MI Pro

Release Date	Out Now
Vendor	Casio
Contact	020 8208 7829

Casio Keyboards

If there is an area of the MI trade that is as cutthroat and competitive (or more so) as the guitar market, it must surely be the digital piano market – although there are considerable differences. For a start, while every man and his dog are elbowing for position the lucrative guitar arena, there are only half a dozen or so battling for power in the e-piano sector – and then there is one company alone that dominates, while the rest battle it out in its wake.

Of these, Casio stands out as a significant brand. Not because MI is such a small part of the company’s overall activities – but that is a significant fact – but also because the Japanese electronics giant has fought against a pretty harsh perception and reputation to come out as a brand that not only looks the part, but sounds every bit as good (Casio would say better) than anything else on the market.

It is still remembered by everyone concerned with the digital piano market how, after carving a pretty profitable little niche for itself, Technics pulled out of making pianos to concentrate on its consumer electronics products, but Casio has stuck it out through thick and thin.

More than that, it continues to invest valuable R&D into its latest models and, as with any manufacturer worth its salt, expands its ranges so that new technologies become accessible to more budget minded customers. As is the case with three new Privia models.

The latest models, the PX-720, 320 and 120, all feature the new Acoustic and Intelligent Filtering system (AIF), a three-element sound source that utilises three different waveforms for each note, which combined with the latest stereo sampling techniques and a 128 voice polyphony, creates a note that reverberates and decays very naturally at all key pressures, as well as avoiding any cut off to the sound during high speed passages.

It’s pretty advanced stuff, and together with the award winning Casio hammer action, it goes to make a digital piano equal to anything on the market. The hammer action is a springless system similar to many used by genuine grand pianos, and weighted so that the lower notes feel heavier than the higher ones.

Nothing particularly new in that, except again this is a high end hammer action in an entry level piano.

Take all of this, then, and cram it into the smallest, most lightweight construction possible using what Casio calls ‘high density mounting technology’ and you have a piano that should be worth thousands. But, of course, this is not the case. The higher end of the three new pianos, the 720, retails at under £800, with the 120 coming in at a breath-taking £549.

In the middle sits the 320, a stage piano developed over the past three years in Japan, primarily for the Japanese market. Although this is a robust and extremely roadworthy instrument for the gigging musician, it also doubles up as an excellent home piano as it takes up very little space – an important consideration in Japan, of course, but also in Britain.

In fact, the Privia PX-320 is the world’s smallest piano with built in speakers.

Talking to Casio UK’s head of MI division, Reece Cummings (pictured), it is clear that Casio still takes MI extremely seriously.

“Everyone knows that the biggest part of Casio’s business globally is cameras and other electronic products for the mainstream consumer, but MI is still seen by the company as very important. Casio is totally dedicated to its pianos and keyboards,” he explained, adding that it would be a mistake to even contemplate thinking otherwise.

“When you look at the amount of products we’ve brought to the market this year alone you can tell we mean business. On top of that, all of these products can and will be improved over time, whether it is in terms of price, technology or cosmetics. We have a duty to give our dealers and their customers the very best options, and with new products such as the Privias, we are creating exceptional routes to sale. Technology and price and the look of these instruments go together to make these an extremely easy sale – and that’s the way we want to work.”

The Privia PX-120 and 720 came on to the market in November, and the 320 has been available since December.