Here is most of what I stated..
I thought I would recap why I think the G70 is the best all around keyboard for me...

Some folks mentioned some comments that I think need to be questioned..

Ian mentioned that the S910 has more features than the G70...I completely disagree...
I would say they have different features..

DonM mentioned the Ketron easily reads the board as a drive (I agree)..
but the G70 also shows it as a drive, but shows the folders..

Now to review the things I like..still more than the other boards..

I think the key feel is unsurpassed by the other guys...The Korg PA2x is a close second..
and maybe the MediaStation is just as good as the G70..

The SMF playback is still the best that I have used (Roland has always been strong).
The markers, and edits..make up tools etc..are simply the easiest to use and all in real time..

Style edits, detail and makeup tools, are likewise the best..
and can be used in real time on the fly..

The mic/harmonizer, has great features, and plain sounds good..and works..
all the controls are knob and button control..

The piano sound is not surpassed ..even today.
Even the electric pianos hold their own..

The scat and vocal sounds are still the best,,even compared to the recent entry of Yamaha..

The Organ with draw bars is a pleasure to play...being able to grab a handful of sliders ,
just like we do with a Hammond..(No button movements or backward sliders)

The touch screen with clarity and great functionality..

The sequencer to me is the best of any boards ..not just "arrangers"..

The detail drum edits are the best available on any keyboard..

The sound cards offer superior sound samples that rival any other source..
(I use the "Studio" card and it has giving me the best Brass, bass, guitar sounds that I require.

The D-beam and control buttons (assignable) work great in the style I like to perform..

The ease of turning off parts or modifying the performances (User program), is the best to me..

Someone mentioned that the Korg "song book" is better..here I disagree again..
The G70 remembers/recalls every detail of the complete board...Mic, harmonizer settings...
tone edits, style edits
,levels, effects , SMF links...everything you would need..including transpose..

The separate outs and routing's work great, and the input with effects are another great feature
(this is addition to the mic input).

The separate aux in volume control, keyboard balance control, master volume control,
mic control, harmony control..
all with individual knobs..

The nine sliders are multi functional, giving more ease to operation..

Reading from external devices,,is quick and easy..in real time on the fly..
Styles , User programs, and SMF's.
The one touch settings can be saved to a style and a user program..
as well as using the factory "music assistant"..

The quality build and translated into a quality feel when performing is well worth the 46 pounds...
It stays on the stand and is solid..

The USB interface to a PC works great...both for transferring data,
and playing the sound source from the G70 via the PC..


If the G70 had the audio wav'/MP3 player that the Prelude has..
I don't believe I would ever need to upgrade again..

So there it is...Why it is the "best" for me....



[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 10-02-2010).]

Fantastic, Fran.

It's nice to see someone genuinely thrilled with their G-70, with absolutely no criticism...except for the audio wav'/MP3 player that the Prelude has, but that's no big deal.

The best is always the product that meets or sometimes, even exceeds your/our needs.

I guess we are both lucky, as I feel the same way about my PSR-S910.

Both terrific products...both wonderfully perfect for each of us.

Thanks for sharing...you are so much more positive than that other guy that owns one....very refreshing.

Ian

Well knowing the age of G70 it certainly deserves the title of best arranger keyboard... It certainly has come a long way since its released when it was seen by many as a dissapointment.

May i add a sad quote from Roland director BENELUX (Netherlands and Belgium)while watching a Yamaha demonstration in the Netherlands "Roland doesn't make know how to make good keyboards anymore"

I loved my E80 and still have an E50. My main criticisms of the 80 (and 70) were the heavy weight, no good Fill-Breaks, no sub-folders.
BTW most of the features you like are on the Audya as well, except for musicfinder. The E80 did have MP3 player, but I never got around to using it. Same with Audya.
So many great choices now . . .
DonM

I think Fran & Diki would love the Audya...coming from the G70. I too always enjoyed playing my G70, but like Don for everyday in and out gigging the weight & size was a bear to deal with...otherwise I concur with Frans assessment...
G70 is a great arranger in so many ways...

[This message has been edited by nielshs (edited 09-20-2010).]

