http://www.ketron.it/audya/index.asp

I like

Very very nice,
I ran the demo's through my setup and it sounds great, the drums really kick, the saxes sound nice. I think Ketron has topped their previous keyboards and I don't know but I see korg, yamaha & roland in the rear view mirror.

Time will tell, it depends on the pricing now,



[This message has been edited by mc (edited 12-05-2008).]

I have a few quibbles with some of the sounds but overall most of them are very nice. The Flugel Horn is excellent in my opinion. Some of the acoustic Drum Kits are outstanding! Makes the Tyros3 Drum kits sound pale in comparison. The Sax's for the most part are pretty good too but the T3 might still have the edge in that regard. The Stereo Grand Piano was especially nice. I would think there should also be a way to adjust the Piano string resonance to lessen or increase it if desired??

The Live Folk Guitar was very good and it had a real live acoustic sound to it, making it sound pretty authentic in the acoustic realm.

I'm surprised there were not any demos really dedicated to demonstrating B3 and other organ sounds but what organs I heard in the style songs were fairly good. I hope Ketron will try and showcase some of the Audya's B3 organs at some point before its release. And more Electric Piano demos would be nice too.

Best,
Mike

PS: BTW, the TooSwing (Original) and the TooSwing (Audya Lead Mute) on the website are the same file i.e. the Lead Mute file apparently. The webmaster needs to be aware that they're the same file and correct the anomaly as soon as possible in my opinion.

The El.Piano on Tenor Club 1 shows better than the sax. Sounds better (E.Piano) to me than my brand new Fantom G . Overall, sounds really good. I agree with mike that the Tyros might have the edge (okay, DOES have the edge) with the sax voices. I liked the jazz guitar better than the 'jazz guitar' from the T2 that I normally use, but won't spring for 4-5 grand to get it (I'll wait and buy Donny's ).

At the moment, we need to know more (or learn Italian). So far, so good.

chas

Me like-y... bigtime!

Those are some pretty great demos, on the whole. Great punchy sound, outsatnding styles, one of the most live backing sections from an arranger ever...

In fact, they are SO good, they bring up my only worry about the Audya (other than the price, of course!)... I am going to want ALL the styles to sound this good, and I'm going to want loads MORE styles in the future to be this good, and I'm going to need a bunch of styles in perhaps non-European styles (country, both modern and classic, alternative rock, reggae - lots of those! - New Orleons funk, cajun, emo, ska amongst many others) and of course I'm going to want an ever-expanding library of styles. In all fairness, with the technology incorporated into the Audya, and factoring it's cost, I am NOT going to want to be trading it for the Audya2 anytime soon just to get some new styles.

It's got a sampler, so I don't want to trade for the Audya2 for new sounds, either...

But the problem is going to be, what is Ketron's commitment to an ever-expanding library of this quality styles..? Because imported or converted styles are going to sound like dog poo in comparison, and there's no way you are going to want to sound THAT good on one song, and blah on another.

Because they incorporate audio loops, you are not going to be able to create your own styles, even if you WERE capable of making close to factory ROM quality styles on a MIDI based arranger. At least, nowhere near as easy, IMO...

Because, at the moment, it will be a product with no sister arranger downmarket to up the profitability (more models using the same styles will make it more likely they would be developed), what are the odds that Ketron will keep producing more styles as good as these, especially in non-traditional (at least non-European traditional!) styles, and what are they likely to cost?

Because, I get one of these, I am going to want a BOATLOAD more equally as good

You bring up a good point Diki. How committed will Ketron be in producing brand new styles that incorporate audio loops into them "after" the Audya ships?? > Now would be a good time for AJ to comment on this if he knows anything and Ketron doesn't demand he keep his lips zipped regarding this subject.

Another HUGE concern is after purchase support from Ketron. If I buy an Audya do I need to ship it back to Italy if it needs repair? I don't think AJ's shop will repair an Audya will they? If it needs to go back to Italy I will be without an arranger keyboard for months on end! And that would be totally unacceptable!! Even if AJ's shop could repair it, that would be a 6,000 mile round trip and probably take at least six weeks (more like 2 months or beyond) before getting it back...

"Ask not what you can do for Ketron, ask what Ketron can do for you!" A simple affirmative reply would be nice. AJ???

Best,
Mike

BTW, Dom, if you are trolling this thread....

I've got a sneaking suspicion your arranger COULD sound this good. It's got the technology. But these Audya demos kick major ass, and yours are, well, you know what we think of most of those

Ketron are spending the money on getting high quality, professional demos, high quality professional styles and loops, and I honestly think they are going to sell very well, at least in comparison to the MS for that very reason. NOT because technically it's any better than the MS. In fact, without VSTi capability, it ISN'T...

But it SOUNDS better on those demos, and that is where most are going to get their conclusions from, and make their buying decisions. Perhaps NOW is the time to take a break from never-ending OS upgrades, and finally concentrate on this, I think what most of us here would consider the MOST important aspect of an arranger (or at least the most important consideration while we are shopping around)...

The CONTENT, and the demos...

Although these demos are pretty good if you know how to play, it will be interesting to see how the Audya stacks up to Top Dog TYROS 3 in sound, support & sales.
I predict it to be more of an expensive specialty piece vs a mainstream Home Arranger. Time will tell & so will the Price especially in these economically stressed times.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 12-05-2008).]

Sweet Mary.., those were some good demos! On several of them I found myself struck with what they call the "stank face" This new Ketron is going to have some nasty kits too. I've brought up in the past many times how good quality drums, and WELL programed drum parts (along with killer acoustic/eletric bass sounds that too are well programed) can make or break a style.

Ketron is really going to blow the "Live in your face" appeal through the roof IMO with this new model. I will say one thing though. I have yet to hear a Ketron sax that thrills me. Ketron is making some great sounding arrangers, but IMO they have to step up the game in the sax department to compete with Yamaha's Super Articulated Sax (IMO is the best Sax I've heard to date on any keyboard).

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 12-05-2008).]

Demo text translation

"Audya has beyond 300 new ones styles, the majority of which uses sequences of battery in Audio Real perfectly synchronized with the clock midi. Thanks to the new Audio function Style Modeling it is possible also to modify and to personalize the styles in order to create new apt accompaniment to own requirements. Audya possesses moreover 240 53 Grooves percussive and Drum sets three of the queli are Super Drum Kit multilayer. Of continuation some musical pieces realized using the ritmiche parts, the sounds and the agreements included in the instrument."