Studiologic Numa Compact SE Stage Piano, 88-Key

zZounds Gear Experts Say...

An awesome option for stage performance, the Numa Compact SE 88-key stage piano delivers lush organ, synth, and piano sounds with easy adjustability.

Overview

The Numa Compact SE is an 88-Note semi-weighted keyboard + aftertouch, with built-in speakers. It features a tone wheel, organ model and synth sections, 2 double powerful effects + string resonance and stereo reverb with a max polyphony of 200 notes.

Numa Compact SE evolved thanks to the technologies derived from Numa X Piano. Everything you love about the Numa Compact in the same lightweight and portable cabinet is now equipped with a powerful, updated sound engine.

Acoustic Piano sounds are enhanced from a totally revamped Acoustic Engine. High resolution samples are combined with adjustable additional layers to reproduce every note even more realistically.

- Updated Acoustic Piano samples
- More control of the Strings and Duplex Resonance
- Adjustable Damper noise

A dedicated Electric Engine combines a mix of samples and effects to emulate the realism of Numa X Piano physical modeling technology. Numa Compact SE can reproduce any Electric piano sound with mind-blowing accuracy.

- Updated Tine sounds and FM emulations
- Tine volume control
- Damper noise control

A true tonewheel organ model is implemented as a separate sound engine. Numa Compact SE provides a stunningly reproduction of some of the most notable organs.
- Rotary FX, Chorus and Vibrato
- Percussion controls
- Real time control of the sound

The virtual oscillators engine is capable to generate any wave and transform Numa Compact SE into a powerful synth machine. Use the sliders to design your own unique… read more sound from one of the forty included in the library.

- Portamento, Staccato and Legato control
- Monophonic and Polyphonic mode
- Real time control of the sound

Play. Listen.
Numa Compact SE grows with your demands. You can either use it with the high quality built-in speakers in a training session, practice at home with your headphones and plug it to the PA system when playing with your musician friends or performing live on stage.

Solid Control.
Expressive performance with ergonomic metal stick controllers. The programmable sticks and the Aftertouch add to the performance a total musical control.

Total Access.
All the power of the sound engines is under control thanks to the user-friendly user interface with its clear OLED screen. The FX processor has a dedicated control section to perform up to 6 effects simultaneously.

Impressively powerful. Impossibly light.
The Numa Compact SE with its contemporary vintage look is now loaded with a large sound library and 4 dedicated sound engines. It features a professional semi-weighted keyboard and provides a list of functions never found before in any instrument of its category. What's more? Oh yes... it weighs only 7 kg!

Features:

- 4 Dedicated and unique Sound Engines
- TrS (True Sound) Stereo Multi-Samples
- OLED display for easy navigation
- Max polyphony of 200 notes
- 2 full-range built-in speakers
- Use up to 6 effects simultaneously
- Play along to audio over USB
- Portable and compact weighing only 7kg weight
- 120 User programs
- 1GB of included flash memory
- 6 Sections: 2 Sounds in Layer or Split mode, 2 Sounds (additional) from MIDI/USB, 2 MIDI Zones in Layer or Split mode
- Editable Functions: Global, Program, Part, Mixer (Lower / Upper / Zone A / Zone B volume control)
- Master controls for Bass, Treble, Mastering, Volume
- Programmable and assignable MIDI options

