Diki,

thank you for your answer. I was just listening to this impressive demo of the BK-5 Gold Bossa and this style alone made me consider the purchase of a BK-7m:



Aside from the style itself, that really "breathes" (a la Audya) the clarity of the drums is exceptional. Do you think that this is one of the new drum kits not present on the G-70?
And why does the BK-7m cost more than the BK-5? Obviously it has to be more than a key-less BK-5...it's more likely that this new BK-9 will be a BK-7m with a keyboard and a few bells and whistles added. From the look of it in that dark picture (that I processed in Photoshop) it looks rather "cheap", so I agree with you that it will probably be well below the 2000 USD mark, maybe around 1500.
Thanks again

I wouldn't hold your breath on that one

A lot of the improvement in the BK soundset is a few drum kits called 'New Pop','New Folk'etc., which first made their appearance in the E80.

But quite a bit of the overall improvement comes from better mixing and EQ'ing the Parts, I believe. The kits seem to sit in the mix better. Some better, fatter basses than the stock ones help also. Mind you, I've got the SRX-07 card in my gig G70, and the basses on that are fabulous.

So although I have both, TBH I haven't really felt the need to have the BK at the gig. The integration and control on the G70 simply can't be bettered, certainly the lack of touch screen makes a lot of things easy to do on the G70, and makes them major chores on the BK, no matter how many screens you have.

Mind you, for gigging a mostly arranger show (something I don't currently do), it will be hard to resist the attraction of the Chord Sequencer, the newer styles and kits. I will miss the G70's action though. I just figure.... Roland, if you want to be BACK, let's have a REAL TOTL like you used to make! I would SERIOUSLY be into a BK engined G1000 cased arranger. Full Monty... 3 UPR, 2 LWR, Man Bass, the G800/1000/70 action. Throw in the CS, return the SMF Mark/Jumps, separate outs, some audio loop playback, heck, I'd pay the old TOTL price for one of THOSE!

I have a friend that will be getting one ASAP, so I'll get to try it as soon as it's out. Who knows? The right set of new features, the right price... I might sell my BK-7m and get one of these BK-9's.

LOL... but then again, maybe I should hold out for a module version of the BK-9! Wow! I'm salivating at the thought of a full BK-9m..!

Hi Dennis,

I had a good look at that dark (brightened) picture and to me this BK-9 has exactly the same (plastic) look as the BK-5 and even the displays are the same as the one from the latter. So, given that here in Italy the BK-5 sells for around 750 euros, my guess is that the BK-9 will be 1200 euros max (about 1500 USD).

P.S: is there anyone willing to share the BK styles? I am really curious to try them in my G-70.

HI Diki,

thank you for your reply; I too have the SRX-07 installed in my G-70...
Ciao

Andrea

"Flagship" sounds like Roland is touting as its TOTL arranger dont you think?.........................


Flagship 76-note instrument with top-level sounds, industry-leading auto-accompaniment features, and a lightweight, mobile design

Over 1,700 sounds and 70 drum kits, including 22 SuperNATURAL sounds and 500 all-new tones

Legendary Virtual Tone Wheel organs, with dedicated harmonic bars for authentic vintage organ performance

540 rhythms (including 25 new rhythms), remastered for exceptional audio quality; over 1000 Music Assistants onboard

Five independent multi-effects engines (MFX), plus dedicated mastering effects

All-new user interface with intuitive panel layout, powerful dual LCD system, and Mixer function

Professional 16-track sequencer and built-in Rhythm Composer; Chord Loop and Audio Key functions

Song playback/recording, unlimited Performance List storage, and more from convenient USB memory

XLR mic input with dedicated reverb effect; composite video output for displaying lyrics and photos

Compatible with Apple iOS devices via Roland Wireless Connect; supports USB connection to iPad with Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit

Free iOS apps include BK Partner, Lyrics Viewer, Air Recorder, and more

'Flagship' kind of means anything marketing want it to. 'Flagship' compared to the G70? Build quality, action quality, number of Keyboard Parts, color touch screen, VH, and a host of missing OS features still keep the G70 as "flagship', if they continued to make it.

But they don't.

So, whatever else is currently their top model gets touted as that. Personally, as I have said before, price wise, the BK-9 hits the MOTL price and feature point compared to most other lines. PA3x's, T4's and Audya's all come in at least $1000 more, whereas the BK-9's 76 puts it into a market segment few others address.

I simply think, for today's economic reality, Roland choosing to first concentrate on the sub-$1000 market with the earlier BK's, and now the MOTL makes sense. Hopefully, if sales of the BK-9 prove robust, Roland might make a foray into a TRUE 'flagship' in a year or so. Something to give the T4 and PA3x76 a run for their money.

I don't feel that way that money should make a difference determining TOTL branding for Roland!....let's face it, the NEW Bk9 is so much more versatile then the antiquated G70 in many ways,...especially for "TODAY'S" needs for arranger Kb music creation. The $1000.00 differences can be easily be manipulated in R&D design as electronic parts fluctuate broadly on the market. For me TOTL equates to "FEATURES" & "QUALITY" and the
New "FLAGSHIP" BK-9 certainly is loaded for Bear!!

I don't see any more features on the BK 9 that the other brands don't have. In fact I miss some on the BK 9 like a 7inch touch screen. I also don't see a break button and where are the pads?

I agree with Diki that TOTL is a term used as the manufacturer wishes. The BK9 is the currently made TOTL, but I challenge anyone to sit down to an A/B test of the BK9 and G70 and not tell me the G70 is the big kid on the block.

BTW, my big kid is still for sale - keyboard and basic accessories only, $1275 shipped free. What a deal!