Keyboard workstations are versatile electronic instruments that integrate a keyboard with sound module and sequence hence making a keyboard ideal for the creation of original music through convenient production features. To achieve originality, keyboard workstations have high quality synthesizer sounds, more effects and other features such as advanced patch editing and mixing.

Pointing out five most suitable keyboard workstations for a music-maker is a subjective endeavor; nevertheless, creating a list of the best workstations would act as an eye-opener for a budding player and will help them avoid make confident purchases. We live in a time when high quality, yet affordable keyboard workstations are a commonplace and so purchasing a musical instrument shouldn’t be much of a fuss; especially because the prices are less daunting. Keyboards workstations are a pretty serious investment which you will treasure for the rest of your musical career. What’s more is that if you decide to sell them, you would get a good chunk of your money back. However, the terminologies used during purchases can still make choosing a keyboard workstation feel quite intimidating for a new and less experienced player or producer.

There are several functions that set apart keyboard workstations from synthesizers, arrangers and other professional keyboards including editing features, MIDI recording, audio recording and built-in effects that are helpful in music creation. Some workstations have a microphone or line inputs that allow you incorporate your audio to sequenced tracks. Manufacturers of keyboard workstations include massive sound libraries and a wide array of musical instruments all into the keyboards. Most of them also have quality synthesizers that can be used for composing full-length multi-voice tracks. Additionally, the type of memory you will find in a workstation is ROM and RAM. ROM lets you switch different sound cards to access a variety of sounds while RAM is the amount of memory that can be recorded or sampled. It is best that you prioritize the amount of ROM if the workstation would be used in performance. On the other hand, if you prioritize the workstation for recording, then look for a larger amount of RAM. Some workstations provide removable and expandable memory slots for memory cared and drives too.

Sound quality and quantity matters whether you want to get a workstation for production or playing purposes. As alluded earlier, workstations have a wide array of instrument presets such as pianos, horns, strings and percussions that produce just as much quality sounds as a dedicated synthesizer. For workstations with in-built synthesizers, you would come across the ‘analogue’ vs ‘digital’ distinction- the former meaning that the synthesizer is powered by a real electronic circuit and the latter means that it is powered by some form of digital signal processing (DSP) which replicates the behavior of a real circuit. It is widely held that analogue automatically means better, but that may not be the case always. While it is true that synthesizers powered by analogue engines are best for classic and vintage sound, digital engines produce cleaner sounds than analogue powered synthesizers. If you plan to incorporate electronic music, a workstation with an analogue modelling synthesis feature would work very well.

Lately, manufacturers have embraced hybrid engines; having a mix of both the analogue and digital worlds. Therefore, there is a sheer amount of choice out there and all you need to do is choose one that will suit your style, budget, set up and recording demands. The other term to look out for is polyphony- this means the number of notes a synthesizer can play simultaneously. For instance, a monophonic synthesizer has only one voice available while a polyphonic synthesizer would have more voices available, and would mean more flexibility. The other rather uncommon synthesizers are paraphonic synthesizers. These allow multiple notes to be played by dividing the oscillators within a single synthesizer voice- the result is not as good as that of a true polyphony. It is highly recommended to look for a workstation that can handle and provide enough polyphony for playing and recording. The more notes a keyboard workstation can handle, the more you can maximize your use of sequencing and recording multiple tracks. So, what are the best keyboard workstations for you? Here is a list of five of the best you can buy right now. Now let’s check out some amazing keyboards workstations.