OK - I had to shut Donny up with all his "Heavenly Korg" diatribes ... I knew he couldn't handle such an intricate beast and still work the dance floor like he's SO GOOD AT - so I made him take my cheesy feeling (awesome sounding) s950 JUST TO SHUT HIM UP!

lol
Now, I have a studio backup for my favorite kb of all time (PA3x sits proudly atop my Kentucky Rhodes Suitcase) and the road rig can stay packed and ready for the call of duty. I can work on tunes at home and just make the changes to the USB drive - SWEEEEET.
Anyway - now he's got 2 Nano 300s .... must sound killer in stereo (dual mono, actually) - I bet his Mackies go on the auction block pretty soon.

OK, so ... betters - who had 3 months or less for Donny's honeymoon with the 3x? 2 months? 30 days? Pay up folks!

(sorry Donny ... I just can't keep secrets!!!!)
Besides, you're happy now - I know it. That 950 had your name on it from day ONE. (As soon as I touched the keys, I knew it was the same-ole, same-ole. It's just not fun for me to play.
I am getting readjusted to my baby, and I'll bring it out this weekend for my BEATLES tribute on Feb 9th! I still remember that Ed Sullivan show in 1964 (I was EIGHT years old!) like it was YESTERDAY! (pun INTENDED)

(This pic still has my Colorado Korg i5s on the Rhodes - I took that into school for my kids to play with!)

Unbelievable!
Believable maybe...if he hadn't gone on and on about it like it was the answer to all his "needs".
Feels like a lot of wasted posts to write 'em...and for us to read 'em.
A win-win for you UD....congratulations.
Eddie

Donny puts his heart into everything he does ... I truly believe that while he HAD it, that Korg was the cat's PJs to him ... apparently, Donny's cat sleeps in the nude, these days.

He just wanted to be like his favorite uncle. I'm flattered, actually. There are just a few things I miss on the 950 ... little things, like the "random" play for MP3 files - at break time ... I could just hit shuffle and go pee. (I'll use my iPad now for big jobs). Speakers, of course, and the score function works better with midi files too, but I hardly use it, so that's not a biggie.

I tried SO HARD to like that 950 because I really wanted the speakers and lighter package, but I gave up alot in the process. I am now, back where I should be ... in Korgsville.
SMILE

Things I LOVE and missed about the Korg:
key action
vocal harmonizer
dual audio player
solid construction
smaller footprint
top notch solo sounds that SUSTAIN with the pedal
drawbars / sliders
fill / break buttons AND auto fill with variations
better chord triggering options ... ie: instant button for bass inversion, LH/RH arranger trigger section

The list goes on and on .... I'm a happy camper, and Donny is going to sound better than ever with less heartache.

Never doubted it for a second. Donny has done this at least twice in the years I've been here. We could write a book of Donny-isms extolling something he gets rid of in a few weeks..!

Good luck Donny with the s950. There's a lot to be said for Yamaha, same reason I kept the T4 when I got the Pa3x. Sort of arranger heaven.

You said it STephen , I just don't understand why guys like you, and I mean professional entertainers like Donny, DonM, etc.etc. simply do not hang on to both makes. I wish Donny all the best with his PSR950 ( I know I like my 750 for playing at home) but still think that if you can afford it and have the musical talents as displayed by the folks mentioned it is a shame to get rid of either keyboard. Seems to me that a PSR950 with a PA3X is a truly killer combination, even on the road. I know the Tyros is even better ( than the PSR950 ) but more convenient for studio/home use.
I have said so many times, just get the best of both worlds, whatever your purse strings allow you. PA800 + PSR750 works fine by me....

regards,
John

Steve, John Thank you

We need more people who are passionate about their work as Donny. He gets more excited about a keyboard and gear than the rest of us put together. It keeps the juices flowing.

What would you guys do if you didn't have Diki, Donny, and that bloody Englishman to pick on, and to have me picking on you.

