Korg PA 600 vs 900


I had the opportunity to play only the Korg PA 600. I absolutely love the chord sequencer function and I know I could get great use out of it. In fact that function alone could be a “game changer” for me in a lot of ways… I thought the Latin dance styles (which are very important to me) are much better than anything I have on my Tyros 2. Not as good as Ketron Audya but still very good… The rest of the sounds/ styles were just “OK” I didn’t find much in the way “oldies rock”, “Classic Country, and Big Band on the Korg PA 600 but I assume those styles must be available…

Anyways, I’m trying to decide between these two boards mainly due to the chord sequencer and good Latin styles. I thought I’d go with the 900 due to the on board VH but Uncle Dave’s thumbs down report on it made me reconsider the 600. I do already own a TC Helicon Harmony M and Voice Live 2 but I would much prefer having a VH included on the keyboard (less to set up and fuss with)

So besides the VH on the 900, what other features, sounds, styles, etc would I be giving up? Maybe some of you have gotten play both side by side? Any thoughts?

I think the key feel on the 900 is wonderful - is it the same on the 600? Anyone know?
Aside from that, the 900 gives you 2 media players and MP3 recording. Not sure about the 600, but I enjoy both of those features.

If you are starting to like the chord sequencer, give the BK-9 a whirl... killer piece of gear.

Diki,

....for crying out loud.....!!!

regards,
John

Diki, you must feel alone around here...
Just kidding, BK9 seems to be a very good keyboard.

Just pointing out the options. I was almost the lone voice around here for years lamenting the loss of the Chord Sequencer, but now Korg and Roland both have resuscitated the idea, seems quite a few are starting the get the point of it!

Thing about it is, unless you have about $2000 extra to spend, the BK-9 is the only 76 with the feature in the price range of the PA900. It also has a boatload of new drum kits and percussion kits, and a ton of new Latin styles that use them. Not to mention the 'Dynamic Arranger' feature added in the new update, which tracks your playing strength and adjusts the dynamics of the accompaniment to your playing (it's quite uncanny how this makes you feel like the band is actually LISTENING to you!).

I'm not trying to force anyone over to Roland, but simply to remind players of the options. I've played the BK3 and BK-5, actually have a BK-7m, and I can assure you, if these are what you have heard of the BK series so far, the BK-9 is a whole different kettle of fish!

Diki,

You are spot on as regards the re-instatement of the Dynamic Arranger in the BK9 update. Like Fran says, I would almost consider getting one if it weren't for the terrible OS, or rather the non touch screens. Totally dated, as with most yamahas by the way,but many Yamaha players have moved from one model to the next and therefor hardly know any better
But yes this Dynamic Arranger ( even the possibility to give it negative values ) is utterly rewarding and creative.

regards,
John

I think the mp3 and media players are on the Korg PA 600 too. I haven't played on the 900 so I don't about the keys...

I've only gotten to play on a BK5. I thought the styles were quite good, but other than piano, organ and elec piano, I didn't find any sounds I liked. I guess the BK 9 is a different animal though.

The keys on the PA600 are not semi weighted and do not have aftertouch like the 900 does.

The PA600 can play MP3's but cannot record MP3s which the 900 does.

There are 2 players on the PA900 and 1 on the PA600.

There is a programmable knob on the PA900 and not on the PA600 and three programmable switches on the PA900 and 2 on the PA600.

Actually, the Piano, Electric Piano and B3 organ are VASTLY improved on the BK-9! If you thought they were good before, oh my! You have a pleasant surprise in store. And there are about 600+ more sounds in the BK-9 than in the BK-5 and about 17 more kits.

It isn't simply a beefed up BK-5. It's quite a different beast.

TBH, after several weeks on the BK-9, I am getting used to the screens. Most of what you need to access on a gig is easy to set up on the 4 switches by the bend lever and the FC-7 as far as functions go, and numeric and Favorite sounds, styles and Performances make quick recall if you are doing free panel. Mind you, who is still doing things that way? Set up the Performances into Songbook style, and things are easy to run.

