20 Best Keyboard Workstation Under $500 (2023 Updated)

The Roland FANTOM-8 combines the incredibly realistic V-Piano sounds with the functionality of the earlier Fantom workstations. The range and capabilities of the instrument will take me years to fully explore.

My major reason for upgrading to the new FANTOM-8 was to add the V-Piano sounds to my workstation projects. I am happy to have added this new workstation to my setup, but I am keeping my old Fantom G8, because I prefer the different modes of operation of that instrument, specifically Studio and Live modes.

The layout on the earlier Fantoms made sequencing effortless, and changing parameters was visually immediately apparent. Those changes are still obviously available in the new Fantom-8, but you have to dig into sub-menus to access them, and that’s not as convenient.

Additionally, the sequencing capabilities of the new Fantom-8 are skewed to patterns. While I believe that suits the needs and preferences of the majority of users, I do miss the open-ended real time sequencing of the earlier version.

It doesn’t seem like it would have been too difficult to retain that feature in the new Fantom-8, and it is definitely a disappointment for me in my workflow. Of course I can still use an external DAW to get that feature, but why should I have to, when they could have easily made unlimited real time sequencing available as a built-in feature.

That said, the instrument is breath-taking in all of it’s other amazing capabilities, and I really do appreciate the dedicated section to alter the waveform parameters of individual patches. The V-Piano sounds also have touch screen controls in terms of all of their parametric options, and they are more accessible than they’d been in earlier Roland keyboards.

I highly recommend the instrument, despite my minor disappointments.

When I first saw this keyboard I got excited and new I wanted one. I had no idea how complicated this keyboard was to use. The advertisements said hoe easy it is it use and program. The documentation is useless except for diagramingthe different aspects of the keyboard.

The YouTube experts and instructions are a nightmare. They go through their demonstrations like a fast flying jet. I tried to create step by step list if procedures for each part os this keyboard and after I completed three.

I watched Ed D YouTube on recording a song. It was crazy complicated with at least 25 steps to accomplish. I decided to send it back. I think Roland could have done a much better job with there engineering instructions and documentation.

I?m Sure not everyone who wants to purchase this keyboard is not an expert or wants to spend the incredible amount of time it would take to master the fantom.

Love this workstation keyboard for hobbyist piano playing. I hooked it up to an iPad with USB-C connected hub and found it to be easy to use with Garage Band and other music apps. The compact form factor and plenty of buttons and controls make it easy to experiment with different sounds.

Keys are not weighted but do have sensitivity so you can easily vary the loud or softness of playing. Built-in speakers are great for home use. I recommend adding a sustain pedal, and I’d you plan to connect to iPad or computer to make it a midi controller: add a usb hub, and usb-b type cord, and optionally a USB to audio jack.

Nice instrument. This is a great keyboard, especially for the beginner student. I bought this for my grand daughter and it has all the features she will need for quite a while to become a good pianist.

The tonal quality of the keyboard is excellent and the many settings make it a versatile instrument. I would recommend this keyboard for anyone.

First and foremost I want to say how quickly the item was shipped, it arrived very well packaged and was very simple to set up. My first impression was that of absolute amazement as the price I paid compared to the quality of this keyboard are very impressive.

It sounds beautiful, has a really full tone and has weighted keys. There are many options available to dial up from a standard piano to the church organ, all with amazing, full sound. I am so very happy with this purchase and cannot recommend it enough, if you were thinking about it or considering it all I can say is go for it.

Thank you American Music Supply.

This is my first electronic keyboard. I’m very pleased with the performance and its ability to easily link to my iPad for music software (with a “camera adapter” cable from Apple). I feel like I’ve learned more in a few weeks, the interactivity of practice with immediate feedback is invaluable.

Still lots to explore in terms of features. I have only scratched the surface as far as using this as a “workstation” for creating music. Right now I am just enjoying learning to play and read sheet music.

Note: There is no bluetooth on this device, which was odd because the Best Buy site recommended a bluetooth headset during my checkout. Instead, plan on getting a 6. 35mm Male to 3. 5mm Female Headphone Stereo adapter if you have modern headphones/headset with the small size plug.

I’m a guitar player, DEFINITELY not a keyboard guy, but I do like to have one around. I can play chords and fiddle around with single notes some with my right hand, but it’s nothing but a thumb and finger octave fill on the bass side.

