Umbrella News

30 th news

2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

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Elixir Strings Bag Another Guitar Brand

2010-04-13T00:00:00+02:00

Elixir Strings are going from strength to strength and are now included as standard on the Blackbird range of guitars. Elixir strings are built on a very basic principle - they must be built to last, and they cwertainly do that, and more. You don't have to buy a Blackbird guitar to enjoy Elixir strings. If you're looking for warm, bright well balanced tones you can check out the full range of Elixir strings right here!

Umbrella Music music equipment for the Church

2010-06-03T17:21:00+02:00

Umbrella Music has dedicated Church specialist

Umbrella Music has a specialist Church salesperson at our east London music shop to provide advice to Churches as the the best church equipment needed. If you are from a Church and need a new PA system, microphones, piano, drums, saxophone, and much more, give our Church specialist a call.

You can reach "Mister Richard", our Church specialist, on 0845 500 2323, for advice and for a quote.

Umbrella Music Shop Closed until 10am Thurs 24th April - please call 0845 500 2323 and leave a messa

2010-06-23T15:46:00+02:00

Phone lines will still be open, and please leave a message with you name and number and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Singing Workshop at Umbrella Music School

2010-06-30T14:39:00+02:00

Singing workshop at Umbrella Music School

Umbrella Music School, based in Walthamstow, is putting on a vocal workshop for all aspiring singers, teenagers and adults!

-July 13th - Aug 3rd at Umbrella Music School, Walthamstow

-£25.00 per student

Every Tuesday for 2 hour from 6.30- 8.30pm pm - 4 weeks total

A group of max 15 people

The vocal teacher will work on

-vocal coaching (warm ups,scales etc),

-musicality (what to do on songs depending on the style etc)

-rhythm

-performance and microphone technique

In the 2 hours everyone gets to perform in front of others and the rest of the group will give feedback.

Every student is to bring a few songs they wish to perform and must have other backing track or provide sheet music for it.

It's a short summer course aimed at being able to perform a song comfortably on stage in front of an audience.

To book the vocal workshop, call Tom Page on 07709 224 218.

CLEARANCE DEALS ON LINE 6 AMPS

2009-12-31T00:00:00+01:00

January is Umbrella Music mega sale month, and we have amazing deals on all remaining Line 6 amps.

Line 6 recently launch their Spider IV range, Replacing their extremely popular Spider 111.

Umbrella Music have very limited special offers on remaining Spider 111 Amps.

Any Spider 111 Amp purchased in January comes with a Free Guitarist gift pack including Capo, Strap, and a Goose Neck Guitar Stand. This pack is worth over £30.00 alone!

We have only a few Spider III Amps left, so act now!

If you are looking for the Spider IV Amps we have amazing deals on those too. All Amps are 0.01p Delivery.

30 th news

2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

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2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

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Choosing a Drum Kit under £300

2009-12-22T11:39:00+01:00

Choosing a Drum Kit for under 300

If you have just started playing drums, or searching for a good quality drum kit on a budget, it can sometimes be hard to know exactly which one to go for. It is far too easy to flick through drumming magazines or visit websites and see your drumming heroes sitting on their thrones surrounded by the top end Gretsch, Pearl, DW,Tama kits etc. But lets be honest, most of us will have to look at the lower end products until we finally sign a five-album deal with EMI.

I recently learnt of a term used by drummers and musical instrument distributors "F.E.P.O.S" which stands for Far Eastern Piece of ****, well I’ll let you guess the rest. I must admit there is a lot of F.E.P.O.S drum kits out there, but if you dig deep and do your research it is possible to find a great drum kit with all you need to start playing straight out of the box. The make a great present for someone, or an ideal starting set up to expand upon.

The main things to consider are sound quality, build quality, and of course affordability. The best starting point is to read reviews either in drummer magazines or online. Ask other drummers what they recommend.

After working in the music industry for a number of years and performing

In bands I regularly had the chance to try out a few of these entry-level kits at trade shows or whilst playing in rehearsal studios. Here a few thoughts to consider when choosing your first kit or a kit that falls into the sub £300 bracket.

Do you choose fusion or rock sizes?

Generally kits are classed as rock or fusion sized. Rock kits usually come with

12", 13" and 16" Toms, a 14" snare and 22" bass drum. The larger drum sizes offer a bigger sound for Rock/pop music.

Fusion size kits usually come with 10", 12" and 14" Toms, a 14" snare and a 20" bass drum. Generally speaking these kits are used by Jazz, Fusion, Pop artists who want a tighter more controlled sound. Of course many artists pick and mix their drum set up and use different sizes and depths of drums, but most sub

£300 kits fall into these two categories.

Should I choose a junior or full size kit?

Junior kits are usually made for children between 4-8 years old. If you’re thinking of buying a kit for a child over 8 years old, I would recommend choosing a full sized kit as the child will soon outgrow the smaller kit.

Will I need to buy anything else to get started?

Most of the entry/budget kits have everything you need in the box e.g. drums, cymbals, sticks and a drum stool. Visit your local dealer or do some research on the Internet especially regarding the cymbal quality. Some of the cymbals that come with the less expensive drum kits are quite frankly terrible! Others are fairly good considering the price and provide a great starting point to enable you to add better cymbals as you progress.

Which manufacturer should I choose?

The type of company that manufactures the kit can make all the difference.

A lot of the big name drum companies have their own budget/beginner lines.

These companies are experienced in building drums and would want to be confident before they agreed to have their name stamped on the kits. The Ddrum D2 kit is a good example and a great kit at the price, nice hardware and the demo kit tried sounded good with a little tuning. The kit also comes with Cymbals, a stool and a stick bag with sticks. Also a lot of the big music companies who make many different instruments and have a good reputation for quality should be looked at. Ashton music from Australia makes a huge range of musical equipment and have a fantastic drum kit TPR522 rock kit, or TPF522 fusion. I was impressed with these as you really do get everything, including sticks, stool, and a handy tuition DVD. The other good option are the Stagg Kits.

Stagg music really dominate the beginner and budget market as they have their own factory and make sure the standards are high.

One important thing to remember is that no kit will sound great right out of the box. You need to get advice on setting up the kit and tuning each drum. There are guys and girls I have met at gigs who are using the most expensive gear, but it sounds terrible because they have not learnt basic tuning techniques. It is possible to make a cheaper kit sound great, and learning now will make your future drum purchases sound even sweeter.

Electronic Drum Kit vs Acoustic Drum Kit

2010-03-03T00:00:00+01:00

Electronic Drum Kits vs Acoustic Drum Kit

Back in the 60’s and 70’s most people would associate drum kits with the traditional bass, snare, toms and cymbals set up with a rock and roll drummer bashing out some beats, seemingly in a world of their own. With the advancement of technology this would soon change.

In the late 70’s technology allowed for the introduction of electronic drum kits. Imagine if you told Keith Moon that his hallowed acoustic drum kit would be replaced with an electronic version. The suggestion would have come across as being completely insane – and for good reason. Electronic kits back in those days were very basic and the quality of sound lacking to say the least.

These days though you’d find it very difficult to choose based solely on the quality of the sound. In fact Bill Bruford of King Crimson was one of the first to introduce the electronic drum kit to his sets, and has almost completely abolished the need for acoustic drums. You’ll find it very hard to notice the difference.

In some ways you can understand the reticence of drummers to sell out to the digital age. Digital just doesn’t quite fit with the rock and roll image does it?! However, with more bands becoming reliant on gigging to make an income and also with music genres constantly overlapping and morphing, bands need to be adaptable to change and how technology can help them – even your good old rock and roll bands.

There is no doubt though that any drummer worth their salt will be able to maximize the variant of the sound they produce through a variety of tricks (sorry I can’t tell you these – you’ll have to work them out for yourself). To progress as a drummer though and make a little bit more money for your back pocket, its important there days to be adaptable to different styles of music, and who knows you might just get some session work.

By saying this I’m not suggesting that you have to completely replace your acoustic drum kit for an electronic version. For starters the reality is you have to pay a lot of money for a very good electronic drum kit – over £2000 in some cases. And aside from the money aspect, setting up an electronic drum kit is quite technical.

Another way to look at bridging the desire to keep your acoustic drum kit and embracing technology you could have a look at including something like the Korg WAVEDRUM. This is a second-generation drum module that you’ll be able to take anywhere in the world and add a whole new sonic dimension to your sets. With hundreds of on board sounds, presets you will not get bored.

Apart from being portable the great feature of the Korg WAVEDRUM is that it mimics the dynamic range you would get from an acoustic drum and allows real power of expression by responding perfectly to the performers action and how they play. No Korg WAVEDRUM will sound the same! I won’t go into great detail about the wealth of features, but imagine you’ve been hired for some session work that involves some congas fills and you don’t own congas. You have a decision to make – either buy some congas, which would require a significant investment and then the hassle of travelling with them, or buy a drum module that you can fit into your hand luggage at a fraction of the cost. Go figure!

So to sum up, I don’t think there is a clear-cut winner between an acoustic drum kit and an electronic drum kit. In my view it’s about embracing elements of both and expanding your diversity and sonic capabilities. Who knows where this journey would take you, but as a musician who can deny themselves the endless possibilities that exist with the inclusion of technology into their kits.

2Box DrumIt Five Electronic Drum Kit

2010-05-19T00:00:00+02:00

2Box DrumIt Five Electronic Drum Kit

The new 2Box electronic drum kit not only looks the business, but plays and sounds it too.

Umbrella Music is an official London based 2Box dealer, so why not come to the shop to try it for yourself? Our drum expert has been playing on the kit and is amazed, especially what you all get for £1599!

The 2Box drum kit is easy to assemble and play out of the box, and when you work your way through the sounds on the brain you'l lbe mightily impressed.

Click for all the features on the 2Box DrumIt 5.

A piece of Hofner History

2009-12-31T00:00:00+01:00

Umbrella Music have 2 of the 4 Hofner Vintage 58 bass guitars in the UK.

This is your chance to own a piece of Rock and Roll History hand built in Germany.

ONLY 58 OF THESE LIMITED EDITION BASSES IN THE WORLD.

A limited edition version of the 1958 close pick-up space violin bass with oval control panel. Limited edition. A celebration of both the early days of the Höfner violin bass and the 50th anniversary of our Master Luthier Dieter Fischer's joining the company. Each H500/1-58-0 will be signed by Herr Fischer. Supplied in the Höfner Deluxe tweed case with certificate. Also available as left hand (L).

This is a serious opportunity for Hofner enthusiasts!

Umbrella Music also have access to the whole Hofner range Guitars, Basses, Violins etc. Please check out our latest deals or call us if you cant see what you are looking for.

LAG Electric Guitar Price Crashing

2010-01-27T17:38:00+01:00

LAG Electric Guitars are hand made by Michelle Lag in the South of France. The Arkane A200 model is made for metal. Versatile enough for other styles as well, but primed for metal.

We have a great demo video for you to see it in action.

Or if you have no need to watch the video and want to buy just click here to buy now

Vintage Electric Guitars Review

2010-01-27T19:50:00+01:00

Vintage electric guitars have been building up quite a reputation in their space, namely in the metal and hard rock space. You might be stuck between a rock and hard place when you compare it other guitars at the price point, like Epiphone for instance. They obviously sound different and have their own nuances. The Vintage in our ears has a bit more bite and grit to it.

Enough of us. Check out the video below for more. You can always buy one here if you want, just click here to buy yours today

Franz Ferdinand Writing Fourth Album

2010-02-15T15:55:00+01:00

Frontman for Franz Ferdinand has been busy writing material for their next album with Nick McCarthy.

They're being quite protective on details of what they are writing, other than to say that it will be different.

Ones things for sure though they will be using familiar instruments and accessories.

Fender, Gibson and Epiphone for guitars. AKG and Sure Dynamics for mics to name just a few instruments they use.

