yes, me too, also can you let us know what exactly you did for the drums

Pick a song, which in your opinion makes the drums of the T2 sound weak, and I'll see if I can get something posted for you to listen to.

Dnj - I had both a T1 and an XD3 a little while ago. It was hard letting the XD3 go as it was exceptional when playing more upbeat "in yer face" styles and music largely due to the drums as I'm sure you know.

However, I now gig with just a T2 and, although it isnt quite as good as the Ketron for drums, these are now much improved so I'm a happy bunny as I now only cart a single k/b around.

But the main thing I now like is the multi-sampled voices that Yamaha call SA. Although these have been around for a while on pro synths and samplers they are now in a convenient single package along with the VH and effects that you used to have outboard gear for.

The exception missing from the T2 is a multi strike piano sound. You can get this on Roland's arrangers by adding the SRX board and may be available on other makes as well.

The piano is such a staple sound that I think it is the most important voice on an a/k. Don't get me wrong - the Yammy Piano is alright with a bit of EQing especially in a mix but they do have better pianos on their clavinovas and EPs

I still had to tweak a lot of the T2 styles as I find they had too much reverb for my taste especially when playing in a room of any size with natural accoustics.

I find the improved keyboard and better VH welcome as is the ability to display text file lyrics (like all the Ketrons do).

I bought a cheap hard drive and memory off ebay and fitted these but haven't really tried out the HD recording or sampling stuff yet as it's just a frilly extra for me.

If you are serious then beg, steal or borrow a T2 for a couple of days and check it out for yourself.

Just to close - I very nearly got rid of the T1 when I first got it 'cos it didn't do what the Ketron did - However, it did a hell of a lot of other things the Ketron didn't so I kept both. I never felt that when I first got the T2 - I really liked it from the start and still do. It may be because I have got used to Yamaha sounds now and it has only been 10 weeks but my interest in any new keyboard usually wanes after 3 or 4 weeks and I have been selling or playing them for over 30 years so I've had a few.

Hope this helps.

Regards - Keith

How about some Latin or Rock & Roll.

I have nothing to contribute in this particular subject, but still there is one thing...

Dnj,
you mentioned that "....but theres just something missing in my musical performance that I cant put a finger on & heres lies my thought on maybe its not having a Tyros 2?...."

I am thinking, maybe you don't exactly need a Tyros2, you just need a new toy to play/tinker with? After all, all top arrangers, in capable hands such as yours, will deliver the goods.

I am surprised nobody mentioned this, the simple need to change every so often.

Toys for boys,
Theodore

Theo.............
Your are correct to a point my friend......but there are a few limits, even though you can get a great sound out of most top arranger KB's....its more of a "Personal Happiness + GREAT SOUND" yes its finicky, yes its picky, yes its a repetitous tiredness, boringness, sameoldness, kind of feeling.......maybe its because I play every day for a living which will surly increase & intensify these feelings versus someone who plays not as much at home....who knows? Todays arranger KB atists have to do multiple tasks besides JUST PLAYING THE KB ........when you have the competition of Live Bands, DJs, Karaoke saturating the masses with what they do........you gotta mix it up in this game if you want to play with the big boyz......thats a plain fact. Bottom line, your an entertainer of sorts & in todays world you gotta do what you gotta do to survive with what tools you have to use to accomplish the task. Im glad I started this post it makes me rethink my feelings and get other opinions which was my intention all along.........What Do I DO? And What Do I NEED To DO IT? is of utmost concern & should be everyones personal #1 consideration in performing music for your audience.

Whew Im out of breath .....

Our economy would crash without that (something wrong with that). I have very limited funds, but still saving for my 4th keyboard in about 4 years. I hope the new Roland E50 will be competitive to the PSR3100. No drawbars though, arrr.
Starkeeper

Ok Donny, I of course accept your apologies , do I really have a choice . Seriously though, I certainly had been wondering what all 'that' anti-Tyros2 uproar was about: resentment, envy? , especially considering you've been the one here whose advocated most that no arranger keyboard can subsitute for the keyboard chops & entertainment skills necessary for true pro level keyboard musician entertainment.



