Hey guys...does the new PA4X have the kind of frestyles type styles the T5 has?? If so can you post examples?

I wish the Korg owners/players would post demos...it makes one thing only a small handful are sold...and most of the demos seem to be not my kind of music as compared to Yamaha.

If you are talking for Hip Hop I would definitely steer toward a workstation versus an arranger.

I would think you would want arps & Karma...

But the Korg PA4X is a great songwriting tool. You may be able to find your niche with it like I have. The sequencer is fully capable to get a complete production down with precise edits. Hip hop would need that.

I posted demos of what the board can do recently here if you are a songwriter. IMO it is a great songwriting tool as well as live performer...

It is the ultimate sidekick for me

You obviously have no clue what Yamaha freestyles are..

No Korg nor any others have the freestyle feature, its a typical thing for the high end Yamaha arrangers and CVP piano's.. they are very very very usefull

And there you have it.....I stand corrected........my bad

Thanks for the help guys....
So, One other question...on a PSR S970 can I make my own free style styles (maybe start with a factory one)

I am 67 and I do not play any modern music.

Yes.

OK, excellent!
Thanks Gary

Someone on the PSR-Tutorial site posted a large number of free-styles he created on the S-970 I believe, and I think they will also work with the S-950 and most of the Tyros series keyboards.

I attached the latest collection for the S-950 and S-970 keyboards

Gary

As far as I know, no other brand besides Yamaha actively market "free play styles," which provide a chordal accompaniment with little or no rhythm, to support rubato playing.

However, and I have posted this on SynthZone several times: Free play styles can be programmed on a Korg, Roland, Ketron, etc.; pretty much any arranger which supports user styles, "retrigger" of long notes which are programmed for the duration of the style pattern; and either sync stop, or the ability to turn off chord "memory" so that the sound trails off when you release the keys.

I have uploaded examples of free play styles for Korg and Roland on this forum, and other forums which are specific to those brands. Search my posts for links and downloadable attachments.

Anyone who understands the basic theory behind an arranger can program a free play style, or recreate the popular ones which are included on the Yamahas. It's not mystical or magical. It's just a specific and imaginative application of the built-in feature set.

this is probably not a Free Play Style, but you can simulate a free play style on the Pa4x. You can turn off the drums and other parts of the style, use manual bass and off you go. Look at the following video at the 7:55 time mark for an Example of what I'm talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FsTvQfiPQ

Thanks guys....looks like free play styles is available and can easily be created....never tried so this is interesting.

I think this will allow you to create something akin to the freeplay styles..

Tough will they really follow your playing as good as the Yamaha Freeplay styles.. The yamaha styles play fluent and naturally, what you are trying to archieve will force you into playing a certain way to archieve the same functionallity..

Which is a huge difference..

What kbrkr suggested is not really a free play style, although it might be an interesting non-traditional way to use your arranger. In a free play style, the bass is controlled by the automatic accompaniment engine, just as in a regular style.

Bachus I don't know why you keep insisting that Yamaha are doing something different, or have some kind of special programming. They do not. Did you ever LOOK at a free play style such as "Ethereal Movie" using one of the excellent 3rd party style editing programs which are available for Yamaha styles? Yamaha free play styles don't "follow your playing" any more so than any other style. They employ the same real-time chord recognition, which is the defining feature of all arrangers.

The main difference in a free play style is the absence of a well-defined rhythm (no drums or percussion, and long, sustained bass notes rather than a traditional "bass line.")

Depending on when you change chords, how many tones are in common between the old and new chord, and what instruments are playing, Yamaha free play styles may "glitch" just like a user style which is created using the same principles. If sync stop is enabled, a quick and clean transition from one chord to another helps, but the same would be true if you were playing full chords and bass pedals without accompaniment.

The trick is choosing instruments or voices which have a longish release and gradual attack. When you overlap these kinds of sustained tones on multiple tracks over several measures, and the keyboard has a well-implemented retrigger / repitch function (which Yamaha and Korg both have), the glitching is minimized and the effect is pretty convincing, if a bit dull.

I often play traditional worship music. No drums or percussion, and sometimes there are odd time signatures and changes in meter mid-song which are incompatible with traditional styles. Yamaha's free play styles are ideal for this type of music, but I have created similar styles for Korg and Roland which are just as suitable. No change in playing technique is required. Also for a different effect on the Yamahas, try enabling "sync stop", or setting a sync stop window.

Here's some fantastic movie styles for Yamaha arranger keyboards.

All the best,

Gary

Here's one more.

Gary

Hi Guy's

Regarding free play styles I've just acquired the vArranger from Dan and browsing through the Pa4x syles I came across the Serenade style in the Ballad section which is I believe a free play style similar to the Yamaha Ethereal Voices and Ethereal Movie styles.

I don't think it is quite up to the Yamaha standard but they are obviously trying.

Col

Does Varranger support the Yamaha free play styles?

Yes it does.

I've had quite a few different Arrangers in my time such as:

Casio CTK670, Korg i30, Yamaha PSR S900, Korg Pa800, Korg Pa2x, Korg Micro Arranger, Roland G70, Korg Pa800, Roland E50 and now the vArranger.

The vArranger paired up with the Novation SL49 Mk2 is the best set up I have ever had. The Novation keybed is a dream, the vArranger is so flexible it's untrue, using a combination of the PC keyboard and the SL49 it's possible to map all the knobs, sliders and computer key's to suite all styles of playing.

To say that I am pleased would be a serious understatement, thank you Dan you're not only a genius but an extremely helpful one.

I have loaded the styles from the Pa3x, Pa3x Musikant, Pa4x, Pa4x Musikant, Bk7-m, G70, E50, PSR710, Tyros 5. That should keep me active for a little while.

Using the included vSynth, a GM set of voices which are a good enough set to suite most people, all the styles I have tried played extremely well. If you need any more voices you can load VST instruments easily.

I could go on but it's time for bed I'll do a proper review when I've had more time with the software, I keep finding more feature's as I go along.

Bye for now.

Col

Already compatibility for the new PA4x?

How does it sound regarding "translate" of the audio styleparts?

All the styles I have tried sound very good to me, Col

Thank you Col,

Been a fan of Varranger for quite some time now... And its only getting better in the future.. Its incredible how Dan keeps improving the Varranger.... To bad it does not run on my Macbook (tough i am also spoiled with my T5)

The weak point of Varranger is marketing, why isnt youtube flooded with high end Varranger vids, thats what will make the Varranger sell..

I already proposed a big youtube campaign when the Montage goes live and bundling it up with Varranger...


And Dan should have a good look at the Casio MZ-X, and how it uses the pads in addition to the styles... Adding that kind of functionallity to the Varranger would make it surpass both pa4x as well as Tyros 5 as most versatile top quallity arranger of the future...

What audio styleparts?


Currently Varranger offers 4 soundsets of the highest quality, each costs €100, one for each of the 4 major style brands... Yamaha, Korg, Ketron, Roland... This makes all styles of all brands sound good to great witouth any edditing...