Built-in timbres
The number of built-in sounds provided by the Digital Piano.
Despite the name, digital pianos are extremely rarely designed to imitate the sound of only a piano — the electronic hardware allows them to provide other timbres of sound. In addition, even the piano has its own varieties — for example, among the grand pianos there are 6 main classes, from large concert to miniature. So the built-in sounds can cover different kinds of pianos, as well as other instruments and sound effects.
The abundance and variety of timbres in digital pianos as a whole is not as great as in synthesizers, however, in this category there are very “charged” models, with a hundred timbres or more (in the most multifunctional, this number can exceed 900). However, it is worth specifically looking for a “multi-instrumental” model if you do not intend to be limited to the sound of the piano and would like to have more freedom of choice. It is worth remembering that a specific set of timbres can be different.
If the instrument is bought exclusively as a piano, then here, on the contrary, it is worth paying attention primarily to solutions with a small number of timbres. Such models are not only cheaper than "universals" — they can also sound better (due to the fact that there are few timbres and the manufacturer can carefully approach the sound quality of each built-in "instrument").
Accompaniment styles
The number of Auto Accompaniment Styles (see above) originally stored in Digital Piano memory.
Different auto accompaniment styles differ from each other in the same way that different melodies differ from each other — in tempo, time signature, rhythmic pattern, set of instruments used, etc. Accordingly, the more styles initially available in the instrument, the wider the choice of the musician and the higher the probability of finding the option that best suits a particular situation. However even numerous styles does not guarantee that among them there will be a suitable one; in addition, we note that with the same number of styles, their specific set in different instruments can also be different. However, custom styles can be provided for this case (see below).
Summarizing, we can say this: if you plan to work intensively with auto accompaniment, in addition to the number of styles, it will not hurt to clarify their specific range.
Built-in acoustics
The power of the native acoustics installed in the Digital Piano.
This indicator directly affects the maximum volume that the instrument is able to produce "on its own", without connecting external speakers. At the same time, it is worth noting that many manufacturers go to the trick and indicate in the characteristics not the rated power (rms power when operating at full volume), but the peak power, which is the highest power that the acoustics can deliver at short “ups” of volume. Peak power values can be quite impressive — in the tens and hundreds of watts — but these figures have a very indirect relation to the actual capabilities of the speakers. Therefore, before choosing, it is worth clarifying what kind of power is mentioned in the characteristics. To do this, it is not necessary to look for detailed data on the instrument, it is enough to compare the power of the speakers with the power consumption (see below): if the claimed power of the acoustics is greater than the power consumption of the entire instrument, then the manufacturer indicated exactly the peak value.
Number of bands
The number of bands provided in the Digital Piano's native acoustics.
In single-way acoustics, the speakers are responsible for reproducing the entire frequency range. Such systems are simple and inexpensive, but their amplitude-frequency response is far from perfect — most often they reproduce the mids well, but the bass turns out to be weak and unsaturated, the high frequencies are fuzzy and blurry. This is due to the fact that for each frequency there are separate requirements for the design of the speaker, and it is impossible to combine them in one speaker.
Thus, loudspeakers, including the built-in speakers of digital pianos, can be split into bands when the design provides for specialized speakers for a certain group of frequencies. The most advanced variant found in digital pianos is three-way, with separate sets of drivers for bass, mids, and treble. This allows you to achieve high-quality and reliable sound throughout the entire range, but complicates and increases the cost of the design. Therefore, three-way acoustics are rare, mainly in top-class instruments. But in mid-range instruments, two-way speakers are more often used (high frequencies on one set of speakers, medium plus low frequencies on the other).
Touch screen
The presence of a touch screen in a digital piano.
The touch screen expands the possibilities for controlling the instrument: it allows such control by touching the symbols on the display (similar to how it happens in a smartphone or tablet). The main advantage of the touch screen over buttons, rotary knobs and other mechanical controls is its versatility: a wide variety of symbols and controls can be displayed on the display, depending on what is relevant at the moment, and such a display takes up relatively little space. At the same time, from the point of view of ergonomics, it is often more convenient to use individual controls, each of which has its own clear function, rather than looking for the desired section in the menu on the display. In addition, the touch screen should be quite large, and ideally also in colour, which accordingly affects its cost. As a result, this feature is quite rare.
Power consumption
The power consumed by the tool during normal operation.
The cost of electricity, as well as connection requirements, depend on this indicator. At the same time, we note that digital pianos require relatively little energy — even in the most powerful and advanced models, consumption usually does not exceed 60 watts. So in fact, power consumption data is required mainly for specific cases — for example, to calculate the total load when connecting a tool to an autonomous generator along with other devices. In addition, this information may be useful when assessing the power of the built-in speaker, for more information, see "Built-in acoustics".