Have you three chord musicians learned the forth chord yet, DonM?

Donny... Best of luck with your new board... I am out of town this weekend but we will talk next week...

Tony Thanx sure thing...call me when you get back.

Boo - you and that bloody Englishman keep me in stitches! Maybe that's why I keep coming back here ... God knows, it's not for the pissing contests! LOL

Hi, my name is Donny, ......and I'm a Yamaholic!!

Damned Boo, now you tell me there are more than three chords. What the Hell is this world coming to?

Gary

UD, that photo of the Rhodes brought a warm smile to my face.

I'm always glad you ended up with it.


Of course I still have the BETTER of the two HA HA!


Be well, friend and think of the old 'Kaintuk' redneck when you are in your music room/studio.


Russ

Better? HA!
This one has sentimental value, my friend! I'll probably have it hollowed out and be buried in it someday!

Lets start a pool betting on how long it takes Donny to start bitching about the Songbook...

And maybe one on how long before he sells the S950, gets something else from another manufacturer, and starts telling us how naff the S950 was, and how much better whatever he gets is to it?!

We wouldn't have Nixon to kick around anymore.

Joe

I am NOT a crook!

Hi Diki,

Out of sheer curiosity, could I ask you which arranger keyboard(s) you currently play/ own ?

regards,
John

I knew it was only a matter of time. Donny has Yamaha in his blood. I told him on his last non Yamaha field trip that he wouldn't be happy with anything else. In the end it doesn't matter because he would sound good using a Casio.

Thanx Tom...
I have to agree with you,..what was I thinking?

John... you must be the only member of this forum that isn't well aware that I play the G70 (I have two, one for backup).

Fewer seem to be aware that I also have a BK-7m, not that I have made any great secret of it, but I don't use it for day to day gigging. It was bought primarily as a module for my KX5 strap-on keyboard (I have been using an old MGS-64 Roland Super Canvas module up to now), which I love to go out and jam on, and the additional arranger and SMF and mp3 capabilities make it possible to do an entire solo gig on it alone, should the need or want for it arise.


However, I have a close friend that likes to buy a bunch of different arrangers, and let me mess with them for days on end, So I have got considerable saddle time with the PA3X, BK-3 and BK-5 just lately.

hello Diki,

I was all but sure you had two Rolands, but wanted confirmation before jumping to conclusions. No doubt you are an accomplished musician and have had your share with the keyboards that you mention. However looking back over the last few months I cannot help but noticing your buckets full of criticism on the new Yamahas (750/950), the Korgs and the overall approach by these companies to the musician as such. Now whilst I agree that they deserve some flack,it should not be forgotten that they are there first and foremost to make money, yours and mine. That having said I think the latest generation of keyboards by both companies and also including the priceless ( unfortunately literally as well ) Keton Audya offer the man in the street tremendous value and possibilities.
I do and cannot understand why you have so many faults to find, in particular as you do not play and/or own any of these boards. My educated guess would be you are like Fran, who swears by Roland. One of my best friends has a Roland G70 and whenever I say something new about what my PSR750 can do, or earlier on what my PA800 can do he would reply" ...you can do that on the G70 as well". I am happy for anyone who owns a Roland G70 and sticks with it. I even admire folks like Gary who has had a PSR3000 for donkeys and is only now considering a PSR950. But let us not pretend that 10 year old technology is a straight match for the 2013 generation of arranger keyboards. Furthermore I think it wise for anyone to be very prudent in critising whichever arranger board without having spent substantial time with it. No offence, let that be clear !!!!

best wishes,
John

What? Donkeys? Is that a British expression?
Eddie

My objections to the S950 center around the audio styles. I completely disagree with Yamaha's direction here. Instead of adding a few more decent drum KITS, that could be used with any style we have, they go and bring out this audio drums styles thing, but completely nerf it, so you cannot do a damn thing with it other than play the pitiful few styles they have included (what? about 4% of the total # of styles in it, and even smaller compared to how many legacy styles there are).

