Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha P-125. Need help. (Possible issues)

Hi everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for my rusty English in advance.

I've recently bought portable DP yamaha p-125 bundle and found that I probably might have some issues with this instrument which are currently dissapointing me a lot tbh and it might be possible just my own problems (factory defect, programming bug or smth) or its actually the thing on any 125s how it must be and this is not a problem at all for it and I'm a bit exaggerating.

Before I start I'd like to point out that im a new guy in a piano world, i mean literally. So my words are based only on my subjective thoughts. So don't judge me so hard and don't mocking on me plz, im here to get answers and solution from you guys and be wiser step by step! I will be very very thankful for your help!

First Issue: when I playing, for example, E4 and B3 combination (not simultaneosly pressed but one-after-another and holding both) notes without sustain it resonates obertones (don't beat me if i called this acoustic effect wrong, i'm self-taught rookie in this business). It's when non-pressed note of higher octave respond/resonates to the actually pressed the same note but located lower octave. Or kind of it. But this effect works in combination with combo notes together only. And I found out some pattern in it that it works with 4 half-notes between two notes e.g. E4+B3 (B5 resonates), C4+G3 (G5 resonates). And interesting fact that there is no difference between what note you're pressing first e.g B3+E4 (B5 resonating after pressing E4 anyway). And even if you mute this resonating note in advance by slightly pressing it and holding - it still going to be resonate (ofc its digital piano, not the acoustic one but if they imitate why they didn't calculated this moment as well). The question is: Is this a feature or bug? I mean if this a some sort of imitation of acoustic effect why they didn't provide an opportunity to switch that off. The resonating sound is really disstracting me (especially on that 3-4 octave combo) it's like a whistle and I can do nothing with that fact.

Second: sounds on default piano tone from E4 to Bb#4/A#4 including are sounding to me a bit differently like if they were using different samples for recording this in particular. I mean its not obvious thing, its barely distinguishing. It sounds like a bit E.piano tone. Maybe I'm just delusional about it. Do you have smth like that on your y125? It's not a big deal though but anyway...

Third (just general Q for my serenity): Is every keyboard supposed to be leaned/tilted from rise to above to center? When I installed this instrument I suddenly for myself realized that is not straight direct as I thought and expected... I won't say that it somehow affecting on playing but I just want to make sure that this is fine (or its not?)

This is my first keyboard and firstly I was so excited about buying it but now I feel kind of upset, don't know what to think... and lost my sleep about it. Plz help. Thank you!

P.S. Sorry for this mess you had to read.

*bump*

Over 50 views and nobody replied...

Well, in case TL;DR I'll try give it to you briefly:

1) Sympathetic resonance effect which supposed to imitate real acoustic piano sound: why this is supposed to be so WHISTLE-noisy when overtones are resonating especially 3 and 4 octaves?
e.g E4+B3 (B5 resonates), C4+G3 (G5 resonates) the resonating tones are literally like whistle, it doesn't even sounds like real acoustic piano i might say. I mean the lower tones are ok enough to accept that is might be a real feature, but from 3-4 it sounds so artificial and annoying...

2) sounds on default piano tone from E4 to Bb#4/A#4 including are sounding to me a bit differently like if they were using different samples for recording this in particular. I mean its not obvious thing, its barely distinguishing. It sounds like a bit E.piano tone. Maybe I'm just delusional about it. Do you have smth like that on your y125? It's not a big deal though but anyway...

3) (just general Q for my serenity): Is every keyboard supposed to be leaned/tilted from rise to above to center? When I installed this instrument I suddenly for myself realized that is not straight direct as I thought and expected... I won't say that it somehow affecting on playing but I just want to make sure that this is fine (or its not?)


The yamaha P-125 owners do you have all this sorta things on your instrument? I'll be appreciate seeing your reply in this comment section.

We are missing a sound sample and verbal descriptions of digital piano oddities can be pretty unclear.

Is this something that's audible via headphones or only via speakers?

I understand. I'll try to upload this in YT and put the link here lately.

It's audible in both ways, but in headphones much clearly.

English is not my native language (though I am relatively fluent) but... I think you are asking, in a very convoluted way if the white keys have a slope i.e. edges (front of keys) higher than base (back of keys). If so, the answer is yes.

No. I was asking about the lean of all keys together on the instrument. It's more about height of keys. There's a visual feeling like all keys are a bit tilted.

