I have to agree with Dennis and Abacus regarding build quality. I can't imagine anyone thinking Yamaha's arranger build quality exceeds Korg's although Chony is an exception I'm sure. I've also never had a broken button, switch, key, or any other part on any Korg keyboard I've owned. I doubt my experience with Korg is an exception.

I've owned many Korg's and many Yamaha's and with the exception of my vintage CS60 and 9000 Pro which were tanks, I think Yamaha's general build quality isn't equal to other manufacturers (except the Motif and Clavinova line which seem reasonably well built). Yamaha's arrangers are of particularly cheap build quality in my opinion especially when compared to the build quality of my Wersi. The only keyboard I saw come close in build quality to Wersi was the Korg Oasys which I also owned but subsequently sold due to lack of software updates.

I realize many people on this forum couldn't care less about a manufacturer using cheap plastic and lackluster parts but I prefer quality and will gladly pay more for that. If I wanted a toy keyboard I'd shop at Toys R Us.

[This message has been edited by Ensnareyou (edited 08-05-2008).]

Great review, very detailed. Are the PA2X styles the same as the PA800? I tried the PA800 and I like it. I was looking to replace my PA60, but the latin styles were to simular to the PA60, so I passed. But good luck with yours.

I find it VERY hard to adjust my button pushing from the general force I am using to play the keyboard... If I am playing a gentle ballad, no problem. But if I am smacking the living daylights out of some funky clav part, or pounding a rock piano part, rushing over to a button, and then delivering the gentlest of taps, and rushing back to pound again is VERY tricky.

So, I expect arranger buttons to be durable. Any manufacturer that expects us to baby them is counting on plenty of extra income from service sales after the warranty period runs out!

This is one reason why I consider multi-button footswitches SO essential. Plus, of course, your LH (or RH!) can just concentrate on playing! So far, after over three years of heavy use, not the slightest trace of a problem with my G70's buttons... The Triton is holding up well too (are they the same buttons as PA2Xpro?).

I am still curious as to why the fills issue hasn't been definitively investigated and corrected, yet, on Korg's. The thought of having to make playing compromises to get fills to work seems a bit primitive. I realize it is only some of them, but surely this should be a clue as to exactly what it is that's at fault? Any clues?

One more question about PA2Xpros.... You can purchase software that adds the Karma engine abilities to Triton's by using a laptop. Has anyone tried this on a PA2Xpro (or PA1Xpro)? I understand it is supposed to be the same engine...

Hi Chony,
might be easily fixed.
In Record Mode
Scroll to " fill "
Go to Record Cue 2 (Tab)
& choose 1 of 3 options for triggering fill.
best wishes
Rikki
BTW did you get my reply to the email you sent via Korg forums. I found out they sometimes go astray.??

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chony:
[B]

However the Korg has a few mess ups. The fill ins are not smooth, and moving from variation to variation is a bit screwed up too as it doesn't go to the first measure of the new variation.

I use no pedals whatsoever just another hindrance to my playing style & I never had a button problem...its all in the touch.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 08-05-2008).]

Chony, I'm really scratchin' my head about this review.

Some of the items I agree with, but some others are just puzzling.

The Pa2xpro is built like a tank...It runs circles around the Tyros2 build quality, which I owned. The buttons are perfect?

Also, the color screen on the Pa2xpro is awesome; clear, sharp and that tilt motor is amazing. I just don't get what you don't like? Maybe you can be more specific?

That 76 keybed is amazing.



------------------
Al Giordano
Visit us at ARRANGER WORLD! http://www.arrangerworld.com

Korg Pa2xpro, Roland VK8-M, DW Collectors Series Drums, Roland TD-12 Vdrums, Roland SPD-S.

Now this is an intersting bit of news..I had not heard that, but you can bet London to a Brick, I will do my best to find out!!

I suspect it won't, worse luck, because whilst it shares the same engine in many respects, it DOES have different architecture. BUT still worth investigating nonetheless!!

As for the fills, yes its not all that good that Korg have essentially left them alone through all the updates, but as the problem ones are few and far between, I, and I suspect like many others, don't find it all that much of an issue.

I guess to give an analogy, its like the change thing you mentioned on the G70 where you go from full keyboard to part within a style and it glitches, or something like that, I cannot remember exactly..... You found a way around it so whilst its still there, it becomes a non-issue for you. Same for us.

Dennis

Actually, Dennis, if I'm guessing the right design flaw (it's one of my pet peeves), it's that the ACC (but not the ABASS and ADRMS) get cut off when you go from different types of chord recognition. I like to play my vocal backing in Pianostyle, and do the solos in regular recognition (I know, I know, I should do the whole thing in Pianostyle ) and when I switch between them, whoops! There go the ACC parts

And sadly, there is NO workaround... it happens every time you do it. Only workaround is to not do it (or have to do it by hand extremely accurately, just when you are usually playing your a$$ off, too!).

So I can assure you, it's not a non issue! I do my level best to keep this one front and center on the Roland forums, as it was NOT the behavior of the G1000, so not a tried and trusted system and possibly correctable.

Now, perhaps few do the recognition type thing in their playing, so this flaw hasn't exactly bugged a lot of people, over here. But I would have thought a timing issue with fills is something you do all the time. So, were I to have a Korg, and was 'enduring' this on a daily basis, I sure would be trying more vocally for a 'fix'.

While still loving my G70, and still convinced that, FOR ME , it's still the current best choice, I have never shirked away from exposing what flaws exist in it, as publicly as possible, in the belief that manufacturers will work harder to correct widely known problems than un-complained about and concealed flaws. And experience through the two major revisions to the G70 OS have persuaded that sometimes, they actually DO SOMETHING about things!

And sometimes they don't

But you got to keep trying... Korg have another new OS coming out, with talk about new capabilities. But who knows? Maybe if enough of you HAVE complained loudly enough, the issue might be fixed on the new OS

I hope they have...

Yep THATS the one Sorry my bad, that is most definitely an issue, would be for me too.. Somehow I got it into my head that you had a workaround for it. But I can see how it would be very annoying and one Roland should have fixed soon as, after it was discovered.!!!

As for the OS release, I and a lot of of other korgies are finding the wait very trying!!

Dennis

Sorry, I know Im rambling a bit, but I just had another thought on this upgrade and in a similar vein to whether the fills issue will be addressed (personally, I don't think so)..

The biggest worry, well for me, is that whilst Korg say it is a huge upgrade, it might not be for me, or for other users depending on how they use it.

If you don't use the features they are fixing/implementing then its a bit of a ho-hum affair. So whilst it is exciting, the excitement is tempered with a bit of caution!!

Dennis