Since the arranger market has heated up with some incredible new boards...do you guys (professionals and amateurs alike) think that Yamaha has succeeded in creating a board that truly produces a “live sound”?

We’ve heard from a few owners that it has a “softer sound”.

With all the new demos...what are your thoughts?

jingleman (I’ll reserve my opinion for a day or so)

P.S. The sample I provided previously (Summer of ‘69) was as “live” as I could get with the PSR-S970

I have to admit when I first started hearing early demos of the Genos...I thought it sounded a little dull. The drums could have been brighter and hotter in the mix.

There is such a plethora of sounds in the instrument, along with exceptional articulations, it still sounds pretty amazing.

The one sound that stuck out as being a little out of character was the orchestral strings. They sounded almost shrill on the Kraft demo. Other demos have also shown them to be to bright and out of character.

Just my opinion, but wanted to get the ball rolling here!

Take it from a owner, the Genos sounds are fantastic and the drums are excellent. Go and demo one at a store to really hear the Genos. Lloyd

Thanks Lloyd: Would you say that it sounds more live than any keyboard you’ve played before?

Some owners have reported that the overall sound seems softer. (I’m paraphrasing here)

Jingleman,

Seems I answered this question in another post. I own both the Yamaha Genos and the Ketron SD7. The Genos is a vast improvement over the Tyros line of keyboard but in no way does it have a real live sound. It is still the same "Yamaha" sound we are all familiar with. That is not bad and the keyboard has a great sound. But, if you compare it to the Ketron SD7 for real live sounds it is like comparing little league to major league baseball.

Deane

Amen to what Deane said. I haven't heard the Genos in person, but there is no way it will sound as "live" as the Ketron.

Amen to what Deane said. I haven't heard the Genos in person, but there is no way it will sound as "live" as the Ketron, which has audio drums.

I tried the Genos twice last week, when I bought my PA4X. The drums sound a lot better and there is more overall clarity to the sound. However, the Korg still sounds more convincing overall, more 'present'. The Genos isn't helped by Yamaha's usual habit of smothering everything in a jumbo helping of reverb.

I also found the Kino Strings voices a big disappointment. They sound quite artificial and have a surprising lack of nuance by Yamaha's standards.

Thanks guys, I guess this begs the question, “Is it necessary for an arranger to sound live...or just sound good?”.

Deane: I remember your videos of the 3 keyboards. They all sounded good. So doesn’t it really boil down to the performers preference?

ABSOLUTELY ... to paraphrase, it is all in the EAR of the beholder ... that is why there are so many opinions about the sounds of any KB ...