Casio PX-770 Review (2021): Casio’s Most Affordable Console Piano

Design

Two headphone jacks in the front are perfect for piano lessons or duets when you want to keep your practice private. Or use one jack for headphones, and another for an amplifier or other external sound system.

Sound

The Casio PX 770 has a high-performing sound engine with ample space to ‎house excellent samples. Called AiR Sound Source, the sound engine is the ‎same for all of Casio's high-performance keyboards. This technology ‎compresses data, preventing sound quality reductions. Due to the wide variety ‎of sampling, the transition from soft to loud is seamless. With significant ‎sound quality progress from the previous model, the Casio PX 770 presents natural ‎sounds with improved resonance and decay. ‎

You can also alter sounds to your liking with the addition of four reverb and ‎chorus effects. Those who enjoy loads of reverb might prefer "Stadium ‎Reverb," while others might prefer a more modest "Room" reverb setting. ‎There are five grand pianos, four organs, four electric pianos, two strings, a ‎vibraphone, harpsichord, and bass sound. ‎

Functions

Dual mode allows you to play two instrument sounds at once, and is a common feature in digital keyboards. But the Casio Privia PX 770 Digital Piano Black Bundle has a fantastic layer balance feature, that allows you to independently adjust which tone is dominant, for more complex and nuanced sound.

Chordana Play app

Casio PX 770 is compatible with Casio's free Chordana Play app, and it's a great upgrade for the keyboard. Chordana Play has 50 built-in songs, and guides beginners through playing along with a visual piano roll display, a music notation display, or a split screen view that shows both. This visual approach helps people master playing and timing while also helping students learn to read music.

With the Chordana Play app, you can also take any MIDI song file, and play piano along with it in the app, or store it in the Casio PX 770 keyboard to play it online or offline. You can also use the app to assign tracks or melodies to each hand, alter the tempo, or transpose a tune, and use the repeat function to learn at your own pace.

The Chordana Play app also has an on-screen virtual keyboard display, so you can practice playing anywhere, on your tablet or smartphone touchscreen. The app will track your progress and keep score, making learning to play piano into a fun interactive game.

Finally, the app allows you to control the keyboard settings and functions, which is incredibly helpful when managing the numerous complex settings of the Casio PX 770, and saves you from having to refer to the user manual.

Modes

Like most keyboards in this price range, the Casio has split mode, dual-mode, ‎and duet mode. These modes allow you to play different sounds ‎simultaneously and on different sections of the keyboard. ‎

Dual-mode, otherwise known as layering, combines two sounds into one, ‎harnessing both of their qualities. Some popular sound combinations are piano ‎and strings, piano and pads, and choir and organ. In dual-mode, you can also ‎make the individual sounds louder or softer. ‎

Split mode divides the keyboard in half. You can assign the right and left sides ‎of the keyboard to different sounds. People commonly take advantage of split ‎mode by setting the left side as a bass sound, and the right as a keyboard ‎sound. This feature provides the option to create more of a full-band sound.‎

Duet mode, much like split mode, splits the keyboard in half. Instead of ‎dedicating each half to a different sound, duet mode allows two keyboardists ‎to play in the same octave range on each side. Piano students and teachers ‎may take advantage of this option to practice the same musical passage ‎simultaneously. ‎

Keyboard

The Casio PX 770 features 88 fully-weighted keys with ebony keytops and ‎artificial ivory. All full-weighted Casio keyboards under $2000 have Tri-Sensor ‎Scaled Hammer Action II. This keyboard action is similar to that of a real piano ‎because it employs actual hammers, which gives an acoustic piano its feel. ‎

With three touch sensors per key, the keyboard enables you to repeat notes ‎very quickly with precision. This quick action allows pianists to play intricate ‎pieces with fast repeated notes. Additionally, there are three levels of touch ‎sensitivity that you can choose. The highest level of sensitivity gives you the ‎most accurate dynamic range in comparison with a grand piano. Ivory and ‎artificial ebony keys are a standout feature at this price range, and they ‎slightly enhance your grip. ‎

Speaker

Though the speakers function, they aren't the strongest aspect of the PX 770 ‎keyboard. Equipped on the keyboard are two 8W speakers, which are suitable ‎for playing in a standard room. If you are a performing musician, this ‎keyboard's default speakers don't suffice for larger rooms. Though there are ‎keyboards with more powerful speakers on the market, the PX 770 provides ‎excellent sound quality. ‎

AiR Tech

This keyboard features AiR technology, a sound source that includes an ‎excellent stereo grand piano sound with superb resonance. The sounds seem ‎to incorporate the entire body of the keyboard, adding more sense of realism. ‎With 19 good quality instrument tones, you have a nice assortment of options. ‎

Recording

The recording options of the Casio PX 770 are relative to your needs. In the ‎recording world, this keyboard's controls are largely limited. If you desire a ‎piano with vast recording options, the PX 770 may not be the best option. In ‎reality, most pianists don't purchase cabinet style keyboards for their recording ‎potential, but rather for quality playing experience. There are other digital pianos ‎dedicated for those who want to record and produce primarily.‎

With limited recording possibilities, the PX 770 still offers the option to create ‎MIDI recordings. With its MIDI, you can have up to two tracks in one ‎recording. You may find a use for this when recording the right and left hands ‎separately to hear the full product played back. If you want to get fancy, you ‎could utilize the split mode and record two instruments per track, giving you a ‎total of four instruments in a MIDI recording. ‎

This piano has the standard ports and connections for its price range. There ‎are two quarter-inch jacks on the front of the piano that can be used for ‎headphones or external amplification. ‎

An excellent accessory of this piano is its USB to Host port type B. This ‎connection grants numerous possibilities. For example, you can connect the ‎keyboard to a computer and transfer MIDI files into an audio program like ‎Audacity, Pro Tools, Ableton, or FL Studio. On top of that, you can also turn the ‎keyboard into a midi controller, giving you a much wider variety of sound ‎possibilities than its 19 default sounds have to offer. ‎

This function is an excellent feature because many pianists seek keyboards ‎not only with a great soundbank but with MIDI capabilities. You can use this ‎keyboard to create more advanced recordings or songs through Digital Audio ‎Workstations on your computer. ‎

With the package, you receive an owner's manual, a book of songs, and a ‎power adaptor. If you're a beginner, you may utilize the songbook to improve ‎your skills and learn popular songs. As mentioned before, the inclusion of a ‎three-pedal unit in the piano is very beneficial. While sustain pedals alone can ‎be pricey, three-pedal units are significantly more expensive. Since one comes ‎with the package, this keyboard is excellent for the price.‎

Other Features

Concert Play feature allows you to play along with high-quality recordings of a live orchestra. You can listen and practice along with the Concert Play tunes, and then turn off the piano channel and take the lead yourself. It's a fantastic way to learn and experience music.

The 60 songs in the media library can also be used similarly to the Concert Play songs, and you can practice the parts, adjust the tempo, and even add your own songs to the onboard memory.

Casio PX 770 also has three different pitch tweaking mechanisms. You can alter the ‎tuning by increments of 0.1Hz, which can be useful when playing with a ‎musician with an imperfectly-tuned instrument. You can also change the ‎octave with an octave shift function if you don't want to bend or contort your ‎body to play the outer registers. Another nice feature is the option to ‎transpose. Many piano players value a transposing mechanism to play a song ‎in their key of choice without learning it in a separate key. ‎