Yamaha CK61 Synthesizer

Yamaha CK61 — Portable Stage Keyboard with Piano, Organ, and Synth Power

The Yamaha CK61 is a 61-key stage keyboard that fuses authentic piano, dedicated organ, and modern synth sounds into one road-ready instrument. It merges the CP Stage Piano engine with the YC Stage Keyboard, giving players a hybrid palette covering grand piano, electric piano, organ, pads, leads, and basses. The CK61 is the right choice for gigging keyboardists who want one board to replace three.

What Sets the CK61 Apart

Unlike most stage pianos, the CK61 pairs its piano engine with a full nine-drawbar organ section based on the Yamaha reface YC, complete with rotary speaker simulation, percussion, and enhanced vibrato/chorus. A dedicated Filter and Envelope Generator shapes synth tones without menu diving, while Mono and Unison panel switches deliver thick lead and bass sounds. The onboard A/D Input accepts a microphone or instrument and routes it through two dedicated effects.

FSB Action and 128-Note Polyphony

The CK61 introduces the new FSB (Future System Basic) keyboard action, inspired by the FS action originally developed for Electone organs such as the FX-1. This semi-weighted, velocity-sensitive design delivers heavier initial key resistance and longer key travel than typical synth actions, giving organ, synth, and piano parts a more expressive response.

• Keyboard Action: FSB semi-weighted, velocity-sensitive — heavier initial resistance and longer key travel for expressive control
• Polyphony: 128 notes — headroom for stacked layers and long releases without voice stealing

AWM2 Engine with 363 Voices and 160 Live Set Slots

AWM2 synthesis drives the piano, electric piano, and synth voices, paired with AWM Organ Flutes for the dedicated organ section. The 363-voice library covers three Yamaha grand pianos (CFX, S700, CF3), the U1 upright, vintage reed and tine electric pianos, Clavi, DX7-style FM electric pianos, plus analog-style pads, leads, basses, brass, strings, and bells.

• Tone Generation: AWM2 + AWM Organ Flutes — sample-based acoustic realism plus modeled organ behavior
• Voices and Live Sets: 363 voices, 160 Live Set slots (80 preset) — broad library with instant recall of complete performance setups

36 Effects, USB Audio Interface, and Battery Power

Three dedicated effects processors — Drive (5 types), Effects 1, and Effects 2 (36 types each) — plus Master Delay, Master Reverb, and a 3-band Master EQ give the CK61 the equivalent of a customizable pedalboard. Pitch bend and modulation wheels, physical transpose and octave shift keys, and a full-dot LCD keep every control within reach. Connectivity covers 6.3 mm L/R outputs, a stereo A/D input, headphone jack, two foot pedal inputs, 5-pin DIN MIDI, and USB TO HOST and TO DEVICE.

• Effects: 36 insert types + 4 delays + 3 reverbs + 3-band Master EQ — pedalboard-level sound shaping from the front panel
• Dimensions and Weight: 910 × 109 × 291 mm, 5.6 kg — compact enough for a gig bag, light enough to carry one-handed

Who Should Choose the Yamaha CK61

The CK61 is the right choice for working keyboardists who split their set between piano, organ, and synth parts and want one board to cover all three roles. Church musicians benefit from the nine-drawbar organ section with rotary speaker and instant bass-and-piano splits. Solo performers gain a self-contained rig with built-in stereo speakers, Bluetooth audio playback, and up to 4.5 hours of battery life. Producers get a class-compliant USB audio interface at 44.1 kHz for direct recording into a DAW.

Yamaha's CK Series — A New Hybrid Stage Keyboard Line

Yamaha's CK Series marks the company's first dedicated hybrid stage keyboard line, combining the sound engines of the CP Stage Piano and the YC Stage Keyboard into a portable, battery-powered format. The FSB action draws direct inspiration from the FS action originally developed for the legendary Electone FX-1 organ, while the dedicated organ section is built on the technology of the Yamaha reface YC mobile keyboard.