Excellent review!! Love the text notes and camera work all closely edited and times and positioned with your oration!!! Answerd a lot of relevant questions and other extra useful and comparison information.Many thanks. Hope your channel really blossoms!!
Very helpful, and just subscribed. How big of a keybed quality jump (playability, enjoyability, ect.) would you say there is from the Roland A-49 to the Numa? And then how much of a jump from the Numa to a YC61 or Electro? I ask because I am actually mostly iPad based for sound sources. But I am on the hunt for controller with a fantastic keybed for organ (as well as electric rhodes sounds too). I'll be playing synths on there as well, but figure any of these will suffice for that .
Probably a medium to large jump from the Roland to the Numa and then another medium jump to the YC/Electro (but that last jump gets you to "the real thing" or at least as close as electric keyboards get). If I had to get SUPER picky on MY preference for actions, with organ being most important, but "usable" for piano/EP my list would be: 1) Hammond SK/XK - these actions are fabulous 2) Yamaha YC-61 - slightly narrower keys (synth width of 159mm vs piano 164) but the action is fantastic to play 3) Nord Electro - still fantastic, but a touch "heavier and clunkier" (for lack of a better word); some people might prefer it to the YC, others not ------------------------------------------- Then for the non "true" actions: 4) Numa Compact 5) Roland A-49 / VR-09 (I think these actions are the same, the A-49 is the less $ MIDI controller, the VR-09 is Roland's equivalent of the Yamaha CK61; budget stage "do it all" keyboard) I think for what you're after and from what you've said I think you'd be perfectly happy with the Numa, but if you're ok with the extra $$$ for a Hammond/YC/Nord it will be even better. Hope that helps!
Again, thanks a ton for the insights! Not sure if you ever got a chance to play the Numa Compact 2x, but if you have and you remember, how big of a difference is the keybed in it versus the X SE? I ask because there is a Compact 2x nearby me that I could at least maybe try out the keybed on.
The compact 2X is the one I own - I haven’t seen the new version yet (no stores where I live carry them) but from what I’ve read the keybed is the same and they’ve just upgraded some voices
I don’t know of all the changes between the 2X and the 2SE, but I know of one charge that corrects the deal-killer omission from the 2X that made me pass over it. The new SE has portamento on the synth engine, and the 2X does not. The other big change is an updated piano engine from Studiologic’s current digital pianos.
Such helpful reviews and such a helpful site!! In your review you called the Numa the best deal at the price point. I wonder how you would compare it to the Korg D1, which at the same price point has none of the features but has the RH3 keybed from the top line Korgs like Kronos and Nautilus. That turned my head, but then you said the Numa is a perfect balance between hammer and synth weighting plus all the features. I definitely wish Studiologic didn't have the orange and white logo that looks like Amazon, but your review of the keybed is hard to ignore. In your opinion, for around $750, does the Numa beat the D1? Just bought you a coffee - appreciate you.
Hey thanks so much for the coffee and the kind words, super appreciated! I've never seen a D1 in person so I can't really offer much of an opinion. I've watched some reviews and it looks like a cool "bread and butter" stage option, it does have hammer action keys though (I've never played that action before either). As far as the Numa keys go, I'm not a synth player at all but I started as piano and have moved to 80% hammond organ and 20% piano and the keybed on the Numa is an awesome compromise for those, you can still play piano with some expression and resistance, but it's the best organ keybed I've encountered that's not ON an organ (Hammond, Nord Electro, Yamaha YC61). Sorry I can't be more help! Thanks again!
Hi Tony. Thanks for all of the great reviews. I'm curious which keybed you find most satisfying for a combination of acoustic pianos, electric pianos, and organ: Numa Compact, Yamaha CK61, or Korg Liano. I'd probably lean towards the Numa or Yamaha since drawbars and expression pedal inputs are included unless the Liano keys are significantly better. Looking for a lightweight board for local house jams where I don't want to pack/unpack my YC73.
Since you included organ in there; definitely the Numa's action is the best all round. It actually IS semi-weighted (Fatar) and as far as I know they have made organ actions for Hammond, Nord & their own discontinued Numa Organ as well. The CK's action is fine, but the Numa felt super similar to action on my Hammond SK Pro. But it's still easy to get used to playing piano and EP on as well. I do think the organ sounds on the CK are a bit better, but they're good on the Numa too, and they both have organ controls like you said. Hope that helps!
