Product Overview
With intuitive controls, built-in speakers and authentic piano, organ and synth sounds, the CK88 Stage Keyboard goes wherever the music takes you. Its 88-key, Graded Hammer Standard action is suited to acoustic and electric piano. Its combination of sounds and effects allow you to explore new sonic palettes. Pianos, electric pianos, strings, brass, organ and modern synth sounds. Easy-to-use controls let you focus on the music, not the menu. Dedicated organ controls and Synth and Effect controls. And with its long battery life, you’ll turn every place, from campgrounds, tour buses and hotel rooms into a stage or studio.
CK combines the sounds of the Yamaha CP Stage Piano with the organ and synth-focused YC Stage Keyboard to give you a totally new sonic palette. All with an intuitive interface that lets you focus on the music, not the menus. You’ll have piano, electric pianos, strings and brass plus a dedicated organ section and modern synth sounds. Onboard special effects to make it your own. There’s even Analog to Digital (A/D) Input to plug in a mic or another instrument, apply effects and record directly to your laptop. Not to mention CK has built-in speakers and batteries to take your new sound to new places. The options are nearly endless.
Three Parts
CK lets you split, layer, mix and process all from the front panel. Making it easy to create with a nearly endless combination of sounds. Split bass and piano. Layer organ with strings. Experiment with modern synth sounds. CK gives you three parts that let the music go wherever you want.
Preset Sounds
Whether you’ve got a gig, studio time or an impromptu jam session, CK has the sound. With the realistic instruments, modern synths and organ you’d expect from a Yamaha Stage Keyboard. All ready to perform or record at a moment’s notice. Just like you.
Pianos, Electric Pianos and Keyboards
CK features piano sounds from three legendary Yamaha grands: the CFX, S700 and CF3, plus the character-rich U1 upright piano from the Yamaha YC Series. “Digi Piano” sounds let you get your 90s dance party on. There’s also a selection of vintage electric piano sounds in both the reed and tine style, funky Clavi sounds and the classic 80s DX7-style FM electric pianos Yamaha helped make famous. You’ll have all the keyboard sounds you need to bring down the house, arena or backyard barbecue.
Organ
When it comes to organ, the versatile CK is all about options. Classic 60s surf rock? Check. Soulful R&B? Check. Gospel and everything in between? Amen. CK has a dedicated organ section based on the Yamaha reface YC mobile mini keyboard featuring five different organ types, rotary speaker effect, percussion and a newly enhanced vibrato/chorus. You get nine dedicated drawbars with controls for the rotary speaker, percussion and a vibrato/chorus section.
Strings, Brass and more
Need to cover more parts? CK’s got your guitarist, bass player, orchestra and choir covered. CK ensemble and solo versions of brass, woodwinds and strings let you create big orchestral backgrounds or more intimate quartets. Add drama with choir sounds. Choose acoustic and electric guitars and basses to accompany you or fatten your sound. CK even has chromatic percussion sounds including vibraphone, marimba, bells and more. Because you can’t count on the drummer to play a string ostinato.
Synths
CK gives you a variety of complex synth sounds without the complex menus. You get analog style pads, leads and basses, synth brass, strings and pads. Even synth bells and textures to add to your synth sound palette. All with modern synth controls to tweak your sound without menu diving. Elegant filter and envelope generator (EG) controls to shape the tone and amplitude of all of them. Mono mode with panel switch and customization features that are great for synth leads and basses. Unison mode with panel switch, three modes and deeper adjustments. Make massive sounding synths for stabs, pads, leads, basses or anything you can imagine.
Effects
- CK effects make it easy to turn its sounds into your sound. It starts with three dedicated effects processors: Drive, Effects 1 and Effects 2 plus an A/D Input with two dedicated Effects.
- Drive features five types of overdrive and distortion to add edge to your sound.
- Effects 1 and 2 gives you modulation effects like Chorus, Flanger and Phaser. Time-based effects like Delay and Reverb plus Wah, (even more) Drive, Tremolo and experimental synth effects such as Ring Modulation, Slicer, Lo-Fi, and more. Not to mention EQ. With 36 effects in all, it’s like having a built-in, customizable guitar pedal board.
- Master Delay lets you choose from four different delay effects including Tempo Delay.
- Master Reverb has three different reverb settings to put your sound in the right space. Both Master Delay and
- Master Reverb have their own send level from each of the three CK parts and A/D Input.
- Then finalize the tone of your sound with Master EQ. Plug a mic or instrument into the A/D inputs, apply effects and hear the resulting sound through the CK’s speakers or outputs. You can even record anything plugged into the A/D input to your computer via the built-in USB audio interface.
A/D Input
Analog to Digital (A/D) Inputs let you apply two dedicated effects to the audio and store them to a LIVE SET.
