Hi All,

I'm worried about AJ, is he OK, or simply put are you OKAJ.

I have not seen a reply from him for months, he appeared to be the main man when people had problems with KETRON parts, since the launch of the dreaded AUDYA he has gone AWOL.

From now on I will be typing Audya in short form as "AD", since no doubt much will be written about it from now on in, as the factory gets up to speed and AD saturates the market place and of course EXMAS is coming this will help sales soar!

So you all keep on ADinggggg and swing along the keys!

Regards

Tony

Tony,

Thanks for your concern.

I just spent the last week moving to Delaware and it was not as easy as I had planned. We are just settling in and getting Internet, Electricity, Water ... (all the boaring stuff) transfered to our names and activated, but I am back on line.

In a nut-shell, what did I miss?

We've also resumed work after being off for 3 weeks (factory that is) - which is the norm in Italy for most firms during the month of August.

Thanks,

AJ

AJ nice to hear you are well, in a nutshell you missed nothing, you get some sleep now, I am off to the day job!

Regards

Tony

AJ,

if you get a chance can you clarify the debate on the other thread?

user audio drum loops question,
whether they will stream from HD as do the factory loops,
or if we will be limited to the paltry 48MB or so, because they will have to be in ROM

leezone,

Both USER and FACTORY audio drums stream from the Hard Drive (just located in different folders there). There appears to be this mis-conception from some (which has led to comparison with the Pa2X's memory) that the smaller memory available to users on the AUDYA limits the number of audio drums that can be used. Since the AUDIO is streamed directly from the HD, the 'memory in question' (if you want to compare) is actually the size of the free HD space (roughly 50GB since the other space is occupied with FACTORY data). When using the SAMPLER/MSP, memory alocation becomes a factor (which will later be upgraded) as the sound files have to be loaded before being manipulated with. With HD streaming, there is no manipulation required. The USER AUDIO files should have already been 'cut' and prepared by an external sampler .. e.g. REASON (TM). When you load/select a STYLE (user or factory), simply press DRUMS (F1) repeatedly in the STYLE VIEW screen to assign the drums to either FACTORY AUDIO, USER AUDIO, FACTORY MIDI or USER MIDI drums. There is almost no limit as to what you can do with this STYLE MORPHING Feature from KETRON - just the HD's size!! Expanded upon this, we also have a similar feature with new Sound Banks available for BASS, DRUM2 (GROOVES), CHORDS 1-3 (new PIANO and GUITAR loops) for OS3.0.

Combining this with the soon-to-be-released STYLE EDITOR (both PC and on the AUDYA [Pattern EDITOR] ), you will have so many style templates to use that re-creating one from scratch could become a feature used by few but made available anyway!!

This also now enhances DRUM REMIX as you can assign your AUDIO DRUMS to your midifiles. The only restrictions in both cases are ...

1. When changing the tempo of the midifile/style you can do so without loosing the quality of the AUDIO DRUMS by +/-45% of the original BMP which the audio file was recorded in.

2. You have to make the AUDIO DRUM have the same Time Signature as the style/midifile you want to associate it with!

Hope this makes it clearer ...

Thanks,

AJ

WGT AJ....what would Ketron ever do without you?

Has OS3 done anything about the number of chord TYPES available for the audio section?

And has it changed the number of audio streams the Audya will play, simultaneously?

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 09-12-2009).]

i think OS3 will just give us more guitar loops and piano loops, not more chords, maybe different patterns, and different sounding guitars,

just a guess, but AJ would know for sure

Aj, can you answer a couple of questions for me?

I have a SD3 (same as SD5, but is the module) what is the lastest OS for the SD5, and love the styles, but are there any more for this model??

Thanks

Listen up, folks. This last post asks probably the MOST important question, as far as Ketron owners OUGHT to be concerned about.

"love the styles, but are there any more for this model??"

Sure, you CAN put User audio styles together, but who amongst us has the skill to do this? Precious few from the SD-1 days, that's for sure... So, probably Question #1 from all Ketron potential buyers of the Audya OUGHT to be "How many more styles do you PROMISE to make...?"

Because, in all likelihood, this is the only place you are likely to get them from (unless you are perhaps one of the niche regional style users from Portugal, who seem to have strong Ketron developers). And, as good as the live drums make them sound, you are not going to want to put up with all your NEW styles sounding inferior (by using the MIDI drum kits) to your ROM styles.

The depth of support for new styles that the SD-5 and SD-1 received is probably a VERY telling indicator of how much Ketron are likely to put into new Audya styles once you have bought it. I don't know about you, but a never ending supply of new styles is one of the reasons I can hang onto any arranger for any length of time. We all get 'style fatigue', even with the best of them, and need new ones to lift our interest in something we may have been playing for a few years. But Ketron's adherence to the live loop audio drums thing basically makes translations inferior, few, I honestly think, have the skill to put great ROM quality styles together themselves, so what are you left with?

Ketron themselves, Unfortunately.

I would take a CLOSE look at just how many NEW audio loop styles (NOT new styles using existing drum loops) Ketron came out with for the SD-1 and SD-5 after they released it. This might give an indication how many you are likely to get for the Audya.

Hey Dikki,

are you suggesting tongue in cheek that there will be no futher styles for SD1/SD5 and so on???

