You know what I do... Compose songs in my little studio and I do not play gigs... For what I do is it worth the upgrade?

Thanks guys

Yes..........since your coming from a S900 its the logical choice.

just read the reviews all over SZ.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-13-2009).]

Hi Beachbum:

I'll be following the same path with significant interest since I am also a non-performing songwriter who sings his own demos using a PSR-2000.

Dave Rice
http://www.ShowCaseYourMusic.com/DaveRice

Only thing I'd say at this point is, if you have an S900, you are not gaining THAT much over the S900 for a studio use. Donny is really happy with some of the OS things for live use (and the brighter display), but the sound is primarily the same except for a few things. In the studio, the display and MFD and all that stuff for the live player doesn't really come into it. Yes, there's a few more SA voices, some more Mega and Live! stuff, but it only comes as a veneer to the sounds you already have. It has the new guitar NTT's, but again, you do guitars with the real thing already, so not as important.

This is one of those times that I think you REALLY ought to wait until you can play one, and then listen for yourself if it is something that you can't do without...

You are likely to lose a fair chunk as you upgrade (check out what used S900's are, and what a new S910 will cost), maybe as much as $500. If you think in those terms, you would only need an additional $400 to be able to afford to ADD another arranger like the GW-8L (or a Korg) to your recording rig, and gain vastly different sounds to your palette, rather than just a few odd ones going from 900 to 910.

Personally, I think a combination of GW8L and S900 would be a crackin' good pair. Better than an S910 all by itself, honestly.

S900 to S910 is an incremental shift...

S900 PLUS another arranger is a paradigm shift!

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 10-14-2009).]

It seems that S900 owners have no problem upgrading to the S910...so far, most (well, actually, all) of my S910 clients have been S900 users.

Either the S900 wasn't quite enough, or the S910 is a marked upgrade in these people's eyes(and ears).

A GW-8L or Prelude would be a nice compliment to an S910 (or S900)...I may even look into getting one, once Roland adds style assembly to the operating system.

I kind of agree with Diki here. If this is only for the studio and not for live use, there are other things that can give you more bang for the buck for $500. I would get software or Melodyne Celemony for vocal harmonies, something like that.

You wouldn't be asking this question is money were out of the question. If you have plenty, get the s910 or better yet a T3.

Beakybird

I have had a few S910 clients ask if the instrument is using a completely different tone generator than the S900...I find it has a lot of the Tyros2 in it, especially the organs.

I haven't heard anything from Yamaha to confirm this, but I do find a significant change (for the good) in the overall sound of the S910.

You've probably got the opportunity to listen to 900 next to 910, Ian. How about taking off all the EQ and Mastering stuff, effects and what have you, then directly listening to some of the sounds that they have in common. There's a LOT of ways you can gussy up the sound, but switch them off, and you've got a fair chance of finding out if there truly IS any difference other than tweaking...

To be honest, if Yamaha have improved the overall D/A converters, you ought to be able to hear it on every sound without any icing...

I had sent the S900 back, Diki, and didn't have a chance to try them side by side, but I find a slight difference in the overall sound, the nod going to the S910.

The D/A converters could have been improved...the thing is, I'm not the only one to notice the difference.

As far as I know, the effects unit is still the same one as in the S900...nothing new that I can see...it's certainly not the same as the one in the Tyros2.

It certainly isn't a "new look" (some people hear with their eyes) as they are virtually identical, except for the screen.

Maybe the tone generator is a hybrid of Tyros2 and S900?

Again, it's my opinion that the S910 is what the S900 should have been.

So, you don't put it down to perhaps tweaked EQ and compressor settings for the Parts? Perhaps reworked parameter settings for the Voices?

I have a sneaky feeling that, if Yamaha HAD put a totally new sound engine in there, they wouldn't have missed the opportunity to trumpet it in their advertising...

It is often remarked here at SZ that simply different overall EQ and compressor settings can make a night and day difference to the SAME arranger. Perhaps the perceived difference between the 900 and the 910 might be attributable to merely this (before we go off half cocked about internal changes that may or may not exist)..?

Could be. I played it right out of the box with no changes at all...I had played the S900 the day before, with the EQ at my own settings....didn't even touch the S910's EQ, which I've just checked, and it's set for "Home".

Whatever they've done, it's a good thing, nevertheless.