New instruments are released every year and it can be unclear which is best. We decided to break down the pros and cons to end the confusion. Digital Piano vs. MIDI Keyboard Controller. Which is the better solution?
Digital Piano vs. Midi Keyboard Controller – Which is Better?
A digital piano is an instrument with onboard sounds, often including piano, Rhodes electric pianos, organs, strings, and more.
The advantage of having these onboard sounds is that you are able to practice at home or perform at a gig whenever you need to, without the need for any additional hardware.
Digital pianos also tend to have more connections on the back panel than midi pianos, unless you go for a very high-end midi controller.
The opposite is true for controls as digital pianos are often mostly void of faders and knobs. Even mod and pitch bend wheels are often not included on digital and stage pianos.
They often have sleek and minimalist designs that allow you to navigate to your frequently used sounds easily. They also tend to have excellent keybeds and actions.
You should look for one from a reputable company such as Nord or Korg that makes rugged, tour-ready instruments designed to last life on the road.
The Korg SV1 and Nord stage 3 are excellent examples of instruments designed for pianists and bands.
Look deeper into the specifications and you will find that in 2023, you can find triple-switch detection keybeds in some digital pianos. A triple-switch keybed is ideal for maximum expressiveness when playing the piano.
Best Beginner Digital Pianos
Here are some fantastic budget-friendly digital pianos for beginners to consider
Roland FP-10
The Roland FP-10 is an affordable digital piano designed for beginners and intermediate players. It features 88 fully weighted keys with the PHA-4 Standard key action, providing a realistic playing experience.
The piano offers high-quality piano sounds through its SuperNATURAL sound engine, with 15 instrument sounds and adjustable touch sensitivity. It has two 6-watt speakers, a polyphony of 96 notes, and supports various modes and presets.
The FP-10 can be controlled through the Piano Partner 2 app and offers recording capabilities. It comes with pedal and headphone jacks, USB ports, and Bluetooth connectivity. The FP-10 also includes a basic footswitch pedal and accessories like a music rest.
With an affordable price, authentic feel, and advanced features (especially for an entry-level model), the FP-10 is an excellent choice for beginners and intermediate players alike.
The Yamaha P-45 is another budget-friendly, compact digital piano with an authentic piano-playing experience and a great option for beginners. This is the exact model that I learned to play on, and it is still one of the best beginner pianos more than 10 years later.
It features a graded hammer standard (GHS) keyboard for a realistic touch and feel. the P-45 delivers high-quality piano sounds thanks to Yamaha’s AWM synthesis technology.
The instrument is designed to be portable, lightweight, and easy to transport. It is simple to use and has an intuitive layout, allowing users to change sounds and access features like the onboard metronome easily.
The P-45 is highly regarded for its authentic feel, fantastic sound quality, and Yamaha’s renowned build quality, making it a popular choice among beginners and those seeking a reliable stage piano.
The Korg B2 is a digital piano that has been praised for its significant improvements over its predecessor, the B1. It offers 12 well-voiced tones and a comfortable key action, making it an excellent choice for those embarking on their piano-playing journey.
The B2 is not overloaded with features but provides a straightforward, high-quality instrument at an attractive price. Its sleek, uncluttered look and nice key action are some of its strongest attributes.
The 12 unique voices cover just about every style you’d need, from five fresh piano sounds to electric piano, organ, harpsichord, and strings.
The B2 is designed with simplicity and authenticity in mind, catering to players who prefer a straight-to-the-point learning instrument. It comes with 88 fully weighted keys and Korg’s Natural Weighted Hammer Action (NH) keyboard, which prides itself on its natural feeling response.
The keys are graded, meaning they are weighted differently throughout the piano, with the lower notes feeling heavier than the keys at the higher register. This digital piano has great sounds that are easy to select with simple one-button controls.
The Yamaha P125A, an upgrade to the popular P125, is part of Yamaha’s legendary P series of mid-range digital pianos. It is a portable powerhouse that has been praised for its build quality, performance, and value for money.
The Yamaha P125 and P125A are two digital pianos that share many similarities, but there are a few key differences that set them apart.