Soundmondo
CK connects to Soundmondo, a free service that lets you access and share one-of-a-kind Yamaha synthesizer sounds with music creators all over the world. Swap your unique sounds or get inspired by sounds from other players. Download the Soundmondo app for iOS or run it on Google Chrome for easy use on Mac, PC, Chromebook and Android devices.
Control
CK features an intuitive, 1-to-1 interface that gives you the freedom to explore your sound. Everything, from dedicated Organ controls to Synth and Effects controls, is designed to keep you making music instead of diving into menus.
Keyboard Action
CK88 features Graded Hammer Standard (GHS), 88-key, weighted and graded action to recreate the feeling of playing a Yamaha grand piano, without ever having to call the piano movers.
UI
The intuitive User Interface lets you dive into the music, not the menu and features Dedicated Category buttons that make it easy to find the sound you’re looking for.
Filter and EG
CK Filter and Envelope Generator (EG) feature dedicated controls for the most commonly-used synth parameters and a dedicated bypass button to quickly return to the default state. You have total control to shape your sound.
LIVE SET
LIVE SETS store and recall the exact settings for anything on the front panel including your splits, layers and special effects. It also stores and recalls features such as A/D Input setting, sample playback and LED light color.
Pedals
CK has two pedal inputs which can be used for your choice of foot switches or foot pedals to control things like sustain, effect
on/off, volume, wah and more.
MIDI Master
A four-zone controller connects with your external MIDI devices to turn CK into a full-fledged MIDI controller with your DAW or master keyboard in your MIDI rig. Which means you get four additional sounds at your fingertips with complete control of the splits, octave adjustments, patch changes and more.
Audio Trigger
CK makes it easy to playback 44.1 KHz, 16-bit .WAV files from your USB memory stick like a sampler. Simply play the highest or lowest note on the keyboard to trigger and save to a LIVE SET. Great for sound effects, backing tracks, cool intros or whatever you create.
Versatility
All the world’s a stage – or studio. And CK is the portable keyboard ready to play anywhere at a moment’s notice. Take it camping and livestream by a stream. Play in the park. Or on stage in Central Park. Bring it to your neighbor’s BBQ and steal their guitar thunder. All without compromising sound quality or features.
Speakers and Battery power
Unplug and play. CK’s built-in speakers turn everywhere you are into a stage or studio. Have a quick rehearsal in the green room. Jam at the neighbor’s house. Stream your latest busking adventure. No matter where you go, CK sound and playing time will astound for up to five hours with rechargeable batteries or up to three with alkaline.*
* Batteries not included.
USB Audio/MIDI Interface
CK is much more than a pretty MIDI interface. Built-in stereo in/out USB Audio Interface lets you record and play back audio to and from CK to your computer or iOS device, including whatever is plugged into the A/D input. It even has USB MIDI and 5-pin DIN In/Out. Perfect for recording MIDI data, controlling softsynths or connecting to Soundmondo.
Sharing
Play anywhere. Share everywhere. USB Audio and The Yamaha Rec’n’Share app make it easy to broadcast your performance and share content on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media. It may be the most social stage keyboard ever.
Part Color
Every performance deserves a great light show. CK lets you personalize and organize your keyboard with custom colored LED lights with settings that can be saved and recalled from a LIVE SET.
Compact and lightweight
With more sound per pound, CK is a compact, portable keyboard that easily goes wherever the music takes you.
Bluetooth Audio Input
CK goes wireless with Bluetooth Audio to accept tracks from your phone or bandmates. You can even use the built-in speakers to play a tune or run tracks from your phone.
Accessories
Max out your CK with these essential accessories.
Soft Cases
CK turns everywhere you go into a stage or studio. You’ll need a great case to take it there.
SC-DE88
Be your own piano mover. This soft case lets you easily roll and carry your CK88 to gigs, studios, clubs, arenas and backyard bbqs, and features multiple handles, pockets and heavy-duty zippers exactly where you want them.
Foot Pedals
CK features two freely assignable foot pedal jacks which can be used for a variety of things.
Expression
CK lets you continuously change your volume and sound with a variety of expression pedals. Control the volume of a single part or all parts, add Wah-Wah and more. CK loves all expression pedals. But for full expression we recommend the Yamaha FC7.
Sustain
Sustain is one of the most common uses for a foot switch. The FC3A pedal allows CK to respond to “half-damper” pedal techniques just like an acoustic piano. Or use the FC4A piano-style foot switch or FC5 compact foot switch for on/off switching.
Switches
Pedal jacks can be used to switch things like specific effects on and off. They can also be used to enable Synth parameters like mono mode and more. The FC5 is great for simple switching.
Stands
There’s only one thing that tops a CK stand: The CK. CK stands are built to perform wherever you put them including the stage, studio or sidewalk busking gig.
Music Rest
You can rest easy knowing your fake books, tablet and mobile phone are fully supported by this lightweight music rest.
