Dear all,

I am very interested in the yamaha PSR S500 arranger. However, for about 300€ more there are the yamaha PSR 1500 and the Roland E50. Now my quesion is: what is the difference between the cheaper one and the more expensive ones? Once i know this i can tell for myself if they are worth the 300€ extra.

Thanks!

Matt

The PSR-1500 and Roland E-50 are going to give you considerably more features.

PSR-1500:
-Drawbars
-Better Display
-Pitch and Mod wheel
-Way better sequencer 16 trks
-User Style Recorder
-Voice editing
-More simul. insert effects per song
-More Poly

These are just a few things more you get on the PSR-1500
--------------------------------------------

The Roland E-50:
-Large Touch Screen and good graphic display
-Pitch/Mod joystick
-Voice editing
-User style creating
-16 tracks for sequencing with editing
-Roland's cool as hell "guitar mode"
-More poly

These are just a few advantages of the Roland E-50
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[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 05-06-2007).]

PSr 1500 is an older model about to be discontinued in favor of the psr s series. I would wait and take a look at the s700 which should be out soon. Unless you get the 1500 for a real good price.

hi,

Thanks for your help.
About the pich/modulation: The S500 also has a pitch bender. But what exactly do those pitch and modulation benders (and what is the difference between the 2). I've already seen videos using this, but i dont exactly know the difference.

About polyphony: i still have to learn to play and i would have no clue why on earth i would need more then the S500's 32. But as i know nothing about it (yet) i guess i am wrong. Can you give me an example where i would be better of with 62 or even 96?

Thanks!

Matt

You'll find out quickly that 32 note poly is pretty limited once you start going into recording your work, and layering voices while using styles. 32 notes can go pretty quickly. So having 64 or 96 note poly would be better.

If you're just learning to play and getting into arrangers as well, then the 32 note poly may not be an issue for you yet. Are you going to use the S-500 as a "learning" board to eventually step up to a model with more features in the future? Once you start to get into the board more as you playing skill increases you'll start doing more with the keyboard. As you progress you'll eventually run into the limits of the 32 note poly.

well i will learn to play on this one, however i would not like to have to buy another one already in 1 year. I want to go with it several years so it might be usefull to pay another 300€ extra now instead of having to pay 1500€ again in 1 year.
one of the interesting features in my opinion is exactly that you can store your songs and layer them as background for the live notes you play.

Is there a lot of difference between 64 and 96? Or is 96 something only used by the real pro's?

You may run into poly issues within a year and you may not. That really depends on how fast you progress with your learning, and what all you venture into with the S-500. If you know you're going to be at it for a several years, and if money isn't the issue the extra cost IMO would be worth it in the long run.

The difference of 64 note poly and 96 note poly is 32 notes. Once you start getting into creating your own songs and heavily into the arranger play you'll start to understand where poly can by an issue. The S-500 is a fine board to start out with. It has great sounds, but lacks some features you may want in the future. So investing in the better borad now may be more beneficial to you down the road.

ok i think it will be worth an extra 300€ then.

Any thoughts on the differences between the pitch bender and modulator?

Pitch/Mod wheels -vs- Pitch/Mod sticks is really an issue of personal use. Some of us like the wheels and some prefer the stick. I myself prefer the stick. I and several other's here are also guitar players as well. IMO you get a much better and more realistic bend and vibrato using the pitch function of the joystick to both bend and modulate.

Some prefer the wheels. For example the mod wheel can be moved up and remain in that position until you bring it back down. The joystick must be pressed upward to modulate, but will return to the default position once released (just like a pitch wheel or stick).

If you're not a heavy bender.., the wheels would probably work for you. Again this one's really a matter of personal taste. Try them both out and see which you like better.

Squeak



[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 05-06-2007).]

i actually meant the difference between "bending" and "modulating". I do not know what they are exactly.

thanks.

ohhhh, my bad. Well bending is just that. It bends the pitch of the note up or down. Modulating simply adds that "vibrato" effect. The modulation stick and wheels on arrangers are also often assigned to "les. speed" on organ voices.

ok nice. Seems also nice to have them both instead of only the pitch bender. Another reason not to buy the S500.

I have already found a good demo video for the S500, but not for the 1500 (only audio). Is there anyone aware of a good demo video for the PSR 1500?

Thanks!

I've checked YouTube before for 1500 demos and most are of young children playing. I've played the 1500 and was very impressed with that keyboard. I'm sure the PSR-3000 owners will also tell you for the money it's a great keyboard. The audio demos on Yammies site are pretty good too.

ok, where can i find yammies site?

This link should take you directly to the PSR-1500 page. Click on Media Clips and you'll get the audio demos.
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D28336%252526CTID%25253D206600,00.html

ok thanks for your help today!

also killerwhale if you visit www.rolandus.com and then enter the model you want to look at in the box a the top right, you will get demos and lots of info re the E series...
cheers
dennis