Hi folks
I'd appreciate your advice/comments on this.
I mainly use arrangers as a time-sparing tool in making arrangements for acoustic/pop/rock music for later real instrument recordings in studio and most of the editing I do with Cubase 5 and VSTs on my studio PC.

It is time for me to change the Tyros 2 and spend some money here in Milan (Italy) on a new arranger.

I really think that the Audya project is the way arrangers will go in the near future, but I have come to the conclusion that in my setup where I use VSTs and loops on pc, Audya is not really adding the extra value compared to PA2xpro (about 1,000 Euro more).

What are your thoughts/comments on this?
I have no intention to start a topic this better than that, simply your precious comments/advice on how best to spend my money in my setup.

Anyone in contact with Korg here in Milan?

Amelio

For what you intend to use it for (I do the same thing quite a bit) I feel that the audio nature of the Audya drums works against you...

When doing mockups of a tune to a sequencer, I prefer to have the drums in MIDI, so if I need to move a drum hit here, a tom tom fill there, or if I want to subtly change the swing value or pocket of say the hihats, this is all possible. With the audio drum loops, not so much.

If the audio loop drums work perfectly for the tune, you are in business. If they work CLOSE to perfect, that's as close as you are going to get...

And from experience, any Ketron instrument in a Studio use will make your life hell or make
you suicidal. If for studio use stay as far as you can from Ketron, for live its a different story.
First of all no Ketron offers any studio function at all, they are the WORST controllers that
exist out there. Forget what they tell you here ,,,he said, she said'', i am telling you from
experience, i use both in studio, Korg and Ketron and i see the difference.

At the price of 2000$ more then PA2X Audya can still never dream to come up even a lil closer
to PA2Xs MIDI controlling/studio options.

to me, the AUDYA seems like a kick @ass, in-your face live band, with an audio/midi file player

and that's it ....

Ketron has been always geared for a gigging musician live application vs studio application. but I sure either one would work. There both midi keyboards.

Thank you all for your comments; I notice great attention to drums lately... So you're saying that in a studio setup Korg wins over audya? Any other comment?

PS: is Dreamer (Andrea) still around?

In a Studio enviroment Korg will definitely win over any Ketron, especially for controlls,
MIDI routing and stuff, even PA50 will kill any Ketron...now, Sound is a different thing,
that is something that everyone has different taste.

Nedim,
let me comment on the sound issue: if you use professional VSTs that is almost irrelevant. No arranger or synth today can compete with VSTs in the performance/cost ratio. If you're familiar with VST's you know what I mean; take a classical guitar sound, can you find a synth arranger to compete with Realguitar 2?
On the other hand, what VSTs lack is the ability to construct a musical structure (arrangement) for a piece of music on the fly. On this side VSTs today cannot compete with a professional arranger like Pa2xpro.

THis is the rea
So the point for me is that is it really worth spending 1000e. more to buy audya and its audio loops which I have anyway, or can Audya add something else?

No, then the Audya is completely worthless, its throwing 5000$ away. In this case you dont
even need the PA2X, you can do with something smaller and cheaper then that.

If you are going to want to send the drums over to BFD or EZ Drummer, or something like that, then the arranger HAS to send MIDI for the drums, not simple one note triggers of a loop...

The thing is, you are STILL looking for inspiration while you are making the 'mock up', so you want an arranger with great styles, but, OTOH, you want to replace almost everything anyway, so it HAS to be MIDI for all the parts. The Audya's drums, bass and guitar audio loops will either have to be used 'as is' or you will have to play them by hand completely, as there is no MIDI out of an audio track.

I think you MIGHT want to consider perhaps a PA800 to save yourself money... you probably already got an 88 or 76 in the studio, yes? So you can MIDI that to the arranger for an expanded keybed, and the rest of the PA800's capabilities are almost identical to the PA2Xpro, other than sample RAM (and you'll be using VSTi's for that).

Plus the PA800 has speakers, so it's a piece of cake to take it home, or to a different room in the studio, and work on a song while other stuff goes on in the main tracking room, or over to a friend and collaborator's (or the artist's) house for a writing session with no need for a sound system.

Just curious, though, why you think the T2 is getting long in the tooth...? Is it a MIDI issue, or are you getting bored with the styles (lot's of Korg conversions available)? If you are replacing almost everything, one would think that the source arranger doesn't really matter all that much... just the styles that it plays.

Diki
a. yes I have a 88K controller (the Studiologic VMK 188 Plus).
b. This is my home studio, we hire a pro studio once we record everything.
c. I have my PA a home.
d. main reason for changing the T2 is to have a 76K arranger (not enough room to set up both arr and controller together).

I appreciate that I could save some money using cheaper kbs or sw as Band in a Box, and similar, but still a 76ks arranger is a better all-round solution as today.

ciao
A

Well, no arguing from ME about how important a 76 arranger is!

But I have often wished that I DID have a little lightweight arranger with speakers, simply to be able to easily go round to a writer's house or home studio and do some quick guerrilla writing... not enough to actually get one yet, I make do with what I've got, but if writing with others was my MAIN need for an arranger, I might consider one of those.