Digital Piano Kurzweil Artis 7 Review Complete – Is it a Good Choice?

Kurzweil Music Systems is an American company that produces electronic musical instruments. It was founded in 1982 by instrumentalist musician Stevie Wonder, multi-faceted (inventor, musician, entrepreneur, writer and scientist) Raymond Kurzweil and software developer Bruce Cichowlas.

Among its models of stage pianos, we have the Kurzweil Artis 7 with a price tag of approximately €1300, we have a great musical instrument with many functions and features that make it a very interesting digital piano, which has the following characteristics:

• 76 semi-weighted keys (Weight that the keys of an acoustic piano have and that digital pianos try to imitate to equal the touch of the piano. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less. This is different from the sensitivity on the keyboard which serves to regulate the volume of the note. But a weighted keyboard always has sensitivity in the keys) with touch and velocity sensitivity of the type Fatar TP8
• 128 notes of polyphony (Number of notes that can be played at once. This includes accompaniments that also consume notes. So if you play over an accompaniment more notes will be accumulated)
• Quick Split function (divide the keyboard into two different instruments) into 4 zones
• Dual function (Dual mode allows you to combine two sounds to create a more complete one. The combination of piano + stringed instrument sound is typical)
• 256 sounds (various piano and other instrument sounds) from the factory
• 256 user-configurable sounds
• Reverb effect, chorus and many more
• 9 sliders on the front
• Modulation wheel
• Pitch bend wheel (Functionality that changes the sound wave of what you play and then returns to its original state)
• High quality LCD display
• 2 stereo or TRS line outputs
• Stereo headset output
• Line input TRS mini jack
• Midi input and output (MIDI allows you to do such wonderful things as connect your keyboard to your computer, record a sound track, and with certain programs click through what you’ve played to musical notes on a score. MIDI tracks store the information of the musical notes)
• USB port for pendrives, etc
• 2 inputs for foot switches. This includes the sustain pedal (the sustain pedal on a piano or keyboard is used to keep the note playing even if you stop pressing the key) which is included but a switching pedal which acts as a sustain pedal (the sustain pedal on a piano or keyboard is used to keep the note playing even if you stop pressing the key)
• Input for another expression pedal
• It has a weight of 12.6Kg and dimensions of 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (width x depth x height)

Two very interesting videos of the Kurzweil Artis 7.

Related post you can be interested in

• Ranking with the best digital pianos
• My selection of cheap musical keyboards.
• Basic concepts you need to know about digital pianos.
• The best resources to learn to play the piano by yourself.

Now let’s compare the Kurzweil Artis 7 with its more common alternatives. Also at the end of the post you will find a section with the best shopping possibilities for this digital piano. But you can go directly to that part of the post by pressing the following button.

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Kurzweil PC3

In our first comparison we will have the following digital pianos: the Kurzweil Artis 7 which is priced at approximately €1300 and the Kurzweil PC3 which is priced at approximately €2000. Having between them a relative difference of €700. We will then see their differences and similarities in the next section:

• The keyboards have 77 semi-weighted keys with speed sensitivity. Being better those of the PC3 due to its Aftertouch function, which helps to simulate a real acoustic piano. Weighted keyboard refers to the weight of the keys in a real acoustic piano, in the low register they have heavy keys while in the high register they have light keys. When we refer to sensitivity we mean that we can play dynamics in our performances, that is, when we press a key with force it sounds louder than another one pressed with less force.
• The Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphonic notes. While the PC 3 has 1074 sounds and equally 128 polyphonic notes.
• The characteristics of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and pitch bend
• The characteristics of the Kurzweil PC3 are: 128 MB Sample Flash Memory, ROM Expansion Slot, Integrated Sequencer, Effects like Reverbs, Delay, Chorus, Leslie Simulator, Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels, 9 Faders, 10 Buttons, Arpeggiator and Riff-Generator Function.
• In connections the Artis 7 offers us: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headphone output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc. and 2 inputs for switching pedals. When the PC3, 4 jack outputs 6.3mm, headphones output, and USB storage, 2 inputs for foot controllers and 3 foot switch.
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer to be used as a MIDI controller in a production or music composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and has dimensions of 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (width x depth x height), while the PC3 weighs 16.9 kg and has dimensions of 1222 x 355 x 110 mm.

We find two good digital pianos that we can put in the Workstation category because of the amount of sounds each one has. The PC3 has a great advantage because of the aftertouch function, and the amount of sounds and effects it offers. Of course, we also have a great price difference. According to your needs you will choose the best one.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video demo of the sounds of the Kurzweil PC3:

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Clavia Nord Electro 5D

We will now buy the following digital pianos: the course the item seven which as we have already mentioned is priced at approximately €1300 and the North Electro 5D which is priced at approximately €1600, so there is a difference of approximately €300:

