I was impressed with many of the styles; they sound fresh and last more than just four bars and this adds to the overall sensation of realism. The interesting thing is that almost all the styles demoed are present also in the BK7-m, that at this point looks more and more interesting as a backing unit and would make a nice addition to one's existing setup. As for the BK-9, I hope that it's an intermediary step towards a future TOTL arranger, that has styles as fresh and live as these plus (almost) all the supernatural voices found in the Integra module and a keybed a la G-70. THAT would be a killer arranger.

I think that the demo suffers for too much compression. Whether this was put on by the arranger itself (it has separate Mastering EQ and Comp for both the style section and the Keyboard Tones) or whether it was added afterwards to optimize it for web delivery, I don't know.

But I can assure you, take the compression off or reduce it radically, you are hard pressed to find a punchier, more live sounding arranger.

Unfortunately, I have no way of removing the compression from the demo - it is what it is.

Gary

to live or die by the demo is ridiculous....
we all know you have to make a KB sound great if you know how using its features. couple that with some good chops and you'll get good results. saying the BK-9 isn't worthy is just plain silly it's not even on the market yet.

By the way, if you liked this demo, check also these two (of a BK-7m), by the same demonstrator, who apparently is also an accordeon player (and a very talented one!)
Warning: you could end up buying a BK-7m (or an accordeon... )

Demo ballroom styles

Demo swing and dance styles

Need to take all in consideration.
The demo is very important in the ecuation.
The price vs features/sounds/styles is maybe the most important.
Just as important is the joy playing the instrument.
The looks, weight, size...

I think, if the feature set is what we've seen already and is not gonna change, the price is just about 15-20% too much.

This video does not do justice to the sound quality of the styles. It seems that the RH part has been boosted way too much. Although highly unlikely, it would be a shame if the style part volumes are set that way by default. The Bk-7m has some very good drum and bass patterns in many genres but had some reverb which needs some altering to my liking... Each to his own here.

And this would definitely be a step up from the 7-m with those 500 new tones and 22 Supernatural tones. This keyboard has some good features especially for live use. The favourite tones is a good idea especially for those using arrangers in a band setup where you are expected to play just the few tones. Touchscreen would have been nice but if there are dedicated buttons well laid out then it can perform as smoothly or even better than the touch. The Audio key feature is also great. It makes sense to have this chord looper feature because it frees up the left hand to use the joystick or articulation buttons more expressively and with accurate timing. However, what I fail to understand is if you can use your iPad Screen as the touch screen controller for BK, why not have additional USB slots ?

Overall, I feel the Supernatural sounds and DNC need some catching up to do with the quality of SA voices. The best and obvious way we could judge on the sound would be to play it with a decent pair of headphones or through HQ monitors. Its pricing of 2500 USD is a little too steep when one considers the Bk-7m to be at 1000 USD. And they should also have a good followup plan with OS Updates(like they did with the G-70) and expansion packs to justify the customer`s investment. And it won`t be a bad marketing idea for Roland to give BK-9 owners(first hand) a discount on the Integra modules and vice versa

Donny, I didn't say anything about it not being worthy or unworthy. Someone will like it - just not me, at least from the few demos I've heard. I would never consider purchasing ANY keyboard based upon a couple demos. That's why I'm meeting up with Joe Ayala next week to see and hear his S-950 first hand. That's also why I drove to Philly to see and hear Uncle Dave's Bose L1. It's why I drove to Bricktown, NJ to hear your Barbetta Sona 32SCs many years ago.

Keep in mind that I really liked what I heard when I listened to the Tyros-4 and S-950 demos, but I wouldn't purchase either of them based upon demos. But, when I hear a demo like the one posted in this thread, it tends to be a portal of what one would hear when playing the keyboard first hand, and the person providing the demo seems to be a top-notch player.

Several years ago, when Dan01 had his keyboard store in the Baltimore metro area, I heard a demo of the SD1. To me, the demo sounded harsh and thin. A few weeks later I was able to hear Dan01 play it live at the Piano store where he worked - it sounded thinner and more harsh. At the time he was playing it through an amp that was touted as the best thing since sliced bread. I thought the amp sounded pretty bad, too. I didn't go there to buy the keyboard, but instead to hear the amp. If I recall, you and Scott Yee both purchased one. You sold yours a few months later. I believe the amp was a Motion-Sound KP200. I had the KP100 for a while, an amp that was given to me by a friend because it no longer worked. I had it repaired, tried it out, and traded it to HankB for an old Barbetta he had in the shed. That Motion-Sound was a lousy amp.

Cheers,

Gary

First demos are rarely the best... We've seen this with almost everything released for years now. Why this surprises anyone, who knows?

Add to that, different sales regions put out their own demos, with better or lesser quality.

Personally, I believe that MOST current arrangers that have master EQ and compressor sections, the settings are too aggressive. Bass and treble is overhyped, and compression squeezes what little life an arranger has completely out. Unfortunately, modern CD's are compressed and limited so hard, this is what we have come to expect. But if you want to sound 'live', take it all off!

I agree with Diki. I turn off compression on both my Tyros 3 and Motif XF. It makes a big difference.