Hi Tony, was wondering what to buy between numa compact X SE and Casio PX S3100. I like the portability, sounds, and controls the numa has, but I also like that you can connect wirelessly with the casio. Casio also has voice banks to record your playing and layer it with other sounds or instruments, it also has accompaniments. I hope you can help me with decision making. Thank you so much.
They're both awesome keyboards, the Numa leans more towards being a "pure stage keyboard" whereas the Casio is more of a super portable home piano that you COULD definitely use on stage. Things you should consider: 1) Do you want to play hammond organ? Because the Numa has actual organ controls like drawbars, rotary speaker etc to modify your organ sound as you play (like a real Hammond); the Casio will have organ SAMPLES, but no organ controls (so each sample always sounds the same) 2) Do you intend to use this on stage with a band etc? The Casio is definitely capable of this, BUT the Numa is much easier to control "quickly" - because it is aimed at stage use, the controls for effects etc are right at your fingertips with dedicated buttons etc; with the Casio many of those functions will be nested within menus that aren't easy to get to quickly. 3) Is a fully weighted and graded action important to you? The Casio's action is fully weighted and graded so it will feel more like a piano (even though it is a lighter action) than the Numa which is semi-weighetd and not graded. 4) For home use, the Casio does have a lot going for it (like the BlueTooth) Hope that helps and I didn't confuse you more lol! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
@PianoTone thank you for responding. If I could ask for one more advice/clarification. I won't be using it on stage, more like something to play at home. But I also plan to do music production, when I have the budget for a computer, and I think I can tweak the numa sounds more than the Casio because of the sound control numa offers on board. So am I right to lean more towards buying the numa? The way you took time to respond to my comment, you definitely deserve the subscription. Thank you so much.
@@hallellujah7637 Actually there are probably more effects options on the 3100 than the Numa; they're just not as quickly & easily accessible because you have to dig through menus to get at them - so if you are ok with digging through menus (some people are some people like me are not) then it might be a better choice. Other thing to mention is the rhythms and accompaniment - I didn't mention that in my last post, not sure if that's something you care about or would use or not (the Numa doesn't have any accompaniment features)
Hi Tony, just watched more content and subscribed your channel!, between the numa compact 2x and the korg liano, which one would think it will work better for a nice midi controller keybed? Both seems compact... which one would you pick?
How does the keybed on this compare to the Yamaha CK61 if you've tried both? I'm looking for something to control my organ iPad apps, and none of the MIDI comtroller keybeds are cutting it.
For Hammond style organ playing, the Numa is probably the best key action I've ever tried (other than actual Hammonds, Nord Electro or Yamaha YC-61 with proper waterfall semi-weighted keys). The Numa's action is actually semi-weighted, but it's way smoother than other piano shaped keys, and organ smears are actually easy and comfortable. The CK61 is a cool action, but it's trying more to be a "best of all worlds" by being "OK" at organ, "NOT BAD" for piano" and "GOOD" for synth. I tried countless pure MIDI controllers for this and was surprised to find NOBODY actually makes a pure organ MIDI controller with proper keybed. The only one I found (and actually love mostly because it's decent but SUPER portable) is the Roland A-49: th-cam.com/video/KiK0qrzrF20/w-d-xo.htmlsi=DLPAOPcpgiP4lait It has synth style keys, but they have rounded edges and have a decent weight and feel to them - because its under 10 pounds and super easy to carry around I use this with my Yamaha YC-61 as a controller for songs where I have a few voices in use, and it's great I typically use it for organ solos. Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
Thanks for the review! Do you have any experience with the Numa x Piano series? I'm looking for a keyboard with great feel primarily, and don't need features like speakers or ease to play organ/synth styles. I find the world of keyboards quite overwhelming but I like the look of Studiologic products. Not sure what to go for. Any thoughts?
To be honest no I don't - stores where I live don't carry Studiologic in store so I've never seen a Numa X (or compact) in person I had to order the Numa Compact and take my chances :) I know alot of people talk about how Roland PHA4 is a great action and very "piano like" (triple sensor with escapement) but I personally don't like that action I find it mushy, heavy and sluggish compared to Yamaha actions. But, piano action is totally personal preference - best advice I can offer is try out as many actions in person as you can. Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
That's a big "depends". For purely piano/electric piano, the CK88 is way better (fully weighted and graded Yamaha action). But for organ (which is most of what I play) the fully weighted action isn't great. The Numa's action (semi-weighted) is basically a great compromise if you play both organ and piano (it's adequate for playing piano pieces expressively, but is actually pretty good for organ). So it depends what you're after.
