Product Comparison: Korg KROSS 61 vs Yamaha MX61

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Best Pick

Korg KROSS 61 Key Mobile Workstation

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Yamaha MX61 61-Key Keyboard Production Station

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General Specifications

Brand

Korg

Model

KROSS 61

MX61

Origin

China

Japan

About the Product

With the KROSS, the sounds and songs that you've created at home and the system that you use every day can go with you onto the stage or into the street! Featuring rich sounds that exceed its class, yet remaining highly portable, the KROSS is designed for practical usability. There's a convenient mic input and a built-in audio recorder, and it can run on 6 x AA batteries. It's a distinctive new standard in music workstations, with specs and style that set it apart from all others.

MX61 is a 61 key music synthesizer which combines Motif XS sounds, USB Audio/MIDI connectivity and advanced DAW/VST controller features at a groundbreaking level of affordability.

Key Specs

Number of Keys

Weighted Keys

Instrument Sounds

134

1296

Metronome Included

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Korg KROSS 61 Key Mobile Workstation

There's a broad enough variety of samples and programs to cover any style of music. It's fully programmable, so you can create your own unique sounds.
The depth of progammability and variety of effects are very impressive at this price.
It has a ton of sounds and is a great workstation for arranging and producing.
These keys actually fared better than the weighted ones on my portable 88 grand when playing outdoors in a humid environment.
80 voice polyphony (40 in combination mode). I consider that a bit skimpy. Could use a few more assignable controls on the panel.
The keys of this product are unweighted. They feel very plasticky, and cheap.

Yamaha MX61 61-Key Keyboard Production Station

Keyboard is awesome. Its more or less the highest end of the mid tier Yamaha keyboards. I love the sounds this thing makes. Performance mode is easy to set up.
Lots of pre programmed stuff so you don't have to be a keyboard genius to figure out complex performances.
The best thing about this keyboard is the quality and variety of the sounds, especially in this price range. It has the same samples as the far more expensive Yamaha Motif XS, and you get over 1000 of them!
The amount and variety of arpeggiator and drum patterns is nice, and makes it fun to play along with them. The 128 note polyphony is great, and rare for a keyboard at this price range.
also love that it has dedicated buttons for octave shifts, patch layering, and keyboard splits, and it makes doing those things very easy. And the four real-time control knobs is another nice plus.
The sounds it does create are great if you like wild sounds. I personally wanted to find peaceful sounds and this was too hard for me to go hunting to find.

Size & Weight

Height

3.58 in.

4.4 in.

Width

37.09 in.

38.7 in.

Depth

11.06 in.

11.8 in.

Weight

9.48 lbs.

10.6 lbs.

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

Korg KROSS 61

Yamaha MX61

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Korg KROSS 61 Key Mobile Workstation

The keyboard is light and springy as you would expect on an instrument of this type.
Because of it's compact size, it makes a good USB controller if you are using any computer based instruments.
Light, compact and can run on AA batteries.
I appreciate its light weight and easy setup.

Yamaha MX61 61-Key Keyboard Production Station

Its light, but not light to where it feels like a toy.
Very light and the sounds it generates are incredible.
This keyboard is incredibly light/portable (it doesn’t’ feel very sturdy on the stand however).
It's great that it's so lightweight, but I feel that it's almost too lightweight for pro use.

Features

Display Type

240 x 64 pixel, LCD backlight

3 digit LED + 20 x 2 line character LCD (backlit)

Mixing Capabilities

Equalizer

Yes

Drum Pads

Recording Feature

Yes

MIDI

IN/OUT

USB Port(s)

Yes

Power Source

AC adapter (DC 9V), 6 x AA batteries

AC adapter (DC 9V)

Extras

1075 killer presets, including amazing piano, EP, and drum patches, 120 voices of polyphony eliminates note stealing, Onboard 16-track MIDI sequencer, drum track, and arpeggiator, Favorites function lets you register 64 sounds or audio songs for one-touch access during gigs, Stereo audio recorder allows you to record and overdub your performances and vocals, Step sequencer inherited from the Electribe, Connects to your computer via USB, SD/SDHC card slot

Over 1000 Sounds from the MOTIF Series, Easy Split /Layer Performance Mode for Instant Inspiration, 16-Part Multi Timbral and 128-note Polyphony, Bi-directional USB Audio/MIDI Interfacing, Extensive Hands-On Controls for VSTs and DAWs, Complete Analog and Digital Connectivity

What customers say about "Features"

Korg KROSS 61 Key Mobile Workstation

Korg has editing software available as a free download, making this an even better value.
The sequencer is easy to use. Sequences need to be saved on a memory card. The Kross supports SDHC cards, so you can have up to 32 GB of on-board storage. This especially handy if you intend to use the audio recording feature.
This has a built in handle, weighs in at a little over nine pounds and can run on AA batteries. You can take and use it anywhere.
No internal memory for sequences. Saving and retrieving them is a very clunky process.
The battery compartment takes 6 AA batteries. Something so ancient! They would have done a lot better, providing it with a compartment that would fit a Li-Ion battery that is more environmental friendly, rechargeable, and longer lasting.

Yamaha MX61 61-Key Keyboard Production Station

I use it as a USB Audio/MID interface with Cubase.
I love that when you switch patches, it won't cut off the looming or sustained sound of the previous patch. Even some more expensive keyboards don't do this.
There is an ample library that is broken down into general categories which makes finding the sample you want fairly easy to find. I also found the dedicated octave buttons convenient.
Limited to 44.1 kHz when recording (Cubase) as an audio interface.
There are no user Performances slots, so I had to edit all of the factory performances. Also, VCM effects are limited to 4 voices per multi.
It's also great that it comes with a free version of Cubase, but going through the numerous steps that it takes to download it is a major pain and very time consuming.
The display is a very small two-line display, and it makes editing more complex.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

CE, FCC

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download

MSRP

999.00 $