to 10 sounds and store them)
  • Layer and division function
  • 10 Types of reverb, chorus and typical effects.
  • 100 preset DSPs and up to 100 user DSPs
  • 5 demonstration pieces
  • Piece sequencer 17 tracks, 5 songs (real-time recording, stage recording, song editing, track editing, event editing, punch-in/out)
  • Pitch Bend wheel to make the effect of bendings on the tones we are playing.
  • SD or SDHC memory card: 2 GB to 32 G
  • Line output (for plugging into a powerful amplification system)

As you can see it comes very strong in recording so you can record your creations and add layers to the music you create. A little in line with Yamaha PSR keyboards from Yamaha. Now we are ahead of you where you can buy it in a couple of buttons, but follow the article below:

Where to Buy Casio CTK 6250?

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
  • Leader in fast shipments.
  • Price that change a lot daily.
  • The best option in USA and worldwide

To see the potential of the whole recording part and the great amount of sounds and accompaniments that it brings, take a look at the following video:

Sound

The Casio CTK6200 has a polyphony of 48 voices, which are the notes that can sound at the same time. You have to keep in mind that if you play over a loop or an accompaniment that limit, is consumed with those notes. It is a considerable polyphony number for its price.

Sounds with AHL technology are of acceptable quality and have a tremendous variety. A total of 700 different sounds and 100 DSP effects give you a tremendous variety. The truth is that this is its forte, because it brings everything you can imagine for less than 250 €.You can record up to 5 songs and it has sequencer and mixer functions to give you total creative freedom.

DSP effects can be added to keyboard tones to create new tonalities. You can also save these settings for later use. It can store up to 10 tones created by you.

Portability and connectivity

In this particular is very good, because it has a weight of 5.7 Kg. which makes it very portable. You can even carry it without a car, using backpack with handles.A very important aspect is that apart from the headphone output it has a line output (already commented before but that we emphasize again) to connect to a PA or mixer.

This makes it valid as a live keyboard at a very affordable price. A tip because you may also find useful is, if you use the exit headphones, you would need an injection box to sound better.Perfect for taking to rehearsals and small restaurants without extra amplification, because it has 6W speakers that are not bad.As we said before it has input for sustain pedal, but it is not included.

That is an essential pedal to play the piano as it allows us to keep the note even if we stop stepping on the note.And as we have highlighted before, it comes with a USB MIDI connection so you can connect it to your computer to do things as wonderful as writing a score while you play. Or record a track and then with a single click export it to a score.It brings power supply, music sheet holder and allows battery power.It also has an LCD screen that shows the information in a very intuitive way and metronome, as well as many controls and wheels that make the editing of effects and sounds very fast. As well as an arpergiator function that allows you to make an entire phrase just by touching a key.

Casio CTK 6200 vs Casio CTK 6250

There are no differences, just a redesign.

As you can see, this is a fun keyboard with a lot of editing and mixing possibilities for just over 200 euros. It is a very good option if you like to have all these possibilities, because it is light and also admits batteries and has output line to take it to any direct. The sounds are acceptable but of course keep in mind that they are not comparable to the sounds of, for example, a Yamaha PSR of the series S. Still, for its price, it has an 8 in performance.

Where to buy Casio CTK 6200

There are several possibilities to buy the Casio CTK 6200, but as it costs a little more than 200 euros the best option is Thomann as the shipping costs are free. Well, it is the one that gives the best transport and guarantee. Though it is currently sold out, there are settlement units in Amazon that can be a great opportunity to find it also second hand:

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

 

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Digital Piano Casio Cdp 230 Full Review. Is it a good piano?

Today we are going to talk about a Casio digital piano that has entered the market and deserves a good analysis.

Note: Casio CDP 240 is released. The Casio CDP 230 is a first cousin of the Casio CDP 130. It has a Casio AHL sound engine and 88 touch sensitive and weighted keys. But the difference is that Casio CDP 230 is designed to expand its piano capacity and have up to 700 different instrument sounds compared to the 10 typical Casio sounds. It is the perfect mix between Hammer Action piano and the typical keyboard with many different instrument sounds. Casio CDP 130

Where to Buy Casio CDP 240? (we link the new release)

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
  • Leader in fast shipments.
  • Price that change a lot daily.
  • The best option in USA and worldwide

Thomann

  • Free Shipping
  • Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
  • 100% reliable payment.
  • Leader in trouble-free shipping.
  • Best price
  • Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalogue and information.

Features

It has buttons with different functionalities such as rhythms, tempo regulator of rhythms, metronome and the possibility of recording what you are playing that can then be put into a flash memory. We detail below its list of features and then we will shell:

  • 88 sensitive keys with scaled hammer mechanics
  • 48-voice polyphony
  • 700 sounds of piano and other instruments
  • 200 rhythms to play over
  • 10 user rhythms
  • 305 musical presets or accompaniments that sound while playing
  • Storage of 32 records
  • Sampling function (to record, for example, a percussion bar that is then repeated in a loop and accompanies you)
  • 152 practice pieces
  • Split/Layer function
  • Metronome
  • Transposition function
  • Hall and Chorus Effect
  • Pitch Bend Wheel (very common on keyboards to make the bending effect and modify the modulation of your sound)
  • LCD screen to manage all its functionalities.
  • Energy Saving Mode
  • Slot SD memory cards to expand recording capabilities.
  • USB to Host
  • Headphone jack
  • Line-In Connection
  • 1 pedal input, it doesn’t support triple bottomboard but the basic one that is the sustain SP-3 (included) and that serves to sustain the note in time and that doesn’t stop playing. The triple bottomboard is more for a very high conservatory level to play some pieces.
  • 2×8 W speaker system
  • Dimensions: W x D x H: 1322 x 286 x 129 mm
  • Weight: 12 Kg
  • Includes SP-3 pedal and power supply.