The Strokes are back in the studio ahead of their summer return to the UK

2010-02-10T00:00:00+01:00

The Strokes are back in the studio ahead of their summer return to the UK, Fabrizio Moretti, the man behind the drum kit in the band, has confirmed.

Speaking to the BBC, Moretti said the band has a busy schedule lined up ahead of the release of their fourth album, with appearances due to take place at the RockNess and Isle of Wight festivals this year.

The drummer said: "We're going to rehearse as soon as we get out of the studio.

"As soon as we're done recording, we're going to go in and practise all those old songs."

The new album is due out in September and Moretti said it was great to be part of The Strokes once again.

He added that he already had "butterflies in my stomach" ahead of the band's return to live shows.

Since they released First Impressions of Earth back in 2006, lead singer Julian Casablancas and guitar player Albert Hammond Jr have both recorded solo albums.

Musikmesse - Fender Announce American Deluxe Range

2010-03-24T23:07:00+01:00

Fender Guitars has announced a new American Deluxe range, which includes alder and ash Fender Telecasters, Fender V-neck and Fender HSS Stratocasters, four and five-string Jazz basses and a Precision bass.

The basses benefit from a newly-designed preamp with switchable active or passive operation, while the electrics boast an array of new finishes, including sunset metallic, tungsten and wine and transparent. However, the most significant upgrade to the series is Fender's new N3 noiseless pickup.

"N3 noiseless pickups are among the best-sounding pickups ever affixed to a Stratocaster or a Telecaster guitar, achieving the remarkable sonic feat of providing unmistakable vintage sound without unwanted noise,” a company spokesperson noted. "Using an improved stacked-coil design, N3 noiseless pickups are specially tailored for each Stratocaster and Telecaster pickup position.

Hofner HCT-CG Electric Guitar

2010-08-25T18:18:00+02:00

The Hofner HCT-CG Electric Guitar now at special price

One of the guitars that our guitar specialist is extremely excited about is the Hofner HCT-CG electric guitar, which is currently available in store and online.

The originla Horner Diamond pickups, maple back and sides, and rosewood fretboard makes this particular guitar an absolute delight to play.

Our guitar expect says, "it has a lightweight Les Paul shape body, the classic Horner look and sound. One of the nicest guitars I've played in a very long time."

The Hofner HCT-CG is available in Red and Black. Here's the great part, they used to be £569 and we are selling them for £275!

Musikmesse - Line 6 Press Release

2010-03-25T11:43:00+01:00

Line 6, Inc. the industry leader in modelling technology for music-creation products, today released POD Farm™ 2 and POD Farm™ 2 Platinum software plug-ins. The pair of AU/RTAS®/VST® plug-ins builds upon the foundations set by their predecessors to deliver extensive model counts, a simple yet powerful workflow and world-renowned POD tone for any digital audio workstation.

Visit our blog for more info.

Faith Guitars Emerge Triumphant from Frankfurt

2010-04-13T00:00:00+02:00

Faith Guitars emerged from a very successful expo at Musikmesse and attracted a lot of attention. This year was the first year that Faith Guitars have been present at the Musikmesse and even though they have been around in the Uk for a while, they haven't received as much exposure as they deserve. They really are fantastic acoustic guitars anfd building on the solid success of their Natural, HiGloss and Eclipse series they've upgraded and designed and built a new series. Umbrella Music is a big fan of Faith Guitars and you can get yourself a wonderful deal on a Faith Eclipse here.

Lag Guitars Announce New Range

2010-04-13T00:00:00+02:00

Lag has announced that its collection of Signature guitars, based on models played by a number of famous guitarists, has at last gone on sale in the UK.

The S1000PC-HOS, an exact replica of Phil Campbell from Motorhead’s guitar, will retail at £899. A classic E-type guitar design, this instrument is identical to the original played by Campbell for many years, right down to its vintage Lag logo.

Further up the scale is the Charles Hedger model, a copy of the Cradle of Filth guitarist’s axe. Priced at £1,299, the S1000CHPUH is based on a standard Arkane body and comes with DiMarzio pickups, Hedger’s neck setup and eight pointed star inlays.

A seven string Arkane will be available in June for £1,399. Based on the guitar used by Stephan Forte from Adagio, the S1000FBSH is equipped with a Floyd Rose and scalloped fingerboard. This model has been available elsewhere for some time, with many happy to pay the 3000Euro price tag.

Finally, the S1000KJNAT will feature Shadow Nanoflex pickups, a unique Studio Lag preamp system and solid body nylon strings. This model replicates the guitar used by afrobeat funk star Keziah Jones, including his own customised presets. On sale at £999, the S1000KJNAT represents the middle of the Lag price range.

Umbrella Music have a fantastic deal on a Lag Arkane model.

LAG Arkane ST500 Black Shadow

2010-04-26T14:21:00+02:00

LAG Arkane ST500 Black Shadow Electric Guitar.

A500 Matt Black by LAG guitars. A true Rock and Metal Weapon. A Matt Black solid basswood gives the look... Dimarzio pickups give the power.

This LAG electric guitar is one of our favourites here at the Umbrella Music guitar department.

Body	Solid BookMatched Basswood
Neck	ABS Bound, Hard Maple Bolt-On
Trussrod	2 Way
Fingerboard	Rosewood

Fingerboard Inlays	Mother of Pearl
Fret Size	Jumbo
Fret Qty.	24
Machine Head	LAG Hi-Precision
Pickguard	n/a
Pickup Qty.	3
Pickup Type	Dimarzio USA: Tone Zone DP155 (bridge),DP403 (mid), Norton DP260(neck)
Tremelo	Floyd Rose Standard
Controls	1 x Vol, 1 x Tone with Push/Pull
Selector Switch	5 Way
Hardware Type	Satin Chrome Finish
Finish Type	Matt Design

Click here for more on the LAG Arkane ST500.

Admira Classical Guitars - full range available online

2010-05-20T00:00:00+02:00

Admira Classical Guitars

Admira classical guitars are well known for their quality of design and build, and we now have the full range of Admira guitars on the Umbrella Music website, and also on display in the shop in Leyton, east London.

Click for the Admira Classical Guitar range.

Faith Acoustic Guitars - full range available

2010-05-24T00:00:00+02:00

Faith Acoustic Guitars Available from Umbrella Music

Faith acoustic guitars are all solid wood guitars with classic craftmanship. The full range of Faith acoustics can be found online and in store on demonstration at Umbrella Music, the east London guitar shop. All Faith guitars bought come with a matching hard case, free of charge!

Check out the Faith Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Venues, and more, at Faith Guitars.

Yamaha PSRS900 available at Umbrella Music!

2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

The Yamaha PSRS900 has been discontinued and replaced by the Yamaha PSRS910, however Umbrella Music has the last few left in the UK at an unbeatable price.

http://www.umbrellamusic.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?iCateID=0&ptri=2596

Yamaha PSRS900 available at Umbrella Music!

2009-11-30T00:00:00+01:00

The Yamaha PSRS900 has been discontinued and replaced by the Yamaha PSRS910, however Umbrella Music has the last few left in the UK at an unbeatable price.

http://www.umbrellamusic.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?iCateID=0&ptri=2596

New Yamaha PSR 423 Digital Keyboard In Stock Today

2010-05-28T13:16:00+02:00

Umbrella Music are please to announce we have received our delivery of the wonderful Yamaha PSRE423.

Buy your brand new Yamaha PSR 423 Digital Keyboard from Umbrella today and get in tomorrow!

Umbrella Music were at Frankfurt for the launch of the Yamaha PSRE423. Matt Jonns said this about the item: The Yamaha PSRE423 is the brand new upgrade for the PSRE413, due out in April.

The keyboard is an absolute world beater and probably the best I have ever played under £250. The voices, styles are similar the the Tyros, the piano sound is superb and the added arpeggio features are a real step up from the last model.

Product News: For those that want to step up a little and need a bit more to play around with and challenge them, the all new PSR E423 is one definitely worth having a look at. It has a great range of contemporary sounds, appegiators, styles and plenty of accompaniment tracks. It also comes with the Yamaha Education Suite. It looks like Yamaha will be releasing this sometime in April. They haven't released the price yet, but it will probably be around the £200 mark. Here's a picture to wet your appetite for now and look out for news of its release and price on our website.

Feature update: Dynamic Voices - TheYamaha PSR-E423 Digital Keyboard will have dynamic voices as standard which is a major step up form the last model. With dynamic voices you can add real expression to certain voices such as a nylon guitar or electric guitar over drive. Usually a feature like this would not be seen on a home keyboard. Well done Yamaha!The Yamaha PSRE423 will also have 4 times as much flash memory built in. This means that you can store even more music imported direct from a PC to play along too.

Yamaha NPV60 Piaggero and Yamaha NPV80 Piaggero digital piano news

2010-04-16T16:29:00+02:00

Yamaha Have announced the fantastic Yamaha NPV60 and Yamaha NPV80 to the NP range. These new products will be put in a range called Piaggero and are expected to ship to Umbrella in June. As always we will be first in the queue so reserve yours today!

Yamaha NPV60

A brilliant new addition to the range, the smallest Piaggero offers high quality performance potential at an unbelievable price.

Combine "piano" with "leggero" (Italian - "light") and you have Piaggero - a new era in digital keyboards.

Graded Soft Touch keyboard features graded lightweight keys for a more piano-like response
Choose from hundreds of instrumental sounds!
Enjoy playing along with your own personal backing band with 160 styles
A variety of fun learning technologies including Performance Assistant and lessons

Go-anywhere portability, up to the minute style, Yamaha's legendary sound quality and ease of use, together with a 76-note 'box key' Graded Soft Touch keyboard - the perfect Piaggero for new hobby players or experienced musicians.

Yamaha NPV80

An enhanced Piaggero with extra high quality piano and orchestral voicings, a wider range of styles and new performance features such as Arpeggiator and USB storage.

Combine "piano" with "leggero" (Italian - "light") and you have Piaggero - a new era in digital keyboards. NP-V80 offers even more performance potential!

Graded Soft Touch keyboard features graded lightweight keys for a more piano-like response
Choose from hundreds of instrumental sounds!
Enjoy playing along with your own personal backing band with 165 styles
A variety of fun learning technologies including Performance Assistant and lessons
Arpeggiator function provides intriguing new musical potential!

Get your Yamaha NPV60 or NPV80 at Umbrella and be first in line for the June ETA!

Musikmesse - Roland Release the GAIA -SH-01 Synth

2010-03-25T12:30:00+01:00

With its massive sound, hands on ease-of-play, and affordable price, Roland's GAIA SH-01 is high-performance value with old-school charm. Borrowing the name from the goddess of earth in Greek mythology, GAIA goes back to the origins of synthesis by using today's most advanced technology. The triple-stacked engine puts potent virtual analogue synthesis under your fingertips, yet the control panel is so fun, friendly, and inviting, even first-timers can create great sounds. The signal flow is simple to grasp, with logically arranged knobs, sliders, and buttons.

For a detailed video demonstration check out our blog.

Yamaha Announce The Brand New NPV-60 Digital Keyboard

2010-03-31T13:34:00+02:00

Slim, light and compact keyboard

In both design and playability, Yamaha's piaggero embodies the almost lyrical combination of "piano" and "leggero" - Italian for "light" - that constitutes its name.

The new generation of Digital Keyboards from Yamaha contain amazing features:

Graded Soft Touch Keyboard just as on an actual piano with soft touch of digital keyboard

Just as on hands actual piano,the lower keys are heavy in touch and the higher keys are light, with soft touch of digital keyboard for beginners.

Play a variety of instrument voices

The instrument voice that sound when you play the keyboard can be changed to violin, flute,harp or any of an extensive range of voices. You can change the mood of a song written for piano, for example, by using violin to play it instead. Experience a whole new world of musical variety.

Play along with auto-accompaniment styles

Try the auto-accompaniment styles. The accompaniment styles provide the equivalent of a full backing band covering a wide variety of styles from waltzes to 8 beat to euro-trance.... and much more. Select a style that matches the music you want to play, or experiment with new styles to expand your musical horizons.

