Yamaha P-45 Digital Piano

The P45 doesn't have traditional 5-pin MIDI sockets, but still transmits MIDI via the USB to Host socket. Connect this to a PC/Mac with a USB A to B cable and it will work fine with Garageband.

Thank you for your message. 

Yes, this piano has a USB-HOST connection and can be used as a MIDI controller. 

Many thanks,

Yamaha Music London

Yes, the P-45 piano comes with the following accessories;

• Music rest
• Sustain pedal
• AC power adaptor

Yes, the P-45 piano does have a metronome function which can be accessed using the 'Grand Piano/Function' button together with the pressing the E3 key.  More information is provided in the User Manual.

Thank you for the question. Storing the P-45 upright on its end isn’t a problem for the piano; we’ve designed our P-Series models to be able to be stored this way.

If leaning the piano against a wall, you may want to put some form of padding between the piano and the wall itself, to minimise risk of scuffing or marking the wall.

The P-45 includes a USB-To-Host port; this can be connected to Mac computers, iOS devices and Windows PCs and will send and receive MIDI information once a connection is established.

So, for instance you could:

• Connect the P-45 to Cubase or Logic on a Mac, record yourself playing and play back the recording through the P-45
• Connect the P-45 to a virtual instrument on a Mac, iOS device or PC and use the P-45's keys to trigger the notes of the virtual instrument (and if the virtual instrument is running within a host recorder, record it and later export it as an audio file)

The USB connection doesn't carry the actual sound of the piano - only information about the notes that you're playing (and how you're using the pedal etc).

To record the actual sound of the P-45 (as you hear from its speakers or through headphones), you'd need to connect the P-45's PHONES/OUTPUT socket to a stereo input on a recorder of some type. This could be a handheld device (something like a Zoom H1) or a computer, tablet or phone with a stereo input (or better, a dedicated audio interface).

Please be aware that connecting a cable to the PHONES/OUTPUT socket will mute the onboard speakers (and so you may need to connect external speakers to the audio interface or device you're using, in order to hear yourself play).

The P-45 features a 'Dual' mode for layering two different sounds together but doesn't have a 'Split' mode - for pianos with this feature, please see our P-45, P-115 and DGX-660 models - links below.

(The P-45 does have a 'Duo' mode which allows a teacher and student to have the same sound and octave on both sides of the piano. This is ideal for duets and for allowing the student to copy or follow their teacher.)

Thanks for your interest in the P-45. We've included excellent quality speakers in the P-45 - these are designed for home practice and work well in living rooms, small studios et al and can be used to accompany a solo vocalist (without a microphone) for instance.

For accompanying choirs or playing with other instrumentalists, we'd recommend using an external stereo speaker system. The PHONES/OUTPUT socket of the P-45 allows you to connect the P-45 to a stereo PA system for instance (for pianos with dedicated professional outputs, look at our P-115, P-255 or CP Series stage pianos).

Hi Martin, 

Thanks for getting in touch. We've designed the P-45 to offer the best performance possible in its class - it features our AWM sound engine with an excellent sampled piano tone and a fully weighted and graded hammer action keyboard so that it both sounds and feels like a piano. It has a number of different sounds (10 in total) such as a Fender Rhodes tone, Yamaha DX7 piano tone, organ tones and orchestral string tones. 

The P-115 features our Pure CF piano sound engine, capturing both sound and nuance of our famous CF Concert Grand, modelling the various ways the parts of a real grand piano interact with the soundboard itself. It also features a greater number of different voices and some simple but useful backing rhythms/accompaniments. The P-115 features the same Graded Hammer Standard keyboard action as the P-45; however, on the P-115, we've included a matte finish on the black keys, similar to the look and feel of a grand piano keyboard. For performances on stage or recording in the studio, we've included professional Left and Right outputs.

So whilst the P-45 is excellent value for money (and great for a beginner pianist to learn on), the P-115 offers a more realistic and detailed piano experience, with more scope for recording and performing.

Thank you for the question. We've included a USB-To-Host connection on the P-45 Piano. Once connected to a Mac or Windows PC (or to a iOS device), a MIDI connection is created and the P-45 becomes a MIDI controller for Cubase, Logic and other MIDI-aware apps and programmes.

For use with Windows computers, drivers are available to download and install (drivers aren't required for macOS or iOS). For use with an iPad, a regular USB cable can be used with an Apple Lightning Camera Connection Adapter.

Thanks for the question. We include a single sustain pedal with the P-45. You can upgrade the pedal by using a more piano-like Yamaha FC3 pedal (link below).

For a digital piano that can be used with more than 1 pedal, try the Yamaha P-115. As well as offering greater realism, it can be used with the official L85A stand and LP-5A triple-pedal board:

Thank you for the question. The P-45 has holes to attach it to our L-85A Piano Stand (which isn't height-adjustable). Generally speaking, most keyboard 'X' stands don't screw to the piano or keyboard; instead, the weight of the instrument in conjunction with grip attachments on the arms of the stand keep the piano stable in position.

If a height adjustable stand is required for the P-45, we'd suggest Quiklok's QL-646 as a suitable model. Otherwise, our L-85A fixed-height stand is ideal.

Thank you for the question. We've designed our P Series Portable Pianos to offer years of excellent performance without any servicing required.

The P-45 is a standalone digital piano requiring only a source of mains power and a pianist to play it!

You can connect it to a computer/iOS device (for use with studio music production software, virtual instruments or notation software) but this is entirely optional.

The P-45 comes with a basic but functional sustain pedal. You might, at some point, want to upgrade to a more piano-like pedal such as the Yamaha FC3A which also offers half-damper capability for added realism.