Folks,
Below is my review on these keyboards. I found it better to place this in a table form and hope it is displayed as such. Just remember ... you are all welcomed to post your own reviews as well as I KNOW they will differ.
Enjoy ... and thanks for the patience!
MY OPINION AFTER PLAYING/OWNING THESE KEYBOARDS (IMHO).
=====================================
(1) KEYBOARD/FEATURES KETRON SD1
---------------------------------------------
OPINION:
Designed with the live performer in mind … easy access to live controls. Best for use with rock, pop, funk and esp latin/world music. Great natural sounds (sax, flute etc). Best piano. Best interaction/use of HD and vocalizer. Live drums make this instrument a unique drum machine, however they need to be 'tweeked'.
KEYBOARD:
76 weighted keys - well balanced, long distance motion.
Cons: Have to press 'hard' for after-touch. You can feel keys move an extra 'step'.
DISPLAY
Pro: Big solid-glass screen display - very flexible.
Cons: Very sensitive and can display unwanted material if transported roughly (when not well packed).
SOUNDS - Natural & Synthesize
Pro: (48MB) Excellent **Grand Piano, Sax and flute, percussion & drums. Good strings and Bass
Cons: Too much high-end in samples.
SOUNDS - Accessing
Pro: Voice groups are well labeled (e.g. Piano, Organ.). Select group, select corresponding voice displayed on screen. Page through to access more voices. Internal bank organization.
Customized access method: - i.e. when you are using a voice (e.g. Piano) and return to a previously used bank e.g Brass, do you want the keyboard to automatically select and use the last used voice in that group OR wait until you select a new voice? The next voice is activated when the NEXT key is pressed. Separate location for user voices.
SOUNDS - Edits
Pro: Detailed edits are available to edit sounds which are later stored in USER VOICE bank. Graph helps display sound characteristics (e.g. attack, delay, release …).
Cons: Edits applicable only to selected USER voice so in live performances, you're editing the voice you're actually playing! You can store 128 Edited USER voices on board plus more on HD.
SOUNDS - Layering
Pro: 2 voices can be assigned to the Lower Left Hand voices and played along with the auto acc. 2 voices can be assigned to the right side (in split/pianist mode) or PROGRAMS (up to **4 voices combined) can be used with each having independent effects applied to. Volumes are controlled via direct access on the panel. Ideal for live performances. Dynamic range applicable - at what velocity what sounds are heard (when more than once voice is used).
SOUNDS - Additional /Loading
Pro: Software (via KETRON). Organization/formatting of existing samples. Can accept **WAVE files via sampler (14sec long!) Access is quick via RAM button on board.
Cons: Cannot add entirely NEW sounds (unless they are wave files) since existing samples are tweeked to produce new sounds via software updates.
TRANSPOSE/OCTAVE
Transpose: +/- 12. When using arranger/pianist mode, new transposed value takes effect when the next key/chord is pressed.
Octave: User can change octave of selected track +/-(**customizable value in UTILITY).
PADS
Pro: xxx
Cons: NONE.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC* Styles
Pro: 10 part arranger (2 parts manual) [Drum1,2, Bass, Acc1-5, Lower1,2.]
198 on board ROM styles, 109 USER Flash styles (these can be re-written), 64 RAM styles, all composed of: (3intro & endings, varr A-D, 3 fill ins, break, short fill-to-end).
Styles are strong and in-your-face with distinction to each instrument used. Chord recognition is excellent and with no glitches (multiple formats selectable). Best for Pop, Latin, World beat etc.
Style can be played back immediately from HD/FD. Live wave samples/loops can be played as part of style or midi song and synchronized with tempo such that there is no pitch change (with Midifiles), or slight change with arranger.