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

Hi Fran

Im in a bad mood today. My usb stick for my Audya hasn't arived today as promissed.



[This message has been edited by nielshs (edited 09-20-2010).]

I get the way every time the Fedex truck passes my house without stopping!
DonM

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

What a cool way to have your Viagra delivered...

Looks like there's going to be a clinic.


Ian

Only reason I take that stuff is to keep me from rolling out of bed in my sleep.
DonM

I have had my G70 only a year or so, and I dabble with 4 other keyboards. Nonetheless, I have slowly but surely seen why Fran and Diki cherish their G70's.

OTB, with OS2,I thought it sounded good and loved the key feel and 76 keys, most of all. My surprise has been how one can manipulate the tones and SMF's so easily.

It has been said before, but, if one takes the time to customize the board to their individual taste, and it isn't hard, the G70 can do it all to the extent that I might have to have a fire sale.

Bernie

Fran,

The same can be said for nearly any arranger keyboard. Three minutes on the PC's word processor proves it:


I thought I would recap why I think the PSR-3000 is the best all around keyboard for me...
Some folks mentioned some comments that I think need to be questioned..

Ian mentioned that the S910 has more features than the PSR-3000...I completely agree...
I would also say they have different features..

DonM mentioned the Ketron easily reads the board as a drive (I agree)..
but the PSR-3000 also shows it as a drive, but shows the folders..

Now to review the things I like..still more than the other boards..

I think the key feel is unsurpassed by the other guys...The Korg PA2x is a close second..
and maybe the MediaStation is just as good as the PSR-3000..(I like em' light!)

The SMF playback is still as good as any that I have used (Yamaha has always been strong).
The markers, and edits..make up tools etc..are simply the easiest to use and all in real time..

Style edits, detail and makeup tools, are likewise the best..
and can be used in real time on the fly..

The mic/harmonizer, has great features, and plain sounds good..and works..
all the controls are button and menu controlled and can be saved to registrations..

The piano sound is not surpassed ..even today.
Even the electric pianos hold their own..

The vocal sounds are still the best,,even compared to Roland..

The Organ with draw bars is a pleasure to play...and fully editable.

The color screen has excellent clarity and great functionality..

The sequencer to me is the best of any boards ..not just "arrangers"..

The drum and style edits are very easy to use, and available on any Yamaha keyboard..

The individual sounds (voices) are superior, samples that rival any other source..
No cards needed–just fantastic, onboard sounds.

The foot-pedal and registrations buttons are all (assignable) work great in the style I like to perform..

The ease of turning off parts or modifying the performances (User program), is the best to me..

Someone mentioned that the Korg "song book" is better..here I disagree again..
The PSR-3000 remembers/recalls all the details of the complete board...Mic, harmonizer settings... tone edits, style edits,levels, effects , SMF links...everything you would need..including transpose..–all in a single registration with a single button push.

The separate outs work great,

The mic input is separate, with its own features and independent tuning and effects, which is the way it should be.

The separate aux in volume control, keyboard balance control, master volume control,
mic control, harmony control..

The eight sliders are multi functional, giving more ease to operation..

Reading from external devices,,is quick and easy..in real time on the fly..
Styles , User programs, and SMF's.

The one touch settings can be saved to a style and a user program..
as well..

The quality build and translated into a quality feel when performing is well worth the 23 pounds...
It stays on the stand and is solid..

The USB interface to a PC works great...both for transferring data,
and playing the sound source from the PSR-3000 via the PC..


If the PSR-3000 had the audio wav'/MP3 player that the Yamaha PSR-S910 has..
I don't believe I would ever need to upgrade again..

So there it is...Why it is the "best" for me....

OK boys and girls, it's time to write your names in the snow!

What a stupid-assed thread.

Gary

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

Sure, bring it with you--I have lots of keyboard stands, even some to withstand the weight of that antiquated, cast-iron keyboard.

Gary

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

Fran,

Keep in mind that I tried a G70, owned an G800 for a couple months, and both sounded pretty good--but to ME, not as good as my PSR-3000. The vocal processor, when properly tuned, like any onboard vocal processor, sounds pretty darned good. I happen to like the stand-alone vocal processors a lot better--but that's just my opinion. There have been a number of posted songs using Yamaha's onboard processors and they sounded fantastic.

