Have Keys, Will Travel: Portable Keyboards in 2024

Ideal for musicians on the go – be it to an impromptu session down the street, a lesson across town, rehearsals, or outdoor gigs – today’s Portable Keyboards pack a powerful punch, with ever-expanding features and functionality.

We touch base with four important suppliers in this category to get the skinny on what’s driving sales in 2024, which specific models are flying off the shelves, and what’s on the horizon for these versatile, compact instruments.

For your brand, what model(s) of Portable Keyboard is/are selling best so far in 2024?

Rich Formidoni: Our top-sellers continue to be our popular Casiotone keyboards, specifically the affordable CT-S200, CT-S300, and CT-S1. We’re particularly excited about the success of the CT-S1, which differentiates itself with its slim, stylish design and sound quality. It represents a bold new direction for a portable keyboard that has garnered praise and adoption from players of all skill levels.

Leng Tshua: Our model M2, which we launched at NAMM 2024 in January, is doing very well, indeed. We are especially excited about attracting this new type of buyers – they are largely young artists and students, a new generation of music makers.

Dane Madsen: Most of our beginner portable keyboard models are transitioning to a new lineup this year. The completely redesigned PSR-E383 and its 76-key counterpart PSR-EW320 will undoubtedly carry on their best-selling predecessors’ success. There is a PSR-E283 priced below those two, but when customers decide to go with Yamaha, they don’t always choose the least expensive model. Better educational features, speakers, and touch sensitivity on the PSR-E383 and PSR-EW320 mean they get better value. Pay a little more and get a lot more. I’m sure this had something to do with those two price points being our best sellers.

Luciano Minetti: In the digital piano category, our top-selling portable model so far in 2024 is the Liano. This digital piano stands out with its semi-weighted keybed, built-in speakers, and ultra-thin design, measuring only 2.87 inches thick and weighing just over 13 pounds. It also offers the convenience of battery operation for up to eight hours, making it perfect for on-the-go performances, and it includes our premier Italian Grand piano sample content.

In the synthesizer category, the limited edition microKORG Crystal maintains the same portable design as our all-time best-selling synthesizer, but now features a striking translucent body.

What features – color, number of keys, built-in features, Bluetooth connectivity, et cetera – are most sought after by today’s players?

LT: The M2 comes with 61-key and touch-responsive keyboard which is a winning combination for our end users. The unit is designed [to be] portable and lightweight for street performers to carry around on gigs routinely, and young music practitioners also prefer its mobility for their daily “workout.” Our market response is very positive on the M2 piano-like experience with access to its “Support APP intelligent learning system,” enhanced with Bluetooth MIDI, and multiple built-in accompaniment. This model is flexible to suit a diverse learning and performing environment for everyone. 

DM: If you include the more serious keyboard players, the colors are simple, and everything has drifted towards darker charcoal and black colors. Because arranger keyboards like the PSR-SX900 are Style-based, where often the left-hand controls the rhythm section and the right-hand plays more melodically, players want more keys when they can get them. Our flagship arranger, Genos 2, is only offered in 76 keys, so the musician has more flexibility with their chord voicings on the left and more keys for more individual instruments on the right. Another factor customers choose for Yamaha arrangers is the expandable content. They don’t want to be limited to the styles on the keyboard when they buy it. Yamaha has content developers worldwide, making styles in the genres that are most important to them. With so many cultures living within the U.S., they can all benefit from this downloadable content using our Voice & Style Expansion Pack.

LM: The features most sought after by today’s players vary depending on the type of customer and their specific needs. For digital piano buyers, keybed feel and size are critical to the performance experience. Our affordable piano models strike a balance between playability and portability. In contrast, our higher-end, furniture-style pianos offer elegant wood cabinetry, superior hammer action, and versatile connectivity options, including Bluetooth, USB, and MIDI. 

RF: It depends entirely on where the player is in their musical journey. For beginners, the primary consideration is often a 61-key model with full-size, sometimes touch-responsive keys, so that the player can appreciate a piano-like experience right from the start. Bluetooth connectivity is becoming increasingly important within this segment since many customers are discovering how powerful, free learning apps significantly enhance the value of their portable keyboard purchase. As players advance, they prioritize style, portability, and the quality of built-in sounds, as depicted by the CT-S1.

Do you feel most customers use these small portable keyboards for arranging, writing, performing?

DM: Below $500, the PSR-E series portable keyboards are more for learning or expanding upon what a customer has already learned. Above $500, when you get into the PSR-SX and Genos 2 level of products, the uses tend to vary. For arranging purposes, the PSR-SX600 checks all the boxes with a variety of styles and the ability to put variations within a Style into a particular order. However, the quality and depth of the Voice library in a PSR-SX900 or a Genos 2 give the “one-man-band” musicians the extra sparkle they need to sound amazing live. When you’ve got an audience in front of you and are the only one on stage, you want to sound your absolute best. The higher-end Yamaha Voice and Style content delivers that experience.

LM: Absolutely all of the above. The ability to make music in any space is essential, making small portable keyboards ideal for arranging, writing, and performing. KORG’s product lineup is diverse, spanning multiple categories including pianos, synthesizers, stage keyboards, and workstations. In each category, we offer compact solutions to accommodate customers with space constraints. For example, in the synthesizer category, we have products like the wavestate, opsix, and modwave, which are available as keyless modules and in compact 37-key, 61-key versions, and even software versions. In the workstation category, the KROSS2 61 provides a versatile selection of sounds in a lightweight, travel-friendly package. Our main goal is to provide our customers with a variety of options, allowing them to choose the size and features that best suit their needs and workflow.

