I spent the day yesterday visiting Korg, Yamaha, Ketron and Roland. The NAMM show was very crowded for an opening day and especially after a rather slow year in the music industry around the world.

My first stop was by Korg. There I was greeted by Malcolm Doak, product manager from Korg USA and the head of Korg Italy and the head designer from Italy of the entire PA line of products. I fell in love with the new look of the PA2XPRO, with it's wood sides and it's sleek pop up, motorized display. Wonderful for those needing to adjust the display to suit their needs.
The content of styles and sounds in the PA2XPRO is the same as the PA800 but the addition of an additional drawbar, hard drive, MP3 player and much more sample memory and a price almost the same as the PA1XPRO is a welcome addition. Korg also showed me a new read only flash drive which in this case was loaded with Turkish and Arabic styles and sounds, which will go on sale soon here in the US and around the world. These drives can not be duplicated in a computer and saved on blank drives because Korg has designed them that once you've loaded the set, the drive itself must be in the keyboard when turning on to initiate the auto load feature, even though the set is stored in the Solid State Memory.

Korg has also announced to me that in a short time, they will release a software program on their www.korgpa.com website allowing musicians to convert PA80 card sets in their own computers to work as sets in the PA800 and PA2XPRO models. This is something that the user has not been able to do until now. I was also told that the load time of sets in this new model will be about twice as fast as on the PA800 because of the fact that samples will be retained in the hard drive rather than in the solid state memory which will allow for quicker load times.

The new PA500 is a welcome addition. The sounds and styles of the PA800 but without the virtual draw bar mode, the vocal harmonizer and the sampler. There is an SD card slot on the back. This new model is made in Korg's China factory and the price is only $1499.00.

The PA50 will continue in the line but with a reduced price now at just $899.00 MAP here in the USA.

All in all, I'm very impressed with the direction Korg has taken to provide many high quality models in many price ranges.
Korg is making a big effort to rename these products Songwriters workstations rather than arranger workstatations in an effort to get more musicians interested in buying hardware based workstations rather than computer based software. Korg is correct that fewer and fewer musicians are buying keyboards when they've been told that the computer can do it all! Being in the retail business for 38 years, I know how many fewer musicians come into the store now looking for new keyboards and are just asking about software. I hope Korg's advertising campaign works to bring a new breed of musician into our stores!

A walk over the Ketron was next......what a long walk! Last year, Ketron was changing ownership of their distributor here in the USA and they gave up their booth which was right in the heart of the keyboard area (All the way at the far side of the arena). They ended up going upstairs to a very quiet area last year where there were very few exhibits, or people. So this year they ended up all the way on the other side of the arena, right in the middle of the drum exhibits! So, it was pretty loud!

I was very pleased to see that Ketron brought the Audya and also had someone doing demo's with a Midi Guitar, an Accordion and middle eastern demo's on their new Vega EX4 and their New SX3000 Turkish.

The Audya looks great (much like the Korg PA2XPRO) and what I heard sounded very good. It is still in it's prototype stage and will not be available for some time. There is still no mention of price. It's capabilities are excellent for making wave files, MP3's and it's use of real audio files for style tracks was demo'd hearing the guitar tracks of real strumming mixed in with styles. I also heard the "riff" styles being used as used in the SD5.

Roland only had one new keyboard, the R-09 I think was what it was called. It is basically a GW7 ($695) with built in speakers and sells for $549. The only real difference I could see was that there is no USB and no floppy disk so there is no way to load or transfer data. I do think that is sounded great and will have a place for people only interested in the content of the keyboard and just want to play it for fun, or because of it's new white look, it might find it's way in to many church markets.

Yamaha only showed their new version of the YPG625, and YPG525 keybords which now have gone to 64 note polyphony rather than 32. I didn't notice any other differences. There is also a new version of the PSRE403, now called the 413.

There were some cool new products. Yamaha has come out with a stereo recorder the size of a USB Thumb Drive for $399 which can record for over 4 hours and has built in stereo mics and can be used with an options outboard stereo mic.
The new Roland Fantoms are simply awsome to look at and to use, with their huge displays and mouse control. The new engine is twice as powerful as the old one.
Korg came out with a little battery operated touch control surface synthesizer which is a gas to play with.
More to follow



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

I think the SA-1000's split cabinet system gives far better portability (compared to the Traynor K4), as each cabinet is only 25 Lbs.

It would be interesting to hear how the stereo separation works on a cabinet that's only about 18" wide, but it may help with the phasing problems associated with some keyboards.

Ian

Interesting to note the Audya is still in "prototype" stage. Doesn't auger well for anyone wanting one anytime soon. And still no detail on price.
Thanks George.

