M-Audio ProKeys 88 Stage Piano
Our #2 pick is M-Audio’s ProKeys 88 Stage Digital Piano. This digital
piano is also a MIDI controller as you will find out. What is
impressive about the ProKeys 88 Digital Piano is the sound bank memory.
Built-in is a full 64MB of sound bank memory which is way more than
normal for this class. Therefore, this digital stage piano is a great
platform for composing. Another high mark for this digital piano is the
14 world-class masterfully tweaked “samples”. ProKeys 88 Digital Piano
has split/layer capabilities and 88-key weighted hammer-action
keyboard. This digital stage keyboard delivers excellent sound and
weighs only 17 lbs.
Digital Piano Sound Quality:
One of the main reasons the ProKeys 88 is included in our Top 5 Digital
Pianos is the sound quality. Sound quality of this digital stage piano
is better than any other in its price range. It has a full complement
of instruments: grand piano, electric pianos, organ and Clavinet.
M-Audio’s ProKeys 88 piano has 126-note polyphony so reverberations are
nearly as real as an acoustic piano. Because it is across 126 notes,
extremely fast passes will not cut off any reverb.
Playing this Digital Piano:
Complementing this digital stage piano’s sound quality is its feel.
Because of the 88-key weighted hammer-action keyboard you get a
realistic feel of play. Combined with 3 velocity curves plus the fixed
velocity, further optimizes the feel. In fact, this digital piano is
the next best thing to a full hammer key action but without all the
extra weight that would be required. In addition to the normal sustain
pedal jack that almost all digital pianos have, this digital stage
piano comes with the sostenuto pedal and an assignable expression pedal
that can be used to control volume. All 3 pedals also double as MIDI
controllers for outbound gear. Seven dedicated buttons make swapping in
Grand Piano, Piano 2, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer E.P., Yamaha DX7 FM
Classic E.P., Hammond B3 Percussion Organ and Clavinet. Many of these
tones have multiple velocity layers. Rather than stuffing instruments
into limited space the ProKeys 88 has focused on those 14 which players
spend 80% to 90% of their time. By dedicating memory towards these 14
rather than sharing memory resources across many sounds that would
rarely, if ever be used, robust, bold, full flavored music samples are
delivered where it counts. Therefore, devoting extra resource to the
multi-layer stereo samples of the Yamaha C7 concert grand, you get
sound extremely close and detailed. The same is true with those other
tones.
Other Digital Piano Features:
Pitch and modulation wheels. These performance wheels are rare on
digital stage pianos. Added to these are sequencer controls all of
which put a great deal of control over any MIDI gear. There are 7
dedicated remote MIDI controller buttons: MIDI Clock Stop/Start; Tempo
Control; Program change; Channel; Bank LSB; Bank MSB; Local ON/OFF.
Dual headphone jacks we like because practice or teaching sessions can
be done in private. High-fidelity ¼ inch unbalanced audio output. This
high fidelity output measures 20Hz-20,000Hz frequency response across
108dB range. Built-in USB MIDI interface for either PC or Mac computers
along with software. We like the fact that the instrument features
class are Windows XP and Mac OS X compliant therefore no additional
drivers need installing.
Conclusion:
M-Audio’s ProKeys 88 weighs only 17 lbs and therefore one of the
lightest stage pianos on the market. Yet, this digital piano has the 14
premium sounds like the Yamaha C7 concert grand delivered impeccably.
There are the 126-note polyphony reverbs that give a true-to-life
acoustic piano sound. Because of the 88-key weighted hammer-action
keyboard has a feel that is very close to acoustic pianos and yet
without the weight constraint. The 3-pedal terminals provide a full
pedal complement. This digital piano instrument provides great control
over MIDI gear much more so than other digital stage pianos. The 64MB
of memory provides great support for composing. In all, the ProKeys 88
Stage Piano is a very good digital piano and is our #2 pick. |
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Weighs 17 Lbs |
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64MB Sound Bank
Memory |
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126-Note
Polyphony |
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14 Master
Samples |
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3 Velocity
Curves |
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Pitch &
Modulation Wheels |
 |
| |
Multi-Layer
Stereo Samples |
| |
Dual headphone
jacks |
| |
Weighted
Hammer-Action |
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MIDI Controllers |
| |
MIDI Clock |
 |
| |
Tempo Control |
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20Hz-20,000Hz
Frequency Output |
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Built-in USB
MIDI Interface |
| |
Interface to PC
or Mac |
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