@@PianoTone Thank you very much for answering my questions! I'm after a midi controller with at least 73 keys, that have a nice keybed and take the least space on my desk. If I can take it for a gig (like compact2 or ck88 it's a big plus) but my main goals are great keybed on smaller amount of space. The other equipment I have it's the LX-705 roland which I love the keybed. Any suggestions will be much appreaciated thanks again!
Thank you very much for your excellent review. I somehow always assumed "compact" comes from shrinking keys (shorter length in sense of pivot), but now I have to add it to my purchase list. And I love the fact they don't add pedal -- I don't know why so many manufacturers force this, after all this increase the price and the overall keyboard is less competitive. On the other hand it is a pity there is no music rest and even no place to attach one if someone would like to buy it separately. Yes, yes, stage piano, I hear you, but does one have to buy 2 pianos (one for home practice, and the other one for stage)?
Good point on the music stand; I should have mentioned that! I didn't think of it because I have a tablet clamp for my iPad attached to my keyboard stand that I always use instead of music stands. As far as the keys go, they MIGHT be a tiny bit shorter than normal, when I mentioned "true full size" I was referring to the octave width. But even if there is a shorter pivot point, with a semi-weighted non graded keybed I don't think that's really an issue (at least for me). Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
@@PianoTone I wouldn't miss your video for the world, of course I am subscriber 🙂 Thank you for the replying. As for the length, in general, if they shortened pivot indeed you didn't notice that the black keys are harder to press, anyway, right? It is too easy to get overboard and either make black keys so short they are hard to press, or countermeasure it, so all of the sudden they are too easy to press.
@@SynthLife-sd6gb I'm not classically trained (I just pound on chords lol) but I definitely didn't notice an issue - again probably minimal since they're just semi-weighted.
Thanks for this video! Do you know if I connect this to Logic Pro 11 will it work? I not sure if all knobs and buttons of the keyboard can be customized to send MIDI CC messages and maybe program changes? I''m considering this keyboard because of the expression pedal and I also use analog lab form Arturia (I have the essential mk3 61) so I would like to use the keyboard to use it with analog lab too but that can only be possible I guess if the midi messages can be customized. Finally, I read somewhere that you can upload external sounds from studiologic, is it possible to load my own sounds from VST? Say I like a piano sound from pianoteq or something, can I load that sound permanently to the keyboard? Thanks in advance
You can connect any MIDI keyboard (so pretty much any keyboard) to any DAW (I've never seen Logic Pro, but that shouldn't matter). As far as CC customization I know you can do the sliders and I think a couple of the buttons in the organ section on the left (check the manual online for more info). You can install new sounds from Studiologic's website, but I don't think you'll be able to copy any 3rd party sounds into the keyboard. But it does have a built in audio interface, so you can disable onboard sounds and just trigger your VST sounds with MIDI and the sounds come back into the keyboard without any lag anyways. Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
No it’s still sitting in the living room :). I do still really like playing it the action feels better than the GHS on other Yamahas does (I think it’s because of the heavy case it’s housed in). But for band practices and gigs? Love the 15 lb Numa!
If you were to choose an keyboard (or controller) solely to sit on your desk to function as a midi controller based exclusively on key-action. Which one would you pick? (also consider the space it will take on your desk). Thanks.
To be honest I don’t use midi often, and as such haven’t tested many midi controllers. Once again I would recommend getting a fully weighted action that you like for piano pieces, or a semi weighted action you like for organ. Pretty much every keyboard now sends MIDI, so whatever keyboard has the action you like would be a good choice. If you’re an advanced piano player and want to send the most accurate midi, then something like a Roland with triple sensor (vs dual on many Yamahas) may send more accurate MIDI velocity signals - but you have to like the action too (I find Roland PHA4 to be heavy and “mushy” but many people love it)
Hey, I have a question. I'm not a beginner; I've been playing on an acoustic piano for about 8 years and I'm looking for a 61 key portable digital piano. I'm mainly considering the Roland GO:KEYS 5 and the Casio CT-S500, though I'm open to other suggestions. Specifically about key action, between the mentioned models which do you think mimics the graded hammer action of a real acoustic piano better? Thanks!