Cons: No dial for quick Tempo/Data changes - need to repeatedly press/hold temp buttons OR assigned a fixed temp rate to PAGE buttons (e.g. 5) and use to change temp instead. Some styles experience a slight 'glitch' when returning from Fills (as of OS1.0 or earlier) due to live drums. Slight pitch change when using samples with arranger.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Chord types/Rec
Pro: 4 chord mode types (Finger1/fingered, Finger2, Easy1/single finger, Easy2). 1 & 2 for each vary by a chord changing if a key is released after a complete chord is played OR if a chord is played ONLY when a next complete chord is recognized. PIANIST- chord recognized through entire keyboard.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Live drums
Pro: **24 live drums sets & loops available in ROM and used on nearly ALL preset styles. Available to user for CUSTOM styles. Can be created and USER can create their own live drum set (using independent live drum samples) to be used in individual styles.
Cons: Live drums may sometimes interfere with transition b/w arranger parts due to no quantization. Can be reduced if AUTOCRASH is turned off.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Dynamic Arr qualities
Pro: **Interactive Arranger/lock features.
· User can 'freeze' arranger parts (drums, bass, acc) such that when changing from varr to varr, the current arranger part is maintained.
· User can select arranger parts that will be muted once a melody is played on the RHS. The arranger track will automatically resume as soon as user stops playing the melody.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Features
· Bass:
· Manual - Bass track of arranger is muted and user can manually play Bass with left hand.
· Lowest - Arranger plays lowest note in Bass of the chord played
· Root - Arranger plays fundamental note of the chord tonality.
· Bass Freeze: You can freeze the bass such that no matter what style you pick, the bass will remain the same.
Count Intro: Click
Jump: Used to control direction of variation after fill in is complete (up/down).
Auto Crash: Exists and is editable.
Cons: Changes to arranger tracks will be lost once style is changed - unless saved as a user style.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Style Play
Pro: When a fill is pressed, arranger is always interrupted to play fill (using a smooth complex algorithm so there is no sudden abruptness in style). If intro/ending is playing., these are completed first before fill or any other arranger request.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Fade in/out
Pro: Available
Cons: Fixed time interval.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Chord note plus!
Pro: Harmony - 10 harmony types to support note played on the RHS. When using more than one voice, user can assign which voice gets harmonized.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Settings
Pro: Style setting: Group of voices best suited for selected styles. Group is editable
ARRANGER/Auto Acc Recording
Pro: Copy/Paste from existing styles, record acc in Maj, Min, 7th for all style components, rec directly into style via MIDI IN (all parts together in one take), record live drums, record using wave files/loops processed by internal sampler synced to style tempo, determine bass type & octave (4/5 string guitar).
GLOBAL Instant settings recalled
Pro: Registrations: These store the entire panel setting of the keyboard at any time. Broken into Single (accessed via FD/HD - up to 999) and Global (accessed/stored on board-198). Individual parameters affected by a change in Registration can be turned off/on.
GLOBAL Other Effects/MIDI
See specs.
VOCALIZER
Pro: Very good on board Vocalizer with many editable parameters & harmony types. Can be controlled directly on board or via footswitch pedal or arranger modes to trigger various harmony parts.
SAMPLER
Pro: 14sec sample (16MB), easy/direct to use. Used to import/format and record/create wave files. Edit wave files to be used along with arranger/midi file (in sync. No pitch change when used with MIDI files). When VOCALIZER is turned on, samples can be created with/in harmony.
Cons: Memory too short (14secs only). Slight pitch change when synced with accompaniment.
SEQUENCR
Pro: 150,000 notes recordable. Extensive sequencer with cut & paste, delete, move, copy, mix etc capabilities.
Cons: Due to small screen most features have to be cramped up - in many cases need to PAGE <> to access other menu features. Small resolution (1/96).
AUDIO OUTPUTS
Pro: 4 separate outputs (to which user can assign individual tracks e.g. drums, bass, chord1 etc), separate vocal output for mic. This feature is great for live performances, granting the sound man/woman more mixing capabilities.
