{Songs no longer available.)
I posted a few songs from the PA800. They are pretty rough, and I'm still working on getting it set up the way I want.
DonM


[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 02-21-2007).]

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 02-26-2007).]

Hi Don,

thanks for posting your songs on this forum too.
Everything sounds great on my end.
I really like your guitar emulating skills. Very convincing and some of the best I have heard.
Your voice sounds great and clear and the PA800 sounds great too.

Thanks for sharing.

Eric

Don, Thanks for sharing. I know that you've only had the PA800 for a short time, but do you think that Korg responded to those who asked for a lighter weight, relatively less expensive board with more styles and features?
Ciao,
Jerry

EXCELLENT....EXCELLENT....EXCELLENT !!!

Don thanx so much for the Pa800 Demos...it was worth the wait...& as usual I enjoyed it immensely......man those guitar licks (sigh)..
it goes to show ya any KB in a pros hands can do wonders,Drums & Sax lacked a little robusto for my taste..

Thanx mucho



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-22-2007).]

DonM ... the MASTER kb guitar emulator ... great job ... loved the demos ...
t.

I've always said that Don has one of the best singing voices on this Forum. A real down home country sound. I guess it helps that you live in the South Don. You really make those guitars shine too btw.

I do have say though that I have some reservations about the sounds of the Pa800. The guitars were good but not as authentic as I was hoping them to be. The Grand Piano was less than stellar to me but was passable. The Sax was somewhat of a disappointment also. The Drums really didn't excite me that much either sorry to say - BUT I thought the harmonizer was "excellent" sounding.

Even though I have some dislikes about some of the sounds on the Pa800 I still think it is a great Board and would be excellent for any number of gigging purposes. As long as the crowds enjoy it and you make them happy then you've accomplished your objective in entertaining people and hopefully getting them to come back for more. And making money in the process doesn't hurt either.

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 02-21-2007).]

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 02-21-2007).]

Thanks for the comments, guys. The sounds are in there. I'm discovering more and more.
It just takes a lot of setup.
Several people were chomping at the bit to hear the PA800, and this is what I had so far.
BTW, I got some better ones tonight!
Still don't know if it's the best choice for me.
DonM

Don,
great job, as usual.

Don,
I Agree with everyone else. Your performance presentation is wonderful. It just doesn't matter what board you use I always enjoy listening to you.
That Harmonizer sounds really great on the CCR number.
Jim/OldNewb

Jerry, I think that's exactly what they've done. The weight is very manageable, and it is giant leap from the PA80. I've never played a PA1X so can't compare it there.
I'm not certain it's the right fit for me, because my time is so limited right now.
The PA800 is extremely deep as far as editing styles and sounds and setting it up to suit your needs. Not sure I want to invest the time necessary to make it mine.
DonM

Thanks DonM, great stuff. Looking forward to more from you.

Don when I listened to your songs on your site....I thought the G70 recordings[instrumentally] were far better sounding then the PA800...I removed my post after I posted my comments..but since you seem to feel the same way[I think}..I responded here..Your vocals are always top shelf..as your guitar work is too..

If only the G70 would use shoddy cases and keys, it would be SO much more popular!

Maybe Roland need to take a look at making a G70 'Lite'! It won't matter if it is flimsy, and unreliable in the long term.... just as long as it is light......

The PA800 does not have a shoddy case or flimsy construction. It is well made and still maintains a reasonable weight. It also has great-sounding onboard speakers.
I wish it sounded a little better out-of-the-box, but the sounds are certainly in there.
As I recall, when the G70 was first released it didn't sound it's best. Roland later made a software upgrade that turned it around. The sound is unrelated to the weight.
And yes, if Roland made the G70 in a package about half the weight, I'd buy one. It does have its compromises, such as no multipads, clumsy fill/intro/ending operation, no style/lyrics display and a few others, but then none of the boards I've tried has been perfect.
I am 100 percent certain that if I take the time I can make the PA800 sound every bit as good as the G70, but the fact is I DON'T have the time to spare right now.
And, whether it meets with everybody's approval, I won't keep a keyboard that doesn't fit my purpose. The G70 came very close, but is too heavy. The PA800 is very close as well. The Tyros 2 was also an exceptional board, with no real drawbacks, but not exactly the distinctive sound for which I'm looking to find.
Having said all this, I will probably play the Midjay with controller for a while, to accommodate my comfort level and available time. When I get more free time, I may revisit the PA800.
Right now it's for sale.
DonM

Sorry for some reason the post entered twice.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 02-22-2007).]

This is what i dont get Don. Each time you buy a new board i hear the same kind of phrases. " if you had more time it might be the board you would keep" . Then you sell it and purchase another board a few weeks/months later. Surely if you stuck with one board whatever it is , by now you would have become infinately comfortable with it,made all the fine tuning that you didnt have time to do before and tweaked it to perfection !