• The keyboards have 77 semi-weighted keys with speed sensitivity. Weighted keyboard refers to the weight that the keys have in a real acoustic piano, in the low register they have heavy keys while in the high register they have light keys. When we refer to sensitivity we mean that we can play dynamics in our performances, that is, when we press a key with force it sounds louder than another one pressed with less force.
• The Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphony notes. While the Nord Electro 5D has 1GB of storage for the Nord Piano library and 256MB of storage for the Nord Sample library, making for a large number of sounds, which is not the case for the polyphony notes, which have the highest number of 60 polyphony notes. That for the study of the piano, notes will be needed in order to interpret some musical compositions.
• The features of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and Pitch Bend
• The characteristics of the Nord Electro 5D are: Split and Layer function, 6 Split points with LED indicator, Organization mode for programs and samples, Symphatic String Resonance Gen2, dedicated Sample Synth section with controls for attack, decay/release and dynamic, Nord C2D B3 Tone Wheel Simulation function, Main Pipe Organ Model, B3 Tone Wheel Bass, Nord C2D Leslie 122 Simulator, Half-moon Switch Support, All Stereo Effects, Tube Overdrive Simulation, Vibe Effect, and Separate Reverb and Delay Effects
• In connections the Artis 7 offers: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headphone output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc. and 2 inputs for foot switches. When the Nord Electro 5D, 2x Line-Out 6.3mm Jack (L/R), Monitor Input 3.5″ stereo mini-jack, Headphone Output, Input for Foot Control and Sustain and Input for Rotary Speaker Pedal
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer for use as a MIDI controller in a music production or composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and measures 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (W x D x H), while the Nord Electro 5D weighs 9.2 kg and measures 1066 x 296 x 97 mm.

We find good keyboards of different brands and with different characteristics, the Kurzweil has more than 500 sounds and 128 notes of polyphony, and in the Nord we find a total storage of 1.25 Gb of sound storage and a limited polyphony of 60 notes of polyphony, as mentioned before, with this polyphony we will not be able to intone certain musical compositions. This greatly limits the use of this digital keyboard.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

Now a video of the Nord Electro 5D:

If you are interested in knowing more, we invite you to see our review of the Nord Electro 6D (successor of the 5D)

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Yamaha CP4 Stage

We will now buy the following digital pianos: the course the item seven which as we have mentioned before is priced at approximately €1300 and the Yamaha CP4 Stage which is priced at approximately €1500. We will now have the face-to-face of the keyboards mentioned in the next section:

• The floor has 76 semi-weighted keys with touch sensitivity. The Yamaha CP4 stage has 88 weighted keys with touch-sensitive keys and also with Wood Graded Hammer quality. The quality of the Yamaha is much better.
• The Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphony notes. While the Yamaha has 433 sounds and equally 128 notes of polyphony.
• The features of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and Pitch Bend
• The characteristics of the Yamaha CP4 Stage are: SCM and AWM2 sound generation engine, 11 effects including reverb, chorus, etc, Pitch Bend and modulation wheels, 4 zone split function and dual or layer function.
• In connections the Artis 7 offers us: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headset output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc. and 2 inputs for foot switches. When the Yamaha CP4 Stage has: Stereo Line Jack outputs and Headset Output, plus 2 included sustain pedal inputs and 2 inputs for controller pedals.
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer to be used as a MIDI controller in a production or music composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and measures 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (W x D x H), while the Yamaha CP4 Stage weighs 17.5 kg and measures 1332 x 161 x 352 mm.

In the Yamaha we find a high quality keyboard, with white wooden keys, giving it an advantage over the Kurzweil Artis 7. Now in terms of sound the Kurzweil has a slight advantage, although in polyphonic notes both are in the same size. In terms of weight, Kurzweil is lighter, weighing almost 5Kg. Remembering its difference of 200 Euros, choosing between one of them will not be such an easy task. However watching the videos will help you.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video of the Yamaha CP4 Stage

 

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Yamaha CP4 Stage

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Korg SV2 73

Now we will make the comparison of the following keyboards: The Kurzweil Artis 7 which is priced at about €1300 and the Korg SV2 73 which is priced at €1799/£1,666. Having a difference of about €500. We will then analyze their differences and similarities:

• Both keyboards have 73 speed-sensitive and weighted keys. Where those of the Kurzweil are semi-balanced, that is, with a lighter counterweight.
• The Kurzweil Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphony notes. While the Korg SV2 73 has 72 sounds and a maximum polyphony of 128 notes.
• The features of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and Pitch Bend
• The characteristics of the Korg SV2 73 are: Layered and partitioned sounds with up to 3 timbres, Authentic electric piano, peg and organ sounds, including typical noises, vintage effects and amp simulations, String sounds, ensemble, woodwind and brass, chorus and synthesizer, 4 concert grand pianos + 2 upright pianos and 64 storable favorite sounds, Effects section with authentic tube circuit, usually seen in audio amplifiers.
• In connections the Artis 7 offers us: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headphone output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc and 2 inputs for switching pedals. When the Korg SV2 73 has: 2 balanced XLR line outputs / unbalanced 6.3 mm jack, 2 unbalanced 6.3 mm line jack inputs, stereo headphone output.
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer to be used as a MIDI controller in a production or music composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and measures 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (W x D x H), while the Korg SV2 73 weighs 17.2 kg and measures 1143 x 157 x 347 mm.

