Has anyone been able to compare the PSR 3000 with the Roland VA7 or EXR-7? The only one I've been able to play at the stores is the PSR-3000. I was interested specifically on the comparison of the quality of the piano, strings, brass, guitar sounds as well as the style sounds, as I frequently use the auto accompaniment feature as a worship leader at my church, when the other band members can't make it. I currently use a PSR 740 and I'm in the market to purchase an arranger and I'm leaning towards the PSR 3000, but that's only because the stores don't carry much selection of higher end arrangers. Any thoughts/suggestions?

I think the VA7 is superior in the sound department...features are give and take , the VA has some advantages, and the PSR3000 has some....I personally prefer the VA for all around use..starting with the keyfeel and SMF playback...also morphing of styles..easy choice for me..

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 04-25-2005).]

Thanks Fran, now if I only can find a store in the Philly area that has one in stock so that I can try.

I sell both Roland and Yamaha keyboards at my store.
My only disagreement with Fran here is in standard midi file playback. Both the roland and yamaha keyboards playback midi files as quickly as you can call them up and push start (some take several seconds before they actually begin to playback) but one of the features I love for the Yamaha is the ability to to use the mega guitar and mega bass sounds in the standard midi file tracks. Yamaha has produced a software program which takes any standard midi file track which uses a guitar or bass track and converts it to a usuable "mega" guitar or bass sounds. This really brings new life to standard midi file sounds. I think I might be the only dealer here in the US that knows about this software and supplies it to customers of mine.
Although the keyboard feel is better on the VA7, this keyboard is no longer being offered from Roland and the only models in the PSR3000 price range are the EXR series and these keyboards have actions similar to the PSR3000.
Polyphony on the PSR3000 is 128 and the current EXR models have 64.
The Roland models do not have the vocal harmonizer found on the PSR3000 and although the Roland EXR models sound good, the PSR3000 sounds have been considered by most to be more realistic especially in the strings, sax, brass and flute catagories with both piano sounds considered very good. Style wise I would give the nod to the Yamaha for it's more complex style variations. Yamaha has done alot over the past few years to give their keyboards a full 4 variation progression. Roland on the other hand, usually has less build up from their basic to advanced style creation. On the new G70, which is much more expensive then all these, Roland has gone for the 4 variation from simple to complex way of making styles but their older models tend to be less dramatic from variation to variation. Some like this more, but I'm seing more customers interested in a more complex style arrangement when they push the buttons to advance the complexity.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California.

George, thanks for what I've found as valuable input on the subject. I've been tossing around making a purchase of a PSR 3000, EXR7 and if I sell my baby grand piano I may even make the jump to the G70. Still not sure whether I want to spend the $$$ on the leap to the G70 even if I do sell the baby grand.

I have never tested the VA-7, so I can't comment on it.
Piano would go to Yamaha; High quality, low volume. When you say strings and brass, If you mean ensemble voices, then I would go with Roland on those. If you are referring to solo brass and string voices, then the Yamaha sweet voices, in those categories, are unbeatable. The PSR3000 has more guitar sounds then the EXR7 and they are very good.
Starkeeper

I am talking about the solo voices on the Yamaha although the ensemble voices are still very good.
Just in case anyone is interested I have a limited number of PSR3000's in stock which I can sell for a reduced price because I was able to buy these for less then my regular price. Please contact me if interested.
Bill from Dayton, here on the Synthzone just took advantage of this great price.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California.

I still haven't decided on what to get. The more I get to try out the PSR-3000, It doesn't strike me as having the quality styles/sounds that I was hoping. I listened to the Roland G70 on Roland's website and was impressed with the quality of sounds/styles. The piano on the PSR-3K sounds good but seems too low or thin to me... I have to crank up the volume to get some punch into the sound (could possibly be the lack of quality from the built in speakers?). I played the acoustic guitar and didn't hear the fret/string natural noises along with the sound.
Besides the PSR-3K, what else is there that will have high-end quality sounds/styles, which is what is most important to me.
Are the Tyros sounds/styles better than PSR-3000? From the demo on Yamaha site, it sounded somewhat better, more natural to me. Is it worth the extra money, and what is the Tyros going for these days?
Again, no store in my area carries anything else except the Korg PA-50 and PSR-3000... not much of a selection on the high end side.
Your feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

The Tyros sounds much better than the 3000. And it has more controls, better display, lighted buttons, more pedal inputs, more styles and sounds, and also more memory for the sounds, and that makes them more realistic.
It also has three right-hand voices available for soloing or layering. If money is not object, then Tyros is a no-brainer.
DonM

I'm concerned about your demo of the PSR3000. Many of the nylon and steel string guitar sounds on page 1 of the guitar sounds have the natural fret buzz and other nuances of an acoustic guitar when played with different key strengths. I'm also concerned that you might not have been playing the live grand piano sound. Did anyone show you the keyboard that knows it or did you just walk up to the keyboard and start playing it yourself?
I often hear customers tell me after I show them a new keyboard that when they saw it at another store nobody spent anytime with them and they never really got to hear what is special about a new model they don't know themselves.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

You are certainly right there, George.
DonM

I did just walk up to the keyboard, at the store and started playing, without any assistance from the salespeople, but I did make sure I was selecting the live sounds. On the acoustic guitar, I made sure I pressed the keys harder and lighter and I did not hear a difference as far as the natural nuances. I went home and listened to the Tyros sample sounds and then the PSR 3000 sample sounds and again, there was a distinct difference, especially with the accoustic guitar.
Does anyne know what the cost of the Tyros is? Also, If I consider the Tyros, is there something else at that price range that is better, as far as sounds/styles go?

