Best Keyboard Workstation for Beginners: Affordable and Versatile

[@stevekirkby6570]

You read the sales brochures very well.

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

They have a miscue @ 4:55 stating that the Roland Fantom has internal speakers... it does not...but it is still a beast...I love mine!

[@danieladdison5731]

I purchased a Fantom 6 which has the same engine and features but 62 keys that made it more affordable at $1700. Awesome production from Roland.

[@MrPsanterIsBack]

At around $3,500, Montage and Fantom don't exactly fit in the Affordable category.

[@zoomzoom3950]

Good overview...but... There's no objective "best". It's up to each of us to decide what features are important. For a workstation, based on my review of current workstations available at the time, I chose Roland Fantom EX. It met my needs better than other available options. I know people who chose other workstations because they fit their needs better. One thing I will add, I don't consider Nautilus / Nautilus AT a current workstation, it's a less expensive Kronos2 derivative. Also, once you enter a manufacturer's ecosystem, and spend time to learn their workflow, their engines, their sound design, etc., it's always easier to stay with the same manufacturer as they release new workstation models. As I said, for workstations, Roland Fantom works best for me; for arrangers Korg Pa5X works best for me.

[@malcolmgregoire1019]

I have a Kronos 2 SE and the Nautilus doesn't come close to its capability. Sure, the Nautilus has all the engines of the Kronos, but it is lacking the controls that are needed for playing organ or managing patches in a combi. I'm waiting to see what Korg comes up with next for a Flagship that has more memory and a faster boot sequence. Enough with the 37 key product line. Put them all together and create one massive workstation with all the capabilities of the Wavestate, Modwave, OpSix and the Multi/Poly.

[@andrewhutnick4858]

The Fantom 8 doesn’t have any built in speakers and it’s a two person job to move 1 if you value your back

[@artmt0914]

KORG ALL THE WAY!

[@deadeyeblackmire4780]

The sound between transitioning clips is obnoxious.

[@MaFaKeys]

For beginners…😂😂😂 that’s a true insult!!!

[@bigkeezo]

Right! All of those $3000 boards lol