OK I'll stop believing there are more than three or four GEM keyboard owners around. I just can't help checking back here every now and then.

I guess I'll have to buy an x1 and PSR9000 so I can talk to a few other musicians.

You have strange feelings, DannyJay -- would you just change from GEM to Solton because there are too few users online on the discussion board?

I had my first GEM WS1 before I knew what Internet was, and I did not know ANY other GEM user (besides my brother), but from that moment I only bought GEM keyboards/synthesizers. Now I have an Equinox, I got in touch with some others, not many, but a few (yes, three or four), which helped me anyway.

Maybe (I think so) you are not comfortable about the equipment itself - then you have another problem.
If not, why not try to share experiences and also styles/sounds with the other members?
Also YOU can help to build this discussion board, but then it is required to not only GET but also GIVE.

Keep in touch!

Equinox61user

DannyJay,

You may be referring to the keyboard arranger forum in which they discuss almost nothing but x1 and PSR9000. Well, let me tell you the mentality of those folks.

many of those people depend on arranger keyboards for living. Live performance is very important for them and therefore they need to replace their keyboards almost once a year!!!

They have no time to create new sounds, styles or create full featured sequences. They depend basically on the default styles supplied by the manufacturer or if they can help it they would convert other styles or possibly buy from other party.

I understand what they do and how they use it.. and because of that they have to replace their keyboards to the latest bunch.

Now the latest keyboards are PSR9000 and x1 and therefore most of the discussion is about those keyboards; when a newer keyboard comes, it will take the discussion.

Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the discussion is about: bugs, basic use of the keyboard, accessories, comparison between other keyboards the kind of discussion that is generated by new users of keyboards.

You do not see in depth discussion on how to create drum track or what are the parameters of synth to enhance the piano sound, or how to create oriental style from scratch.

Although I play live but I use my live instruments in different ways:

1) I depend on classical instruments of the keyboard: guitars, piano, pipes, strings, brass... I stay away from strange noises..

2) Before I bought the sk880, I was a yamaha fan but every style I heard from yahama, though it sounds nice and good, you can tell it is coming from a keyboard, so is the roland and so is the korg and so I suspect of the x1. That is fine if you are only a live performer depending on the default styles.. the only thing is that you really need to replace your keyboard every year to get different ones. For me, it is different, although the styles of sk880 may not sound that great (maybe they lack ballads or something), the styles sound REALISTIC more than any other keyboard I have ever heard. That what counts for my use.

3) my intention is to own one keyboard for at least 3 years and use this keyboard to create complex sequences or songs to be recorded in professional studio.


4) Somebody may say how come you need SK880, why won't you get a dedicated synth/workstation such as Equinox or K2600 or... the answer, I thought about it but I really use styles big time. The way Sk880 integrates style with complex sequencing is wonderful.

So here is the deal: For my needs and uses, nothing comes closer to sk880 whether in sound quality, features, and functionality. However, the only thing I regret about the sk880 is the mediocre piano sound. But only Yamaha P80, the only portable keyboard, has the good piano sound. This is with the addmission of Uncle Dave.. implying that the x1 is not good enough. *S*