Alesis Recital review
Since the mid 1980’s, Alesis has been a huge manufacturer of innovative electronics, including their stylish line of electronic pianos. They have a wide range of electronic instruments, such as electronic drum machines, digital audio interfaces, professional recording equipment, and many other fantastic audio and percussion products. Alesis has worked tirelessly to provide the public with state of the art products, mainly for the use of studio and live performances.
One of the more noteworthy products from Alesis would be the Alesis Recital electric digital piano. With an incredible style and overall look of this machine, you can see why this is one of the more high-end keyboards for beginners to use right off the bat. In addition, for an incredible price of about $200, you will be surprised at the quality of this instrument alone.
In this review, we will dissect the advantages and disadvantages of using the Alesis Recital. And, to better help you make an informed decision, please take a moment to compare the Alesis Recital to a handful of other notable digital pianos that are ideal for beginners.
Photo Model
Casio PX-S1100
Casio CDP-S360
Yamaha P-45
Yamaha NP12
Yamaha P-515
Yamaha NP32
Korg LP-380 U
Yamaha DGX 670
Unboxing the Alesis Recital
The Alesis Recital, with an amazing body style, was created with the beginner in mind. This keyboard is perfect for anyone looking to hone their skills as a pianist without having to shovel out hundreds of dollars.
Upon first look, you will notice the almost futuristic design of the keyboard. It comes fully equipped with LED buttons to complete the design quite nicely. Its lightweight and slim physique makes it incredibly easy to store and looks very nice in most living spaces.
The electronic keyboard comes stock with 88 full-sized semi-weighted keys with adjustable touch sensitivity functionality. This gives the user a realistic and natural touch so that they can feel as if they are playing on an actual acoustic piano. You’re of course never going to be able to simulate the touch of an acoustic piano on an inexpensive keyboard like the Recital, but this does a decent enough job given is incredibly low price. Don’t expect magic or fireworks in this department though—you’d have to spend a lot more money to get a much more true to like acoustic piano simulation.
The keyboard also comes complete with five stunning built in instrument voices, such as the acoustic piano, electric piano, Organ, Synth, and Bass, giving you a wide range of musical capabilities. You can also take any of these voices and customize them to your personal preference by combining any two sounds in the Layer Mode.
The Recital also comes with Reverb and Chorus customization capabilities to give your sound exactly what it needs to flourish. In addition, with two powerful 20-watt built-in speakers, the Recital provides you with a rich and realistic sound for a fantastic playing experience.
One of the Recital’s greatest selling points would have to be the superb educational features. Its greatest purpose is to teach using what is called “Lesson Mode.” This splits the 88 keys into two separate sections on the keyboard while still providing the same pitch and voice. It allows the teacher and the student to play alongside each other without having to take turns on the keyboard itself.
Below, please take a moment to view some of the best-selling digital pianos currently on sale online:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
| 1) Yamaha P-515 |
| 2) Casio PX-S3100 |
| 3) Casio PX-870 |
| 4) Roland FP-E50 |
| 5) Roland FP-30X |
In Use
The Recital has an incredible feel and the user interface compliments that completely. When playing, you can move around the keys feeling that classic piano sound. You also have so many options to customize what you are playing.
For example, you have the ability to dissect the keyboard into different voice sections; customize the keys to have one instrument playing on one-half on the board while adding a different voice to the other half. This gives the user the capabilities to create massive sounds accompanied by multiply instruments on the same board.
There are five different voices you can choose from, allowing you to create different pieces with different sounds. You have the original acoustic piano voice to give you those rich full tones of the real thing. You also have the organ voice that gives you those old timey sounds, as well. Choose the synth option for that polyphony synth to give your sounds more of a techno feel. The electronic piano will also provide a rich cool pop feel. Finally, the Bass voice gives you an incredible low-end tone.
Using the system from start to finish is very user friendly. If you want to play at home, all you need to do is plug in the adaptor and switch it on for a wonderful playing experience. However, if you are looking to be more portable in your playing, the Recital also has the ability to run on batteries. This is an excellent feature when you are on the go but cannot necessarily plug into a wall outlet because there is no power connectivity available.