George Kaye,

Since I do not have any music stores in the PA or NJ areas that have the Roland G70 and Tyros in their stores (that I know of), do you sell both of these and what is your professional opinion between these two arrangers?

Many thanks,
Tony

Tony,
I believe you were playing the correct voices called "live" voices, however you must not have been playing the guitar voices that contained the multi layered samples. It is easy to select other guitars that don't contain these "extra" sounds when played with different degrees of harder and softer velocity. Perhaps you were playing the guitars not containing them and maybe you just weren't playing the "mega" guitars at the range on the keyboard that would trigger these more realistic guitar sounds. Regardless, someone who knows these keyboards should have been showing them to you.
Yes, I sell both the G70 and the Tyros, however I don't have a Tyros on the sales floor currently because I feel that with a new Tyros II soon to be released, I don't want to have a first generation on my sales floor if it's value will go down and it will be harder to move. It's not that the Tyros is not a great keyboard, it's just an economic thing at my store.
Comparing the Tyros and the G70 is a tough one. I like the 76 key G70 for it's size and it's solid feel. The Tyros only has 61 keys.
I love the sliders and ease of use of the touch screen on the G70. The vocal harmonizer on the G70 is a bit smoother to my ear. I really like that the Roland's sequencer always displays the chord progression of ANY song you playback, even if there were no chords added by the composer. I really like Roland's pianos. It's a toss up for sounds, styles (although the Yamaha has way more unplugged type styles stock from the factory). Ease of use for the Yamaha might not be quite as easy as the Roland yet it is easy once you've played with it for a short time. Both have 128 note polyphony. The Roland 16 track sequencer is the easiest I've used yet. Yamaha's sequencer takes a while to get used to it. The Roland keyboard is built in Italy and is very solid, the Yamaha is built in either China or Indonesia (can't remember exactly). The Roland costs almost $1000.00 more than the Yamaha, so this contributes to the decesion as well.
I have sold dozens of Tyros keyboards over the past 2 years. The Roland has only recently come to market and I've only had 6 to sell so far. Some love it and some think it's too close to the VA76 product it replaces. When customers came in and played the Tyros, they all thought this was really a brand new keyboard. Now, we also have the PSR3000 for much less money and most beleive it is almost the Tyros for 1/2 the price.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

Curious, George. From your comparative, it seems clear you sell more Tyros but you prefer G70 at all. Actually, your analysis is all time referring the advantages G70 has in your opinion: 76 keys, better key feel, sliders, touch screen, better sequencer, better harmonizer, better piano voices, styles, built solidity, etc.
The only advantage you say of Tyros is price...

It's not that easy....There are those that will by a Roland no matter what.....and a Yamaha no matter what......and they are very similar yet different. It's really what's most or more important to you! Tell me what your criteria is for a new keyboard and maybe we can figure out which is best for you.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

George,
In your opinion, is the PSR 3000 the best out there for under $2000?
I think that a G70, based on what you're saying is $1,000 more than the Tyros, puts the G70 at approx. $4,000 (correct me if I'm wrong). Most likely this will be a bit steep for the budget I have to work with.
The main purpose of what I need an arranger for is that I lead worship at church, and many times I have to go solo, as the band cannot make it. An arranger gives me that flexibility to have a "one-man" band. Currently I'm using a borrowed PSR-740, and I defenitely need to upgrade to better sounds and styles. I don't use the vocal harmonizer on the PSR-740, but part of that is because I'm not crazy with the quality of the vocals and the lead part seems to be degraded as well, compared to a direct connect of a mic into a mixer board.
I don't use much synthesized sounds, but moreso the natural instruments (piano, guitar, bass, strings, brass, sax and flute, as the primary voices). I would like for these to be very good and natural sounding.
The other criteria for me is the styles, since I go solo often. The more natural the style sounds and transitions from one fill to the other, the better.
Another criteria is that it needs to be easy to use. How would you rate the PSR-3000 in terms of ease of use, to the Tyros and G70? If you recall what the PSR-740 was like and you can compare it to that as well, the better, since it's what I use today.
If there's anyone out there also that has experience with a PSR-740 and upgraded to a PSR-3000 and can provide feedback as to the experience, it will be very appreciated and helpfull with my decision making. I'm curious to find out what the learning curve is on the PSR-3000 or Tyros, coming from a PSR-740.
Thanks to all in advance for your feedback. It is much appreciated.