The P125A has slightly improved speakers and increased polyphony, which can make a significant difference for those who frequently perform at gatherings or parties, or who are trying to find a realistic piano touch and sound for classical grades and exams.
Despite these enhancements, the P125A has one notable downgrade compared to the P125. The built-in audio interface, which was present in the P125, has been removed in the P125A.
This means that with the P125A, you can no longer send direct audio to a device (to use the instrument as a Midi controller without an additional audio interface), or stream audio to the instrument to play along with. If this is a dealbreaker for you, then you should look into the original P125.
The P125A is designed to give you the true feel of playing the piano without breaking the bank. It features a Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard with 88 keys, touch sensitivity, and a maximum polyphony of 192. It also includes 24 voices, two 7W amplifiers, and four speakers.
The piano comes with 21 demo songs and 50 piano songs, making it a great choice for both beginners and intermediate musicians.
The P125 is compatible with the Yamaha Smart Pianist App. It also has a fourth layer added to its piano voice, six more rhythms (20 in total), a new Table EQ feature, and a Stereophonic Optimizer feature.
All these features contribute to an exceptional playing experience. The front panel is matte, which helps prevent fingerprints from sticking to it. The keys on this instrument feel premium, and the red velvet ribbon adds an elegant touch.
What Is a MIDI piano / MIDI controller / MIDI Keyboard?
Whilst a midi piano has no internal sounds, they are designed to work with your DAWs seamlessly and provide you with the best experience when making music from home.
You can buy weighted, semi-weighted, and synth action midi-controllers, so there is definitely a Midi keyboard or weighted Midi piano that will suit your needs.
Midi-instruments often have mod wheels or joysticks for pitch bend and expression, such as on the studiologic SL studio pianos or Akai midi keyboards. They can also have buttons, knobs, and faders to control different parameters.
Couple in the screens functions such as split and layer, and often some impressive bundled software, and you have a winning combination. You can use midi-pianos for live gigs as well as at home, and all you need is a laptop running software such as Mainstage.
Best Midi pianos
Novation Launchkey 49 MK 3
The Novation Launchkey 49 MK3 is a versatile and well-designed controller keyboard that is essential for modern production.
With its sturdy and refined build, it provides a satisfying playing experience that doesn’t compromise the quality of your virtual instruments. The semi-weighted keys are substantial and built to last, providing a genuine feel that is crucial for any musician.
The addition of new scale, chord, and arpeggiator features, along with a backlit LCD screen, enhances the user experience, making it easier to navigate and understand the controller’s functions. The Launchkey MK3 also has unique synchronicity with Ableton Live, offering effortless control over the DAW.
The Launchkey MK3 is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing with its sharp corners, matte finish, and attractive large velocity-sensitive pads with optimized response, and RGB lights. The controller is lightweight yet feels solid, with rotary encoders and faders that are especially sturdy.
The 49-key model also includes nine faders exclusive to its design. The controller is designed to work with many DAWs and comes with free software for beginners to start creating right away.
The Launchkey MK3 is a testament to Novation’s nearly 30 years of experience in MIDI controllers, offering a seamless and pain-free setup process that allows musicians to start making music in minutes.
The Akai MPK Mini Mk3 is a compact and portable MIDI keyboard controller that has received positive reviews for its improved features and performance. It is considered a significant upgrade from its predecessor.
The Mk3 iteration has a new and improved keybed, Akai’s Dynamic Gen 2 design, which is solid, responsive, and mechanically quiet.
The controller knobs are now a continuous rotary design, which is a significant improvement for users who switch plugins frequently.
The MPK Mini Mk3 also features MPC velocity and pressure-sensitive pads with an aftertouch-enabled keybed, which is similar to the design of the MPC series hardware.
The velocity response is excellent when playing beats, and the pressure performance is great when playing sustained sounds.
The MPK Mini Mk3 is also praised for its portability and lightweight but rugged design. It fits perfectly into a small travel backpack and sits flush next to a 15″ laptop.
