Parents whose children study piano at a music school always have the question of buying an instrument. An acoustic piano takes up too much space, and digital counterparts that completely repeat the mechanics are quite expensive. Casio LK-125 is an ideal option for those who are just starting to learn how to play the piano. Compact, functional, inexpensive - so you can briefly describe this tool.
Specifications
Casio LK-125 has a keyboard of full-sized keys in the amount of sixty-one pieces. The basic mechanics, not hammer, this should be considered when buying. There is a backlight. Polyphony is represented by twelve voices, one hundred built-in tones. There is auto accompaniment and fifty built-in styles. You can change the auto accompaniment tempo from 40 to 255, the default is 120. There are two accompaniment modes. Additionally, there are functions for synchronizing and inserting patterns.
The synthesizer is equipped with two built-in 2 W speakers and a liquid crystal display. There is no metronome function and reverb, but there is transposition. There are no USB connectors, one headphone output.
Description
The Casio LK-125 synthesizer comes in two colors - black and silver. The case is made of high-quality plastic, it will not crack with a light impact, but you still need to carry the tool with care, because with such damage it will no longer be possible to contact the service for warranty repairs.
The keys are made of glossy plastic, which is easily covered with fingerprints, so the keyboard should be wiped with a napkin or a soft microfiber cloth. This plastic is quite sensitive to abrasive materials. It is also worth considering that when you play quickly, your fingers begin to slide along the smooth surface of the keys.
A small LCD screen is located in the center of the control panel. Mechanical navigation buttons are made of dense rubber, pressed easily.
Equipment
Instructions in Russian for Casio LK-125 are included, just like a network adapter. Sometimes an unregulated music stand is also included. You will need to buy a stand separately, the simplest X-shaped stand is ideal, but you can do without it, because the Casio LK-125 has a small size. The stand will be replaced by a table or chair of comfortable height.
Often on the Internet you can come across questions about whether a network adapter is included with the Casio LK-125. It is not known what caused them, but the answer is clear: the adapter must be, and there is no surcharge for it. In all modern synthesizers and digital pianos, the power supply is included, so if you are offered to purchase it separately in the store, you can safely go to another outlet. But the battery or batteries are almost never included in the basic package. In any case, these issues should be clarified in advance, before purchase. Often in stores you can save by simply lowering the package to the base.
Ease of learning
If a person is an absolute beginner in music, this does not mean that you will have to hire a teacher, because Casio LK-125 will be able to play this role. The synthesizer has 99 tunes for learning. Information about notes is displayed, and the necessary keys are highlighted, so the student can only carefully listen to the "instructions" of the electronic teacher, remember the keys and the melody.
The ability to connect headphones allows you to play at any time of the day, however, it is worth remembering that the jack is a stereo jack, so ordinary household headphones from a computer or phone can only be used with a mini-jack / stereo jack adapter. You can buy it for a small amount in any musical instrument or radio parts store. Sometimes they can be found in computer stores.
Auto Accompaniment
Special attention is required to the auto accompaniment function. There are fifty different styles in the synthesizer settings. This allows, for example, to choose a jazz drum rhythm and simply improvise. Auto accompaniment can be used both when playing the synthesizer and to accompany other instruments. He can also act as a metronome, which is absent in this model.
Unfortunately, the tool does not have a recording function, therefore, if it is necessary, it is worth choosing the model of the next model of the same line, which has wider functionality.
About sound
The Casio LK-125 synthesizer has a hundred built-in tones and fifty different styles of auto accompaniment, but is the quantity really important if the quality suffers? In the case of this tool, everything is justified. The sound quality for most instruments is quite high. Of course, you can’t talk about the reality of sound for strings or, for example, some winds, “synthetics” is still present, but here again it is worth recalling the price category of this instrument.
Only professional synthesizers can boast realistic sounding of all instruments, and budget models at best can “leave” by connecting additional sound banks through a computer. Unfortunately, the Casio LK-125 does not have such an opportunity. However, most of the sounds in it sound pretty good.
Advantages of the model
First of all, it is worth noting that the instrument belongs to the price category just above the base one. At a price of nine thousand rubles, the tool gives the owner a keyboard with full-sized keys. This is a very important parameter, since in most synthesizers the keys are narrower than in an acoustic instrument, which causes inconvenience when switching from one to another. Thus, Casio LK-125 is well suited for elementary education.
The synthesizer has the function of voice prompts, and it can also simply display all the information on the display.
Another advantage of synthesizers is their mobility. Characteristics Casio LK-125 is a compact case of 949 x 93 x 304 mm weighing about three and a half kilograms, as well as the possibility of autonomous operation from six AA batteries. There is also a headphone jack, so you can easily play music even at night, without fear of disturbing your neighbors.
The split keyboard function allows you to play using two tones at once. For example, on the left side you can set the strings, and on the right you can leave the usual piano.
The capabilities of the built-in speaker system are not very impressive - just two speakers, two watts each, but this is easily solved by connecting external speakers.
The transpose function will appeal to those who want to use the Casio LK-125 to play in a team with wind instruments.
disadvantages
Of course, there are shortcomings in the tool, they can easily be understood by the characteristics.
The first thing worth noting: Casio LK-125 is a synthesizer, and its main drawback is keyboard rigidity. She is unweighted, without hammer mechanics. This means that, although the keys are full-sized, the sensations during the game will be far from those on an acoustic instrument. There is practically no load on the hands and fingers, so when you switch to a regular piano, the muscles will quickly get tired.
The second drawback of the keyboard of this tool is the lack of sensitivity to touch. That is, no matter how carefully fingers touch the keys, the sound will not change. However, almost all synthesizers have both of these shortcomings, because their task is to give the musician an abundance of tones, and the reproduction of real game mechanics is the prerogative of digital pianos.
When buying, it is worth noting the lack of effects, even a simple reverb. Pedals are not connected to the instrument either. Also, Casio LK-125 will not be able to connect to the computer as a MIDI keyboard, due to the lack of a corresponding connector. Due to the lack of a connector, it is not possible to connect additional sound bases to the synthesizer.
Reviews
The Casio LK-125 synthesizer, as already mentioned above, is intended for beginners, whether children or adults. Judging by customer reviews, it is perfect for those who already had experience playing the piano and want to recall past skills. Unfortunately, playing complex works with an abundance of chords and arpeggios will not allow a polyphony of twelve voices and a limited keyboard (in an acoustic piano 88 keys versus 61 keys in Casio LK-125). Reviews about this synthesizer are good, it can be called one of the best and functional in its price category.
The synthesizer sounds good, some tones are almost identical to their acoustic counterparts. The tool is assembled efficiently, lightweight and compact. The ability to work independently from six finger batteries makes it an excellent budget solution for street musicians. At the same time, you should only take into account that the speakers do not have a lot of power, so for playing in a noisy place you will need additional sound.
Casio LK-125 will cope well with the program of elementary grades of music schools, where there is still not a large number of arpeggios and chords (recall that polyphony has only twelve voices). But for something more serious, you will need another device, and you can pay attention to the digital pianos of the Casio budget line.
Considering all the pros and cons of this synthesizer, we are once again convinced that good is not expensive, and Casio has released an excellent device in terms of price and quality.