SMF
Pro: Easy access to play/rec songs (SONG PLAY/REC using the arranger which is independent of seq). Easy search for songs on disk (numeric/alphabetic). Short wait time to load songs from HD.
The best of this class. True reproduction of good midifiles - Ketron uses their 'best' voices for GM sounds. Good match up of drum tracks. Easy to edit certain parameters of song (eg transpose) and save settings to midifile. Sounds like a CD in many cases! Songs are recorded directly to HD/FD ... space limited to disk size and this could be huge! Instant access to mute all tracks but BASS & DRUM so user can play other parts.
Cons: May soon need to be updated to be GM2 compatible.
(2) KEYBOARD/FEATURES TECHNICS KN6series
---------------------------------------------
OPINION:
Designed with the average keyboard player in mind. Best display of date. Easy OS. Best for laid-back performances (swing, jazz, soul). Great for use at home. Best vocal sounds (Doo, bawaps etc), good brass sounds coupled with great effects (e.g. hors). There is a dependency on drives due to limited RAM/FLASH RAM. HD too expensive.
KEYBOARD
61 keys. Aftertouch is well designed into pressure applied onto keys. Short distance motion.
Cons: Keys feel too light.
DISPLAY
Pro: **Large solid-glass color screen - very flexible & customizable. View angle can be adjusted.
Cons: Delicate. Always transport with screen lowered.
SOUNDS - Natural & Synthesizer
Pro: (48MB/KN6500 32MB/KN600 ... 16MB+ with EW cards). Excellent **Vocals, Sax, electric piano, Trumpet, strings. Good Piano, Bass, percussion & drums.
Cons: Not enough low-end in samples (esp when using external amp). Internal amp does a good job.
SOUNDS - Accessing
Pro: Voice groups are well labeled (e.g. Piano, Organ). Select group, select corresponding voices displayed on screen. Page through to access more voices. Internal bank organization. Fixed access method: When a voice group is accessed, the last used voice in that group is automatically selected and becomes active when the NEXT key is pressed.
SOUNDS - Edits
Pro: Choice of Simple/Detailed edits available to all tracks in real time/sequencer, auto acc etc (digital effect, attack, decay …). Events are well displayed and easily accessed especially with the MIXER function. Edit can be done on-the-fly to one voice, while playing different voices - great for live performances (not that you would be editing on stage now, would you?)! You can store 40 Edited sounds on board plus more in FD (or optional HD).
SOUNDS - Layering
Pro: 1 voice can be assigned to the Lower Left Hand voice and played along with the auto acc. 2 voices can be assigned to the Right Side (Right1, Right2) with each having independent effects applied to. Volumes are controlled via direct access on the panel. Easy access to edit independent voices too. Ideal for live performances. Dynamic range applicable - at what velocity what sounds are heard (when more than once voice is used).
SOUNDS - Additional /Loading
Pro: Hardware - via **EW cards (New samples are involved altogether). Can add entirely NEW sounds to existing sounds on board. Access is quick as other groups on board.
Cons: Need to open keyboard to install. Does not accept WAVE files - NO sampler.
TRANSPOSE/OCTAVE
Transpose: +/-12. When using arranger/pianist mode, new transposed value takes effect immediately on the sound/chord currently being played.
Octave: User can change octave of selected track +/-2.
PADS
Pro: **6 pads (4 with pre-assigned melody notes that change with the auto acc, & 2 for Maj & Min chord changes with melodies that control the arranger while you take a short 8measure break. These are arranged in 20 banks. 3 USER locations to program your own pad assignments/notes etc. Pad effects add more tacks to the arranger or can be played in PIANIST mode. Pads can record/playback 16 measures lengths.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC* Styles
Pro: 9 part arranger (1 part manual) [Drum1,2, Bass, Acc1-5, Lower1.]
[KN6000 - 200 on board ROM styles, 20 USER Flash styles; KN6500 - 220 on board ROM styles, 20 USER Flash styles] (these can be re-written), 3 RAM styles all composed of: (2 intro & endings, varr 1-4, 8 fill ins, break). Dial for Tempo/Data changes.