It is enough to have some keyboard in the background on home recordings, but there’s definitely no solos. That said, I love the heck out of this thing. Around here it’s blues and classic rock, like the Allman Brothers (of which a vast majority is blues based) so having that B3 sound rounds it out nicely.

Plus I have a buddy who IS an actual keyboard player so when he drops by we can jam like the dickens (not that know if Dickens jammed much between writing novels). I’ve recommended it a couple of friends who were planning on getting keyboards and wanted something with a decent Hammond B3/Leslie sound and they both love it also.

Overall: I bought this keyboard as a plan b for a live computer based system in case it went down. The sounds on this unit are not bad. The construction of the unit also is not bad. However the keys leave a lot to be desired.

Also there’s only a MIDI out so if you’re using other keyboards and you want to use them as a master controller, you can’t. It is a lightweight unit, I think it only weighs about 12 pounds. The reason why I went for this one instead of a higher end one was really because of the price.

So I guess for the price it’s not a bad unit.

great 8. 8 lbs, the rubberized version is great-looks and feels better than plastic. sounds are great, the styles too complicated, the operating system is a nightmare for live play. treating us all like no-talents with force-feeding preset combos is a bad idea.

i traded mine in after one week for an EK 50. same sounds, easier OS, speakers, music holder and $150 less. no-brainer -but don’t get the EK50-L, not only is it not worth $150 more than the EK50, the extra-loud speakers are in your face, not out at audience, and the regular EK-50 speakers have all the volume in your face you’ll want or need.

I’ve owned this workstation for 46 days. So it is a keeper. Nautilus has everything I want in a modern 61 key workstation: Multiple synth engines. Realistic pianos. Great analog sounds. Tons of preset patches for string/woodwind/brass/percussion instruments and vocal/choir patches.

Both, realistic and synthetic. Sounds that can be edited and created for custom programs and combos. Touchscreen controls, Modern sampling capabilities. 16 audio tracks. 16 midi track sequencer. Vocoder.

100s of onboard effect processors. 4 way joystick. Multiple individual 1/4″ outputs. Removable storage capabilities. Large capacity internal storage capabilities. Assignable switch and pedal controls.

Its pretty much a 2020 updated Kronos2 without aftertouch, Karma, a ribbon strip, physical vector joystick, digital input/output, 2nd SSD drive bay, gold plated inputs/outputs, and physical button controls for sequencer, etc.

I chose it over a Kronos2 and never looked back. 2 minute boot time doesn’t bother me. Only issue I have is it outputs only 2 audio channels through USB (same as Kronos2) instead of 16 audio channels.

But you can output up to 4 separate audio channels through the individual 1/4″ outputs, on a single pass. This Nautilus accompanies my previous legacy workstation in my studio.

I have been playing Korg keyboards for nearly a decade now, and having tried many others, I find Korg to be one of the most user friendly, and easy to use keyboards on the market. The Nautilus is no exception.

The Nautilus is loaded with many great voices, including some of the best piano sounds I have heard. The Setlist feature is great for live performance. Creating and editing combinations is fairly simple and straightforward.

The weighted action feels nice. I would have rather had a volume knob than a slider, but everything about this keyboard seems to be very good, Japanese quality. It is a heavy keyboard. I would highly recommend a good case if you plan to gig with this keyboard, and a good, sturdy stand.

Have been thinking about adding a full size versatile Piano/Synth/Workstation to my Home Studio. Been seeing the hype on the Nautilus for about a year. Looked around at the ones available and decided to hold out for this.

Seen it was finally available, pulled the trigger and I am thrilled with this instrument. Worth every penny. I have had this only for a few days and have barely scratched the surface of its ability however all I can say is it was a great choice without a doubt.

From the feel of the keyboard to the library of sounds. Very intuitive, easy to operate and you can go as deep as yo need to. I will update down the road but for anyone thinking about this one, go for it you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve had this close to a month now. I wanted something to be able to scratch out ideas, just sit down and play, and do creative stuff with. The sounds are pretty good. I use primarily synth, electric piano and organ sounds.

The synth sounds and arps are pretty great out of the box. I like pretty dry e-piano and organ sounds. With a bit of tweaking those are quite good too. It’s easy to set favorites onto the pads, and this has enough physicals controllers for playing live.

Especially for the organs – you can press a button to flip the Leslie on and then control the speed with the mod wheel. It’s lots of fun. What’s less fun is the menus. If you just want to play, this thing is easy to learn.