Specs

- Keyboard:
- 88 Keys, TP/9 PIANO semi-weighted Action
- Dual switch detection system
- Aftertouch
- Ivory look
- Touch: Soft, Medium, Hard, Fixed (programmable)
- Sound generation:
- 148 Factory Sounds: 12 Acoustic Piano, 12 Electric Piano, 12 Keyboards, 16 Bass & Guitars, 24 Organs, 40 Synthesizers, 16 Orchestral, 16 Other sounds
- Max Polyphony 200 voices
- TrS (True Sound) Stereo multi-samples
- Additional downloadable sounds
- Acoustic Engine: Strings and Duplex Resonance, Damper noise, Hammer noise
- Electric Engine: Tine dedicated controls, Tine sounds for EP, Wurly and FM emulations, Damper noise
- Organ Engine: Integrated tone wheel organ model, Real time control by drawbars and dedicated buttons
- Synth Engine: Integrated waveform generator, Real time control by sliders and dedicated buttons
- Effects / Processing:
- Up to 6 effects simultaneously: 2 FX on Lower + 2 FX on Upper + Reverb + Strings resonance
- Dedicated effects for acoustic piano, electric piano, organ and synth sounds
- FX1: Drive, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger
- FX2: Rotary, Tremolo, Pan Trem, Delay
- REVERB: Room, Hall, Plate, Spring
- Features:
- Sound and Programs: 120 User programs, 1GB Samples memory
- 6 Sections: 2 Sounds in Layer or Split mode, 2 Sounds (additional) from MIDI/USB, 2 MIDI Zones in Layer or Split mode
- Edit functions: Global, Program, Part, Mixer (Lower / Upper / Zone A / Zone B volume control)
- Master controls: Bass, Treble, Mastering, Volume
- MIDI: 2 Programmable Zones - A/B. Program Change, Bank Select (LSB, MSB), MIDI Channel, Volume, Split assign, Transpose, Octave. Pedals 1-2 assign, Sticks 1-2 assign. 9 assignable sliders
- Speaker system:
- 10 + 10W built-in digital Amplifier
- 2 Elliptical full range speakers2
- Controls / UI:
- OLED display 128 x 64 dots
- Encoder with push function
- 7 potentiometer
- 23 buttons
- 9 drawbars | sliders1
- Sticks
- Stick 1: Pitch
- Stick 2: Mod + FX Control
- Connections:
- Audio OUT: 2x 6,3 mm mono jack (L+R)
- Headphones: 6,3 mm TRS jack (programmable as Aux out)
- Pedals: Expression, Universal
- MIDI: In, Out
- USB: Audio, MIDI, power2, Numa Manager
- Power supply:
- DC IN: 12V
- Adapter
- Input: 100-240V / Output: 12V-2,5A
- Size and weight:
- Width: 127 cm / 50"
- Depth: 23 cm / 9"
- Height: 10 cm / 4"
- Weight: 7,1 Kg / 15,6 lbs
- Package content:
- Numa Compact SE / Numa Compact X SE
- USB cable
- Power adapter
- Compatible accessories:
- PS/1003, PS/1503, PS/2503
- VFP1/103, VFP1/153, VFP1/253
- SLP3-D
- VP/27
- FP/50
- Softcase size A

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging
Base Item: Shipping Weight: 19.7 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 55 x 12 x 7 in; Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): Numa Compact SE
Open Box (Very Good): Shipping Weight: 19.7 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 55 x 12 x 7 in; Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): Numa Compact SE

Documents and Manuals

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-431-2609
Web: https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/

Reviews

(1 ratings)

Submitted April 10, 2025 by Jeff Ragsdale in Springfield, MO

"Numa Compact Se"

Overall:

(see rating details)

Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

The Numa Compact Se is a great keyboard for anyone. Highly recommended, and if you're looking for features vs cost, it is an absolute steal at $600. Read my detailed review for a more thorough look.