To be honest I haven’t seen the new Roland yet, neither one really mimic a weighted action, but for synth actions they’re not bad. I’ve never been a huge fan of Roland, but one thing in its favour is the keys are true full octave width (the Casio is narrower). A couple others to consider are the Alesis Recital 61; the sounds are “ok” (not as good as either you mentioned), but the keys are actually semi weighted so it’s a great budget portable action. My personal favourite for portable piano is the Korg Liano; it’s also not weighted, but it has a really decent “piano like” action, and it’s super light and portable, but is 88 keys not 61. Hope that helps! I have reviews on the Recital and Liano on my channel if you want to check them out. Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
I have the Casio S-500, and I have to say the keys are just OK. They are in line with the price point. The biggest strength of the S-500 is how much you can play with the sounds. It is fun to use as a pure synth. I have never seen the Gokeys5 but from what I have seen on TH-cam it looks to be worth checking out.
To be honest it's bizarrely not rigid - not in a way that ever bothered me, but if you tried to, you could twist it corner to corner. Part of why it's so light I guess. Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
How is your new Hammond organ? Do you need Numa at all? I am confused about what you really use. One way or another, you seem to be moving more and more away from focusing on piano playing (as a solo activity). Michael Ps. I hopefully finally settled down by buying P-525 😊. I considered RD-2000 (lower price in Canada) as well.
I love the new SK Pro. I'm using it for most things with my band and it's my primary instrument for sure; (I think the main piano sample on it is from Yamaha, it sounds SO much like my CK88 did) but our band is also talking about just a trio (guitar. keys and vocals) to play much smaller gigs like cafes or even busking etc. For that the Numa will be ideal since it's so super portable (and that project will probably be 80% piano 20% Hammond as opposed to the band which is the other way around). Did you end up getting / liking the RD-08? I see L&M has the RD-88 on sale for the same price as the RD-08 which is a massive discount (25%!). I still have the P-525 on my "to do" list for reviewing this year.
@@PianoTone I did like RD-08 but when listening to my recording I heard key clicking. It is unacceptable for me! The action felt OK to me but I have given up on PHA-4. Thought of getting RD-2000 but it is too expensive for me even with current discount. I saw the big reduction of RD-88 price and I was really glad that I returned RD-08. I am looking forward to your reviews.
Bluetooth Audio would be really nice, it gets frustrating to have to plug a USB cable every time you want to practice with backing tracks/rhythm/iReal Pro on your phone.
I don’t play classical music so I’m not the best person to ask; many classical players will demand a fully weighted and graded hammer action, this keyboard is semi weighted in the interest of being portable, and being a decent compromise to play both piano and organ and synth on the same keyboard. So, some might say no it’s not; others (someone who wants to play classical at a cafe and only have to carry around a 15 pound keyboard) might say it’s fine/be willing to get used to it. Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel feel free to subscribe
@@e0236 They're very different. The Numa is a stage keyboard with a bunch of sounds, layering, splitting, advanced MIDI functionality, lots of effects you can modify on the fly; the Numa is a very basic super light and portable piano with only a handful of sounds. The Numa's keys are actually semi-weighted, the Liano's keys are lighter and meant to "feel" semi-weighted (and they do a great job). But the Numa's key's will feel a bit more like a piano. Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
@@e0236 As far as build quality or "sturdiness"/ strength of the case, I'd rank those in this order from strongest to least: 1) P-125 2) Casio CDP-S160 3) Numa 4) Liano
Excellent review!! Love the text notes and camera work all closely edited and times and positioned with your oration!!! Answerd a lot of relevant questions and other extra useful and comparison information.Many thanks. Hope your channel really blossoms!!
Thanks so much very appreciated! And thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
Excellent review!! Answerd a lot of questions for me. Big thanx:)
Awesome, glad you liked the review! And thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
Very helpful, and just subscribed.
How big of a keybed quality jump (playability, enjoyability, ect.) would you say there is from the Roland A-49 to the Numa? And then how much of a jump from the Numa to a YC61 or Electro?