RF: Writing is the most prevalent activity among the three options, particularly because many individuals utilize their Casiotone keyboards as USB MIDI controllers in their homes. They appreciate the space-saving design that’s essential for smaller workspaces. As for performing, it depends on the keyboard’s functionality. Given that more customers purchase a CT-S200 or CT-S300 versus the stage-ready CT-S500, live performance is less of an intended use for the category. While the arranger market is not as widespread in the USA as in other territories, many players rely on our built-in rhythms for practice, songwriting, or entertaining. All that said, our data indicates that most players use affordable, portable keyboards for learning and exploration.

LT: Practicing and live-performing in a given space, either at home, in-studio or on the street are all important to our end users. It is important to the new generation of “space makers” that their activity be elevated, so they may further explore their musical journey into a fruitful future, and yes: small portable keyboards are actually preferred here in this market segment – mostly used for performing in many diverse environments.

How do successful MI retailers go about displaying and marketing these types of keyboards? What are some strategies you’ve seen really connect with customers?

LM: Live demos are essential for successful MI retailers. Customers need to experience making music on our instruments firsthand when visiting a store. This is best achieved through a dealer network that prioritizes in-store displays with powered-on and ready-to-play instruments.

LT: Having the keyboard set up in the showroom with a good display always generates curiosity and interest. Providing a friendly, keyboard-testing site for tryouts within the given space, with expert sales professionals on-hand to guide the customers, ensures success in sales.   

RF: Simply having the keyboard set up at a comfortable playing height, clean, and powered on can make all the difference, especially for “I’m just looking” shoppers who prefer to explore independently before engaging with a salesperson. To address this, we’ve found success with on-product POP materials featuring quick step-by-step instructions. Additionally, our most successful retailers take advantage of our multi-product display options, grouping similar instruments for maximum effect.

DM: Successful dealers go way beyond just unboxing portable keyboards for display. There’s so much downloadable content, even for keyboards below $200. Yamaha partners with Hal Leonard to make sure that easy-piano arrangements of best-selling sheet music titles have special compatibility with our keyboards. Our “You Are the Artist” library of XG song files is easy to download to a laptop (www.yamaha.io/yata) and drag and drop directly into the keyboard’s memory. This lets customers play with recorded arrangements of popular songs at any tempo on a PSR-E383 right in the store for dealers who install songs on their floor models. This gets even more important on the new lighted-key EZ-310, where it actually shows you which notes to play. Up on the higher-end keyboards, each with hundreds of Styles to choose from, the challenge is to know which songs to perform using which Style. Successful arranger keyboard dealers install a custom Playlist with actual song names. Select a song name, and in one step, the correct Style is chosen, the variation and temp are set, and even the right-hand Voice gets called up so you can start performing the song faster. This is amazing to customers; you know a few songs by heart. All the hard work is done for them, and all they have to do is play.

Do you have any recently released or upcoming Portable Keyboard models you’d like to highlight or preview?

RF: While we could go on about the CT-S1, let’s not forget the CT-S1000V and CT-S500. Beyond the CT-S1000V’s unique vocal synthesis feature, both keyboards have stories to tell that may not be immediately evident on the sales floor. Their most noteworthy features include exceptionally high-quality built-in tones, extensive DSP effect customization, and overall suitability as stage keyboards. Personally, I often tote a CT-S1000V in our SC-650 backpack case on the subway to rehearsals, and my band has been very impressed with its sound.We don’t have any announcements about upcoming models just yet, but rest assured, we’re always working on something. Stay tuned for updates!

DM: The entry-level models were just refreshed in the spring. PSR-E273 became PSR-E283, PSR-E373 became PSR-E383, PSR-EW310 became PSR-EW320, and the lighted key EZ-300 became EZ-310. These are pretty significant upgrades, so we encourage dealers to get them in stores early to familiarize themselves with the lineup before the holiday.

LT: We should mention the popular P200 which was given a new make-over at NAMM 2024, and is now dressed in psychedelic green-purple-pink exteriors with enhanced features such as an Italian weighted keyboard, combined with vocal synthesis feature, and unique adaptability to live performance for professional users. We are starting to see a new emerging market for this model.

LM: Two of our latest releases showcased at NAMM 2024 in our portable synthesizer lineup are the KingKORG NEO and the microKORG2. Both are compact virtual analog digital synthesizers featuring vocoders. If you’re deliberating between the two, the microKORG2 introduces several enhancements, including an updated color display with animations for guiding sound shaping, alongside a loop recorder and vocal effects. The KingKORG NEO offers plenty of knob-per-function controls, full-size keys, and 18 diverse filter types including modeled filters after five classic vintage synthesizers.

Are your expectations that sales of portable keyboards will increase, remain level, or decrease in the coming months?

DM: Summer is usually a slower time for entry-level keyboards. But a ramp-up to holiday begins around the back-to-school season. Strong online competition from low-end B-brands is impacting the category for first-time buyers. Our goal is to put quality products in front of quality salespeople to help customers get the experience and guidance they expect when buying a brand like Yamaha.

 LT: As we are relatively new in exporting to the worldwide digital market and have penetrated 112 countries, including the United States, in a relatively quick time-span, we are optimistic that growth in sales is inevitable and further development in technology [will be] the key to our success.

LM: Although sales performance typically experiences a slowdown across various product categories during the summer season, we anticipate a significant opportunity during the back-to-school season.

 RF: As we continue to navigate the ongoing adjustments following the peak of the pandemic, we’re observing encouraging developments. We anticipate that sales will remain steady throughout the summer and rise during the holiday season, above last year’s level.