I have to admit the new Audio "COOL SWING" style is simply amazing sounding!.Tried it cold on stage last night. Gary is correct that there is definitely a sonic improvement difference in a Good Way from the S910. All my custom Reg/Styles loaded flawlessly from the S910 and aside from some very minor VOL adjustments, EQ, to some of the sounds/styles Up/Down it's a seamless inter-change from the S910 to S950. After three gigs so far I've been impressed to a point, ..still a few workarounds needed for MY needs and a few things I wish they would address in future models, eg: Keyfeel, MFD, VH2, Rear USB input & placement,...
But Overall a green-light so far.

To be continued.

Maybe MIDI kits aren't 'better', but they can be VERY close, and FAR more useful. Let's face it, for most of us, legacy styles are probably the majority of our style library. If the pitiful few audio styles that Yamaha provide, or the comparatively small Ketron ROM library and what few 3rd party styles aimed at the US/UK market available are sufficient for you and your audience, you are good to go.

But for what I would predict is the majority of us, being able to play MIDI based styles without a noticeable drop in quality is a primary need. To this end, having MIDI kits that display this 'almost as good' quality (listen to any of the VSTi MIDI drum kits to realize just how close - almost indistinguishable - to live audio is possible with a 'mere' MIDI kit) is by far the more useful alternative.

Better MIDI kits, your ENTIRE library sounds better. Audio styles, ONLY those audio styles sound better.

I've posted again and again about the differences. Editing an audio style to be a different beat, or a different kit is utterly impossible. Want to change the swing percentage on an audio style? Utterly impossible. Easy as pie on a MIDI style. Prefer a different kit playing the drum part? Utterly impossible on an audio style. Easy as pie on a MIDI style. Want to alter the fill on an audio style to be something more appropriate for a certain song? Utterly impossible on an audio style. Easy as pie on a MIDI style. And so on and so forth.

I hate to say this, but my BK7m's drumkits and patterns rivals the Ketron audio style drums, and my G70 comes quite close. They really are very live, very dynamic. At least to the point where the SLIGHT increase in realism of the audio drums is FAR outweighed by the increase in usefulness of the MIDI kits.

What's better... a few killer styles you can't do anything with, or your ENTIRE style library brought up to a hair's breadth as good? And all the control you could ever wish for.

I'm sorry. Even right now, I feel that audio styles are a dead end. And, if VSTi quality kits get added to arrangers, even more so.

suddenly its very hard to take the rest of your post seriously

you now need to back that up with some examples. I am more than happy to oblige. How about a nice slow brush swing with ride cymbles coming in on later arranger parts. Pick two chord progression of your choice, a nice simple one using major chords for four bars each chord and then something a bit more testing if you like....or we could just go drums only if you like

consider the gauntlet on the table...and start a new thread...in fact get everyone involved...PSR, Tyros, PAX and Audya users all in there comparing styles...should be great fun

We've had rock drum Roland examples that were very well received here and favorably compared to the Audya (when it first came out). If you want me to, I'll put up style equivalents to anything drum only you want to post done with the Audya.

I admit, especially on the percussion end of things, the Audya is going to have an edge. But basic kit, and I'm not so sure. I don't know if you have auditioned a BK-7m, but the kits (especially the new ones post-G70) are some of the best I have ever heard in an arranger, and capable (if the style is programmed well to use them) of quite close to audio kit feel.

Happy to post something, if you have something to directly compare it to. Drums ONLY, please.

Of course, you are going to come out ahead. But, as I posted, not sufficiently that all the other shortcomings make it a total victory. Personally, given the choice between an audio style I can do nothing to, and a pretty close MIDI style that I can do ANYTHING to, I'll take that MIDI kit any day.

And, once again, have you listened to any BFD2 or EZDrummer demos, lately? That's the future, and audio drum loops are not a part of it.

Happy to oblige, but perhaps we need to broaden the scope on the one hand, and restrict it on the other (as this topic is specifically about audio DRUMS) to drums only?

So, how about a brushes demo, a rock demo, a funk demo, a smooth jazz demo?

That would be very interesting to hear "drums only" from various arrangers to compare them. But please post them on a new thread so it doesn't hijack this thread.

Will do.

When I do Fly Me to the Moon with Cool Swing, I feel like I have the Basie band right behind me. It's awesome!

Joe

And how about some demos from me using VST drums (in my case BFD) with well crafted drum grooves?

Love to hear 'em. Mind you, plenty of BFD and EZDrummer etc. drum only demos on their websites. One of the reasons I am so convinced that this is the way things are heading. But perhaps someone else needs convincing!