I know its fun buying and selling keyboards . Maybe thats the piece of the jigsaw that i dont get .

I don't recall that being a primary reason for me to change boards before. I am quite familiar with Yamaha and Ketron OS. And I did spend the time to make the G70 "my own", even though it wasn't. I may have said that about the Tyros 2, because to make it sound more like the "live" sound I'm looking for would have taken a lot of time.
I tend to change keyboards about once a year, although last year was a big exception.
I actually played the PSR2000 for more than two years!
In the case of the PA800, there is the time involved, which I mentioned. Some of this is related to the manner in which lyrics are entered. They must be placed into a Songbook file for each song. I have many hundreds of lyrics and I don't want to do this. Of course I don't use most of them most of the time, but I do want them available. Currently I use a laptop for this, and I would like to eliminate that from my setup if possible.
From the keyboards and setups I've tried, the Ketron Midjay comes closest to what I need, and that's probably what I'll use until the next great thing comes along.
Meanwhile, you can take advantage of my foolishness by getting a killer deal on a PA800!
DonM

Don....thanx for playing guinea pig this time around with the Pa800 I really appreciate your input, demos and opinions as always...I'll agree that KB weight with us "Power Giggers" is crucial to our comfort level even though some dont thing so...at least you gave it a shot, no harm done....I personally never heard you better then when you playing a Ketron SD-1 but hey maybe Ketron is your ticket listen back to your SD-1 songs and see if I'm right....maybe you could trade the PA800 for another SD-1.....what ever way you go Good Luck buddy!!

Carry on!

DNJ,
Thanks, the SD1 is getting pretty dated. I've decided to use the Midjay with controller again, at least for a while.
I saved all my settings, so all I have to do is spend a half-hour or so re-acquainting myself with it. The weak spot is the vocal harmonizer, but I can live with it for now.
It will be no problem to sell the Pa800 at the price I'm asking.
It hurts to have to let it go, because there are some really great styles and sounds on it. Also, the key touch is suited for me.
DonM

I hope it didnt come accross as a critiscism Don. It wasnt meant that way.Just trying to understand what if anything will be key to you settling with a keyboard but you explained in your latest post that you tend to exchange keyboards every year and that you had the psr 2000 for 2years which was more of an exception.

So what drives your purchases ?

I've found that if I sell a keyboard while it's still current, I can get most or all of my money back. I don't change just for the sake of change. Well maybe sometimes I do! But I am just totally amazed that they keep getting better and better.

Here's what I would like:
As light a weight as possible.
The sounds, particularly drums, and styles of Roland and/or Ketron.
An easy to use operating system that lets you have access to various lead sounds easily.
Capability to load lyrics, mp3s, and midi files.
Easy external data access.
Organ style key touch (although G70 was nice too.)
Great vocal harmonizer like G70.
Joystick.
Big display and lighted buttons like Tyros 2.
Dependability and quality of construction.
Believe it or not, right now the Ketron Midjay seems to offer more of these features than anything else.
It's not perfect at anything, but it does a lot of stuff pretty well. Sorta like me!

DonM

I am extremely happy to be back using the Midjay again.
I will be removing the Korg songs, as I don't like the way they sound very much.
Thanks for all your comments and help in my ongoing search for Arranger Perfection!
DonM

As much tweaking and adjusting as I do, I can't imagine the possibility of changing my arranger on a yearly (or more often!) basis..... My G1000 went eight years with me, and was one very honed piece of kit by the end. Unless they bring out a successor with a Chord Sequencer, I imagine my G70 will last me nearly as long.

I only lost about $1000 in value between what I payed and what I sold my G1000 for (a good case and covers goes a LONG way!), so that works out to about $125 a year rental..... not too shabby!

The time saved not having to re-work all the styles and SMFs is worth WAY, WAY more than that!

Go for it Don......you & a MJ....Perfect Together!!!

also when you get a chance give us a few Demo songs too

The Midjay is pretty much set up and tweaked, although I never really finished doing that.
I had saved a couple hundred registrations, and it was a simple matter to reload them and the lyrics, MP3s and midi files.
Diki, the G70 is built really solid and has many advanced features. I can see it lasting for many years.
I especially miss the vocal harmonizer.
Enjoy it.
DonM

Hi Don,
I found the same thing,
if the keyboard doesn't suit your needs, the sooner you get rid of it the better.

Pity the PA800 didn't suit your needs.
I used to like the korg operating system
(i series).

Amazing, sometimes we're better off with the old, but you don't realize it till you try something new. haahaa

So you're a ketron owner again , great.

best wishes
Rikki


[QUOTE]Originally posted by DonM:
[B]I've found that if I sell a keyboard while it's still current, I can get most or all of my money back.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rikkisbears:
[B]Amazing, sometimes we're better off with the old, but you don't realize it till you try something new.[QUOTE]
[B]

Aint it the truth