When you’re looking for a keyboard to buy, the most common brands you’ll find are Yamaha, Korg, Casio, and Roland. A brand you may not have heard of is Donner. In just a few years, Donner has made a name for itself as a leading keyboard company.
One of their most sought-after keyboards is the Donner DEP 20 88-key fully-weighted Keyboard. Since Donner is a lesser-known brand, you might wonder whether the DEP 20 is worth it. In this review, we’ll cover the following:
This Donner DEP-20 review will answer all your questions about the keyboard and highlight all of its important features.
Features
The DEP-20 is a fully-weighted 88-key keyboard that comes with a wide variety of pleasant features.
[i2pc][i2pros]238 sounds
MIDI connectivity
Comes with sustain pedal
Fully-weighted keys
LCD display
Lightweight
Affordable[/i2pros][i2cons]Stand only included in advanced model
Seat not included[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Sounds
The DEP-20 has 238 built-in sounds, including keyboards, basses, drum kits, and various other instruments. There are also 128 notes of polyphony, which is a lot for this price range. The notes of polyphony dictate how many keys can be played simultaneously. Since there are only 88 keys on the Keyboard, it’s impossible to reach this number with raw sound. However, the additional polyphony notes become useful when you add effects or layer the sounds.
The DEP-20 has 200 internal rhythms you can play along to, which is really nice. These rhythms range from Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz, Latin, and more. It’s fun to combine the automatic chord function with these beats. As the groove is playing, you can play single notes to create a full sound. Experimenting with these rhythms can also improve your own internal rhythm, making you a better musician.
Dual Tone
This keyboard has a convenient dual-tone feature. With it, you can combine any two sounds together to create a unique one. With the 238 available tones, the combinations are endless. On top of the keyboard, there’s an LCD screen. It’s not the largest screen on the market, but it still offers ease of navigation. The screen displays the tones, recording mode, and chord names. There are also 25W external speakers on top of the Keyboard.
Going along with the dual setting, the DEP-20 also has a double tone setting. This divides the keyboard into two unique sounds. This setting can be useful if you’re doing a duet with another person or yourself. For example, you could set the right half of the keyboard to a piano and the left half as a bass, creating a piano-bass duet.
MIDI Connectivity
If you like creating music, you might enjoy the DEP-20’s music creation possibilities. This keyboard has MIDI-connectivity, which is essential for music creators. You can connect it to your computer for endless recording and music creation.
MIDI lets you record into DAW software with as many tracks as you want. This connectivity is often overlooked by keyboardists. When it comes to creating music, the recording possibilities in most keyboards can be fun but usually isn’t very powerful. With MIDI compatibility, musical artists have infinitely more potential.
Chord and Multi-function Settings
Another cool feature is the chord and multi-function settings. With an automatic chord setting, the keyboard plays a chord when you play a single note. You can also set it to where you play a chord, and the keyboard fills it in further. This function works with the notes on the left-hand side of the keyboard.
Input/Outputs
The back of this keyboard has several connectivity options. It includes a sustain pedal jack, audio in and out jack, pedal socket, USB A and B jack, and a power socket. It’s very convenient to have this many options of connectivity on such an affordable keyboard. Suppose you aren’t satisfied with the internal speakers or the headphones. In that case, you can connect this keyboard to external speakers with the 1/4th inch out jack.
The pedal socket also allows you to hook up a 3-pedal unit to evoke a realistic piano experience. The only jack that this keyboard doesn’t have is an aux port. Aux ports allow you to play songs from a phone, tablet, or laptop through the keyboard’s internal speakers. Though it’s slightly inconvenient to not have one, it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker.
Other Features
Materials
The DEP-20 is made of plastic and comes with a zinc alloy sustain pedal. Most keyboards that come with a pedal include a cheap plastic pedal. Because of that, the high-quality pedal is a pleasant addition. The power adaptor is 12V/DC, 3A-type, and the package’s total weight is 33.6 lbs.
Weight and Size
The DEP-20 is 25.5 lbs, which makes it relatively light. If you’re a gigging musician, the DEP-20 is a very handy gigging keyboard because of its portability. It’s only available in the color of black.
With a size of 56.7” x 13.78” x 9.45”, the keyboard is minimalistic in nature. If you have limited space in your home, it’s always a good idea to measure the area you’re going to put the keyboard before buying it.
In The Box
On top of the keyboard, you get a power adapter, music rest, sustain pedal, and instruction manual. It’s worth noting that a music stand and seat aren’t included, so you have to buy them separately.
Is It Worth It?
In this Donner DEP 20 review, the keyboard has undoubtedly proved itself a serious contender to keyboards from Yamaha, Korg, and Roland. We highly recommend it for beginners looking for a weighted keyboard.
For the price of $405.99, the DEP-20 is an excellent deal, considering its features. Many of the features like the 128-note polyphony, 238-tone soundbank, MIDI connectivity, and 3-pedal socket are usually found in much more expensive keyboards.
The 1/4″ audio out jack lets you connect to an interface or external speakers, which is really convenient. Since it’s light and can hook up to a speaker, the DEP-20 is an excellent gigging keyboard. The metal sustain pedal in the package is also a big plus. In most keyboards, you’ll find that the packages include a cheap plastic pedal or no pedal at all. The only downsides of the DEP-20 are the lack of a stand and bench. You’ll have to buy both of those products separately, which is a bit inconvenient. On the other hand, there aren’t many keyboards on the market that come with both of those things. Even with the extra purchases, the Donner DEP 20 is a very affordable keyboard with tons of excellent features
If you’re looking for high quality and affordable keyboard, the DEP-20 might be a superb choice.
FAQs
Does the Donner DEP-20 have MIDI?
The Donner DEP-20 has MIDI support through USB.
Does the Donner DEP-20 have weighted keys?
Yes, the DEP-20 has 88 non-weighted keys. It is our overall favorite beginner weighted keyboard.
Does the Donner DEP-20 have Bluetooth?
No, the Donner DEP-20 does not have Bluetooth support so you will not be able to hook up Bluetooth headphones. Generally, Bluetooth results in sound delays anyway, so this isn’t a major con.
What Is the Donner DEP-20 Price?
The Donner DEP-20 currently retails for $405.99 on Amazon.
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