I’m sure you’ll be interested in…

Sometimes it is normal to see it with the R but Casio CDP 230 and Casio CDP 230R are the same. Here you have a video where you stick a quick review to hear how it sounds:

https://youtu.be/cHn-TAfkT_0

Sound and velocity sensitivity at keys

What really characterizes the Casio CDP 230 is the enormous amount of sounds it brings with 700 different tones. From electric pianos to other musical instruments. It also has 200 rhythms, 10 types of reberbs and 5 chorus and the Hall Mode to recreate the sound of grand piano.

Watch this video in which you can see how the user plays with a variety of options on the keyboard and varies them while playing. It’s a very usable keyboard.

It has a polyphony of 48 notes, the truth is that this point is a limitation. It’s a lot of fun but with so many sounds you can see a little limited to make layering (several layers of sound). Polyphony notes are the number of notes that can sound at once on a piano including accompaniments (they also consume notes). I was very surprised that she didn’t have more polyphony but there is still a lot that can be done with it.

If you want something more advanced in piano feel you can go to the Casio Privia PX 160. The Hammer Action of this portable digital piano is the Tri Sensor Scaled Hammer. The Multi-dimensional Morphing Air Sound with 128 notes polyphony is very powerful and the price difference is not much.

Portability

It weighs a good 12 kg, making it perfect for driving or carrying in a backpack keyboard 88 keys with handles.

It has 8W speakers that you can use for a small restaurant. To plug it into a very powerful amplification system the sound technician may have to use an injection box because it has no line output (to give more power to the signal).

MIDI connectivity

It has USB MIDI to connect it to the computer and be able for example to write music sheets while playing with programs like Sibelius.

Bring a basic sustain pedal. That keeps the note sustained over time even if you stop pressing the key.

Casio CDP 230 vs Casio CDP 130

The Casio CDP 130 is the cheapest weighted-keys piano you can find. It has a sustain pedal, midi, 88 weighted keys and keyboard sensitivity. All for less than 300 euros. The thing is that it has 10 piano sounds oriented just to that, to look like a normal piano.

Based on the above, we can define the Casio CDP 230 as a better CDP 130 by a difference that is usually around 100 euros.

It brings many more sounds and functionalities to play and do more things. The important thing is to see if you really want those things and your budget. The truth is that children can then have a lot of fun with the extras for a difference that is little money as the Casio CDP 230 is often even cheaper than the Yamaha P45 that we will compare below.

Things Casio CLP230 have and not the Casio CDP 130

  • 700 piano sounds and other instruments vs. 10 of CLP130
  • 200 rhythms to play over. The CDP 130 does not have but you can layering with the sounds it has.
  • 10 user rhythms
  • 305 musical presets or accompaniments that sound while you play
  • Storage of 32 records (CDP 130 has no recording functionality)
  • Sampling function (to record for example a percussion compass that is then repeated in loop and accompanies you)
  • Pitch Bend Wheel (very common on keyboards to make the bending effect and modify the modulation of your sound)
  • LCD screen to manage all its functionalities.
  • Slot SD memory cards to expand recording capabilities.

Everything else is equal and the difference is usually 100 euros.

Casio CDP 230 vs Yamaha P115 (Yamaha P125 now) and Yamaha P45

The Casio CDP 230 or Casio CDP 230R has a tremendous amount of sounds but a 48-voice polyphony that consumes fast with any accompaniment.

The essential difference is that these Yamaha pianos are more oriented to simulate a piano than to bring many sounds. It is the same as when comparing the Casio CDP 130 only that these pianos have more polyphony and are a little better than with CDP 130 but more expensive.

The piano keyboard Yamaha P45 has a polyphony of 64 voices and although they say their Hammer Action GHS is a little louder we don’t like it enough. And the price is much lower. It brings few sounds with a very acceptable quality although it has no line output for live. The Yamaha P45 is the most purchased to start with its balance between price and performance.

On the other hand the Yamaha P115 although it is a little more expensive. For that price difference you have many advantages. To begin with, it supports triple pedal and has an output to play on big stages without injection box. It also brings applications for the iPad that help a lot and a polyphony of 192 voices. It must be said that the Yamaha P125 has now come out with 10 more piano sounds than the Yamaha P125 and now comes with 24 which is now a wonder although the price is now a bit expensive. If you see it below 600 euros it’s a good price. Here’s the review of the Yamaha 125.

Where to Buy Casio CDP 230 and the new release Casio CDP 240

As we commented above, this digital piano is generally available at the best price is Amazon, mainly at USA, whole America:

If you live at Europe always check Thomann:

If you want a Hammer Action piano with a lot of sounds the Casio CDP 230 is the best option for its price but you have other very interesting options like the Roland FP 30 that you can find in my ranking with the best digital pianos of the moment.

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

We hope you have found this article useful and thank you very much for reading it.

 

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