I ask because I am actually mostly iPad based for sound sources. But I am on the hunt for controller with a fantastic keybed for organ (as well as electric rhodes sounds too). I'll be playing synths on there as well, but figure any of these will suffice for that .
Probably a medium to large jump from the Roland to the Numa and then another medium jump to the YC/Electro (but that last jump gets you to "the real thing" or at least as close as electric keyboards get).
If I had to get SUPER picky on MY preference for actions, with organ being most important, but "usable" for piano/EP my list would be:
1) Hammond SK/XK - these actions are fabulous
2) Yamaha YC-61 - slightly narrower keys (synth width of 159mm vs piano 164) but the action is fantastic to play
3) Nord Electro - still fantastic, but a touch "heavier and clunkier" (for lack of a better word); some people might prefer it to the YC, others not
-------------------------------------------
Then for the non "true" actions:
4) Numa Compact
5) Roland A-49 / VR-09 (I think these actions are the same, the A-49 is the less $ MIDI controller, the VR-09 is Roland's equivalent of the Yamaha CK61; budget stage "do it all" keyboard)
I think for what you're after and from what you've said I think you'd be perfectly happy with the Numa, but if you're ok with the extra $$$ for a Hammond/YC/Nord it will be even better.
Hope that helps!
Very useful video.. Thanks again 💜
Thanks so much glad you liked the video. Thanks for checking out the channel feel free to subscribe
Again, thanks a ton for the insights!
Not sure if you ever got a chance to play the Numa Compact 2x, but if you have and you remember, how big of a difference is the keybed in it versus the X SE?
I ask because there is a Compact 2x nearby me that I could at least maybe try out the keybed on.
The compact 2X is the one I own - I haven’t seen the new version yet (no stores where I live carry them) but from what I’ve read the keybed is the same and they’ve just upgraded some voices
I don’t know of all the changes between the 2X and the 2SE, but I know of one charge that corrects the deal-killer omission from the 2X that made me pass over it. The new SE has portamento on the synth engine, and the 2X does not. The other big change is an updated piano engine from Studiologic’s current digital pianos.
Hey thanks for sharing that! And thanks for checking out the channel feel free to subscribe
Such helpful reviews and such a helpful site!! In your review you called the Numa the best deal at the price point. I wonder how you would compare it to the Korg D1, which at the same price point has none of the features but has the RH3 keybed from the top line Korgs like Kronos and Nautilus. That turned my head, but then you said the Numa is a perfect balance between hammer and synth weighting plus all the features. I definitely wish Studiologic didn't have the orange and white logo that looks like Amazon, but your review of the keybed is hard to ignore. In your opinion, for around $750, does the Numa beat the D1? Just bought you a coffee - appreciate you.
Hey thanks so much for the coffee and the kind words, super appreciated! I've never seen a D1 in person so I can't really offer much of an opinion. I've watched some reviews and it looks like a cool "bread and butter" stage option, it does have hammer action keys though (I've never played that action before either). As far as the Numa keys go, I'm not a synth player at all but I started as piano and have moved to 80% hammond organ and 20% piano and the keybed on the Numa is an awesome compromise for those, you can still play piano with some expression and resistance, but it's the best organ keybed I've encountered that's not ON an organ (Hammond, Nord Electro, Yamaha YC61).
Sorry I can't be more help! Thanks again!
Hi Tony. Thanks for all of the great reviews. I'm curious which keybed you find most satisfying for a combination of acoustic pianos, electric pianos, and organ: Numa Compact, Yamaha CK61, or Korg Liano. I'd probably lean towards the Numa or Yamaha since drawbars and expression pedal inputs are included unless the Liano keys are significantly better. Looking for a lightweight board for local house jams where I don't want to pack/unpack my YC73.
Since you included organ in there; definitely the Numa's action is the best all round. It actually IS semi-weighted (Fatar) and as far as I know they have made organ actions for Hammond, Nord & their own discontinued Numa Organ as well. The CK's action is fine, but the Numa felt super similar to action on my Hammond SK Pro. But it's still easy to get used to playing piano and EP on as well. I do think the organ sounds on the CK are a bit better, but they're good on the Numa too, and they both have organ controls like you said.
Hope that helps!
@ thanks!
Hi Tony, was wondering what to buy between numa compact X SE and Casio PX S3100. I like the portability, sounds, and controls the numa has, but I also like that you can connect wirelessly with the casio. Casio also has voice banks to record your playing and layer it with other sounds or instruments, it also has accompaniments. I hope you can help me with decision making. Thank you so much.
