Pa 800 or Kn7000 I own both keyboards.

My Korg is fantastic, I can sit for hours and program the changes in the style- select the 4 pads from a long list – the four One Touch Settings which give the instruments and volume balance I want – When I am done with the set up the Songbook puts it altogether leaving nothing out – it’s as complete as one can get.

When I sit with my Kn7000 I find I am not programing; I am creating instead. The styles are not as plentiful, and the instrument sounds (out of the box) are more than above average, and the keyboard is extremely friendly.

Both keyboards are good but serve a large difference in a players desires.

John C.

John, I'm not sure if you are asking a question or making a statement . . .

I've played PA800's, the PA3X, and just a few days ago the PA600. Of the three, I have only owned the PA3X. Korg has some nice sounds, nice rhythms, and literally everything is editable. But, editing is not as simple and straightforward as the KN's. After working with the PA3X for about nine months I decided it wasn't for me and got rid of it. I was frustrated with a lack of registrations (only 4 STS buttons) and delays in voicing reaction when changing song book selections or performance selections. I love the instant reaction of the KN panel memories.

I'm back to the KN7000's for keyboard use and my Roland combo organ (which has 8 registration buttons like the KN7000) for home use.

Bob, it is a statement; The Pa800 offers so much and I am not the type of person who will work on a small percentage of a keyboard. When much is given much is needed. I’m not sure where that came from.

To fully enjoy the Pa800 more time is needed to set all the variables. The Kn7000, because of age, offers less – but what it has is good. Nothing else really needed to do one great job. Equals; less work—more play.

John C.
Always good reading what you write.

John I know your frustration but I can't help thinking wether you should be comparing the two on a like for like situation they both come from a different age and yes the PA is todays technology and far more advanced than the 7000 BUT when the 7000 hit the scene there was nothing to touch it, it's like when your favourite pair of most comfortable shoes that you have had for years finally give up the ghost and you look for a new pair longingly like your last but to no avail and you have to start the whole process again. I have a PA but used to have a 7000 from new but I would never go back to it I know I have to put as much effort into the PA as I did the 7000 when I first got it. You are fortunate you have both enjoy them equally

Johnnie C. and Bob
For the last two months I have gone through a medical issue which has kept me at home. With a bit of luck I should be feeling OK shortly. Now that’s the bad part.

The good part is that I have been confined to my home with the two keyboards. (Smile) The Pa 800 with its 640 factory styles and 320 Favorite/User styles has kept me busy, and the Kn7000 has given me the chance to create and enjoy. So I’m a bit of a happy camper.

Good health, John C.

I'm a long term Technics user but I'm fascinated by what the Korg PA3X Pro appears to be able to do - if only I had enough spare money to buy one and investigate...ha well...

Wow Roger, I was under the impression that you were loaded with all talent you have, John C.

Roger nobody in Wiltshire is skint because that is the county where all the money is and you get Stonhenge thrown in for good measure. For Korg you don't have to go top of the range to get an arranger to keep you busy for a long long time

Among the many things I love about the 7K is that I can create
my own registrations and make as many changes as frequently as I choose. The quality of the sounds can be tweaked to suit my ear as well.

I get the impression creating registrations and tweaking sounds
is not among the attributes of the Korg, is that correct? It
does appear to be a great machine.....However.... without the
options I enjoy with the 7K, not so sure I would be interested.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, just about everything is editable with Korg stuff. It is just not as intuitive as the Technics operating system. Yes you can edit sounds and registrations with Korg. It just takes a lot of time to learn a totally different system.

As I said earlier, it is the lack of registration presets (only four STS presets) along with a few other software "features" that turned me off and caused me to get rid of the PA3X.

Thanks for the reply Bob. That you were "turned off" by some
of the features of the PA3X is enough to convince me that it
is probably not a machine I would be happy with....

So glad I have two 7K's to play with! At this point in my life
probably they will outlive me! However, with my Mom in her year 103, I know I have good genes and like her, I too am unusually
healthy for one in the 82nd year of life!

Additionally, I really do not want to have to go through the
learning to play a totally different keyboard! The computer is
a big enough challenge!

You have always been a great help to me Bob, I really appreciate
all that you are willing to share! Still wish you were my next-door neighbor!

Elizabeth

Bob is right about the editing ability of the Korg PA range of course the PA3X is the top of that range and has a sampler and is a little more complex than the boards below it. I have the baby being the PA500 which is classed a entry level pro arranger but it in itself is very flexible and very editable. Because you can edit almost everything my approach was this. The PA500 is very playable straight out of the box there is even an easy mode which satisfies those itchy fingers when you first get it. I took each section at a time and read about extensivly and sat at the PA with the manual in my hand and learn a section before moving on. Yes it takes a time but there are so many mix and matches that end results can be very pleasing. One key is patience just like when you first got a KN7000. I should have gone for the PA800 from the start which has a much broader spec and is also superior for live playing with a better sound engine.

