Yamaha Reface CP Puts Classic 70s + 80s Electric Piano Sounds In A Mobile Keyboard

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2015 Summer NAMM Show: Yamaha today officially introduced its Reface line of mini keyboards, including the Yamaha Reface CP.

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Key features of all the keyboards in the Reface line include:

  • built-in speakers
  • 37 keys with HQ-Mini action, derived from Yamaha’s flagship Motif XF
  • battery-powered portability
  • USB & MIDI connectivity
  • Yamaha Reface Capture – an iOS patch librarian app
  • SoundMondo – a web MIDI patch librarian and social patch sharing site

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Yamaha Reface CP Features:

  • six electric piano sounds including tine, reed, clav, toy and CP80
  • direct control of six different 1970s-style effects
  • Sustain pedal input with a half-damper response
  • 128-note polyphony.

Here’s a video overview of the Reface CP, via sonicstate:

The Yamaha Reface CP is expected to ship in September 2015, with a street price around US $500. See the YamahaSynth site for more info.

23 thoughts on “Yamaha Reface CP Puts Classic 70s + 80s Electric Piano Sounds In A Mobile Keyboard

  1. It sounds pretty nice and the keyboard seems responsive.. $499 is reasonable for this offering. I’ll be checking this out at the local music store this fall.

    1. There was this weird thing during the live webcast earlier today, where there were many sarcastic and pithy comments about what a bag of crap these reface things were. And then suddenly, there were all these bland, vaguely positive comments – like this one. “The keyboard seems responsive”? “I’ll be checking this out at the local music store this fall.”? “$499 is reasonable”? Non of these statements seem real, perhaps you could tell us more about your current dissapointment with responsive keyboards and getting electric piano sounds?

      1. This one you’re replying to, who knows. But i’m not surprised that there are more positive comments after they’ve actually heard the keyboard versus the really high expectations.

        That said I’m more satisfied with this than the CS model :/

  2. I’ll say this, no one can deny it sounds nice. I’m not a keyboard player so I dont really mind the mini-keys and Iike Maus stated earlier, I’m definitely feeling the CP series over the CS as well. Is it $500 worth…meh. When you consider what you kind of gear you can get on the used market for $500, I feel like somewhere in the $300 to $400 range is more well suited. Which is probably what I would end up paying for it if I ever got one either on sale or used.

  3. it definitely sounds nice. we will see how many of these keyboards we will see in use on planes, trains and public transport.

  4. It’s not just a matter of how the Reface CP sounds but how it sounds compared to other instruments in it’s size and price range, such as the Korg MicroArranger which sells for $500 and has 61 minikeys, way more sounds and features, stereo internal speakers, and a stereo grand piano that this Yamaha unit can’t touch. Seriously, if all the Reface units were combined into one and offered drums, bass and sequencing then it would come closer to what you can get for the money from other companies, but as separate and very limited instruments the ReFace series is a really hokey offering coming from a great company like Yamaha.

  5. Since most of the hit songs with EP, piano, etc… use more than 3 octaves… I’m not buying it.

    Yes, the videos make it sound great. But it is a waste of money. If the stock answer to minikeys is “USE MIDI if you want more keys”, then that means:

    1. Owners of this will now have to use or buy a proper controller to play it to it’s potential.
    2. The board used this way actually takes up precious space sitting on a controller.
    3. The portability aspect is nullified when you want to play your songs made at home live. Now you have you carry a controller and a Yamaha turd synth to your gig.

    I don’t get the logic of all these portable synths…. that’s what a laptop and a controller are for.

    Musicians don’t need to be coddled like weak babies. I don’t need keyboards that fit in a purse. I need serious creative tools with innovative feature sets. If it’s a PITA to carry, deal with it… Actually, find a drummer and complain to HIM that you need an itsy bitsy travel friendly studio. Why would anyone pay $499 for this when there are so many better options out there? Even portable ones…

    1. If you’ve got a 4 or 5 octave controller or synth, pop this on top. Now you’ve got double manual control. Same goes for the organ. You can do some cool stuff playing like that.

      Another octave would have been better, but this ain’t bad.

  6. I agree with comments about the cost. ~$500 is still a little too high for one of these.

    Also, I have to wonder who at Yamaha thought it would be best to add a toy piano sample set to something like this. Not that the sound isn’t neat, but it’s not something that most people use very often. Seems like a vibraphone or another electric piano would have been more appropriate.

  7. “is it sample based? modelled?”
    ” well its based on our classic cp range”

    call the dude out for ignoring your question… its surely not electromechanical

    1. DSP modeling, obviously. I don’t know why he avoided it, and Nick didn’t press him. But it’s right in the specs, which anyone can find easily.

      You can’t actually make a electromechnical piano that small (what, microscopic tines?), so multiple types inside one box is extra impossible.

    2. It’s common knowledge that the CP4/CP40 uses a combination of sampling and modeling.

      Ultimately, it’s the sound that matters, not the technology.

  8. How weird to see Nick and Bert together like this! Bert S is such a good keyboard player….nice to see him back

    I like the idea of these keyboards…little rhodes with speakers you can trot ideas out on……the styling is like a mini Wurli 200a isn’t it

  9. why a 37 key electric piano for $500? it sounds pretty good, but i’ll be sticking with kontakt and my midi controller

  10. I’d be interested in this if it didn’t have mini keys and such a limited 3-octave keyboard.

    As far as using a full-size midi keyboard with this unit you have to understand how awkward it is trying to play and then reaching over the mini keyboard to adjust the knobs. Plus the two keyboard setup in the studio or on stage becomes a mess.

    Yamaha – I hope your future plans include rack units for all 4 reface models. I don’t want to write you off yet.

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