Sander and others,

what about a poll on the styles which we use most?

Sometimes, I wonder why some families of styles are preset in any arranger KB. Is there really somebody who uses them so often, or would it be better to have these available on flash memory, allowing more space for really popular styles (probably having more of them ready on board).

Sander, you may put together 10/15 families of styles (8 beats, 16 beats, latin, traditional, dance, Rocks, etc.) for us to say which we really use. The final result should show the percentage of the most utilized styles and viceversa.

Which arranger KB people use should not discriminate as families are more or less the same...

Could be a tip for KB makers. Let's have a go at this

Ciao


PS: Sander, I think we should include a style group of the '30s, ...just to make Steve and Dave feel confortable with the poll.

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Amelio

Come on now, Uncle Dave didn't play with Bennie Goodman until the '40s

....... "Disco been beddy, beddy good to me ! "

My idea of the ideal style setup is to have a total RAM based system. You buy the arranger KB with NO on board styles. Maybe it comes with a couple of hundred styles and you load it up with 200 styles of your choice! This way if you want to have 20 8beat and 20 16beat etc., you got it! You create your own arranger style based KB.

Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dre-e-e-e-m!

Talking about old music . . . I went to a site about a week ago that listed the top 100 hits for each year from 1950 through 2000. I knew almost every song in the top 100 from about 1965 to 1975, then my recognition began to drop sharply. I knew probaly 15 songs from 1980, and only a few out of the top 100 for each year in the 1990's.

That adds up to a lot of songs but professionals that EARN their living making music have got to know most of the top 100 for each year if they want to keep making money. Playing music is fun but for some on this forum keeping up a repertoire is plain hard work. I know hundreds of songs but I'm not current. I probably know bits and pieces of a thousand but that doesn't help much if you're doing this full time.

As a Technical Writer, I keep up with technology, software, hardware, etc. and that's work, too. I often envy those that play keyboard for a living but I know it's not a bed of roses . . . and I think I'm personally better off writing than I would be trying to jump-start a music career.

It might be interesting to take notebook and write down all of the songs you know for each year in the 1990's (hope you do better than me).

Regards,
Steve

Steve,
You're 100% correct about the repertoire. That's a performers duty - to know the pop stuff that the crowd enjoys. WE all have our little "specialty" and I'm sure NO one has all the answers, but this much I know:
Play where the crowd is on your side! Remember the Blues Bros. movie? If you need the chicken wire for protection, you're playing the wrong rooms.
I has been so very fortunate all these years to find places that cater to the age group that likes the music I WANT to play, so there is not much that doesn't work, but weddings, Bar Mitzbah's etc..... that's where you earn your keep!
New tunes are a MUST HAVE! As soon as we get complacent....we get replaced.

Hey Amelius,

Yep, it's an idea. Although some of us think it's a total waste of time to vote, I will continue. People who don't like to vote, just skip the topic. People who are interrested in it will vote and will try to view the results.

I'll make a list of them all and the poll will be up soon. But indeed.. why are those manufacturers using those default things. Standard maybe? Tradition?

Thanks for the idea and the comments

Sander
The Netherlands

Sander,

I do not think that people on this forum do not like to vote... or to express their opinion. Maybe, some criticism (which I think can be very constructive) was focused on the "Best KB" poll, rather than voting. Somehow, I also found the "BEST KB" forum a little misleading (and agreed with Steve about the 9K not being mentioned). You also started off with a weird and difficult topic: ALL our friends on the forum own different KBs and think these are the best. The simple fact is that they are the best for their needs, and you will find on the history of the forum that each single opinion expressed is well proved and documented with competent technincal arguments. Even Steve has given up trying and prove the Yammy the best... hahaha.

So keep going on. Personal advice: do not take offence at some "american" criticism (Peace, my friends on the other side of the ocean). Over here in Europe, we probably use a softer style for criticism, but I'm sure no offence was intended.

Ciao

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Amelio

Team,

The style approach (ie being able to have on board your most popularly used/best styles) is a good one indeed. By providing the user with over 100 styles that are re-writeable (and if you must, you can re-load the initial styles from the HD), I believe the Ketron SD_1 approaches this comfort zone. With a pattern expansion installed in the Ketron X-series you can load in over 150 of your own styles - not counting the 109 on board! Remember too that this gives you a widder category to choose from!

As a side:
I personally think that the time will come (if it hasn't already) when we cannot really judge an arranger keyboard from sounds/styles. If you think about it closely, most sounds are being geared towards sounding like the 'real thing'. If that is the altimate goal, then believe me - technology will soon catch up to the point where you would think you heard - the real thing, but until then ... As for the styles, similar situation - after all, most use the sound-set on board (appart from Solton's grooves or Yamaha's real/sweet voices or GEMs RASS etc). 8beat, Latin beat etc - when they are programmed, the programmers mosty use similar reference e.g songs that have already been written etc with a slight change in INTROs and ENDINGS...

So with SOUNDS and STYLES all 'shooting' in similar directions, how can we really rate/distiguish keyboards?
Well, think about 'features' that are attached to the styles/sounds. In that same thought process, add on Operating Systems, over-all cost (you might even what to break it down to cost-per-function if you want to get really acurate), communication with other instruments/outside world etc. These are features that are NOT really heading in the same direction - just one manufacturer copying from another or so to say.
Once you have looked at all the above features, adding on weight, looks, feel etc guess what?

The best keyboard DOES NOT EXIST ... at least not for everyone. Why? We all have different tastes - just as we have different taste for cars, tea etc. Which is the best one (BMW, Honda, LEXUS!).

My point? Voting on this subject, discussing what is best... won't really be effective. However, (in my case) I would be willing to read information here and there stating why someone 'thinks' a particular keyboard is good and worth checking out (e.g whow, the new PSR 10540 has ..., ... and ... check these features out guys!) Wouldn't that be more constructive?

With that said, I still must admit, it has been a pleasure cooresponding with others via this forum. Keep the spirits alive for there is a lot to be learned out there!

AJ