Johnnie... Thanks for all the great information. Yes patience is
a great attribute while learning anything new. Perseverance is
another needed quality.

However, at my point in the journey of life, I really no longer
want to take the time necessary to learn to play a totally
different keyboard. Most likely my two 7K's will continue to
serve my needs. Then should one go... the other will fill the
bill....

It would be nice to at least hear someone play the Korg PA3X?

Elizabeth I'm 73 and just recently acquired a PA500 I just seem to need new challenges. You just enjoy your KN7 it still rates as a great bit of kit as I previously said well before it's time. God knows what Panasonic would be producing now had they carried on with keyboards but I do understand that some of their engineers went over to Korg.

B0b posted;
As I said earlier, it is the lack of registration presets (only four STS presets) along with a few other software "features" that turned me off and caused me to get rid of the PA3X.

In the Performance – Style area of the Pa800 you can save 320 registrations, places that you may set your keyboard as desired: very similar to Technics save/registrations. Technics has 2 modes; normal and Expand. In addition you are able to filter the items that you do not want to change. The Pa800 does not have a filter option.
To access technics registrations there are three moves you must make; Press Panel view – select the bank (if ABC and want the 1 to 10 banks (or the other way around) you must press an additional button. The last step is to select the bank and you want. This gives you 8 places to save times 10 -- !04. The Pa800 has 10 buttons across the right side of the keyboard, each button contains 32 registrations; 16 upper and 16 lower. 32 X 10 -- 320

Having said all of that I feel Elizabeth has the best reason to stay with her Kn7000s. “I do not want to spend my time learning another keyboard” Amen! It was always a bit of a job moving up to the next Technics model, but nothing compared to moving to a Yamaha. The move from Technics to Korg is where the largest learning curve lies. (In my opinion).

I have both keyboards and the time to spend studying and learning, I am not playing out very often, so the time is there. Again I will say that the Korg is a fantastic keyboard but there are few that can use the keyboard as it was designed without putting in the time to learn. I would say a year or two. ( not just out of the box.)

How many years have we been learning and playing the Technics keyboard? For me there is also another reason to own a Kn7000; the freinds that I have made here.

John C

John, the performance memory of the PA's does not work like Technics KN panel memories. That is primarily why I got rid of the PA3X. There is a significant delay in voicing changes with performance (or songbook) changes. When you use a foot switch with Technics keyboard panel memories, the voicing changes instantly and the rhythm changes at the start of the next measure. With Korg stuff both voicing and rhythm are delayed till the next measure. You simply can't make voicing changes in the middle of a measure with Korg stuff unless you select one of the four STS settings (or manually poke at buttons). Four is all you get! And, you can not make changes in rhythm style using the STS buttons. STS registrations are locked to a specific style.

John, there is no need to go through all the steps you listed for Technics panel memory selection during song play. All of this is done as a part of the song setup process and is available almost instantly as a part of the load process from SD card. All you have to do is increment through as many as 24 panel memories as you play the song. Each SD load gives you a new set of 24 memories for the next song. This is the way panel memories were intended to be used and it works perfectly.

There are many songs that I set up where a different rhythm is used for bridges or for part B of AABA format songs. Your only choice with Korg for style changes is to select a different song book entry or a performance setting with it's inherent delays. With Technics it only takes a simple switch to the next panel memory. The voicing change is instant and the style changes at the start of the next measure. It is a significant error to assume that performance registrations on a Korg is equivalent to Technics panel memories. But I agree that Korg works fine if you don't mind poking at buttons while you are trying to play.

Bob,
I notice a delay on my Pa800 when using the intro. When the intro ends my right hand using piano Ensemble (Techni-Chord) does not go to ensemble until the measure is finished. The good part of that is I get to play some single notes against the intro.

I find no delay when I use the performance mode (panel memory) with either the style included or just the instruments and the balance. The same when I use One-Touch-Play, no delay.

I know you are very accurate when making a statements, so what am I missing.

John C.

It is not a delay, John. It simply doesn't work properly for ensemble functions. One of the irritating "features" of the Korg operating system is that you can not use the ensemble function with intro or ending #1. So, pick-up notes that are intended with ensemble harmony have no harmony till the end of the intro and harmony notes end abruptly at the first note of an ending #1. If you really like that pattern, you can edit the style to move the intro and/or ending to a different rhythm variation position and it works correctly, but it is work that shouldn't be needed. The ensemble function works correctly with intros and endings #2 thru #4. People that do not play through intros and endings don't notice this but if you want the intro or ending to blend with the song you should play through them. I believe this issue results from continued use of software modules that were designed when polyphony issues were more prevalent and the designers were concerned about exceeding polyphony limits.

John it is simple to illustrate the delay. Simply try to change voicing in the middle of a measure with a foot switch with either performance or song book changes. As I said above, voicing does not change till the start of the next measure.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say you are using "one touch play". If you mean "Single Touch Play", STS buttons do work instantly (like Technics panel memories) for voicing changes, but they can not select a pattern from a different style.