Wow,
thanks for that Don.
That has unfortunately put me off buying one. It was sort of there on my wish list.
I think you may have mentioned it to me before, but it didn't totally sink in at the time..

If you are like me, Rikki, having an on-board midi sequencer is great for those moments of inspiration that can be captured with just one button push...and also be able to go back and add additional tracks or change the sounds.

Ian

Hi Ian,

"I WISH ". haahaa

no, unfortunately for me it's as simple as wanting to be able to record an onboard style as a midifile should I ever want to convert any for my korg.
Also I was going to use it with my clp clavinova which is in a different part of the house to my keyboard setup.

Bill you never know what Roland has in the wings regarding a 76 key model....hope to hear more demos soon. Voc processor/ VH units are better off separate units anyway IMO...Roland did the right thing with this new offering...

I would also like to know where the TRANSPOSE button is on the module or the keyboard I don't see it? I hope you dont have to go into the menu to change key?
Also why does the Transpose only go to -6 / +5... ?
This & the user OTS is imperative for live performance.

The Prelude has a 16 track sequencer...

Thanks Fran...I thought it did have a sequencer, but I wasn't quite sure(I suppose I could have looked up the specs).

What is surprising, at least to me anyway, is the omission of a midi sequencer on the BK-5.

Were they that concerned with cutting costs?

It is a shame, because the BK-5 sounds far better than the Prelude, to my ears.

Ian

Beats me..if a keyboard is going to be my primary keyboard..it has to have an on board sequencer....My G1000, and G70...were/are my go to sequencers...I am one of the folks that prefer the on board sequencers over the PC stuff..

The BK sound source is the same sound engine as the G70 and E80 (so called, or referred to as the SC engine)..It is easy to determine the sound engine...If it has "scat" or good "choirs"..it is the SC engine...No comparison to me ...the Fantom engine(XV) sucks compared to the SC...

I think the Sonic Cell, Juno G, Juno Stage, Prelude sound engine is a hybrid of the XV and SC........the G , E and BK are far superior..but differences can also be the samples used in each instrument more than just the sound engine..as I have mentioned before..an example the G70/E80 sample sounds, compared to the E50/60...side by side tells all you need to know (hear)..

Here is a link to the owner's manual.
http://www.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=BK-5

If the OS has changed from the BK-7M I could be real interested in this one.
Hope George or someone at NAMM can find out.

Deane

With a PC sequencer, you have to set it up and thereby lose time...inspiration waits for nobody. On-board sequencer...one button press, and you're good to go.

Also, if the BK-5 is to be used as a backing keyboard, surely the user is going to want to use those great styles and sounds to make their own SMF and thereby give their performance their own personal touch.

I am very impressed with the BK-5/BK-7M sound and styles, but it is omissions like a simple midi sequencer that make me wonder who was leading the design department.

Donny mentioned there were no transpose buttons on the panel...why would they put such an often used function in a menu?

They win on the swings and lose on the roundabouts.

Ian

PS...We can also bet that the G-70 is a far better built instrument than the BK-5 (or any other Roland arranger, for that matter), and it would have a much more robust and better feeling action, but it's this obsession with lightness and smaller size (witness the microArranger) that have manufacturers going a bit overboard, in my opinion.