Being you have a psr740....the logical upgrade is a psr2000/2100 great Kb's for the money.....save yourself some money! get one at GC...try it.. if not return it with their 30 day return policy...

Just some added thoughts: one question is whether you intend to be a "one man band" or not - will you need live backing or are you just going to play piano live? How many keys do you require for your live gig ? (if it's more than 61 then the Tyros is out). Workstations like the Motif can cover studio and live gigs but they aren't as well suited to one-man-band things without add-ons like arrangers are. The Motif has no hard drive option for storing midi files for example, though it does have some external storage options. The Tyros (or the 9000 Pro in my case) is truly made for stage use, offering a wide range of stock options especially for entertainers like voice harmonization (the Motif offers this with an added PLG card). And arrangers allow live improvisation while maintaining the one-man-band aspect. If you are a performer primarily, the arranger is the way to go. You listed composing work as your primary goal so it sounds like the workstation should be your first choice. If you use it with a laptop then you'll have plenty of live gigging options as well and you can add things like a harmonizer later.

Personally, I play several nights a week but I also work in the studio several days a week so I have a 76-note arranger for stage use and I'm about to replace my studio Kurzweil with the more-studio-freindly Motif ES 8. Hopefully songs created on the Mo will be compatible with my 9000 Pro, and when I want to dress to impress then I'll use both boards on stage (the Pro/Mo rig!).

Alright so this brings up a few more questions.

If i get the motif: 1. how much of a learning curve will i experience 2. how easy is it to integrate with my laptop (what will i need) 3. can i use it in conjunction with my Psr740 at the same time, if my primary work is composing (rather than one man band) is a Tyros really that unessesary? thanks guys!
ses

Hi,
in your compositions, do you actually use styles from an arranger, or do you multitrack and compose from scratch ?

Years back, to me. that used to be the big difference between a workstation and an arranger keyboard, the workstations didn't have styles.

Unfortunately I don't know the features of the current workstations, things may have changed.


best wishes
Rikki

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"Originally posted by Scott Langholff:
Also, I am aware of some players in bands that use an arranger keyboard for various reasons. Maybe they do solo gigs on the side, or maybe they like to use it to practice or just have fun."
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I've seen some people use arranger in the band including myself but not anymore. There are many times that you may press the "Start/stop button for the auto-rythym to start in the middle of your live performance and it's very embarrassing. If you will use arranger in live with other people, be cautious about hitting buttons. If I were you I'll get the motif. - Dan

how hard is it to use the Motif ES, i have no experience with synths! I am still leaning towards a Tyros despite the fact that most of my stuff isnt styled because it seems that alot of people have found the tyros useful for composing as well, but you guys are seriously making me think about the Motif.

Sesom163

From listening to your comments, I think you should get the Tyros. A synth will require you to create your own sequences and drum patterns and you must have a great left hand bass technique to equal what an arranger keyboard will give you. Out of the box, an arranger will allow you to concentrate on song composition, harmonies, and groove without having to worry alot about technique and programming.

The Tyros is killer at playing midi files, allowing you to play along to electronic sheet music with lyrics. The built in harmonizer will allow you to experiment with different vocals and give your performances a much fuller sound.

The Tyros rocks, IMHO, and it will inspire you to write and play songs.

The Motif is a sound machine which will force you to program your arpeggios, patterns, and sequences. Although you can do that on the Tyros, you MUST do that on the Motif.

I really don't think you can go wrong with the Tyros. However, you can become overwhelmed and intimidated by the Motif.

Hope this helps
Al

kbrkr, thumbs up to you for telling me what (at the very least) i wanted to hear. All of you have been very helpful, you always are, so keep it up Synth Zone.

Ses