TO WHAT KEYBOARD SHOULD A PSR-E SERIES USER UPGRADE TO?

[Sam.Halder]

I have a Yamaha PSR-E363 and I wanna upgrade to a new arranger keyboard...I believe I'm certainly not the only one with this dilemma...Not really a brand fanboy...KORG,Yamaha or even Roland...Any suggestions,from the more experienced folks who went through this before,will be great.
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And please don't suggest PA4x or Genos I know they're great nd all but way too expensive nd advanced for a guy coming from PSR-E range.

 

[anotherscott]

I would ask, what are the things you most wish were better than they are in the model you have?

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.

First thing to know is your Budget.

There are very limited quality Arrangers available in the market:-

Low end
Yamaha SX600

Enthusiast level c£1000
Korg PA700
Yamaha SX700

Mid range at c£1500
Korg PA1000
Yamaha SX900

Top of the ranges at £2500+
Korg PA4X
Yamaha Genos

That is it, there are no other choices available. Roland have a couple but they are not really active with their two models as they have moved more into software, synths, DPs and workstations

I am a Korg fan and will suggest all day that they are much superior than the Yamaha equivalent.

All models have online video tutorials available which go into detail on the features, do note that these are not reviews they are on the respective manufacturers websites or Youtube channel.

If you can and it is safe to do so where you live do try and play them.

I suggest you look at this Video Manual series first, then measure the others against this keyboard.

 

[Sam.Halder]

I would ask, what are the things you most wish were better than they are in the model you have?

Well 1st of all better sounds than my current one...2ndly I would like dedicated variation buttons and maybe 4 variations instead of 2

 

[Sam.Halder]

Welcome.

First thing to know is your Budget.

There are very limited quality Arrangers available in the market:-

Low end
Yamaha SX600

Enthusiast level c£1000
Korg PA700
Yamaha SX700

Mid range at c£1500
Korg PA1000
Yamaha SX900

Top of the ranges at £2500+
Korg PA4X
Yamaha Genos

That is it, there are no other choices available. Roland have a couple but they are not really active with their two models as they have moved more into software, synths, DPs and workstations

I am a Korg fan and will suggest all day that they are much superior than the Yamaha equivalent.

All models have online video tutorials available which go into detail on the features, do note that these are not reviews they are on the respective manufacturers websites or Youtube channel.

If you can and it is safe to do so where you live do try and play them.

I suggest you look at this Video Manual series first, then measure the others against this keyboard.

Thanks!!!for the great suggestion man...I wanted to ask something else too...
Do u think a non profesional hobbyist should get a workstation cuz I think, it's a lot of work...Ofc enthusiasts should get whatever the're into...But fr a hobbyist who usually plays at home with friends nd family or maybe a few gigs with non pro bands is a keyboard with no amplification nd accompaniment worth it?...Not bashing on workstations tho they're the standards fr the industry but when ever a hobbyist decides to play he either have to put on headphones or connect it to a amp or speakers...Which doesn't seem like much but it could be an obstacle for practicing...and not having auto accompaniment might also bring less joy to people while practicing.
**Again just my thoughts not bashing on workstations at all...they are the most versatile pro sonic/music creation tool available that one can physically touch**...I think

 

[Biggles]

Does a guitarist have one guitar?

I have three.

Same with a keyboard player, even a home player is likely to engage in KAS.

Yes an Arranger does mean you are a one man band and hence they are very useful at home or in a semi pro activity. Many users in the latter category just take the Arranger, keyboard stand, mike and mike stand on a gig, there is a guy on the Korg forum who had pre-covid days about 20 gigs a month with his PA700.

I had an Arranger and a Workstation, I now have just a Digital Piano but I do miss having both. I do like the hammer action of the DP rather than the bland action that there was with the Korg’s.

The problem as I see it is that the Arrangers you probably are considering do have limitations. That said the next models up are a price hike of c£600 but to me the cost difference for the limited extra features are too much.

Depending upon what you want and if piano sounds are more important than there are another class of keyboards that you may like to consider. These are the digital pianos with arranger features, and 88 hammer action keys. Korg XE20, Casio S3000 and Yamaha DGX 660 are the models and all are much cheaper than a Korg PA700 or Yamaha SX700

 

[Sam.Halder]

Does a guitarist have one guitar?

I have three.

Same with a keyboard player, even a home player is likely to engage in KAS.

Yes an Arranger does mean you are a one man band and hence they are very useful at home or in a semi pro activity. Many users in the latter category just take the Arranger, keyboard stand, mike and mike stand on a gig, there is a guy on the Korg forum who had pre-covid days about 20 gigs a month with his PA700.

I had an Arranger and a Workstation, I now have just a Digital Piano but I do miss having both. I do like the hammer action of the DP rather than the bland action that there was with the Korg’s.

The problem as I see it is that the Arrangers you probably are considering do have limitations. That said the next models up are a price hike of c£600 but to me the cost difference for the limited extra features are too much.

