What do you love and hate about your arranger keyboard?

Maybe you�ve found the perfect keyboard but I�m still looking and probably always will. What does your keyboard do particularly well? What do wish it did better? If you could pick and chose features from various manufactures, what would you come up with?

Mine is the Yammie 3K.
I love it for the most part.

Onboard pianos could be more robust IMO.

I'd like to have the "in your face" drums and bass of Ketron....but I have tweaked what I have to beef it up a bit.

Having MP3 capabilities would be neat...and the S910 has that...but that is not enough for me to upgrade.

The build could be a little more sturdy...but not at the cost of added weight...so I can live with that.

Beyond that, I don't have any major concerns.

Eddie

Keyboard: Wersi Abacus

Changes:
1. Windows 7 64 bit OS in place of the current Windows XP 32 bit
2. Replacement of all legacy sounds and styles with new (Apollo and Pegasus Wing are all new due to a different OAS)
3. A good quality drum module (The current one goes back to 2002 (Although it has been updated along the way) and is well past its sell by date)
4. A couple more VST slots
5. Update of the OAS CD burn module
6. Update of Wave recorder
7. Native support of Roland/Korg styles instead of/or as well as Yamaha

Still wouldn�t change it for another though, as while it has its annoyances (What keyboard doesn�t) there is still nothing else that comes close for what I want.

Bill

By the few responses, I supose everybody is 100% satisfied with their keyboards. Don't any of you kind of wish your keyboard maybe did some things that another brand does? Like the same way that you may love your wife but sometimes you maybe tempted to at least glance at another women.

I can't say I have a love hate relationship with what I'm currently using, which is a PSR-S910.

My only complaint about the previous model, the PSR-S900 was the organs didn't sound like Hammonds...they were okay, but there was room for improvement.

This S910 has better organ sounds...much better, SA better. Jazz Rotary and Rock Rotary are wonderfully Hammond-like, and are inspiring to play. I find I play the licks I used to play on my old Hammond...I didn't get that feeling with the S900.

Improvements? Nope, I'm pretty happy with this one. I like it more than the Tyros3, so that's saying something.

Only keyboard I had a bad relationship with was a Roland KR-650, which I bought to replace a Roland E-70.

The keybed was like the ones in the EP Pianos, and the keys were shorter, and the OS wasn't all that pleasant to work with. The piano was awful, especially in the mid-range where you play most often. It got to where I didn't look forward to gigging, so it was time for a change.

I got rid of it and got a PSR-510. Been using Yamaha ever since.

Ian

I don't really hate anything on my tyros 2. Often times I marvel in how great it sounds but the styles often sound so plastic and the intors/ending so over the top. Also I'm dying to have some authentic cumbias, salsa, merengue... I guess I could try to learn to do like you Ian, and create my own, but I'd rather spend my time improving my music skills -which need alot of work

Well My PA1-X lets you edit sounds particularly well.

Also the dual sequencing is something only it and the Audya (and the new Korgs) share - someone correct me if I'm wrong, I frequently am!

What I wish it would do is be as user friendly and as simple to operate as my old Roland VA-7 and the G-70 (and a few other G series I gather) - specifically, I wish it had the Make Up Tools of those boards.

I also wish it had semi-weighted or fully weighted keys!

I'd say mediastation.. Lionstracs

It is currently the most open system available and able to grow over time, i am a big fan of the open source community..

So where is the open source community that starts creating these open source styles and sounds and software apps making the mediastation the true open source sharing dream..

Nah, I glance at my wife and love other women .

chas

Sort of sums up my feelings about the Tyros 2 as well.

I love the Korg PA1x Pro but think their approach to file management sucks.

chas

chas

I love them all. Every keyboard from MOTL to TOTL does an outstanding job. They all have a host of attributes that make them stand apart from competitive brands in the same category, but overall, they're all great.

Keep in mind, however, that it is imperative that you learn the keyboard's operating system and know all of the intricate nuances that provide the end product you wish to achieve. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. I know dozens of players, guys and gals that play nite-clubs, bars, upscale restaurants, you name it and they play there, and more often than not they don't have a clue about what their keyboard can and cannot do when it comes to the board's inner workings.

Same holds true for sound systems. Most of the so-called Pro keyboards do not have speakers. Therefore, beyond the keyboard's EQ system, they must rely on the outboard sound system to provide the end product. How many times have you heard some guy standing on the stage and saying "check--check" into a mic, but never have someone listening in the audience area? Yeah, it happens a lot. That same individual will just as likely not check the output of his or her keyboard at all, especially at the audience level. DUMB!

The one component that makes them all sound great is a talented musician/entertainer sitting down at the keys. And, he or she does not have to be the greatest player on the planet, but they must (as DNJ used to say) deliver the goods.

Having owned lots of MOTL keyboards over the years, including Korg, Yamaha, Roland, and several others, I can honestly say they ALL sounded great. And, for the most part, when I upgraded it was primarily for technological advances, followed by improvements in sound quality, and of course, lots of new styles.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's hard to dislike any aspect an instrument that provides me with such a wonderful source of music, entertainment and at the same time, provides me with a good income. Yep, I still love them all!

Cheers,

Gary

I have read many, many posts that say what does the keyboard have to offer me � good question but the answer for enjoying/loving your keyboard lies in a different question. What am I offer my keyboard? How much am I willing to learn in order to bring the best out of my keyboard.

My belief is that all the major keyboards can do a great job when given a good amount time and effort. We often turn to a different keyboard for the wrong reasons.

John C.

Great post John.
I must say for myself that I always looked around what KB will fit my needs the best.
I loved every KB that I had and got the best out of it by making it my own.
Currently I own a Tyros 3.
To me the Tyros 3 finally completes the Tyros.
It has all the goodies that I missed in the T2... except... that darn vocal harmonizer.
Went out, got myself the Voice live2; problem solved.
As John said, most posts are complaining about our own or someone elses KB rather than figuring out what our own KB has to offer...
As I said I loved all my KB's until something better came along.
I'm spending more time finding out what I can do with it rather than what I can't..
Keeps me happy that way.
Eric



[This message has been edited by Eric, B (edited 12-06-2009).]

sorry double post

[This message has been edited by Eric, B (edited 12-06-2009).]

That's pretty much how a lot of men treat their wives. They wonder why they get the silent treatment and instead of figuring out what caused the problem go look elsewhere. A woman giving you the silent treatment has a reason for doing so. Hasn't happened to me so I must be doing something right.

Regards

Taike

------------------
Bo pen nyang.

I have only had Ketron and Roland arrangers.

What I like about them is being able to use them to play a wide variety of jobs, and the ease of transport.

What I dislike is the mechanical sounding output (even on the Audia). I ALWAYS prefer real players if that is at all possible. There will NEVER be an arranger I'd preferr over working with other musicians.


R.