Overall, the Akai MPK Mini Mk3 is a well-rounded, portable, and feature-rich MIDI keyboard controller that offers excellent value for its price. It is suitable for beginners and provides a high level of control and versatility for music production.
The M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3 is a popular choice among MIDI keyboard controllers, known for its simplicity, reliability, and affordability. It is designed for beginners who want to get started with a user-friendly USB MIDI controller.
The Keystation 49 MK3 features 49 full-size, velocity-sensitive keys that provide a natural feel, making it an excellent tool for beginner music producers or anyone who seeks to sequence music and play virtual instruments on their Mac or PC, as a hobby or otherwise.
The keyboard controller is equipped with fully assignable octave range buttons, pitch-bend and modulation wheels, a volume slider, and transport and directional controls. These features allow users to play, perform, and record with their music software without the need for a mouse or trackpad.
The Keystation 49 MK3 also supports a 1/4″ sustain pedal input for genuine piano sustain, adding to its versatility. Despite its comprehensive controls, some users may find the number of assignable controls limited, but this is a trade-off for the streamlined design.
Compact, lightweight, and durable, the Keystation 49 MK3 is ideal for traveling musicians who want to take command of music software during live performances, as well as for producers who wish to add an intuitive MIDI controller with a natural feeling keybed to their studio.
It is USB-powered, class-compliant, and supports USB-MIDI connectivity, making it easy to set up and use. Furthermore, it supports iOS connectivity, enabling users to perform and compose with audio apps on their iPads and other iOS devices.
Overall, the M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3 is a solid choice for those seeking a simple yet powerful MIDI keyboard controller.
The Alesis Q49 MK II is a versatile MIDI controller that offers a balance between functionality and affordability.
It is equipped with full-size, synth-action keys that provide a solid feel, making it an acceptable compromise for those who are used to the feel of an acoustic or digital piano.
The keys are velocity-sensitive, which adds to the expressivity of the controller, although they are not weighted.
This makes the Q49 MK II a great choice for recording MIDI input, as it allows for a wide range of dynamics in your performances.
The design of the Q49 MK II is efficient and portable, making it a suitable choice for musicians on the go.
Despite its affordability, the controller does not compromise on durability, boasting a robust design that can withstand the rigors of regular use.
It is also user-friendly, making it an excellent option for beginners looking to delve into the world of MIDI controllers.
Which one you will prefer depends on your use case and what you are comfortable using daily.
If your priority is the action and key feel of the instrument, then you opt for a digital or stage piano. This is also true if you gig and want to have an easy, less technical setup.
One advantage of midi-controllers over digital and stage instruments is that you can find various different models with different keybeds, features, bundled software, and usually at a much lower cost.
While the Nordline of digital pianos has smaller models that have semi-weighted actions such as the Nord Electro, and hardware synths obviously have synth keybeds, these are usually quite expensive instruments.
Compare these to a mid-keys setup that uses a semi-weighted action such as on the Novation Launchkey models, and you can use the money saved to purchase virtual instruments and a good laptop to run them.
These virtual instruments are for life and are not limited to the lifespan of the appliances, which will likely fail eventually no matter how well-built it is.
However, If you plan on recording piano and orchestral parts for example, then the weighted actions on digital instruments will likely be what you are looking for.
If you are more into organ and synth sounds, then you may prefer a semi-weighted or synth action that you can find on midi instruments.
If you choose the Midi piano route, you will need to think about which sounds you will be using, as your new piano will not come with pre-installed sounds.
In 2023, there are some fantastic software sound bundles and realistic sound plugins on offer. Check out the following articles about the best free and paid plugins available:
In a home studio setup, it is not uncommon to see a digital piano being used instead of a midi-controller. With a digital piano, you get an instrument that is designed to replicate the feel of an acoustic piano to some degree, which has its advantages.
As technology develops and virtual instruments improve, and some are even free to use, the midi-controller and PC route looks like an even more attractive route.
If you decide to go for the midi route, make sure you are prepared for your gigs, practice as often as you can, and look for sounds that are as realistic and close to the sounds you are trying to reproduce as possible.
