DL
Not quite the best, but really fun to play!
I bought this to replace my Yamaha NP-15, so that's what I'm comparing it to here.
Overall I'm happy with it. To me, the automatic backing and harmony features are what really make this keyboard worth it's price. I've spent countless hours just playing popular songs in the "wrong" genres. The built-in speakers are good, the variety of styles is a delight, and the pitch-bend and mod wheels are a welcome addition.
But there are many things I'd like to see improved in future models:
- MIDI is only supported via USB, so you might need a MIDI USB host box if you intend to connect this to other devices.
- One octave more keys would be nice. That said, there are dedicated ±1 octave keys which help.
- While there are lots of different instrument sounds, many of them are not actually unique sample sets, but rather preset effects configurations. In that sense, "890 sounds" is a bit misleading.
- None of the piano sounds are as good as what the NP-15 has. They have too little sustain, especially when using a sustain pedal.
- While the instrument sounds aren't bad, most of them aren't great either. They remind me of General MIDI patches a bit too much... There are some good ones though, like the SA saxophone, pan flute and electric pianos.
- The synth style keys are quite noisy, which is worth considering if you intend to play at night. I also preferred NP-15's block style key feel a lot more.
I think the PSR-E583 is an excellent choice for backing a singer or some other instrument. I'm in no rush to replace it, but when I will, I'll probably go with a proper arranger keyboard instead :)
Overall I'm happy with it. To me, the automatic backing and harmony features are what really make this keyboard worth it's price. I've spent countless hours just playing popular songs in the "wrong" genres. The built-in speakers are good, the variety of styles is a delight, and the pitch-bend and mod wheels are a welcome addition.
But there are many things I'd like to see improved in future models:
- MIDI is only supported via USB, so you might need a MIDI USB host box if you intend to connect this to other devices.
- One octave more keys would be nice. That said, there are dedicated ±1 octave keys which help.
- While there are lots of different instrument sounds, many of them are not actually unique sample sets, but rather preset effects configurations. In that sense, "890 sounds" is a bit misleading.
- None of the piano sounds are as good as what the NP-15 has. They have too little sustain, especially when using a sustain pedal.
- While the instrument sounds aren't bad, most of them aren't great either. They remind me of General MIDI patches a bit too much... There are some good ones though, like the SA saxophone, pan flute and electric pianos.
- The synth style keys are quite noisy, which is worth considering if you intend to play at night. I also preferred NP-15's block style key feel a lot more.
I think the PSR-E583 is an excellent choice for backing a singer or some other instrument. I'm in no rush to replace it, but when I will, I'll probably go with a proper arranger keyboard instead :)
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