For example, you can transpose down 2 semitones and your C key will sound like an A#. Make no mistake: Korg is going for a complete experience with the D1. The included pedal feels decent enough for standard play, but it does feel a bit smaller than a regular piano pedal. On the plus side, it’s well-built and will easily survive gigs and performances with its sturdy exterior. You get 5 more instruments in the FP-30, getting a total of 35 to the D1’s 30. Pa… While the D1’s piano and Wurlitzer samples are sufficiently expressive, I didn’t find they had the fidelity of some higher-end stage pianos. The acoustic pianos especially are meticulously sampled, including damper resonance and key-off resonance, which adds to the realism. This said, and although I never even got close to a D1, I guess that Korg’s RH3 is a step ahead of the competition. This means you get expressive playing, and there’s a lot of nuance and detail to explore. Let’s find out. Korg D1 88-Key Stage Piano Controller Both digital pianos offer fantastic sampled sounds, and both lean towards the softer, warmer side of acoustic pianos. For performers, you might need to use converters to make the headphone out jack work with amplifiers and audio systems. A general rule is that 64 notes of polyphony is enough. The FP-30 is one of Roland’s most successful digital pianos, and for good reason. The D1 defaults to the normal setting on activation and it is the ideal sensitivity for piano pieces. The keys are even and balanced; not too stiff, not too light. Being in love with music his whole life, Lucas started this blog as the “go-to” place for the most accurate and detailed information about the world of music, and especially pianos! It’s normally used to connect the instrument to your computer or smart device. These are all helpfully included in the manual for easy reference. There doesn’t appear to be a way to save default settings for reverb and chorus on a patch-by-patch basis, so the D1 may not be an ideal fit for keyboardists who regularly change sounds on the fly. Attentive readers may have realized that there are no options for stretched tuning. The lack of built-in speakers is a minor setback for anyone planning to use the D1 at home, but I’m sure you have a set of speakers or headphones that you can use with the D1 already. The features offered are minimal, but I’d say they are more than adequate for daily use. Korg’s new D1 stage piano endeavors to bring the feel of a grand piano to the stage and home. Pressing the metronome button activates the built-in metronome. In real pianos, playing one key causes the adjacent keys to vibrate, and the resonance samples emulate that beautifully. First of all, many of today’s digital pianos use stereo samples, which sometimes require two or even more notes for each key played. The biggest selling point of Korg’s D1 is its top-of-the-line RH3 keybed. As someone who owned a Yamaha Clavinova series digital piano (costing up to 5 times as much as the Korg D1) with its GH3 action, these are comparable. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thankfully, the preset settings sound great. This digital piano doesn’t come with onboard speakers. You can still use external speakers or headphones to listen to your performance. If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Korg B1.. Korg D1 vs Korg C1 Air. Korg D1 I was just about to buy a different controller right before this hit the market. Compared to the D1, I’d say it falls short in some character, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With the affordable D1, Korg gives you their best key bed yet. If you do decide to use external connections, the Casio PX-S1000 comes with a USB port, a headphone jack, two ¼” Line Out jacks, and a damper pedal jack. And whether you play jazz, rock, or classical, you'll appreciate the D1's 30 richly expressive sounds, which have you covered for any gig or musical genre. Add its small size to the mix, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a digital piano that’s easier to carry around. A layer mode is available and it allows you to play two sounds at the same time. Keyboard Magazine This is amazing, as it forgoes the need for a wall-based power supply. You can access these songs with the PIANO SONG button. They introduced the white version in the summer of 2019. The Rhodes sounds are a personal favorite of mine because the drive of a Rhodes MKII adds a ton of character. Receive news and offers from our other brands? I’d recommend using the chorus effect on the Wurlitzer sound for 80s vibes. It’s one of the best affordable digital pianos out there. Reverb adds ambience and depth to the sound and is done via a hall reverb algorithm. © This lets you tailor the sounds to your exact requirements. Do note that the Korg D1 does not come with onboard speakers. He is now happy to share his knowledge of the industry here, at Piano Dreamers. The Korg D1 features Korg's high-quality RH3 keybed, which delivers a fine-tuned playing feel. Whether you’re a gigging musician who needs something robust and portable or a home-based player looking for speakers to enjoy your own performance, we’ve created the ultimate guide on How to Choose the Best Amplification System for your needs. One thing I’d like to pick your brain about is that Casio has been saying that the key action in their new PX-S1000 and the CDP-S100 pianos are brand new and are different to the action found in the PX-160 due to its reduced size. Thanks!…. Solid, minimal, smart design in a compact frame. Above the keybed, the D1’s control surface features numerous patch and effect controls. However, it’s a small price to pay for the excellent RH3 keyboard action. As a side note, I love the volume knob. This might not be a huge issue for people using this for practice, but for performers, this is definitely worth considering. It had all the features that I've looked for in a stage piano for years, ease of use, no menus, midi in/out, one button transpose, relatively light weight, professional looks, and Korg's RH3 key bed. With the Korg D1, I’d say they’ve done it again. The DS-1H is one of the best offerings from Korg and it provides half-pedalling support. In my case, the keyboard fit nicely on my Korg ST-SV1, but you can easily use it with any standard-sized keyboard stand. No USB connection. The D1 lacks common features, like auto-accompaniment, recording and playback functionality, USB connections, and learning modules. Apart from 6 variations of a grand piano sound, you also get electric piano sounds which sample classics like the Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes. These are the same keys you get from the top-of-the-line Korg Kronos, Grandstage, and SV-1, all of which cost many times more than the D1. The weight is a small price to pay, however, for the key bed on offer, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. D1 DIGITALPIANO - Das KORG D1 E-Piano ist perfekt zum Üben zuhause oder für die Live-Performance auf der Bühne. Nevertheless, the gigging musician should find them perfectly acceptable. In fact, this stage piano is so minimal that I initially had a bit of difficulty finding the headphone jack, which was inconspicuously tucked away on the left-hand panel below the keybed. 4) Temperament. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Onboard metronome controls are also included. The D1 is unquestionably well-designed, taking a minimal approach to construction and layout. The Korg D1 has no recording. As an alternative, I would recommend the Korg DS-1H damper pedal, especially if you’re going to use the instrument at home. Hey Dan, thanks for the kind words. Headphones come in very handy when you want to practice in private, focusing solely on your playing and not disturbing others nearby. Check the availability and current price of the Korg D1 in your region: At this price range, you’ll find yourself comparing the Korg D1 to the Kawai ES110, Roland FP-30, and Casio PX-S1000. Something that’s missing in the D1 is a split mode, which lets you have different sounds playing on both halves of the keyboard, a minor drawback for home-based players, but for performers this is quite unfortunate. There’s also Twin Piano and Split Mode, which lets you play two different sounds with your right and your left hand. This potentially saves cost on needing to purchase separate adapters. Since the D1 has proper MIDI In/Out ports, you can get the Yamaha MD-BT01 wireless adapter, which connects right to the MIDI ports of the D1 and doesn’t require a separate power source. Many of the onboard patches are quite similar to Korg’s previous stage piano models, but the D1 brings additional depth to the table with an increased focus on sympathetic resonance and sample release sounds.