First keyboard beginner advice

[viktopline]

Hey, first of all, there is a little clickbait on the title, it isn't really my first keyboard cause i found a Yamaha psr 230 at the trash, and really love it
my musical background is mainly rap but i listen to a loooot of type of music (jazz, synthwave, classical,8bit,pop)
It's 2 month since i'm looking for a new keyboard with a better sound than my psr, and i must admit i'm lost with the large choice of keyboard and with their utility.
First i thought about buying a psr ew410 (76 keyboard for playing some chopin pieces) but the reviews says it's not really a good deal, then i heard about korg pa300 and yamaha sx600 who could be better then the psr E series BUT !


i don't really use the styles on my psr 230 cause i think they are cheap and hard to play with, i want a keyboard mainly for songwriting and creating advanced music, and sometimes playing pieces, so maybe arrangers aren't what i need ?


So i stumbled uppon workstations keyboard and maybe they are the best fit for me, korg kross and yamaha mx61 (in my budget) kross has no in built speaker so maybe it can be a problem for me but it looks like the best one.

Do you guys have any other keyboard recommendations for my needs and my budget ? (600euros) i'm open to every suggestion except daw cauuuseee i used to make music on daw for 4 years and i'm so tired of sitting in front of computer and it limits my creativity, thats why i think workstation could be a great alternative


Thank you for all your comments and kind help

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.

Yamaha arrangers are an acquired taste, personally I am not a fan, much prefer Korg but for your budget forget them, especially the Pa600, only consider the Pa700 & above.

The EW410 is a pretty old design.

Kross 2 61 is a good keyboard, very extensive shallow menu system but long on pages so a lot of sideways scrolling required to set up Combi’s. Downsides is note cut off if you switch to another Program or Combi & the keybed is not the best in its class.

Yamaha MX, as I have zero interest in anything other than Yamaha DP’s, I will leave it for others to comment.

Another to consider is the Roland Juno DS which may be above your budget but imo it is the choice pick in this price range.

Lack of speakers is not an issue apart from the cost, a pair of headphone will surfice or a set of computer speakers at a push until funds allow for the addition of a pair of monitors which can cost c200 Euro upwards but a pair of PreSonus Eris 4.5 will do but they are a bit lacking in bass.

If you want to play Piano then a keyboard with hammer action may be a better choice, it can be connected to a computer or iPad to expand its sound palette. These may be at or above budget, Roland FP 30X, Yamaha P125 and Kawai ES110 are probably the best in this price range.

 

[viktopline]

Welcome.

Yamaha arrangers are an acquired taste, personally I am not a fan, much prefer Korg but for your budget forget them, especially the Pa600, only consider the Pa700 & above.

The EW410 is a pretty old design.

Kross 2 61 is a good keyboard, very extensive shallow menu system but long on pages so a lot of sideways scrolling required to set up Combi’s. Downsides is note cut off if you switch to another Program or Combi & the keybed is not the best in its class.

Yamaha MX, as I have zero interest in anything other than Yamaha DP’s, I will leave it for others to comment.

Another to consider is the Roland Juno DS which may be above your budget but imo it is the choice pick in this price range.

Lack of speakers is not an issue apart from the cost, a pair of headphone will surfice or a set of computer speakers at a push until funds allow for the addition of a pair of monitors which can cost c200 Euro upwards but a pair of PreSonus Eris 4.5 will do but they are a bit lacking in bass.

If you want to play Piano then a keyboard with hammer action may be a better choice, it can be connected to a computer or iPad to expand its sound palette. These may be at or above budget, Roland FP 30X, Yamaha P125 and Kawai ES110 are probably the best in this price range.

Thank you @Biggles for your time, i agree with you with the yamaha design albeit i don't care that much of the design, but yeah i get rid of the yamaha ew 410 for sure !
Korg pa300 was the only one in the korg arrangers range but yeah as you said and as i read on this forums it's look like it itsn't the best bet as this price.

For the korg kross i know that you can add some speakers (i will need some for recording like yamaha hs5 or presonus eris 5) but it stills bother me there isn't built in speaker cause sometimes i like the fact that i can play my yamaha 230 everywhere in my basement without thinking of connecting speakers (even if this is a crappy sound)
The long page and sideway scrolling isn't a problem for me cause i really love tweaking all type of things and the old menus like in the 80's. but maybe the keybed will be, do you think it could be better than a yamaha psr e series piano sound ?

