Yamaha's $399.99 USD Professional Keyboard - Reface CP
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2020
- The Reface line is a series of tiny, professional keyboards from Yamaha that aim to provide a quality sound in a tiny package. But is it actually good? Let's find out!
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This is my Sunday morning keyboard when I’m having coffee under the trees in my yard. I’ve never used the power supply, only with batteries. I’ve composed a few songs with this one. Other smaller keyboards that I have only work with my IOS devices, so I love the fact that I can just grab this with one hand and carry my coffee in the other hand on weekends. You switch on and go. I believe You only live once (I know snoopy says every day, but that’s not true, because the truth is: We work everyday). This keyboard is one of life’s luxuries that I’ve spoilt myself with, and is one of a few things that puts a smile on my face when I get lost in it.
Yes, I came up with a couple new ideas with it right away...it's just so very "musical"
yamaha should pay you for this comment. I'm just about sold.
Mark, this is a beautifully written homage. It’s like the keyboardist’s equivalent of an acoustic guitar; not quite as analog but as simple as we can get. Imma get me one
It's got actually 7 sounds! If you switch it on with the Type switch in a position between the dents, you'll discover a very good grand piano sound that's included. So much for the easter egg :-)
As a trumpet player, I absolutely love my Reface CP. It sits at my desk and gets used easily as often as my qwerty keyboard. Eventually my left hand will be good enough to comp my trumpet. For me, this is the perfect instrument - if only the built in speakers were just a little more powerful. I can't recommend this enough for any musician not just pianists.
there are, in fact, seven sounds. If you turn it off and then set the sound knob to face 12 o clock, when turning it on you will have an acoustic piano sound. As for why they hid it? beats me
The Tip i saw, was to switch it off / set the knob carefully between any 2 voices so it sticks there - then switch it on again. Crazy they never mentioned it though, even all the folks promoting it never used that function. Quite odd i agree, how it became knowledge would be interesting to know.
How interesting, I had no clue! Thanks!
@@soniklink-WKD4496 oh true, doesn't seem to be specific.
Had reface CP, The "secret" acoustic piano sound was very good, but it was very irritating to set this piano in gig/public situations when playing. The knob can skip easily into the position and you are back with rhodes sound. In the end i prefer to use CP piano.
@@keyhoarder I never had the problem. I use the acoutic piano on a few songs in the bad I gig with. Maybe some dials are more sensitive.
As a general note, the only thing that keeps me from giving the RefaceCP a '10' is the minikeys. I can work with them, but I don't love them. I'm also not a fan of instruments learning what MIDI channel to play on. I prefer some way to set it (even if it is DIP switches). These are the only flaws though. The instrument though sounds fantastic. I love all the sounds they chose to put in there as well as the effects choices. The effects interface is awesome live. I even like the toy piano sound which when you add some effects can be really spacey.
I love the CP and have thought about getting a Reface CS. I really dig how they have implemented vintage into it - very mindful of the past, but also set-up to be incredibly easy to find sweet spots. I have a few vintage synths and they can be a bit tricky to get those sweet spots, though my Yamaha CS-15 definitely is an awesome synth to play and is also easy to find sweet spots. In some ways, Yamaha is a shell of its past with its pro instruments. Few ever excite me.
In fact did you know in Japan the toy piano is really popular? There are lots and lots of musical pieces played on them and not only for children. I like the degree of control of it and the fun factor of course. But the toy piano with the church bells are my absolute favorite! Thank you for sharing, fiddling and playing!
Since I got it, I have noticed wayyyy more toy piano loops and samples in pop music!
@@johndavidpeer3107 hi John. Could you give me some examples, please? I'm curious about what songs use a toy piano 😮
The speakers randomly stopped playing last week, but played fine through headphones. Took me forever to discover that if you hold down the key farthest to the right and power on it resets the speakers. Yay.
I got my reface cp for a great price as the owner thought the speakers were broken. I did a reset in front of her when picking it up and it worked fine :)
Try to initialise the settings - manual page 41, speaker off?
Are the built in speakers any good? Decent enough for a little jam in a park with some acoustic guitars?
