Orchestra in one instrument: TOP 5 synthesizers for live performances

The popular model of the PSR E453 synthesizer is a classic of semi—professional electronic keyboard instruments from the leading Japanese manufacturer Yamaha.

The first thing that catches your eye is the ergonomic design and built—in speakers with a total power of 12 watts. You can rehearse and even perform at small events without additional reinforcement.

The PSR E453 is slightly less than a metre wide, so it is convenient to place it anywhere, even where there is no outlet nearby. The model provides autonomous power from 6 AA batteries.

The bank of timbres (758 pcs) pleases with realistic sound. "Live" instruments: wind, rhythm section, piano are reproduced almost naturally. Brass and strings from the Sweet category sound with a natural vibrato. The Cool category will delight fans of keyboard and organ sounds with advanced post-processing, and assignable live control encoders will help change preset sounds. DJ Pattern mode will appeal to novice DJs with an abundance of dance rhythms and effects.

You can connect any audio player with a line-out to the synthesizer and play your favorite songs. And if you want to play under them, the unique Melody Suppressor function will help remove the melodic line from the track. However, the effect does not work with all phonograms.

220 styles of auto accompaniment, arpeggiator and training mode turn the model into a whole music school. Those who will have few styles will be able to download additional ones via USB.

The model shows itself very well in concert practice, both as part of a small ensemble and solo. But for large-scale performances, 48-voice polyphony will not be enough.

In the synthesizer, registration memory management is implemented as conveniently as possible — switching instruments during execution occurs by pressing any of the 4 buttons. Also, the model has a metronome, transposition, pitch controller and sequencer for recording melodies in MIDI. By the way, you can record them using a special application for iOSYamaha Sound Recorder.

The separation of the keyboard allows you to play two instruments at the same time: for example, to lead the bass and the wind section. But it will not be possible to record a sample to use it during execution. There is no such function.

At a rather modest cost of a little more than 400 USD, the PSR E453 has sufficient potential for both training and performances for a small audience.

The CTK-7200 synthesizer is positioned by the manufacturer Casio as a semi-professional level (High Grade) model designed for teaching and creativity — composing music and arranging.

The functionality of the CTK-7200 is simply gorgeous for its price of $ 500. The instrument has a sufficient number of built-in timbres (820), 260 auto accompaniment styles, a 16-track sequencer and the ability to create up to 100 custom styles.

2-way acoustics with a power of 14 watts and autonomous power supply allow you to use the instrument when traveling, small field acoustic performances.

Up to 96 ready-made sets of settings can be stored in the registration memory. Delay, reverb and chorus effects, a 32-channel mixer help to diversify the sound.

The synthesizer has 64-voice polyphony, but, for example, for some instruments, less than 32 voices or 21 (for organ) will be played. By the way, about the organ. Special attention is paid to it here. The organ register editing system supports up to 50 custom timbres, which are controlled using 10 sliders. You can achieve any organ sound, from church to specific rock.

The synthesizer supports connecting a sustain pedal, microphone and other musical instrument, recording and playback of songs from an SD card.

The model is perfect for studying, creativity, voicing small concerts, but the quality and realism of the sound does not reach professional models, and is inferior even to semi-professional Yamaha. However, the manufacturer recognizes this drawback and compensates for it with an affordable price.

DS61 is an updated version of the synthesizer of the famous JUNO line from Roland. It is positioned as a concert model.

The tool is compact, slightly more than 1 metre in length, and lightweight — 5.3 kg. It is easily transported, works from the mains and autonomously — from 8 AA batteries. You can practice on it on the road by connecting headphones or an external speaker system. There are no built-in speakers in the synthesizer.

1230 timbres with realistic sound quality of live instruments, especially piano and organ, 128-voice polyphony and 240 styles of accompaniment fully meet the requirements of a professional musician. In addition, additional sounds and effects can be loaded into the synthesizer's memory using the USB port.

Different samples and compositions, both ready-made and newly created, can be easily assigned to any of the 8 PHRASE PAD controllers. Sounds from preset banks, user banks and expansion cards are extracted using cursor buttons. The most favorite and frequently used (up to 10 pcs) can be placed in a separate Favorite category for quick access. All controls are intuitive, each action is displayed on the LCD display.

A vocal microphone is connected to the instrument, which can be used in vocoder mode, which will especially appeal to fans of experimenting with sounds using voice. There are also outputs for expression and sustain pedals, support for recording finished compositions in WAV and MIDI files.

ROLAND JUNO DS61 is an excellent choice for concert musicians, at an adequate price for a professional—level instrument.

Casio synthesizers are better known as low-cost models for training. What can not be said about the MZ-X line. The MZ-X300 model is a professional—level instrument that successfully competes with such keyboard giants as Roland and Yamaha not only in price, but also in quality.

The key feature of the MZ-X300 is a 5.3-inch colour touchscreen display. It is very convenient to work with it, because a musician can literally choose settings and adjust the sound with one finger. The built-in 2x20 W speaker system with the Bass-Reflex function produces a very dense rich sound, which is enough for a small hall, cafe, bar. However, the claimed power is slightly exaggerated.

The abundance of settings and timbres, of which only 950 are built-in, create a voluminous and expressive sound picture. The performance of compositions helps to diversify 280 styles of accompaniment and arpeggiator, especially when it comes to dance and euro-pop styles.

Another advantage of the tool is the ability to reconfigure all controllers to suit your own style of play. Even the display can act as a controller. The synthesizer allows you to record your own samples and play them during a performance using the phrase pad panel. You can also import audio from any instrument in WAV format through the instrument input on the back panel and record it along with the accompaniment directly to the flash drive.

The fly in the ointment is the keys. Over time, they begin to rattle from intense and frequent play.

Casio MZ-X300 successfully combines the capabilities of an interactive synthesizer and a workstation, while having an affordable price. Therefore, it is successfully in demand, both among teachers of music schools and colleges, and professional musicians.

The E-A7 synthesizer model was released by the Japanese company Roland in 2015. It is a multi—faceted instrument designed taking into account the opinions of professional musicians and arrangers.

One of the main advantages of the Roland E-A7 is a rich user interface and two liquid crystal displays. Styles are reflected on one of them, timbres on the other. There are as many as 156 buttons for quick access to functions.

The device has a built-in sampling function, 6 phrasal pads, an impressive number of preset timbres (1500) and accompaniment styles (600). At the same time, you can create up to 256 custom timbres and 126 drum kits. Who will not be enough, will be able to download more via USB and put up to 50 sounds in the Favorite section for quick access.

The synthesizer perfectly reproduces the sound of not only wind instruments, strings, organ and piano, but also original musical instruments of Eastern and African countries.

With the help of MIDI and audio recorder, it is easy to record your own compositions, as well as play MP3, SMF and WAV files. The built-in acoustics are represented by two 12-watt speakers, so amplification is not always needed. Anyone who wants to not only play, but also sing, will be able to connect a microphone and process the voice with the help of unique vocal effects.

Roland E-A7 justifiably refers to products of the high price segment. Suitable for singing keyboard players, leading concert activities, professional arrangers and musicians with considerable experience.