/b][/QUOTE]

I've collected enough Casio phone #'s over the years to take up a GB of hard drive space. Yes, they are very difficult to get information from. Very polite, but DIFFICULT! I never seem to get a professional person to talk to. Usually end up getting my info from whatever operator answers the phone.

I think I used one of these but I can't be sure:

800-836-8580 (musical instruments) 800-706-2534 x 4 (customer service)
for Technical support in USA call 1-800 435-7732

It will probably be an exercise in futility,but I think my best chance at obtaining any pertinent info,would be via their direct sales line(800-836-8580).

-Elwood

------------------
Korg M3,Reason 4,Presonus Studio One,Adam A7's,M-Audio CX5's & BX8a's,Zoom R24

[This message has been edited by elwoodblues1969 (edited 09-19-2010).]

Yes, Lee, it does appear that way, but maybe the sounds and styles are decent.

It's certainly not going to cut in to PSR-S910/S710, but it should compete very well with Yamaha's DGX piano arrangers, and lower end PSR.

Bet the next DGX get some cool enhancements...gotta love competition!

Ian

Casio is getting back into the high(er) end game with this new arranger and it's nice to see them doing so.

The WK-7500 is still lacking some vital essentials though. The speaker system is only 7W x 2 which is 5 Watts 'less' than the Yamaha PSR series. Only 64 polyphony too which just doesn't cut it in today's market in my opinion. You need at least 128 polyphony but I'm still anticipating that someone will shock the keyboard world by coming out with an arranger with "256" note polyphony and hopefully sooner rather than later. No aftertouch either but that's expected for a mid-range arranger.

OTOH, depending on how it sounds, it could be a great little board for someone just starting out or as a spare arranger in a pinch. The "nine" drawbar sliders are a HUGE plus I might add. I expect Casio to introduce it at a great price point too. $500 is peanuts for a 76 key mid-range arranger if it sounds great and the features work as advertised. Coming in at under 20 lbs doesn't hurt either... especially your back when you pick it up right?

GUESS WHAT!?!?!? Roland U.S. has 'removed' the G70 from their web site arranger section. What that says to me is that Roland is "brewing" up something BIG to replace the G70 in the not too distant future! Maybe it'll be announced at winter NAMM '11? Or perhaps Musikmesse '11?? THIS COULD BE HUUUGGGGGGEEEE!!! I'm really looking forward to Roland's next high-end arranger. They've had almost "six" years to work on a G70 successor and hopefully the wait will have been worth it. We'll see. I betcha Yamaha isn't looking forward to it though. It could severely cut into Tyros4 sales if the new Roland has 76 keys and also has more professional features and goodies - like decent sounding Drum kits for one. lol

All the best,
Mike

Mike,

I know this may seem like a frivolous question,but did you read through any of these posts?
The WK-7500 is not-repeat not,an arranger.The definition of an arranger has already been outlined in this thread in great detail,so there's no point in beating the sh*t out of a dead horse.
Why is high wattage such a critical feature of a keyboard?
The amplifiers that are built into keyboards are crap,compared to a decent set of studio monitors anyhow.
The speaker systems in the WK series sound nice for general listening purposes,but were not designed for critical listening where accurate mixes are a requirement and unless your going to perform live at an arena,a total of 14 watts is sufficient.

Why is a minimum of 128 polyphony so essential?
Have you ever maxed out your 128 polyphony using a 16 track sequencer?Of course not.
I've been sequencing with 128 notes of polyphony for 7 years and I've NEVER maxed out it's capacity.
I owned a Korg M50 for about a year before I decided to sell it for an M3 and I've NEVER maxed out the M50's 80 note polyphony.

64 polyphony doesn't seem reasonable to you for a budget workstation?
Name ONE workstation or arranger keyboard on the market (besides the Roland Juno G)for under a $1,000 that has more than 64 note polyphony.
Bear in mind though,that the Juno G was originally $1100 and it has no pattern-based sequencing anyhow.
All Roland workstations sound like toys,for what they charge and if you want decent sounds for them,you have to spend a fortune on SRX & ARX cards.
A lot of people knock Casio,but price proportionate-wise,Casio offers so much more for the money and even some of the sounds in the higher end WK series are better than the Roland workstations.

Roland used to be at the top of their game when they made the Super JX-10 in the 80's,but Roland hasn't produced anything worthwhile in the last 10 years,except for the V-Synth.
There stand alone synths are good,but their workstations are piss poor sound-wise, and so overpriced.
Besides which,there are some very economically viable solutions to getting around the limitations of 64 notes without a computer,such as adding a Zoom R24 digital recorder to your gear set up($500).

If you want a completely self sufficient workstation or arranger,than you're going to have to spend at least a $1,000 to achieve that.

Since the WK-7500 will be well under a thousand(if not $500),then there's absolutely no point in complaining about it,until you've heard it.


-Elwood

------------------
Korg M3,Reason 4,Presonus Studio One,Adam A7's,M-Audio CX5's & BX8a's,Zoom R24

[This message has been edited by elwoodblues1969 (edited 09-19-2010).]

[This message has been edited by elwoodblues1969 (edited 09-19-2010).]

"The Casio WK-7500 features a Song Sequencer offering 16 tracks plus one system track. On the system track, both the keyboard performance and the auto accompaniment are simultaneously recorded."

The above is a quote from Casio's site, and indicates the WK-7500 has auto-accompaniment...that makes it an arranger in my opinion.

Your mileage may vary.

Ian


[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 09-19-2010).]

Ian more info..


"The WK-7500 is equipped with 800 diverse tones and 250 rhythms built-in. Included in the tones are 50 Drawbar Organ tones that can be adjusted using nine sliders that function as drawbars corresponding to certain ranges of overtones. Users can also change the speed of the rotary speaker effect and add percussion at the press of a button—making the enjoyment of performing come more and more alive."

Plus it loads in styles, and you can create your own...

Yeah, it's an arranger, alright.

Ian

Anything that has pre-programmed styles and dedicated buttons to start, stop, break fill, change variation and so on, is an arranger IMHO, I have to agree with that.

Interesting note: I noticed a shop here in Athens with a sign reading "Roland center". Got in and played an E-50. Good enough. They also had a G-70 V3 in there, i asked the guy "about it" and he said that they are discontinued, that Roland is going to bring only MOTL arrangers on the market such as E-50 or Prelude etc, and that the price for brand new stock for the G-70 while it lasts is at about 2200 Euros. Compare that to 1900 Euros that a new PSR 910 costs here and I think you have a bargain. Or not? Let the flame war begin

Since my economic situation is not the best as I am currently unemployed, please don't depress me more by quoting prices in the US, I know we are being ripped off!

That's easy...those who like the Roland sound and don't mind the weight will get a great deal on a fine arranger.

Those enamored with the Yamaha sound will get the S910, which also has more features and built in speakers.

Still, that's a good price for a new G-70.

Ian

As you can see from visiting this link,even Casio can differentiate between an arranger & a workstation.
http://www.casio.com/products/Musical_Instruments/Workstation

For those of you who are still confused about which is which,perhaps this tutorial will help;
http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/keyboards/home-keyboards/buying-guide.php#2


-Elwood

------------------
Korg M3,Reason 4,Presonus Studio One,Adam A7's,M-Audio CX5's & BX8a's,Zoom R24

[This message has been edited by elwoodblues1969 (edited 09-19-2010).]