If there is one thing Diki said that I agree with it was that the vast majority of arranger keyboard players never take the time to explore all the features of their keyboards, and only a tiny fraction of those that have taken the time to do this ever learn all there is to know about them. His statement was spot on!

Who knows, maybe we'll have dueling keyboards. Just need a straw hat, and a stump for a stool.

Gary

Is the UPS girl invited to the Jam also?...

And THAT, is about the best thing anyone has said for about the past week.

Gary, even you can't believe the vocal harmonizer in the Yamahas is worth a hoot. Actually, that's kind of what it sounds like, a hoot. Why it even interrupts the lead voice as you engage or disengage it.
You're just USED to that thing and are intimately familiar with it. Sorta like a wife.
Mine is better than yours. NOT the wife, the keyboard.
DonM

i wonder why Yamaha didnt include a Vocal harmony Demo in the new Tyros 4 Demo...you would think with 50 demos in a row at least one would be to show off the VH?

Don,

I merely posted in response to Fran's obvious attempt to start another pissin' contest. Hence my reference to being a "Dumb-assed thread." I've always considered the Yamaha onboard vocal harmonizer as marginal at best, thus my exclusive use of stand-alone vocal processors.

There have been a few individuals that have been able to obtain outstanding results using Yamaha's onboard vocal processor, though. Dan, on the PSR Tutorial, posted some songs that were incredible. And, he also posted all the information on how he obtained those results, which I consider very important. After retuning my onboard vocal processor to the settings he posted, my results were comparable to his, but you still had to work around the delay, which with many songs was a problem. You will find this information HERE

It would really be nice to see information such as the Vocal Primer that Dan posted on the PSR-Tutorial being posted here again. That's what drew many of us to this site many years ago. Instead, all I see is one pissin' contest after another, which I consider childish at best.

The thread often begins as an informational post about a new piece of gear. From that point on a handful of individuals that have never seen, touched, played, smelled or heard the equipment begin dissing every aspect to the point where it becomes obnoxious. Additionally, those doing most of the dissing have no intent of purchasing the equipment, let alone traveling to a location where it's on display and try it out first hand.

Dumb-assed threads seem to running rampant on the Synthzone lately--Fran's post is just another, glaring example. Kinda' like a couple kids writing their names in the snow.

Cheers,

Gary

Dan does some great things with it for sure. I'd like to hear him on a good one like the TC Helicon.
I was just jerking your chain. I knew what you were doing.
DonM

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-21-2010).]

Lucky me,

I own a g70 and an Audya

Fantastic, Fran...it's always good to remind ourselves why we use a certain arranger.

Keeps things in perspective.

My little Yamaha PSR-S910 is a joy to play, and one of the best "bang for the buck" arrangers being made, in my opinion, of course.

Gary D. still loves his old Yamaha PSR-3000....can't say I blame him; it's a terrific keyboard.

Still, that new, incredible Tyros4 sure is tempting, and would make a great retirement present from me to me , or a great Christmas present in case I do change my mind, and stay on for another year.

It's nice to see that an old arranger like the G-70 can still meet all of your needs.

As I said at the beginning...fantastic!

Ian

Why do I keep coming back to this thread to review the specs

Hey Donny,
There is a VH demo on the main page under VH: http://www.music-tyros.com/tyros4/features/vocalharmony/index.html
Eric

Only thing stupider than a pissing contest is someone complaining that it is a pissing contest, THEN JOINING IN!

If you want to think yourself better than those of us wallowing around in the mud, don't jump in and get dirty yourself!

Everybody knows my views about the G70. Horribly flawed, but STILL better for my needs than any other arranger out there! But it came out roughly at the same time as the T2. Two utterly fantastic arrangers, albeit completely different in sound, approach and emphasis, both of them light years ahead of their immediate predecessor. And I would be very surprised to not see many members here STILL enjoying their T2 as much as Fran and I and MANY others are enjoying our G70's. But none of the T2 owners get ragged on as much as the G70 users for operated 'antiquated' gear...