Come on Aj can you answer my questions from the previous post

He is suggesting that (including me) that they would probably leave Audya alone too, not just
SD1-5...they are old synths already anyways. Same thing like some of Korg owners, Korg is soon
gonna discontinue M3 but they still ask for Triton sounds and support, aint happening.

No, Nedim, please don't put words in my mouth. I am NOT saying "probably leave Audya alone". I am merely suggesting that this question be a high priority for potential Ketron buyers.

To be honest, I find your vendetta against Ketron to be a gas, as pro-Audya as you were before its' release. In all fairness, you keep running down the Audya on grounds that few others really give a damn about. The vast majority of arranger users aren't really all that concerned about highly detailed voice editing, Akai compatible samplers, and detail style and SMF editing. Most of them are primarily concerned about how good it sounds OOTB.

And this is the ONE area you never seem to even acknowledge. In all fairness, the Audya sounds MUCH more realistic than the Korg's (or, to be honest, just about anything else) as is. That's got to count for SOMETHING, doesn't it?

And, for all its' advantages in the editing department, let us not ignore Korg's shortcomings in the fill department. Three fills TOTAL. Half what everything else has (actually a third, as one is usually a break). Now, I know you are primarily concerned about the synth engine, but in the REAL WORLD, people actually PLAY these things, not just use them for style making and sound creation! And, in that real world, in my book, a better selection of transitions, a smoother way to go from any division to any other division, counts higher than detail voice editing. After all, what's the use in a great well tweaked voice, if you have to use it in a style that jerks around between Variations?

But, all that aside, all I was trying to bring up is the probability that buyers looking at a Ketron Audya take a CLOSE look at how much the factory style selection grew for the SD-1 and SD-5. For the vast majority that really don't give a toss about fancy voice and effects editing (or editing much of anything at all!), this fact might make them consider the decision. I am NOT suggesting they give the Audya a miss. Lord knows, were I a well heeled retiree, with money to burn, I might already HAVE one!

But it IS something to consider... What decision they make is up to them. I don't believe any one arranger is superior in ALL aspects. The trick is prioritizing REALISTICALLY, rather than getting all worked up about features you'll likely never use, and ignoring other aspects you will use on a daily basis.

Just to ask AJ once again to respond to my request re the SD5(SD3) more styles, and program changes. Please AJ if you guys are not to continue to further develop the just past keyboard and module, what am I to believe re the Audya????

thanks in anticipation of the the answer, also, the live styles in the SD5/SD3 are fantastic, the best drums and bass of them all, so come on, I give credit where its due, but I want more!!!!

Thanks AJ

Robbo,

There will be a library of styles for the SD5/SD3. This will be available on our website and can be downloaded upon completion.

We'll inform you as soon as they become completed and available.

Thanks,

AJ

Thanks AJ, that gives me faith in the whole process including Audya, for those who have not heard the demo's on the SD5/SD3 have a listen, I have a PA2X, and although it has many more styles and prob is the best Arranger currently, the styles sounds of live bass and drums in Ketron SD5/SD3 are simply stunning, I mean real!!!! and punchy, so one expects that other Manufacturers will have to lift the game on live sound

Anybody got any REAL figures, though...

I mean, all promises aside, exactly how many NEW audio styles (styles with NEW loops, in other words) have ALREADY been made for SD-1/SD-5/SD-3?

In how many years of them being out amongst us?

Before I take anybodies word about future development, I'd like to take a good look at past performance. It would be like Yamaha saying that the T3 could be upgraded at some time or another as a selling point. But then you take a closer look at how many important OS upgrades Yamaha ever did, and you MIGHT be a little more skeptical about it...

At the Mr. Sound Audya show, he was sure sporting that Ketron golf shirt proudly!, my how somethings change so quickly.

AJ

do you have atime frame for the release of the updates SD5/SD3

I mean will it be this month, this year, next and so on. What I am trying to ascertain is that to rationise the equipement I have, and I do like the SD3 (but I need more styles), if its going to be 6 to 12 months away, then I need to re rationalize the setups I have, and it has been quite some time since the SD5/3 was released, I dont want to labour the point, but you must know where i am going with this.

Thanks

You are completely right, i agree...but those are the Grounds i work with and am concerned about.
I dont play live that much anymore nor i use or will use Audya when i play live, all i need is that.

Completely right, i said that on Korg forums too few weeks ago, check the topic out.
I always said Korg is no Match for sounds with Ketron and i still stand by that.

To be honest its not like that, i am like this towards any brand, you havent seen some of my
posts or topics on Korg forums earlier, a lot worst then this. Anything i ever said about Audya
i still stand by it. Bad or good. Thats why there is the word Dissapointment, it happends after
the word Expectation...that is what happened to me. They promised but didnt deliver.

Hi all,

There is no doubt in my mind that AJ is not himself, he usually recoils link a wound up spring with answers on this site. I know he has moved and it’s a trying time but the effort he puts in for KETRON is unsurpassed and they in turn I my opinion don’t respond similarly with the goodies for his support and our product satisfaction, I know of no other industry that treats customer this way, it’s our fault for buying unfinished symphonies, we know the company history and it’s traits and yet we go in time after time. We can all see AJ’s enthusiasm displayed in the video snaps he has made, he’s much too good for them and they don’t deserve him.

Regards to you all.