Roland ds-61 or Yamaha mx61 or..

thomasw88 · February 2022

So looking for a second board for 61 keys.

Use case for this is for a bit of keys, (Hammond, maybe a bit of piano, occasional synths etc).

My main board is a Yamaha yc73 which is terrific but I just want something a bit lighter and smaller. The yc has fantastic pianos and organs. The other sounds are great but it's more focused on piano/organ than anything else so there aren't that many synth sounds for example. So potentially could use the new board alongside the yc,73.

I've tried a ds76 and have previously owned a Roland fa-07. The pianos were really weak on these imo, and the keybed wasn't great. I'm tempted to get the ds61 tho as it does seem good enough for what I'm looking for.

How does the Yamaha mx61 compare to Roland ds61? Anything else I should look at. I've just been down a wee trip to midi controller land and it's interesting but again seems too much of a faff for this use case.

Budget is around the £600 mark give or take

rich75 · February 2022

Have you considered the Yamaha MODX6? A used one might be fairly close to budget.

I haven’t tried the DS61 but have previously owned an MX49 and a Korg Kross 2 61. Both were good. The Kross was a bit more flexible than the MX (sounds were on par) but the MODX is a huge step up from both in terms of sounds, flexibility and user interface.

it might be overkill for your use case but worth thinking about. Since I’ve had one it has massively expanded what I can do in terms of keyboard parts.

I’m happy to answer any specific questions about it.

thomasw88 · February 2022

rich75 said:

Have you considered the Yamaha MODX6? A used one might be fairly close to budget.

I haven’t tried the DS61 but have previously owned an MX49 and a Korg Kross 2 61. Both were good. The Kross was a bit more flexible than the MX (sounds were on par) but the MODX is a huge step up from both in terms of sounds, flexibility and user interface.

it might be overkill for your use case but worth thinking about. Since I’ve had one it has massively expanded what I can do in terms of keyboard parts.

I’m happy to answer any specific questions about it.

I did look at that actually, got put off by the menus. What I really like about the yc73 is that it sent massively menu driven but sounds fantastic. They just released a new firmware update in which they expanded the organs and more importantly fixed the user gripes with the organ rotary. It sounds fabulous now.

I just snagged a ds61 which for smaller gigs will be plenty I think.

menamestom · February 2022

I was looking at cheaper keyboords a while ago. The plan is on ice for a while but I'm also interested in the MX and DS

Have you thought about the Roland VR-09B also? I'd be very much after organs and EP's and more physical controls and less menus so that does appeal. Would like the YC or a Nord Electro but not realistic for my needs.

I think the problem with the cheaper ones is the keybeds are very light and synthy, rather than having nicer waterfall keys like the YC.

thomasw88 · February 2022

menamestom said:

I was looking at cheaper keyboords a while ago. The plan is on ice for a while but I'm also interested in the MX and DS

Have you thought about the Roland VR-09B also? I'd be very much after organs and EP's and more physical controls and less menus so that does appeal. Would like the YC or a Nord Electro but not realistic for my needs.

I think the problem with the cheaper ones is the keybeds are very light and synthy, rather than having nicer waterfall keys like the YC.

Yeah I looked at that.
The DS61to my mind complements the YC73 in a live setting in that it has a wide range of synths/orchestra/percussion type sounds plus some sequencing capability. The organs are ok, and the pianos although aren't great are probably good enough. So for smaller gigs/rehearsals it should do the job adequately enough.

Whereas the VR-09B just looked like a not as good yamaha YC73 to me anyway. Wouldn't have any real need for it in a two board gig should one arise!

horse · February 2022

menamestom said:

I was looking at cheaper keyboords a while ago. The plan is on ice for a while but I'm also interested in the MX and DS

Have you thought about the Roland VR-09B also? I'd be very much after organs and EP's and more physical controls and less menus so that does appeal. Would like the YC or a Nord Electro but not realistic for my needs.

I think the problem with the cheaper ones is the keybeds are very light and synthy, rather than having nicer waterfall keys like the YC.

I'd agree with that. I've had a Nord electro 5d for a good few years now, but had a vr-09 before that. The Keybed is passable in a pinch but really not great. I liked the organ and ep sounds though.

Having said that the Keybed on my modx7 isn't great either - it's nicer than the vr-09, but something I can work around rather than particularly enjoy playing.

Stratavarious · February 2022

The DS has a vocoder, sample player and an arpeggiator. Fun, sound good and you can pick it up with finger and thumb. Great if playing guitar too. Easy load in/set up.

The Yamaha MX and Korg Kross were on my try out list but not as fully featured.

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