WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Roland has announced a new, “refreshed” version of its GO:PIANO88. As you might expect, this improves on the previous model in a number of ways.

The GO- 88PX (to give it its official title) is a lightweight, portable (you can run it on batteries) 88-note portable keyboard with ‘box-shape’ velocity-sensitive keys. There are five types of touch sensitivity – up from three on its predecessor, the GO:PIANO 88P – and a huge number of extra tones.

In fact, ten times as many, as the limited four-preset palette of the 88P has been expanded to include 40 built-in sounds, spread across piano, electric piano, organ and ‘other’ categories. There are also new ambience, brilliance and (for the organ tones) rotary speaker effects.

As a further bonus, you can also access a further 256 GM2 tones via the Roland Piano App. This also gives you access to the Piano Designer, which enables you to adjust the likes of lid position, damper resonance, tuning, volume and temperament.

Other features include a metronome, a MIDI recorder for capturing your playing, dual/split functions and wireless audio and MIDI over Bluetooth 5.

But, the maximum polyphony has been halved from 128 to 64 and the quoted amplifier power has dropped to 6w x 2 for the 15 x 6 cm speakers. The maximum quoted battery life is around six hours on the GO-88PX (using alkaline batteries).

In better news, the new model is very slightly smaller than the old one and weighs a bit less: 5.8kg as opposed to 7kg. The look has also been refined, and Roland says that the top-panel interface is easier to operate.

Like the 88P, the GO-88PX has a pedal input, audio output, USB port and AC adapter socket. A USB-C port replaces the USB type B port, though, and the phones/output socket is now minijack rather than 1/4-inch size.

Features:

• Premium piano performance in a compact and portable instrument
• 88 full-size keys for playing everything from pop to classical music
• Elegant design with acoustic piano style
• Simple interface with efficient controls
• Lightweight design (5.8 kg/12.8 lb.) that’s easy to move and carry
• Powered by AA batteries or included AC adaptor
• 40 presets, including bright and inviting piano tones and sounds for exploring other music styles
• High-quality stereo speaker system with rich, full sound
• Recording function for capturing performances and evaluating progress
• USB-C and Bluetooth audio/MIDI for streaming songs and working with music software
• Roland Piano App (iOS/Android) provides wireless remote control, learning games, and more
• Includes one year of Roland Cloud Core membership

The GO-88PX sounds good and plays well. The full-size digital piano price is at $379.99

Find out more on the Roland website.

At the 2025 NAMM Show, being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from January 23 to January 25, Rhodes Music plans to showcase their MK8 Piano, launch a new Custom Shop Line, and introduce a new 61-Key Stage Piano.

Since its revival as a UK-based company in 2021, Rhodes Music has reintroduced the legendary electro-mechanical piano, based on inventor Harold Rhodes’ original vision. Built on his iconic asymmetrical tuning fork design, the MK8 combines the traditional craftsmanship of the original with modern innovations, like built-in analog effects.

This year’s NAMM Show will see Rhodes showcasing three main lines:

• This year, the MK8 takes a major leap forward with new integrated MIDI capabilities. Featuring proprietary sensing technology, the system adds high-resolution monitoring of key position and both Channel and Polyphonic Aftertouch. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience this new functionality firsthand.
• Rhodes will give attendees a first look at its upcoming 61-key Rhodes stage piano, a more compact, portable design.
• The company will also make the NAMM debut of their new Rhodes Custom Shop, which offers complete aesthetic customization options for the MK8 piano.

In addition to these lines, the Rhodes booth will feature a dedicated technology station, where attendees can explore the full suite of Rhodes virtual instruments and effects firsthand. This will include the V8 Series and Anthology Collection, along with Rhodes Chroma by Cherry Audio, V-Rack, and V-Pan.

The Plug ‘n’ Play device gives you a simple way to make high-quality recordings of your digital piano, and the built-in mic can capture your voice, as well

Korg has released PianoRec, a new product that’s designed to make it easy for you to record your digital piano performances to your phone. The Plug ‘n’ play device is designed to simplify the whole process.

Though you might be doing this already – either by using your phone’s built-in mic or via an audio interface of some sort – but PianoRec both simplifies the process and promises better quality than you might be used to.

It works by taking a direct audio output from your piano – the default connector is a 3.5mm one, but you also get a 1/4-inch adapter in the box – and placing a USB connector on the other end. This is USB-A, but a USB-C connector adapter comes supplied.

For monitoring purposes, there’s also a built-in set of earphones, complete with microphone that enables you to capture the sound of your voice as you play (the mic has a mute switch if you don’t want it on).

The whole setup promises to be totally plug ‘n’ play, and if you own an iOS device you can also make use of the Korg EZ Rec app. This offers both stereo recording and video capture, but you can also use the device with any other recording app, or for streaming purposes.

The PianoRec costs £59/€73,95. Find out more on the Korg website.