Just choose the category and sound. With just a bit of fiddling you can learn to save it to the favorites (of which there are many – 4 banks of 16 pads). So getting set up for a gig with the default sounds is pretty easy.

editing the sounds and using the sequencer, on the other hand, requires really studying the menus, lots of page button presses, and deciphering the manual. I haven’t even gotten all that deep, but even turning off a reverb is like 15 pages in.

The sequencer works but is not super intuitive. On the right side of the board, I was able to figure out the sampler, step sequencer and favorites without too much trouble. They work great. The sampler especially is really fun to use for looping of shots.

One big travesty is that you can’t record samples to beats and measures — only time. You can truncate a sample to get it wonky sounds like it will loop correctly, but if you try to sync it to the drum step sequencer or arp it will drift.

It’s really too bad, because that would have been a killer feature that would have turned this into a more powerful tool. There are ways to take the sample pad sounds and then turn them into a program (e.

g. so you can play then in the sequencer), but not like a typical sampler where it will pitch the sample across the keyboard. It just maps the 16 samples in a bank to 16 keys on a keyboard. Useful, but it would be nice to be able to map it across the board.

One big benefit is that the thing is really light. For this price, I’ll deal with the faults. It’s a great performance keyboard and the sampler/step sequencer provide for a lot of fun and inspiration, I wish Korg would keep this form factor but add in the looping functions and make the menus a bit easier to navigate.

My first experience with a Korg keyboard (other than repairing an old X-3). All my other keyboards are Yamahas and it’s hard not to compare the Korg to them. The Kross 2 is way cool looking with lots of curves in the case a nice finish.

It’s light weight and can be battery powered by 6 AA cells. The keybed seems solid and the action (unweighted in the 61 I got) is good. There’s a light up Korg logo with adjustable lighting levels that’s worthless to me but some may like it.

The cable plug ins on the back are somewhat difficult to see when seated at the keyboard. I ran through the “bread n butter” sounds (pianos, organs, E pianos) when I first hooked it up and most were good but nothing out of the ordinary.

In going through the organ sounds I found the rotary speaker effect (Leslie sound) was totally unrealistic as compared to my old B3 or even to the Yamaha MX ‘s effect. That’s a deal killer for me. A good assortment of sounds but nothing outstanding.

Mic input with vocoder works and sampling to the pads is nice but buy a SDHC card if you don’t have a spare because all audio, samples, and sequencer/MIDI files have to be stored on the SD card. The expanded internal memory is for Programs and Combi’s.

Someone has posted a video on Youtube showing how to play samples you make across the keyboard (with some limitations). Audio and MIDI over USB work but in working with a DAW you can’t monitor your tracks through the Korg headphone jack without problems (monitoring through computer speakers works).

The Kross 2 comes with a “quick start guide” but you have to download the. pdf operators manual, parameters list, and program list. That means you ‘ll have to carry around a tablet or laptop to consult the manual until you learn all the stuff you need to know about this board.

On the whole the Kross 2 is a nice keyboard but I’ll be passing it on to my son (who just needs a keyboard to practice on) while I stick with the Yamaha MX (which has it’s own problems).

I have owned a Tyros 3 and 4 – I still have the 4. I thought I’d splurge on the Genos since I had nothing better to do with my money (and the wife said ok!). I have read a lot of reviews where people are complaining that the OS is very difficult to navigate compared to the Tyros.

I can tell you it’s not. It does so much more than the Tyros, so yes, there’s a learning curve, but it’s an easy one. What I really love about this is that it’s lightning fast compared to the Tyros. I copied 200 midi files from my Tyros to a flash drive.

Put it in the Genos and they were copied in 2 or 3 seconds. Everything on the Genos is 1000 faster than the Tyros. An added plus is the unlimited registrations. This is great when I play live, as I store all my set list songs in the registrations, and can set them up depending on the venue.

I no longer have to clear my registration banks and create set lists every time I play. Now I just create folders once for each venue, and then call that folder of registrations up at the gig. Also, you can copy/paste in the registrations.

Makes it 100 times faster when removing and adding songs to a bank, or rearranging your set lists on the Tyros. And yes, you will have to modify the midi instrument setups when you port them over from the Tyros – but only if you want to, because the Genos will automatically match the Tyros instruments, so you’re ready to go immediately.

