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There’s a reason that the Casio WK-245 has been a favorite among musicians and reviewers ever since it was launched. This smart portable keyboard has rapidly become a favorite, for its great sound and advanced capabilities, at a beginner-friendly price.
For aspiring musicians who want to go beyond simply learning how to play piano, but who want to create and share their own music, the Casio WK-245 is a compact, portable keyboard that has all the capabilities that modern songwriters and composers are looking for.
Table of Contents
- Casio WK-245 Quick Overview
- Casio WK-245 Video Overview
- Casio WK-245 FAQs
- Casio WK-245 Specs
- Casio WK-245 Features
- Who the Casio WK-245 is Most Suitable For?
- What’s Included With the Casio WK-245?
- Additional Accessories for the Casio WK-245
- Casio WK-245 Pros and Cons
- Casio WK-245 Tutorial Videos
- Casio WK-245 Owner’s Manual
- Casio WK-245 vs. Casio WK6600
- Kris Nicholson Demos Casio WK-220 & WK-245 Comparison
- Conclusion
With 76 touch sensitive keys, the ability to layer and combine voices, built-in rhythms, and MIDI and USB connectivity, it’s a complete portable music creation station at an affordable price.
Casio WK-245 Quick Overview
The Casio WK-245 is a workstation keyboard with onboard sampling, 6-track recording and playback, and digital connectivity to computers and smart devices. The big onboard library of instrument tones and rhythms will inspire any musician, and microphone and audio inputs let you connect external devices or instruments, while you sample or sing along. Add reverb and other effects to create finished compositions, and share them using your Mac or PC.
While it may seem like the Casio WK-245 is made for intermediate or advanced musicians, it also has an onboard lesson learning system and a dedicated piano button, so it’s still a great option for beginners who simply want to learn to play the piano.
And with its advanced digital capabilities, the Casio WK-245 will grow as you learn, with more opportunities for expression and exploration over time.
Casio WK-245 Video Overview
Here’s a short video review of Casio WK-245 from Matt Cocagne.
Casio WK-245 FAQs
When did the Casio WK-245 come out?
The Casio WK-245 came out in 2014.
What are the dimensions of the Casio WK-245?
The Casio WK-245 is 118.7 cm long, 14.9 cm high and 39.9 cm wide.
What is the weight of the Casio WK-245?
The Casio WK-245 is 6.9 kg, excluding batteries.
How many keys does the Casio WK-245 have?
The Casio WK-245 has 76 keys.
How many sounds does the Casio WK-245 have?
The Casio WK-245 has 600 instrument sounds.
Where can I see a demo/test of the Casio WK-245?
To see the demo/test of the Casio WK-245, you may refer to this Casio WK-245 test video and this test video.
Where can I see an unboxing of the Casio WK-245?
To see the unboxing of Casio WK-245, you may refer to this Casio WK-245 unboxing video.
Casio WK-245 vs Yamaha YPG-235: what sounds better?
To help you decide which model produces sounds that better suit your preference, you may refer to the videos below.
Piano tones of Casio WK-245Guitar tones of Casio WK-245Electric piano tones of Casio WK-245All sounds of Yamaha YPG-235Piano sounds of Yamaha YPG-235
Casio WK-245 vs Yamaha PSR-EW300
Both the Casio WK-245 and Yamaha PSR-EW300 have 76-key piano-style, touch-sensitive keyboard and 48-note polyphony. Both models have Split function, and Reverb, Chorus, Harmony and Arpeggio digital effects. Both have LCD display, USB port, and microphone, headphone and pedal jacks.
The differences between Casio WK-245 and Yamaha PSR-EW300 include but not limited to the following.
- WK-245 is cheaper, slightly heavier and bigger than PSR-EW300.
- WK-245 has 600 built-in tones, while PSR-EW300 has 574 built-in tones.
- WK-245 has 180 rhythm patterns, while PSR-EW300 has 165 built-in styles.
- WK-245 has 152 built-in songs, while PSR-EW300 has 154 built-in songs.