Also, the audio multipads (where you CAN easily add your own content to it) cannot loop an audio file, so there goes that...

I think those are pretty valid comments, none of which relies on opinion only. Those criticisms are FACTS.

You might also have noticed that I cut Roland no more slack than I do anyone else. I am, despite being a Roland player for 15+ years (for their arrangers), one of their most vocal critics. The dropping of so many unique and extremely musical features has maddened me over the last few years. In many ways, the G1000 was the best arranger they ever made, and while the soundset and some of the styles have got better, and Makeup Tools and Cover Tools have made editing and style alteration easy, so many other day to day basic arranger operations on Roland arrangers have disappeared or become so simple to the point of almost uselessness.

Please don't think I am a die-hard ANYTHING... I simply feel that, if we are going to lay down our hard earned cash, the instruments we buy should be practical, musical works of art. And so often, for so many different reasons, they are NOT.

Yes I must admit Diki always calls it as he sees it, even if it is the keyboard he uses himself. Always totally honest. Very refreshing.

Come on Eddie, at least English is a substantial part of your mother tongue whilst mine isn't. Anyway check it out:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080106102311AAsmTLo

Diki,

I do not doubt your intentions but it remains remarkable to me that you are about the main contributor here but also the one who has to pinpoint many faults and shortcomings of the new keyboard generation whilst playing an "old" keyboard yourself and not having played extensively , at least not owing one, yourself.
It is generally known that I have favoured Korg for quite some time now, but recently I added the PSR750 to my PA800 and as mentioned before, it is a pleasure. Both keyboards supplement one another to perfection and apart from taste etc.etc. I would maintain that Tyros4,PSR 950, PSR750, Korg PA3X, PA800 and PA600 are simply great keyboards and though not perfect will offer great pleasure to most musicians. ( Ketron included). I know you will not spare Roland if necessary, but I think it would be wiser to vent your criticism of e.g. the PSR-950 if you actually played and owed one yourself. No offence....

regards,
John

Got it. Thank you John. I had never heard the expression before.
Eddie

Diki is not prejudicial about various brands of arranger keyboards - HE HATES THEM ALL!

Cheers,

Gary

John, the use of the expression “donkeys” on it’s own is unusual in UK. The usual term is “donkeys years”, meaning (as you know) a long time. The use of the word “donkeys” is probably rhyming slang for “donkeys ears” (years). For some reason, although you would expect the word “donkeys” to be sufficient on it’s own, the word “years” is almost always added. Having said that, generally, your English is very good.

chasbee,

I stand corrected, thank you.

John

Sorry, John, but I completely disagree. If you have to OWN an arranger before you can make any comment, either positive OR negative, that makes a mockery of open and free discussion.

Perhaps my barbs hurt, which is why you remember them so much, rather than the praise I DO dole out to any arranger when and where it deserves it, but honestly... If you have a hard time reading a critique (always reasoned!) of your particular choice of arranger, this may not be the best place to hang out!

All I have ever done is try to be 'fair and balanced' (and not in the Fox News way!) about anything I post. I stand by my comments, whether it is of an arranger I own or not. If that troubles you, all I can say is perhaps grow a thicker skin.

I don't 'hate' all arrangers. Good grief, I have played them for decades! And play arrangers with live bands where I don't even NEED the arranger features! But when their manufacturers make questionable decisions, when barely useful features are added in favor of practical, easy to make solutions to problems, I call them out on it. None of them are perfect..!

At least, not for me! Some people like to switch their arranger on after they get it out of the factory shipping box, and pretty much leave it at that. But some like to be able to customize, to edit, to wrestle the thing into sounding the way WE want it, rather than meekly accepting the way it comes. I put myself squarely in the second group, and to that end, am always interested in what clever features AND what boneheaded decisions have been made in its design.

The last few years, I think they are batting about .500...!

