Review of e series keyboards

[DavidGX]

It is just an opinion.

Let's talk about the best PSR-E: PSR-E463, so we understand the E series in general.

Part 1.
Comparing the PSR-E463 with other Yamaha keyboards and its disadvantages.

1. Mains and Fills on a single button A/B. Even the old PSR-225 from 1995 has separate buttons A-B.
2. The worst thing are the Fills, did you know that the fills only "play" the drums? If you have a PSR-E, test the fills and see: Only the drums that change in the fills, the rest of the instruments belong to the Mains. I checked this with Styles made by Yamaha for the PSR-E463, in the fills there are only tracks for the drums.

Part 2.
Comparing the PSR-E463 side by side with the rebranded Roland E-X30. Both keyboards are for beginners.

Polyphony: 48/256
Styles control. Only one button for mains / Separate mains.
MP3 Player: No / Yes
L/R Output: No / Yes
Sequencer Parts: 6/16

The PSR-E Series is for beginners, okay, but for the price it could have more features. Even with Sweet, Cool voices we see that they do not have the same quality as a simple PSR-S500.

For price it is better to buy an old PSR-740 than the newer PSR-E.

[SciNote]

Based on the specs on Roland's website, the EX30 has no filter, envelope, and DSP effects other than reverb and chorus.  No mention of arpeggios and sampling, either.

Even the PSR-740, based on when I checked the manual, does not have filter and envelope.

Also, the PSR-E463 has harmony effects, but some of those are echo and tremolo -- which are not dependent on the chord being played and whether auto-accompaniment is on or not -- and these effects can add a delay-like quality to a sound.  Does the Roland have these?  Again, not sure -- not mentioned on the website.

The specs of the Roland on their website do not mention registrations, splitting the keyboard, or layering the sounds.  Maybe it has these features, but they are not listed on the website.  The combination of filter, envelope, DSP, combining 2 sounds (main and dual), and splitting the keyboard -- along with the ability to easily save these settings in a registration -- give the PSR-E463 synthesizer-like qualities at a bargain keyboard price.  Indeed, the ability to combine 2 sounds, with each having their own filter, envelope, volume, and octave settings, gives the PSR-E463 much of the same sound control that you would see on a dual-VCO analog synthesizer, and the live-control knobs make it easier to zero-in on the sound you're looking for.

And let's not forget about the onboard 6-track sequencer.  The Roland site does mention the ability to record songs, but it does not say if tracks can be layered or not.

The PSR-E463 is not just for beginners.  I have played keyboard for 43 years, and I have owned a PSR-E433 (one of the E463's predecessors) for over seven years.

I will admit that I would like to see a few updates to this series, such as individual A/B style parts and fills -- or at least a dedicated fill button that does not switch the A/B part, some basic editing for the sequencer, and the ability to set the sustain pedal to control both sides of a split keyboard and not just the right/upper side.  But Yamaha has yet to add these features, so I have kept my PSR-E433.  But the PSR-E463 offers an incredible array of features and effects, especially for the price.

Of course, this is not a criticism of Roland, themselves, as I also own a Roland Gaia SH-01 synthesizer.

[mikf]

I think it would have been ok to title this "review of e series keyboards" or something similar. But the title you used  is a bit heavy handed. We can provide data or opinions, but we don't tell people what  or what not to buy. Especially since several members already own one.
Mike

[casiokid]

It is just an opinion.

Let's talk about the best PSR-E: PSR-E463, so we understand the E series in general.

Part 1.
Comparing the PSR-E463 with other Yamaha keyboards and its disadvantages.

1. Mains and Fills on a single button A/B. Even the old PSR-225 from 1995 has separate buttons A-B.
2. The worst thing are the Fills, did you know that the fills only "play" the drums? If you have a PSR-E, test the fills and see: Only the drums that change in the fills, the rest of the instruments belong to the Mains. I checked this with Styles made by Yamaha for the PSR-E463, in the fills there are only tracks for the drums.

Part 2.
Comparing the PSR-E463 side by side with the rebranded Roland E-X30. Both keyboards are for beginners.

Polyphony: 48/256
Styles control. Only one button for mains / Separate mains.
MP3 Player: No / Yes
L/R Output: No / Yes
Sequencer Parts: 6/16

The PSR-E Series is for beginners, okay, but for the price it could have more features. Even with Sweet, Cool voices we see that they do not have the same quality as a simple PSR-S500.

For price it is better to buy an old PSR-740 than the newer PSR-E.

Let's not forget the PSR E463 is built to a price. -Its light in weight meaning its very portable to carry around, can run on batteries, you can even play or practise with it sitting on your lap. The user friendly features are quick, easy, and relatively simple to grasp, and understand, enabling any player to just sit down and play. Furthermore the booting time is almost instantaneous which is important for budding song writers to get down their musical inspiration, when it 'strikes' before it runs out of their head!