Styles are mellow and more laid-back, long measures with small fill-ins within some styles. Chord recognition is great. Best for Jazz, Blues. Fusion etc.
Cons: Styles cannot be played back immediately from HD/FD
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Chord types/Rec
Pro: 2 chord mode types Single Finger: one finger used to create chord on LHS while another finger used to denote minors or 7th, Fingered: at least 3 fingers used to create a complete chord on LHS. PIANIST - chord recognized through entire keyboard.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Live drums
Pro: 1 in KN6000, 4 in KN6500 used in 20 ROM styles.
Con: Available only if user purchases optional card (KN6000). Not well pronounced in KN6500.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC* Dynamic Arr qualities Pro: XXX.
Cons: None available
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Features
Bass on/lowest:
- Arranger plays lowest note in Bass of the chord played.
Count intro: Click or voice
Fill ins: Fill ins 1 & 2 can be used to increase/decrease variation parts after the fill is completed.
Sound Arranger: When changes are made to the voices of the arranger tracks, the current setting can be memorized and recalled at the touch of a button.
AutoCrash: Exists in internal styles and is fixed/none editable.
Cons: Very little memory allocated for USER styles - only 40!!
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Style Play
Pro: Depending on when FILL is pressed, arranger will be interrupted to play fill or fill will start next measure.
Cons: (Depends on user): If intro/ending are playing and user selects another arranger part, intro/ending is terminated after the current measure and the new arranger part is played.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Fade in/out
Pro: Available. Programmable intervals for both.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Chord note plus!
Pro: Technichord - Over 10 harmony types to support note played on RHS.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Settings
Pro: 1 touch play - selects appropriate sounds and tempo for selected style.
ARRANGER/Auto Acc Recording
Pro: Copy/paste from existing styles, Pads/sequencer, record acc in Maj, Min and 7th for all style components, modification to chord type(s) after recording, insert/delete from specific parts of a track, detailed edits to acc tracks,
GLOBAL Instant settings recalled
Pro: Panel Memory: These store the entire panel setting of the keyboard at any time. 3 banks of 8 each. More can be stored and accessed on FD or optional HD. Individual parameters affected by a change in Panel Memory can be turned off/on.
GLOBAL Other Effects/MIDI
See specs.
VOCALIZER
Pro: Available
Cons: Not too clear. Sounds muffled even after Eqed. Brass harmonizer not too good.
SAMPLER
Pro: XXX
Cons: Not available
SEQUENCR
Pro: 40,000 notes recordable. Extensive sequencer with cut & paste, delete, move, copy to/from arranger/pads etc. Features are well displayed and elaborated on large screen.
Cons: Limited number of notes and small resolution (1/96)
AUDIO OUTPUTS
Pro: Standard L,LR outputs
Cons: Cannot separate output signals.
SMF
Pro: Playback of SMF is OK. Generally SMFs need to be 'tweeked' a little for best results. Recording is easy (using Easy Rec) or detailed via Real Time Rec (both through the sequencer). Files created on Technics (with NX format) yeild superior results and in most cases sound better than GM. Sequencer is very easy to use and well designed. Independent Seq/Acc volume for quick adjustment on the fly. Songs recorded to memory and then later saved on HD/FD. Instant access to mute unrequired tracks so user can play other parts live.
Cons: Not fully GM compatible due to tweeking required for many SMF. Limited memory limits size of songs.
(3) KEYBOARD/FEATURES KORG PA_80
---------------------------------------------
OPINION:
Designed for use with complete bands. Great overall keyboard sounds. Best synth sounds. Best edit sound capability. Good overall lengthy styles (fills need to be fine-tuned). Still needs to be completed.
KEYBOARD
61 keys. Aftertouch is also well designed into pressure applied on keyboard.
