Korg PS60 61-Key Performance Synthesizer
Fuel your on-stage creativity with Korg's Enhanced Definition Synthesis technology and the natural feel of semi-weighted keys.
Overall User Ratings (based on 10 ratings)
Submitted March 21, 2013 by Wayne K in Friendswood, TX
"Overall a good keyboard"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Korg PS-60 First impressions:Layout:I think it's a good looking keyboard. Nothing flashy, but I don't like flashy so that works out well for me. I think all the buttons and knobs are useful and well placed. Very functional board. I cannot overstate this....I absolutely LOVE that it has dedicated Octave and Transpose buttons right on the panel. Every midi controller I've owned has had this, so I've gotten used to it. But I've never seen a synth that had it, not even the fancy ones. So that was a nice addition. My go-to sound for playing on the worship team is a mix of acoustic piano and pad. When using Reason and a controller, I had a combinator I created with an NNXT grand piano, and a Maelstrom Pad, and a Thor Pad, and an NNXT acoustic guitar, and a Rhodes of some sort. And in the combinator each of those instruments went to the small rack mixer. My keyboard would trigger all the instruments at once, and I would assign the mixer faders to my controller's 9 faders. So I could just fade instruments in and out as needed during a performance. The PS60 is layed out in a very similar fashion to this, which is probably why I was so drawn to it. It has 6 sections or categories, and each has an "enable" button, up/down selection buttons, and a knob which can be used for volume or other things. So right off the bat I felt right at home on this board. Also this board has the Korg joystick for modulation/pitch bending, and I really have always wanted a board with this. Watching others use them, they just seem more expressive than using the 2 wheels. Acoustic Pianos:The PS60 has 29 acoustic pianos, but #1 on the preset is definitely the best, in my opinion anyway. But it still isn't quite up to what I like. It's a little too bright or something, but then the others are a little too dull. So the best piano on this board is adequate but nothing really special, at least in my opinion. I like the NNXT grand piano I have been using much better than any piano on this board, which is disappointing. The pianos on the Korg X50 I used to have were much better. Pads: I didn't try them all, but of the ones I did try, I really liked them. There were evolving pads, that built up the longer they were sustained. Others were glitchy and cool. Others were warm and inspiring. The pads were in the synth section, which is the farthest away from the piano section. So I have to really stretch to press both the piano enable and the synth enable buttons together. So I didn't care for that. But for others that might not matter. Electric pianos:I have never been a huge electric piano player, but I did give them a listen, and they sounded as good as any I've heard. There is a button that changes the rotary simulator speed on organs with rotary fx. Organs: To me organs and electric pianos kinda fall into the same category, but this board separates them. I'm not a huge organ fan, so I don't have much to say about this either. They sounded good to me. I'll leave the Brass section blank, since I didn't mess with that at all. Violins:I found some nice sounds there. I didn't listen to the solo instruments, but the symphony sounds were nice and full. Keybed:I am not a big fan of a synth (unweighted) key action, but I have to say this one is not bad at all. The keys feel nice to me, and I had no problem playing expressive piano styles on these keys. They seem to respond well to velocity changes, and they are very quiet as well. I hate noisy keys (cough, cough, Juno-Di/Gi, cough, cough), and these are not. Misc:It has a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front left side, which is a nice touch, in my opinion. Some reviews gripe and complain because it's not 1/4", as if that makes any difference in sound or anything else. They say professional headphones are always 1/4". To that I say, my Shure SRH-440's to me are professional enough, and they have 3.5mm plug, with an included 1/4" adapter. There's just no pleasing some people. :-)I like the Midi I/O on the back. I will definitely be utilizing them. There is an editor program you run on your computer that gives you much more control over editing sounds. I haven't tried it out. But I hear it's good. And I can imagine with the small screen on the board you wouldn't want to do much sound-crafting on that. But I'm a preset user anyway, so I doubt I'll mess around much with that. I may tweak a preset a little to my liking, but I never create sounds from scratch. But I think the editor software will allow for that, for those who do that sort of thing. Minor gripes:If I have the piano and pad enabled, and I am holding out a note, and the next song I want to drop the pad, so while I'm holding the