Comparison Yamaha PSR-E360 vs Yamaha YPT-260

— Unweighted. Keys with a very low pressing force, literally "failing" under the fingers. This option is well suited for inexpensive synthesizers with passive mechanics (see above), but is rarely used in active models — a small resistance force makes it difficult to choose the optimal pressing force.

— Semi- weighted. Medium-strength keys, not up to the hardness of a full-fledged piano, but showing noticeably more resistance than unweighted ones. This variant is most popular among instruments with active mechanics (see above) — the force on the keys provides adequate feedback and at the same time playing such an instrument does not cause any special difficulties even for those who previously dealt only with unweighted keyboards.

— Weighted. Keys with high actuation force, comparable to that of a classical piano. Used only in professional hammer action instruments (see above) — high rigidity is a must for such mechanics (more precisely, for the response that it must provide).

The ability to overlay different timbres of the synthesizer sound on top of each other. This creates the effect of the sound of two (or even more) instruments at once — for example, piano and violin. At the same time, in advanced models, it may be possible to set different settings for different timbres so that the sameness of the extracted notes is not so noticeable — for example, the same "violin" can be set to smooth transitions between notes, while on the "piano" they will sound jerky.

Possibility of dividing the keyboard of the synthesizer into two parts, each of which is responsible for its own timbre of sound. Thus, on one keyboard, you can play two "instruments" at once in real time — for example, accompany the solo part of the violin with chords of a string orchestra. At the same time, unlike auto accompaniment (see above), all notes are taken by the musician himself, without relying on the automatic settings prescribed in the programme.

Usually, several “split keyboard” combinations are pre-written in the synthesizer’s memory, however, some models allow you to separately select a timbre for each half, at the discretion of the musician.

— Digital. Digital audio output, usually via coaxial S/P-DIF interface. It is similar in purpose to the line outputs (see below), differs only in the type of connector and the digital signal format. It can be useful, in particular, for connecting the synthesizer to a device that does not have line inputs, or if these inputs are occupied.

— USB B. A connector designed to connect the synthesizer to a computer or laptop as a peripheral device. Such a connection provides very extensive possibilities: it allows you to load new timbres, auto accompaniment styles and melodies into the synthesizer, edit existing ones; record the played music on the computer (or rewrite the music recorded in the memory of the synthesizer itself); use the instrument as an external MIDI keyboard; change various fine settings and troubleshoot, etc. The specific functionality available with a USB connection depends on the synthesizer model.

— MIDI. Output for transmitting MIDI signals (MIDI events) to external devices. MIDI is a specialized type of digital control signal used in musical instruments. Such a signal is generated when a key is pressed, it contains data about the pressing itself (duration, strength and speed), as well as the note number; Based on this signal, as well as the set settings, the electronic “hardware” of the synthesizer generates a sound of the required duration, timbre and other characteristics. Accordingly, the MIDI output allows you to transmit MIDI events to...an external device — a sequencer, sampler, another synthesizer, a computer (although it is more convenient to connect the instrument to a computer via USB), etc. This interface can be used for various purposes — MIDI recording, playing music through an additional synthesizer if the main model does not have the desired tone, etc.

— MIDI thru. An output designed to transmit to another device MIDI events received by the synthesizer via a MIDI input (see "Inputs"). In this case, the stream of MIDI commands is transmitted unchanged, pressing the keyboard of the synthesizer does not affect it. This function can be useful in some situations where the instrument is connected to several external devices at the same time. For example, if you need to control two others at once from one synthesizer, you can compose such a system as follows: the MIDI output of the control synthesizer is connected to the MIDI input of the first controlled one, and the MIDI thru output of the first one is connected to the MIDI input of the second one. Thus, the control signal goes to the first controlled synthesizer, and, through it, to the second one, while it would be difficult to connect both instruments directly.

— Headphones. Dedicated headphone output. It usually uses a mini-Jack 3.5 mm or Jack 6.35 mm connector — the vast majority of modern headphones are equipped with the first, the second is less common in the “ears”, but more reliable, and is also compatible with 3.5 mm through a simple adapter. Using "ears" when playing the synthesizer is convenient because only the musician hears the music played — this can be useful in situations where you need to practice, but it is undesirable to make noise (for example, at late hours of the day). In addition, some instruments do not have built-in acoustics, and you can listen to them normally only through additional equipment — the role of which can be played just by headphones.

The number of line outputs provided in the design of the synthesizer.

The line output is used to transmit the sound produced by the synthesizer to external devices. At the same time, unlike the MIDI output, a “ready” sound is transmitted through such a connector — an analogue line-level audio signal that can be connected to another audio device — for example, to a power amplifier or active speakers for playback, to a computer or mixing console for recording, etc. Keep in mind that the line outputs can use different types of connectors — for example, 3.5 mm mini-Jack or 6.35 mm Jack; Specifically, these connectors are described in more detail in the “Inputs” section, but the matter is not limited to them.

Multiple analogue inputs make it possible to connect the synthesizer to several external audio devices at the same time — for example, to an amplifier for playback and a recorder for recording.

Additional items supplied with the synthesizer in addition to the instrument itself.

— Music stand. A stand for musical notations, installed in such a way that the materials on it are constantly in front of the musician's eyes. In modern synthesizers, the music stand can be built-in or removable.

— Pedal. An additional control in the form of a pedal, which can be responsible for a wide variety of functions, depending on the model of the synthesizer. For more information about this, see "Connected pedals", here we note that the presence of a pedal in the kit eliminates the need to look for and select it separately.

— Power Supply. Power supply for connecting the synthesizer to the network. The very possibility of working from the outlet is important for most modern synthesizers. Therefore, the absence of a power supply in the kit means either that it is made internal, or that we have a simple and inexpensive model (usually for children, see "Type"), designed mainly for battery operation and not equipped with a PSU or not providing for it at all connections. An external power supply unit is convenient because it can be disconnected when working from autonomous power sources, saving the tool from unnecessary wires.

— Disk. Optical disk (CD or DVD) with various additional materials on the synthesizer. These can be instructions and other documentation, drivers for connecting to a computer, specialized software for editing music on a PC,...etc.

— Rack. Own stand for installing the synthesizer on the floor — usually folding, in the unfolded state resembling the letter X in shape. With such a stand, the musician does not have to look for a free table, window sill or other similar place to place the instrument — there is enough free space on the floor. Racks for synthesizers are also sold separately, but it is often more convenient or even cheaper to buy such a device along with an instrument.

— Microphone. The microphone can be used both for singing and for creating samples based on external sounds. However it is worth noting that usually relatively inexpensive synthesizers for beginner musicians are equipped with microphones — it is more convenient for a professional to independently choose additional equipment (including a microphone) to suit their own needs and preferences, without relying on the choice of the manufacturer. Accordingly, the complete microphones themselves usually have rather modest characteristics.