if i remember correctly Hellboy you were interested in the sampler element of the pax for drum loops ? if that is the case then the 32mb of sampling ram will not be a significant limitation at all.

But it's load time will...

If sampling is going to be a priority, you MIGHT (if you can!) want to wait the NEXT generation of arrangers. PA800 apparently already has a faster data pipeline to the RAM, and the new MotifXS loads samples over ten times faster than MotifES!

If Yamaha port this technology over to the T3, this ought to make live sample loading a bit more practical...

I really dont think there will ever be a T3. Tyros/Psr series has run its course.....
I predict Yamaha will take a new road with arrangers in the near future...lets wait & see?

yeah i think the same donny, even to the point of predicting that yamaha will be heading down a similar path to ketron's audya.....big call i know, but you are correct, imo, that yamaha have extended the psr/tyros line as far as it can go and the "live audio loops" seems to be where these keyboards are headed next, perhaps even adding direct connection to PC's to play VSTi's and DXi's as part of the arranger styles/keyboard
dennis

"But it's load time will"

I posted the following question on the korg forum just to check that the Pax can be used in the way that Hellboy wants to use it, in particular sampled drum loops

"can someone answer this question for me. Suppose i wanted to load say 30 different 8-16 bar drum loops on my pa1x. Is it possible to hold all 30 at the same time within the PAX 32mb ram limit ? Does this sound feasable ? If this is possible, is there anyway to then save the sampled loops to play within a style for immediate playback ? can those styles be then saved in songs or midifiles and used in the song book ? Is there any time delay in switching from one drum loop to the next by secting a new song? "

it was confirmed to me that depending on the sample loop size it was feasable to hold up to 8 completely different sampled 8 bar loops within the Pa1x 32 mb memory. These loops can be assigned to styles or midi files and saved under the song book function for instant recall, no time delay. Each sampled loop can be resampled so as to slice the loop and use a particular drum sample to create your own drum kits and reprogramme the loop to create your own loops without requireing a completely new raw sample.There fore you could have potentially many more drum loop for performance purposes instantly without the need to load new sample data. Further more you can edit the sampled drum kits and layer them with the internal sounds to create new drum sounds and save them and use them in a style just like any other internal sound etc.
Obviously all of this is subject to the original sample size data but drum loops and individual drum hits dont use huge amounts of sample time like for example a sampled piano.

Thanks Spalding

- I did notice your question on the Korg Forum and that has eased my troubled mind.

As soon as I get the cash from Mr. Bank Manager,(in a month or 2) unless the Audya comes out a LOT sooner than expected (mid-ish '08) then a PA1x Pro Elite will soon be my new axe of choice!

Much appreciated all who are helping me with this decision - as most of you may know, I most likely cannot see this keyboard "in person" so I'm relying on all the friendly advice on this forum and the Korg forum....


For my needs (I must stress) I'm finding it harder and harder to see the downside of owning the Elite.

For the record I should state that:


I need a few drum loops for the "big hit" dance tracks to be used probably almost exclusively in SMFs - say maybe 3 or 4 tracks per Set MAXIMUM (thus I can load up different loops in between sets).

A few miscellaneous samples (sounds that are "on the record" that I can't reproduce).

As long as I can save all the samples I want to the 40 gig Hard Drive, then the sample Ram limit of 32 meg shouldn't be too bad.

HOWEVER.

I'm a little worried about the supposedly "bad" stock Piano sound in the PA1X - I play Piano for the majority of the time - so one thing I will say - I need to either EQ the Stock Piano sound to be "decent" (more bass and mids isn't it?) OR use a Piano sample that is better than the stock, but takes up less Ram.

Apparently there is a Piano sample I've read about on the Korg Boards?? (can't remember where) that sounds great but takes up only 12-16 meg or less.....

If your needs are modest (and well planned out ahead) then load time on a PA1X is manageable, but one thing you need to get FOR SURE is a small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) like you use on a computer. You will lose ALL samples on a power-outage, and have to reload from scratch.

Bit of a dance-floor killer if it happens.

The only REAL trouble with sampled loops is... once you get used to them, and have a good library, you want to use them more and more..! THEN you start bumping into the load-time brick-wall. Arrangers tend to be used in a more free-form manner, so how fast you can load the loops for ANY song in your repertoire at ANY point in the show starts to be important.

But it IS the way of the future. Imagine an arranger with Stylus RMX as the drum engine... WOW

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 06-23-2007).]

yes its called Alex Steinway and is an excellent piano. You have to download it from korg downloads under "Alex Set" http://www.korgforums.com/?show=1

There are a whole boatload of new sounds on this set which max out the ram 32mb. You will like all the sounds i promise you, how ever you willneed to find the steinway sample and save that to a separate set of your own. Then you can merge it with your new drum loop samples to use as a completely new set. So long as your drum loops and your new steinway piano dont exceed tbe 32mb limit you should be fine.


[This message has been edited by spalding (edited 06-24-2007).]