Hi folks, as some may have noticed I'm still searching for that wonderful pre-owned deal of the century for me to get a new arranger. I'm pretty certain it's going to be one of the above. Obviously the T4 is out in front but the ££££ difference over the T3 and psr s910 is quite a bit. Also, is it primarily the choral voices that have seen the biggest improvement from 3 to 4? These vocal sounds don't really interest me but I'm sure it's more than that? Finally, I'm trying to decide to go for a T3 or PSRS910 if I decide the T4 is just too expensive at the minute. A pre-owned T3 is working out a few hundred more than the PSRS910 and I don't know what direction to take. The built in speakers would be nice to have but shouldn't really be a big factor as the keyboard will primarily be part of my home studio.

Any advice etc., would be much appreciated. I know it is a personal choice but my local dealer isn't great for testing so I am going in to this blind, hence the need for other users views on the keyboards I have mentioned.

ps: if anyone has a PA3X that they don't want - I may veer away from Yamaha!!

Hi. What do you want to do with the keyboard?
And why only Yamaha?

It would be my main keyboard in my home studio and I like the thought of going back to an arranger to use as a "sketch pad" for its immediacy.

When I use to have arrangers, I was always Yamaha - hence me leaning towards them again. But as I said at the end, the likes of a Korg PA2X or 3x would be superb too. It's all about the deal for me at the minute. I do like the thought of 76 keys but if I'm being honest I am a bit biased towards Yamaha.....

I would go with the S910, personally, but for me it's a matter of weight and portability. If I were never going to take the keyboard out on a gig (job--sorry UD), then the T-4 would be my first choice.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary

Hi Gary

So, the only reason you're not playing out with a T4 is because it weighs 7 lbs more than an S910 or about 9 lbs more than a PSR3000?

Yep, that's pretty much the case. It's hard to conceive how much more that keyboard seems to weigh than it did just 5 years ago. They seem to gain weight as I get older.

Gary

If you are just going to use keyboard in studio,I think T3 , T4 and Pa3x are just waste of your money.Get S910,or Pa500 ro try new Roland bk5 or bk7m modul.They both got great styles .Maybe even close to big t4 or pa3x .

But,I still think all of the above are overkil for studio.If you want it for studio get livestyler 14 and you can play Yamaha styles.

If it’s just for studio use, I would avoid all Yamaha Arrangers as they have very poor Midi Controller functions. (Great as modules though)

Unless there are some specific features that you require and can only get with Arranger Keyboards, (Easy play Easy Setup etc.) then I would get a quality Midi Controller keyboard, Computer, Arranger software, (There are many out there) Good Sequencer and some VSTs, as you will find the quality is way beyond anything that can be achieved with any hardware arranger. (You will need to put the work in though)

Another alternative is to use a Workstation(Kronos, and Motif etc.) instead of a Midi Controller, which will also have a quality way beyond any hardware arranger, and while still more involved will probably be a little easier to setup than full software setup.

If you still want the Yamaha arranger route, than having compared all 3 side by side I would avoid the T3 as while the SA2 voices were great, the rest of it was blown out of the water by the previous T2, the T4 on the other hand is a different animal altogether, and if you like the way Yamaha do things, and sounds they produce, then it is one of the best arranger keyboards out there. Values wise the Yamaha 900 series take some beating, (Which is why a lot of players take them over Tyros) as they only have a little less than the Tyros models, and still retain that popular Yamaha sound.

Korgs arranger keyboards are interesting as while they are not as easy to setup as Yamaha (You will need to put a bit of work in to get them sounding as you want) they are way more flexible, and go way beyond anything you can achieve on a Yamaha Arranger, however they still fall way short of a Workstation or software based system, but are certainly worth having a look at.

Hope the above you helps you to make a decision, but in the end only you can decide which will suit you best. (Just make sure you look at all options)

Bill

Thanks so much for the replies. Abacus (Bill) - the comparison of each model is exactly what I was looking to see, cheers.

I currently have a strictly VST software setup. I use Cubase 6 and many VSTs including Real guitar, Halion Sonic, a plethora of drum VSTs (studio drummer, ezdrummer, addictive drums....) Omnisphere ++many more++

It is just the immediacy of an arranger I was wanting. Quickly switch on and jam, easy to sketch new material when you just get lost in the music without waiting for everything to boot up and the odd crash. My PC is an i7 with 12gb ram so relatively powerful and I love the software route - however I just wanted to cover all bases and integrate an arranger. My current keyboard is a Roland Juno di - I sold the rest of my keys and it is now something I really regret. I sold my Korg Trinity V3 pro and Korg Karma, and only at Christmas I made the biggest mistake of the lot.........selling my Roland RD700sx (a few years ago I also had a Tyros 2!!).

So to summise - I have made a roaring balls up with selling keys and now want to get back to a position that I am happy and all bases covered. I am flirting with the idea of just sticking with the software and maybe investing in a new midi controller (the roland juno di does a job but I'm not a fan of the keybed) but there is just a nagging feeling that I would enjoy having an arranger as part of my setup.

I'll keep an eye out for that all important bargain - and if I see it I may just dive in. Until then it would be a good idea if I got back to writing songs instead of CONSTANTLY changing gear and TALKING about what I'm going to do next.

Thanks folks for the advice.

If you just need an arranger KB as a sketch pad, I'd think the 910 would be fine. The T3 has a few nice voices the 910 doesn't have but that hardly justifies almost twice the price. I guess if the money isn't much of a concern go with the T4. Good luck!