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The 76-key keyboard occupies an interesting niche among piano players. For some, it is a more advanced instrument and an upgrade from their beginner 61-key keyboard. For professionals, it's often a step down from a full-size keyboard, to have a more portable instrument for gigs and travel. And for some digital musicians and DJs, a 76-key keyboard may be all they ever need.
In short, a keyboard of this size occupies a middle ground that may be too small, may be too large, and may be just perfect. And, for a surprising number of musicians, the Yamaha PSR-EW410 is the Goldilocks of keyboards: it's just right.
Overview of Yamaha PSR-EW410
Yamaha has designed the PSR-EW410 as a mid-level keyboard. It is designed and marketed toward intermediate beginners who have outgrown a small, 61-key keyboard, and are ready for the more advanced digital features and touch sensitivity of the PSR-EW410.
However, the PSR-EW410 is limited by its interface. It has an incredible range of features and capabilities, and incredible sound, for the price. But you can only access and control these features and settings by navigating the little LCD screen and pressing a lot of buttons. The process of accessing the vast onboard database of hundreds of voices, hundreds of styles, and dozens of individual features and settings, can try the patience of early players and lessen the enjoyment of using this incredible instrument.
In other words, the Yamaha PSR-EW410 packs incredible value into a compact footprint, but may be a bit tedious to work with. It's not a beginner's instrument.
Yamaha PSR EW410 Video Overview
Yamaha PSR EW410 Specs
Specification | Description |
|---|---|
Keys | 76 touch-responsive keys |
Weight | Weighs slightly over 18 pounds without batteries |
Display | LCD display |
Songs | 154 preset songs, including touch tutor, chord study, and chord progression practice songs |
Reverb Settings | 12 types of reverb |
Polyphony | 48 max levels of polyphony |
Style Control | 235 preset styles with style control, and 10 external styles |
Harmony | 26 types of harmony 26 types of harmony |
Voice & Effects | 758 total instrument voices, with 237 panel voices, 25 drums and effects, 40 arpeggio, and 457 XGlite voices. |
Functions | - Dual and split keyboard functions |
Jacks & Ports | - Sustain pedal jack |
Record and Playback | Record and playback up to 10 songs with 6 tracks as WAV files |
Music Database | 30 preset song library |
Power | Can be battery powered with 6 D batteries |
Metronome | Yes |
Others | - 10 types of DSP, assignable to control knobs |
Yamaha PSR-EW410 Key Features
The Yamaha PSR-EW410 has a huge range of features and capabilities for its price tag.
FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Design | The Yamaha PSR-EW410 weighs just over 18 pounds without batteries and measures approximately 46 x 16 x 5 inches. It's at the larger end of portable keyboards, but can still be easily taken to gigs, lessons, events, parties, and performances. |
Sound | The Yamaha PSR-EW410 is driven by the Yamaha AWM stereo sampling sound engine, and has two onboard 12 watt amplifiers and two 12 cm speakers. |
Functions | The PSR-EW410 has pitch bend and control knobs. It also has duo and split keyboard functions, so you can produce multiple instrument voices with every touch. |
Connectivity | The Yamaha PSR-EW410 has headphone and pedal jacks, including an AUX IN to connect a music player, and USB to host and USB to device ports for connection to computers and mobile devices. |
Features | A library of 235 musical styles and style controls, including auto fill and other options, allows you to explore any music style you choose. Built-in arpeggio and a number of arpeggio styles and options adds even more capabilities for musical styles and sounds. |
Who is the Yamaha PSR-EW410 most suitable for
While the Yamaha PSR-EW410 may be an instrument designed for advanced beginners, it is actually an incredible instrument for DJs. The ability to sample, interface with MIDI devices, and record and playback are ideal for digital musicians. Onboard Yamaha grooves, the pitch bend feature, and 235 accompaniment styles are ideal for DJs and gig musicians.
Digital musicians and DJs will love the incredible array of capabilities built into this compact, portable, affordable keyboard. It has a great sound engine, and onboard speakers and amplifiers deliver great sound, or connect external speakers for more powerful audio. USB connectivity lets you record, sample, mix, and share your music with fans around the world.
What's included with the Yamaha PSR-EW410
The Yamaha PSR-EW410 “Keyboard only” bundle doesn't even come with the power supply. You will need to choose a bundle that includes the power supply, or buy it separately.
Additional Accessories
Accessory bundle: For a complete setup for the Yamaha PSR-EW410, consider the amazing bundle offered by Yamaha on Amazon.
This package includes:
The Yamaha PSR-EW410 keyboard
A Yamaha power adapter for the keyboard
A double X style keyboard stand
An X style keyboard bench
A keyboard dust cover
A pair of closed-back over-ear headphones
A piano learning lesson system
It's a great value for a complete keyboard setup out of the box, with nothing additional to buy.
Headphones
Whether you are practicing at home, or playing a gig, headphones are an essential accessory for this keyboard. If you aren't purchasing a bundle, a great option is the AKG M220 Pro DJ headphones. The semi-open style gives you clear, spacious sound and lets you monitor your music without completely excluding environment sounds. These headphones offer fantastic sound in their price range, and come with adapters to use with a variety of digital and analogue audio devices.
Subwoofer
The Yamaha KS-SW100 subwoofer is an extremely popular accessory for the PSR-EW410 keyboard. It has great clarity and tight bass in a compact, stylish speaker. It's a must-have to fill in the full spectrum of sound in your music, and is built to bring out the best in the PSR-EW410.
Yamaha PSR-EW410 Pros and Cons
PROS |
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cons |
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Yamaha PSR-EW410 Owner's manual
The owner's manual and reference sheets are available directly from Yamaha, and can be found here:
Yamaha PSR-EW410 vs. Yamaha PSR-EW300
There are minor differences between the PSR-EW410 and the PSR-EW300. The PSR-EW 300 is a little smaller, a little lighter, has a slightly smaller library of voices and styles, and so forth. The biggest difference between these two keyboards is that the PSR-EW300 is made for beginners and students, and the PSR-EW410 is made for DJs and gig musicians.
The Yamaha PSR-EW300 has a larger onboard song library (154 instead of 30), duo keyboard function, and an onboard lesson system. It has much weaker amplifiers, half the recording capacity, no USB to device port, no pitch bend or Live Control knobs, and doesn't have the Yamaha Groove Creator. It's also a much more affordable keyboard.
For a beginner to the piano, or for a player who is more interested in exploring the classic grand piano sound of the Yamaha AWM sound engine, the PSR-EW300 is a great choice. It has all the features and capabilities you need to play beautiful piano. However, if you want to sample, record, mix, and share music, the PSR-EW410 is designed for you.
Conclusion
For a digital musician who wants fantastic sound and a huge range of digital capabilities in an affordable, portable keyboard, it's hard to beat the Yamaha PSR-EW410. It will take time and study of the manual and online tutorials to learn how to quickly access and take advantage of all the features of this keyboard, but it pays off in great grooves, great tunes, and the ability to connect your keyboard to a wide range of USB-driven external devices.
For musicians who are just learning, or who are more interested in a keyboard that provides a great piano experience, the Yamaha PSR-EW410 may be more keyboard than you need. You can still get all that fantastic sound at a lower price with the PSR-EW300 or other classic Yamaha keyboards.
The Yamaha PSR-EW410 is a versatile mid-range keyboard for a wide range of needs and players.
Yamaha PSR EW410 (click image for more info)
It's not the perfect keyboard for everyone; some pros find it a bit too limiting; some beginners find it a bit too advanced. But for those people who want a 76-key keyboard with digital capabilities and superior sound in a portable, affordable package, this keyboard is hard to beat.