And the FULL Performance editor and other handy iPad apps is starting to make the touch screen not as big an issue as it was when first released. As usual, Roland tend to let something out into the wild before it is quite finished, but the new OS and the BK-9 Performance editor has narrowed the gap to my G70 considerably. I'm going to be testing the BK-9 editor on a borrowed iPad soon, and I'll let you know it it can substitute for the touch screen.

Don't forget, a BK-9 and an iPad is STILL quite a bit cheaper than the G70 was..!

Damn it Diki, shut up. You're getting me interested in that stupid thing.
DonM

Those are reasons enough for me to be glad I got the 900! Thanx, George!

Hi,

from whatever videos i have seen, the BK 9 is far more superior to S750 or 900. It is the best arranger for a solo-player/recordist, given its 76 keys, and 3 RTs.
i have checked the schedule witb Roland's biggest distributor in India, and the sad news is that i need to wait till October to put a hand on it. Whereas the 900 is already available for import on a "pre-payment" basis.

Now THERE's an opinion for ya. As a player who sings, having NO SPEAKERS is a huge drawback for me, so it's not the best for me. I often set up in restricted spaces, and the 76 keys are usually a pain, so there's another reason that the BK9 is not the best choice for me. I PREFER 61 keys ... it's not a compromise - it's a choice.

Some of us need to stop making blanket statements like our friend hakurup did in this post. Let's be objective. Saying things like "far more superior" is a term that should be prefaced with "FOR MY NEEDS ..."


I'll try my best to stay subjective too.

regards,
John

You might've seen some videos I haven't...
But wait, I DID seen them all!


BK9 is superior, if you need 76 keys.
BK9 is inferior if you need a harmonizer, touch screen and sampler.

The rest (sounds, styles, functions) are rather subjective issues.

But certainly is not FAR superior in any regards. Not to Pa900 that is.

For some reason, I can not edit the previous post.
I just wanted to add that of course the audio loops is a great advantage for BK-9.
And one more Off Topic, I really like what this guy is going: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0hNpMZahs

Overall, unless you are willing to pay $1500+ more than the BK-9, it seems the harmonizer is a moot issue. If I need one for the BK-9, I can buy a FAR superior external VH for FAR less than that! So far, from UD's demos, it seems the built in VH has some serious issues, and you may need an external VH even though you paid for the internal one!

And, for solo or duo work, the touch screen is also a non-issue. Who on earth doesn't set everything up in advance for stuff like that? My primary beef with having no touch screen is that I do a lot of live band pickup work, and seldom have an opportunity to set up Performances in advance, so calling everything on the fly is important. But it looks like the BK-9 Performance editor iPad app may allow me to do even that soon, and make the need for a touch screen even less.

Also, TBH, the only real need for a sampler is if some of the internal voices suck so bad you need to put something better in! Haven't so far come across anything I can't live with... And I'm VERY picky!

I agree that everything is subjective as to sound, but I think that the areas you think the PA900 has an edge aren't quite as big as you think.

Speaking of sound, can the PA-900 sound like this?

Can it play MP3's or wave files, and make you think the arranger is doing the singing? I guess so!

What a terrible demo... is he actually playing anything? LOL

Might as well get a laptop...

Sorry, but you didn't answer my question: can the PA-900 (or the BK-9 for that matter) achieve that sound quality? (I am talking of crispness, fullness, clarity and so on here).
If they did, I would buy one in a heartbeat, but from all the demo's I have heard so far (no matter how wonderfully played), I have strong doubts.

of course not the Pa3x costs so much more..

^^^ That IS the bottom line!

Yes, and the Pa3X costs more because it uses better components (digital/analog converters, filters, effect section, etc) and of course this reflects on the price.
I wish that a manufacturer could make the miracle happen, and come out with a keyboard that combines top sound quality, reasonable price and maybe low weight, but so far this kind of miracle -as far as I know- has happened only for the digital pianos, with the Casio PA5-XS.
We all have our priorities: it's only a matter of knowing what they are.

That actually happened before!
Korg Pa50 in it's time.

If you are not fussy about your vocals, the PA900 is actually a wonderful piece of gear. Sounds, styles, construction, feel .... it's among the best I've had from a sound point.
It has the smallest footprint of any of the competitors at the moment too.