Using the 30 internal songs for the performance assistant technology feature ,lessons, and more

You can simply enjoy listening to the 30 internal songs, or use them with just about any of many functions provided - the performance assistant technology feature, lessons and more.

If you would like any more info on this product just check out our link:

www.umbrellamusic.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx

Or call Umbrella Music on 0845 500 2323.

www.umbrellamusic.co.uk

Casio Keyboards and Pianos now in stock

2010-06-30T00:00:00+02:00

Casio musical instruments now on display at Umbrella Music

Casio are well known for the professional pianos and home keyboards, and now the full range of Casio musical instruments is available from Umbrella Music. Not only that, you can come down to the shop, try it yourself, and get advice from our sales team.

Casio home keyboards are perfect for the beginner or student, and the higher end of the range for the performing musician. The Casio digital pianos are designed for the household and for live performances.

Click here to see more Casio keyboards and pianos.

Casio CTK-200 Keyboard

2010-08-09T00:00:00+02:00

Casio keyboard for students at amazing price

The Casio CTK-2100 keyboard is a home keyboard with 61 keys designed for the student. At £125, the price is superb vakue for money. Great look, lovely touch, plenty of features, the CTK-2100 should be at the top of your list if you are looking for a good quality keyboard on a budget.

You can click here to get your Casio CTK-2100.

Roland announce Juno Gi Synthesizer

2010-09-01T00:00:00+02:00

Roland has announced the JUNO-Gi Mobile Synthesizer with Digital Recorder. Here's what they have to say about it...
The JUNO-Gi is compact, easy to use, and affordable and also boasts an all-new sound set designed for live performance, built-in eight-track digital recorder with 64 virtual tracks, and easy integration with many digital audio workstations through its built-in audio interface.

The JUNO-Gi runs on AC power or batteries, so users can play music anywhere. On board are over 1,300 brand-new, top-quality sounds optimised for live gigs. Sounds are organised into Live Sets, allowing four-way splits and layers with ease. Tone Category buttons make it simple to navigate the massive sound library, while the powerful mood, pitch bend, and D BEAM controllers let players add expression to sounds as they perform.

The JUNO-Gi also includes a built-in eight-track digital recorder for song production, complete with transport controls, mix faders, and a dedicated rhythm machine track. Record directly to a single high-capacity SD card for up to 192 hours of possible recording time with a single 32 GB card. JUNO-Gi sounds can be recorded easily along with a vocal mic or guitar when connected via the rear-panel XLR microphone, guitar, and line level inputs. Powerful dedicated effects processing is available for live recording, mixing, and mastering, including BOSS GT-Series professional guitar effects and effects designed for vocal processing.
The JUNO-Gi also functions as a USB audio/MIDI interface, making it the perfect companion for computer music production. Users can record JUNO-Gi sounds and play software instruments in any DAW, and also record vocals and guitars while using the JUNO-Gi's onboard effects. In addition, the JUNO-Gi comes bundled with Cakewalk's award-winning SONAR 8.5 LE software, giving users a complete DAW solution for their PC.

The Roland Juno Gi Will be available from Umbrella Music as soon as it ships, at a price of £849.

Yamaha announce new NPV80 Digtal Keyboard

2010-03-31T00:00:00+02:00

Piaggero provides go-anywhere portability and style while also delivering the authentic feel of an acoustic piano and Yamaha's legendary sound quality. For the serious pursuit of a new pastime or the leisurely recaputure of an old one, Piaggero offers easy-going piano fun.

Graded Soft Touch Keyboard just as on an actual piano with soft touch of digital keyboard

Just as on hands actual piano,the lower keys are heavy in touch and the higher keys are light, with soft touch of digital keyboard for beginners.

Play a variety of instrument voices

Play along with auto-accompaniment styles

Using the 30 internal songs for the performance assistant technology feature ,lessons, and more

You can simply enjoy listening to the 30 internal songs, or use them with just about any of many functions provided - the performance assistant technology feature, lessons and more.

Arpeggio Function

This function automatically products arpeggios when you simply play the appropriate notes on the keyboard.

If you would like to find out more about this item please check out our link:

www.umbrellamusic.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx

Casio CTK-4000 Keyboard

2010-04-12T16:20:00+02:00

Casio's CTK-4000 keyboard is the perfect mid-level keyboard at an unbelievable price.

The CTK-4000 is a 61 note keyboard with over 570 tones, including grand piano, synth, bass, strings, choirs, and more.

The CTK-4000 also features bakcing tracks, a metronome, and a new sampling function.

To try the Casio CTK-4000 pop down to Umbrella Music.

Free headphones with all Casio keyboards and pianos

2010-04-26T00:00:00+02:00

Free headphones with all Casio keyboards and pianos

Umbrella Music is an official Casio dealer, and we have an offer that can't be beaten: free headphones with any Casio order.

Casio make some of the world's finest digital keyboards and pianos, and have a wide range available. To make the most of the fabulous sounds from these instruments Umbrella Music is offering free headphones with each Casio bought, but for a limited time only!

To see the full range of Casio products click here.

Yamaha PSRE223 bundle deal

2010-05-07T00:00:00+02:00

Umbrella Music are offering a huge saving on the Yamaha PSRE223 keyboard whilst stocks last.

The Yamaha PSRE223 bundle includes:

The Yamaha PSRE223 keyboard

Yamaha KPA3 adaptor

Takstar Student headphones worth £15!

To take advantage of this deal before it is too late check out the product here

Yamaha NPV60 Digital Piano in stock

2010-06-10T16:18:00+02:00

Yamaha NPV60 stage piano is here

The new Yamaha NPV60 has arrived and is now in stock. The soft grade touch keys allows for realistic touch, and includes piano, brass, synth, organ, strings, and woodwind sounds.

You can try the NPV60 by Yamaha at the Umbrella Music shop in London, or purchase online.

Yamaha MM6 Synthesizer now in stock

2010-06-24T13:21:00+02:00

Yamaha MM6 Keyboard back in stock at Umbrella Music

The ever popular MM6 synthesizer keyboard by Yamaha hosts a wide range of sounds suitable for many sytles of music, from pop and jazz to drum 'n bass. High quality synth sounds come in a surprisingly lightweight, therefore easily transportable package.

Great sounds, an arpeggiator, real-time controls, and so much more on the Yamaha MM6.

Yamaha P85 deliveries

2010-02-17T00:00:00+01:00

Dear customers,

As some of you may be aware, Yamaha have recently centralized their distribution channel. As a result of the change they are experiencing a delay on some items being delivered to their retailers in the UK. Apologies for anyone waiting. The Umbrella Music Team will be in touch with you, in they haven't already.

New Yamaha CP Range of Stage Pianos

2010-01-28T18:30:00+01:00

Yamaha has recently announced three new CP series digital pianos. The CP1, CP5, and CP50. The CP1 will be available December 2009, while the CP5 and CP50 will arrive in March 2010.

The no-compromise CP1 is a premium instrument with a commitment to both tradition and innovation. A unique new Spectral Component Modeling (SCM) tone generation system accurately recreates the sound of acoustic and vintage electronic pianos. In addition, Yamaha developed a new NW-STAGE wooden key action to meet the demands of top professionals. This combination of touch and tone make the CP1 the most expressive stage piano that has ever been created.

The CP5 takes the core sounds and technologies of the CP1 and offers them in an instrument that is both flexible and affordable. In fact, the CP5 adds a wide range of AWM sounds to the CP1. Clavs, organs, strings and more make the CP5 perfect for church and live situations where everything needs to be performed on one keyboard. The mic input lets you easily add vocals to your performance. Moreover, the CP5 features not only Virtual Circuit Modeling effects, but also many more effects taken from the Motif XS line of synthesizers. The CP5 has the same NW-STAGE wooden action keyboard as the CP1.

The CP50 utilizes core sounds and technology of the CP1, but its flexibility and portability make it perfect for the working pro on the go. The CP50 adds a wide range of additional AWM sounds to the CP1. The CP50 features not only Virtual Circuit Modeling effects but also many effects taken from the Motif XS line of synthesizers. The CP50 has a graded hammer action and a lightweight, portable design.

Elbow use the Korg SV-1

2010-02-04T00:00:00+01:00

Latest stage piano scoops Craig Potter as top artists show growing interest in instrument

The new SV-1 Vintage stage piano from Korg has added Craig Potter, keyboard player and producer with Elbow, to its international roster of endorsing artists.

Potter recently took delivery of his SV-1 and was reported to be 'delighted with it'.

"There's no peering at flashing cursors just punchable buttons, robust dials and really authentic organic sounds," he said. "The multi amps feature is really useful on all the sounds not just the organs and electric pianos. On top of all this, the SV-1 has some of the best piano sounds I've ever heard.

Click here to view the product at Umbrella

Umbrella Music Yamaha Clavinova sale!

2010-02-05T15:42:00+01:00

Umbrella Music are Yamaha Clavinova specialists and one of Yamaha's biggest southern dealers in the UK.

When you buy a Clavinova from Umbrella you know you are getting not only a great price but also guaranteed excellent after care service.

We have put together a list of our biggest selling models, all in stock for fast next day delivery. Please not orders must be placed before Tuesday 9th February (11.59 pm) and are valid only while stocks last. Be quick as we have limited numbers and at these prices they will go fast!

Yamaha CLP330 PE - £1389 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CLP 330 R - £1149.00 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CLP340 R - £1389 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CLP340 PE - £1699 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CLP370 PE - £1899 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CVP501 PE - £1849 plus £49 delivery

Yamaha CVP503 R - £2389 plus £49

Clavinova Information Centre

2010-02-09T00:00:00+01:00

If you are struggling on which Yamaha Clavinova to choose, this blog will helpful for you.

http://wp.me/pNZpb-1

Yamaha Clavinova Super Articulation Voices

2010-02-22T16:37:00+01:00

Plenty of people are asking about Super Articulation Voices. What are they? Super Articulation Voices is a technology borrowed from the Yamaha Tyros 3 for the Clavinova CVP 500 series. The technology makes a vast improvement particularly on woodwind, brass and guitars. We have a video for you to see the demo. Check it out here...

Roland F-110 Satin Black Digital Piano

2010-05-28T18:16:00+02:00

Roland F-110 Compact Digital Piano

The Roland F110 digital piano is a slimline, compact digital piano available in a Satin Black and White finish. It features an 88-note keybed and stereo multi-sampled piano sounds and a high quality library of sounds.

The benefits of a digital piano, like the Roland F-110, is that is always stays in tune, offers more than one sound, and you can plug headphones in, amongst others.

The F-110 is only 30cm deep so fits easily into the livingroom and bedroom.

To try the Roland F-110 visit east London's music shop, Umbrella Music, or buy online here.

Yamaha YDP141 Rosewood now in stock!

2010-06-12T00:00:00+02:00

Umbrella Music are happy to announce that we now have the Yamaha YDP141 Arius digital piano in stock available for next day delivery!

Check out the Yamaha YDP141 here and save money by ordering online today

Roland World Cup deals!

2010-06-15T00:00:00+02:00

Great deals on Roland products for June only

Roland have really got into the world cup spirit, and are offering great deals for the month of June.

- buy the Roland Microcube in white or red (the England flag colours) and get a free protective cover worth £25

- with the TU-3 tuner you will get a free power supply for the pedal worth £22

- get the Boss Micro BR, register it, and get many free accessories

- the RP-201 digital piano will get you a free stool, headphones, and music book voucher worth £134

- get a free stand for the Roland FP-7 worth over £150!

- the F-110 Black piano will get you a free stool and free headphones

How does it work? You buy the products from Umbrella Music, and when you receive it send Roland your proof of purchase, and SCORE!

Umbrella Music launches new website

2010-07-06T15:22:00+02:00

New website launched for online musical instruments

Umbrella Music has today launched our new website, which offers better browsing, more information, many new products and amazingingly low prices.

