What to think about before buying a digital piano for a stage performance? How can you get the best digital piano for stage performance? These questions must have crossed your mind several times when you are planning to showcase your talent on a stage.
We assume that you haven’t got the ideal answer. So we have figured out that part and created a detailed list about what you need to take into account for a digital piano that would be worth for stage performance. Through this post, we haven’t tried to advertise any particular digital piano instead we have provided a guide that will assist you to get your ideal keyboard.
Consider These 11 Things Before Buying a Digital Piano
Sampling
Sampling is probably one of the most crucial aspects you should look into because it will decide the output quality of the keyboard. You should check from which acoustic piano the sound was sampled, and it would be great if the piano belongs to the concert genre like great CFIII. Likewise, digital technology also needs considerations as it decides how well the piano will reproduce the sound recorded from a different instrument.
Always lean towards high-performance technologies or engines as it will assist you to showcase your talent correctly. While checking you should also check the decay and sustain of the notes so you will come to understand how well it will perform.
Keys
An upright digital piano with 88keys serves as the necessary criteria if you are planning to go up on stage and play with others. There are keyboards with 61 keys and 76 keys available in the market that offers an adequate amount of notes. But when you will go on stage, you will need assistance from a lot of notes to play complex music, so 88 keys are the crucial number.
Weighted Action
Weighted action in keys duplicate the feel you will get while playing on a grand acoustic piano and it allows you to play better. For stage performance, you should either go for a fully weighted key which is little but oozes the realistic touch, or go for a semi-weighted key which is also good, and they are quite affordable.
But we recommend you to buy digital pianos with at least 88 keys. You should also check whether they carry the hammer action. There are some keyboards that also allow the user to tune the responsiveness of the keys depending upon the requirements so you can go even for this kind of facility.
Number of Sounds
When you are professional, you will require the assistance of a variety of sounds to play complex notes on the stage. Nowadays, most manufacturers cradle their digital pianos with numerous effects like chorus, rock, reverb, delay, etc.
Not only that they even add sound various melodic music tools like synthesizers, guitar, accordions, organs, flutes, etc. This is an essential fact you should look into although you won’t need them every time it is smart to have them as a backup.
Polyphony
Polyphone (you may read this thread) is often needed in a stage performance because it allows you lot of voices all at once. The more polyphony you get in your digital piano, the more it will produce better sound output. A standard digital keyboard comes with 32-note polyphony, and it is recommended to go for 128-note because you will be able to explore your talent easily. However, you can also go for piano with 64-note polyphony as it will be adequate and would provide you lot of support while playing.
Velocity Sensitivity
Velocity sensitivity is another consideration that you should keep in your mind before buying a digital piano as it will allow you to bring realism to the music. Basically, it creates a realistic change based on the intensity of your pressing on the key, and it will generate an output according to that intensity. With intermediate and beginner level keyboards you won’t get the realism as the engine can only sense the pressure, not the attack.
Connection Options
When you play on stage, you won’t require any inbuilt internal speaker rather you will need a large amount of analog output. Through these ports, you will connect a lot of external devices like an amplifier, sustain pedal, headphone, smartphone, and many others. The piano you want to buy should carry a minimum:
- Line Out.
- Line In (R, L / Mono) jack.
- USB Type A.
- USB Type B.
- Headphone Jack.
- MIDI In/Out.
- Sustain Jack.
However, if you go for a high range model like $2000 worth of pianos, you will find various other additional ports like Bluetooth ports in your digital piano, but they aren’t useful in the stage.
Sound Simulation
A sound simulation in digital piano allows the keyboard to reproduce the different sounds of an acoustic piano and you will often need when playing along with a song. Damper resonance, Key-Off simulator, LID, string resonance, aliquot resonance, cabinet resonance, hammer noise, etc. are some key simulations and you should for a keyboard that carries the maximum of them.
Size and Portability
When you are planning to perform on stage, you should always lean towards a keyboard that is compact and easy on the weight. You will have to travel from one concert to another concert, and it won’t be feasible to carry a large-sized heavy piano every time. Most of the time, internal speakers grab an enormous portion of the area so go for a keyboard without a speaker as they won’t be of any use on stage.
Additional Functionalities
It would be a smart choice to opt for a highly functional keyboard when you are spending the right amount of money. Check what type of other functionalities and how they can be useful during your on-stage performance. So depending upon your requirement, you should choose.
Brand
There are numerous brands in the market that boast to offer the most excellent digital pianos for stage performance but never fall into the trap of an unknown brand. Always head towards brands like Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Casio, and Kawai as they the most popular digital piano brands, and many musicians are satisfied with their products.
