Yamaha PSR-e423: A 61-Key Musical Keyboard

View Keyboard at Yamaha's Site

A great supplemental synth. You’ll get some really smooth, genuine voices from this model straight out of the box – extra stars for that considering its size. USB connectivity and flash storage are extra bonuses not typically found on inexpensive portables.

There are only 61 keys, which is sufficient for learning but won’t be enough past the beginner-intermediate level. As you progress, you’ll begin to notice the missing notes, and keyboards with 76 notes can still be found in this price range (although perhaps without the same quality of tones). If the authenticity of built-in voices takes precedence over keyboard range at this point in your musical pursuit, I would absolutely recommend this model.

Features

Keys: 61
Polyphony: 32-note
Touch Sensitivity: Yes; 3 velocity settings, or off
Reverb/Chorus: 9 reverb settings; 4 chorus
Arpeggiator: 150 types
Metronome: Yes; 11-280 BPM
Available Colors: Black

Price: $150-$230 for keyboard; $250-$275 for bundle Compare Prices

Pros

Quality voices
Pitch bend wheel
Built-in chord library & lessons
Recording on 6 tracks & flash storage

Cons

No sustain pedal included
Power adaptor not included (see Accessories, below)
Software only compatible with Windows

Keys & “Action”

The keys are lighter than those of a digital piano, but held their weight comparably well; they feel somewhat plastic-y, but lack that hollow, overly-artificial quality found on many portable keyboards.

There are three preset levels of touch-sensitivity, or the feature can be turned off completely. Some voices – such as the harpsichords and organs – are not touch-sensitive at all, mimicking the real instruments.

Splitting is supported, meaning two different voices can be played on either end. The split-point is adjustable, but only the right side of this point is layer table (more below).

Transposition from -12 to +12.

Voices & Tones

The keyboard includes 183 voices, 462 XGlite tones, and 15 drum and effects kits. Voices may be “dual-layered” so that two different voices can be played simultaneously.

Available tones include:

18 Pianos; acoustic, electric, harps- & clavichords
15 Organs; pipe (of varying dispositions), jazz & reed
5 Accordions
22 Guitars; 13 treble & 9 bass
35 Strings & Orchestra ensembles
46 Brass & Woodwind
Vibes, Bells & other pitched percussion

Keyboard Speakers & Quality

The two integrated 2.5W speakers are good, but I’ve heard better on less expensive Yamaha models … although I would not call them poor, just weak. For voices with demanding timbres like strings and reed organs, there was light cracking in the mid-to-high treble octaves at louder volumes. The bass instruments sounded great.

Speakers automatically turn off when the headphones input jack is in use – whether by earphones or an external amp – which prevents feedback, interference, or startling noises.

Back Panel

headphone/OUT, 1/4"
USB type B
Sustain pedal input, 1/4"

PSR-E423 Included Accessories

Music rest
Lesson software CD-ROM

Optional accessories which may be purchased separately include:

12V AC power supply adapter (models # or ) – $15-$25
Sustain footswitch (model # )
Piano-style sustain pedal (models # or dual-zone ) – $25-$30; $30-$45, respectively
Keyboard stand (model # ) – $30-$35