I've no intentions in convincing you to become a Tyros2, or any other brand/model KB believer (again?) , as I realize that like everything else in life (from cars, woman, and booze), we've all got personal preferences. What I CAN tell you though, is that while others here switch back & forth between keyboards brands, I've been woodshedding to further hone my arranger keyboard chops, further expanding my performance repetoire, and working succesfully to raise the sound of my Tyros2 keyboard to new heights. In fact, following newly discovered eq/effects T2 tweaking, I've now got live sounding "kick ass" drums on my Tyros2 that (to my ears), now rival Ketron's. In addition, having spent some time now mastering 'live playing' of the T2's "Super Articulation Voices" (Guitar, pedal steel, sax, brass, etc), these are now instrumental soloing highlights on my gigs, drawing lots of audience applause. I remain happier than ever for having upgraded from Tyros1 to Tyros2, NOT for what it does in itself, but what it "allows me" to do to further showcase my musical talent, of which my audiences come to experience in the first place.

Scott

PS: Another Tyros2 project which I recently completed is now being able to display on my Tyros2 LCD screen 100+ of my core repetoire song 'lyrics/chords'. Now whenever I call up a song registration, the lyrics/chords text (.txt file) for the associated song automatically appears. Though I continue to take my MusicPad Pro along to gigs because it holds my entire fakebook library collection (1000's of songs) to satsify that obsure audience request, I keep it off to the side, so absolutely NOTHING gets between me, my Tyros2, and the audience.

Scott

Scott, what is the capacity for .txt files on the T2? Can you scroll them as you play?
Are the tweaks to your drums universal, or must they be saved to each registration?
Thanks,
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 04-19-2006).]

Don, total text file storage capacity is only limited by the available space on the Tyros2 hard drive, which in my case is 60GB. Maximum text 'file size' per file (song) is 60KB, but all of my songs are all well under 3KB each, so this limitation doesn't look to ever become even a remote issue.

You can't scroll, but you can use the 'tab' button or assignable foot pedal to instantly move from page to page in a multiple page lyrics document.

For both chords & lyrics, here's a sample of how I set it up displayed as a text file:

On The Street Where You Live (Bb):

< A1 Section >:
I have [Bb]often walked [Cm:][:F7]down this
[Bb:]Street be[:Gm]fore [Cm:][:F7]but the
[Bb:]Pavement [:Eb7]always [Dm:]stayed be-[:C#o]neath my
[Cm]Feet before [F7] All at
[Cm]Once I am [Ab7] several
[Bb69]Stories high [Gm] knowing
[Cm]I'm on the [F7]street where you
[Dm:]Live[:G7] [Cm:][:F7]are there . . .

< A2 Section >:
[Bb]Lilac trees [Cm:][:F7]in the
[Bb:]Heart of [:Gm]town [Cm:][:F7] can you
[Bb:]Hear a [:Eb7]lark in [Dm:]any [:C#o]other
[Cm]Part of town [F7] Does en-
[Cm]chantment pour [Ab7] out of
[Bb69]Every door [Gm] No it's
[Cm]Just on the [F7]Street where you
[Bb]Live [/] and . . .

Bridge:
[Am]Oh . . . [D7] the towering [Eb]feeling [/] just to
[Ebm6]Know [Ab7] somehow you are [Bb69]near [/] the
[Gb7]O . . . [Em] ver powering [A7sus]feeling [A7] that any
[DMaj7+]Second U may [G7]suddenly ap[Cm]pear [F7] people . . .

:
[Bb]Stop and stare
[Cm:][:F7]they don't
[Bb:]Bother [:Gm]me [Cm:][:F7] for there's
[Bb:]Nowhere[:Eb7]else on [Dm:]earth that [:C#o]I would
[Cm]Rather be [F7] let the
[Cm]Time go by [Ab7] I won't [Bb69]care if I
[Gm] Can be [C7]here on the [F7]street where you
[Bb]live


PS: Another alternate way to setup text file display is to have only the associated lyrics/chords appear for the part of the song which a specific registration (1-8) button is assigned to (ei: verse 1, verse 2, chorus, bridge, etc). This means when you press reg button #1, only the lyrics/chords to verse 1 is displayed, when you press reg button #2, verse 2 appears, and reg button #3 displays the chorus section lyrics/chords are displayed. With this method, the associated lyrics/chords automatically come up for the portion of the song in which reg is currently selected. Though I myself haven't had time to set it up this way (yet), To do it this way, you'll need to create multiple text files for a single song. For example:

On Street-1
On Street-2
On Street-3
etc.

Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 04-19-2006).]