A complete guide to the Yamaha P255

Nowadays, it is prudent and in most cases, wise to conduct a good research on a product before taking the final step to buying it. This rather helpful trend is also applicable to musical instruments whether big or small they may be. You are most likely reading this review because you are in the market for a high-end piano, in more specific terms, the Yamaha p255. Well, for starters, you have a chosen a good product and this review will give you every bit of the juicy information you may be looking for concerning this powerful piano. Although there are a lot of angles to view it from, perhaps the most important fact to note is that it is meant for serious-minded musicians and performers. So let’s see who the Yamaha p255 is meant for and what is can do.

yamaha p255 review

As earlier stated, you’d probably want to avoid this brand of Yamaha piano if you are not serious or you do not need it for performance purposes. If on the other hand, you are looking for a high-end piano with advanced features, then the p255 is exactly what you need. Thanks to its design, structure and inbuilt speaker system, you can play audibly in front of a sizable audience without a need for an external amplification system. When you are not performing, the piano can handle any serious practice session that you want to have either as a group or just by yourself.

In case you are a lover of the acoustic sound that a grand piano produces, the Yamaha p255 reproduces this sound and adds more flair to it. Yamaha p255 is the only model in the p-series that combines three advanced functions conveniently; App controller on iOS, Pure CF sound engine.

SOUND EFFECTS

Yes, we all know that a perfectly functioning sustain pedal can produce quality sound effects, but Yamaha p255 offers so much more. It is fortified with a digital system that enables you to manipulate the sounds and generate music that is not only good but also unique. With this really cool feature, you can play in a small room and it will seem as though you are playing in a very large auditorium. The Reverb option makes this even better by enabling the addition of the needed reverberation to each voice that is played.

Going back to the effects angle, the effect function of the p255 adds special effects to the voice being played. Effects produced may include tremolo ( Shudder effect), Chorus (Thicker and Broader), phaser (Sweeping), the rotary speaker (vibrato). The transpose function is also excellent; you can easily alter the pitch of the sound to suit an instrument or singer that seems to have deviated from the original key you were playing on. For instance, You can play on F major and transpose to the next suitable key without having to change the way you were previously playing.

VOICES PACKAGES

Most modern and digital keyboards come with 24 voice packages (mostly instruments), well, so does the Yamaha p255. Of course, you are bound to have the grand piano, voice but you can also make use of the other options like the Wood Bass, Synth Piano, Vibraphone, Live Grand and lots more. In order for you to have a feel of the voice choices, the Yamaha p255 has a default demo song for each voice, so you can listen to it before its application.

Unlike some digital keyboards, Yamaha p255 allows a special function that accommodates playing two different voices at the same time (Voices are not layered). This means that the keyboard can be separated into two; the right and left side. Each side is dedicated to controlling separate voices. If you prefer layered voices, the dual mode of the piano allows this; therefore you can play two separate voices at once. These most times produce a new sound which is rich and has more scope.

PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS

Performing live has its highs and equal lows, we have seen some performances go completely wrong because of a slight loss of concentration on the player’s part. Well, Yamaha p255 has some features that are designed to help keyboardist avoid such situations.

Sometimes, you could be playing so well and the crowd gets loud and wild. The noise generated from the crowd could cover the sound coming from the external amplification system and throw you off balance. To ensure this does not occur, especially when performing, the p255 has an improved system which enhances sound coming from the inbuilt speakers of the piano and those from the external speakers. No matter the noise coming from the crowd, you will still be able to retain control when it matters most.

The Panel lock feature of the Yamaha p255 makes sure you do not tamper with other controls while performing. It does this by locking all control buttons on the piano so that you do not accidentally touch them and interrupt your performance.

As an added feature meant to ward off competition and also to provide users with a better experience, Yamaha fortified the Yamaha p255 with 15-watt speaker system (15 watts per channel). It is way ahead of other digital pianos that may provide a mere 6 0r 8-watt speaker system.

CAN IT REPLICATE THE FUNCTION OF A REAL PIANO?

Well, you may want to take a full-sized piano for a performance, but it is an awful work. For this reason, having a keyboard that can replicate the production of a true piano can be a “blessing”. Fortunately, the p255 has the capacity to give the same feeling you get from using a true piano.

Heavy touch for low notes and a light touch for higher ones are the hallmarks of a true piano. The Yamaha p255 replicate this thanks to its keyboard’s full set of 88 ivory keys (synthetic) which makes use of graded hammer weighting. You can alter the touch sensitivity to suit the strength with which you intend to strike the different notes.

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LIST OF ADVANCED FEATURES

Yamaha p255 has some really cool, but advanced features which make it stand out when compared to other digital keyboards. Let’s take a quick look at some of these advanced features.