George, As always thanks for your report. I look forward to more.

Ian, the site says you need two SA1000's for stereo...

Ahhhhh...so it does...me make blunder.

That is very interesting. Could be a topseller. 4 hours means a complete GIG recorded.
I am interested. Is there more info on these?

Thanks for your review George.

Fred

I looked at the brochure I got from Yamaha and it can also record in MP3 mode. I"m at home but I think I remember it saying "3hours .wav and 13 hours mp3".
I'll check for sure when I get into my store. I do know there is no effects , just a little, tiny thumb drive size stereo recorder.



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

Wow! That is one cool recorder....and soooo portable....awesome!

Roland came out with an SA-100 last year or 2
and nobody carried it or bought it. It looked
the same, was stereo (i think)and way overpriced..$1300?..how much is the SA1000
and will dealers carry it for demo, unlike the
sa100 that nobody would carry?

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Miami Mo

I wonder how much battery life one would get out of it before having to recharge?

From Harmony Central:

"The Pocketrak 2G includes a rechargeable AAA nickel-hydrogen battery capable of providing 19 hours of MP3 recording to it's 2GB of internal memory. Plugging its sliding USB connector into a powered USB bus simultaneously recharges the battery and transfers files to a PC or Mac."

It even has a built in speaker...way cool!





[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 01-19-2008).]

The Yamaha Pocketrak 2G is a 1.7oz light weight pocketable body. 2GB memory: 3hours PCM recording. Long lasting rechargeable battery included: Consecutive 19 hours MP3 recording. USB 2.0 direct connection. Cubase A1 bundled and built in speaker.

Miami Mo,
the price for the new SA1000 is $1595 List Price and $1195 MAP. I got a chance to hear the SA100. It was really great sounding. I actually ordered them! There are 4 or 5 stereo channels, the sub sounds great and the sound is clear as a bell.


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

So, $2400 (give or take) MAP for a stereo keyboard rig...

Best of luck on that one, George!

And before anyone goes crazy over these new SD card recorders, let us not forget the great Zoom products, that have been doing most of this stuff for a year or two, now... Still worthy (and inexpensive) contenders, IMO.

NAMM does seem to be something of a yawn, this year... But maybe the good goodies haven't got reported, yet.

George, since the SA1000 has stereo inputs, I'd be interested to hear your comments, after you get them in and try them, of course, on how the system handles the phase issue prevalent on some keyboards...notably Yamaha PSR-3k and S900.

Any info would be very welcome.

Ian

Ian, the phasing issue shouldn't change whether you use the mono output on the PSR, or send left and right to an amp, and mix it to mono there. The issue is, the samples themselves have phase issues, and unless listened to in stereo, no matter HOW you collapse them to mono, they will still have problems.

The only thing that perhaps makes a perceived (but not actual) difference is the overall 'sound' of the rig being played through. Phasing problems are usually perceived on higher frequencies, so any sound system that accentuates highs (like Bose) or decreases lows and low mids (like many smaller rigs) will have the effect of making these problems more noticeable.

But WHERE you mix an out of phase signal down to mono should have no real difference to the final sound. Only the speakers will change that...

Thanks Diki...I guess the only way to really tell if it will have an effect is to actually try out an SA1000 with my S900.

Yamaha doesn't make keyboard specific amplifiers such as the SA1000, or the KC-series, and some of my clients are looking for a manageable amp/speaker without having to buy a P.A. like the Stagepas 300/500.

I'll have to check it out...my local store will probably bring one in.

Ian

Thank's for the tip Diki, didn't know zoom had these. The model H4 looks like exactly what I need. (Can have 2Gb cards= 380minutes)
Found them for 299,-- us $

Fred

The SA300 is a stereo system already. There is no need to buy 2 of these!


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

So the SA-1000 is a true stereo system as well, George?

Ian

The new OS for the Zoom's accept up to 4GB SD cards, now...

George: Any more info on this? What is it called?

