I played the PSR 3000 or whatever the newest one is supposed to be at the winter nam. I thought the keys felt terrible. Felt like they would snap off rather than press down. I know the Tyros is significantly more keyboard than the PSR, but I had to ask all the same.
Secondly, are there any brass stabs or falls? Are the guitars and basses the only instruments that get special treatment? Well, I know there are multi-velocity drum hits and such. I heard nothing on any demos suggesting any special brass effects.

I've always been more of a Roland workstation guy rather than a Yamaha arranger, so I know little. All I know is I heard the demos and liked them. Liked them more than the Genesys or kn7000 demos. I've heard all the claims about not making a decision on mp3 demos, so I don't need to hear that again.

Anyway, this post is long enough. your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Just got the Tyros yesterday, but it does have brass stabs and falls on the multipads at least. Haven't checked it all yet.
I think the key feel is much better than the PSR 2100, but I didn't mind it there either.
DonM

Rory Hoffman? It's a pleasure to meet your aquaintance. Garnering a nomination for "New Artist of the Year" for the 2003 CCMA Awards is quite an honor. Congratulations!

As to the Tyros; it has a much better key feel than the PSR 3000 IMO (which is supposedly just like the PSR 2000/2100 Keybed action). But if you want Brass Stabs and Brass Falls on the Keys themselves you may want to consider the Korg Pa1X PRO. There are Brass Falls and Stabs on it. The Tyros does have Brass Stabs and Falls but like DonM said they are just within the context of the Multipads and cannot be played from the Keys themselves. But the Korg Pa1X PRO is quite a bit more expensive than the Tyros chiming in at a $3,499 MAP price.

Also all the Multipads on the Tyros are set to CMaj7 so you would have to play a Chord within the Accompaniment section of the Tyros then trigger the Brass Stab or Brass Fall of the Multipad simultaneously for the Multipad to play in the key or Chord desired. A little hassle but it can be done. The Pa1X PRO on the other hand is able to trigger the Brass Fall or Stab by playing the indivdual Keys themselves along and in conjunction with the actual Brass or Trumpet Voices.

The Yamama Motif ES series Workstation Keyboards also have Brass Stabs and Falls played by way of the Keys themselves too.

You can get a Motif ES7 for $2,395 which is less expensive than either a Tyros OR the Pa1X PRO.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 02-27-2004).]

I only found the Tyros to be a slight improvmenet (in feel) over the 2100. The keys are still sub-standard size (contrary to Yamaha's advertisements) and the downward throw is less than many of the other offerings.

I get a kick out of how many people have comented or compared things to the psr3000, when hardly anyone has played it. It's all "IMO" ... or "supposed to be like..."
*Let's just wait till they hit the street. I'll buy one, test drive it and then review it before I dump it.

I found the key feel on a Tyros to be somewhat better than a PSR, but the keys are smaller and it is noticeable. They don't feel like they would "break off" ( good description btw ), but they weren't all that responsive to me when I compared them to most of the other synths I played at the store.


If it really interests you, I would suggest to give it a good workout if there is any way you can, because you may ( or may not ) be disappointed coming from a Roland workstation. Also, ( and you may already know this ), you won't find the same level of patch editing vs a workstation.

In my own situation, the key size and feel itself doesn't kill the deal for me on my Motif ES, as it at least feels better than what Yamaha uses on the PSR line, but along with OS differences, it is just one more thing that has me looking toward the Fantom X as a potential replacement for it.

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 02-28-2004).]

As an acoustic piano (7 ft Steinway B Grand) owner & keyboardist as well, I find the Tyros' synth action & its 'slightly smaller' key size just fine. Having also owned a PSR2000, appeciate the substantial improvement in key feel. The PSR2000's keys, in my opinion, felt rather spongy. The Tyros' quicker action feels a lot more responsive. The playing style & keyboard technique used when playing an arranger, traditional synth, accordion, organ, and acoustic piano are each entirely different. Once you accept this fact, the ability to learn to play each of them becomes a lot easier. - Scott

Scottyee,
I still have my 2000, & I play it most every day. I know the keys are small & soft.
To me they have more the feel of organ keys.
Maybe a little smaller Has anyone ever compared the difference in size?
Nobby

Uh, UD; Rory played the PSR 3000 in person himself at NAMM and described to all of us what we've heard from others that have had a chance to play it. That the Keys seem to be put together just like the PSR 2000/2100, ie., "lousy action", spongy feeling, soft marshmellow keys. Will Yamaha correct the Keys before the PSR 3000 hits mass production? If they listen and heed our advice on this Forum they will. But do they seem to listen and heed our advice on this Forum? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. At least in the majority of cases that I'm aware of.

But you're right UD. We should still reserve judgement until they hit the streets and we can play it in person. Stranger things have happened you know. Yamaha could surprise all of us by placing an actual decent Keybed with wonderful action on the PSR 3000. But don't hold your breath because pre-production models that are shown at NAMM especially; - most likely Yamaha or any other Company would not do a complete makeover of a Keybed or any other major component of a "presentation" model Keyboard because Manufacturers are showing people what the Keyboard offers and they don't want to confuse the public later by adding or subtracting from that perception and what has already received major press and ballyhooed product description and feature list. In other words; if they're lousy Keys at NAMM they'll almost certainly be lousy Keys when they hit the streets.

Best regards,
Mike

In I began playing arranger keyboards I thought I would miss real piano keys/feel forever. That lead me to the arranger module route + controllers. But I got used to synth keys to the point I don't miss hammer-action keys. To me there is not a big difference between the Tyros feel and PSR 2100.

Another note is: I agree that key feel can make a considerable difference for acoustic piano players. With time I realized, with surprise, that with a synth feel, some sounds can be payed in a more expressive manner.

Maybe one day I'll buy agin a 88 hammer weighted keyboard to play my tyros acoustic piano or kurzweil piano sounds, just to play at home.

-- José.

[This message has been edited by Route 66 (edited 02-28-2004).]

I don't really miss full weighted action, butg I do experience a discomfort when playing on smaller, flimsy-er keys. I doubt that I'll ever go the acoustic action again, but I DO demand a good, solid feel and full size (by PIANO standards) keys.
I'm sure most players can adjust to most anything if played enough, but the truth is .. I don't WANT to get comfy with a smaller pattern. I want to keep my comfort level intact so I can play all full size instruments with the same relative ease.

I refuse to have a manufacturer try to tell me the lie that "xyz" keys are full size, when they clearly are not. I'm not mad at Yamaha ... I still think I'd like another Yammy some day, but they have a lot of work to do before they win my trust again. They need to address a few important pro-related issues .... and then I'll give them an audition. Just like with my relationship with my clients - they have to earn the right to work with me. Past performance doesn't buy me dinner, or put shoes on my kids !