Sound
SoundsPros* A great selection of excellent, high quality and useable voices* Of the voices with multiple selections there is at least one WOW voice in each group that I absolutely love. I particularly love the Italian Grand Piano, beautiful and warm, the nylon string guitar (the electric guitar voices suck though) and the Jump Synth, it is 100% spot on.* The Compact SE inherits its voices and engines from the high range X Pianos, so they are absolutely stellar. In deciding which piano to buy, I also considered a Yamaha DGX or P-255 just because of the acoustic piano voices, or a Roland for the chorus and strings voices, but in the end I feel I made zero compromises in getting the Numa. The Numas voices are every bit as good as Yamaha and Rolands offerings. The voices are combinations of real world samples and excellent modeling.Cons* There is no list of the sounds that I can find. Anywhere. So you have to either memorize where they are, or search for the one you want every time. And they are all abbreviated because of the small (but very readable) display.I ended up making a list of all the voices per bank in a notebook.* The built-in speakers are pretty weak. I've played over 1500 live gigs on guitar, and not a single one of those gigs, including… read more quiet acoustic duos, were quiet enough that the built-in speakers would have been adequate. For living room use, in a quiet house, they are fine. The sound they do produce is very good, even at max volume, just not loud enough to me.

Features
FeaturesPros* It is very customizable, with tons of parameters that can be modified and great effects.* It has a good selection of connectivity options. (See cons also)* The core functions, split, layer etc are quick, easily accessible on the fly, and intuitive (see cons also)Cons* Everything is not necessarily intuitive, at least for me. The core functions you might use live are right there and quick and easy to get to. Many less used functions are buried, and a lot of functions require pushing 2 buttons at once, and once pushed some are active only for a couple of seconds (like selecting a voice) so you have to be fast, for any more in depth functions I have to keep the sort of useful manual handy.* The outputs are good, but I cannot fathom why, in 2025, the two 1/4" outs are L-R only, and not L\R-R, so to plug it into a single input amp, pa or daw interface you will have to make or buy a summed mono/mono to mono y cable to use it in mono, and a mono/mono to stereo y cable for any interface that has any type of stereo input. According to the information I eventually found on the web, the default 1/4" outputs channel 1/2 the keyboard each.... so the left output sends the upper half of the keyboard (above middle C, the default split location) and the right output sends the lower half (below middle C), so if you only plug in one output, you only get half the sound, necessitating a y cable of one type or the other, or both, for almost any external amplification solution. (if this is not correct, maybe someone can correct me please). The only other option is to run 2 separate cables to an external sound source that has 2 mono inputs panned left and right. Luckily, the y cables are not hugely expensive, but the lack of a 1\4" L\R output does create some small logistical issues for home studio or live use.* You can only use 2 layers total, while lots of similarly priced keyboards give 3 or more layers, if that's an issue to you.* It's nitpicking I know, but the power button is a push/push switch, not a toggle, which I think from experience the push/push is more likely to fail over the long term.## Full disclosure: I knew ALL of these cons before I bought it, and once I saw the unit in person locally, they were absolutely not dealbreakers for me.

Ease of Use
Getting great sounds is pretty easy. most of them are perfect out of the box. I'm not a keyboard player, and most of the sound parameters are easy to get to and dial in.Speaking of effects, the built-in effects are awesome and high quality, and they can be applied and modified 2 per split or layer, plus reverb per split or layer, and levels can be adjusted for each. So a total of up 6 effects at once for splits and layers, or 3 per voice for a non-split single layer.The Numa also has 2 inputs for pedals - sustain and assignable parameter, Buy a sustain pedal, you will want it.

Quality
The unit is very well made, and beautiful and unique in appearance. I particularly love the look and feel of the keys, although not everyone will.It came well packed and secure, feels very solid, and doesn't slide around on the rack.The array of buttons, knobs and display are easy to read and access.It's lightweight, and easily portable, although I would buy the $150 case for it if I were going to transport it regularly.The keys are very lightly textured like high end digital pianos, and don't feel slippery or sticky, even after extended playing sessions. They are semi-weighted and triple action with aftertouch, and more like synth keys than real piano keys. They are relatively light but still very touch responsive, and not too light. However, if you want a real piano keys feel, you probably won't like these keys. Personally, I love them. They feel like they are very good quality, as they should, since Fatar makes keys for a great number of top of the line digital pianos from other companies.

