these are both approx 36 lbs, for me that's borderline
too heavy, but can't have it all. I tried a T2 at a store
for 10 minutes. I read specs and all your comments. I never
have gotten to try a ketron, but many rave about them,
and they are 76 keys, and it looks like an instrument, not
an alien spacecraft. anyone here tried (or at least seriously researched) both before they decided on which one they would buy..and can give reasons? thanks.
Miami Mo

Hi:

I had and X1 HD and then when it came out around 5 years ago, the SD1, then another SD1, I became a product specialist on those boards, their sounds and styles are incredible, Aldo, for some taste, the styles are "in your face" type, but I did like them, their user interface is a little more complex that other keyboards, but when you "get it", is easy, just like with Korgs, or other boards, the SD1 I will assume that is due for a replacement SOON, in few months, a smaller model, the SD5 (61 Keys and speakers built in) and with new features like Riff, after fill an others....is coming out with an updated sound generation. The SD1/SD1 Plus for MY style of playing, the 64 note polyphony was an issue, that is why I change it for the Yamaha Tyros2 that has 128. By the way, the new SD5 has also 128 note polyphony.
Both units(SD1/T2) are great, depending of your playing style, in the SD1 still has a few sounds that are better to MY ears than the T2, example, the human choirs....the MMMMHHHs, the TOO TOO, the AAAHHH, is real, the DOOuuuappp !!....there are other sound that by now are a little dated.
Can you expand more if you are going to be playing styles or midi files or are you considering to use it with a MIDI controller?, the reason I ask is because the SD1 works great with accordions, midi guitars, etc...Here in the Valley area, there a a lot of performers using this set ups. I see that the T2 has already those configurations, but I have not seen/heard it yet in action with a controller that type. The T2 has one of the BEST user friendly interfaces.

thanks, mdorantes. I don't play files or interface, I just
play live jazz and sing, mostly full kb style w/ some splits
and I use mostly just bass/drums..so I need: easy muting
of all voices except bass/drums/percussion, easy to use
handy registrations for live performance, tap tempo near
start button(don't like where it is on T2) transpose button nearby too, really swinging assortment of bass/drum/percussion styles I don't have to tweak: lots of good swing, bop, funk, bossa, latin etc. Really great piano, rhodes, jazz b3, vibes, jazz guitar, acoustic guitar, scat & doo-wah voices, muted tpt, flute, etc. don't need any any sax sounds, i play sax live..I know the sd1 is semi-weighted, which is nice, but I have tendinitis in my hands and can't play an acoustic anymore.
synth action doesn't bother me. I once had a Gem sk76
w/semi-weighted and it was hard on my hands..but Gems
all tend to heavy action..does the sd1 have a light action?
Miami Mo

MM,
Sounds as if the SD1 really fits your needs. I switched from SD1 to T2, at least partially because I thought the key action would be ligher on the T2, but there isn't that much difference.
I think if I were you, and had the time, I'd wouldn't purchase the SD1 unless you could find a real steal on one. Surely the successor to it is in the pipeline and it should be even better. I hope it incorporates more of the features of the Ketron Midjay, particularly the operating system.
All that said, I'm really enjoying the Tyros 2 and finding exciting new features every time I play it, even after owning all the previous Yamahas.
DonM

thanks Don,
somebody offered to trade their Roland Discover kbd/MidJay
hookup + cash for the Genesys ProS I want to sell/swap.
Combined that's about 36 lbs also, but can carry the 7-lb
Midjay separately so that makes it less back-breaking.
Do you think that is a viable alternative to the sd1 for my
performing needs, or too complex and file-oriented? Is a midjay with a controller a better option than an sd1+?
mm

I did use the Midjay with success. I used a 7-pound controller keyboard. The Midjay has great sounds and can use all the SD1 styles, plus the operating system is very good. It has a hard-disk recorder and lets you play styles, midi files, mp3s and wavs alone or in combination.
Shortcomings were that the vocal harmonizer was strictly a vocoder and I missed the more versatile harmonizer on SD1 and Yamaha.
You can easily search this forum for my previous assessments of these instruments.
Good luck with your choice. It's great that there are so many wonderful options.
DonM

I have also performed with the Midjay/Roland A37 controller....& I'll tell you the Ketron products are right up there on top in the sound & style department....plus the midjay gives you an unsurpassed All In One module that's hard to beat....although I really enjoyed the MJ weight & flexibility, navigational interaction between the module & controller cramped my style of play on stage so I reluctantly had to move on, but that In Your Face KETRON sound will always remain #1 in my book.....I'm looking forward to playing the SD5 & future Ketron offerings in the future also.
Contact AJ for great Ketron deals.

dnj, i looked at the sd5 specs and it's 38.5lbs, and i'm on
the fence as it is w/36.5 for t2 or sd1..so that's not an option, unfortunately, because I do prefer speakers, but
it's not a deal-breaker if no speakers. I don't use vocal
harmonizer much so I can live without that.
I'm interested in the onstage navigational problems you
encountered using midjay and controller. What i need is
very accessible tap tempo and transpose buttons, and to be able to freeze tempos and sounds and styles, and have
very accessible registrations for my most-used sounds
and "half-styles" (bass/drum only for most). Oh, and not to lose any settings when I turn the unit off.
MM

Midjay will do all that for sure, and very well.
DonM

Mo the DisCover5 will answer the call for your vocalizer..it is simply the best..
Since you mentioned the combo swap on another thread...you got me thinking about using a MidJay with my DisCover 5...It would give me the MP3 player as well as arranger features..

I think I can chime in on this subject because in the past I have owned an SD1 and presently own a Tyros 2 and just ten days ago have added to it a Midjay. I bought it because I still have a lot of Ketron styles and they are really useful for some genres of music, like Country, Soul or Rhytm and Blues.
Since the first day I have owned it, I have found with the Midjay the same sensations I had in the past with the SD1 - positive and "not so positive". The positive ones are the impact of the styles and of the drums: especially the sampled grooves really add realism to a song. Speaking of the "less positive" ones, in the first place -like Manuel said- many sounds are dated while others, like the electric pianos, are simply not on the same level with other arrangers, not only the Tyros but also the Roland G 70 or the Korg PA 1X.
I agree that the sound quality is very subjective, but there are other things that are not so subjective, like the ease of use, the friendliness of the user interface, a well thought-out operative system, etc.
Here again, I think that Ketron in general leaves something to be desired and it takes a bit of time and patience to get used to the way things work (or sometimes don't work).
I think I can say that, while the Midjay is a great all-in-one machine, for this same reason is not so versatile as an arranger. For example, you can edit your styles only to a (very limited) degree, the chord recognition is fixed and cannot be modified and I am not even sure which one is, but have already seen that some chords are not recognized, etc.
So, while I am very happy to have a Ketron again in my home studio, I wouldn't be so happy if the Midjay was my one and only arranger.

[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 08-25-2006).]

thanks to all, the question I'd like to follow up on is this:
aside from the vocalizer and file organizing talents of the
Discover, if one doesn't really use those that much (at least at this point in time), does the Discover offer advantages over using a straight controller? like overcoming what you see as the drawbacks of the Midjay e.g., better electric piano sounds or some others, ease of on-the fly operation live, etc?
on the flip side, would I be better off with Ketron's
arranger-module if i don't need all the Midjay functions?
MM