To find the information on the product you are looking for, be it a Korg piano, Roland keyboard, recording software, electric or acoustic guitar, browse the website at www.umbrellamusic.co.uk to find information, price, picture, and reviews.

Orders can be placed online, over the phone at 0845 500 2323, or at the Umbrella Music shop in east London.

Come to Umbrella Music for Yamaha Pianos in Cherry finish

2010-07-13T00:00:00+02:00

Is Cherry the new Rosewood?

Umbrella Music stocks the full range of Yamaha digital pianos in cherry finish. If you are looking for the YDP141 or YDP161 in cherry, or any of the Yamaha CLP range of pianos in cherry wood casing, give us a call.

Most Yamaha pianos come in a cherry, rosewood, and ebony finish. We have many cherry pianos by Yamaha on display, so come on down and take a look.

Roland HPi-7F Rosewood Digital Piano announced

2010-09-02T00:00:00+02:00

New Roland Piano announced today

Roland have today announced yet another new piano to arrive in 2010, the Roland HPi-7F. We are very excited by this piano here at Umbrella music, and will of course be stocking it as soon as it becomase available later this here.

Here are some features of the Roland HPi-7F:

Rolands acclaimed SuperNATURAL Piano engine onboard
PHA III Ivory Feel keyboard with escapement
10.4 large, high-resolution display built into the music rest
Play along with digital sheet music, interactive skill-building games, and more
Built-in rhythm and auto-accompaniment features
Mic input & vocal harmony effect
Beautiful wood cabinets: Satin Black or Rosewood finishes

You can read more on the Roland HPi-7 digital piano.

1p Delivery on all Roland, Yamaha & Casio Pianos

2010-04-12T16:20:00+02:00

You don't get much for £1 these days let alone 1p - but Umbrella Music is offering 1p delivery on all Yamaha, Roland and Casio digital pianos.

Yamaha DGX640 Digital Piano Announced

2010-07-11T17:32:00+02:00

Yamaha have announced their DGX640 digital piano

Yamaha's most piano-like Portable Grand ever, with its weighted Graded Hammer Standard keyboard action and wide selection of piano Voices. Selecting a sound is as easy as keying in a number, and recording virtuoso performances is simple with the built-in recorder. The Yamaha Education Suite and USB connectivity add functionality.

Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, the keys of the lower notes have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. The keyboard's sensitivity can even be adjusted to match your playing style.

This Graded Hammer technology also enables the instrument to provide authentic touch in a lightweight instrument. The matte finish of the black keys enhances the keyboard's luxurious appearance.

Amazingly Realistic and Dynamic Sounds

Yamaha's highly acclaimed Sweet! and Cool! Voices deliver incredibly natural and very dynamic sound. Use the Pitch Bend wheel and hear these Voices--especially the Sax and Trumpet--truly come alive!

Live!, Cool! and Sweet! Voices

A huge palette of acoustic and electronically amplified instrument sounds. A blend of long, stereo and multi-layered samples is used to fully capture the natural presence, resonance, expression and vibrato of the real instrument.

Digital Signal Processor (DSP)

237 types of the DSP effect can be added to the Main and Dual Voices. These range from reverb-like ambience effects to distortion and other dynamic processing tools that let you enhance the sound, or completely transform it.

Easy Song Arranger

n addition to each song's default style, you can select any other style to play the song with the Easy Song Arranger feature. This means that you can play a song that is normally a ballad, for example, as a bossa nova, as a hip-hop tune, etc. You can create totally different arrangements by changing the style with which a song is played. You can also change the song's melody Voice and the keyboard Voice for a complete change of image.

Umbrella Music played the Yamaha DGX640 at this year's Frankfurt show, this is what Matt Jonns had to say:

The Yamaha DGX640 digital stage piano is a real step up from he DGX630. The piano sound is a lot nicer with more punch behind the sound. Because the speakers have more power and the sound is more realistic this makes the general sound so much more advanced from the previous model. The sweet! and cool! voices on this model are lovely, the saxophone sound in particular is incredibly realistic.

All the features from the old model have been kept including the USB connectivity.

I really like the new colour as well, it really is nice to have a choice other than the usual cherry and silver finish.

Umbrella Music will be the first in the UK to receive shipment of the DGX640's and as usual stock is likely be slow to initially start coming in so pre order your's today!

Buy the Yamaha DGX640 digital stage piano here

Roland LX-10 Digital Upright Grand Piano

2010-05-06T00:00:00+02:00

Roland LX-10 Digital Upright Grand Piano

The Roland LX-10 digital grand piano is here at Umbrella Music, and it certainly is very impressive. From its powerful low range to its brilliant high range, according to Roland, the sounds of the LX-10 were created by painstakingly sampling world-class grand pianos, key-by-key, resulting in a stunning 88-key stereo multi-sampled piano engine. Roland’s engineers meticulously captured the sounds and resonances of each instrument, including the duplex scale resonances that emphasize string behavior and the brilliance of the mid and high range. And with its 128 polyphonic voices, the LX-10 ensures perfect performance, even during heavy damper pedal usage or during fast passages.

The Roland LX-10 is now available from Umbrella Music at the best price.

Come and visit the Umbrella Music shop

2010-05-10T13:31:00+02:00

Umbrella Music has a large music shop in East London with a huge variety of products on display

Umbrella Music, formerly Walthamstow Music, has one of the largest shop display areas in London for musical equipment - pianos, digital keyboards, music technology, brass and woodwind, and many more instruments.

To visit our music shop in East London, the address is:

Unit 6 Eastgate Business Park

Argall Way

Leyton, London

E10 7PG.

Argall Way of just off Lea Bridge Road, and we are the second turn in to the right.

In the shop for you to try out we have an impressive display of stage and digital pianos from Yamaha, Roland, Casio, and Korg.

We look forward to seeing you at the shop. You can also reach us by phone at 0845 500 2323.

View Larger Map

Roland FP-7 Portable Digital Piano

2010-05-17T00:00:00+02:00

Roland FP-7 Digital Piano - the perfect stage piano

The Roland FP-7 is a new digital piano from the Roland stable, and ticks all the right boxes. We have one on display at Umbrella Music, so pop on down to try it out.Equipped with great sounds and intelligent features that can make you sound like a solo concert pianist or an entire ensemble, the FP-7 is your ticket to a dynamic and exciting musical world. The intricate details of a real piano have been captured, including hammer and damper noise, and string and key-off resonance.There’s also a full complement of other instruments onboard, so you can sound like a complete ensemble.

Roland FP7 Features

- Equipped with Roland’s finest 88-key multi-sampled piano sound engine; each and every key of a full concert grand has been painstakingly reproduced
- 128-voice polyphony ensures that your notes will sustain fully and naturally, regardless of how fast or densely you play
- New PHA II (Progressive Hammer Action II) keyboard that responds naturally from pianissimo to fortissimo; the touch can be adjusted in 100 incremental steps
- Audio Key feature allows audio (.wav) files from USB memory key to be played back with the keyboard
- A large variety of Session Partner accompaniment patterns (each with two variations) for full-band accompaniment
- Large graphic LCD for easy operation
- Delivers rich, sparkling sound from internal speaker boxes
- Computer connection via USB (MIDI) for enhanced song creation and recording
- Cakewalk SONAR LE pro recording and editing software included

Umbrella Music Expo - July 9th and 10th

2010-05-27T13:32:00+02:00

Umbrella Music hosts Expo on July 9^th and 10^th

The Umbrella Music Expo takes place in Leyton, east London, where product demonstrations will be held by Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Casio, Sibelius, M-Audio, Hofner, 2Box, and other manufacturers when you can try out the latest digital pianos, brass and woodwind instruments, recording equipment, percussion, guitars, and much more.

Friday July 9^th is Education Day, with heads of music services and teachers invited to see the latest equipment available for the educational sector.

Saturday July 10th is Public Day, where you can win prizes, get your hands on the latest music equipment, and have a fun day out! To attend the Expo, pop on down to the Umbrella Music shop from 10am to 7pm at the address below:

Umbrella Music

Unit 6 EastGate Business Park

Argall Way (off Lea Bridge Road)

Leyton, London

E10 7PG

Tel: 0845 500 2323

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New Yamaha Arius Digital Pianos Announced

2010-03-18T17:11:00+01:00

Yamaha have recently released the all-new Arius range of digital pianos. Building on the success of the YDP140 and YDP160, Yamaha have decided to extend the Arius range to include three models, the YDP141, YDP161 and the YDP181. These are not available in the UK as yet, but are being launched fully at the Musikmesse expo in Frankfurt in a week, so we’re sure retailers will have stock soon after.

The Arius YDP140 represented exceptional value for money and the word on the street is that Yamaha will ensure the YDP141 is also good value for money. In fact there is a rumour that the YDP141 is of better quality than the Clavinova CLP 320. We’ll have to wait to pass judgement on that, but on paper it does look very nice and offers beginners and the more experienced players a lot for the money, if it is pricing similarly to the YDP140.

There is a gradual improvement of features as you go up the range so the YDP141 has AVM level 1 stereo sampling for the piano sounds where as the YDP181 has AVM level 3 stereo sampling. Also as you go up the range there are more sounds included and the speakers wattage increases as well.

The pedals are all the same on each model and have damper with half pedal effect, Sostenuto and Soft to allow for full expression.

You’ll also find that the keyboard includes a very handy feature allowing players to change the sensitivity between hard, medium, soft and fixed. This is a great feature as most players will play in a different way. The keyboard improves from Graded Hammer Standard up to Graded Hammer.

Another point worth mentioning is the polyphony which is 64 note on the YDP141 and 161s, where as the 181 has 128 note polyphony which if you’re a more experienced player will be necessary for more complicated pieces.

All in all the Arius range is aimed the home piano market and are affordable with some lovely features and sounds.

Check out the Yamaha Arius YPD141 here.

Check out the Yamaha Arius YDP161 here.

Check out the Yamaha Arius YDP181 here.

Yamaha P95 Digital Stage Piano Review

2010-05-06T18:48:00+02:00

The Yamaha P95 Digital Piano is the replacement for the P85. There are many people who will have had a lot of fun with the P85 and are mostly happy with the sounds and the quality of the keyboard action. For the price it is certainly worth it.

The P95 was launched at NAMM in the USA and isn’t yet available in the UK, but retailers should be receiving stock imminently. As always with any new replacement there are varying opinions on whether there is any improvement or not.

There are some people who are quite obviously disappointed that there is no improvement on the action or the piano sounds, but to make advancements on these would require a significant hike up in the price. The P95 will be aimed at the same market i.e. beginners, or players who are not so concerned with the amount of sounds and want to keep it simple – which is why a lot a churches use them. You’ll find plenty of people happy with the P85, the action and quality of sounds and the Yamaha P95 digital piano will be upholding this tradition.

Yamaha have replaced two of the onboard sounds with two new ones namely the Jazz Organ and Choir. There are a few people who think Yamaha should have been additional. But hey, you can’t please everyone, and if I was playing in a church I would like a choir sound. I’m also sure that the more contemporary churches will appreciate the Jazz Organ.

I haven’t tested out the piano sounds yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Yamaha have made some improvements there. One feature they have definitely improved is the onboard speakers, which have increased power now. In a live environment you would probably still need to hook up to an amp, which I would recommend doing anyway.

In summary I would say that the P95 piano will be a great choice for beginners and players who aren’t concerned with having a huge choice of sounds, but want a good action, a full size keyboard at a reasonable price.

If you aren’t convinced, or you don’t like the new sounds you could always check for P85’s being sold at a discount. Or you could forget your fears and buy a brand new P95 digital piano here.

Yamaha YDP161 Arius Digital Piano

2010-04-12T13:52:00+02:00

The Yamaha YDP161 Arius Digital Piano was announced at NAMM2010

Perfect for beginning students and experienced players alike, the ARIUS YDP161 series provides true piano sound and feel. The Graded Hammer keyboard makes it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling Voices deliver remarkably authentic sound. Moreover, the damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual Voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 2-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

Features

Graded Hammer (GH)

Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, lower notes on a GH keyboard have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. GH features an extra key sensor capable of reproducing fast repetitive playing of a single note with perfect articulation.

