Alesis' Recital has 88 full-sized keys with adjustable touch response—unusual for an entry-level digital piano priced at $199. There are five built-in voices: acoustic piano, electric piano, organ, synth and bass; you can combine any two in Layer Mode and/or assign them to different hands in Split Mode.
Other utilitarian features I like are: a built-in 30-280 BPM metronome, built-in 20-watt speakers, a headphone practice jack that mutes the speakers, sustain pedal jack (pedal not included), USB-MIDI connectivity and 128-note polyphony.
There is also a Lesson Mode feature that divides the 88 keys into two zones with the same pitch and voice. This enables the student and teacher to easily watch each other and play together without having to take turns or reach over one another.
The Alesis Recital finishes with reverb and chorus effects and stereo RCA AUX outputs for any sound system. It’s powered by a wall power supply module (included) or with 6 D cell batteries (not included). It comes with three months of Skoove Premium online piano course.
alesis.com/products/view/recital
BARRY RUDOLPH is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contribut- ing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