Saving midi setups is a breeze – press save, and in a blink of an eye, they’re saved. So many outstanding features of the Genos makes it easy to justify the hefty price tag. Of course, the sounds, Wow! Great board.

I had the original krome and sold it to get another board that I wanted to try as I love hardware synths and workstations. The original krome ranked an 8 out of 10 on my scale because of the great sequencer.

The sequencer is easy and powerful. Great sounds, arpeggios, and combi’s as usual from korg. 16 tracks was also a plus. Just the general workflow within the krome was smooth and easy to adapt to. If you watch a couple of demo vids before buying, you’ll within 2 or 3 days almost master the krome.

Song mode/recording was easy. One of the negatives I had on the krome was the knobs and the effects. I like instant control and in my opinion it was subpar, too much programming for me. I have a Roland Jd-Xi and the instant controls kind of spoiled me with the effects like reverb, delay and etc so forgive me.

The other big downer is the lack of usb audio/midi interface. You need an external usb audio interface to your computer to record and sequence. It doesn’t export wav audio. So basically, you can create a whole song on the krome but you still have to sequence it into a daw.

After about 6 years being without it and experiencing with diff. Boards, I decided to buy the krome ex. In short, the ex is the same board as the original, exactly the same. A few new sounds but all of the limitations are the same as the last generation board.

I bought the blemished boards so it wasn’t full sale. Gc, thanks, the board is beautiful. Also it feels good being confident in the touch screen. Wouldn’t feel confident buying a used older krome even though they are the same board.

Touch screens can get glitchy. I would recommend obviously but not as a main board, too many limitations. If you only had money for 1 main all multi value purpose board under $1000, than I’d pick korg Kross 2, a used Roland fa06, Roland Juno ds61.

These all have audio interfaces, thus more powerful boards. I love the krome ex, it gets a 7 out of 10. Needs real upgrades like a sampler or audio int.

I purchased the Krome EX 73 key version. And I am amazed by the workflow and easiness of finding the right sounds you need to create music. I’ve been producing music fir many years previously using Korg Triton and Korg M3.

This one really is far improved on both of those but wit GC familiar workflow. There is no sampler unfortunately but that would be the only other feature I would of loved to see on this. But the main thing for me in this keyboard is the amazing quality sounds and samples.

Drums are well sampled and pianos, strings are beautifully instilled in your creative space well! I highly recommend this product especially if your a Korg fan and don’t quite want to spend the money for Kronos.

It’s a great price point for the capabilities of this workstation!!.

I haven’t bought a new keyboard since the first Roland Fantom many years ago. I have been using strictly plugins and “in the box” recording for a long time. Thought I would get something to play when I don’t feel like firing up the whole studio.

This is my first Korg since my beloved Polysix that I got new in the early eighties. For the price, the features are amazing. Easy to record on and find the sounds I’m looking for. The drum sounds and patterns are VAST and varied! Same thing with the arp patterns.

Overall I am very pleased. Unlike other reviews I’ve read, I don’t have a problem with the keyboard action. It is more synth than semi-weighted as advertised, but it feels fine to me. That said, I do use my 88 key hammer action controller most of the time connected to the Krome.

This keyboard is going to use all the time including taking it to the hospital are my parents spend most of their time. They are very sick and I take it to help them get buy throughout their day. Otherwise, it is home to play for them when they are home.

Only I wish I could afford a carrying case for it. I drop my other one and mess it up. I hope I don’t drop this. This is going to be my last keyboard. I hope I don’t drop it.

The reason I got this keyboard is because the damper pedal does not hold the notes out forever but instead lets them ring out and than fade away on there own. This totally changes the way Strings and Choirs work.

It makes the sounds much more useful. It is like this for all the first 260 sounds than for the next 300 XGlite sounds the damper pedal holds the notes out forever. There are also allot of fun percussion sounds from around the world.

I think this keyboard is a real step up for the price. I love these new innovations. for less than 300 this thing is an incredible instrument. Thanks for the incredible keyboard. The articulation button is a great Idea but the vibrato that is used on most everything sounds to intense to be usable most of the time.

It would be better if it did something different on every sound and you could control it with a foot pedal but that is probably a great Idea for a more expensive keyboard. It would be great if you could have two damper pedals one for a fading damper and the another for holding the sound out continually.

I would love to be able to use this fading damper in mixing sounds on the MODX. That would be so musical.