All subjective.One can say,

Superior
------------


Bk9 is superior for light weight /76 keys/maybe drawbars /org sounds and good drums piano sound/CS

But inferior for lack of dynamics in style writing (nothing to do with dynamic arranger),no after touch for more than $2000 KB ,bad display, 3 way only joy stick,no multi pads ( I know audio key) etc

PA 900 has superior for detail and deep sound/seq editing (yes more than Yammy and Roland),large touch screen, good punchy sound,4 way joystick/song book/sample reader/CS

But inferior for lack of style support (korg owners are always bagging for conversions 3 months after they bought the KB and found out that busy styles don't really work in the real world and muting is not the answer because busy patterns/bass lines are the problem ,good when you play as solo but problems start when you start to sing on those styles /most will only use drum pattern and use piano/strings and sing on top of it
/too synthy and not so great acoustic sounds for some


S750 is superior for SA sounds guitars acoustic sounds /reed /woodwinds (yes both Roland and Korg 's TOTL models can't touch it ( they still have a long way to go) and mega style support (much more than all other manufactures combined) including simple non busy styles perfect for vocals,easy song creation since most 3rd party styles are avail for free,true backward style compatibility (try that on Korg)
Same hardware and efx like upper model (950) minus VH and other obvious differences ofcourse
Remember , there are already converted styles from most arrangers (korg/Roland/ketron/technics) for Yamaha,not the other way around (Due to hard to convert Mega voiced style format of Yamaha)/ SMF with style drum play


Inferior in hardware/bad quality on mod /pitch wheels (even $500 MX49 has better wheels),not so great key feel ,less punchy drums/no CS/

Actually I'm quite happy with what I have, PA3X. It may be my last keyboard, who knows. It is certainly good enough to be.
I remember saying that about an organ, back in about 1978 though.
DonM

I'd say that Yamaha's wind and brass SA2 voices still have the edge over Roland (let's be fair, they've been working on them for years!), but having played both, I definitely give the nod to Roland's SN guitars. For a first time out of the gate, they have absolutely NAILED those, and beaten Yamaha at making them playable and predictable.

I still get the odd twinge of jealousy when I hear a really well played SA2 sax solo... but OTOH, those are few and far between outside of edited sequences.

Look, every arranger out there nowadays has something going for it. If one of them held the edge in everything, well, nobody would buy anything else! My friend's PA3x is superb. My BK-9 is superb. A T4 is superb. We live in great times..!

Couldn't agree more!
DonM

Maybe Yamaha has an edge because they actually build real brass and woodwind instruments!. They have the best to sample from!

Dreamer, I surely would like to know the MAXX EQ and Audio settings used on that demo you posted! I wish there were a way to find out.
DonM

I hear you, Don. I just loved the overall sound: that demo almost sold me and I am really thinking to trade my Pa2X for a Pa3X; anyway, since in September they should unveil the Midjay Pro and in October the new Tyros, better stay put for a little while more.

Agree, Dreamer. It did inspire me to play around with my settings again though. I've learned that a little e.q. is a lot on this thing. Also, the default volume is about 6 decibels less than previous models. It helps to boost the volume by 6 on the MAXX audio settings. I know it's just overall volume, but at least the perceived effect is pleasing to my old ears.
AJ is very enthusiastic about the upcoming Midjay Pro. Not certain I want to go back to a module, but I'm always open. I'm not really looking to make any changes, but I did buy a lottery ticket this week, so who knows!
DonM

Don,

speaking of that demo, do you know the name of the brush bossa style that begins around 1:28?
Also, in the reggae style, is the sampled voice a part of the factory style?
Thanks

The style name is simply Bossa Nova. The intro used is achieved when you start with a minor chord. The major intro is slightly different.
He seems to be getting those vocal samples of the Pads. Only style I've found that has much vocal sounds is Latin Vocal, and it is not this style.
DonM

Thanks

If you find the DNC voices useful it may interest you to know that the 600 has a limited number of DNC (20) which are more or less equivalent in articulation to the Yamaha SA voices. However, the 900 has DNC voices (75 total) - some of which articulate like Yamaha SA2 voices. The benefit is that you're getting SA2-type voices in a Korg for thousands less than those in a T3 or T4.

Good point. That's the kind of information I'm interested in.

Very enjoyable thread..

Good stuff