[This message has been edited by JimP (edited 02-17-2006).]

Hi Jim

Thanks for the links.

BTW. The review of the G-70 is based on the version 1.10 and not the new OS2.0. The OS2.0 includes some new exceptional futures e.g. Guitar Mode, Style Converter and the use of the SRX expansion boards sounds in styles/midifiles.

Regards
Niels

Great links to some very informative reviews.
Thanks
Bernie

JimP. Well done. Thank you for the reviews, they are very much appreciated.

[This message has been edited by Graham UK (edited 02-07-2006).]

JimP,

Thanks for the reviews. As I will be getting a Midjay in the near future, I found the review to be loaded with very valuable info.

Thanks again,

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

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[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-08-2006).]

Thanks JimP for posting the Keyboard reviews of the Roland G-70, Ketron Midjay and the Yamaha Tyros2.

The Tyros2 has exceeded all my expectations.

I used to make music using an assortment of sound modules and keyboards all sequenced using Sonar/Mackie Control running on Windows XP via a 24in/24out MIDI network comprising of 3 Emagic AMT8 Multiport/Multiclient MIDI interfaces.



One may say that I am a Korg fan by observing the Korg N1R, SG-Rack, TR-Rack, Triton-Rack modules and O1/W, Wavestation EX, i30 keyboards and the D1600 digital multitrack. I also use the Yamaha Motif Rack and the Roland XV5050 Rack. I found the voices and effects so useful, I use two of each. For polishing the final sound I use the Sony DPS-R7 as my master reverb.

The audio paths are all mixed via 3 Mackie Mixers and summed to stereo and recorded, mastered and finalized on an Alesis Masterlink hard disk recorder.

Over the past year I was searching for an Arranger Workstation to replace my Korg i30. I researched deeply into the Korg Pa1Xpro, the Roland G70 and the Yamaha Tyros2. My primary consideration was the quality of the styles. I was lucky to have a local music store that stocked all three and I played at length on each board gradually getting to know their strengths and weaknesses.

I also came very close to buying the Yamaha Clavinova CVP-309PE from our local Yamaha dealership.

At the end of my search, I opted for the Tyros2.

Having a collection of sound modules at my disposal for making rich multilayers, I was more interested in the quality of the backing tracks. This is where the Tyros2 excelled. The factory styles had the right degree of authenticity, playability, creativity and sounded like a polished CD. This is no garage band backup. This is like playing with a group of studio musicians in a recording session.



I am amazed at the amount of detail you hear when you play the Tyros2 through a high end surround sound setup. Every part is in perfect balance and every effect has been tweaked and tailored to make it just right. This is one of those rare instruments where the natural voices have not been drowned with excessive reverb. The factory settings are picture perfect. The samples shine on their own.

Yamaha fine tuned all the styles to take advantage of their Super Articulated Voices and to my ears the new styles sounded better than the CVP-309PE.

Besides the polished styles, the Super Articulated Voices were the added bonus that tilted me firmly towards the Tyros2. The Super Articulated Saxophones, Trumpets, Concert Guitars and Strings are unique to the Tyros2 in the world of workstations. They sounded more expressive and real than the top of the line CVP-309GP. I compared them with the Korg OASYS which too is in my wish list, and the Korg emulations fell short.

Once you master the technique of playing these Super Articulated Voices, it becomes addictive and fun. If you want them, the Tyros2 is the only game in town.

I have heard that Yamaha is working on their next generation Clavinova which will carry these Super Articulated Voices. At that point I may sell my Tyros2 and get the top of the line Clavinova.

What you get with the Clavinova is the sheer ethereal touch of an acoustic piano with its new Natural Keyboard Mechanism that uses interlocking counterweights and levers. This goes beyond the GH3 graded hammer action keyboard. You also get that beautiful Grand Piano Voice meticulously sampled across 88 keys that is a joy to play. However, for a gigging musician this is impractical. The Tyros2 with its 61 keys, light weight, snazzy looks and form factor makes the perfect companion.



Since I bought the Tyros2, I have had so much fun I have not even fired up Sonar or played on any other modules. I just don’t feel the need to augment the built in voices of the Tyros2. This is one complete instrument. Every voice just blends in perfectly to build a rich fine grained texture. Forget working with Sonar recording one track at a time. I can now call up any song in the Music Finder, engage OTS, start easy record, play the chords and leads all in one pass and you have a finished song.

This makes life so incredibly simple. Music making has never been so much fun. When you consider the quality of the styles, the Super Articulated Voices, the big and bright display, the simple user interface and elegant ergonomics and stunning looks, you cannot but recommend this Arranger wholeheartedly to your friends.

As a bonus it doubles as a mighty fine renderer of GM2, GS and XG MIDI Files that you can download off the net.

If someone wants to buy a state of the art Arranger, I would say get the Tyros2. For under three grand, this is the best deal in the business.

Tapas




[This message has been edited by Tapas (edited 02-07-2006).]

Im very impressed that u feel the tyros2 need not stand aside to the oasys. I have played the pa1x g70 and tyros1. From your comments i already know i will love the tyros2 when i get a chance to play one.

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[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-08-2006).]

Jim and Tapas

Thank you both for info.

Tapas, I can feel your passion in your post, You have brought me ten steps closer to owning a Tyros II.

Thank you, John C.