I wonder why THAT is..?

My dad, who's 60 still plays on the weekends at a small club with his arranger. He purchased a T-2 about 3 years ago +/-. He replaced a Solton ms60 that he has since the late 1990's. He also uses a Ketron Sd1, which he purchased 2001 +/-.

He tells me all the time, I still have a keyboards for another five years or more, so don't go running out buying everything new, when sometimes what you have is just as good.

go figure..........

[This message has been edited by mc (edited 09-21-2010).]

Diki,

you pose a great question though, Are the T2 that outdated? Does everyone have to own T4 now? How much different can T2 be from T4 that couldn't have been handled via an update. So now customers have to shell out $3500 - to whatever the T4 will cost every couple of years.


I believe that Ketron and Roland were very similar in the sense that most of there flagship arrangers were many years apart and an update wasn't a new keyboard every couple of years.

Yep, I noticed you jumped right into the middle of the fray, Diki. Well, here's mud in yer eye!

BTW: Fran has a tendency to post the same BS about HIS ROLAND every time a new keyboard comes on the market. If you recall, the G-1000 would never be pried from has aging, gnarled fingers. Hmmmmm! Maybe you were not around back then.

Keep on slinging,

Gary

Zuki did you order the T4 yet?.. I know those wheels are turning and you GOTTA have one ASAP!!

can you post a ..

6/8, 50's style ballad slow rock style also ...if anyone has an audya please post it.....

How right you are Gary...we got the same BS when the Tyros3, and the Korg PA2Xpro were introduced.

Could that be considered "certainty" or pre-diki-abilty?"

Gary, I'm not the one COMPLAINING about it...

And mc... Roland, in the past, never eschewed bringing out a new model in favor of updating the previous one. Only the G70, the last of its' breed (and I'm pretty sure Roland thought of it that way at the time) got the update treatment rather than simply a new model. BTW, v3 came out at the end of 2006, barely a couple of years or so after its' release, HARDLY a substitute for a new model release (those came at more three or four year intervals). And, even if you count ALL the things OS2 & 3 added, they HARDLY substitute in any way for a new model release, being more in the way of fixes for sh*t Roland should have got right in the first place. The only OS thing that Roland added that was completely new was the Guitar Mode, a realtime ONLY feature that had little use except to help prepare SMF's (you can't use it in style mode). Per Part EQ should have been in the basic feature set from the start, IMO...

Fortunately, Roland at least had the sense to have an SRX slot on the G70 (wish it had more, though!), so I have been able to add a lot of completely new sounds to it, giving me the effect of an new model, to a certain extent, but it's hardly a substitute for a new model. Even so, I waited about five years before I got them... So my relic has a new lease on life in that sense! (You can put new sounds into a Tyros, too, so don't start up about that being the demise of Roland, Ian!)

Korg's product cycle seems pretty much on a par with Yamaha, despite them adding significant features via updates, and they have not gone out of business. I'm afraid that that reason is pretty much debunked as a cause of failure in the market...

Fran,
Please send me that photo...I have a friend that is a UPS driver he will love it!
OH, I also want to hang it on my wall for inspiration to play better!

Just PM.

Oh, By the way...I played a demo G-70 a year or so ago at Sweetwater...I liked it...but they didn't have any left. The demo unit looked like it was at Desert Storm..
You know why I liked it...PRO features...I don't want a home keyboard.


Lee S.

What excactly makes it a "HOME KEYBOARD" just wondering?..

I have to say, I applaud you, Fran and Gary Diamond for really looking past the newer arrangers and seeing that; what I have suites me fine. Not that a new arranger aren’t nice, fresh styles, new voices, cool features. But I sometimes wish that I didn’t buy on impulse the next new thing. As some of you know, I’m Portuguese and I play Spanish, Brazilian and Portuguese music. Yes, Leezone is one of my countrymen. I have friends and other acquaintances that I visit from time to time at their local businesses where they perform and some of them still use Ketron X1, Roland Va76, Korg i30.( But Ketron’s are mostly really popular with Portuguese). The keyboard sounds great, they sound great and people are having a good time. Then I wonder, how many keyboards have I owned since my Ketron X1 and even my Roland EM2000 and then I wonder why? There was nothing wrong with them??? I admit, I made money and spend money. I now own a Ketron SD5 after my stint with Yamaha……but now I going to have new out look on my purchases. Do I really need it, what else can I do with my SD5 that I haven’t tried yet…….

