review :: Paul J. Furio
rating: 8/10
This is a fun synth. It can be had on the cheap on eBay these days, since it's no longer manufactured by Yamaha. Still, at the time it was voted the best 'bang for the buck' by Keyboard magazine, and I think it still has that advantage.
It's easy to play, and the realtime knobs and ribbon control make tweaking the sound very, very easy. The one disadvantage is that because there are only eight sound knobs, you can't see the settings for a sound all at once. The software editor partly solves this problem, but you do have to look over at your computer for this functionality. The array of buttons that control the effects settings, which are also a major part of good sound design, are also not easy to understand, but with a little time, they become fairly straightforward.
If you can't afford a VirusB, and you want 61 keys, shop around for one of these babies.