@@konradhausmann6359 Nice one
This has been favourite piece of gear of mine for 4 years now. Extremely inspiring and fun to play. In fact, that applies to the entire line of Refaces, CS is incredible synth and YC can be brutal and soulful. Haven’t tried DX but I will definitely get it one day as well
Tiny hands play tiny keys. LOL My man hands need full size man keys with weight. To each their own.
@@polardeathdog5093 Thanks for telling us that
I own the DX and I love it. I'm looking forward to get the other refaces as well.
@@polardeathdog5093 I have giant hands and I can play pretty easily on the reface line. They're suprisingly pleasant to play. Much better than older minikeys from yamaha or korg
This whole range is outstanding
I've got CP, YC and CS - i've selled CP and YC and at the moment i still had Reface CS, because i love its vintage design both visually and technically. The quality of the sound in Reface CS is really great, for someone looking for the classic synth sound it's a real pleasure to hear.
but one thing: the on board speakers are crap, no match for the quality of the rest.
Great review James. I own the Reface CS, and it’s a great little instrument. I’d like to get the Reface YC in time.
Those mini-keys Yamaha models are really interesting, thanks for your review!
The Wurlitzer is excellent. I find it better than Wurly in P515, definitely. And tweakable. And those little keys are surprisingly good quality. You can achieve wide dynamic range after a little getting used to them.
I sometimes use the CP as my only live keyboard and it's great for open mic nights. Always needs an external amp though.
I bought it last month and it's a lot of fun. Very cool that you're doing a review on this. I just ordered the Donner DEP-20. Maybe do a review of that?
I have watched a dozen of Reface CP reviews, Yours is as always very in-depth. I agree with the action, maybe even semi-weighted keys would make a difference, but also in size and price.
great playing and nice thorough review
I actually really like the Rhodes sounds on this, its more alive than most sample based Rhodes IMO.
As fun fact like the hidden piano un this board: the Yamaha piano YDP 141 has an electric piano hidden as well. You have to connect other keyboard with modo. I used a Yamaha psr so when you choose an electric piano on the psr you will hear a new rhodes sound. I don't know why Yamaha hide all this features if they are gonna payed any way
i reckon its like a lot of software locks we have these days where its cheaper to manufacturer product to one spec and then lock out the features for the lower range. the hidden feature is merely people discovering how to hack the system.... ofcoz it might be really an Easter egg, but as someone above said, hiding the toy piano is more logical if its meant as an Easter egg.
Its not small, its just far away! 😂
For the easter egg "Grand Piano" voice you can just place the knob in between any of the sounds. It doesn't have to be at any particular position besides in-between. Good luck
Thanks for this!!!
Waiting and hopefully you'll review the Kawai es920. Thanks for all you share sir.
Not available as of yet!
Yea the quality stealth piano is strange but welcome! I have my Reface controlled by my MP11SE, blending the 2 is awesome. U can get lost in the RefaceCP for ages, especially with that 18min Digital Delay ( i actually tested that!, from the 1st repeat to it blending into my own heartbeat LOL! ). Only thing is the mini-keys, which i found does not have great touch sensitivity. But it responds well with the MP11. For the money the sound engine and effects are great, shame there's no Audio In. Great Video again James, keep it up dude :)
There is audio in actually. That's what the mini-jack input is for.
I wish they'd release this as a module I'd buy it day one
Many thanks for this great review James! I already have the Yamaha Reface CP and I love it. I also have the Yamaha Reface YC (organs with drawbars and rotary speaker simulation) and I love it. You really need to try the YC and make a review of it :) I think that you will love it too. Personally, I’m not a piano or keyboard player (I sing and play guitar) but I know all basic piano chords so I can play (and sing) many songs with a piano. After purchasing my two Yamaha Reface, I began learning piano scales so these little Reface keyboard allowed me to improve myself on piano. They are really fun to play, they deliver high quality sounds and they are very portable. I had one for months on the kitchen table while I was learning scales! I’m now using mostly the YC since it is permanently installed in front of me when I play with my two bands. I use it for organ parts like the one in the intro of Black Magic Woman. :) Keep up the good work! Thanks again for all your reviews 👍
Snap. I practice on both and picked up a gig bag that both will fit in.