I know I’m rambling….. But these are just my thoughts…..

Btw, I actually miss some of those older keyboards that I would not mind having again….

MC..envie-me por correio electrónico que eu tenho uma pergunta a perguntar de você.

obrigado

onemanband52@yahoo.com

I still believe that, more than features, or lead sounds, or size and weight, what TRULY makes most of us decide on a particular arranger is the STYLES...

If any other manufacturer made truly great Latin styles as Ketron do, there might not be this outswelling of love for them by the Latin music lovers. But they don't. Each arranger manages to find a niche that their styles are the best, and many of us pick them primarily for that (even if we can't admit to ourselves that that IS the reason!).

Yamaha have full, smooth, polished styles, with an emphasis on cinematic and filmic styles and oldies. Ketron have Latin nailed. Korg have great smooth jazz styles. Roland have punchy rock and dance stuff, a bit sparser than some. And each of us is looking for that thing, in our heart of hearts. And, despite all the bells and whistles, despite all the flaws, too, I honestly think the styles is what makes us decide.

And that is kinda sad, in a way, because each of these manufacturers COULD make styles like the others, too. But they DON'T. So we are left with far less choice than we COULD have... The guys that make the Ketron styles COULD make them for Yamaha, too (it's the PLAYING, far more than the basic sounds that make them so good), but as there isn't a living to be made selling styles as easy as they are to copy and distribute for free, they remain ROM only producers.

Bring back style copy protection!

Copy style protection will never happen with today's modern technology...someone will always figure out how to duplicate them......additionally manufactures dont want to spend all that money making new styles every model release like Yamaha every few years ...the design changes are all to close together for anything major too occur regarding styles.......they just want to SELL SELL SELL........mayeb makeing iot "EASIER" for THE PLAYER to make his own style creations would be a better choice when using a arranger workstation.

Thing is, most of the people making ROM styles for the majors are NOT full-time employees of the manufacturers. And, if style copy protection could be made to work, would probably VERY much like to make more money making styles for all the other brands, too...

I've posted about this in the past, but will recap... Copy protection works VERY well when it is tied to hardware. Audio accelerator cards like the UAD's and TC stuff, NONE of their plug-ins have been cracked. They need the card to run on, and the plug-in is authorized by each individual card. If this can be made to work, then styles could be keyed to the individual arranger. You could swap them all you want, they simply won't work...

Would this cause hardship to the manufacturers? I honestly don't think so. Once upon a time, there WAS copy protection on styles. And the manufacturers had NO problem selling arrangers (or making money of of expansion styles). In fact, this might have been the heyday for arrangers...

Bring back copy protected styles!

Copy protected styles as you describe could be a good idea "AGAIN" but could also backfire as people would have to purchase a whole new Kb like we did years ago also to enjoy the styles they learn to love from previous KBs.... will it solve the NOP 76 key problem in many models?, I dont think so.....will it bring back chord sequencers? ......not likely....will Style copy protection be something in our future in arranger KB's AGAIN? I doubt it...but it's nice to dream eh? makes good coffee table chat

As many new sounds and OS features are incorporated into new arrangers' styles, I don't think the manufacturers are going to worry too much about newer styles being made backwards compatible hurting sales of new models. In fact, right now, we ALL know that whatever new styles come in the T4 will eventually get ported back to the T3, T2, etc.. And Yamaha won't make a dime on them. They won't sound as good as they do on the T4, and that's all that matters. And it somehow doesn't seem to stop people from buying T4's, even knowing that...

But if they implemented protected styles, they could SELL them to T3 owners and make a HUGE chunk of money they would ordinarily miss completely out on.

I honestly see protected styles as a win/win for the manufacturers, a win/win for the style makers, and a win/lose for us... Sure, we won't be able to STEAL them any more, but there will be a HUGE increase in the number and quality of those available...

