Alesis Virtue 88 Review – How Good Is It?

The Alesis Virtue 88 is Alesis’s brand new entry-level digital piano. This is advertised for beginners as it is moderately inexpensive and it is equipped with learning software.

You can view the Alesis Virtue 88 for the best financing and prices here.

At first looks sight, this looks like a top-notch digital piano. I have stated before that I think Alesis does a great job with their digital pianos for beginners. I think that they’ve done a great job again as well.

Note: Alesis just came out with the Prestige and Prestige Artist digital pianos. I highly recommend reading our review as these are significant upgrades.

It is my opinion that Alesis Virtue 88 is a great choice for beginners as it is cheap and it also has velocity-sensitive keys. Velocity-sensitive keys will allow you to work on dynamics. The one downside is that the keys aren’t weighted. With this being said, it’s under $300, so I believe that not having weighted keys should be expected.

Should You Buy The Alesis Virtue 88?

My immediate answer would be, yes, however, it depends on a couple of things. The overall budget is important when considering this digital piano. It is extremely hard to find a digital piano for under $300 that comes with weighted keys. The Virtue coming with velocity-sensitive keys and a solid build is a win in my opinion.

My honest opinion is that the Alesis Virtue 88 is not as good as the Alesis Recital Pro. With this being said, it is a bit cheaper than the Recital Pro and it meant more so for beginners.

Alesis Virtue 88 Review

The Alesis Virtue 88 comes in with 2 x 15-watt speakers, which is a downgrade from the 2 x 20-watt speakers on the Recital Pro. You get a 3-month subscription to Skoove, which is a learning service for beginners.

Note: For those of you looking to learn with online lessons, Skoove is a great option and you can read my full review here.

This keyboard replaces the beginner models of Alesis keyboards, in my opinion. The Virtue 88 is perfect for beginners as well as for kids as it comes with the Skoove membership. In my opinion, this makes as a perfect option for a piano for kids over 5.

This is currently one of the best options that you can pick for beginners. If you’re looking for something to test the waters, yet last a couple of years, this is the pick.

The interface is LCD and quite small, however, I personally like that it’s smaller.

Features

• Speakers: 2 x 15-watt
• Keys: 88 Velocity-Sensitive
• Additional Software: a 3-month subscription to Skoove
• Included Wooden Stand
• Polyphony: 128 maximum
• Record Mode
• Built-In Metronome
• 360 different voices
• LCD Backlit Interface

Keys

Alesis went with the more affordable velocity-sensitive non-weighted keys. This brought the cost down to the price of what it is now. As much as fully-weighted keys are nice, you can’t really find digital pianos for under $300 with weighted keys.

Speakers

You get 2 x 15-watt speakers with the Alesis Virtue 88. These are nice as you won’t need much more if you’re a beginner. The Recital Pro would be an upgrade here as it comes with 2 x 20-watt speakers as well as two tweeters.

Skoove

Skoove is one of the premier ways to learn online. They created a course that is a go at your own pace kind of deal. You get access to games and music theory lessons with Skoove. I suggest doing the music theory as you can learn some valuable lessons to improve your understanding.

The best part of Skoove is that there is one on one support from a professional. If you have any questions, you can easily reach someone who can help you.

On top of Skoove, there is also a built-in lesson mode that divides the keyboard into two identical sections. This allows you to watch your teacher and mimic them.

MIDI

You have MIDI capabilities with this keyboard. If you’re someone who wants a cheap digital piano that feels better than some MIDI controllers, this is a good option.

Built-In Stand

The Virtue 88 digital piano comes with a stand that has 3 different pedals. Each pedal works well and the stand feels sturdy.

Is This Best Option For Beginners On A Budget?

I believe it is. If we’re talking under $300, this gets my vote for the best digital piano for beginners. If you want to spend $200 more you can get the Roland FP10, which in my opinion, is the next step up.

The fact that you get a stand, pedals, velocity-sensitive keys and a durable key-bed is hard to believe for the price. I actually really enjoy the stand as it is easy to put together and it looks quite nice. I’ve always complained about the cheap-looking and feeling X-stands, this is not the case.

My Experience

I’ve been playing the piano now for about 20 years. I’ve toured in a major label band and I’ve acquired a lot of knowledge along the way.

I began learning to play the keyboard on a cheap Casio keyboard and after a few years, I upgraded to an acoustic piano. My goal is to give you honest reviews of products that I’ve had the opportunity to try out.

Overall

My opinion is that this is the perfect pick for beginners. You get lesson mode, a built-in metronome, Skoove, and solid speakers and keys for a relatively cheap price.

I wouldn’t compare this to that of the Roland FP10, however, it’s also $200 cheaper than the FP10.

Do you have any experience playing the piano? What are you currently playing?