Casio LK-125 Synthesizer: description, specifications and reviews

Parents whose children study in the musicschool for piano, there is always a question about buying a tool. Acoustic pianos take up too much space, and digital analogues, completely repeating the mechanics, are quite expensive. Casio LK-125 - this is ideal for those who are just starting to learn to play the piano. Compact, functional, inexpensive - so you can briefly describe this tool.

Characteristics

Casio LK-125 has a keyboard fromfull-sized keys in the amount of sixty-one pieces. The mechanics are basic, not hammer, this should be taken into account when buying. There is a backlight. Polyphony is represented by twelve voices, one hundred built-in timbres. There is auto accompaniment and fifty built-in styles. The tempo of Auto Accompaniment can be changed from 40 to 255, the default is 120. There are two accompaniment modes. Additionally, there are functions for synchronizing and inserting patterns.

The synthesizer is equipped with two built-in speakers for2 W and a liquid crystal display. The functions of the metronome and reverb are not present, but transposition is available. There are no USB connectors, the output for headphones is one.

Description

The Casio LK-125 is available in twocolor solutions - black and silver. The case is made of high-quality plastic, it does not crack with a slight impact, but you still need to transfer the tool with care, because with such damages you will no longer be able to contact the service for warranty repair.

The keys are made of glossy plastic, whicheasily covered with fingerprints, so the keyboard should be wiped with a napkin or a soft cloth made of microfiber. This plastic is sensitive enough to abrasive materials. It is also worth considering that when playing fast the fingers begin to slide over the smooth surface of the keys.

A not too large liquid crystal display is located in the center of the control panel. Mechanical buttons of navigation are made of dense rubber, they are pressed easily.

Equipment

Instruction in Russian to Casio LK-125 goes tokit, as well as a network adapter. Sometimes an unregulated music stand is also included. The stand will need to be bought separately, the simplest X-shaped stand is ideal, but you can do without it, because Casio LK-125 is small in size. The desk will be replaced by a table or chair of comfortable height.

Often on the Internet you can meet questions about how,Is the AC adapter included with the Casio LK-125 synthesizer? It is not known what caused them, but the answer is unambiguous: the adapter must be, and no additional charge is provided for it. In all modern synthesizers and digital pianos, the power supply is included, so if the store offers you to purchase it separately, you can safely go to another outlet. But the battery or batteries in the basic configuration is almost never included. In any case, these questions should be specified in advance, before buying. Often in stores you can save, just lowering the equipment to the base.

Ease of learning

If a person is an absolute beginner in music, this isdoes not mean that you will definitely have to hire a teacher, because Casio LK-125 will be able to perform in this role. In the memory of the synthesizer 99 melodies for learning. Information about the notes is displayed, and the necessary keys are highlighted, so the learner can only listen carefully to the "instructions" of the electronic teacher, memorize the keys and the melody.

The ability to connect headphones allowsplay at any time of the day, but remember that the connector is a stereo jack, so the usual household headphones from a computer or phone can be used only with the mini-jack / stereo jack adapter. You can buy it for a small amount in any store of musical instruments or radio parts. Sometimes they can be found in computer stores.

Auto Accompaniment

A special attention is required by the functionAuto Accompaniment. There are fifty different styles in the synthesizer settings. This allows, for example, to choose a jazz drum rhythm and just improvise. Auto Accompaniment can be used both for playing a synthesizer and for accompanying other instruments. Also he can act as a metronome, absent in this model.

Unfortunately, the instrument does not have a recording function, so if it is necessary, you should choose the model of the next model of the same line, which has a wider functionality.

About sound

The Casio LK-125 synthesizer has a hundredbuilt-in timbres and fifty different auto accompaniment styles, but is it important if the quality suffers? In the case of this tool, everything is justified. The sound quality for most instruments is quite high. Of course, one can not speak of the reality of sound for strings, or, for example, some wind instruments, "synthetics" are still present, but here again it is worth remembering the price category of this instrument.

Only professional synthesizers canboast a realistic sound of all instruments, and budget models at best can "go out" by connecting through the computer additional sound banks. Unfortunately, the Casio LK-125 does not have such an option. Nevertheless, most of the timbres in it sound pretty good.

Advantages of the model

First of all, it is worth noting that the toolrefers to the price category just above the base. At a price of nine thousand rubles, the instrument gives the owner a keyboard with full-sized keys. This is a very important parameter, since in most synthesizers the keys are narrower than in the acoustic instrument, which causes inconvenience when switching from one to the other. Thus, Casio LK-125 is well suited for initial training.

The synthesizer has a voice prompt function, it can also simply display all the information on the display.

Another advantage of synthesizers is theirmobility. The Casio LK-125 is a compact 949 x 93 x 304 mm case weighing about three and a half kilograms, and also the ability to work autonomously from six AA batteries. There is also a connector for headphones, so it's easy to play music even at night, without being afraid to disturb neighbors.

The split key function allows you to play using two timbres at once. For example, on the left side you can put strings, and in the right you can leave the usual piano.

The capabilities of the built-in speaker system are not too impressive - only two speakers of two watts, but this is easily solved by connecting external speakers.

The transposition function will be to the liking of those who want to use the Casio LK-125 for playing in a band with wind instruments.

disadvantages

Of course, there are drawbacks in the tool, they can be easily understood by their characteristics.

The first thing to note: The Casio LK-125 is a synthesizer, and its main drawback is the stiffness of the keyboard. It is unweighted, without hammer mechanics. This means that, although the keys and full-sized, the sensations in the game will be far from those on the acoustic instrument. Loads on the brush and fingers are almost none, so when you switch to the usual piano muscles will quickly get tired.

The second drawback of the keyboard of this tool -lack of sensitivity to touch. That is, however carefully the fingers touch the keys, the sound will not change. However, almost all synthesizers possess these shortcomings, because their task is to give the musician an abundance of timbres, and the reproduction of the real mechanics of the game is the prerogative of digital pianos.

When buying it is worth noting and the lack of effects,even simple reverb. Pedals to the instrument are also not connected. Also, the Casio LK-125 can not be connected to the computer as a MIDI keyboard, due to the lack of an appropriate connector. In the absence of a connector it does not work and connect additional sound bases to the synthesizer.

Reviews

Synthesizer Casio LK-125, as already mentionedabove, is intended for beginners, whether children or adults. Judging by the feedback of buyers, it will be perfect for those who already had piano experience and want to recall past skills. Unfortunately, playing complex pieces with an abundance of chords and arpeggios will not allow polyphony in twelve voices and a limited keyboard (in the acoustic piano 88 keys versus 61 in the Casio LK-125). Reviews about this synthesizer are good, it can be called one of the best and functional in its price category.

The synthesizer sounds good, some voicesalmost identical to their acoustic counterparts. The tool is quality, light and compact. The possibility of autonomous operation of six finger batteries makes it an excellent budget solution for street musicians. In this case, it only needs to be taken into account that the speakers do not have a lot of power, so you need additional sound to play in a noisy place.

Casio LK-125 will cope well with the programprimary classes of music schools, where there is still not a lot of arpeggios and chords (remember that polyphony has only twelve votes). But for something more serious you will need another device, and you can pay attention to the digital piano of the budget line Casio.

Given all the advantages and disadvantages of this synthesizer, we once again make sure that it's good - does not mean expensive, and Casio released an excellent in terms of price and quality apparatus.