Is anyone using an arranger keyboard and the BK module live? I thought this might be the ticket, but not sure how easy it would be to do. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

I don't perform outdoors but had the BK7m for a month or so in my home. Personally I thought it was a nightmare really. I have to admit that I have shied away from Roland over the years though having said that I even gave the good old G70 a go last August.Getting back to the BK7m, I think it is a nightmare to program and program you will have to as few people , if any, have programmed any decent registrations/user programs/performances. I am currently encountering a similar problem with my latest acquisition the Ketron Midjay Plus which I bought secondhand. Apart from its typical Italian erratic approach ( sta zitto Andrea I like it a lot and although it needs drastic progamming as well I prefer it to the Roland. The Ketron Styles ( and it reads them all up until and including the SD5) are much more band/live styles than the Roland ones. And the Ketron works quite well with my PA800...
Due to the fact that Ketron has just released the new Midjay PRO module which is quite expensive and bug-ridden there are quite a few secondhand Midjay Plus modules on offer, in particular in Italy, where I bought mine.....
Personally I would never use a module for live performing but rather have two arrangers/workstations if necessary but then it is easy for me to say as I do not perform outdoors.

regards,
John

I have mostly good experiences with the Bk-7m, although I haven't used it live using the arranger function very often (2-3 times). Once you have prepared your registrations and saved them in performance lists on a USB stick, it's very easy and quick to call up the performances from song to song in a live situation. What I don't like is the clickwheel you use constantly to scroll, jump from page to page and select items when you prepare things at home. I think it contributed to an RSI syndrom (tenovaginitis, "typewriter's cramp") I have in my arm.

Thanks John and Rosetree, appreciate the insight. John, what programming are you referring to on the BK? I just basically wanted to the styles and manipulate the parameters and then save as a song - ready to call up during live. Is this fairly easy to do?

BK-7m is no harder or easier to use than any other BK arranger.

It is definitely one of those 'set it up in advance' type arrangers. Not really a great 'free panel' arranger. But most new arrangers are going that route nowadays, with the bewildering range of options and features they now offer.

There comes a time when you simply have to move on. You can't keep expecting arranger makers to add more and more and more features, then expect to run it all with the simplicity that the old one trick ponies did!

I think John's problems came about because he wanted to do things HIS way, rather than the 'Roland Way'... Once you decide to do things the way that Roland do them (it's not realistic to expect Yamaha or Korg to do things Roland's way!), the BK's allow you to do most things other modern arrangers do. But if you've been a stranger to the Roland Way for ages, you'll have some adjusting to do. Just like if I were to get a Yamaha. I'm sure I could find a dozen things that would make me scream 'Why did they do it THIS way?!' LOL

The BK-7m has a pretty good 'MIDI Wizard' that makes setting it up to be used by a variety of controller types easy, setting up MIDI channels appropriately, all the way up to sending it a simple single MIDI channel, and the BK maps the splits and layers to that one channel. Performances can be called up via MIDI, so your controller keyboard can load your setups easily.

Depending on your controller, pretty much everything can be controlled by MIDI, and the BK-7m also has an FC-7 input (which the -5 and -3 don't) so you can put up to seven extra functions at your feet.

I'm pretty happy with mine, although I don't use it quite as conventionally as most. For me, it's primarily a sound-bank for my keytar, with optional styles, SMF's and MP3's if I were to want to do something as crazy as a full arranger gig on my keytar!

And, short of the Ketron modules (MUCH more expensive), it's pretty much the only game in town for an arranger module.

Personally, if I wanted to use this as a full arranger, I'd probably prefer to drive it with a decent WS rather than another arranger, and then get the best of both worlds, but I see no reason why anyone couldn't drive it from an arranger, as long as the master arranger had a decent MIDI implementation. That's your main problem, though. Some (Yamaha particularly) aren't quite as flexible as you might need.

Roland don't allow the codes to trigger functions to be changed (none do, TBH) and Yamaha do quite a bit of stuff with sys-ex, whereas everyone else uses simple CC/PC codes. So, YMMV depending on what controls it.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

I did for a short time until I fell into a deal on a BK9. I used it with a really nice but simple ( all controls were done on the BK7 and pedals )61 key controller and the FC7 pedal. For live use the FC7 is essential. I do all my programming of Styles at home so "live" I'm just choosing different Styles and Fill ins.

BTW I have that whole setup sitting in my studio in their original boxes.

Mint cond. Interested ??

I liked BK7m a lot. Once I programmed my controller (Edirol) with the free app, it was a cinch to operate. If you aren't a Roland user there is a learning curve though.
Only drawback to me was all the peripherals I had to carry --external screen for midi lyrics, external vocal processor/harmonizer/controller keyboard, pedal board, pedals, etc.
Having said all this, it was nice to have such complete control in live situations. You can access features from the midi controller that you can't get to directly from the module!

thanks again fellows - great info. i'm really interested in that to midi from my pa900. that's not too much to lug.

...and diki you are right. i really like this moxf6 (1st synth i've had in 30 years). if i really dig and learn its full capabilities, it would be a dream with the bk.