Ok, I acknowledge that all current high end model arranger keyboards now have both excellent sounds and styles. Still, each brand-model has specific 'style and sound' strengths & weakness'. I'm interested in getting feedback (biased opinions ) on WHICH arranger board (brand/model) is your FAVORITE for each of the following styles of music:

Classic Pop Standards (1920's - 1950's)
Big Band Swing (1940's)
Jazz Standards (Real Book tunes)
Combo Jazz Brushes (ballad & swing)
50's Rock & Roll
60's Pop-Rock
70's Rock
Classic Country
Latin: Bossa, Samba, Cha Cha, Salsa, Merengue, etc
Contemporary R&B - Funk - Jazz - Pop
Broadway/Show Orchestsra
Ethnic: Polka, Hawaiian, Reggae, World

Please list specific 'sounds/styles' on YOUR arranger keyboard which you feel are most OUTSTANDING. Also list the ones you feel are the weakest (least favorite).
- Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 08-02-2001).]

Ok, I guess I'll start off
Obviously from my BIASED point of view, I think that the Technics boards have the best (and most variety of styles) for those classic pop & jazz swing standards (Misty, etc). I think that Technics excels in orchestra & big band (1940's) as well. I think that Solton EXCELS in Pop & Rock styles particularly because of it's superb LIVE sounding PUNCHY drums, dynamic bass sounds and realistic solo instruments. With the SD1 and it's new sounds (especially the new acoustic piano & upcoming jazz chord voicing recognition), it has furthered it's appeal to jazz enthusiasts as well. The VA7 appears (from the the songs of Dreamer & Sander) to be a VERY clean & realistic sounding board with excellent sounds/styles to meet most all musical genres but particularly Pop/Rock, Latin, Contemporary. The Yamaha 9000/9000pro seems well suited for all styles as well, though not as dynamic (punchy) sounding as the Solton or Roland line. I particularly remember the light latin breezy style I heard performed by Ronnie Foster at Winter Namm. It seems that the 9000/9000pro is well suited for new age pop, as well as Country (as demonstrated beautifully by DonM, our Country performer on the forum). The PA80 appears to have a lots of strength in the contempary pop genre as well.

My current keyboard is the KN5000. My FAV KN5000 instrument sound is the acoustic piano and least favorite are the sax/reeds & drums (for those styles that require a LOT drum KICK & punch). FAV KN5000 styles are med/uptempo swing & big band. Weakest styles (though still good) are rock & blues.

Ok, I now want to hear feedback & opinions from OTHERS regarding YOUR favorite arranger keyboard sounds/styles.

I agree with Scott about the KN5000. The Korg PA80 has some great Big Bamd.
Since I seem to be the resident Country/Western "authority", the overwhelming winner is PSR9000. All the styles are there and all the sounds from Fiddle to Steel to Guitars.
Let me hear if there are any better. The only ones I've owned are G800, all the Technics, most of the Yamahas and the Korg.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 08-02-2001).]

The Yamaha is the hands down winner in country & western styles. Solton is second.
The Big band styles are equally great in Korg, Yamaha & Techniques I think.
The Latin styles on the Solton have a slight edge, but the flash styles on the Yammy are great.
Techno & Underground etc - no clue what they are supposed to sound like, so I lump them into the disco vein - Yamaha, Korg & Solton were my favorites there. In that order.
Sorry to say, but of all the stock styles - Roland has been the bottom of my list for a few years now. The piano & string sounds were always good, but the styles put me to sleep.
After playing this PSR9k for a few months I'm starting to like the simplicity of the styles more & more. It actually makes them MORE versitile for me. I've said before - "I'd rather play with Ringo Star then Steve Gadd, anyday" I want SOLID rhythm - not a soloist.
Last night I played the opening of a new Lexus dealership in Trenton NJ - there were lot's of high income folks strutting around, and in the main showroom there was a jazz trio - digital piano, upright bass & drums. No vocals. Very smooth and classy sound. I was at the other end of the dealership in the service area, where the food was, so I muted all the "gingerbread" parts in the arranger except for bas & drums and I emulated the same basic style as the band out front - the sound was VERY well received, and after an hour or so, I was really getting into the "openness" of the arrangement. I still played a lot of manual bass but I was experimenting with using better, more complex chord voicings and syncapations with my piano hand, so I put the bass on "auto" to free up my brain a little. I played more jazz standards that night then I have in a while! It was a great excercise in "less is more". I highly recommend it to all of you. Turn OFF some of the arranger parts, and fill in the arrangment YOURself! You'll have more fun - sound fresher, and get paid
exactly THE SAME !!!!!!!! THE SAME !!!!!!!
(there's a moral there)