I am a adult looking to get into and be serious with my study & playing. I needed value as this purchase would have to last quite a while. I researched reviews & YouTube for the best options. I soon realized that the Yamaha PSR Series would be my best option.

I decided to go with the 76 key version vs the 61 key option. To get the added 15 keys for around $70 made the most sense for me as this will be a long term instrument for me. I also purchased a sustain pedal, stand, and key stickers.

I look forward to working with the learning suite and playing my favorite songs through the interface. I purchased SimplyPiano and the keyboard integrates seamlessly via the type”b” (printer cable). The keyboard has more voices & sounds than I will ever get to but they sure add value to the purchase.

It sounds beautiful in demo, my playing is another story but that is what the PRS-EW310 is designed for; The learning musician to get great value.

The best part about this DAW is the color touch screen feature which prevents you from scrolling through miles of 1980’s alarm clock style, LCD menus. The limitless and what seems to be repetitive copies of tones are endless.

Another great feature about this board is the accompaniments under the “Perform” function. For the bad: Mine came up with an irreversible error upon startup at a high profile gig at the ripe ‘ol age of 18 months old.

No, i didn’t buy the warranty. I figured I’m purchasing high quality German engineering. (Think Porsche, Mercedes Benz) Fortunately I had my Roland XP for backup. Since then, I’ve investigated the error only to find that there is an Internal Micro SD card that has to be replaced.

No worries, I ordered a new one which had the flash image required from KORG and disappointingly, this did not remedy the error. So now after mustering the courage to remove 52 screws from the back to access and replace the Micro SD (I’m just a musician, not an electronics engineer) it just sits there upside down with the back cover removed looking like an electronic nightmare.

I paid MSRP of $1500 + for this DAW. The other issues I have is minor compared to the thing just not working. That is the cheap feel of the key-bed. Play one and you’ll see what i mean. I realize it’s not the Kronos (Krome’s big brother) but c’mon.

Does the Kronos have the same issue? And, one more minor gripe: The power pack on this DAW is external. What? NEVER seen that before. Pain to carry around what appears to be a laptop power supply. Wall warts are bad enough but this? I have it apart, there IS room to make it internal.

Also, why are there so many Sam Ash employee reviews? Is this a prerequisite or duty of some kind for working there? “You must make half-hearted reviews with 5 stars”? No offense to the employees who’ve done so.

I’m sure there’s a few genuine reviews, however the majority are lame and transparent for all board brands. The same review could be for any board.

The 61 key Korg Krome is the most outstanding performance/workstation keyboard on the market. It’s got plenty of great sounds for even the most demanding musicians and producers. There are breathtaking piano sounds, spine tingling string patches and stunning synth pads and leads.

As a performance keyboard, the 61 velocity sensitive keys allow players to move extremely fast, making the most of solos and leads while still maintaining a very responsive touch. For producers and electronic musicians, the sound editing and sequencing features of this keyboard are extremely in depth without being overwhelming.

For musicians who already have experience with some of Korg’s earlier workstation keyboards, the layout is virtually the same. With USB and SD Card data storage options, the Korg Krome is a must for any musician looking for a professional keyboard that they can use in the studio or on stage.

This is a real hands on product review from [email protected] Sam Ash King of Prussia.

The feel and response of the keys on the Krome 61 combined with the absolute highest quality piano samples that are built in make it easy to forget that this is a workstation and not a Grand Piano. The 7in touch screen display will help remind you that you can do so much more with it.

I recommend the Krome 61 for both amateur and professional singer/songwriters, due to it’s ability to record and multitrack many instruments, as well as concert pianists who want amazing sound in a portable package.

It’s a truly versatile instrument overall. Great for studio work, live performance, and perfect for schools, churches, and educators. This is a hands on review by Jim at Sam Ash in White Plains.

I played the piano for many years, and since moving to a small apartment that could barely fit a dining table much less a piano, I have definitely missed it. Although I was hoping to one day have an apartment that could fit an upright piano, I decided to accept the reality of living in New York (ha) and finally went for a digital piano with 88 weighted keys.

I tested out the Yamaha P-45 in store and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound and the feel of the keys. So far, I could not be happier with it! I play a variety of both classical pieces and contemporary songs, and it all sounds really great.