I don't always agree with his assessments, but let it be known Diki not only lets his arranger opinions, (good and bad) known here at the SynthZone, but more importantly he also lets keyboard manufacturers know...and then some.

I say this because IMO it's a good thing to have guys like Diki fight for what he believes would make a more perfect keyboard. It can only be a good thing for the rest of us.

The question is: Are manufacturers listening to players like Diki? Who knows for sure, I doubt they would ever credit an outsider, but as the saying goes...the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

You can talk till your blue in the face,....you can have the best arranger keyboard ever produced on the planet and beyond, but ask yourself this,..
will it make you a better player then you are now?....becoming a better player should be the most important thing at the forefront for all of us, otherwise everything else means squat.The keyboard isn't going to give you good chops, that's all up to you as the player.

Agree Donny, but certain arranger features can make us All SOUND better, and can give us the feeling of actually PLAYING better. But your're correct, if you want to be a better player, learn and practice and practice and practice, and then learn some more.

Larry,
The Proof is "always" in the Pudding!!

A better player? Probably not, but play BETTER, you bet.
The layout, buttons, switches, sliders, pedal board, joystick, chord sequencer, etc., of the PA3X, lets me play better.
The guitars and fast keys on the PSR S950 make me play better too.
My aging fingers and wrists need all the help they can get.
DonM

I, for one, thank God that FOX news has the guts to avoid the Liberal slant that most of the other stations are full of! If they didn't lean a bit RIGHT, then no one would get the full stories. The media and arts have always been unfairly LEFT tilted, so ... leave my FOX alone! People need to hear ALL SIDES.

(actually .. I'm not all that political, but I do hate it when people pick on FOX and never talk about the other side and how they slant WAY more in the opposite direction.)
OK ... rant over - carry on. My PA3x is awesome.

A new keyboard ALWAYS made me play better -- and that’s because it elevated my interest. I put more time in playing.

Judging a keyboard is one thing – but judging it’s effect on a performer is personal.

IMHO, John C.

The better your backing band, the better you play. Whether a live band, or your arranger, the same goes for both. And getting the best out of your arranger means having the most control over it.

Do you want a breakdown? Would you like the drummer to drop down to hi-hats and snare? If there's a 2/4 bar in the middle of the piece (but most are 4/4), is it easy to get to that control? Would you like hands free control of the Variations and Fills (so you can concentrate on just playing)? Is it easy to get to the Hold parameters (you just decided to medley two songs, but want the sounds to stay the same).

Maybe you are blithely oblivious to what the band is doing, Donny, but me, if I want them to do something, I'd like the tools to be able to pull it off, live.

Me... it's new styles. I don't really feel the need to change out my arranger. But new styles (and a good editing session so I can make them mine) gets my juices floating, John! 9/10 times, if you wait just a bit, conversions of the latest arranger's styles will appear for the older arrangers. Sure, they won't sound identical. But you can get them damn close!

As I've said before, most new arrangers, with new features - bet your bottom dollar that something has been taken off, moved, nerfed, made less effective. Two steps forward, one and 3/4 back! I just wish that somehow, these idiots designing these things actually KNEW what was a good feature, so they don't remove it!

Alas, I have a nasty feeling that many arranger R&D departments are run by people that would MUCH rather be playing a workstation (if they play at all!). That's about all I can come up with to explain some of the boneheaded design decisions so often made, these days...

I'm also of the opinion that one should "practice and practice and practice!" The problem nowadays is practice WHAT? In the old (pre-technology) days, with only a few vanilla-flavored arranger keyboards available, you had the time and energy to work on things like keyboard technique, improvising, rock/jazz/latin, etc licks, learning new songs, even non-musical techniques like learning to interact with an audience (much more stable and less crude than they are today), how to deal with the inevitble "hecklers," how to book jobs, advertising, etc.