chord, you would think I could just push the piano button and it would drop the pad. Well it does, and the chord does continue as expected, however, there is a glitch in the sound when enabling or disabling the various categories. WHAT??? REALLY KORG??? You can't make that a smooth transition???? REALLY???? I mean I guess if I want o drop the pad without having a noticable jolt in sound, I could just fade it out with the volume knob for that category. But I shouldn't have to. That is ridiculous. Changing sounds on a bank also glitches the same way. That is just terrible to me. Sorry for making such a big deal about it, but I really think it would've been so easy to solve the problem, but they didn't do it. Like I said there is a work around, I can use the volume knob, but again I shouldn't have to. I would expect that on a kid's toy piano, but not on one like this. Another thing people complain about is the small amount of preset slots available for saving custom presets. I think there are 20. To me that is more than enough considering each preset has 6 categories that can be turned on or off easily. Neat feature:You can set different categories at different octaves, which I thought was cool. Because I like to play the piano at -1 octave on a 61-key board, because I like the lower sound, but the pad sounded better at 0 octave. I could easily make that change and then save it as a preset. Some people have said that this board doesn't have a combi mode. But I would argue that combi mode is the only mode it does have. It's always in combi mode. It's always got those 6 layers going, whether you're using them or not. I don't use keyboard splits much but setting them up on this board is a piece of cake, and can be done really quickly. And I want to say that on each side of the split you can have any of the 6 voices going at once. So if you have 6 on the left side, you could have 6 different ones on the right side, for a 12 voice combi. Why would you want to do that? I don't know. But you could. Final thoughts:I didn't expect Kronos quality out of a $600 keyboard. I wanted a small lightweight keyboard, with some good bread-n-butter sounds. With a good key action, and really useful buttons and control layouts. I wanted a mod/pitch joystick. And I wanted octave/transpose buttons. And let me just say, that is a lot to ask for $600. I got all of that. The glitchy transitions are a bummer, but like I said, I have an easy work around for that. The only thing I'm truly disappointed about is the poor acoustic piano sounds. But maybe I can tweak those a little. It was too bright, so I could play around with the EQ section maybe. Overall I'm happy with my purchase, and I think this board will do what I bought it for quite well. It's a good board, but with a better piano sound, and smoother transitions it would've been a great board.
Musical Background:
Play every week at church in contemporary worship band.
Musical Style:
Contemporary Christian
6 of 6 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted February 22, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"If you are Playing Live and a working Keyboardist...The PS60 is for you!!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I believe this will satisfy my musical needs on the road. If it were lost or Stolen I would definitely purchase another one without hesitation. I reviewed and re-reviewed and tested out other keyboards such as the Yamaha MM6, Yamaha MM8 as well as others and the KORG PS60 beat them all out. If the Roland Stage had not been discontinued I would have bought another new Poland Stage (because of it's expandability) but I am so glad I bough the PS60
Sound
The sounds on this synth are great...And to the previous review, had you checked and reviewed this synth the number one thing they stress about it is the fact it is a LIVE synth not a work station. His statement is wrong regarding recording as well. It comes with a setup disc that provides a vst plug-in for your desired DAW. That alone gives you flexibility as well as being able to edit the sounds.
The synth does lack some good SAW and other synth sounds. It could use a few more acoustic pianos and brass sounds such as a few sax samples.
There is no learning curve with this synth, unbox it, plug it in and go, you can layer on the fly, you can transpose on the fly. The ideal keyboard for the live musician. Where most other keyboards are geared more towards workstations and electronic music this Korg PS60 is great for all genres.
I have Roland Juno Stage and a Roland Juno D and the Korg PS60 compliments my rig great.
I had a Korg Triton and hated it it was not user friendly....the PS60 is the most user friendly keyboard available.
If you are just starting out OR a seasoned musician this keyboard is the one for you and fits especially well if you are on a budget and it doesn't sacrifice any sounds.
Features
The Korg PS60 came with a setup disc to allow you to edit sounds as well as a vst program for recording with your DAW.