Value
Is it worth $600?100%I would absolutely buy it again, in a heartbeat. When you look at quality and features per dollar, it is in a class of its own.But... there are a couple of issues for me...* Support - will they ever answer me? Time will tell.*Documentation - the user manual is minimal, and basically tells you only the basics of how to operate it. If you're already familiar with these type of instruments, that may not be an issue for you, it is for me.* The speakers are just too weak for anything but home use or "maybe" a very small quiet coffee house acoustic gig, and the lack of a summed 1/4" out makes summing converter cables or adapters necessary if you want to output it to a pa board at a gig where you only get one input or to a daw or a daw interface, or home mixer, and really, the lack of a summed output is incomprehensible to me. But, I can get around it, and the effort is worth it.* I wonder how long the push/push power switch will last. But the unit overall is a rock-sold build, but time will tell.*Installing the software on my Windows 11 laptop was ridiculous. It took me 30 minutes. 10 seconds to download, and 30 minutes to get it actually installed, because THE .EXE ISN'T SIGNED by Numa, so Windows security will not let you install it, even in admin mode, unless you navigate to the security subsystem and disable some settings, install it, then go turn those settings back on. After its finally installed, it looks like it works fine But like seriously... for real Numa?* Also, the software isn't available for Android, but is available for almost every other OS. But no using it on an android tablet or phone. As Android dominates the market with a 72% market share, I hope they release an Android version soon so I can use my tablet instead of my laptop. Apple devices seem to be all supported (phones, ipads, and Mac pcs), as are Windows and even Linux. (Note; the app is not necessary to use the unit, only for firmware updates, additional voice downloads, and similar things. It has no external control apps like Yamaha's Smart Pianist, or Roland's app, both of which provide a considerable amount of additional control and functionality, and Smart Pianist even includes interactive learning functions and almost complete control of all the parameters of the keyboard. The good news is, the Numa is much more accessible than the Yamahas or Rolands in similar price ranges, but still, it would be nice if the Numa app was more similar to other manufacturers offerings.

Manufacturer Support
Tech SupportSupport in general, web presence, reviews, demos etcI haven't had any need to contact tech support. I have however emailed general support, and posted questions on their Facebook page and in 7 days have gotten zero response.There are only a handful of videos on youtube to help you evaluate, the only notable one being a review of the X-SE on Andertons, I would recommend watching it if you want to really hear what it can do, and hear someone who knows what they are doing demo it.Their web site is not great, but its ok. I'd rate it a meh, or 5/10 on useability and info.You can't post directly on their Facebook page, only comment on their posts, no livr support or bot support on the web page, and they have no other presence I have found on Reddit or anywhere else. So the only real contact point is email from the main web page.

The Wow Factor
OverallI would easily rate the instrument a 9 - 9.5 overall, only taking away because of the lack of L/R summed output, lack of web presence for support other than the home site , the lack of a list of voices (or instrument names for any of the percussion - you just have to listen and guess what is playing), and the app issues and its low added functionality or value. But for me, everything else good about the Numa far outweighs those issues.Otherwise it is a beautiful, great sounding, portable and feature rich keyboard and I would definitely recommend it to anyone without hesitation. If you don't need the real-time synth/organ controls, for $600 you can get a fantastic 88 key stage piano with 148+ voices and 4 engines brought over from the high end Numa-X Series pianos. That is a win for me all the way around.The only practical difference between the SE and the X-SE that I can see is the synth/organ specific controls on the left side. If you don't need those, the SE has all the same other features, fnctionality and voices for $300 less. So, buy it, play it, love it!And a special shout out to zZounds... I've spent mucho dinero here over the years, and zZounds has always went above and beyond for me!

Musical Background:
58 years of playing guitar (since I was 5), also play mandolin, bass and trumpet. Have played over 1500 live gigs. New to piano.

Musical Style:
I play almost everything... Classic Rock, modern rock, heavy metal, folk, blues, jazz, emo and a little prog rock and country. G

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