Yamaha CP88 Vs Nord Piano
When it comes to music, not one person’s preference is the exact same as the others. Each person likes and dislikes certain genre and each expresses their love for music in different way. It can be singing, musical theater or playing piano. Do you know that piano is the most popular music instruments in the world? It’s so popular that there are 21 million people plays piano in the USA alone! There are three kind of piano: grand, upright, and electronic. Among those three, electronic piano is best known and used for musical gig because it’s compact and versatile.
Today, a lot of companies are competing to provide best electronic piano. As the music industry grows, the demands for electronic piano also raises. Two companies are widely popular for their electronic piano, they are Yamaha and Nord. We are going to compare each product from them, the Yamaha CP88 and Nord Piano 4 to see which one is worth it.
Yamaha CP88
Yamaha CP88 first released in 2019 with $2,499.99 for price and 51.10 x 14.30 x 5.56 inches dimension. This award-winning stage piano has now won its fifth design award, following the Good Design Award (2019), Asia Design Prize Silver Award (2019), iF Design Award (2020), and Red Dot Design Award (2020). Feature synth sounds for covering any gig or session from various effects such as split, layer or solo warm pads, lush strings, deep synth basses, synth leads, brass and more. CP88 are among the lightest and most compact instruments in their class. CP88 weighs just 18.6 kg (41 pounds) CP88 have optional soft cases available. Both cases feature wheels and have zippered compartments for storing pedals and accessories.
| Kawai MP11SE | Nord Grand | |
|---|---|---|
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| Product Dimensions | 51.1 x 14.3 x 5.56 inches | 50.7 x 4.8 x 13.4 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 1 pounds | 48 pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
The CP88’s control interface allows real-time interaction for instant sound creation. CP88 also feature a wide range of other keyboard sounds including: tonewheel, transistor and pipe organs plus clavi, FM pianos and more to cover any playing situation. 88 feature an extensive, integrated effects section for creating your own, unique sound. Each of the three sections (Piano section, Electric piano section and Sub section) features dedicated effects. There are also master effects with delay, reverb and master EQ with dedicated controls for easy, real-time tweaking. VCM (virtual circuitry modeling) effects virtual circuitry modeling re-creates the sound and behavior of vintage effects and high-end studio signal processors by modeling the circuits down to the original analog component level.
The feel of a musical instrument is how a musician delivers their uniqueness which is why the CP88 features keyboard action designed with knowledge informed by over 100 years of acoustic piano-making experience for professionals who demand the best to provide piano players with the action they need for maximum expression. Carved with 88-key natural wood keys, Yamaha CP88 offers the weight and response that piano players expect. Adding different weight or graded hammer, the keyboard reproduces the feel of a piano’s hammers which is heavy in the low end and light in the high end. With synthetic ebony and ivory key tops, the combination provides lightly porous design which adds grip to the keys, this feature maintains accuracy during long performances or practice sessions.
Finally, a third sensor allows the sound production to sound like grand piano with key repetition where notes can be rearticulated without a complete release. This makes it easier to play fast, repeated notes and is one of the main reasons why pianists choose grand pianos over uprights, now you can enjoy grand piano sound on CP88. For maximum performance, you can connect and integrate CP88 into your home studio or live rig with onboard USB MIDI and audio connectivity. CP88 is fit for the gigging musician or any person who just started on playing piano. Read also: Kawai MP11SE Vs Nord Grand.
Nord Piano 4
For $2,999.00, Nord Piano 4 combines an expanded voice polyphony with a premium Triple Sensor keybed and Virtual Hammer Action Technology for the definitive piano experience. The Nord Piano 4 also includes brilliant new performance features like Seamless Transitions, dedicated Piano Filters and Split Point Crossfades delivering a live focused keyboard with exceptional piano feel. Nord keyboards generally have good keys for stage keyboards, its technology makes both top and bottom triggering possible, resulting in amazing control when playing percussively as well as pianissimo with the keys half-pressed down.
The Nord Piano 4 has dedicated knobs and buttons for all essential functions required in a live performance situation, with 3 dynamic curves are available to suit your playing style, from soft to hard and setting up a split point or creating a layered sound can be accomplished in seconds. The included Nord Triple Pedal consist of soft and sostenuto pedals in addition to an inimitable dynamic sustain pedal. The Triple Pedal also enables our Pedal Noise feature that dynamically simulates the mechanical sounds of lifting and releasing the damper mechanism and with a Soft Release-mode, Nord Piano 4 adds a slightly longer release, more suitable for legato playing, emulating a looser damper tension in an acoustic or an electromechanical instrument.
Similar to Yamaha CP88, the Nord Piano 4 provides keyboard sound that’s designed to emulate how real grand pianos feel with exclusive Virtual Hammer Action Technology. The keyboards use the Italian-made Fatar Triple Sensor keybed that are fully weighted and have the necessary heft and depth to feel like real keys for improved dynamic control which allows key movements to be determined with stunning precision yet they feel very responsive. Using the triple sensors, Nord Piano 4 has keys that can still detect repeated keypresses even without fully return to their original positions, which means that fast licks are easy to play and the keys are able to detect each keypress without issue. This allows for smoother repetitions as the tone is not completely dulled in between the strokes, similar to the fluent transitions possible on a grand piano. The hammer action also means that keys return with a bit of vivacity, delivering outstanding authenticity and dynamic response as it’s expected to fully recreate the sound of grand piano. The result is a keyboard action that handles dynamic playing with amazing control at any velocity level.
Yamaha CP88 Vs Nord Piano
Conclusion
With $500 price difference, Yamaha CP88 is the more affordable options compared to high price of Nord Piano 4. Yamaha CP88 offers 4-zone MIDI controller function, pitch and mod controls, more split/layer flexibility with better layout consist of 3 individual sound zones with dedicated effect knobs and more instant patch recall buttons. The action, with very nice textured surface, and sounds work together to create a very reasonable likeness of a real grand piano. While Nord Piano 4 excels in wider range of different pianos, more complete emulation and much larger selection of non-piano sounds with ability to load your own samples which creates much more interesting sounds. Nord Piano 4 is a great instrument and the sensations are very good for piano, but unfortunately, the keybed noise is so loud that it can only be used on a stage as it would be way too loud to be used for small, intimate gigs. All in all, for the price and performace, Yamaha CP88 is a better recommendation as it’s more affordable yet fully equipped with amazing features and it’s compact to carry around.
