" The Privia PX-350M has the soul of a real acoustic grand. It’s inspiring and emotional in a way that
I haven’t experienced in a digital piano outside of the best virtual instruments and most expensive
hardware digitals. Kudos to Casio for their commitment and execution. "
basses) work in many situations, and you’ll be grateful for
the pitch-bend wheel, which you can whip out at least once a
night even on piano trio gigs.
One new feature which comes out of the box—but after a
couple of uses is to be found indispensible—is the audio
recording. Plug in a USB flash drive, hit a couple of buttons,
and you can now record anything that goes on in the
instrument as a CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) WAV file. This is
great for capturing fleeting songwriting ideas, documenting
practice for feedback from a teacher, or turning a solo gig
into a demo.
On the Gig
We took the PX-350M out of the box and directly to a 150-
seat jazz quartet gig. Going through a pair of Barbetta 41C
keyboard amps, it took me a few songs to nail my sound.
Most digital pianos, we now realize, are more forgiving than
a well-miked acoustic grand. That’s what this Privia—with
its sensitive dynamics and wide separation—sounds and
plays like in a live situation. For the first few tunes, we had
to concentrate on our voicings and touch. Then, it began to
sound like a good recording of a live performance. A week
later we played a 500-seat corporate gig through a pro sound
system with a stereo direct box and wedge monitor. Again, it
was like playing a miked acoustic, only now we knew how to
take advantage of it. For example, you don’t necessarily have
to twist the volume dial to make it louder—you can simply
dig in more.
The PX-350M sounds fine through its internal speakers as
well as the signal from the Privia’s line outs is hot enough
that you can leave the keyboard volume knob below
three o’clock and just raise the gain on your amp, P.A., or
recording interface without adding to the noise floor. We
tested this, and the results were loud and pure.
A final nit: On a dark stage, it’s easy to reach for and
hit a Registration button and recall a sound category.
Registrations save the entire state of the instrument and can
include rhythm and auto-accompaniment that starts right
up. Pre-programming registrations (a good idea in any case)
can save you an embarrassing moment here.
Conclusions
The Privia PX-350M has the soul of a real acoustic grand. It’s
inspiring and emotional in a way that I haven’t experienced
in a digital piano outside of the best virtual instruments and
most expensive hardware digitals. Kudos to Casio for their
commitment and execution.
PROS: Uncanny grand piano playing experience. Audio
recording of your performances. Graded action with
textured keys. Giggable EPs, organs, basses, and General
MIDI patches. Ultra-light.
CONS: One needs to buy a case for the PX-350M separately
as that makes it so much easier to carry to a gig.
Bottom Line
The latest Privia delivers the most realistic piano experience
you’ll get for under a grand and rivals the sound and feel of
stage pianos that cost many times more.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
35