Variable Touch Sensitivity

Select the hard, medium or soft setting to match your playing style or finger strength. Turn off sensitivity for a fixed response setting, ideal when playing the organ.

Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Dynamic Stereo Sampling

The AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates the realism of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument sound and applying high-quality digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound created by playing the key of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances by recording samples of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expression.

128-note Polyphony

Conventional digital pianos quickly run out of notes during fast, dense legato passages: sustained notes are cut off as the instrument "steals" notes to make room for new notes. A maximum of up to 128 notes can be played at once.

Damper Resonance

Damper Resonance samples provide the rich and broadening tones produced in pedaling. Using these comprehensive gradations, YDP-161 model can realistically reproduce the complex sounds of a grand piano.

Half-Pedal Control

It allows the sustain length to vary "step-by-step" depending on how far the pedal is pressed. The farther you press the pedal, the more the sound sustains.

Umbrella Music will be getting it's first shipment of Yamaha YDP161 Arius digital pianos in June, pre order yours today!

Yamaha Arius YDP181

2010-03-22T00:00:00+01:00

The Yamaha YDP181 Arius Digital Piano was released at NAMM2010

Yamaha Arius YDP-181

perfect for beginning students and experienced players alike, the ARIUS / YDP series provides true piano sound and feel. The Graded Hammer keyboard makes it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling Voices deliver remarkably authentic sound, and YDP-181 incorporates a USB device port for storing songs recorded on the instrument. Moreover, the damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual Voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 2-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

Features

Graded Hammer (GH) Keyboard
Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, lower notes on a GH keyboard have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. GH features an extra key sensor capable of reproducing fast repetitive playing of a single note with perfect articulation. The matte finish of the black keys enhances the keyboard's luxurious appearance.

Variable Touch Sensitivity
Select the hard, medium or soft setting to match your playing style or finger strength. Turn off sensitivity for a fixed response setting, ideal when playing the organ.

Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Dynamic Stereo Sampling
The AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates the realism of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument sound and applying high-quality digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound created by playing the key of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances by recording samples of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expression.

USB connectivity for storing and playing music
Insert an optional USB storage device into the USB port to save and transfer your performances.

128-note Polyphony
Conventional digital pianos quickly run out of notes during fast, dense legato passages: sustained notes are cut off as the instrument "steals" notes to make room for new notes. A maximum of up to 128-note can be played at once.

Damper Resonance
Damper Resonance samples provided the rich and broadening tones produced in pedaling. Using these comprehensive gradations, YDP-181 model can realistically reproduce the complex sounds of a grand piano.

Song Recorder
The built-in, 3-song performance memory allows you to record a song, and then step into the spotlight and solo over it. Best of all, you can change tempo or Voices even after you've recorded your performance. There's also a built-in metronome to help you stay in perfect time.

50 Preset Piano Songs
A selection of 50 different piano songs is provided for your listening pleasure. These recordings were chosen for their beauty as well as their functionality. Since many of the songs are classic piano pieces, anyone taking lessons can listen to them for reference.

Specification

Keyboard:
Touch Response: Hard, Medium, Soft, Fixed
Type: GH

Voice:
Number of Voices: 14
Number of Polyphony: 128
Piano Voice Quality: AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling
No. of Dynamic Steps: 3

Effect:
Reverb: 4 types
Effect: 4 types
Brilliance: Yes
Damper Resonance: Yes
Dual: Yes
Split: No

Song:
Playback: Number of Preset: 14(Voice Demo) 50 (Piano)
Recording: Number of Songs: 3
Number of Tracks: 2

Metronome: Yes

Overall Control: No. of Pedals: 3 (Damper with half pedal effect, Sostenuto and Soft)
Tempo: Yes
Transpose: Yes
Tuning: Yes
Scale Tuning: Yes

Display: Type: 7-segment LED

Jacks & Terminals:
MIDI: In/Out
TO HOST: No
Headphone: 2
AUX. In (L/L+R, R): No
AUX. Out (L/L+R, R): No
AUX. Out (L, R): No
USB to DEVICE: Yes

Outboard Content: Song: Pianosoft Solo: Yes

Amplifier / Speaker
Output: 20W x 2
Speaker: 16cm x 2
Speaker / Headphones Control: Yes

Cabinet:
Key Cover: Sliding
Headphone Hanger: Yes

Yamaha YDPV240 Arius Digital Piano

2010-03-22T00:00:00+01:00

The Yamaha YDP V240 Arius digital piano was announced at NAMM2010.

Yamaha YDP-V240

Digital Piano is an ensemble digital piano with 88-note Graded Hammer Standard keyboard. Yamaha YDP-V240 incorporates a wide selection of amazingly realistic and dynamic sounds for hours of interactive music enjoyment. The Graded Hammer Standard keyboard makes it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. Yamaha YDP-V240's 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling Voices deliver remarkably authentic sound.

Features

Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) Keyboard with matte finish of black keys
Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, the keys of the lower notes have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. The keyboard's sensitivity can even be adjusted to match your playing style. This Graded Hammer technology also enables the instrument to provide authentic touch in a lightweight instrument. The matte finish of the black keys enhances the keyboard's luxurious appearance.

Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
237 types of the DSP effect can be added to the Main and Dual Voices. These range from reverb-like ambience effects to distortion and other dynamic processing tools that let you enhance the sound, or completely transform it.

Music Database plus External Files
You want to play music in your favorite style, but you're not sure how to select the best Voice and style for the type of music you want to play ... simply select the appropriate style from the Music Database. The panel settings will automatically be adjusted for the ideal combination of sounds and style! Furthermore, this instrument allows Music Database files transferred from a computer or stored on a USB flash memory device. These files can be used in the same way as the internal Music Database.

Easy Song Arranger
In addition to each song's default style, you can select any other style to play the song with the Easy Song Arranger feature. This means that you can play a song that is normally a ballad, as a bossa nova, as a hip-hop tune, etc. You can create totally different arrangements by changing the style of a song. You can also change the song's melody Voice and the keyboard Voice for a complete change of image.

Performance Assistant Technology (P.A.T.)
Play along with a song on the instrument's keyboard and produce a perfect performance every time ... even if you play wrong notes! All you have to do is play on the keyboard, and you'll sound like a pro as long as you play in time with the music.

USB to Device
The USB TO DEVICE port on the instrument allows you to connect USB memory devices such as flash drives or hard drives, enabling you to save or load registrations and user songs created on the instrument, as well as read data from the connected device such as MIDI files or style files.

USB to Host
Dive in and take advantage of the wide world of computer music software. Connections and setup are exceptionally easy, and you can play back your computer-recorded parts with different instrument sounds - all from a single instrument.

Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Dynamic Stereo Sampling
The AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates the realism of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument and applying high-quality, digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expression.

Amazingly Realistic and Dynamic Sounds
Yamaha's highly acclaimed Sweet! and Cool! Voices deliver incredibly natural and very dynamic sound.

Specification

Keyboard: GHS Matte Black Keys

Voice
Voices: 131 Voices + 361 XGlite Voices + 12 Kits
Polyphony: 64
Piano Voice: AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling
Number of Dynamic Steps: 3
Other Voices:
Natural! Voice: 1
Live! Voice: 3
Cool! Voice: 5
Sweet! Voice: 8
Regular Voice: 114

Style
Styles: 161
Variation: Main x 2
Fingering: Multi, Full Keyboard

OTS: Incl. Voice List

Music Database: Yes

Song
Preset: 30
Recording: Quick Recording
Record Channels: 6 (5 Melody + 1 Chord)
Guide / Y.E.S.: Waiting,Your tempo,Minus one, Repeat & Learn, Chord Dictionary

Compatibility: GM/XGlite/XF, SFF, DKV Piano

Effects
Effect types Reverb: 35
Transpose Chorus: 44
Tuning DSP: 237
Scale Tuning Master EQ: 2 types *auto set up
Layer: Yes (DUAL)
Split: Yes
Harmony / EchoDualSplit: Yes

Registration: 2 pads

Display
Type: 320 x 240 dots QVGA Monochrome 4.6 inch LCD
Contrast Control: Yes (knob)
Music Score: Yes
Lyrics: Yes

Pedals
No. of Pedals: 3 (Damper with half pedal effect, Sostenuto and Soft)

USB Connection
USB to HOST: Yes
USB TO DEVICE: Yes

Other Connection Phones: 2

Outboard Content:
Song XG/XF Songs: Yes
Pianosoft Solo: Yes
DMN lite: Yes
Performance Guide: Yes
Others Style: Yes
Music Finder Record: Yes

Online Service Performance Guide via PC: Yes

Amplifier / Speaker
Amplifier: 20 W x 2
Speaker Size: 12cm x 2

Cabinet
Key Cover Style: Sliding
Music Rest: Yes
Headphone Hanger: Yes

Panel Language: English

Casio Pianos and Keyboards now available!

2010-03-31T15:39:00+02:00

We are very excited to announce that we are now official Casio musical equipment stockists. Casio have a superb range of home keyboards and professional digital pianos.

If you need advice on which Casio piano to choose, call our experts on 0845 500 2323.

Roland RG1 Digital Piano Review

2010-04-01T18:15:00+02:00

Most people seem to know Roland for the amazing synthesizers and gizmos that make outrageous claims, and actually deliver on those claims and then some more. There is no doubt that they have helped transform digital technology in music equipment and are a heavy weight in their sphere. Ask 100 top bands in different genres of music about the equipment they have used or are using and you’ll find Roland name-dropped plenty of times.

Because of their presence in the music tech arena with more performance related instruments, their more traditional range of digital pianos can often be over looked. The Roland RG-1 Baby Grand digital piano fits into this category for sure.

To draw comparisons with a similar product by another manufacturer we should have to look at the Yamaha CLP 265 Baby Grand digital piano. Yamaha are a very well known brand, particularly in digital pianos for the home. At the end of the day Yamaha and Roland are extremely both trusted brands so there is no point me saying that one is better than the other, it is all subjective.

There is an argument that the Yamaha digital pianos mirror the touch and feel, and the sound of a real piano more accurately. Comparing the Roland RG1 to the Yamaha CLP 265 I would find it very hard to find a massive gap in terms of quality of sound or the touch and feel. You’d have to be a Grade 8 concert pianist to notice the difference, and once again it will come down to your own preference.

In terms of features there is not a huge difference other than the RG1 has more sounds, and has 128-note polyphony as opposed to 64 on the CLP 265. Extra polyphony will come in very handy for those complex pieces you might play. The extra sounds, are probably not as important as the main reason you’ll buying either of these instruments is because of the piano sounds.

One thing I should point out, both of these items are very heavy and when boxed are very difficult to handle. Do not ever handle the delivery on your own and make sure that the retailer asks you about your residence i.e. do you live in a flat? Which floor is it on? How wide are the staircases?

If you’re tight for space at home or live in flat that has narrow staircases the Roland RG1 would be a better choice as it is slightly slimmer – however please make sure you check the dimensions and be realistic about whether you will be able to get the piano into your home, without major renovations and the hire of a crane.

If you need some more details on how the specifications of the Roland RG-1 Digital Piano, I would always advise speaking to an official Roland Dealer of which there are a few in the UK. Umbrella Music is one such dealer.

You can buy the Roland RG1 digital baby grand from Umbrella

Roland F110 Digital Piano at Umbrella Music

2010-03-10T18:01:00+01:00

Roland F110 Digital Piano

The newest member of Roland’s compact digital-piano lineup is the eye-catching F-110. Featuring an attractive wooden cabinet in gorgeous Satin Black or White finishes, it offers a fresh look that will blend well with any home environment. With its 88 keys stereo multi-sampled piano and high-quality library of sounds, plus its unique cabinet with folding lid, acclaimed keyboard touch, and an intuitive user interface, the F-110 is a smart choice for the budget and space-conscious musician.

