The affordable Alesis Recital Pro is one of the cheapest 88-key keyboard on the market, but don't let that fool you - in this case, cheap doesn't mean inferior.
With 88 weighted keys, touch-sensitivity and complete polyphony, this lightweight keyboard has a lot to offer. Here, we will take a look at the features, specification, pro & cons, and our final thoughts. So, let's get into this Alesis Recital Pro review!
Quick Overview of the Recital Pro
The Alesis Recital Pro is an 88-key digital piano that is suitable for all piano players, from beginners to pros. It is quite easy to use, and offers a range of features in a very reasonable price: it allows you to record your performances, has onboard effects to add depth to your playing, and so much more. Furthermore, the piano has 12 different onboard ‘voices’ or sounds that you can easily mix and customize with the help of the piano’s Layer Mode function. The display screen and onboard controls make it easy for you to manipulate and tweak your music.
There is also a headphone jack so that you can practice your music in peace without disturbing anyone around you. Once you’re ready to share your sounds with the world, you won’t need to use the headphone jack.
Specifications
You can use the following list as a guide that shows you all the basic specifications of this digital piano as well as any bonus features:
Specification | Description |
|---|---|
Keys | 88 weighted keys with full hammer function
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Weight | Weighs just over 10 lbs without batteries |
Display | Backlit LCD display |
Songs | 10 demo songs |
Reverb Settings | Modulation, reverb and chorus effects |
Polyphony | 128 polyphony notes |
Speakers | Built-in speakers |
Functions | Split mode available
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Jacks & Ports | Single USB port
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Pedal | 1 x 1/4 “sustain pedal |
Power | 12V DC power supply included 6 x D batteries required |
Metronome | 30-280 BPM Metronome |
Features
This digital piano comes with some powerful features that will help you get the most out of this instrument. Let’s take a look at some of its key features in detail:
Smart Design
The upgraded Alesis Recital Pro piano boasts a very elegant and stylish design. This model has splendid highlights that add to its overall external appearance. It is sleek and lightweight, which makes for a great piano-playing experience.
Sound Effects
With an incredible combination of 12 in-built, meticulously curated voices and polyphony of 128 notes, this piano delivers premium-quality sound that helps create an authentic-playing experience.
The premium in-built voices include the following:
- Electric piano
- Synth
- Acoustic piano (bright)
- Acoustic piano
- Vibraphone
- Harpsichord
- Organ
- Church organ
- Strings
- Clavi
- Fingered bass
- Acoustic bass
This list consists of 6 instruments (Piano, Electric piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Synth, Acoustic bass), which further contain 2 variations each. The process of voice selection is very easy, and you can easily choose from both varieties as per your playing preferences. You can also add sound effects to your chosen voices by using the effects buttons. These effects include Modulation, Chorus, and Reverb.
The 128 note polyphony allows you to combine multiple sounds simultaneously in perfect harmony.
Keyboard
The keyboard of this model has 88 full-sized hammer-action weighted keys that come with adjustable touch sensitivity. The latter helps control the level of the voice, which further depends on how hard or lightly you play the keys.
Your playing strength greatly determines the volume of the speakers, which you can adjust with the help of the touch levels on the keyboard. These levels range from soft, medium, hard, and off (fixed speed), all of which help regulate the touch sensitivity of the piano.
Design
The piano weighs about 26 lbs, which makes it incredibly light and compact, as compared to other similar piano models. Although it is a full-sized digital piano, it only measures 51.6" W x 13.8" D x 5.5" H. With this size and the sleek design, you can take the piano anywhere you want -indoors and outdoors both.
This particular quality is further enhanced by its ability to play with batteries. You can easily take the piano to places that aren’t near an electrical socket and power it with a set of 6 D-cell batteries.
Controls and Features
A combination of amazing features and controls is what makes the Alesis Recital Pro an absolute must-have gadget. These are:
- Layer mode: This is a useful extra feature of this piano that allows you to select two different voices at the same. You need to select the first voice, hold down the layer button, and then select the second voice. The piano will then layer the two voices together.
- Split mode: This is quite an interesting feature of this model that allows you to divide the keyboard into two parts. It divides the 88-keys into two zones, both of which have the same sound and pitch. You can then play both the voices in a split fashion; one voice with your left hand and the other with your right hand. Not only this, but you and your instructor can also play together without having to take turns.
- Record mode: This feature allows players to record their performances and then listen to them later whenever they want. This comes in extremely handy, especially if you are a beginner and wish to enhance your piano-playing skills.
