Roland Juno-DS 88

I wanted a master keyboard for the studio, but also something I could have a bank of sounds to play on straight away without booting up the PC. The keyboard comes with a huge array of sounds of all different styles and instrument types.
The keyboard action is gorgeous. I also have a Yamaha Arius and this weighted key action blows the Yamaha away completely. The little mixer is also nice to balance each instrument volume in a multi instrument patch. I also like the built in sequencer / record which allows you to record on the fly without again having to use the PC.
I also downloaded the free soundbank patches from the Roland website, put them on a tiny USB drive which is permanently in the USB socket on the keyboard, this is set into the back, so it does not stick out. By having this, I now have many thousands of sounds available (chosen when booting up).
From what started as just a master midi keyboard has turned into my main standalone composition keyboard with sounds ranging from dance to classical orchestra.
I very like the maxing out of the DSP function to layer sounds which turn out super FAT sounding and you can slightly detune each one. All in all a fantastic keyboard and very very happy with the purchase. Highly Recommended.

Bought a JUNO-DS88 because I wanted an 88 weighted-key instrument that was also transportable and easy to use for gigs here & there. I had already owned other keyboards before by YAMAHA Korg etc, and they were all great, BUT, the DS88 had such a unique set of features, that I thought I would give it a try.
Transportation - considering the size of the keyboard - is great. Vast selection of sounds. I think that the piano sounds are some of the best in the business, especially considering the price of it!

This keyboard unique because of the the addition of a microphone including adding effects, so you can easily plug in a microphone right into the keyboard on the back. Control section on the left side of the keyboard facilitates varying of the parameters while performing. This section also has a set of sliders that make it fast and easy to control blends of upper and lower tones for splits, dual overlays, etc. Pitch-Bender is also great. Had this on my Korg workstation and this was an added bonus to my new DS88; love it.

All in all, great keyboard, so much fun and so many possibilities!

I bought the Juno DS-88 over 1,5 years ago, looking for a keyboard with a wide variety of sounds and some nicely weighted keys. I can honestly say that I'm just as happy with the instrument today as I was when I first received it. After all this time, I still haven't gone through all the patches, and there are so many more to download for free online. I will say that it is fairly heavy but it isn't much of an issue for me since it sits on its stand at home most of the time. Also, this keyboard has no speakers built in, so make sure to get a good pair of headphones along with it. The keyboard exceeded my expectations as a beginner, and I'm sure it will last me well into the future as I improve as a keyboardist. My only regret is that I didn't pick this lovely instrument up sooner.

I bought this workstation to use it with my band and it is my first pick on this field. After long consideration I decided to get this workstation in favor of the korg krome and the yamaha motif (61 velocity sensitive key versions). This one offers great hammer action and feel in a realitely low price. The keybed feels nice and I like the texture of the keys (some anti - sweaty thingie). It really packs up a lot of information, sound editing possibilites and recording wise. I really liked the pads, which you can use to playback imported samples like drum sounds or loops.
Soundwise, I wasn't amazed by its piano sounds but they weren't bad either. The el. piano sounds are really great: nice bite and bells and if you mess around a little with them you can get a great result. You can also head to the axial site and get more el. piano which I prefer. As for the organ sounds, just don't turn on the rotary effect, it sucks.
Lastly, don't get this thing if you plan to carry it around... It's heavy as shit, and even with its nice bag it's really hard to move it.