With the F-110, you can play day or night, year after year, and enjoy perfect sound and performance. Since the F-110 is fully digital, there are no strings to tune. No need to worry at temperature changes or aging strings. And since it’s digital, the F-110 lets you play through its built-in speakers, it’s external output, or privately through headphones.

The Roland F110 Piano is avialable in black and white finishes, and is in stock now at Umbrella Music.

Yamaha CP1 Digital Stage Piano Demo Video

2010-03-15T00:00:00+01:00

Enjoy this demonstration on the Yamaha CP1 digital piano.

New, Stylish, Great Sounds, the new CVP505 has it all!

2010-03-15T13:54:00+01:00

The new Yamaha CVP505 Clavinova

The Clavinova CVP 500 series is here! This is the much anticipated and replacement upgrade to the 400 Series. After the success of the 400 range Yamaha realised it was time to take a great digital piano and make it even better! The CVP 500 lineup is Yamaha's most advanced Clavinova CVP to date.

The CVP-505 is the next model up from the Clavinova CVP-503. Just like the CVP-503, the CVP-505 features a new 4-level CFIIIS grand piano multi-sample with 291 new voices and 4 more drum/sfx over the already fantastic CVP-503 voices.

Trying to decide if its worth paying the little bit extra for the CVP505? Below we have a chart for you to compare the enhancement of the 505 over other models.

Here are the comparisons:

Features	CVP 505	CVP 503	CVP 405
Polyphony:	128	128	128
Piano Sample Levels:	4 (new CFIIIS piano samples)	4 (new CFIIIS piano samples)	3 (max)
Keyboard:	GH3 with synthetic ivory keytops	GH3 with synthetic ivory keytops	GH3
Onboard amps & speakers:	Two 40W amps & 2 16cm speakers & 2 5cm	Two 40W amps & 2 16cm speakers & 2 5cm	Two 40W amps & 2 16cm speakers & 2 5cm
Data capacity:	2.4MB	2.4MB	1.4MB
Preset Voices:	689 sounds + 480 XG sounds & 23 drum/sfx kits + GM2 & GS sounds	398 sounds + 480 XG sounds & 19 drum/sfx kits + GM2 & GS sounds	414 sounds + 480 XG sounds & 19 drum/sfx kits + GM2 & GS sounds
Voices/Sounds	CVP 505	CVP 503	CVP 405
Super Articulation Voices:	38	None	24
Mega Voices:	18	10	15
Natural! Voices:	22	21	21
Sweet! Voices:	24	13	22
Cool! Voices:	46	18	26
Live! Voices:	29	14	20
Organ Flutes!:	10	10	10
Regular Voices:	502	276	276
Total:	689	398	414

Aside from these tables the Clavinova CVP-505 also comes with the following additional enhancements:

USB Audio recorder: Capable of playing .mp3 files in addition to recording and playing .wav files
Color LCD vs. monochromatic LCD (CVP-503/501)
More accompaniment styles: 362 vs. 272 (CVP-503)
More Music Finder storage (we'll go over what these are): 2500 vs. (1200 CVP-503/501)
More USB ports: 2 vs. 1 (CVP-503/501)
Video output port

The Clavinova CVP-505, overall, is a great digital piano—it builds upon the CVP-503 and is an extremely capable instrument with lots of great features. The piano sounds are the same as the CVP-503's so there was nothing for us to add here other than they are excellent, expressive and very realistic .

If you like a lot of sound variety such as saxophones, guitars, strings, horns and many other sounds as well as nice touches like a color LCD, mp3 player, and more styles over what the CVP-503 offers then we would recommend the Clavinova CVP-505 to you.

If you need any help choosing your Clavinova please call and speak to one of our sales team who will be happy to help.

You can view the CVP505 by clicking HERE. Umbrella now have them in stock, and available on a next day UK service. We can also ship to Europe so please contact us for insured shipping quotes.

Yamaha P95

2010-03-28T22:03:00+02:00

At Frankfurt 2010 the Yamaha P95 Digital Piano was launched. This is the replacement for the Yamaha P85.

Umbrella Music will be getting it's first shipment in June, stocks are bound to be in short supply, so pre order yours today!

Check out a review of the Yamaha P95 digital piano here

Pre-order your Yamaha P95 digital piano from Umbrella. Check out a review of the Yamaha P95 digital piano here

Yamaha YDP141 Arius Digital Piano

2010-06-17T10:19:00+02:00

The brand new Yamaha YDP141 Arius Digital Piano was announced at NAMM 2010.

Perfect for beginning students and experienced players alike, the ARIUS Series provides true piano sound and feel. the Graded Hammer Standard keyboard of the YDP-141 make it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling Voices deliver remarkably authentic sound. Moreover, the damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual Voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 2-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

Features

Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) Keyboard

Just as on a traditional acoustic piano, lower notes on a GHS keyboard have a heavier touch, while the higher ones are more responsive to lighter playing. The matte finish of the black keys enhances the keyboard's luxurious appearance.

Variable Touch Sensitivity

Select the hard, medium or soft setting to match your playing style or finger strength. Turn off sensitivity for a fixed response setting, ideal when playing the organ.

Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Dynamic Stereo Sampling

he AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates the realism of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument sound and applying high-quality digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound created by playing the key of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances by recording samples of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expression.

As Yamaha specialists, Umbrella will be first in line to receive delivery of the brand new Yamaha YDP141 Arius digital pianos, pre order yours today for June delivery!

Yamaha CVP509 Polished Ebony Review

2010-04-16T12:50:00+02:00

Review of the Yamaha CVP509 Polished Ebony by Umbrella Music:

When sitting down to play the Yamaha CVP509 Clavinova Digital Piano you immediately know it is something special. Yamaha's top of the range CVP Clavinova (barring the CGP1000 and CVP409 GP) the CVP509 offers the player everything they could possibly ask for in terms of playability, features and aesthetics.

Yamaha's reputation is rock solid but in recent years some people have felt that you occasionally pay a little bit too much for the name. Over the last year I feel Yamaha out an excellent range together with perfect price points. For the money (the Yamaha CVP509 Polished Ebony version sells online for around £5158.40) you get an array of sounds, complex recording features and possibly the nicest piano sound and touch I have ever seen on a digital piano.

The actual keyboard uses synthetic ivory keytops and real wood white keys. The key surface is soft and slightly porous, giving the keys added grip and a natural friction that lets you play easily. This makes the piano experience very realistic and similar to playing an acoustic piano.

When you play an expensive acoustic piano, you can vary not only the volume of sound, but also the expressiveness: lively, gentle, and so on. Thanks to AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling, you get the same response from the Yamaha CVP509. This is achieved by sampling sounds at more than 10 different levels of keystroke strength. From these, three to five levels are carefully selected, depending on the model chosen, to offer more detailed tonal variations. As you play, the Clavinova reproduces subtle differences in nuance according to your touch, ranging from pianissimo to fortissimo. To create the piano sample Yamaha used their CFIIIS full concert grand piano which was tuned to the highest possible condition. They then used Yamaha's unique Pure CF Sampling technique to sample all of its sounds, in order to create the CVP509 sound. As a result, you enjoy the same natural tonal response as a top-quality piano.

This model uses Yamaha's super articulation technology. This is mainly used on the Clavinova's woodwind sounds. Basically Super Articulation allows the player to accurately play instruments the way they would sound acoustically. For example when playing one of the piano's saxophone sounds you can bend or slide notes, to "join" different notes together, or to add expressive nuances at the end of a note. This technology means that if you were to go from a certain note to another you can actually hear the holes of the instrument closing as you would on the real instrument. This is seriously impressive and makes for an exceptional playing experience. In my opinion this makes the CVP509 the perfect balance between the Tyros and a pure piano product taking features from both kinds of instrument and combining them.

Megavoices are used on the piano to create stunningly realistic sounds. For me this is best shown on the Clavinova's classical guitar sample. Players will hear open and mute string sounds, dead notes, hammering effects, slide effects, harmonics and a wide range of strum and body noises. Put simply Megavoices actually mirror the instruments behavior and react accordingly.

The piano uses instruments active field control (IAFC) which is sophisticated technology outputs sound picked up by built-in microphones together with the Clavinova's internal sound through rear speakers, making automatic adjustments to create a richer sound that best matches the acoustic characteristics of the room you're playing in. It also uses signal processing to reproduce an authentic damper effect. When the damper pedal is pressed, it delivers discretely sampled overtones, harmonics and resonance to recreate the warm and spacious sound.

Recording your music is a breeze with USB Audio input and MP3 Playback. Simply plug in a mic and enjoy recording your voice over the piano sound. All the usual elements of a Yamaha Clavinova are on the CVP509 including a LAN port for easy access to the web where you will find a host of helpful features, new sounds etc on the Yamaha site. The piano comes with the matching Yamaha stool, my only gripe here is that this stool is not adjustable, however this would probably add a lot of money to the cost which personally I would rather spend on the piano itself. The display uses a nice big bright 7.5" screen which clearly shows scores, instrument choices and all the other features. I found that even under bright lighting condition the screen did not glare which is always a bonus.

To sum up, the Yamaha CVP509 is an excellent choice and well worth the obvious investment. I cannot really fault the product at all as it ticks all the boxes for me not only in terms of it's piano sounds and playability but also the host of other options that are built in. Simple to use you can be making superb and realistic sounding pieces in no time at all.

Umbrella Music are pleased to announce that we have just received the Yamaha CVP509 Polished Ebony Digital Clavinova. Although these came out a few months ago they have been in very high demand and stocks have been very low.

We have a very limited number available and are one of the few stores in the UK who have them in stock.

Remember when you buy a Clavinova from Umbrella you can be sure that the level of service you receive will be excellent and the price you pay will be incredible.

Check out the Yamaha CVP509 PE at Umbrella and buy today, before it's too late!

Here's a little bit of info about the wonderful Yamaha CVP509 Polished Ebony Clavinova:

Maximize the pleasure of performing with advanced features

The CVP-509 has superb tonal response and faithfulness to the original sound created from Pure CF Sampling. The NW keyboard with wooden white keys effectively reproduces the authentic touch, weight and feel of a real grand piano - and even provides Synthetic Ivory keytops, for natural friction and improved playing ease. The newly introduced Tri-Amp System enables the clear expression of even delicate sound nuances. The CVP-509 is packed with hundreds of dynamic voices, including the ultra-realistic, expressive Super Articulation 2! Voices and Mega Voices, as well as accompaniment styles. It also has a USB Audio Recorder for recording your own performances, complete with singing into a microphone connected to the Clavinova or even an ensemble with a guitar plugged in. Enjoy in a variety of ways!