- The song sequencer of WK-245 is 5-song/6-track recorder, while PSR-EW300 allows the recording of up to 5 songs and 2 tracks, with approximately 10,000 total notes.
- WK-245 has Integrated Step-up Lesson System, while PSR-EW300 has Keys to Success and Touch Tutor.
- PSR-EW300 has Equalizer and Melody Suppressor function, while WK-245 does not.
- PSR-EW300 has Song Book (available for download online), while WK-245 does not.
- PSR-EW300 has internal memory, while WK-245 does not.
Casio WK-245 Specs
- 76 piano-style keys
- 2 levels of touch sensitivity, or turn touch sensitivity off entirely
- Backlit LCD screen is easy to read
- Can be powered by 6D batteries or with the included AC cord
- Casio AHL sound engine
- 48 levels of max polyphony
- 600 built-in instrument tones
- 170 built-in rhythms with further 10 user-defined rhythms
- Layer keyboard function
- Capable of sampling up to 8 sounds or up to 10 seconds
- Microphone or audio in port
- Rhythm editor
- 32 registration memory
- 305 music presets
- Split keyboard function
- 10 levels of reverb
- 5 different types of Chorus
- 152 built in songs
- Virtual Hall
- Auto accompaniment modes and controllers
- Step-Up Lesson system with phrases, performance evaluation, and voice fingering guide
- Metronome
- Capable of recording up to 5 songs with up to 6 tracks each
- 180 One-Touch presets
- Octave shift and 25 steps of transpose
- Pedal input jack
- MIDI Compatibility with USB port
Casio WK-245 Features
The Casio WK 245 has quite a lot of features for a keyboard in this price range.
| FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
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Design |
The 76 full-size keys are touch sensitive, so they adjust in volume depending on how hard you press the keys. You can also turn off touch sensitivity for consistent volume regardless of playing technique. It has a bright backlit LCD screen to make navigation of settings and functions simple to do in any lighting conditions.
The keyboard weighs about 16 pounds without batteries, so it is portable. And because it can be battery powered, it can be played anywhere. |
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Sound |
The Casio AHL sound system gives great sound quality with smooth waveforms. The keyboard has also 600 built-in instrument tones, a total of 180 rhythms with 10 user rhythms, and it is capable of 48 levels of max polyphony for layered sound. |
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Functions |
It has onboard reverb, chorus, harmony, and digital effects functions, as well as music presets and One Touch presets, so there is a wide range of audio possibilities to explore. It has also dual layer and split keyboard functions, so you can play different instruments with each hand or share the keyboard with another player. |
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Features |
The Casio WK-245 has the capacity to record up to 5 songs with up to 8 tracks, and can store up to 8 audio samples, which is great for composers and songwriters who want to create and share their unique songs. |
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The Casio Step-Up Lesson System |
With the Step-Up lesson system, the keyboard and LCD screen work together to provide basic piano lessons. Based on the songs in the keyboard’s library, learners are guided at their own pace, with a system that teaches music notation and correct hand positioning at the same time. The keyboard has a Voice Fingering Guide that provides verbal prompts as you play, and the lesson scoring system tracks your progress over time. It’s a simple way to learn to play piano in your own way, on your own time. |
|
Connectivity |
The Casio WK-245 has a pedal port, a mic or audio in port, and USB ports, unlike many portable keyboards in its class. You can import MIDI files, record and store samples, or export your music to other devices for editing, mixing, and sharing. |
Who the Casio WK-245 is Most Suitable For?
Since it has the built-in lesson functions and simple, intuitive operation, the Casio WK 245 is suitable for beginners and novice piano players. However, it’s also an advanced digital music workstation, with capabilities that appeal to intermediate or even advanced players.
This is a great keyboard for a musician who knows the basics of the keyboard, but wants to enter the world of dance or hip-hop music using the library of rhythms, voices, and recording and sampling capabilities.
These functions are often only available in more expensive, complex keyboards. The USB compatibility makes it easy to export, mix, and share your music using many popular software packages, and it’s compatible with Windows or Mac devices.