Bring back protected styles!

BTW, you want to think of it this way, T2 players continuing to play the T2 despite two newer releases is quite an indictment Yamaha...

While Roland players have no new product to move to (I am not so sure Fran would still be extolling the G70 if there were newer product for him to buy! Me, it's going to take a Chord Sequencer to make me upgrade ), and are FORCED to stay with what we have, those playing T2's have had plenty of opportunity to move on, should they choose, yet find the new models less than compelling...

Come on, Ian... join me in the 'spin cycle'!

I think copy protected styles will work as long as there is a "limited" public wanting them. If too many people want them, they may search for cheaper alternatives, and someone will crack the protection, no matter how difficult.

Actually, i believe that some proficient fellows can study, crack and take apart any manufacturers' operating system and samples and copy them, alter them and distribute them and so on, even make an emulator, (imagine an 76 keys midi controller with programmable buttons, set up to mimic a Tyros, sending signals to a Tyros emulator in a laptop), but the customers just aren't there. Yamaha's samples may interest, i don't know, maybe 100-200 persons, when a cracked application or game will interest thousands.

And keep in mind that the "trickle down" of the T4 styles to older arrangers, will actually act as an advertisement, for the latest and greatest. Yamaha doesn't lose money from musician X who has "borrowed"a handful of T4 styles and plays them on his S910, since musician X would never fork out the money to buy a T4 in the first place.

As long as there is NO ability to copy them, I believe that market forces will determine the price. If only a handful want a style, it will be expensive. But if hundreds of THOUSANDS want the style, you can sell it for a buck and make a fortune!

An iTunes Store-like interface and system might be great. Allow third party style makers to sell styles (the operator of the store takes a percentage), the best ones succeed, the weak ones fail. But if you make money off of each and every person that uses a style, rather than now you have to make a LOT off the initial buyer, because he will then give it away free to his friends (and they to theirs, and so on), you can afford to make them so cheap that EVERYBODY will buy them.

I'd happily pay $20 a month for 20 new styles, IF they were good. But I'm not sure I'd pay $20 for ONE style. No matter HOW good it is. I'd want too many more, and end up broke!

In this economy people aint gonna pay any more after they lay out what?...5k for an arranger that will be old in 2 years? they already feel ripped off..

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 09-21-2010).]

Aw, c'mon, Donny! Aren't you the one always explaining that trading up to a whole new ARRANGER is peanuts given how much it makes you..? And yet, here you are worrying about a few new styles at a buck a piece?

And I thought things were tough down here on the Gulf Coast!

Yep, the Tyros2 is quite an arranger...so is the Tyros3, and the PSR-S910.

I'm very content with the PSR-S910...I can't say I'm involved in the "buying often" game, because I get keyboards sent to me to use at no cost to me....part of my job...it's tough, but someone has to do it.

However, I'm not that narrow minded to think that a new instrument with killer sounds, styles and features won't improve the overall quality of my music, but I also never have relied on needing a TOTL arranger to keep at the top of my game; it makes me work harder...I have learned it's my skill as a player that decides the quality of my output, rather than arranger sounds and styles. All I need are good usable sounds; the styles, I edit and shape to suit my purposes.

However a new instrument can stimulate my imagination and interest if it has some cool new features, in addition to the ones already meeting my needs on the one I'm presently using.

I could easily stay with the S910 if I had to..it meets all my basic playing/recording needs, and I know the instrument inside out, but that doesn't stop me from looking at other tools for my trade.

A Tyros3 or Tyros2 would also easily meet my "needs"...but, now I have the luxury of satisfying my "wants", and since the Tyros4 is a significant upgrade from T2/T3, I'm giving it very serious consideration.

Man, will that T4 ever sound some good through my MS60S monitors.

Isn't choice great!

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 09-21-2010).]

No Diki....I personally would pay anything for great styles or whatever to improve what I already have if I thought it was worth it for my needs.....but many people this all this greatness should already be included in a NEW arranger...not having 95% rehashed from a unit only 2 years earlier and older..."All Completely NEW Styles" on the T4 would warrant what they are asking for it...