It is light enough to put away when I am not using it. I did purchase a different sustain pedal, aside from the one that comes with the Yamaha, which I would recommend. As a traditional piano player, I have also found that I am really enjoying some of the digital benefits – different sound settings (organ! strings!) and using headphones – which are totally new to me.

Now I can practice at midnight, and my neighbors will be none the wiser.

I love this piano it was a total game changer from my Casio key board. It’s has a good weight its I think weighted but light weight with a good bounce it almost feels like u r playing a real piano. It totally inspired me to learn more pieces of music increase my piano practice.

The songs you play that are not even that hard because they sound so beautiful they even seem more impressive to the listeners. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Total game changer I’ve practiced more then ever since I bought it.

I would never go back to a Casio. And the customer service Daniel was the one who helped me I explained what I wanted and he nailed it he got me exactly what I was looking for shipping was super fast he is very professional knowledgeable and kind.

I will definitely do business with them again.

Great sound, full of resources, solid built. You get a lot for your bucket. However, inevitably, you will go round the bend trying to understand what Roland had in mind when the “Scene” button was placed far away from the “Part” button since they are deeply related and you need to press one before the other can do its thing.

Then soon you will realise, the way you access and control sounds is utterly cumbersome. Scenes are cool, but not they way the were implemented. Then there is the tiny display and till-the-end-of-times menu diving.

You will now hate the “Scene” and “Part” buttons even more, because they change the pagination in bizarre ways. Tip: Read the manual every night before bed for six months, and you will possibly get used to it.

Print the chart and peg them to your bathroom mirror. Tooth brrushing “a la Jùpiterr”. And talking about the desktop editor: it helps – since you enjoy searching for patches on a 5,000 items list which are not in alphabetical order, without being divided in categories nor having a “Search” tool.

Come on Roland, Windows 95 is out since… 1995? Then there are the keys. Ok. Good to have them, better than nothing – but no. You can’t think musically twinkling on these. A bigger display, more knobs and sliders would be a sensible swap since plugging the Xm onto a MIDI keyboard is the only way to preserve what is left of your sanity.

This is a awesome synthesiser with sounds that are absolutely fantastic. The unit is built to last with all buttons and controllers easily accessible and assigned to meaningful tasks. The mini keyboard is great play and because of its compact size it can be taken anywhere easily.

The bonuses include having a fully integrated audio interface/sound card which will play audio from a connected computer, the ability to link the synthesiser to Roland Cloud and download new patches and sounds and even new emulations of different synthesises from the past.

Overall incredibly impressed, having on some of the older Roland synthesises that this can emulate it really does sound like them.

I purchase this keyboard for church, and so far is a great keyboard. Can become complicated in the beginning until you get use to the new keyboard. I also have the Yamaha Montage and the sound is very close to the Montage, but Montage has aftertouch and other perks that are destroying the competition.

It’s not that heavy, so is great in case you travel with this keyboard. I only got it for $700. 00 so for the price is great.

I do not know where to begin singing the accolades of how great this unit is. I bought it from GC about 4 months ago. The programming took some time but wow once you get it down the configuration is almost limitless; layers, splits with infinite combinations, live punch in and out of layered voices with no delay or pop,beautifully seamless.

Moving from one patch to another is not as seamless but there is only a little delay and if you are aware of it you can work around it, I just put all my voices in layers for any particular song and use that, I only use the main patch for songs with a single voice, works great.

Action feels wonderful although maybe not as hard or with as much hammer action as a piano, but it is great for me and I have gotten to where I prefer it. Sounds / voices, so realistic you close your eyes and you can see the instrument in your head, from an acoustic piano, Rhodes, Whurly (actually too may options way too many options for what I do), to the horns, synths and even the strings.

The organ sounds are pretty good I do not use them because I have an SK1 and it allows for on the fly changes and acts more like a B-3 (if you want a good low cost organ I recommend it highly). It has the MOTIF engine for a fraction of the cost and weight.

It is light, get the bag that was made for it lots of extra space for pedals, cords and the power supply, it has rollers. This was one of the main considerations for buying this unit over the MOTIF. I looked at the Korg’s and Kruzwells, but the Yamaha was just so much better and more versatile.

You are going to want to get the volume pedal, I got the Yamaha and it is really well made , I love it and recommend it over after market. adjusting the knob while trying to play is not easy. , I am talking like the flash not human speed.

Obviously a sustain pedal, I did not spill for the Yamaha I just got an after market that feels and looks like a piano pedal. Just buy one you’ll love it.