Features

Pure CF Sampling for superb tonality - Yamaha technicians selected a CFIIIS full concert grand with the highest sound quality, and tuned it to the finest possible condition. They then used our unique Pure CF Sampling technique to sample all of its sounds, in order to create the CLP/CVP sound. As a result, you enjoy the same natural tonal response as a top-quality piano.
TFT LCD 7.5 inch Display - High-resolution, 640 x 480 dots, color TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD screen. Big and bright, the 7.5 inch display shows scores, lyrics, all important settings and parameters with crystal clear clarity, even under extreme lighting conditions.
Natural Wood (NW) Keyboard with Synthetic Ivory Keytops - This type of keyboard features the feel of real ivory. The special Natural Wood keyboard also uses real-wood white keys. The key surface is soft and slightly porous, giving the keys added grip and a natural friction that lets you play easily. The authentic touch and feel of the keys goes far beyond existing electronic keyboards, it makes you feel as if you're playing a real grand piano. This specially crafted keyboard lets you use techniques only possible on grand pianos, such as playing the same note successively and having the sounds blend smoothly even without use of the damper pedal, or playing the same key quickly and having perfect articulation without the sound cutting off unnaturally.
Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Dynamic Stereo Sampling - The AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) is a sampling system which creates sound close to that of an acoustic instrument by using digital technology to record the instrument sound and applying high-quality digital filter technology to the recorded audio samples. The waveform of the sound created by playing the key of an acoustic piano differs depending on the playing strength from pianissimo to fortissimo. The AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling can produce such dynamic nuances by recording samples of various playing strengths. The greater the number of samples used, the higher the expressive quality and potential becomes.
Super Articulation 2 - Mainly for wind instrument Voices, a special Yamaha technology called AEM has been used, which features detailed samples of special expressive techniques used on those specific instruments - to bend or slide into notes, to "join" different notes together, or to add expressive nuances at the end of a note, etc.
Articulation Element Modeling (AEM) - Articulation Element Modeling (AEM) is the technology for simulating this characteristic of instruments. During performance, the most appropriate sound samples are selected in sequence in real time, from huge quantities of sampled data. They are smoothly joined and sounded - as would naturally occur on an actual acoustic instrument.
Instrumental Active Field Control (iAFC) - This sophisticated technology outputs sound picked up by built-in microphones together with the Clavinova's internal sound through rear speakers, making automatic adjustments to create a richer sound that best matches the acoustic characteristics of the room you're playing in. It also uses signal processing to reproduce an authentic damper effect. When the damper pedal is pressed, it delivers discretely sampled overtones, harmonics and resonance to recreate the warm and spacious sound.
MegaVoice Technology - It features multiple samples across the keyboard with sophisticated velocity switching - for incredibly authentic instrument sounds. It contains not only the basic samples of the instrument but also the performance techniques used with it. On a guitar for instance, players will hear open and mute string sounds, dead notes, hammering effects, slide effects, harmonics and a wide range of strum and body noises. In technical terms, MegaVoice duplicates an instrument's behavior. In sonic terms, this gives the keyboard stunningly realistic sounds.
USB Audio Recorder & MP3 Playback - You can record your performance as audio data to a USB storage device. Connect a microphone or guitar to the instrument and enjoy recording a guitar and keyboard performance together, or record your singing along with song playback. Also it features playback of audio files in the "MP3 (.mp)" format commonly used by personal computers and portable music players.
Guide Lamps - The key guide lamps indicate the notes you should play, when you should play them, and how long you should hold them down. You can also practice at your own pace - since the accompaniment waits for you to play the notes correctly. Here, mute the right- or heft-hand part and try practicing the part using the guide lamps.
Auto Accompaniment - The auto accompaniment features let you produce automatic accompaniment playback simply by playing "chords" with your left hand. This lets you automatically recreate the sound of a full band or orchestra - even if you're playing by yourself. The auto accompaniment sound is made up of the rhythm patterns of the styles. The styles of the instrument cover a wide range of different musical genres including pop, jazz, and many others. Using these accompaniment styles lets everybody, even beginners, give accomplished solo performances.
Music Finder - When you want to play in a certain genre of music but don't know which settings to choose, what can you do? Music Finder has the answer. It offers an extensive range of music styles with pre-programmed voices and effects setups. Search for suitable styles. It instantly call up the best-suited voices, tempo and accompaniment style to match the song name or music style you wish to play. Simply call up a song title and start playing.
USB TO DEVICE Terminal - Insert a USB flash memory in the USB TO DEVICE terminal on the instrument. It would let you save or load the registered settings and user songs created on the instrument, as well as read data from the connected device.
USB TO HOST Terminal - Dive in and take advantage of the wide world of computer music software. Connections and setup are exceptionally easy, and you can play back your computer recorded parts with different instrument sounds - all from a single instrument.
LAN Port - LAN Port is for a wired internet connection the same as a LAN terminal you see on a computer. Stay connected and directly access to the Yamaha's special service "Internet Direct Connection (IDC)" without a computer. Once you're online with IDC, you can download your favorite contents straight to your instrument. And that's just the beginning - the fun and excitements start from there!
Online, On-demand Music (IDC) - Bring your instrument online and tap into the worldwide music network! Yamaha has created a new, essential online service for musicians everywhere: Internet Direct Connection (IDC). IDC lets you connect the instrument directly to the Internet, without a computer, letting you delve into thousands of MIDI songs on our custom website, and download your favorite music for playback on the instrument.

A brief history of Roland in video

2010-03-01T00:00:00+01:00

Free set up on all Roland digital pianos within 30 miles of Umbrella HQ!

2010-03-04T13:50:00+01:00

Umbrella Music are very proud to announce that we are now official Roland dealers and over the next couple of months will be working hard in the store to build up a fantastic selection of Roland products to demo.

To kick of our dealership Umbrella Music are offering a free set up of all Roland digital pianos within the 30 miles of Umbrella HQ (E10) included within the standard delivery charge!

Setting up your piano isn't too difficult and should only take about 20 - 25 minutes but it's always nice to have someone else do this for you. If you are located outside of the free set up area but still want a set up, please call us for a quote.

Look out for some excellent packages on Roland this month as we kick March of with a bang.

Click Here For Roland products at Umbrella Music

Clavinova blow out sale!

2010-03-10T00:00:00+01:00

Here at Umbrella Music we are Yamaha Clavinova specialists and proud to be.

We have some truly excellent prices on all Yamaha Clavinova's until stocks last.

Check out the Yamaha Clavinova range at Umbrella Music now and save money today.

Roland F110 digital piano review

2010-03-01T12:54:00+01:00

The Roland F110 Digital Piano is the entry level Roland Home piano, proving popular amongst beginner players and pro's alike. Making it's debut at Musikmesse in 2009 it has become one of Rolands most popular digital pianos. The slim line wooden cabinet comes in either the gorgeous satin black or modern satin white.

Using Roland's PHA ALPHA 11 (progressive hammer action), the F110 creates a thoroughly realistic piano experience with excellent piano sounds and wonderful touch. The technology used in the PHA ALPHA 11 means the keys react to your touch like an acoustic piano. This means the lower notes react differently to the higher notes just as they would on an acoustic. Having 5 levels of touch sensitivity allows the player to set the touch to their desired level. If you like to play the piano hard but don't nessesarily want this to reflect in the sound level adjust as required.

The piano has some really nice effects too, with he piano sound having 10 levels of string resonance, 10 levels of damper resonance and 10 levels of key of resonance. This adds to the realism of the piano making it similar to an acoustic. The reverb has 10 levels which can be used on any of the 128 polyphony voices.

The piano has 3 pedals, Damper (half-pedal recognition), Soft (half-pedal recognition, function assignable), Sostenuto (function assignable). Function assignable means that you can adjust the level, touch and purpose of the pedal. Half pedal recognition means that as you press the pedal down half way this reacts in a different way than if you were to fully press the pedal down.

The piano has a standard transpose feature (-6 to +5) which allows you to adjust the octave that your playing in. This is especially useful if your singing along to a tune you know on the piano but wish to lower or higher the pitch that your singing at but don't know how to naturally transpose.

24 watts of speaker output may not be the highest but it is adequate for the F110, which produces a clear, crisp sound. The control panel is very user friendly allowing the player to quickly and easily find functions for quick changes. using the keyboard split you can play bass on the bottom notes and another instrument on the higher notes, choosing where the split occurs for complete customization.

The recording function are decent with 99 songs, 3 tracks, tempo 10 to 500bpm. This is perfect for someone who wants to record what they play very basically and not get involved with complex recording processes.

The F110 comes also with all the usual functions a sub £1000 digital piano comes with in this day and age including connectors - Output Jacks (L/Mono,R), Headphone Jack x 2 (Stereo), MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT), DC Inlet, Pedal Connector.

The main competition to the Roland F110 is the Yamaha CLP320 Clavinova. From playing both it appears the touch of the F110 is more realistic and the cabinet is more modern, with the satin black colour costing significantly less than the Yamaha Polished Ebony equivalent. Yamaha's higher end Clavinovas are still superior to Roland's alternatives but they are definitely catching up on the lower end of the market, creating pianos that are technology savvy, nice looking and more importantly realistic sounding.

Get your Roland F110 at Umbrella Music today

Looking for a slim line baby grand digital piano at a reasonable price?

2010-03-01T19:09:00+01:00

Baby grand pianos are absolutely beautiful to have in a front room but often people struggle to find the space to fit it in.

Step forward the Roland RG-1 Digital Piano slim line baby grand piano.

The slim and compact Roland RG1 electric piano is beatiful in a baby grand shape without the size!

Introducing a groundbreaking digital grand with a graceful style and stunning Satin Black finish that blends elegantly into any environment. The piano sound and touch are exquisite, akin to playing a world-class grand, yet its bonus features such as the USB memory port give this instrument much more functionality than meets the eye.

Streamlined grand-piano body with a lid that can be opened and closed
Uncompromised 88-key stereo multi-sampled piano sound
PHA II (Progressive Hammer Action II) "Ivory Feel" keyboard with Escapement
Gorgeous, high-impact Satin Black finish unique to Roland
Small footprint and amazingly lightweight (73cm / 29 inches depth, 75kg / 166lbs weight)
Built-in stereo speaker system with incredibly realistic and expansive sound.

The Yamaha CLP265 Clavinova baby grand piano is also a good option but is larger than the RG1.

Get the Roland RG1 digital baby grand slim line piano at Umbrella for the best price in Europe!

Musikmesse - Soundpost Launch New Imporved Primavera Range

2010-03-24T00:00:00+01:00

After plenty of consultation with their suplliers and more importantly listening to feedabck from the people that are playing their violins Soundpost have made significant improvements to their Primavera Violins, Clearly aimed at the education market and the high demands of violin teachers all violins in their range have new improved fittings, news cases and bows and they look fantastic and we know that many a student will appreciate the care attention Soundpost have made to these improvements.

Primavera violins have always been designed for students in mind and have always strived to make violins for beginners and with this new range they have really thought about what a student violin needs to deliver.

Digidesign MBox 2 Mini Audio Interface

2010-03-10T00:00:00+01:00

Digidesign MBox 2 Mini Soundcard

The MBox 2 Mini is one of the most popular choices of audio interfaces for the home studio, and here at Umbrella Music we are offering you a great price!

Whether you’re a singer/songwriter who’s new to recording or a seasoned pro on the go, Mbox 2 Mini packs professional features into a robust, ultra compact, easy-to-use audio workstation to record and mix music wherever your inspiration takes you. And with its diminutive size, Mbox 2 Mini literally puts the power of Pro Tools in the palm of your hand.

Like its siblings, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, and Mbox 2 Micro, Mbox 2 Mini delivers superior sound quality and includes plenty of powerful creation tools for composing, recording, and mixing music. It comes with award-winning, easy-to-use Pro Tools LE™ software, which provides you with many of the same tools the pros use on major recordings and in films. And because Pro Tools is the industry standard, you can use your Mbox 2 Mini-recorded sessions in any Pro Tools-equipped studio around the world.

Buy the MBox 2 Mini.

MusikMesse - Korg Annouce the Monotron

2010-03-24T22:21:00+01:00

For musicians on the move or for novices to synthesizers the Korg Monotron is perfect. - maybe they should have called it the Minitron (it is tiny and could almost fit into your back pocket).

Korg have streamlined this down to the bare essentials, one voltage controlled oscillator, one filter, and one low freq filter. It acts very much like the Kaoss products in that it is a one touch performance product.

Another thing to mention is that the Korg Monotron uses the same VCF circuits as the Korg MS-10 and MS-20 modular synths - highly acclaimed we'll have let you know and how can we thank you enough Korg.

Check our blog for a basic Korg Monotron video demo.

Musikmesse 2010 - Digitech Launch JamMan Delay Looper

2010-03-25T00:00:00+01:00

With more than 20 years' experience in audio looping innovation, DigiTech, a Harman international company (NYSE-HAR), and a leading manufacturer of guitar, bass and vocal processors, announce the release of its JamMan Delay Looper. The JamMan Delay Looper features true stereo looping with a fully programmable stereo delay and ultimate control over each effect.

Check our blog for more details on the spec.

