the only one I could find out about,is the Generalmusic sk788
http://www.generalmusic.com/prodotti.asp?cod=995175&lingua=ita&frame=ca

anything else? Probably not too many people use these,because they are so darn heavy...

but I guess it's ok if you keep one in the studio and you practice piano.
Does anybody knows some other models by Yamaha,etc?

Yamaha has several in the Clavinova line.
DonM

Korg Pa 588
http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=412

Impuls

In the home market there are both the Yamaha Clavinova and the Roland KR series. Ketron was making an SD1 in a baby grand piano body a few years ago and the Generalmusic SK8 came out right around 1999 or 2000. It was replaced with the SK880 as an upgrade around 2003 I believe. Currently, the Korg PA588 and the Yamaha YPG635 are the only portable models I'm aware of.

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

An 88 Hammer action version is available on the Bohm Silverbird, and Lionstracs Mediastation.
There are or have been others, but I cannot bring them to mind at the moment. (I think Orla (Technote in the US) might have done one as well)

Bill

I believe I was told that most of the Yamaha's have a 'mirror input' mode for the MIDI in, where all the layout for the arranger's keyboard (sounds, splits, etc.) are mirrored onto a single channel MIDI input, so if you have a particular preference for say an S900 or S910, or even the T3/T2, you could buy a dumb 88 controller (a nice Fatar action, e.g.) and place the arranger just above it (in REAL close as you won't need to touch the 88's knobs, or see it's display) and you have your 88 arranger. Especially with an S900/910 and an inexpensive 88, you have the potential for something as good as many of the Clavinova's, at a fraction of the price... (oh, and a plastic action for those organ parts, too )

the Korg PA588 looks exactly what I'd like to get. Too bad that I can't even afford a new one.

Diki,you've read my mind....I too thought to buy a 2 tier stand and to place a good arranger on top with a good keyboard on the bottom. Nowadays a CASIO dpc 100 (or something like that) that seems it weights only 12 kilos. May be a misprint.

The Yamaha S900 seems a good candidate too...maybe a PSR 3000 would do as well. The idea of having 2 keyboards seems really the most financially effective idea....

these forums are the best

I would like to try that since I have a PSR3000(bad keyfeel) and a nice casio previa with much nicer keybed.

What hardware do I need and how do I setup the keyboard ?

I'd check at PSRWorld, or another of the Yamaha specific sites, or perhaps Ian could give a quick tutorial in how to do this?

I simply recall Steve Demming pointing this capability to me a while back, but as I don't have a Yamaha (yet! ), the details elude me...

Did you know that Korg is offering a $400 rebate on the 588 right now? That would bring the price down to around $1800 or so.
It's a very unusual keyboard with a killer piano voice and over 800 other great sounds...plus it's an arranger!

Tim

Lukitoh a few years ago I used a Casio Privia Px410r midied to my PSr 3000. It worked well all you need is a midi cable connecting the out of the Privia to the in of the PSR3000. Unfortunately, I don't recall what I had to do in the midi set up of the 3000 and the Privia to get it to communicate. One thing it was really not difficult to set up, it was just a few midi settings. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Hi,

Forget the yamaha's. Buy a new korg pa50 for only 569 Euro and a M-Audio ProKeys Sono 88 for 319 Euro and you have a great set for 888 Euro that's 1,251.10 dollar.

Frans

[This message has been edited by FransN (edited 07-30-2009).]

hi Tim,that seems a very good offer,shame that I am in the UK.....I don't think the offer is available here,and of course it would not make sense to buy the keyboard from the States as I would get killer by shipping costs and import taxes....

Beside the great key feel of the PA588, how does the PA588 fares against the PA800 ,in terms of arranger features and sounds? Thanks

I don't know exactly as I don't have a Yamaha PSR yet (I'll get one soon or later from ebay) but I am pretty sure it's easy....as the other poster said,you only need the two keyboards,a midi cable and a good two tier stand. I think one keyboard should be set as 'master' and the other as 'slave',so you can control the PSR from the Casio.

The interesting feature of the casio cdp 100 is that while being an hammer-action keyboard,it seems to only weight 11 kg,which is weird. May be a misprint?

A good stand that can take a lot of weight,seems to be a Quik-Lok QLX-22

hi Frans,thanks ,the PA50 seems a keyboard with good features but the screen really puts me off....it's that sort of monochrome cheap stuff that is found on very cheap keyboards. But as value for money,it seems better than others in the same price range like the Yamaha PSR-S500, which doesn't even have an editable sequencer



[This message has been edited by arranger_yes_pc_no (edited 07-31-2009).]

The most important is the sound and styles not the screen I think. Soundwise the pa50 beats everything in this price tag. It makes even the Yamaha psr 3000 sounds like a toy.

[This message has been edited by FransN (edited 07-31-2009).]

Does the PA-50 have the equivalent of Yamaha's Mega Voices, as featured on the PSR-3000, and the S900?

Mega voices make a BIG difference in the realism of the styles, which are the heart and soul of any arranger.

Ian

Mega voices or not the korgs sounds like a synthesizer and that is what I want and like.

I like Diki's idea of using a PSR-S900 with an 88 key controller. To get the S900's display closer in view, you can saw off its keys .

Beakybird

Why not a Ketron SD3 plus a 88 key controller. No sawing necessary

Of course that's what you want and like...those of us, who prefer a more "acoustic" and realistic sounding accompaniment, feel that the Yamaha Mega Voices are the ticket to ride.

And, one would have thought, if synths are your bag, and synth music, an M3 or M50 would have been FAR more to your liking...

to me the sd3 won't cut it because I need a sequencer for composition,so it has to be able to write chord progressions in step time. With the SD3 you would have to record the whole track in one take

to me the screen is important too...just like the keys,makes me feel more professional.
I bought my first arranger 12 years ago, a cheap Casio. The screen of the PA50 reminds me of it.....

No doubts about the results that you can get with the PA50, though. I'd probably stretch a bit more and get a pa500....Korg's touchscreen is pretty good

You miss my point. I like arrangers with a professional sound like the synths. I want and need styles. M3 or Triton does not have them. The pa series have. Thats why they are called professional arrangers. If Yamaha decide to bring out a keyboard with the sound quality of a Motif XS for a reasonable price then I will be the first to buy it.



[This message has been edited by FransN (edited 07-31-2009).]