Ian,
Sorry I maybe wasn't clear..I like the Yamaha sound in general...always have...I've had 6 Yamaha keyboards over the years so I must like them :-)

My fav was the HS8T so far.
I would love to have a Stagea, but don't know how to do that one. Still have a T2...but seem to play th Korg PA2XPRO more.

I have decided to get a T4 when they are available here. I will get it with the understanding I may return it within 30 days if I don't want it at no chrge no questions asked. I will A/B test it using a lower kbd and pedals that I have...with my PA2XPRO.

Whichever one I like the best in general I keep. 30 days should give me plenty of time to decide. A friend wants the T2 so that's gone.

If I could get a Stagea I would not get the T4 and I would sell the Korg. I would most likely add a external sound module to the Stagea to get some better special sounds...probably a Kurzweil , maybe a Ketron SD2. If a T4 MODULE was available...wow...would that be super with a Stagea!!
If you ever hear of a used one...please let me know

Lee S.

There's a huge difference between a live band, listened to live, and the exact same performance recorded, and mixed and mastered, and listened to afterwards. I guarantee, you take even any modern concert by a kick ass band you LIKE (no point comparing to sh*t you hate in the first place, is there? ), the drums will be hugely forward in the mix live compared to a recording of the gig.

And, dig away all you want, Ian, but right now, virtually ALL of my playing is with a live band. I think I'm in a pretty good position to judge whether an arranger mix sounds live or not. And, once again, my job is to move butts, to create excitement, not to provide inaudible background music for diners. I've LONG said, should I ever get a gig playing solo for that kind of crowd, I'd be SERIOUSLY interested in a Yamaha! It would be quite a challenge to make a Roland sound that anemic (or 'polished' if you want to spin it better!)..

But rather than dig out an old CD of a live performance, and base your impression of a mix on that, go out and hear a GOOD live band, live... Bet your ass you don't EVER have to struggle to hear the drummer!

Actually Diki, I do play with a terrific "live" band several times a month. We're on our third drummer...the first two had no conception of "dynamics"...#3 is "there" but not overpowering...the way it should be.

I'm playing a B-3 and Leslie 122 with a Yamaha CP-300 on top....all R&B music...love it dearly!

The gear is set up permanently, so no hassles with lugging or setting up/tearing down.

Yes, you are qualified to voice your opinion, but, so am I, my friend.

Vive la différence!

Ian

Well, first of all, sounds like a fun gig on a fun rig...

And secondly, I bet you anything that, simply recorded (but not mastered), even your THIRD drummer is louder in the mix than any arranger piece you've ever played!

That's the thing about drums... even if they are squeezed a little bit out front, onstage (and close to it from the audience's POV), those drum transients are going to CUT. And even the best of modern arrangers struggles to have that degree of impact. Our samples, even Roland and Korg, even Ketron (those drum loops are mastered), let alone Yamaha's are compressed during recording. The 'snap' is gone...

If I'm TRYING to make an arranger sound like a live band, it's got to be drums and bass front and center, just to get back what was lost recording the samples, let alone the loss in dynamics form the limited 128 step MIDI system... It's just strange that the same people that will happily play in a live band with drums pretty much where they should be want to turn them down WAY past that point when they use an arranger to generate them. Ideally, you shouldn't be able to hear a difference (if you WANT to sound 'live').

Yes, it sure is a lot of fun, and I find a lot of my old chops coming back, and some wind up in my arranger playing.

It's also very easy to turn the drums up on my S910 (or T3), change that channel's EQ, and achieve a more dominant drum beat, and a sound not that far away from Audya's audio drums, yet still retaining the detail and smoothness I like to hear.

I have a totally different set of registrations/styles for restaurant and "live" gigging, and with the convenience of flash drive storage, I'm able to have everything I need at every gig.

Both sets work exceptionally well. I know what I want to hear, and also, what works best...I've been in the business a very long time.

The Yamaha arranger is very versatile and covers every situation quite well...that's why I love using the product.

I suppose Audya would be a nice part of a kit, but, it's got too many issues and bugs, and in any steady gigging situation, you must have reliability and a great sound.

Ian