They're both awesome keyboards, the Numa leans more towards being a "pure stage keyboard" whereas the Casio is more of a super portable home piano that you COULD definitely use on stage. Things you should consider:
1) Do you want to play hammond organ? Because the Numa has actual organ controls like drawbars, rotary speaker etc to modify your organ sound as you play (like a real Hammond); the Casio will have organ SAMPLES, but no organ controls (so each sample always sounds the same)
2) Do you intend to use this on stage with a band etc? The Casio is definitely capable of this, BUT the Numa is much easier to control "quickly" - because it is aimed at stage use, the controls for effects etc are right at your fingertips with dedicated buttons etc; with the Casio many of those functions will be nested within menus that aren't easy to get to quickly.
3) Is a fully weighted and graded action important to you? The Casio's action is fully weighted and graded so it will feel more like a piano (even though it is a lighter action) than the Numa which is semi-weighetd and not graded.
4) For home use, the Casio does have a lot going for it (like the BlueTooth)
Hope that helps and I didn't confuse you more lol! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
@PianoTone thank you for responding. If I could ask for one more advice/clarification. I won't be using it on stage, more like something to play at home. But I also plan to do music production, when I have the budget for a computer, and I think I can tweak the numa sounds more than the Casio because of the sound control numa offers on board. So am I right to lean more towards buying the numa?
The way you took time to respond to my comment, you definitely deserve the subscription. Thank you so much.
@@hallellujah7637 Actually there are probably more effects options on the 3100 than the Numa; they're just not as quickly & easily accessible because you have to dig through menus to get at them - so if you are ok with digging through menus (some people are some people like me are not) then it might be a better choice.
Other thing to mention is the rhythms and accompaniment - I didn't mention that in my last post, not sure if that's something you care about or would use or not (the Numa doesn't have any accompaniment features)
Hi Tony, just watched more content and subscribed your channel!, between the numa compact 2x and the korg liano, which one would think it will work better for a nice midi controller keybed? Both seems compact... which one would you pick?
I would choose the Numa since it has extra built in MIDI functionality that you might be able to take advantage of
How does the keybed on this compare to the Yamaha CK61 if you've tried both?
I'm looking for something to control my organ iPad apps, and none of the MIDI comtroller keybeds are cutting it.
For Hammond style organ playing, the Numa is probably the best key action I've ever tried (other than actual Hammonds, Nord Electro or Yamaha YC-61 with proper waterfall semi-weighted keys). The Numa's action is actually semi-weighted, but it's way smoother than other piano shaped keys, and organ smears are actually easy and comfortable. The CK61 is a cool action, but it's trying more to be a "best of all worlds" by being "OK" at organ, "NOT BAD" for piano" and "GOOD" for synth. I tried countless pure MIDI controllers for this and was surprised to find NOBODY actually makes a pure organ MIDI controller with proper keybed. The only one I found (and actually love mostly because it's decent but SUPER portable) is the Roland A-49: th-cam.com/video/KiK0qrzrF20/w-d-xo.htmlsi=DLPAOPcpgiP4lait
It has synth style keys, but they have rounded edges and have a decent weight and feel to them - because its under 10 pounds and super easy to carry around I use this with my Yamaha YC-61 as a controller for songs where I have a few voices in use, and it's great I typically use it for organ solos.
Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
Thanks for the review! Do you have any experience with the Numa x Piano series?
I'm looking for a keyboard with great feel primarily, and don't need features like speakers or ease to play organ/synth styles.
I find the world of keyboards quite overwhelming but I like the look of Studiologic products. Not sure what to go for. Any thoughts?
To be honest no I don't - stores where I live don't carry Studiologic in store so I've never seen a Numa X (or compact) in person I had to order the Numa Compact and take my chances :)
I know alot of people talk about how Roland PHA4 is a great action and very "piano like" (triple sensor with escapement) but I personally don't like that action I find it mushy, heavy and sluggish compared to Yamaha actions. But, piano action is totally personal preference - best advice I can offer is try out as many actions in person as you can.
Hope that helps! Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
Nice video! Which action do you like the most CK88 or Numa Compact's 2x?