I agree with most of the comments above. But a style is a style and I have all the ones mentioned converted and ready to play instantly on a great keyboard[I wouldn't trade for any of the above boards] my G1000..Fran BTW, For country styles I like the Roland E-600[and I don't fall a sleep U/D].

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 08-02-2001).]

I agree with Fran ! Having the converted style's basically eliminates the "need for styles " issue . Thanks to Fran I have over 600 Roland styles ...300 Yamaha styles ...And now the SD1 allows me to mix other parts into Roland patterns ! Perfect !
I am missing Technics styles! I miss placed them.
Oh...Did I mention the Korg styles ??? Or Wersi styles ? or ..........Dano

On the issue of converted styles . . . I own the EMC StylesWorks Universal style converter program and have many hundreds or possibly thousands ( , too many to keep track of) of most major brand/model arranger keyboard styles available. For the most part, they sound pretty good on my Technics KN5000, after a little tweaking . This has kept my 3 year old keyboard sounding FRESH to this day.

That being said, a converted style is still typically NOT going to sound as good as the original style did when played on its' orginal intended keyboard. Styles do NOT include the sounds themselves. Because the unique sounds of the original keyboard are missing, the converted style played on another keyboard may not sound quite as good or at least as originally intended. No matter what converted style you play on your keyboard, it still will be limited to the type of sounds produced by your keyboard. This is one reason I am exploring the possibility of purchasing another arranger keyboard, so I can add to (not replace) my current Technics board. - Scott

Last years I made a great tour :
G800/Em2000 nice pianos, great solos but the
styles...Good ; good to sleep!!!
Korg I30 : Excellent Jazz/pops and poor latin(Bossanova with caribean feeling Huurrr!)
Yamy 740: Good for all but I stopped my live
performances every two hours to change the
3 custom styles.
Now,Psr 9000, a honest Kb. Easy to operate and the programable multipads are helpful to increase the styles.




------------------
ChicoBrasil

Hi Scott
I second your opinions. I really like the Big Band styles of the KN5k. The Jazz styles are nice, too - but not enough slow ones. But, what's up with the Waltzes? Hardly any to choose from (except all the heavy ethnic, polka sounding ones). Why aren't there more generic 3/4 beats that could be used for a wide variety of songs. Hold the accordians, please. Not to mention - there aren't any 6/8 styles at all (are there?).
And, I hear Uncle Dave. The Yamaha styles are simpler, but still very, very good. Just have to keep using more of the variations so it doesn't sound too repetitious.
Also, you are right Scott. Converted styles just don't sound right. Oh, they may be o.k., even nice. But nothing like they way they sound on the original board. Even the commercial style disks from other companies (Neil Blake, Carrillon, etc) don't always sound too great to my ear.
Tom

Scottyee,

I couldn't agree with you more on the issue of converted styles. In lay-man's terms, what you are converting is a set of commands that determine WHEN WHAT instrument should/shouldn't sound. In this light, most convertion software is currently based on GM, right? So your converted style(s) can only play as good as the assigned sounds in the new keyboard! Now when KETRON (then Solton) introduced 'GROOVES' this completely defeats the convertion scale. Try converting a Latin rhythem (say Merengue) from a KETRON X1 for use on say a YAMAHA PSR 9000. The Bass and chords will be close, but believe me, you'll be way off on the drums (if any at all). In the case of the SD1, this is even further enhanced. Some of the drum sounds (drum 2) are entirely grooves. This means that if you MUTE the groove track (drums2), you'll hear ... nothing interms of drums. If you were to convert such a style for use on say a KORG, there will be NO drums! I believe GEM has also implimented similar technology (RASS) but these are ingrooved into the styles - rather than outlayed as separate tracks.

How do styles converted from KETRON -> Others sound - any feedback?