The most impressive thing I like about this keyboard is the ability to transpose immediately with out having to scroll through a bunch of menus.The ability to layer sounds the way you want.
It does not have after-touch but the velocity on this keyboard is exceptional. Although some advertisements say it has "semi-weighted" keys it absolutely does NOT...But this does NOT effect this keyboards usability.
Would be nice if it had more than the 400 some sounds or at least expandable.
FYI:::
If you decide to get a gig bag, flight case do NOT get a 61key bag (a 49key gig bag would work) this is MUCH smaller than the average 61 keyboard. In fact I used the Styrofoam packing ends the PS60 was shipped with in the box, taped them up with some nice duck tape to reinforce the styrofoam and placed them on each end as it was shipped and then was able to use my Gig bag and it supported it perfectly. It still had a little wiggle room but it works. It would fit in a 49 key gig bag.
Ease of Use
UNbox, plug it in. scroll through the instruments and play and layer on the fly as well as other things. You don't have to read the manual, just unpack and play...
Quality
Although the PS60 is well made it does have a cheap feel to it because of the plastic body. I wouldn't want to drop it....IT still is very reliable and road ready...Like all Korg products though this thing should last forever if taken care of.
Value
IF you're looking for a Keyboard/synth whether you are just starting out OR a seasoned musician this keyboard is excellent. It is well priced....
Manufacturer Support
I haven't had to use the Korg support so I can't rate it...Others have commented that Korg has a fine customer support.
The Wow Factor
I love it for the fact it was designed for the live musician and doesn't have a workstation and I was SOOOO glad it did NOT have drum sounds...It seems all the keyboards have drum sounds on them which for me personally is a turn off... I have a digital recorder as well as a high end DAW system so I don't need or want a keyboard with a workstation and that is what sold me on the Korg PS60...
Musical Background:
Active Musician, "Recording Engineer, Singer, Songwriter, Studio Musician
Musical Style:
New Country, Classic Rock
28 of 29 people (97%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted December 29, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Finally a keyboard designed for gigging musicians"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'm sure this'll do me for the next 5-10 years as long as nobody else trips on my power cord. I own a number of other keyboards, but this is the only one I've gigged with since I got it. If it got stolen, I'd replace it.
Sound
For me, it's all about the B3/Leslie and the Wurly/Rhodes. Sounds are well above average for both in this price range. Leslie ramp-up & down is very nicely implemented and sounds good.
Features
Dedicated Leslie button, and fast, intuitive blend / split / transpose are what sold me on this. Being able to dial in what I need onstage in the few short seconds after the singer calls a tune is indispensable. Not having after-touch is a bummer, but the response is great and I've adjusted. I hate the wall-wart power supply, but for the price, I can live with it.
Ease of Use
Simply outstanding... the most intuitive keyboard I've ever owned. In 30 minutes' time, I had a solid handle on all the features I'd need onstage.
Quality
One trip of the guitar player yanked the power supply out and bent the jack, causing the power supply to be a bit flakey from time to time. If it wasn't for the power supply, I'd rate this higher. Keys feel surprisingly solid, despite how light the thing is. I'd say it's road-worthy, but just barely. I use a solid road-case for it - I wouldn't even think about using a gig bag. I've played about 20 gigs with it so far, and aside from the power-supply issue, it hasn't let me down yet.
Value
Lots of features for the price - great bang for the buck. No regrets.
The Wow Factor
Being able to find your sound in a big hurry without trolling through menus and pounding touch-screens was a huge selling-point for me, and I'd imagine it would be for other gigging musicians as well. It's not sexy, but it does the job way better than anything else I've seen in this price range.
Musical Background:
Been gigging 15 years. Play keyboards & guitar.
Musical Style:
New country, classic & modern rock, blues, gospel
7 of 7 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted July 14, 2011 by a customer from telkom.co.za
"KORG PS60 well priced for a lot of Keyboard"
Sound
Really a nice keyboard. The sounds are excellent for such a small machine. The organs, pads, brass are of the best you will ever get. For the money you pay you definitely gets bang for your bug.