Cons: xxx
DISPLAY
Pro: Large, little room for display of 'unwanted characters' due to invalid data combination etc.
Cons: Customized - no room for advancements, changes, updates unless a combination of existing symbols are used.
SOUNDS - Natural & Synthesizer
Pro: (32MB) Excellent **synth sounds, electric piano, pads, effects. Good percussion, brass sounds.
Cons: Not enough 'sustain' in samples - release is too short. Sounds change abruptly when changing from sound-to-sound.
SOUNDS - Accessing
Pro: Voice groups are well labeled (e.g. Piano, Organ). Select bank (A/B), select group, select corresponding voices displayed on screen. Page through to access more voices. External bank organization,
Cons: Due to external bank organizations (bank A/B), user has to press more buttons to access sounds. 2 groups share one access button hence A/B has to be selected prior to accessing the group. Fixed access method: When a voice group is selected the user has to select the new voice within the group before the voice can be activated - activation is immediate (OS2.01 and earlier).
SOUNDS - Edits
Pro: The most detailed edit fields are available here. You can virtually create sounds from scratch!
Cons: Too much data displayed within pages and pages - a lot of button pressing to access edit fields. Edits applicable to currently selected voice. Edited voices can be stored in 3 USER banks.
SOUNDS - Layering
Pro: 1 voice can be assigned to the Lower Left Hand voice and played along with the auto acc. 3 voices can be assigned to the Right Side (Upper1-3) with each having independent effects applied to. Dynamic range applicable - at what velocity what sounds are heard (when more than once voice is used).
Cons: Although access to independent volumes is right on display, editing requires a little more steps than other keyboards, hence might slow down live performances - however this has the most detailed editing fields. Do your homework b4 you hit the stage!
SOUNDS - Additional /Loading
Pro: Hardware -via **PCM Flash card (new samples are involved altogether). Can add entirely new sounds to existing sounds on the keyboard. Car is inserted at the back of keyboard. Access to new sounds is quick via on board button.
Cons: No sampler (until OS3.0).
TRANSPOSE/OCTAVE
Transpose: +/- 12. When using arranger/pianist mode, new transposed value takes effect when the next key/chord is pressed.
Octave: User can change octave of selected track +/-2.
PADS
Pro: 4 pads assigned to sound effect.
Cons: List of sounds assigned to pads is fixed. Specifically for effects and not musical notes.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Styles
Pro: 9 part arranger (1 part manual) [Drum1,2, Bass, Acc1-5, Lower1.]
240 on board Flash-ROM styles, 48 USER Flash styles (these can all be re-written) all composed of: : (2 intro & endings, varr 1-4, 2 fill ins, break). Dial for Tempo/Data changes.
Style vary and are very unique - long measures with slight variations within the styles esp at the last measures; very creative on KORG.
Style can be played back immediately from HD/FD.
Cons: Slow audible chord recognition (as of OS2.01 or earlier). Fills tend to be too loud or vary greatly from variations (as though they were programmed differently).
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Chord types/Rec
Pro: 4 chord mode types (Finger1/fingered, Finger2, Finger3, One finger/single finger). 1 & 2 for each vary by a chord changing if a key is released after a complete chord is played OR if a chord is played ONLY when a next complete chord is recognized. PIANIST- chord recognized through entire keyboard.
FULL UPPER/PIANIST- chord recognized through entire keyboard.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Live drums
Pro: None.
Con: Available only if user purchases optional PCM card.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC
Dynamic Arr qualities
Pro: **Programmable:
Fill ins: can be programmed such that after a fill, the variation changes in increasing/decreasing order, from varr 2->3, 4->1 etc. Fill ins can also be called via VELOCITY of keys pressed - this ensures that you're always on the keyboard - less buttons to press!
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Features
· Bass:
· Manual - Bass track of arranger is muted and user can manually play Bass with left hand.
