Yamaha P-115 vs Casio PX-150

[Spiritos]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy one of these 2 used digital pianos and want to use them in conjunction with my iPad. Specifically I want to be able to play the sounds from apps on my iPad, preferably through the speakers of the piano itself but looking at the specs I don't think this is possible as there is no audio in port on either. I suppose I'm looking for some confirmation of this lack of functionality and a possible workaround.

I can get the P-115 for £225 and the PX-150 for £99 so having extensively compared them I think I'll go for the Casio. Am I correct in assuming I could use something like the iRig 2 to be able to loop back the sound from iOS apps back to the speakers of the piano and would this 'workaround' be as stable on both pianos or is one known to have more glitchy connection problems?

PS. I know I can use a USB-lightning connector (which I already have) and play hearing sound from my iPad through headphones connected to the iPad but I just also want to be able to play without every now and then.

Any input would be appreciated as I feel kinda brainfogged figuring this out at this moment. Thanks!

[BertKoor]

Specifically I want to be able to play the sounds from apps on my iPad, preferably through the speakers of the piano itself but looking at the specs I don't think this is possible as there is no audio in port on either. I suppose I'm looking for some confirmation of this lack of functionality and a possible workaround.
[...]
Am I correct in assuming I could use something like the iRig 2 to be able to loop back the sound from iOS apps back to the speakers of the piano

You said the pianos have no audio in, only out. So how do you suppose this works on a technical level?

[rod_zero]

What you want to do is not possible at all with these units, they don't have Audio input.

Also, for Ipad to output Audio to another device and at the same time be controlled by an external keyboard you will need an ipad audio interface that has both audio output and MIDI Input. Neither of these keyboards have MIDI output to connect to such interfaces.

Only the casio is Class compliant, it can connect to an iPad, the Yamaha is not.

AFAIK Roland has more recent models that allow to do exactly what you want via Bluetooth, but any other piano with an audio and class compliant USB MIDI connection could work

[Spiritos]

Thanks. As said I'm a little brainfogged. I have been travelling backpacking for over 5 years now going from one place to another and have completely lost touch with music production. I've now commited to stay at a place for at least the next half year so I want to record and arrange some songs using my wester guitar, iPad, Rode NT mic and the cheapest possible weighted hammer action piano with a minimum of 128 polyphony (hence the choice for these older but affordable models as I'll need to sell the piano again when I move on).

The Yamaha does have MIDI USB though like the Casio and I just wanted to check here on KVR if I wasn't overlooking some option with a Yamaha Controller App or so. I suppose as a workaround all I can do is buy some powered speakers and use the headphone out on my iPad while connecting it to the piano using the lighting USB adapter or the iRig MIDI 2.

Thanks.

[rod_zero]

Thanks. As said I'm a little brainfogged. I have been travelling backpacking for over 5 years now going from one place to another and have completely lost touch with music production. I've now commited to stay at a place for at least the next half year so I want to record and arrange some songs using my wester guitar, iPad, Rode NT mic and the cheapest possible weighted hammer action piano with a minimum of 128 polyphony (hence the choice for these older but affordable models as I'll need to sell the piano again when I move on).

The Yamaha does have MIDI USB though like the Casio and I just wanted to check here on KVR if I wasn't overlooking some option with a Yamaha Controller App or so. I suppose as a workaround all I can do is buy some powered speakers and use the headphone out on my iPad while connecting it to the piano using the lighting USB adapter or the iRig MIDI 2.

Thanks.

the Yamaha has USB but is not class compliant so the iPad wont recognize it through USB.

The Roland Go piano seems exactly what you need.

[Spiritos]

Thanks for pointing out the class compliancy. It seems I'll have to do a bit more research. The manual of the P-115 does say you can connect it to an iPad (using an app) and I've read posts on where people have successfully connected it but I suppose it's hit or miss in this case.

I know the Roland Pro is a good piano but I really want 88 weighted keys with hammer action as I am classically trained on piano and just miss the 'real' feel. I know I'm limited in choice as I don't want to spend more than £250 but I'll keep looking.

[BertKoor]

From the P-115 manual I understand you can use an iPad/iPhone to access parameters / controls of the piano with a convenient GUI instead of a handful buttons and tiny LCD display.

(then me thinks what is there to control about a piano)

Also the iPhone/iPad Connection Manual mentions several times per page: "MIDI data only; audio signal not supported."

[Spiritos]

Thanks for checking. I think I didn't explain my question properly. One of my main concerns was knowing If I could use the P-115 as a MIDI controller to play sounds generated by iOS apps. Also I didn't fully understand "class compliancy".

I just received word from Yamaha support and they defined "class compliant" as not being able to send audio but only MIDI signals to the iPad. The "digital piano controller" app does indeed only allow for changing parameters like velocity, reverb, or instruments through a more user friendly GUI but they write the P-115 should still be able to trigger sounds from IOS apps and as such works as a MIDI controller.

PS. I ended up buying a Kawai ES100 for £285. Unexpectedly too good a deal that came by on EBay as it was only £30 more expensive than the Yamaha (which I gravitated to) and I realised a "real" piano feel for me in the end was most important to me and the ES100 to me is definitely a step up from both the Casio and even the P-125. I now need to think about the connectivity here as the ES100 only has MIDI 5 connectors so I'll look into it and probably ask for some advice in a new topic.

As always thanks for your time and the feedback!