We find two good digital keyboards with their respective differences, the comfort offers us a greater amount of sounds. While the Korg offers us a vintage style, with a moderate amount of sounds and a large amount of effects that can make playing this digital keyboard a great experience. Although they are designed for different environments, both are good at what they offer.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video of the Korg SV2 73

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Korg SV1 73 (predecessor of the Korg SV2 73)

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Kurzweil SP6

Now we will have the digital keyboards of the Kurzweil brand: the Kurzweil Artis 7 that as we have mentioned before has a price of about €1300 and the Kurzweil SP6 that currently has a price of €999/£938, having a difference of about €300, between both. We will see their similarities and differences in the following face-to-face:

• The Kurzweil Artis 7 has 77 semi-weighted keys with speed sensitivity. The Kurzweil SP6 has 88 hammer-action (weighted) keys with sensitivity.
• The Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphony notes. While the SP6 has 256 factory sounds, 1024 user sounds, 130 multis factory sounds and 1024 multis factory sounds, in total 2Gb storage. And up to 128 polyphony notes.
• The features of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and Pitch Bend
• The features of the Kurzweil SP6 are: Sound generation: VAST – Variable Architecture Synthesis technology, KB3 – Real Tone Emulation, as well as VA1 – Oscillators with Anti-Aliasing and Power-Shaping, as well as DSP processing of the Kurzweil VA1 concept synthesizer. It is 100% compatible with Forte SE programs, has an extensive effects section and Pitch and Modulation Wheels. Also a ‘Tap Tempo’ button
• In connections the Artis 7 offers us: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headset output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc. and 2 inputs for foot switches. When the SP6 has 2 inputs for double shift pedals, 1 connection for the foot sill. Analog outputs: 2 balanced 6.35mm jacks and 1 6.35mm headphone output. In addition to 2 USB ports (one USB-A / one USB-B).
• The Kurzweil SP6 also offers editing applications: External editors for Mac OS X, Windows PC and iOS devices and Free Operating System Updates: Operating system update via USB or USB key.
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer for use as a MIDI controller in a music production or composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and measures 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (W x D x H), while the SP6 weighs 12.36 kg and measures 133.3 x 38.1 x 14.6 cm.

We found two excellent digital keyboards: and the Kurzweil SP6 has an advantage in most features and functions. Starting with the amount of keys (which is also relative to the space we have to use it), the amount of sounds it offers, the amount of functions and effects it has to use both live and in the studio. Also its system updates that give a longer life to the functionality of the keyboard in question. Also having a lower price, and being more current, this is undoubtedly the best option.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video of the Kurzweil SP6

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Kurzweil SP6.

Kurzweil Artis 7 vs Kurzweil Forte SE

And in our last comparison we will have the digital keyboards of the Kurzweil brand: the Kurzweil Artis 7 that as we have mentioned before has a price of approximately €1300 and the Kurzweil Forte SE that currently has a price of €1800, having a difference close to €500, between both. We will see their similarities and differences in the following face-to-face:

• The Kurzweil Artis 7 has 77 semi-weighted keys with speed sensitivity. The Kurzweil Forte SE has 88 hammer-action (weighted) keys with sensitivity.
• The Artis 7 has 256 factory sounds, and 256 configurable sounds and 128 polyphonic notes. The Forte SE has 512 sounds and up to 128 polyphonic notes.
• The features of the Kurzweil Artis 7: Fast 4-zone split function, dual function, reverb effect, chorus and many more, 9 sliders on the front, modulation wheels and Pitch Bend
• The features of the Kurzweil Forte SE: 188 MB of memory for samples configured and recorded by you. For loops, etc., 1024 user-configurable sound programs, Split function with 8 zones and Quick Split, dual mode and layering It has up to 32 effects including typical reverb, chorus, V.A.S.T. Edition. In physical controllers it has 8 arpeggiators, 9 buttons and 9 sliders on the front. Modulation wheel and Pitch Bend. Also master EQ with adjustable mid registers.
• In connections the Artis 7 offers: 2 stereo or TRS line jack outputs, stereo headphone output, TRS mini line jack input, MIDI input and output, USB port for pendrives, etc. and 2 inputs for foot switches. When the Forte SE offers: Line Out, Stereo Headset Out, 3.5mm Stereo Mini-Jack In and 2 Inputs for Switching Pedals (Sustain Pedal) and Input for Expression Pedal
• Both keyboards offer a USB MIDI option that allows you to connect to a computer for use as a MIDI controller in a production or music composition program.
• The Artis 7 weighs 12.6 kg and measures 1077 x 360 x 124 mm (W x D x H), while the Forte SE weighs 18.5 kg and measures (W x H x D) 124.2 x 38.6 x 13.2 cm.

We found many advantages of the Kurzweil Forte SE, starting with its number of keys, although as we commented in the last review this is relative to the space we have for the instrument. A slightly higher amount of sounds and effects/functions than its rival the Kurzweil Artis 7, let’s remember as well its almost 500 euro difference in price, which is indeed worth paying.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video from the Kurzweil Forte

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Kurzweil Forte SE.

Where to buy Kurzweil Artis 7

Amazon

• Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
• Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment.
• Sometimes better price.
• He’s got worse stock than Thomann.

Thomann

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