- Metronome: One of the best parts of this piano is that it comes with a metronome button that allows you to adjust the speed as per your preference. The speed can be set anywhere between 30-280 BPM, which is considered to be more than enough.
USB Connectivity
The Alesis Recital Pro comes with a seamless USB-MIDI connectivity option that allows you to significantly expand your performance and make use of the processing powers of modern computers. You can easily connect your piano with your PC or Mac through the onboard MIDI output plug-in option.
Online Piano Lessons
If you wish to learn how to play the piano right away, the Alesis Recital Pro is your best choice because it comes with a Skoove 3-month premium subscription that allows you to engage in interactive online piano lessons. Skoove is basically a group of experienced musicians who answer all your piano-related questions and provide you with exclusive lessons in order to increase your music repertoire.
Who Is the Alesis Recital Pro Most Suitable for?
The Recital Pro piano has been called ‘the ultimate beginner’s digital piano,’ and it contains all those features that will help any newbie learn and play the piano like a pro. One of its key features is the ‘record mode’ that allows you to record all your pieces while you are playing.
This is great for beginners in particular because it lets them listen to their performance later and critically analyze it. Additionally, the piano also contains a ‘rehearse and lesson’ mode, which is considered to be one of the strongest aspects of this model. That is because this feature allows students to practice alongside their music instructor, making this digital piano a decent option for neophyte students.
It also comes with a touch-sensitive keyboard that has three touch levels. You can set the keyboard to any of the three levels, depending on the type of playing touch you have, such as light, hard, etc. This feature is useful for both beginners and professionals alike.
What Is Included?
The Recital Pro keyboard package comes with a few necessary items. The things included with this piano model are:
It’s worth mentioning that Recital Pro doesn’t come up sustain pedal. However, it does have a sustain pedal input so that one can be used and we believe that it is compatible with any sustain pedal.
Additional Accessories to Consider
When buying the Recital Pro keyboard, it is essential to remember that there are a few accessories that don’t come with the keyboard and you might have to buy them separately. These include:
A keyboard stand so that you can play comfortably
Sustain foot pedal (particularly useful for keyboards with weighted keys)
6 D-Cell batteries to operate the piano
Headphones to practice your music in peace.
Pros and Cons
PROS |
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cons |
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Online Tutorials
If you are looking for online tutorials on how to play the Recital Pro, you can check out the following videos on YouTube:
Manual
To learn more about the features of the Recital Pro along with a detailed user manual and instruction guide, you can check the following links:
Alesis Recital Pro vs. Alesis Recital
While the Alesis Recital Pro is an advanced version of the Alesis Recital, they have quite a few different specifications and features and have vastly different price points. We’ll cover the essentials to help you decide which one seems right for you:
The Recital Pro has the full 88 weighted keys. The Alesis Recital also features an 88-key keyboard but they are semi-weighted.
The Alesis Recital Pro comes with 88-keys weighted full keyboard, while the Alesis Recital also consists of a keyboard with 88-keys, except they are only semi-weighted.
The Alesis Recital Pro consists of 12 built-in voices that enable you to have a great sound variation, whereas the Alesis Recital only comes with 5 built-in voices, which is quite limiting.
The Recital Pro weighs almost double (26 lbs) of the original Recital model (15.7 lbs). However, both are very portable. In fact, despite the fact that the Recital Pro is nearly double in size, it is considerably lightweight and easy to transport. Both models are suitable for on-the-go musicians.
At USD 349, the Alesis Recital Pro costs almost twice as much as the Alesis Recital which costs around USD 199. The vast range of features that come with the Pro model makes up for the price differential.
While both keyboards have a lot to offer, the Pro model has more features that work for the mid-level to advanced players. This, along with the higher price, make the model suitable for the serious musician. For someone who is still new to piano-playing and wants to test out the waters, the Alesis Recital with its semi-weighted 88-keys is also a great option.
Summary
With 88 weighted keys, hammer action and a great price point, the Alesis Recital is an excellent option for new musicians who plan to advance to the intermediate level, or an inexpensive 88-key option for advanced players. The possibilities are virtually endless and you can learn any type of music - including classical!
The portability makes it ideal whether you want to play for yourself at home or at the open mic night at the coffee house down the street.
We hope that this Alesis Recital Pro review gave you some insight and will help you decide if Recital Pro is the keyboard for you.
Alesis Recital Pro (click image for more info)