Bought mine last summer; I adore the Reface CP. Just MIDI it into a bigger board and you have some of the best Rhodes modeling on the market I think
That first Rhodes sound you played is a lot like the famous voice 7 on the Roland MKS 20
For toy piano playing, check out "Midnight on a Full Moon" by Mannheim Steamroller. The piano takes off at 1.04.
I want to assist to a concert of your talent ! did you ever write any song ?
Hey I was just wondering if you’ve used the Numacompact 2x?
It’s $400... the 99.99 is the biggest trick in marketing...
Yeah. It makes the customer thinks its cheap. Everyone's doing it.
I have seen these on Ebay for 379.00 if that makes any difference. I should also point out that I paid even less for mind from a major chain.
@@ThePianoforever hmmm toy piano or toy church bells 🔍🎹🎶
I think the phaser is really more for imitating some of the EP sounds of 70's bands. The main one that comes to mind is Bread, but I know other bands liked that sound too.
Steely Dan!
What Bread songs for example?
Yamaha hit a grand slam with this little puppy. Hook it up to your favorite 88 note controller, use an FC3A half damper pedal and this thing absolutely kills! Great deep dive! If you don't have a real Rhodes, this thing gets you crazy close for the price and it won't break your back to move it. :)
What controller would you recommend? And do you experience any latency issues? I've been considering getting one of these for a while now but I would definitely want a full sized keyboard for it...
@@paulvarone7776 did you get a controller for it?
There is another small piano that might be good. It is the KORG microPiano. It looks interesting to me and I would love for you to review it.
It is adorable for sure!
I have all of them and they are different and good. CP: I like the Piano (the number 7 sound) and alll the effects. I use it to compose on the couch. The CS is a pretty competent bread and butter synth, really old school. DX is the one I use more on gigs due to its instant versatility. Finally, the YC is all the organs I have never had. All of them look and sound excellent.
I have the 3 CS, DX and CP and soon I'm getting the YC. They Do sound amazing. My writing tools for the studio.
Holy shit that sounds nice!
There is a hidden piano sound, but would be nice if there's a single additional FM EP sound
I have one of these and a MOXF6, I think the clav sound is identical, I'm not sure about the other sounds.
At first I kept hearing "inch men" instead of "instrument" 😅 really enjoy your videos!
I really enjoy my RefaceCP.
@@chla84 they're not like heavy heavy like they're not purposely weighted
Request has been redacted, I found the vid in question. Thanks for your help.
I wish they would've included a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass sound, this little thing would be perfect for The Doors fans. You can kind-of fake it with the low range of the Rhodes I sound, but it has to much "squish" to it, doesn't have that solid, stable tone of a Piano Bass.
Agree! When i had Reface CP i,ve tried to reproduce that sound. Also there is not enough bass range. Of course i could add it with eq, but it would be better to have it straight from the box.
Omgg first like, view and comment❤️ big fan!!
Some of those sounds made me giggle like a kid. Not sure it would be for me, but another great review all the same.
are you on rumble?
Can the Recafe Cp be played with an external masterkeyboard with 61 or 73 keys? Or will it not play all notes?
It can.
Yes, it will play all notes, 88 even.
Hi, could you do a review on the Yamaha ydp-164?
Or Ydp144 please
Yess one of their Arius series!
Is there a problem with the volume coming from the unit? It seems very quiet....
ive had my reface cp for a few years now and that is something i have noticed that you do have to crank the volume to get it to a playable level. sometimes i think to pick up a booster pedal to get around this problem
My guess is that it and the PSS-F30 use mostly the same chip set. If you look insied to see how the sustain pedal is hooked up (to which pin of which ASIC), you could probably then wire a foot switch to the PSS-F30, giving it that capability.
Nobody ever spends enough time on the CP sound on demos.
To make a really good and authentic clavinet emulation is notoriously hard
Great video. I may have missed it, but why didn’t you test the hidden Grand Piano sound? Would love to here your thoughts on it.