I heard a lot about the roland juno brand the 61 keys could be in my budget and i'm gonna watch video on this one (my youtube history is currently all about keyboard demo ahahha)

i also thought of p45 piano hammer action, (not 125) i really love the feels of the key but i don't have a ipad and i don't plan on using a lot of midi for my keyboard, so yes it could be good as a duo with an other workstation, but i'm scared of getting bored with the few sounds..

Anyway i add the roland juno ds to this list and get rid of the yamaha mx and korg pa.
if anyone has other suggestions could be great !

 

[Glitzerblume]

Thank you @Biggles for your time, i agree with you with the yamaha design albeit i don't care that much of the design, but yeah i get rid of the yamaha ew 410 for sure !
Korg pa300 was the only one in the korg arrangers range but yeah as you said and as i read on this forums it's look like it itsn't the best bet as this price.

For the korg kross i know that you can add some speakers (i will need some for recording like yamaha hs5 or presonus eris 5) but it stills bother me there isn't built in speaker cause sometimes i like the fact that i can play my yamaha 230 everywhere in my basement without thinking of connecting speakers (even if this is a crappy sound)
The long page and sideway scrolling isn't a problem for me cause i really love tweaking all type of things and the old menus like in the 80's. but maybe the keybed will be, do you think it could be better than a yamaha psr e series piano sound ?

I heard a lot about the roland juno brand the 61 keys could be in my budget and i'm gonna watch video on this one (my youtube history is currently all about keyboard demo ahahha)

i also thought of p45 piano hammer action, (not 125) i really love the feels of the key but i don't have a ipad and i don't plan on using a lot of midi for my keyboard, so yes it could be good as a duo with an other workstation, but i'm scared of getting bored with the few sounds..

Anyway i add the roland juno ds to this list and get rid of the yamaha mx and korg pa.
if anyone has other suggestions could be great !

Also, wenn ich mal als Anfänger sagen darf, ich habe mir das Yamaha PSR-E 463 im Fachgeschäft gekauft, nachdem es mir vom Fachhändler empfohlen wurde. Also ich muss sagen, ich bin sehr zufrieden, mit diesem Keyboard. Für mich als Anfänger reicht das alle mal. Hat anscheinend auch, alles mögliche an Funktionen drin. Aber das interressiert mich momentan noch nicht. Das Keyboard hat meiner Meinung nach einen super tollen Klang. Für mich reicht es. Ich weiss noch nicht mal, was das Ding alles kann. Für 500,- ist das o.k..

 

[3dc]

How about Thomann AK-X1100 which is "slimed down" version of Medeli AKX10. The only real difference is in the internal memory size 256MB against 768MB on Medeli. For 585 EUR you get a solid arranger-workstation keyboard, 256 GM2 voices, 2 x 15 W and 2 x 25 W speakers and 3 year Thomann warranty.

Mind you its not perfect but for this money nothing comes close IMHO not even Yamaha or Korg.

61 Velocity-sensitive keys
7" Colour touch screen
1100 Sounds, 45 drum kits, 256 GM2 sounds and 9 Creative Expression sounds
256-Voice polyphony
R1, R2, R3 + Left sound parts
3 Assignable Live controls
3 Assignable switches
Assignable joystick (pitch bend modulation)
DSP effects
4x 180 Phrase pads
Audio player (WAV, MP3, AAC)
Audio recorder (WAV, MP3)
256 MB expansion memory
Speakers: 2 x 15 W and 2 x 25 W
Switchable LED illumination
Dimensions (W x H x D): 1007 x 392 x 130 mm
Weight: 9.4 kg

 

[Biggles]

Interestingly that Thomann version did not show up when I looked on their website, but being in the UK certain products do not.

It looks a good choice.

 

[viktopline]

wow, didn't saw those posts sorry guys, @3dc, interesting, but i'm kinda worried about the "thomann" brand will watch video for sure.
Anyway i'm 80% convinced to buy korg kross 2 with a pair of speaker(dont know wich) maybe 88 keys for the piano feel, will see