EK-50 U

The EK-50 U is an arranger keyboard that builds on the original EK-50 with new styles and sounds drawn from American music. It holds 727 sounds, 288 styles and 200 keyboard sets. New guitars, electric basses, brass and drum kits are included, and many existing styles have been remade to use them. The international styles and sounds of the original model are kept. Styles supply a backing band that follows the chords played, and extra styles can be loaded from a USB flash drive.

Sounds come from a PCM engine with two stereo effects processors. A keyboard set can combine up to four sounds: three layered across the upper keys and one split to the lower keys. There are 51 drum kits and a full GM2 sound set. A dedicated Grand Piano button recalls the piano sound at any moment. The panel has a large display and LED-lit buttons, and style categories are printed on the panel.

For capturing ideas, the instrument offers one-touch performance recording and a sequencer that works as a 12-track recorder. Song mode plays internal demos, MP3 and WAV audio, and SMF files from a USB flash drive. Built-in 10W x 10W stereo speakers also reproduce sound from a device connected to the input jack. A music rest and AC adaptor are included, and AA batteries can power it.