Depending upon what you want and if piano sounds are more important than there are another class of keyboards that you may like to consider. These are the digital pianos with arranger features, and 88 hammer action keys. Korg XE20, Casio S3000 and Yamaha DGX 660 are the models and all are much cheaper than a Korg PA700 or Yamaha SX700

Thanks a lott man...Was indeed a perfect answer fr my question...Thats why I signed up in the forum for getting to know the experiences from pro guys like u...Cheers man have a great day... Just one more thing I wanna brother u with...I'm not really that experienced with weighted keys even though I really want to...How long do U think it'll take me to be comfortable with weighted keys

 

[Rayblewit]

Well 1st of all better sounds than my current one...

The Yamaha Arrangers have many of the same styles as your 363. Plus many more. Also a wider choice of voices.
The sound quality is somewhat better coming from S series than E series . . to my ears anyway.

It boils down to personal preference in the end whether you choose Yamaha or Korg.

.I'm not really that experienced with weighted keys even though I really want to

I do not know of any "arrangers -workstations" with weighted keys. Are their any?

Ray

 

[Biggles]

Someone much better than I would be able to give better hammer action advice than I.

When I was looking for a lowish cost DP I did try quite a few and the action weight and feel did vary a lot.

The Korg B2N having the lightest action and Roland having the heaviest but imo the best key action feel aided by its escapement feature (Google it if you are unsure of what this is).

I got used to my Yamaha DP very quickly and do enjoy the heavier action and it did not take long to get used to it.

In answer to Ray’s query, I am not aware of any Arranger with weighted keys, the nearest being the digital pianos I quoted prior that have arranger features in auto accompaniment with intros, variations, fills, endings etc all be it in a limited feature set compared to an SX or PA.

I cannot remember with the Genos but the 76 key version of the Korg PA4X has a semi weighted keybed but of course it is quite expensive and the Genos even more so.

Now to throw another curveball, a 88 keybed with hammer action and great onboard sounds is readily available in a Roland Juno DS88 workstation. Do check these out especially used units for sale on eBay, Craigslist etc and you may pick one up for a reasonable price. This would make a great second board and can be MIDI’d up to say a Korg PA700 to get the best of both worlds.

Checkout Korg UK’s Leigh for how easy it is to connect up two keyboards

Sorry to bang on about Korg but it is the make I am most comfortable with but this connectivity can take place with any make of keyboardthat has standard MIDI connectivity.

Do watch the Korg video tutorials, paying particular attention to its Songbook feature, then watch the equivalent Yamaha videos and comparing the two will no doubt help you in deciding your preferred model.

Whatever you decide expect a steep learning curve on operating the keyboard but once learned it is then quick and easy to set up for a new Song you want to add to your rep.

 

[anotherscott]

Well 1st of all better sounds than my current one...2ndly I would like dedicated variation buttons and maybe 4 variations instead of 2

The Yamaha Arrangers have many of the same styles as your 363. Plus many more. Also a wider choice of voices.
The sound quality is somewhat better coming from S series than E series . . to my ears anyway.

"Better sounds" is a hard thing to address, both because of subjectivity, and also because it can mean different things. Styles or key-playable instrument sounds? If instrument sounds, are there certain ones of highest concern? You might end up preferring different models if you're looking for, say, better guitar sounds vs. better brass sounds, or whatever. There are some "Yamaha vs. Korg" videos on Youtube taht can help you make this determination.

I do not know of any "arrangers -workstations" with weighted keys. Are their any?

Casio PX-560 arguably qualifies, along with possibly some lesser models which I know less about. Also possibly Korg XE20.

 

[Rayblewit]

Before COVID locked us up, I looked at upgrading my aged PSR S650.
I tried both the KORG and YAMAHA current generation models (PA700 (i think it was) and the PSR S750).
I noticed both have a different feel to the keys. To be honest I thought the KORG keys were a bit flimsy.

So I put the upgrade on hold for awhile.

I would just suggest to Sam, . . TRY OUT physically to get the right feel that suits you.

Ray

 

[Biggles]

Before COVID locked us up, I looked at upgrading my aged PSR S650.
I tried both the KORG and YAMAHA current generation models (PA700 (i think it was) and the PSR S750).
I noticed both have a different feel to the keys. To be honest I thought the KORG keys were a bit flimsy.

So I put the upgrade on hold for awhile.

I would just suggest to Sam, . . TRY OUT physically to get the right feel that suits you.

Ray

The Yamaha S series has been replaced by the SX models.

The SX700 & SX900 have what appears to have vastly superior build and materials qualities compared to the S models. I was impressed when I first saw an SX700 in my local music store. I even had a play of it and there is no denying the quality of the piano sounds and the keyboard did feel better than the Korg 700. There are differences between the features of the two makes and any limitations that either make have can probably be resolved in the settings menu. EG adding Eq to the sound on a Korg gives a totally different sound and do check on how Yamaha SX can be adjusted as that my cure my criticism on their keyboard in being shrill and harsh with non piano voices.

Ray is 100% spot on, try all the keyboards you can.

I spent about 20 hours watching videos and tutorials and had about five or six trips into the Music Store to try out a particular keyboard. In the end I decided against it but doing homework prior to physically playing a keyboard certainly helps, in case you are curious it was a Roland FA workstation and what did it was two fold, old design and changing sound levels of a specific instrument in the mixed set.