Anyone surprised?
(C'mon ... it's TEN whole days old !)


Despite the awesome sound and rhythms of this fine unit - we are not a good match for live play. Here are some of the reasons why:

I need a dedicated button to switch the manual bass on and off. This is in a menu on the XD9.

I need a dedicated button to turn the kb into full piano mode - this is also in a menu on the XD9. Sometimes after I turn off the drums, I want to play the ending in full piano mode, and I need to access this instantly. Two button pushes in different locations is simply too much wasted time.

There are a few "double duty" buttons that will not do both functions in the song play mode .... for example - the octave button for the RH is actually TWO buttons that also control the volume of the sequencer. I hit it during seq play and it turned the sequence off! (Can't have that - I need to access the octave at all times)
Speaking of that octave button - it's weird .... it's not a dedicated up or down choice - you go in succession from normal to up to down in a cycle. Too many pushes for a live situation.

The transposer interrupts the sequencer for a split second during playback. I frequently transpose the keys to accommodate certain playing styles, or to allow for difficult fingerings that I am already used to in another key - if you don't have it set ahead of time - forget about doing it on the fly. The interruption is noticeable.

The layout of the fill in buttons is better than the X1 but still takes a little getting used to, because the fill in's are no where near the variations. It works well for arranger play, but when I'm doing live bass ... I can't move my hand that far away from the keys for too long. Again ... this is only a problem for guys that do manual bass a lot.

There are a few more "pet peeves" that are personal hurdles, and could be overcome with time, but with these few incompatible areas ... I just can't make any more sacrifices to my comfort zone. In live play - it's all about comfort.

This XD9 is a great choice for the player who loves to play melody and chords, and uses registrations to set up the keyboard instead of "on the fly" changes, like I do.
It's a little clumsy in a few areas, but if you are not as fussy as I am ..... it still has the best sound of any of the other offerings to date.
(I have yet to hear Tyros and kn7000, so I exclude them from my statement)I also excluded the Genesis because I don't believe it is really a PORTABLE keyboard. Too awkward and too heavy.(My opinion, of course)

Don't get discouraged because of MY dismay ... this board is a terrific performer for the typical arranger player. The chord recognition is great, and the solo sounds really shine. My style as the bass player is cramped by the lack of buttons ..... a lot like the VA7's trouble for guys like me. In the right hands .... this will make you sound like a million bucks ... in MY hands ... it makes me sound like I'm playing with mittens on !

Just an idea for buttons on arranger keyboards.

There should a row of 8 programmable buttons. So you could program them for the functions you need. If you need a button for maunal bass on/off, you could assign that function to one of such buttons.
This way a player can get dedicated buttons for the function they need the most.

it's somewhat like direct access button combination in PSR2000, only more customisable and using a single button click.

If an arranger board has nice sounds and good customisable interface, it will be a hit.

The buttons are why I sold the X1, and why I have not yet bought an XD9. I want to see one first to see if it is comfortable.
DonM

the KNs have 4 pages of 9 shortcuts each you can program yourself from a long list of menu items, so that you can get to things easily without having to go through the menus.
Also you can switch the pads to some control functions for convenience.
A very similar sort of customisable idea.

This is uncle dave were talking about !

No one like him on earth !

My question is ...

What are you going to do with the board now?

Dennis

Uncle Dave is not the only one. I also play in the same manner as his.

If it ain't working for UD, it's not working for me, most likely. In my opinion, manual bass is super important. If you think about it, what is the most dominant or 2nd most dominant sound that carries tune in an arrangement piece ? It's the BASS. It's as simple as that. That BASS makes the whole thing work well and flows smoothly. Of course the comping and the drums matter a lot too. You can add a lot of accents with the bass and it carries a lot of power.

[This message has been edited by DanO1 (edited 08-12-2002).]

Well, DanO - you're PARTLY right. I AM an unusual customer, but the bassist feature is only one of the problems for me. The manual bass and pianist mode also need to be accessed from a second screen.

The programable footswitch can turn these features on, but I stand to perform, and need my left leg to hold me up! The right foot does double duty between sustain and harmonizer on/off. There ar NO feet left to do this on the floor. I need buttons.

The "bassist" feature is not new, and it's available on the PA80 too. Just turn OFF the accominement bass, set the chord recognition to RIGHT hand, and turn on the bass sound in thr lrft hand. Voila !

I'm not splitting hairs ..... I really regret that it cannot make it to the next level with me ... I had high hopes for the XD9. It did NOT let me down as far as sounds go, and the control features are certainly NOT horribile .... just clumsy for a mad, button pusher, ad-libber lke me !

What will I do now? Sell it, of course ! I can't keep anything this expensive if I won't be using it at work. Anyone wanna trade a PA80 for it? Maybe I'll get a backup for the studio at home ..... hmmmmmmm???
(I have a number in mind ........)

I love horse trading ....
(anyone got a horse? )