This keyboard is wonderful for beginners, although the PSR-E353 has more options at a similar price. However, if you are looking for better design, high-quality sound, and comfort of playing, the NP-12 is a better fit for you.

The PSR-E353 by Yamaha is around the same price as the NP-12, but it has some differences. The first and most distinguishable characteristic is its number of voices, songs, and its play-along feature. The PSR-E353 has a few hundred voice and sound options, ranging from ones similar to that of the NP-12’s, all the way to drums, synthesizers, and sound effects. The play-along feature allows the user to play along to various song styles, beats, and tempos, and can even follow along on the small LCD screen that shows the player which notes to hit.The Strings sound is very balanced. It’s a large chamber orchestra sound, and while it sounds very digital, the velocity sensitive keys can be played in a way that convinces the listener that the dynamics of a real orchestra are there.

Today, we’ll run the NP-32 (and by extension, the NP-12) through our rigorous review process, and we’ll let you know why it’s one of the better choices for music newcomers. On the NP-12, t he Grand Piano sound is sampled from a Yamaha Grand Piano. It’s very bright, which is not surprising, as the Yamaha Grand as always been pretty boisterous. There are two types of organ sounds: the first is a kind of smaller, reed organ sound, while the second sounds more “churchy,” almost like a pipe organ.

First of all, many of today’s digital pianos use stereo samples, which sometimes require two or even more notes for each key played. There are a few modifiable parameters on the NP-32, and you can change these using button-key combinations. Some notable settings include: Unfortunately, you can only save 1 single recording at any time, and there’s also no way to export the song as a MIDI file either. Overall, the sounds are clean, well made, and varied enough to have a lot of fun. Other Key Features

The term ‘ reverb’ is short for ‘reverberation,’ and if you know your physics, these are emulations of how a sound reacts in an enclosed space, like a room or hall.With that said, I do believe that the sluggish keys hurt the NP-32 / NP-12 in this regard. I’m more used to the weighted keys of fully-fledged digital pianos, but I still found the flatbed keys on the PSR-E363 usable. You can tell right away that the NP-12 is built quite well—especially for a fairly inexpensive keyboard. It’s clean, minimalistic design proves that the manufacturer set out on a very specific mission with this keyboard: create a simple user interface that allows players to immediately sit down and start playing. Finally, let’s talk about the ‘ Graded Soft Touch’ featured on the NP-32. Theoretically, a graded keyboard means the keys at lower registers are heavier, but the higher registers are lighter. However, the smaller number of keys does make the NP-12 a much lighter, more compact piano. Again, if you’re looking for something to use on the go, whether jamming with friends, taking to school, or for sessions, the build of the NP-12 is certainly a plus. Online demos show off the superb velocity sensitivity of the NP-32, but I personally needed to pay extra attention to nail down my dynamics.