That's a big "depends". For purely piano/electric piano, the CK88 is way better (fully weighted and graded Yamaha action). But for organ (which is most of what I play) the fully weighted action isn't great. The Numa's action (semi-weighted) is basically a great compromise if you play both organ and piano (it's adequate for playing piano pieces expressively, but is actually pretty good for organ).
So it depends what you're after.
@@PianoTone Thank you very much for answering my questions! I'm after a midi controller with at least 73 keys, that have a nice keybed and take the least space on my desk. If I can take it for a gig (like compact2 or ck88 it's a big plus) but my main goals are great keybed on smaller amount of space. The other equipment I have it's the LX-705 roland which I love the keybed. Any suggestions will be much appreaciated thanks again!
Thank you very much for your excellent review. I somehow always assumed "compact" comes from shrinking keys (shorter length in sense of pivot), but now I have to add it to my purchase list. And I love the fact they don't add pedal -- I don't know why so many manufacturers force this, after all this increase the price and the overall keyboard is less competitive. On the other hand it is a pity there is no music rest and even no place to attach one if someone would like to buy it separately. Yes, yes, stage piano, I hear you, but does one have to buy 2 pianos (one for home practice, and the other one for stage)?
Good point on the music stand; I should have mentioned that! I didn't think of it because I have a tablet clamp for my iPad attached to my keyboard stand that I always use instead of music stands.
As far as the keys go, they MIGHT be a tiny bit shorter than normal, when I mentioned "true full size" I was referring to the octave width. But even if there is a shorter pivot point, with a semi-weighted non graded keybed I don't think that's really an issue (at least for me).
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@@PianoTone I wouldn't miss your video for the world, of course I am subscriber 🙂 Thank you for the replying. As for the length, in general, if they shortened pivot indeed you didn't notice that the black keys are harder to press, anyway, right? It is too easy to get overboard and either make black keys so short they are hard to press, or countermeasure it, so all of the sudden they are too easy to press.
@@SynthLife-sd6gb I'm not classically trained (I just pound on chords lol) but I definitely didn't notice an issue - again probably minimal since they're just semi-weighted.
Thanks for this video! Do you know if I connect this to Logic Pro 11 will it work? I not sure if all knobs and buttons of the keyboard can be customized to send MIDI CC messages and maybe program changes? I''m considering this keyboard because of the expression pedal and I also use analog lab form Arturia (I have the essential mk3 61) so I would like to use the keyboard to use it with analog lab too but that can only be possible I guess if the midi messages can be customized. Finally, I read somewhere that you can upload external sounds from studiologic, is it possible to load my own sounds from VST? Say I like a piano sound from pianoteq or something, can I load that sound permanently to the keyboard? Thanks in advance
You can connect any MIDI keyboard (so pretty much any keyboard) to any DAW (I've never seen Logic Pro, but that shouldn't matter). As far as CC customization I know you can do the sliders and I think a couple of the buttons in the organ section on the left (check the manual online for more info). You can install new sounds from Studiologic's website, but I don't think you'll be able to copy any 3rd party sounds into the keyboard. But it does have a built in audio interface, so you can disable onboard sounds and just trigger your VST sounds with MIDI and the sounds come back into the keyboard without any lag anyways.
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@@PianoTone Thank you very much! I'll check the website. Cheers
Interesting keyboard. Did you ditch the overly complex and as heavy as a Mack truck DGX?
No it’s still sitting in the living room :). I do still really like playing it the action feels better than the GHS on other Yamahas does (I think it’s because of the heavy case it’s housed in). But for band practices and gigs? Love the 15 lb Numa!
If you were to choose an keyboard (or controller) solely to sit on your desk to function as a midi controller based exclusively on key-action. Which one would you pick? (also consider the space it will take on your desk). Thanks.
To be honest I don’t use midi often, and as such haven’t tested many midi controllers. Once again I would recommend getting a fully weighted action that you like for piano pieces, or a semi weighted action you like for organ. Pretty much every keyboard now sends MIDI, so whatever keyboard has the action you like would be a good choice. If you’re an advanced piano player and want to send the most accurate midi, then something like a Roland with triple sensor (vs dual on many Yamahas) may send more accurate MIDI velocity signals - but you have to like the action too (I find Roland PHA4 to be heavy and “mushy” but many people love it)
Hey, I have a question. I'm not a beginner; I've been playing on an acoustic piano for about 8 years and I'm looking for a 61 key portable digital piano. I'm mainly considering the Roland GO:KEYS 5 and the Casio CT-S500, though I'm open to other suggestions. Specifically about key action, between the mentioned models which do you think mimics the graded hammer action of a real acoustic piano better? Thanks!