The Recital provides an overall feel that is not too intimidating. We have all been there. Looking for something you feel isn’t too much for someone (or maybe yourself) that’s just starting out. With this instrument, you can rest easy knowing you can start playing without having too many functions to scare you right off the bat. It is incredibly easy to plug in and start playing while using all of its features to its full potential.
Connectivity
The Recital has great means of connectivity, making it very simple to use headphones, plug in power, and even connect via USB. First, let us look at the USB connectivity. When recording into a digital audio workstation, the USB CONNECT functionality makes it easy to lay down MIDI directly into your track. You can write as many tunes as you would like smoothly and hassle free.
While the Alesis Recital is meant for learning and beginner level playing, you can also use this digital piano MIDI for live performances. In the back of the keyboard itself, there is a Stereo RCA output allowing you to plug into any amplifier or speaker system with an AUX input or RCA input. The Keyboard also comes equipped with two speakers that provide incredible sound. However, if you would like a more personal rehearsal session, just plug your headphones into the 6.35MM audio jack and the speakers will automatically mute themselves.
Sound
One incredible testament to the Recital would have to be the sound quality of the machine. For only $200, you can have the amazingly smooth and rich sounds. Along with four other voices, the Organ sounds will give you chills—especially with the freedom of having full control over the reverb and chorus settings.
No matter what type of musician you are, you can definitely appreciate the quality for such an affordable price compared to its competitors.
The Recital piano comes with fairly natural surround sound. The lower notes resonate from the left built in speaker, while the higher notes stay mostly inside the right speaker pocket with the middle flawlessly centered. They keys are quite sensitive, but provide fantastic pitch and sound that will be sure to impress your audience.
Competition
Let’s begin with the Alesis Coda.
The Alesis CODA
The CODA is an incredible machine. It is an 88‑Key weighted keybed, with many great features for the user to explore. It is a little more expensive in price compared to the Recital.
However, the CODA would be more of “the next step” in your electronic piano journey. The Recital is great for anyone trying to learn the feel and get his or her basics out of the way. The CODA provides you with fantastic functionality for more advanced players.
- You can read our review of the Alesis Coda here.
The Yamaha P-45
Yamaha has long been a massive competitor of many companies manufacturing electronic pianos, and for good reason. Both Yamaha and Alesis have been making rather fantastic keyboards for many years, and both have been in a constant struggle to out-innovate its competitors including each other. The Yamaha P-45 represents possibly the closest competitor to the Recital, coming in just a bit more expensive sitting at about $400.
The Yamaha P-115
The Yamaha P-115 has many similarities to the P-45. The P-115 appears to have a more
pristine, clean piano tone than the P-45, but this is ultimately a matter of personal preference.
As far as the P-115 in comparison to the Recital, The P-115 sits at about $599. As we’ve stated, the Recital is definitely a great choice to begin with, however the P-115 is another “step-up”. As you advance these keyboards are fantastic candidates to keep in mind when outgrowing your previous electronic keyboard.
Both keyboards feature an array of different sounds, and both of them are incredible products overall.
The Williams Legato
Finally, we have The Williams Legato. Williams has made many digital grand pianos that seem to really be a crowd favorite.
The Legato is another 88-weighted action keyboard that provides force sensitive keys that add the satisfaction you have been looking for. The sounds in comparison really depends on personal preference.
Nevertheless, the feel of the keyboard is something commenters and reviewers continuously speak on. This is also another fantastic model for anyone wanting to sharpen his or her skills on a realistic sounding electric piano.
Conclusion
If you are like me, you are always looking for the best price, deals, and the satisfaction that comes with knowing you have a great product for a reasonable price. If you are new to the world of electronic pianos, The Alesis Recital is fantastic to start out with. Its overall use and functionality surpass that of its competitors and the price is extremely difficult to beat. After reviewing many different opinions on these keyboards, the average consensus is that you will be satisfied with this purchase if you choose to go this route.
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