· Bass Inversion - Arranger plays lowest note in Bass of the chord played
Arranger wrap: Ensures that notes played (within the arranger) are transposed accordingly eliminating notes that are either too high or low, hence avoiding un-natural sounds esp when transposed! The note's range is editable. This occurs when KEYBOARD RANGE is turned on - an excellent feature to have if you use the transposer a lot.
DRUMS: User can assign various kick and snares to current style along with assigning different drums sets to existing styles (the latter available to the other 2 keyboards).
Auto Crash: Exists and is fixed.
Cons: Changes to arranger tracks will be lost once style is changed unless saved as a user style.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC * Style Play
Pro: Depending on when FILL is pressed, arranger will be interrupted to play fill or fill will start next measure
Cons: (Depends on user): If intro/ending are playing and user selects another arranger part, intro/ending is terminated after current measure and the new arranger part is played.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Fade in/out
Pro: Available
Cons: Fixed time interval.
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Chord note plus!
Pro: Ensemble - 15 Harmony types (assignable to either/all Upper 1-3 parts).
ARRANGER/AUTO-ACC Settings
Pro: Performances - these can be used to change setting of the keyboard (voices user, transposed values etc). Changes may/may not impact styles (customizable).
ARRANGER/Auto Acc Recording
Pro: Copy/paste from existing styles (OS2.01 or later), record acc in Maj, Min and 7th for all style components, insert/delete from specific parts of a track, detailed edits to acc tracks (OS_2.01 adds a lot more I didn't get time to experience - ops!)
GLOBAL Instant settings recalled
Pro: Performances: These store the entire panel setting of the keyboard at any time. More can be stored and accessed on FD or optional HD. Individual parameters affected by a change in Performance can be turned off/on.
GLOBAL Other Effects/MIDI
See specs.
VOCALIZER
Pro: Optional. Not too many editable parameters. Good basic effects.
Cons: XXX.
SAMPLER
Pro: XXX
Cons: Not available (with OS2.01 or earlier)
SEQUENCR
Pro: Dual 16 tracks on-board sequencer (first in this class). Full sequencer and backing seq (when using/recording auto acc parts). You can actually load in songs into both sequencers and using the slide switch, move from one to the other. Quick access to FF/RW songs for both independent sequencers. Quick access to tracks - edits via buttons on display.
AUDIO OUTPUTS
Pro: 4 separate outputs (to which user can assign individual tracks for output 1 & 2 (not including L, L/R outputs) e.g. drums, bass, chord1 etc). This feature is great for live performances, granting the sound man/woman more mixing capabilities.
Cons: No separate output for mic.
SMF
Pro: Very good reproduction of SMF - direct access to songs via SONG PLAY, short load time. Using B.SEQ, you can record using the acc (quick rec). In SONG mode, you can load 2 songs into both sequencers and play independently. Slider determines which is heard the most ... or at all (like a DJ). Independent Seq/Acc volume for quick adjustment on the fly. Songs recorded to memory and then later saved on HD/FD. Instant access to mute unrequired tracks so user can play other parts live (some paging might be required to access tracks 9-16).
Cons: Many editable fields but too much paging to access them. Would have been great having direct access to some of the features on board. Memory size limits size of songs.
CAUTION:
Above Data subject to changes without notice since there are constant upgrades to OS (including beta versions). At the time this was compiled, the following OS were installed:
SD1 (Beta 2.0 version)
KN6 (version 7.1)
PA80 (version 2.1). If I have mis-interpreted any information, please excuse my typo/incorrect data for I have not had all 3 boards for a long period of time.
Again these are MY reviews of the keyboards and in no way am I saying one is better than the other … in the final analysis, you'll have to visit your local dealer and TRY one for yourself to see which fits your needs. Feel free to add to this list.
AJ
PS: ** denotes strength in a particular field/area.
[Sorry - couldn't get table to fit HTML doc. I used the same categories for comparison so manually compare each category
]
[This message has been edited by Ketron_AJ (edited 11-08-2001).]
Previous Topic
Index