Hi All
Anyone going to Namm, as it looks like Korg is up to something http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/021271.html
Also Wersi (Room 484) will be showcasing its Open Art Arranger Software, (There may also be other surprises) which if it does what it says on the tin, should really kick butt.
Interestingly I’ve done a search for other manufactures, and it looks like Ketron and Lionstracs are missing. (Unless they are being shown under the umbrella of another manufacture)
Enjoy

Bill

The new owners of Ketron Distribution here in the USA said they would not have a booth this year because of their just taking over and moving into a new location in New York. When I heard this I called the new owner and explained to him that this was not a good sign to the industry if there is no showing at a large Winter NAMM show. His response was that he would be there to introduce himself to the music dealers and to have his brochures available. Still I said this isn't a good idea. When a company doesn't show, it could signify trouble with the company. I hope he is giving my comments some thought and consideration. I understand the time restraints caused by a new start up and building just weeks before the show but this part of the transition is important.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

"as it looks like Korg is up to something"

I think it's very unlikely to be an arranger for a number of reasons:

They just introduced the PA800....
....OS3.0 is about to be released for the PA1X...
...and probably most importantly if it was an arranger keyboard it would have been in Italy not Japan.

Best Regards
Paul.

I think it's more likely the Triton will get retired and a trickle-down Oasys product is likely...

Mind you, despite OS3 around the corner, it doesn't address the polyphony and dated sound-set of the PA1X, They need to step up working on it's replacement, because the PA800, in several areas blows the PA1X away, and that is never good for sales - to have a less expensive model sound better and be more capable.....

I already know Yamaha is replacing the MotifES series with new ones. A larger and full color screen and twice the amount of wave rom. Price will be a little higher.
Yamaha is also coming out with a small, light weight keyboard that will have motif quality sounds and be under $600.00.
Some new low end replacements for their PSR models but no new higher end arrangers until probably June Summer NAMM. PSR3000 and Tyros2 are still current models.

Hey, George.... is there any buzz about Yamaha putting SA technology in their Motif line?

That seems the logical thing for them to do.....

Argggg! T2/3k sales are booming,"if it aint broke don't fix it" comes to mind....lots of happy Yammy owners around the world....so why should they rush new models for a while?...we'll see...

Lot's of unhappy owners of other arrangers, too!

Why is it a bad thing for Yamaha to improve the T2? Wouldn't anyone that DIDN'T already have a T2 benefit? Or should we not care about them, as long as WE have the current top-of-the-line? T1 wasn't broke, either (according to those who owned it before the T2 came out, when IT was the #1 arranger)!

If a product is selling very well like Yamaha KB's they just keep making it...
the minute it starts to slump they recycle parts into something new & reinvent it to sell old parts....before something totally new has to be manufactured & the cycle starts again down the road which is already planed ahead in advance....
nothing new there it's just business !

There's going to be a new series of workstations that replace the Triton series. This new workstation line is reported to use the same HD sound engine as the Oasys but will lack many of the features of the Oasys (obviously for good reason). It should be interesting.

The Oasys is also reported to have some new updates on the front. Hopefully Korg will greatly impove the sequencer, hard disk recorder, and add cue list as well. In addition it would be nice if the Oasys could import and play Giga and Kontakt files and further simplify the GUI.

NAMM will certainly show us what Korg's devotion to the Oasys is going to be. It had better be damned good or many of us Oasys owners wil most likely ditch the platform altogether. I know I'm on the fence right now.

So just owning one the ultra-high-end doesn't guarantee happiness? You see why I worry about the price/performance of the edge of the bell-curve.

It's a lot easier to accept certain shortcomings (and, let's face it, EVERY keyboard has some of those!) if we don't buy the most expensive keyboard we can.

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 12-22-2006).]

It's all relative really. The Oasys as a synthesizer is a phenomenal instrument and has no competition to its Karma and Wavesequencing capabilities. Does it lack many features it should have, absolutely. The sequencer and hard disk recorder are a complete joke and the GUI could be quite a bit better with some massaging of software. Korg could effectively fix all these issues in future OS updates but whether or not they do so is questionable at best. I'm awaiting the new OS which should be shown at NAMM next month.

When buying any instrument you have to weigh its strong points and its shortcomings. When I first saw the Oasys after it was released it was nowhere near where it should have been for an $8500 instrument. I waited a while for Korg to fix bugs, add new features, and for the price to drop a bit. After that I bought the Oasys for what it did best, synth sounds. Would I like it to be a complete workstation as Korg markets it, sure! But I'm willing to give Korg a chance before I decide to abandon the platform entirely. I did the same thing when I owned my Yamaha 9000 Pro... I waited and waited for software updates that were promised by Yamaha and when I saw no inkling they'd materialize, I sold the 9000 Pro.

I received a call today from the new Ketron distributors. They will be at NAMM but since they signed up late they will be in a different booth then usual.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com