Even professional musicians with an advanced keyboard setup at home may appreciate the Casio WK-245 as a portable musical workstation that they can easily take on the road, to a class, or anywhere else that they want to create and share their music.
What’s Included With the Casio WK-245?
The WK-245 comes with the keyboard and the power supply.
Additional Accessories for the Casio WK-245
Microphone
What’s the point of having a keyboard with sampling capabilities if you don’t have a microphone? If you are just getting started recording and using samples, the MAONO USB Microphone is a great place to begin.
The advanced chipset gives great recording quality for a microphone in this price range, and the included compact microphone stand gives musicians the versatility to record samples, or use the microphone to sing along with the Casio WK-245. This microphone also has low power consumption, which is important when you are using a portable keyboard.
Essentials bundle
Amazon is currently offering the Casio WK-245 “Essentials Bundle.” This is a great option for those who want the keyboard, power supply, keyboard stand, and headphones all at once, with nothing else to buy. The bundle makes these items more affordable than when sold individually, and it’s more convenient too.
Casio WK-245 Pros and Cons
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PROS |
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cons |
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Casio WK-245 Tutorial Videos
Casio Singapore has a YouTube channel where they have created a number of useful video tutorials for learning this keyboard. The first lesson, controlling the keyboard sound, can be found below. Subsequent lessons can also be found on their channel.
Casio WK-245 Owner’s Manual
The English and Spanish versions of the owner’s manual and user’s guide can be found here:
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD CASIO WK-245 MANUAL
Casio WK-245 vs. Casio WK6600
The Casio WK-245 and the Casio WK6600 are very similar keyboards, since they are both 76-key workstation keyboards from the same company.
Both keyboards have:
- 76 full-size touch-responsive keys
- The Casio dual-element AHL sound engine
- 48 levels of polyphony
- 10 user-created rhythms
- 10 types of reverb, 5 types of chorus
- Layer/split keyboard functions
- MIDI capability
- Backlit LCD display
- Microphone, headphone, and pedal jacks
- USB port
- And both keyboards are nearly identical in size and weight, with battery power capability
However, the WK6600 has a lot more features and capabilities than the WK-245, including:
- 700 instrument voices (instead of 600)
- 200 built in rhythms (instead of 180)
- Equalizer settings
- 100 preset and 100 user-specified DSP controls
- Auto-fill and other music controls
- 16 track song sequencer for up to 5 songs, with onboard song, track, and event editing.
- 32 channel mixer
- 50 user presets for registration memory
- A pitch bend wheel
- Memory card storage
- Uses Apple’s Camera Connection Kit so it can connect to an iPad without additional drivers
In other words, although it is more expensive, the WK6600 has even more advanced and customizable digital features for songwriters, DJs, and composers than the WK-245.
As you already may have anticipated, the Casio WK-245 is better for beginners and new players and has the onboard lesson and learning functions beginners may need.
The Casio WK6600 doesn’t have any lesson features, and has more digital recording, mixing, editing, and playback capabilities for more advanced musicians who want to take advantage of the broader range of musical capabilities of their keyboard.
Both keyboards are solid options in their respective price ranges; it’s simply a question of how advanced the player is.
Kris Nicholson Demos Casio WK-220 & WK-245 Comparison
Conclusion
The Casio WK-245 is an excellent instrument for a beginner or intermediate player who wants to go beyond simply playing the piano. It’s a beginner’s workstation, designed to make it easy for aspiring musicians to write, create, and compose their own music.
Casio WK-245 (click image for more info)
With its big onboard library of voices and rhythms, multi-track recording and sampling capabilities, and layered keyboard and polyphony, it helps to inspire and teach new musicians and DJs how to create their own digital music.
It has great sound and excellent features for a keyboard in this price range, so it is a solid investment that can keep pace with a musician as they learn and grow. Ample onboard memory, digital connectivity, and multiple ports mean that this keyboard can do nearly anything you may ask of it, at home or on the road, for years to come.
