These are two of the top entry-level pianos available; find out the best option for you in this Alesis Recital vs Williams Legato review.
Honestly, the thought of making an Alesis Recital vs Williams Legato review was daunting. This is because I knew it would be hard to choose a winner between the two as these are easily two of the best options for anyone looking to find the best digital piano on a budget.
Both of these pianos are incredibly affordable and offer tons of features you wouldn’t expect in this price range. They are also some of the best-selling models for beginners available today, so choosing a winner was no easy task.
That said, I knew it had to be done. And after rigorous testing and in-depth research, I found that the Alesis Recital is the better option. But even if the Alesis won this comparison, there’s no doubt that it was a close fight.
In fact, as I get into the details in this review, you might actually find the Williams Legato to be the best fit for your needs. In this article, I’ll explain all the features, benefits, and drawbacks of each piano. That way, you won’t have a hard time choosing between the two and you’ll be practicing on your new digital piano in no time!
Alesis Recital vs Williams Legato: The Features
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Alesis Recital vs Williams Legato: The Features
The only way to determine a winner between these two pianos was to dive into the features. And when conducting tests and reading up on both pianos, they were neck and neck. In fact, the Alesis Recital only narrowly edged out a win with a score of 3-2. These two pianos were tied in almost every aspect, with the deciding factor being the fact that the Alesis Recital comes with more playing modes and better polyphony.
Feel
The winner: Tie
I usually don’t expect much when testing the feel of entry-level pianos. These models usually have sub-par hammer action systems, which is typical in this price range. While these two pianos had decent hammer action, they were far from the best. So, after comparing this specific feature, I awarded the point to both pianos.
+Hammer Action
If you’re looking for a robust digital piano that offers a very realistic feel and touch, these aren’t the options for you. Since these are entry-level digital pianos, none of them come with fully-weighted keys, let alone graded hammer action. This is expected in this price range, but it was still disappointing that they couldn’t offer the premium weight I was looking for.
This is because both pianos have semi-weighted hammer action systems. This is a cost-effective way to provide a bit of weight to the keys without driving the price up. So, you can expect to have some resistance and weight when playing these pianos.
I could barely tell the difference between these two options when only testing the feel. I wouldn’t be surprised if both pianos use the exact same technology to provide the weight on the keys. And while the semi-weighted system is better than non-weighted keys, I felt like they leave a lot to be desired.
Tone
The winner: Tie
The second comparison point I had between the two was the tone. Obviously, you want to get a piano that sounds good and realistic. And between the two, I couldn’t determine a winner. Both pianos offer great tones that beat the expectations of their price range, but since they also have a very limited sound library, I couldn’t choose a winner.
+Tone Generation
When buying an entry-level digital piano, you will likely have to deal with sample-based tone generation. This tone generation system involves loading the pianos with high-quality and detailed recordings of various instruments and programming the piano to play the sample whenever you press a key.
This is the exact system present on both pianos. And honestly, I could barely tell the difference between the tones. While there is a slight digital character to the tones, it wasn’t as evident as on other affordable pianos. So, you can expect a bit more realism from the Alesis Recital and Williams Legato compared to the other models that may be available.
For the price, I found that both these pianos do a great job of mimicking real instruments. Of course, there are more expensive pianos that do a much better job. But when looking at the other entry-level options in the same price range, there was no doubt that the Alesis Recital and Williams Legato have a slight edge.
+Sound Library
The sound library on both of these pianos is very limited. If you’re looking to experiment with weird and unique sounds in your music, neither of these pianos will be able to do the job. That said, a limited sound library is actually a great feature if you’re a beginner.
This is because a smaller sound library means that you can focus more on your playing and working on the fundamentals. You won’t spend your time experimenting with all the different sounds on these pianos, which is great if you’re starting your musical journey.
Both pianos have a sound library of 5 voices. And while this doesn’t sound too impressive, at least it covers all the basics. With either instrument, you can switch between piano, electric piano, organ, and strings voices, which is all you’ll need as a beginner.
Piano Features
The winner: Alesis Recital
The last comparison point between these two pianos was also the deciding factor in choosing a winner. While these instruments were tied in every category up to this point, this is where the Alesis Recital showed its superiority. With more playing modes and better polyphony, there was no doubt in my mind that the Alesis won this category, and in turn, it got the point that declared it the winner.
+Playing Modes
I was very surprised to learn that both these pianos have split and dual modes. With split mode, you can assign a different voice to each side of the piano. This is great for live performances and jamming alone, as it gives the illusion that you’re playing two instruments at the same time.
Then with dual mode, you can layer two different voices on top of each other. This allows you to create unique combinations that will be very useful in your playing. And wohile its mostly novice and advanced pianists that use this mode, you’ll definitely find a use for it as well if you’re a beginner.
That said, there’s one extra playing mode on the Alesis Recital that isn’t on the Williams Legato: lesson mode. This is great for beginners as it divides the keyboard into two twin pianos. That way, you can play piano duets and go through piano lessons without needing an extra keyboard.
So, when it comes to playing modes, the Alesis Recital has a slim advantage.
+Polyphony
The main reason I prefer using the Alesis Recital over the Williams Legato is the polyphony. The Williams Legato has 32-note polyphony. This is good enough for beginners just learning the basics and not trying to use the sustain pedal or play dense chords with many notes.
However, if you want more versatility and expression in your playing, you’ll need the 128-note polyphony of the Alesis Recital. With this, you can really play as many notes as possible with the sustain pedal on. This isn’t the most important feature for beginners, but it gives the piano that extra versatility that made it beat out the Williams Legato.
Alesis Recital vs Williams Legato: The Similarities
These are very similar pianos, which is probably why they are some of the best entry-level options available. Aside from a similar design, these pianos share the exact same sound library, effects set, and are both designed for beginners and pianists on a budget.
If you’re looking for a piano that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, these are great options. Despite being affordable, they come with great features that can help you on your musical journey.
That said, keep in mind that the Alesis Recital is slightly more versatile than the Williams Legato. And if extra playing modes and high maximum-polyphony are important to you, then I would suggest going with the Alesis Recital.
Quick Rundown of the Alesis Recital
- An Electric Piano That’s Tailored to You - Feature-packed Electric keyboard with 88 premium full-sized semi weighted keys with adjustable touch response to suit your preferred playing style
- Premium Sounds - 5 voices (Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Synth, and Bass), built-in FX: Chorus, Reverb, and two built in 20W speakers that deliver crystal-clear, room-filling sound
- All The Right Connections - ¼” sustain pedal input (pedal not included), ¼” stereo headphone output for private practice and stereo RCA outputs for connection to speakers / amplifiers
- Play the Keyboard Wherever You Go - Power via the included power adapter or 6 D cell batteries (not included) for professional piano performance anywhere
- Powerful Educational Features - Standard, split, layer, and lesson modes with 128-note max polyphony and Skoove 3 month premium subscription for expert interactive online piano lessons
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown of the Williams Legato
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References:
- Alesis Recital: https://www.alesis.com/products/view/recital
- Williams Legato: https://williamspianos.com/wp-content/uploads/usermanuals/10190_Williams_Legato_Keyboard_Manual.pdf
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