Korg Announce New Monotron Analogue Synth!

2010-03-25T14:26:00+01:00

First Analogue Synth in over 25 years!

Analog synthesis returns, in the legendary KORG tradition

Korg is no newcomer to the joys of analog synthesis. Back in the 1970s, our astounding fully polyphonic PS-3000 Series and our affordable semi modular MS Series set the bar for creative musicians around the globe. Surely one of the most popular of Korg's analog synthesizers was the coveted MS-20, famous for its dynamic sound creation capabilities and its fat, snarly, expressive filter. Kept popular by dance and electronic artists, this legendary MS-20 filter came back to life using the Component Modeling Technology in Korg's Legacy software collections. Now you can experience the glorious, evocative MS-20 filter along with true analog synthesis in Korg’s new monotron Analogue Ribbon Synthesizer!!

Take a look for yourself!!!

korg.com/monotron

See blog for more details!!

Korg has announced the microSTATION, described as a Micro Synthesizer with Sequencer.

2010-04-12T16:23:00+02:00

Designed to satisfy the beginning musician or the accomplished keyboardist, the microSTATION offers portability, the sound of Korg's EDS-i synth engine, effects, plus new sequencing tools, according to Korg.

Features:

Equipped with 61 mini-keys, the microSTATION travels easily and fits into any home, stage, or studio workspace.

EDS-i (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-integrated) sound engine delivers sound in the tradition of KORG's synthesizers.

480 sounds - including keyboard sounds, synth sounds, drums, leads, basses, etc. Tweak, edit, create and save up to 512 sound Programs.

256 dynamic Combinations place different sounds on different areas of the keyboard, or layer multiple sounds together.

Find the right sound with eight accessible categories; hundreds of Audition Riffs allow you to preview each sound.

A General MIDI level 2 compatible soundset allows commercial and pre-made MIDI files to be played instantly.

The on-board sequencer can be anything from an extra set of hands or a drum machine up to a full-blown MIDI production suite.

Loop Recording, Grid Sequencing, Dual Arpeggiators, Template songs, and Auto Song Setup features are designed to make it easy for anyone to achieve professional results.

SD/SDHC card slot for storage or your custom sounds and songs.

USB Type-B connector offers a direct MIDI connection to your computer.

Includes both stand-alone and plug-in microSTATION software for sound editing on your computer; plug-in software is VST, AU, and RTAS compatible.

Steinberg announces Cubase 5.5 update

2010-03-30T16:24:00+02:00

Cubase 5.5 – More Features, More Enhancements, More Cubase 5

Cubase 5.5 and Cubase Studio 5.5 are the latest updates to Steinberg’s music production systems, featuring performance, automation and video enhancements, as well as refined beat tools and workflow improvements. Both updates will be freely available to download for registered users of Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5.

Optimized performance

The Cubase audio engine has been tweaked for an even better low-latency performance on systems with four or more CPU cores. Updated versions of LoopMash* and REVerence* reduce CPU demand for these plug-ins. The native x64 version of Cubase 5.5 now features an improved VST Bridge that boasts higher performance and dramatically enhanced compatibility with the majority of bridged 32-bit VST2.4 plug-ins.

Spectrasonics Omnisphere overview

2010-06-09T12:38:00+02:00

Spectrasonics Omnisphere is a powerful synth

Omnisphere by Spectrasonics is a very powerful virtual instrument, with a wide range of sounds - from aggressive leads to soft pads. We have Omnisphere on demo at our east London music equipment shop, but to get you excited, here's an overview video of Spectrasonics Omnisphere.

Yamaha MG82CX Analogue Compact Mixer

2010-06-24T00:00:00+02:00

Yamaha MG82CX Mixer is full of features

The Yamaha MG82CX is a must have mixer for any musician / producer, be it in the bedroom studio co control the volume to your monitors, of for the live musician to control the line level of other incoming signals.

The MG82CX has high quality built in effects and 3 band EQ, which equates to a good, clean signal, multi purpose mixer.

You can buy the Yamaha MG82CX at Umbrella Music.

Boss BR-800 Coming Soon!

2010-03-30T00:00:00+02:00

The Boss BR-800 digital recorder is coming soon.

It is a Portable digital recorder that can be battery powered for ultimate flexibility when it comes to recording on the move. If you need a studio outside the studio, the BR-800 delivers. With an EZ Recording Wizard, even those who have never made a recording before can use the BR-800. It even has a built-in stereo mic so you can get ideas down quickly without any loss of inspiration.

You can record up to 4 simultaneous tracks, and playback 8, all from a single SD card. The BR800 has built in effects from the best effect makers in the world - Boss - including guitar, vocal and acoustic guitar effects. The BR-800 is bundled with Sonar 8.5 LE Software so you can also enjoy the flexibility of computer editing once you do get back to the studio.

For composers, engineers and songwriters who need a home from home studio, the BR-800 does everything and you don't even need to find a plug socket!

Korg Wavedrum innovates the percussion market!!

2010-03-31T00:00:00+02:00

The original Korg WAVEDRUM amazed the world back in 1994. This legendary musical instrument was instantly famous for its innovative design, performance possibilities, and unique sounds.
Now the affordable next-generation WAVEDRUM is here. Sonically richer, more sensitive, this 2nd generation WAVEDRUM is packed with enough power and expression to create its own musical legend. The wide dynamic range mimics that of an acoustic instrument. WAVEDRUM responds perfectly to the performer’s action, from subtly nuanced tapping and stroking to aggressive, repetitive strikes. The broad variety of sonic offerings ranges from traditional acoustic percussion instruments to new and unique percussion sounds. With WAVEDRUM, instruments that normally require special techniques to play, such as tabla, conga, etc., can be played with ease. In addition, WAVEDRUM establishes its own way of playing, granting the performer unparalleled levels of expression, full of originality and depth. Compact and lightweight in design, WAVEDRUM is ideal in all performance situations – from casual playing through to a full-on recording session or a live concert performance.

Check it in full on our website here:

http://www.umbrellamusic.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?iCateID=0&ptri=2985

New Nuendo audio software from Steinberg

2010-04-23T00:00:00+02:00

Steinberg are to release Nuendo 5

Nuendo, Steinberg's post production software, is now on version 5.

Nuendo 5 ushers in a new generation of post, live and audio production systems, with a wealth of sophisticated tools and numerous features that expedite your workflow.

For more information on Nuendo 5 as it comes through, keep on checking www.umbrellamusic.co.uk.

Steinberg Music Tech products available at Umbrella Music

2010-04-27T13:03:00+02:00

Umbrella Music music technology division are Steinberg experts

Steinberg products are found in any home and pro studio, from their Cubase range to the wide selection of software instruments and samplers. Steinberg also make high quality audio interfaces, all of which are available from Umbrella Music.

If you are needing advice on how to set up your first home recording studio, give our music technology department a call on 0845 500 2323.

More on Steinberg products at Umbrella Music.

Propellerhead Reason 5 has been announced!

2010-05-30T14:32:00+02:00

Propellerhead update Reason to Version 5

Reason has become one of the most popular choices of production software, and now Propellerhead have annouced the much anticipated new version, Reason 5.The new Kong Drum Designer and Dr.OctoRex loop player extend Reason’s instrument arsenal to help you get phenomenal sounding rhythms, drums tracks and beats. Reason 5 and Record 1.5 add a whole new take on sequencing: Blocks—build your songs parts like patterns and string them together for super fast arranging.

Neptune, a pitch correction tool and amazing voice synthesizer, turns your less than perfect performance into a great one in no time. Simply play your new harmonies on your MIDI keyboard for instant backing vocals. Live sampling into all sample capable devices means you can work with samples in a new and playful manner and re-explore the lost art of creative sampling. Sci-fi grade multi core optimization, the practical on-screen keyboard and an expanded Factory Sound Bank are just the icing on the cake.

You can pre-order Propellerhead Reason 5 at Umbrella Music, due out later this summer.

Virtual Instruments test station now in store

2010-06-09T00:00:00+02:00

Try virtual instruments by the biggest brands now on shop demo

We have put a virtual instruments test station in store for you to try all the latest and greatest instruments by brands such as Spectrasonics, Rob Papen, Zero-G, Toontrack, and many more. You can come in, put the headphones, and tickle the ivory's.

Umbrella Music stocks a wide range of music technology products, from software to audio interfaces, so come on down to meet our tech team and demo the latest studio gear.

Yamaha YCL250 Clarinet Promotion

2010-04-12T00:00:00+02:00

The Yamaha YCL250 Bb Clarinet is probably the most popular student clarinet in the UK and recommended by teachers worldwide. Umbrella Music are offering, while stocks last some excellent accessories free of charge with every purchase of the Yamaha YCL250.

We only have 7 left in stock, so be quick as they are sure to be snapped up fast. With each Yamaha YCL250 ordered an Ashton Stand, Set of 3 Rico reeds and a Neotech Clarinet sling will come free of charge. Now that's a serious bargain!

Check out the product here.

Altone Sax Independent Review

2010-04-26T00:00:00+02:00

There are plenty of cheap saxophones available to buy these days, which makes it very difficult to work out what makes a decent sax. The Altone series of saxophones are a serious contender for a beginners/student sax. Don't take our word for it, here's are a few excerts from an independent review by Stephen Howard - a respected saxophone service and repair professional with years of experience who definitely knows a thing or two about saxophones.

"I terms of what you get for your money it looks rather good, but it gets a bit better.?It's one thing to make a decent body and good keys, what's more important is how it all fits together - and on the Altone it fits together very well. Very well indeed, in fact.?The first thing I do when I pick up a Chinese horn is to give the keys a bit of a wiggle. The saxophone is by no means a precision instrument and can still function reasonably well with the sort of mechanical faults that would render any other kind of machine inoperable. Of course, that's no excuse - and the tighter and more precise the build quality is, the better the instrument is going to feel, play and last.?So I wiggled...and wiggled...and wiggled.?The bottom line is that I found a little bit of excess play in the octave key mechanism and a tiny bit on the top Eb key. To put that into perspective I've seen as much or more play on the keywork of many a much more expensive brand new instrument. When you take into account the asking price for this horn, the build quality of the action is, frankly, astonishing."

"A set up by a repairer can improve the playability and feel of a horn no end - but aside from the tweak to the top F key and a few minor spring and action tweaks, there wasn't really much that needed to be done on this instrument. That's impressive. Very impressive.?Playing the Altone gave the expected results, tonewise it's neutral to slightly bright - which is a good thing for a student horn as it makes for a less demanding blow - and it's quite even throughout the range, as is the tuning.?I enjoyed playing it, it had a good balance between clarity and attack but never seem to get too out of hand. In some ways that points up its student credentials - if you're looking for a horn you can push until it screams, this isn't it...but then it isn't meant to be ( for less than £200? Are you kidding?? ). It's a stable horn that's not too lively and will prove to be quite forgiving for the new player."

"In short the Altone sets a new standard for Ultra-Cheap horns. The build quality is fantastic, it plays well and feels comfortable - and as it stands it represents a thoroughly decent student saxophone. Add in the purchase price of a tad under £200 and there's no way I'd hesitate to recommend this horn to a beginner."?

You can check out the Altone series of saxophones here.

Altone Solar Saxophone

2010-07-13T00:00:00+02:00

Altone student saxophone

Altone has introduced the Solar, a high quality student alto saxophone, and it is already receiving rave reviews. Jazzwise call it one of the best alto saxophones on the market.

Altone - Get Playing!

The Altone Solar Alto sax sets new standards on Student Alto saxophones. The Beginner saxophone needs 2 things; playability and affordability, and the Solar has both of these. Quite simply we think this is the best sub £300 sax on the market.

With a superb tone this sax is very easy for a beginner to play. The Solar comes with all required accessories including a neck strap, reed, mouthpiece cap and a sturdy, padded case with shoulder straps for easy carrying.

All Altone instruments come set up so you are ready to play straight out of the box!

Buy the Altone Solar Alt Sax.