Now, I don't know what to do first? There are so many directions to go in! Let's see, do I sit at the piano and work on my finger dexterity, do I learn more Ethnic music (I live in a multi-ethnic area and massive immigration is rapidly changing audience listening preferences), there's my blues and boogie woogie patterns that I'm trying to perfect, there's this new ABBA song I want to learn, there are Classical pieces I want to add to my repertoire, do I want to work on my "voicings" today, do I want to spruce up my walking bass lines, and Lord knows what else?

Or...do I walk over to my arranger keyboard and study this new era of "computer technology"...a new operating system, styles to edit/improve/delete/replace, drum patterns to put together (hmmm, would a real drummer do this?), how to play to sound like a guitarist, trumpet player, violinist, how do I EQ/add effects/filter my sounds, put performances together, etc

I'm getting tired just writing it out. I'm wondering how everyone else here manages to do it all between working on your "chops" and tweaking your machine. And then, there's the messy job of constantly hustling gigs. Even my nursing home accounts need to be nurtured regularly as there's always some unemployed novice musician ready to show up at their doorstep with a simple harmonica and a drum box and a $10 bill in his hand ready to hand it to the AD for the opportunity to play for the residents. (only kidding on that last one, but it's almost at the point where many are going out working for the equivalent of a ham sandwich).

I'm starting to look at the law of "diminishing returns." Is all the effort you're putting into practicing going to put the same amount of dollars in your pocket at the end of the week as spending that same amount of time marketing yourself.

Sad to say.....Donny is right in this respect. We might as well face facts. The audience doesn't care about or respect good music or good musicianship anymore....or whether you're playing a Ketron, Roland or Korg (or how well it's been "adjusted")......they just want to be entertained....and the more outrageous the act, the more you're going to be working. No different than the half-time Super Bowl show. Lots of glitz and pyrotechnics and flash.....keep everyone excited and the adrenalin flowing. Keep people in excitement mode. Somehow I can't picture crowds like that sitting there and wanting to be entertained by the Mantovani Orchestra or Jerry Vale....top headliners in the 50's when life was simpler and legit music was not only appreciated but expected and "respected!"

I'm sure glad I already know everything and don't need to practice.
Seriously all that stuff is sort of fun, except looking for jobs. I hate that.
I sort of pride myself on doing requests, so every time I get a request that I don't know, I try to learn it. I can't every time, but most of the time I can learn it well enough. It's a lot different these days. Find the lyrics and chords online, go to Youtube and see what it is supposed to sound like. Listen, play along with it, correct the chords that I found online, find the right tempo and a style that will work. Figure out what key is best for me. Then practice it. Play it for my wife. She don't pull any punches.
DonM

I hate DIKI. He sounds a lot smarter than me.

Mark good post, I'm on that same page. Once I got an arranger all the piano technique went on the back burner, I've spent more time learning the tech side of the arranger than working on playing.....not a good thing......but more fun. Add full time day job into the mix, family, other interests a few gigs here and there leaves little time for "practice".

All good points, some seemed laced with a bit of anger. If the criteria for judging is playing dollars and audience acceptance then most of the posts are right on.

My take:
1-Looking for jobs was a rarity, they just kept coming.

2-Practicing my arpeggios and scales was not a job, it was bringing to the point I wanted.

3-I excited when a new song came out; and just as anxious to play it in my style.

4-Always hated carrying the equipment in out.

5-I was not concerned about the competition, my cup was full. In N.Y. weekday gigs were rare; on the weekend we had three to four good paying jobs.

6-My last and most important -- I LOVE PLAYING MUSIC, EVEN IF THERE WERE NO DOLLARS OR PEOPLE.PLAYING IS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR ME.
If it came to supporting my family of six I made sure that I had another means to make that happen. I never wanted to have-to-play-a-job I did not like. My weekday job protected me from that. I truly love music and I did my best to protect that love.
Now at my age I look at my playing/performing dwindling career as one great blessing.

IMHO, John C.

Smoke and mirrors, brick!

(And a good spell-checker!)

I didn't have to worry about messing up my piano technique, because I never played piano!
DonM