Here are some pics: http://imgur.com/a/wnFSW9i

Yes, we are talking about the very same thing. . Normal. Both, my ES8 and my RD2000, have it. And if you look at non digitals, you will see the same.

I have a P-125...

On your pics everything is looking fine for me.

I'm not sure, I got your complaints about the resonance... When playing E4+B3 I hear the resonating B5, but it's not like whistle.

And for me E4 up to Bb#4 does NOT sound different, no issues.
In the first E-Piano sound there are issues with F#1-G#1 (first octave), but not in the default Piano sound.

Would be nice, if you could provide audio samples so I can tell you if my sounds the same...


PS: nice to see some people from Kazakhstan here, I was born in Karaganda but meanwhile I live in Germany for over 30 years...
Still doing Schaschlik-BBQ every summer at my parents house :-)

The chances that the OP's P-125 is behaving differently from any other P-125:

. . . . very, very small chance.

Since it is audible in headphones, it's _not_ caused by "room resonance", or a problem with the DP's loudspeakers, so it can't be cured by modifying the room acoustics.


What the OP is hearing, is sound which has been _designed by Yamaha_. He may not like it, but it's probably not a problem with _just his_ P-125. Yamaha ignored "string resonance", until after Roland and Kawai had decent implementations of it. Their simulation might be poor, or his ears might be sensitive to just specific frequencies.

. . . Those irregularities (in "string resonance") also occur in acoustic pianos -- some inter-string
. . . . . harmonic resonances are stronger than others. Different pianos have different
. . . . . pairs of notes with strong resonances.

I just checked the P-125 manual:

. . . It doesn't have any way to turn off "string resonance", or to adjust its volume.

I think the OP is stuck with what Yamaha designed and produced. I can suggest one thing that _might_ help:

. . . Do a "factory reset":

. . . . .. Turn the DP off;

. . . . . . Hold down the highest key;

. . . . . Turn the DP _on_, while holding down the highest key.


If that doesn't help, and the OP still finds the strong resonance disturbing _in normal playing_ (not just when testing for it!):

. . . Use the "MIDI-to-host" connection on the P-125,
. . . use a PC to run "virtual piano" (= VST) software;
. . . use the P-125 keyboard to control a "virtual piano" running on a PC,
. . . and play it back through the P-125 loudspeakers (or better ones, connected to the PC).

That's a "last resort". There's a separate Yamaha manual for "Computer-Related Operations".

PS -- I'm sorry this is so long.

I actually have found the same issue in my P-125 these days when practicing some classical pieces. The "resonance whistle" is very irritating as it comes from a non-pressed key two octaves above. No pedal used!
From my experience with an acoustic instrument, this should not happen.
It might look like a small issue, but it ruins the experience drastically.
Very disappointing.
... Have you communicated this problem to Yamaha?

In acoustic pianos, the upper strings from a certain point don't have dampers and always resonate, without pedal. So it isn't unusual that emulated DP string resonance would do it. No recent experience with the P125 though.

people just don't understand how pianos work. sigh....

Exactly, my DGX660 did the same. I would say it is a feature

Chris, does P-125 has some setting for string resonance? Maybe you could reduce it a little to improve the whistle. FWIW I think resonance to be a little too much on my ES8, though I do not bother changing it.

P-125 has no string resonance or undamped strings resonance.

Any resonances should only appear when the pedal is used.

The only thing that can be adjusted resonance-wise is the depth of the damper resonance.

...right(?) 🤔

Wrong. From the P-125 Owner's Manual:


From the description of the main "Piano" sound:

So "string resonance" is always present, for the main Piano voice.

I haven't found anywhere that talks about adjusting it.

Acoustic pianos can have really strong resonances, that change note-to-note. That's just the way they are. DP's seem to have the same quirks. Pianoteq has similar quirks.

There is nothing wrong with your keyboard. P-125 doesn't have any resonances and that's how every P-125 sounds.

You want anything better you should loosen the purse strings.

Ah, the only mentions of string resonance are in the user's manual. 😳

It never appears e.g. in the "Specifications" on websites.

The Smart Pianist app (from Yamaha) might be able to adjust the string resonance. Or not. I don't know.

You might be right -- that it's in the User Manual, but not in the hardware.

If there's a P-125 at my local stores, I'll test for string resonance on my next visit.