I was at the show for a few hours today because I wanted to come home and watch some football!
I visited Yamaha again and have some more info on the new YPG635. Besides having 64 notes of polyphony, it also has a new "live" grand piano and the option to have a three pedal unit attach to it's wooden stand. The nice thing about this pedal unit is that although it looks plastic and you might think it feels like the flimsy casio version, it is really quite solid. And, underneath the 3 pedals there sits a hard section the pedals sit on top of. The price for this unit is $79.00 and worth every penny!
Also, I found out that the new PSR413 now features more arpeggiators and the buttons for this feature have been moved to just above the keys on the left side, instead of high up and out of the way. I was also shown that when you activate the arpeggiator it turns on immediately unlike the PSR403 which has a slight delay when you change from one to another.
The 76 key version now features a graded non weighted action like the NP30.
Also, keep in mind that the new little Yamaha G2 thumb drive size recorder is much smaller than the zoom and the edirol units. Also, the mics pull up and adjust from the top and I was shown that when you lay the unit on a hard surface to record, the mics adjust for good placement while recording instrument s such as pianos, etc. and does it with stereo imaging.
The new Yamaha P85 piano is a 64 voice polyphonic $599 map digital piano that I think will do really well.
I stopped by the Casio booth today and checked out the new Privia P120 and the new P320 pianos. These will replace the current P110 and P310 models. New features include 128 note polyphony, 20 piano type styles on the 120 and 70 full accomp. styles on the 320. Plus, the 320 has stereo line outs, stereo line inputs and is GM compatible.
On a totally different topic, I picked up a new line of guitars I have been trying to find out since my kids fell in love with a singer, songwriter named Jack Johnson several years ago. Jack plays a guitar made in Australia called "Cole Clark". And there they were this year, for the first time in the USA. Great hand made Australian guitars made from woods indigenous to Australia.

Tomorrow, the product manager from Korg USA's arranger and digital piano division will spend the day at my store and we will be going over the state of arrangers, what we need and what we would like to see from Korg in the future.

It wasn't a show with much inovation in technology. Ketron might have shown the latest inovation with the Audya, but I'm still waiting to hear a finished product when it becomes available.

It was nice to see that Yamaha, Korg and Ketron are all committed to enhancing there lines and having many models to choose from. I'm not sure what direction Roland is taking. There was little attention to their current models that I could see. Although, they were doing a big job demonstrating there line of physical modeled accordions.




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

Wow! I'm glad there's no dealer like you in my area, George.......else my house would be chock full of gear (well, chock full..ER). Since most of us have little choice but to deal with the large chains or the 'net, it is so refreshing to be able to interact with a real, honest-to-god, hands-on, human-type, over-=20, non-guitarist/drummer, ACTUALLY-the-owner, dealer. I think that I'll be directing my next major purchases your way. Appreciate the straight-up, first-hand, NAMM review.

chas

Thank you for the kind words. I've been doing this for 38 years and as those of you that know me and call me from time to time already know, I can talk for ever about these keyboards.
In these tough economic times I wish I had all of you "Synthzoners" living near my store. Thanks to the many members that do give me a chance to provide them with new arrangers. And thanks for all the information and help I receive from all of you. I've learned so much over the years. I come to this site so many times a day that you have have become an internet family to me.
When I had back surgery 2 years ago, emails and phone calls kept coming wishing me well. This is a very special place!


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

Thanks, George, for you very comprehensive and informative reporting. It is much appreciated by many of us here.

Glenn

Hi,

I was at the Namm Show last weekend. I was lucky enough to have a visitor ticket that sponsor by M-audio because I did some work for them. Below is my 2 cents on the new Arranger this year.

Korg PA2X:
I am very impress with the new Korg PA2X. The operation system is much more enhancing. It is so easy now to copy style, variation from one style to another. It is also easy to convert midi file to style. However, only 1 midi files per variation, intro, or ending. In another word, you need to chop off your original midi file into many different file before convert and assembly a whole style. Korg puts M3 sound engine into the Korg PA2X body. It sounds very good but it is not much improve over the Korg PA1x. The PA2X have styles than the Korg Pa1x. I like some of the new style but I still prefer the Tyros 2 styles because it fit my music better.
The coolest feature is the backing sequence; you can record it then change the chord line in the sequence later if you want to fit it latter. It is very motivate to compose and write song. Overall, it is a very keyboard.

Ketron Aduya:
The keyboard is still in prototype. All demos are in pre-record wave file in which sound very good but I want to see the final product. According to Ketron, it is about 6 more months before they complete the product. I suspect the price is similar to PA2x and Tyros 2. It is a nice looking keyboard.

Roland:

No new high end keyboard. At Roland booth, no one even bother to demo their arranger line. Their focus is on the new Fantom and RX-700 keyboards. I was able to play with the E-80 keyboard; I still prefer Korg, Ketron and Yamaha over Roland. It seems does not care much about Arranger line. It is just my opinion.

Yamaha:

No new high end arranger keyboard. Rumor that they will release the Tyros 3 by next year.

Thanks,

coca

George,
I'm confused.
I thought the old SA-100 was stereo but the new SA-1000 was not. and now u say SA-300 is, i never heard of that model before now. Can u clarify differences of the 3 and MAP prices?

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Miami Mo

It is the Kaossilator and is the latest version of the Korg Kaos Pad. Here is a link to a Sonicstate report on it.
http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=143