While I respect Tapas' opinions and observations about the Tyros 2, and especially appreciate the fact that he made it clear that this was just his opinion, I would stop short of recommending this, or any other arranger keyboard, to a friend based upon MY assessment of the quality of the styles, voices, ergonomics, looks, etc. Aside from being purely subjective, it does not take into account the NEEDS of the other person, which may be completlely different from one's own needs. For instance, there are a whole world of musicians out there who DON'T WANT to merely plug in a few chords and come out with a "finished CD". While I actually AGREE with most of Tapas's observations concerning the Tyros 2 (not the OASYS comparison), some of the qualities that he admires are the very ones that have made me relegate mine to a sound module, a glorified host for a few (sax, guitar) SA voices. This is not a knock of the Tyros 2 which I think could be a wonderful fit for some, but rather a caution to prospective buyers to go through the same rigorous (comparison) process that Tapas did rather than being caught up in the hype (as I was). After an initially shaky start, I have come to like my PA1x Pro with nearly the same passion as Tapas does with his Tyros2 and can truly say that I haven't touched my Tyros 2 more than a half dozen times since I got the Korg. In fact, on those rare times when I do swing around to play the tyros, I feel as though I DID just push a button on the CD player and that I'm not a part of the musical process that is happening. I also become very aware of the limitation of the 61 keys. There are unquestionably some features on the Tyros2 that I wish were on the Korg; I could say the same about my old G1000 (still an excellent board, in my opinion). There are so many components that go into making a keyboard appealing to one person and not another that I think you'd be hard put to make a unconditional recommendation to "buy this board". This may be the perfect keyboard for you but don't make a $3000 mistake (as I did) based on anything other than your own first-hand evaluation and your own personal needs. All of the above is just my opinion.

Peace,

chas

I personally, value everyone's opinions as well as their personal assessments of the keyboards they review. In most instances, the reviews are very subjective, provide lots of insight to the board's overall performance, and many of the particulars that you will not find in the manufacturers hype. I wouold hope to see much more of this in the future, thus providing forum members with lots of solid, first-hand information that will allow them to assess those individual findings, then apply those assessments and reviews to their particular demands or preferences, then make up their own minds.

All keyboards have their positive and negative aspects, and most have been pointed out by a host of forum members. Keep those posts coming sports fans--I love reading them!

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Upgrading from a PSR3000 to the Tyros2 I have to agree completely with Tapas' comments. I don't know if it is the instrumentation of the styles, but balances of all the voicing/mix is perfectly blended. The subtlety of each instrument is just right. Whatever Yamaha did to the Tyros1 styles that they tweaked for the Tyros2, somebody spent some real time and effort to make them sound so good. It's not just the SA voices either. I've played many Tyros1 premium pro styles I've had and many of them just seem to shine. When I finally got this keyboard I didn't see why it cost twice as much as the PSR3000 I loved. But after playing it for a month and downloaded some of the premium (and non-premium!!) styles using the IDC connection I am so glad to own it. I have never played anything that has made ME sound so good. Just another subjective opinion..........................-charley

Not to rain on da parade but...

You/we may want to rethink posting copyrighted
magazine articles that are not public on a publications web site. They tend to want to save that sort of stuff for their _paid_ subscribers.

.02

I am glad his comments about his tyros2 were all positive because i for one can clearly see he is not just saying that.He is passionate about his tyros2 and i needed to hear from other members what i myself had already suspected...that the tyros2 absolutely rocks! There is no nothing wrong with 100% positive posts if u absolutely love your keyboard

To answer DNJ's original question of how the sound modules work in relation to the Tyros2, I thought of making two demos showcasing the two different approaches.


Case-1: Using Sound Modules


Here is an example of taking a Standard MIDI File and rendering each track with programs and combinations from different sound modules. Since each track can be linked to a different sound module, one is free to tweak each voice with its own set of multieffects. The resulting Sonar project file plays back all the sound modules live.

Take A Chance On Me.mp3

In this approach you have unlimited freedom to select your own palette of voices, set the relative volume/pan/effect settings and mute certain tracks so that you can play live along with the other backing tracks. You can save different versions of your Sonar Project and even burn the WAV files to a CD and take them with you for your backing arrangements.


Case-2: Using Tyros2


Here is a simpler approach of picking a song from the Music Finder Database of the Tyros2, letting it auto select the right Style and Tempo, and engaging OTS to setup the panel voices.

Taking 'Love Story' as an example from the Music Finder, I am playing along with the selected Style = Epic Ballad, just inputting the lead part with my right hand and triggering the chord changes with my left hand.

Love Story.mp3

All it takes is one pass - no post editing, no quantization - all done in less than 4 minutes! You get instant gratification and a pretty decent result leveraging on the professionally arranged Intros, Fills, Breaks and Endings.

Herein lies the hidden power of an Arranger.

Armed with that famous 1200 Best Songs Fake Book from Hal Leonard, and a Tyros2, one can have endless hours of fun. Just select one of your favorite songs from the Music Finder Database, lookup the lead part and chord changes from the Fake Book and begin playing.

Since I am thoroughly familiar with both approaches, I can say without hesitation, the Arranger approach is a lot more efficient and a heck a lot more entertaining. Professional musicians who are not aware of the power and flexibility of modern arrangers are missing out.


Here are some high resolution photos of my studio.


Tapas



[This message has been edited by Tapas (edited 02-11-2006).]