I just arrived home from the Fort Wayne Indiana Ketron product demo. Here is my report.

It was not a jam and Korg and Yamaha were not represented. It was mostly a Ketron product demo. AJ, Leeboy, gps12 and myself were there from the forum. A midi guitar and a midi accordion were demonstrated as well at the Audya. I will only comment on the Audya.

AJ demonstrated and answered questions about the Audya. It is a terrific sounding board. Probably the most live sounding ever. AJ demoed the AI and riff features. I found the AI to be very musical in its implimentation. It kept the music sounding less loopish. I didn't find it adding fills and such at inappropriate sounding times. I have to admit that AJ only showed it on one or two styles though. Riff was interesting but not available on all the styles.

Styles were typical top of the line Ketron, some of the best in arrangers, great sounding drums, bass, and guitars.

Many sounds were also great, saxes, bones, organs, eps. The leslie emulation has also to my ears been improved.

The piano was good but I didn't feel as good as the G70. It might have been better but AJ wasn't using a sustain pedal. The guitars were also greatly improved. With the arranger going, all sounds were very good in the mix as a whole.

I tried an unplugged style for a couple of seconds. I played a diminished chord and indeed the loop voices dropped out and midi voices were inserted. By itself it was noticable, but in a performance only a pro listening for it would be able to tell. Two out of ten thousand would maybe hear the difference without being told to listen for it. To me in a real time performance it is a non issue. The guitar loops have moved the bar a step higher. Not a foot or yard higher but a step in the right direction.

The added midjay features don't mean much to me because I don't DJ and don't use midi files.

I thought the harmonizer was very good, one of the best out there.

Didn't ask about memory capacity, sample loading, or type of USB, because to me these things are also a non issue. The issue to me is how does it sound. I think it is the best sounding arranger on the market, not by leaps and bounds but IMHO the best at the moment.

Which brings us to the issue of cost. I could have purchased it today at a show special price of $4800. List I believe was $5400 and change. I feel that it should list and sell for about the same price as a T3 or pax2pro.

I met leeboy AJ and gps12 and found them all to be very friendly and pleasant. It was a fun day.

Tom

You're a brave one Tom. Thanks for your comments and review.

I agree that the price should be in line with the competition "UNLESS" the features and the sounds on the Audya actually warrant the price Ketron is asking for it. If I felt that the Audya was really worth $5,000 plus smackers I would probably buy one. I would have to play one personally before determining that of course though. It seems that you are hesitant to take the bait yourself Tom which leads me to think that the price/performance ratio is not quite justified at the moment. Of course others have already shown that they feel the cost IS justified so the jury is still out and playing one might change my mind. Finding one to play might be a real chore in itself though, since a sighting of one on U.S.A. soil seems rarer than a sighting of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. Except for the privileged few like you and a few others Tom. Congratulations for that honor by the way.

All the best,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 03-15-2009).]

Oops! Sorry.. double post.

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 03-15-2009).]

Tom,
It was certainly a pleasure to meet you as well.
I posted a review of today also (on the original thread) After you left, I had AJ to pick a style using audio, MUTE all other tracks, and we played various chords back and forth ...ones needing the MIDI note added and basic chords...I could barely tell (yes I could tell if I listened very carefully) For my ears it did not really drop anything out...it just added the extra needed chord note using a like sounds(standard ROM sound). The original chord audo seemed to still be there OK. Like you...not a big deal...in the mix of a song I could not hear it.

Wish you culd have stayed longer...after the crowd died down AJ and I tried lots of stuff on Audya.

My high level comment is: Depending on each persons needs and how really well they love the sound..it may be worth the extra $$. Personal decision and subjective.

Fun day.

Lee S.

Tom...
I'm glad you got to go and report on your experience. Very interesting. While it appears to be a great board with super features, I get the feeling it is not your cup of tea regardless of price.
Eddie

I guess we should wait for Dikki's comments on thig, it might get fun again...

The audio chord continues to play unless you play dim, aug and sus4 chords. All the extensions are added to it.

But are you sure you played in and out of those chords, because reports say that the audio drops out COMPLETELY when those type chords are played?

You gotta give up, i started to doubt your knowledge about music, about music technology i know already how much you know.
What you ask on top, was told, and proven to you by many members, was recorded on video which will be probably added soon.
Today again Leeboy told you, the other show LeeZone told you, Frankeve and Carango told you, bro, you should just dissapear.

These comments and the other comments i made on the other posts, from now on you are completely ignored by me even if you
refer to me, you are not worth my time, find someone else to play kids games.
Thanks

[This message has been edited by Nedim (edited 03-15-2009).]

ouch!!! nedim I wish you wouold say what you really mean ....or Diki why not make an effort to go see the Audya & put the curiosity to rest asap......Aj said hes coming to Florida soon.

I mean come on bro...enough is enough, a small child can realize this is stupid.