My biggest fear was that the MOXF8 would have too steep of a learning curve for somebody with limited experience such as myself. I’ve owned other keyboards, but nothing approaching the sophistication of this Yamaha product.

While there are tons of amazing features, I’ve found the interface to be quite intuitive. Within a few hours of turning it on, I was able to figure out the basics, needing only minimal reference to the user manual.

Making sequence patterns and converting them to songs is a fairly straightforward process. I won’t list all the bells and whistles this thing has, because it would take hours to write. However, I can tell you the limits of the MOXF8 are only constrained by your own level of creativity.

This keyboard really makes producing great-sounding music a breeze, even for someone who doesn’t have an abundance of familiarity with synthesizers. The sound quality is beyond description. For example, drum samples on the MOXF8 sound better (and are more diverse) than those on my Roland E-kit.

Guitars and woodwinds are very authentic. Using the built-in arpeggios make you sound like a pro, even if you’re not. The variety of synth sounds is incredible. I highly recommend this to anyone who might be considering a workstation.

This machine is definitely going to get heavy use for years to come.

I’ve had this synth for about three years now, and I have not grown tired of it or regretted purchasing it in any way. I have found practical uses for this synth in all the genres listed above. There is a slight learning curve due to the modulation sequencing and virtual patches, but it’s not much more difficult to program than a microKORG, GAIA, Micron, or similar synth.

My only real gripes with this keyboard are the keys themselves (slightly stiff feeling and at a strange angle compared to the top of the board), an omission of the ability to rename the patch banks (more LCD screens would have been nice), and the fact that there is not a dedicated case/gig bag for it.

That having been said, the R3 has a decent enough arpeggiator, a great synth engine and effects section, additional sound-shaping via the virtual patch bay, smooth and responsive knobs, and the ability to process external audio for some weird and awesome effects.

Neon Indian to Flux Pavillion to Kanye to Radiohead to Devil Wears Prada, to Tiesto, this thing can really do it all. Leads, basses, and analog pads/strings are this powerful little device’s specialty.

Just wish the housing had more metal. A step sequencer and more lcd screens couldn’t be too much to ask for at this price, in my opinion.

Probably the most versatile synth without spending another $300. Mine did ship with an audio problem, but a little googling turned up a fix: http://jahgee. xanga. com/724820233/korg-r3-sound-problem-only-one-output-works/ No problems since.

Not a ton presets, so you will definitely learn to create your own sounds. Vocoder is excellent and very configurable. Plastic construction is pretty standard at this price point and isn’t flimsy but I wouldn’t bang this thing around.

Menu system has a nice “best of both worlds” feel to it, giving you plenty of options but still retaining knob-twiddling fun. A lot of people compare this to the MicroKorg XL since they have very similar features.

I prefer the menu system on the R3, the MK relies a lot more on navigating a single LCD screen through menus/submenus. I like to tweak my sound while I’m playing and the R3’s knobs make that easier. As for the sound, go to your local music store and compare.

A lot of people will tell you that the MK sounds grittier but honestly they have the same sound engine and it’s all a matter of learning to make the sounds you want. Admittedly, the presets on the R3 are brighter than the MK, but keep in mind you can actually download the presets for the MK converted to the R3 on Korg’s forums.

R3 also has more effects (reverb) and a better keyboard. However, no battery power on the R3 so the MK definitely has it beat for portability. Some other similarly priced and featured synths to consider: Novation K-Station, Akai MiniAK.

Also, Korg MS2000s seem to be going for around the same price range if you’re hankering for a full keyboard and many more knobs with similar(ish) synth features. Anyway, to sum things up – the R3 is a great little feature-rich synth and I would highly recommend it to beginner and intermediate players.

That’s not to say it won’t sound amazing in the hands of an expert (just check youtube) but an expert would probably get a lot more out of the bells and whistles included in the more expensive synths.

I have had a few 88-key boards through my studio (Nord Stage 2 88, Kawai MP11, etc. ) and they all have their merits. This new Korg Kronos does it all and works very well for stage or studio. Not as heavy as some, if weight is an issue.

The internal sounds are superb and it works great as a studio controller for VST’s , too. Beautiful Keyboard feel. I’m getting used to the joystick instead of the wheel for pitch and modulation, but it works well.

Overall, a real winner. I can’t see anyone being less than very happy with this one!.