YAMAHA NP-12 Piaggero - Slimline Home Keyboard for Hobbyists and Beginners, in Black

Product Information

There are 3 different touch sensitivities (soft, medium, hard), as well as an option to turn this off. The default Medium setting is natural enough, and I never felt the need to change things up.

Headphones come in very handy when you want to practice in private, focusing solely on your playing and not disturbing others nearby.

Manuals

The second electric piano sound is a glittery, 80s kind of bell-synth. It’s extremely bright, but it’s sampled well, and it allows for clean playing across the octaves. Each hit is initiated by a charming bell plink, followed by a warm muted tone that mellows out the first strikes. Using the sustain pedal warms this sound up quite a bit, as the clinks of the bell tone are very short, and the lower tone is longer and catches with the sustain.

The Yamaha NP-12 is a 61-key digital piano that brings a great balance of performance and affordability. While it may not be ideal for advanced players looking to play classical music, there is plenty here to like for beginners and session musicians that need a reliable digital piano to use on the go. I do wish Yamaha used semi-weighted keys instead, but that might have increased the price beyond the accessible range. Unfortunately, you can only save 1 single recording at any time, and there’s also no way to export the song as a MIDI file either.

The Strings sound is very balanced. It’s a large chamber orchestra sound, and while it sounds very digital, the velocity sensitive keys can be played in a way that convinces the listener that the dynamics of a real orchestra are there. Unlike the PSR-E363, the NP-series comes with a smaller feature set, though it does include both keys that look more realistic (emphasis on “look”) and a slightly modified sound set. Beyond this, you can create a range of different sounds. For instance, there are two great electric piano sounds available, including a vintage sound common in the 70s, along with a more classic 80s synth-like sound. A total of ten sounds gives the NP-12 plenty of versatility. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is the stereo grand piano. Created using a sample from an authentic Yamaha grand piano, the sound replication is fantastic, and certainly the most impressive available. Although there are less functions for beginners, it’s still a great keyboard to learn on (as long as you understand what you’re not getting with this keyboard—namely weighted keys). Aesthetically, I prefer the look of the NP-12 over the PSR-E353.

Another difference worth mentioning is that the NP-11 only has a 32 voice polyphony, while the other two have 64. This is an added benefit for players who need that extra room for notes played at the same time. While the NP-11’s polyphony is enough for beginners, it may not be enough for intermediate and expert level players. TRANSPOSITION. You can transpose the keyboard either up 5 semitones or down 6 semitones to adapt to unfamiliar key signatures.The NP-32 is also quite bare-bones when it comes to connectivity options, but all the essentials are here. This seems trivial, but the company’s own YDP-series tends to use button-key combos that are less user-friendly than the alternative. Finally, let’s talk about the ‘ Graded Soft Touch’ featured on the NP-32. Theoretically, a graded keyboard means the keys at lower registers are heavier, but the higher registers are lighter.

The Electric Piano sounds (there are two of them) here are both very well done. The first sound is a blend between a Rhodes, a Mk I, and a Wurlitzer. For those of you who don’t know, think of it as a vintage, warm electric piano sound heard in 60s and 70s music. This is the perfect choice for a beginner who wants to hit the ground running with a piano that provides more than enough to enable a great learning experience, as well as spending a small amount of money. MASTER TUNING. The central tuning of the middle A can be modified from 414.8 Hz – 466.8Hz in 0.2 Hz increments. The default is 440 Hz. AC Adaptor (PA-130) or 6 x "AA" size batteries (alkaline [LR6], manganese [R6] or Ni-MH rechargeable batteries) After one touch, that illusion breaks down. The keys are unweighted, but their piano-style shape means there’s a slight bit of added heft, which can make the keys feel slightly more sluggish than similarly unweighted flatbed keys on other keyboards (like the PSR-E363).On the NP-12, t he Grand Piano sound is sampled from a Yamaha Grand Piano. It’s very bright, which is not surprising, as the Yamaha Grand as always been pretty boisterous. There are two types of organ sounds: the first is a kind of smaller, reed organ sound, while the second sounds more “churchy,” almost like a pipe organ.