Hadn't messed around with the S950 for a while..maybe 6 months or more...great machine..great sounds.

But I was reminded how many programs/screens I had to go to access the handy buttons available on the Tyros 4.

Easy access is what it's about playing live. The Tyros with it's buttons and sliders, is hard to beat.

I've got a close friend that has made his living for the last 30+ years playing keyboard...been all over...and he played in small combo's.

He now has an S950. I asked him what he thought. He said "the S950 is great, light, nice piano sounds,...all I use. I don't even mess with styles since I have a bass and guitar with me".

He chuckles when he see's my meager efforts...but he's encouraging...after all that's what friends are for right?

I've got the PSR S950 up on a stand. But I have the feeling for the 5 - 10 extra pounds I have to carry in addition to PA's, stands, cables etc....I'm probably going to bring the Tyros along on gigs.

Thing is, I've just got more confidence in the Tyros.

But then, I need all the help I can get.

The S950 is more then capable to do anything the T4 can do........

I'm not qualified to comment on the plusses and minuses of these two great machines. I can say, "Stepping up to a 910 from an old 2000 was a very pleasant surprise."

I don't "gig" or perform in public... I'm simply a nobody songwriter who uses the arranger for all it's worth... and, believe me, it is worth every penny I paid. Naturally, I'd love a T-Rex (my pet name for the entire Tyros family) or a 950 but I cannot complain. Being able to select more modern sounding instruments for my song creations gives me an advantage most songwriters do not understand. (Now, if only my vocal abilities were better... but I hope you get my drift, at least I don't have to pay for expensive demos for my original songs.)

In the final analysis, you must do what you think is best and if the comfort zone of the T-4 fills a niche for you, more power to ya!

All my best,

Dave Rice

Having played the T4 for a few days, I can only echo what Donny said - you can pretty much do it all with the S-950, plus have the benefits of a smaller, lighter package. The OS is pretty much the same on all Yamaha MOTL and TOTL arrangers. The sliders are still there on the S-950, but they are electronic instead of manual. Personally, I've never used the sliders, even on keyboards that did have manual sliders. Just never felt the need. I always set them at max volume and left them there.

All the other features, MFD, registrations, etc..., are identical. If you have a problem, one that you cannot solve, just email me your telephone number and I'll try to walk you through the problem over the phone - it's usually much faster and easier that way.

Good luck,

Gary

I have spent considerable time on both Tyros4 and S950.

The S950 is a nice piece of work...I liked it a lot, and it does mostly everything a player could want...the SA sounds included are excellent and are good useful choices. I also think it looks very professional and the speaker system is very powerful.

However, compared to the Tyros4, I would have to say I find a big difference, and that's why I bought the latter, although it was quite a bit more money.

If you play a lot of right hand sounds, or just play the keyboard a lot in general (I play mostly instrumentals), then having the FSX action on the Tyros4 with aftertouch, coupled with the SA2 voices (not found at all on S950), gives you a more expressive, much warmer and stronger sounding instrument. The T4's SA choir voices, also not found on S950, are superb and are great either on their own or mixed in with other sounds.

Plus, on Tyros4 you can combine three voices in the right hand whereas the S950 allows only two, giving the former a lot more expressive power when layering. You can get some awesomely massive synth patches that way.

Also the T4's wheels (mod and pitch bend) are much better constructed, and the physical sliders under the screen (with the virtual ones as well) are very handy...I like using them, not just for balancing the sounds (mixing), but for activating the drawbars on the Organ Flutes section...they feel way better than the buttons.

Nothing gimmicky about the Tyros4 either...no audio drum styles, with their limited editing, and the built in 250 gig HD (with two USB ports) makes storage extremely well provided for, not to mention that mine has the 1 gig expansion board so I can add new voices/drums when I so wish.

The effects section is more powerful, and having three pedal inputs is very cool...one for volume, one for sustain, and one for another purpose, rotary speaker speed change e.g.. The tilting screen is also much easier to read than the S950's fixed one, although the latter is still pretty good.

The more I play the Tyros4's FSX action, the more I've come to appreciate the great design behind it, plus it just feels far more robust and built to last...and hopefully it will, because the T4 just might be my last investment in an arranger.

Ian