Yamaha’s new CK88/61 stage keyboards offer mic input, hands-on control and portability

A combination of sounds from the previous CP and YC series results in “a totally new sonic palette”

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Yamaha CK88

Yamaha has announced a new series of performance electric pianos, the CK range.

The pair stage keyboards, the larger 88-key CK88 and the smaller 61-key CK61, are set to follow Yamaha’s ever-popular CP and YC series. They’re ultra-portable and boasting a host of new features, including on-board sounds, intuitive hands-on controls and comprehensive sound design controls.

Yamaha’s keyboards a range of realistic and high-quality sounds, from piano to strings, brass, organs, and contemporary synthesizer sounds, all taken from the CP and YC series. These sounds can be allocated to three separate sections of the keys or mixed together in layers, to create “a totally new sonic palette”, says Yamaha. Each zone comes equipped with dedicated editing tools and built-in effects.

Additionally, the instruments include resonant filters, envelopes, drive and modulation processors, delay, reverb, and a master EQ section, giving you the ability to refine or experiment with the sounds in various ways.

Both the CK88 and CK61 keyboards provide tactile control over parameters through a combination of front-panel buttons, encoders, and faders. These let you quickly switch between or layer sounds quickly and easily. Plus, customizable switch color-coding adds helpful visual aides to show which parameters are active.

The CK88, the larger of the two products, uses the Yamaha’s GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) keybed, while the CK61 features a new FSB design with a lightweight action.

Both keyboards have two sets of stereo line-level outputs for connecting to speakers or headphones, and can also take in sound from external sources such as microphones. It can connect to pedals and other music devices thanks to two TS sockets, and has USB and MIDI ports for connecting to computers and other music equipment. The device also has built-in speakers and can be powered by batteries.

The Yamaha CK range is set to launch in April. The CK88 is priced at $1,499 while the CK61 is $999. Find out more at uk.yamaha.com.

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