• Free p255 Controller iOS app

The Yamaha p255 Controller App is available for download from the App Store on your iPad and iPhone. This app brings a whole new level of control to this exciting piano. It gives you control over a wide range of the functions that are peculiar to digital pianos which are displayed in a relatively simple touchscreen interface. With this feature and its visual aspects, you can now control and configure the Yamaha p255 in a way that allows you to try out functions that you have been trying to carry out before.

Graphically, you can select which Voice or voices you want to layer, manipulate the split point to suit your purpose, store and manage your recorded songs on a USB Storage device and so much more. All these can be done with the touch of a finger on the touchscreen user interface. Favorite settings are readily available in the Apple app store, all you need to do is recall them when you have a need for them. This app can also help to subside your curiosity as you can change and manipulate settings, even before the ordered Yamaha p255 reaches the comfort of your home.

• Tone adjustment

Professional musicians know all about the importance of Tone to music. Since the Yamaha p255 is made for professional musicians, tone adjustment is a feature that cannot be left out of the design. It does not matter whether you are practicing with your band, or you are performing live, your tone needs to be perfect. The acoustic design of Yamaha P255 enables its production of well-balanced tones with an equal production of high and bright notes.

In order to adjust the overall tone, the master equalizer setting of the piano is used. Thanks to the distinct sliders, you can adjust the high, mid and low conveniently at different frequencies that you desire.

• BackTrack 

Yamaha infused the p-255 with 10 different rhythm tracks that you can make use of at your convenience. Feel free to backtrack voices even as you play along. Some of the rhythms that you can enjoy while using the p-255 are Bassanova, 12/8, 8 Beats, Shuffles and so on. The rhythm tracks are also not out of control, you can adjust the tempo to suit your purpose. The Default tempo is set at 120 beats per minute, but you can reduce it to as low as 5 beats per minute or as high as 500 beats per minute depending on your preference.

• Sound Boost Button

This feature automatically allows you to boost the sound of the Yamaha p255 instantly. This will allow you to increase your presence in case the audience doesn’t hear the piano production as they ought to or the sound just isn’t loud enough. The sound boost has the capacity to make sure that the sound coming from your piano fights its way through the mix of a band combo to reach the target audience. It has an effect on both the internal sound system of the keyboard and the external amplification system.

RECORDING OPTIONS

With Yamaha p255, you can record any of your musical performances using two separate techniques. This is another standout feature which the p-255 has. While it boasts of two recording options, other digital pianos do not have a recording option at all.

This Yamaha model still offers two Midi stand-in ports which create the possibility of a MIDI recording. Most other digital pianos do not have this feature anymore. MIDI Recording allows the recording of two separate musical parts. With this, you can record one part, manipulate it while the other recorded part remains intact. The 1MB memory of the keyboard can store up to 10 MIDI songs conveniently.

You can also record directly by plugging in a USB storage device into the USB port attached to the piano. This recording option is known as the “Direct audio”. Audio recorded on the piano through this means are always in the WAV file format (16-bit stereo) which can later be transferred to a device of your choice or a computer. The Yamaha p255 has the capacity to allow audio recordings that are up 80 minutes in length.

PRICE

Well, Yamaha p-255 is obviously a remarkable musical instrument, but the real questions I am sure you are pondering is how much does it cost? Is it worth the price? To answer that, the p-255 is quite expensive, especially if you have a budget to consider. However, the features and custom design that it possesses totally explains why it has such a price tag. The P-255 is worth $1299 or even more depending on the place of purchase.

Conclusion on the Yamaha p255

For obvious reasons, the Yamaha p-255 is going to be irresistible for most players especially serious-minded ones. Yes, the price might raise an issue but the features it promises to offer is breathtaking and over-shadows the disadvantages the expensive price tag may be associated with. Added to all the advanced features that have been infused into piano are some other important features that a pianist cannot do without. On the p-255, you will find a piano sample, organs admirable electric pianos, Clavs, and basses. The working pianist has pretty much all that he/she needs to have a great performance or practice session. A quality transpose, global EQ, and split are also not left out. The most pronounced pitfall associated with the Yamaha p-255 is its weight and the seemingly high price tag which other top digital keyboards may not have.

Other than these, the Yamaha p255 is an awesome musical instrument to have, its road-worthiness remarkable, and the embedded Controller app is probably the easiest and fun interface you are ever going to encounter on a digital keyboard. Yes, the Yamaha p255 may be expensive but do not allow that to stop you from enjoying all the features that are found on the p-255 which may not be found on any other digital keyboard. A quick thought about all the songs you could do on this magical musical instrument quickly eliminates the doubt the high price may bring.

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