Hey, why have all of Fran's posts been edited out/removed?

Ian

ask Fran...

Fran, why have you removed all your posts, including that cute little UPS girl who was delivering your Viagra?

Ian

For what is a man................what has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught?

1,2,Cha,Cha,Cha

You know, I've seen far more lamentations about the loss of Technics arrangers, than posting bemoaning the demise of Roland's TOTL/MOTL arranger line.

They appeared to have many true-blue followers, and must have sold quite a few units.

Technics used to be Yamaha's biggest competitor in many Canadian provinces, especially Quebec and Vancouver.

They were great instruments, and one wonders how advanced they would have become if they continued to produce arrangers.

An old KN-series was the first arranger I saw with chord inversion capability.

Ian

I think most people that miss the Technics do so because nothing else has QUITE got the bigband sound down as well as they did... But, once again, I think it is the styles and style team that made the difference, not necessarily the arranger itself. Make bigband styles that sound JUST like Technics' did, I bet there wouldn't be as much 'fond memories'....

Plus, you CAN still find an odd new G70 and a bunch of cherry used ones fairly easily. People tend to get FAR fonder of old gear once it becomes a lot harder to find and keep working!

BTW, thanks for the 1, 2, cha-cha... ah, sweet memories!

maybe that why Fran has a MINT KN2000 in his closet

Yep, that's probably why...the styles were also simple, but very effectively programmed, and very musical.

They were one of the first, if not the first, arranger manufacturer to use PCM sounds and drum kits.

A great easy to use OS didn't do it any harm either.

Ian

This is kind of why I have been harping on so much about copy protected styles, just lately... It's likely that the same guys that programmed the Technics styles are still around, and might LOVE to make styles as good for Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Ketron, etc., but until a way is provided so they don't get ripped off and shared, they are probably not going to make them...

And that is ALL our loss, IMO.

Yes I agree again.

And the argument that someone will find a way to crack it, doesn't wash in my view.

These days, with call and response activation, a style can actually be linked to a particular instruments ID Rom chip, or combination of hardware components (vis-a-vis Windows 7) so THAT style can ONLY be activated and played on the keyboard with the exact same hardware configuration.

It is possible to get it really REALLY close to un-crackable....and if all users were vigilant and honest, the ones using cracked styles would soon be weeded out.

Dennis

I reposted my original post..first comment..

When I had my Ensoniq keyboards and sampler, I used to buy new voices by the ton and never ever even considered buying a new keyboard until Ensoniq went south.
The dealers couldn't get the new into inventory fast enough. they were sold before they even got delivered. There was a huge marked for those voicings for years.
I think each software came with a dozen new voices and also had some great arrangements using those voices.
Bebop

[This message has been edited by BEBOP (edited 10-03-2010).]

LOL People playing T2s are only playing them because they cannot or will not fork over $4000 for a T3 or T$ I don;t think its because they believe their T2 is better. I run into people all day long with 9000 and 3000 that would ove to get a 910 but are strapped.

Roland user don't have a choice but to stay with what they know. There are no upgraded arrangers. If I did not get such great prices on boards I would have the 910 instead of the Tyros. Even over a Pa2x which I had for a few months and sold. can't speak for the GW. Only had one available used and it was $1900 and 100 miles away.

The things one loved about their choice another hates whether drums or editing. I fell that way about the XS no need to upgrade even for $600. but the T4 I will upgrade,

Thank you Fran.

There is a lot of usefull information in your post, espescially for those looking for the best arranger keyboard money can buy. Now i can keep using your post as a reference for advising people.

A friend boiught one for €1000 for his daughter. Can't even buy a halfway decent new arranger for that money espescially if you need 76 keys. now when i need to advise people.

Its still very close to the current competitors despite his age.

Completely agree with the observation of the boards and their focus strengths. I believe you assessments carry over to the WS side of things on those Manufacturers who make them...

Although I am not sure what the hoopla regarding protecting styles is all about. Anyone can load Tyros Styles into a PSR 900. They may not sound as good missing a voice but the more styles the better, The major reason I sold the PA2X and bought Tyros was the shear quantity of styles available