I did not know there was a hidden grand piano sound! :D They hid it well. Next time I feature this in a video I'll have to check it out for you all.
Finding out about the acoustic piano sound was the tipping point for me buying it. Love to use this unit for noodling while sitting on the couch or in bed.
It’s a very low memory grand piano sound. It sounds almost identical to the Grand Piano 1 sound in my kid’s PSR-E253.
@@Alan_Chapman For sure the sound is not so good as the others, which are (by my knowledge) samples with modelling. But its also not so bad. Btw do you know which Yamaha keyboards have the same hq sounds as Reface? Motif?
Has anyone compared the Rhodes Sounds Reface CP with ones of the Viscount Legend 70s?
I think thats the one for me
Nice instrument ; Still waiting of review KAWAI CA99 🎶 🎶 (2020)
Does anyone know if the Yamaha YC61 can replace the Reface CP?
What are your user cases? I like to play the reface on my lap while on the couch, so certainly the YC61 cannot replace it for me.
Best Video about the Reface CP pn youtube!!! Great sounds
32:50 sounds like the theme of Peppa Pig :-)
Donner DEP 20?
Could you please review the kawai ES920?
Not available as of yet!
@@ThePianoforever Okay thanks!
that church bells sound would work for spooky sounds in a video game..
For 400 dollars it would not have been difficult to put an EQ [two sliders for the Treble and Bass frequency range] a small modular wheel (or joystick) and a simple lcd screen on this. I can see where it at least one of these features could be placed. It would detract from the 'retro' look, but added features generally enhance electronic keyboards. Perhaps there is no space left in the module box but I doubt that at least one of the features could not have been placed.
ETSU?? - Crap, that's where I graduated from with a BA ... not in Music, but (uh) I did date some of the undergrads from the Music Dept (it was RIGHT BY the Math Dept.). No worries - that was back in the 1970's! Yeah - I'm old.
damn... the guy from queens gambit is good on the keys
How do you play on such small keys? Do you ultimately adapt?
It's actually quite easy. I've got big hands myself and I got used to playing them after about 20mins.
@@konradhausmann6359 are the keys regular sized? They don't look that small compared to other mini keyboards
James,
I don't know, maybe as a transitional instrument , but it just seems lacking at 400 dollars.
Would you buy one just because of the compact size?
Cheers,
Rik Spector
I picked up all four of the Yamaha ReFace keyboards summer-2021 because Musician's Friend had them for 25% off (...15% off coupon, and then you get 10% cash-back if you use a Musician Friend Card). The prices of each Reface keyboard is different, but using the CP as an example, I feel like $400 regular price is too expensive for what you get. Yamaha should release a module version of each Reface to cut down on the MSRP (without the keyboard for people who just want to use their own MIDI keyboard) - that way I can perhaps just put all 4 into a Euro-Rack and save lots of space.
Perhaps using two, one on the lowest octave and one on the highest, will give you a full range. Perhaps a third one in the middle octave range will provide more flexibility when playing. But still cannot play a full keyboard arpeggio from lowest to highest.
using that secret piano mode not so secretly screwed up the main sounds...curious to know if any other users had a similar problem.
I haven't had that issue and I've used the 'secret' piano off and on for a few years now. In what way has it screwed up your main sounds?
This kid is a fucking badass
Send that midi to a bigger controller or keyboard with midi out
ok
Here is the first ever video of James Pavel Shawcross
th-cam.com/video/GLIKM_3n1KU/w-d-xo.html
When he was 8 yrs old.
It was a long time ago, but fun for me to re visit as well. I use to teach myself songs from our library of music we had at the house. The timing might be a bit off, but never having heard most of these before I was doing the best that I could at the time. So glad I was interested learning and recording these songs.
Cool for elves.
I love Yamaha, but I just can't stand all these tiny keyboards with the miniature keys. There's just something uninspiring about having such small keys to use. The sounds is good, but I'm sure most people would pay more to have full size keys.
They can if they want to, Yamaha is not going to replace their other instruments. Get the CP88 if you want the keys, I got the reface because I wanted small size and mini keys.