To be honest I haven’t seen the new Roland yet, neither one really mimic a weighted action, but for synth actions they’re not bad. I’ve never been a huge fan of Roland, but one thing in its favour is the keys are true full octave width (the Casio is narrower). A couple others to consider are the Alesis Recital 61; the sounds are “ok” (not as good as either you mentioned), but the keys are actually semi weighted so it’s a great budget portable action. My personal favourite for portable piano is the Korg Liano; it’s also not weighted, but it has a really decent “piano like” action, and it’s super light and portable, but is 88 keys not 61.
Hope that helps! I have reviews on the Recital and Liano on my channel if you want to check them out. Thanks for checking out the channel, feel free to subscribe
I have the Casio S-500, and I have to say the keys are just OK. They are in line with the price point. The biggest strength of the S-500 is how much you can play with the sounds. It is fun to use as a pure synth. I have never seen the Gokeys5 but from what I have seen on TH-cam it looks to be worth checking out.
If you were to sell a keyboard. Which one would you sell the CK88 or the numa 2x? :) thanks
I actually traded in the CK88 towards the Numa and my Hammond M-Solo; just more appropriate for my needs with my band
how rigid is the frame? thanks
To be honest it's bizarrely not rigid - not in a way that ever bothered me, but if you tried to, you could twist it corner to corner. Part of why it's so light I guess.
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How is your new Hammond organ? Do you need Numa at all? I am confused about what you really use.
One way or another, you seem to be moving more and more away from focusing on piano playing (as a solo activity).
Michael
Ps. I hopefully finally settled down by buying P-525 😊. I considered RD-2000 (lower price in Canada) as well.
I love the new SK Pro. I'm using it for most things with my band and it's my primary instrument for sure; (I think the main piano sample on it is from Yamaha, it sounds SO much like my CK88 did) but our band is also talking about just a trio (guitar. keys and vocals) to play much smaller gigs like cafes or even busking etc. For that the Numa will be ideal since it's so super portable (and that project will probably be 80% piano 20% Hammond as opposed to the band which is the other way around).
Did you end up getting / liking the RD-08? I see L&M has the RD-88 on sale for the same price as the RD-08 which is a massive discount (25%!). I still have the P-525 on my "to do" list for reviewing this year.
@@PianoTone I did like RD-08 but when listening to my recording I heard key clicking. It is unacceptable for me! The action felt OK to me but I have given up on PHA-4. Thought of getting RD-2000 but it is too expensive for me even with current discount. I saw the big reduction of RD-88 price and I was really glad that I returned RD-08. I am looking forward to your reviews.
Bluetooth Audio would be really nice, it gets frustrating to have to plug a USB cable every time you want to practice with backing tracks/rhythm/iReal Pro on your phone.
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Is it possible to play classical music on this keyboard?
I don’t play classical music so I’m not the best person to ask; many classical players will demand a fully weighted and graded hammer action, this keyboard is semi weighted in the interest of being portable, and being a decent compromise to play both piano and organ and synth on the same keyboard. So, some might say no it’s not; others (someone who wants to play classical at a cafe and only have to carry around a 15 pound keyboard) might say it’s fine/be willing to get used to it.
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@@PianoTone Are Numa and Liano very different keyboards or do they feel roughly the same? One is noticeably more like a weighted one?
@@e0236 They're very different. The Numa is a stage keyboard with a bunch of sounds, layering, splitting, advanced MIDI functionality, lots of effects you can modify on the fly; the Numa is a very basic super light and portable piano with only a handful of sounds. The Numa's keys are actually semi-weighted, the Liano's keys are lighter and meant to "feel" semi-weighted (and they do a great job). But the Numa's key's will feel a bit more like a piano.
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@@PianoTone Feeling of the quality/strength of the case is no worse than that of a Casio S or Yamaha P125 or Liano? Thank you.
@@e0236 As far as build quality or "sturdiness"/ strength of the case, I'd rank those in this order from strongest to least:
1) P-125
2) Casio CDP-S160
3) Numa
4) Liano