Features
The lesley button for the organ sounds is amazing.
Ease of Use
Comparing the PS60 with other keyboards on the market, it definitely is the best when it comes to ease of use. Very user friendly and even a novice will be able to negate this machine easily.
Quality
It is very light and maybe it does not have that robust feel to it. After 4 months no problems as yet.
Value
Good value for the price you pay for this keyboard
Manufacturer Support
cannot say as I did not have to deal with them yet
Musical Background:
Active musician
Musical Style:
Jazz, Gospel
6 of 6 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted November 16, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Great lightweight small stage board!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is not the best FEELING board for $700, but the features and on-the-fly tweak-ability make it the best board I've seen for stage under $1000. The layering and quick sound changing is what makes this unit worth it's weight (only 10.4 lbs) in gold!
BTW the Gator GKPE-49-TSA hard case fits this board like a glove.
Sound
This is a decent keyboard. Not top-line, but for $700, you can't expect hammer-graded or aftertouch. This board is made to be quick and easy to use. The layering of sounds and tweak-ability "on-the-fly" are second to none. The sounds themselves are high quality, but the guitar sounds are not convincing. Being a guitar player, this is of no consequence to me.
This is (for me) the most perfectly designed STAGE keyboard for under $1000.
Features
This may not be the best choice if you plan on doing a lot of recording. It's not made for recording (per se) and it's NOT a workstation by any stretch of imagination. Made for live performance.
The layering and tweaking at a whim are what this board is made for.
It's also under 11 lbs! It's made for gigging!
All features are in the product description. (why list them?)
Ease of Use
So easy, a Caveman could do it! Really! It's so simple, that you really shouldn't need to read the manual but a page or two. I didn't and I had no problem using it. Very shallow learning curve. Everything is laid out logically and you can adjust things without scrolling through menus or reading the manual.
Bottom line: This is why you should get this keyboard. You'll spend more time playing and less time reading the manual.
Quality
I'm not really sure about the quality. Korg has always made decent stuff and I've never had problems with any Korg units I've purchased. This unit is all plastic, but it's very strong feeling and I have no doubt it can stand up to the road. I have had friends that had Korg products break, but it was due to abuse, not manufactures defects.
It seems well made and of the same quality as previous units I've owned.
Value
Yes! I feel this is worth the money, although some "graded-hammer" snobs might turn their nose up at it because of it's cheaper feeling board. I like the action and the velocity is exceptional for a low-priced board.
Manufacturer Support
Never dealt with them. N/A
The Wow Factor
The sheer genius of its design or features. This is what sets this board apart. Designed for stage/performance. It excels in this area.
Musical Background:
33 year guitar player, 20+ year stage tramp
Musical Style:
Classic/Southern Rock
7 of 8 people (88%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted May 13, 2012 by Allen Rasor in San Luis Obispo, CA
"KORG PS60 Synth"
This Korg PS60 has many good voices, especially the electric pianos, and organ options.
I was a bit alarmed when I discovered the supplied, PK350 AC power adaptor delivers only 9 volts, instead of the typical 12 volts. All my previous KORG keys, and even the other brands I've owned, operated on 12 volt power supplies. If this original AC adaptor dies, is lost, damaged, or wires break etc, I'm out of business
I can't find a spare any place. Not even KORG USA offers one on their catalog web site. I have e-mailed KORG USA "support" but, havent heard from them yet.
Musical Background:
Played with local bands, in SLO, and Santa Barbara county for 30 years
Musical Style:
R&B, Blues, Southern Rock
2 of 2 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted June 4, 2015 by Paul Jackson in Warwick, RI
"awesome"
bought one used, but in perfect condition. I play out allot, and I love the look, and the light weight with such a huge sound. I play through an L1 bose with a sub, and an ashdown 20 watt for extra sound on my side of the stage. People ask me all the time how are you getting that sound.
Musical Background:
Over 40 years, keys, tenor, and soprano sax, and bass guitar
Musical Style:
Most anything, my favorite is soul, with a Capital S.
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.