Pardon me if these videos have already been posted on this forum. To everyone interested in the Genos but perhaps you are sitting on the fence as to whether or not to get one. These three videos are probably the best examples of the true nature and quality of the Genos in my opinion. Peter Baartmans is also probably the best arranger player on the planet currently and he really does make the Genos shine in these three videos. The goal and most important feature of any keyboard is realism. In other words, how close in actual sound does the keyboard sound to the real thing. You can go down the line of sounds e.g. brass, woodwind, organ, guitar, strings, synth, piano, drum kits, etc. How do these categories stack up to the real deal i.e. a real piano, a real guitar, a real organ, real drum kits, real brass, etc.? I can think of no other keyboard currently on the market that excels in overall realism like the Genos does. The Pa4x comes close but I think the Genos even outshines that keyboard. Now surely there are other less expensive keyboards that also sound really good but if your main goal is authenticity i.e. realism then Genos really is the best choice in my humble opinion. I realize the biggest barrier to getting a Genos is the expensive price tag. If you're on a limited budget then there are other options that will work well and one of them is the s970. I guess my main point is, if you're still a fence sitter, then if these three videos can't convince you probably nothing will as to whether or not to get a Genos.

PS: I was really surprised how well the hammond B3 emulation sounded that Peter played in the first video. Everybody has to make up their own mind obviously. If you're on a tight budget please consider a less expensive option especially if you're married and have children. The Pa1000 is an excellent choice and so is the s970. The Pa4x is $1,500 cheaper than the Genos and it also sounds great. To each his own but if you want the best (my opinion of course) and money is no object, the Genos really is the obvious choice especially if you're a professional singer/songwriter. Now maybe winter NAMM will change things. Maybe Roland and/or Ketron have something up their sleeves. Korg will be showcasing the Pa1000 at winter NAMM and in the hands of a skilled demonstrator maybe that keyboard will be the next mid-range hot ticket item. Roland is overdue for something special in the way of a high-end arranger but we'll see. If nothing of significance materializes at winter NAMM then suffice it to say the Genos, the Pa4x, and the Ketron SD7/9 will continue to corner the market in the high-end arena needless to say. You already know where I stand. Please be advised the videos are in Dutch.

All the best,

Mike

Great videos professionally produced...thanx for sharing.

Sounds amazing, and I agree Peter Baartman has to be one of the among the very best demonstrators out there.

BTW, could anyone tell the title of the jazz ballad that he plays around 10:30 ? It's stuck in my head now, I know I've heard it before and it will bug me if I don't find out the name of this tune!

First video.... "The Nearness of you"

One of the things Genos excels in is the creation of the different "feel" of every style. If you play a country style, for example, the DSPs and instruments actually have a country feel to them. Same with the other styles. The Genos captures the essence of the different styles very well. Other manufacturers don't quite do this as well as Yamaha. The mood changes with every style. Listen to the videos above and you'll see.

Yes, of course! Thanks!

I'm very impressed with the brush sounds in some of the styles.

Paul did you order a genos and sell both your keyboards yet?

No, too much going on now.... I actually have four keyboards that I use now! I just added a Korg Havian 30 to my collection. I know it sounds crazy but I'm quite happy with what I have and it's all working very well for me.

Yikes carrying 4 kbs now Paul?.......
ONE Genos could probably do it all for you?

Merry Christmas buddy & Happy New Year!

No, I usually just go out with one or sometimes two keyboards. It's just a matter of picking the right tool for the job. Best wishes to you too Donny this holiday season!

Tx Mike for sharing. Guess I’m not really on the fence...more so standing on one side of the fence looking over. 😊

In my case, for me to get interested in Genos would mean playing one.

Trouble is, the only way I could get my hands on one in Minnesota is to order one on-line and send it back if I don’t like it....hassle.

The largest dealer in Minnesota of Yamaha pianos and keyboards doesn’t even carry the Genos. He carries all kinds of Clavinovas and Yamaha grands...but no Genos.

Then there’s the cost. Priciest TOTL arranger out there. I’ve owned a Tyros4(plus at least 4 MOTL PSR’s) Great keyboard(Tyros4) but my PA4X outshines the Tyros for me...and costs less.

Maybe some day.

Tx for providing the videos.

sounds like your happy with your korg pa4x as it should be ...
just wait a year or too you could pic up a genos1 for a song right before genos2 is released....Merry Christmas to you & Yours!!

No fence sitting here. I passed on the Genos for the same reason others sprung for it------76 notes. Yes, it sounds fabulous. However, I prefer 61 keys, with built-in speakers. More portable. Can set up and practice anywhere without headphones. Can work small parties, with no external system. So, I’ll continue to enjoy the S970 until the next PSR upgrade arrives (if it’s 61-notes). And, soon to experience my first Korg, if it ever shows. On the waiting list for the Pa 1000.

once you use the KORG you may never return to Yamaha....

Same old song, just different lyrics!

Gary

....but you might switch to ROLAND .

chas

Hmmmmmmm....I though I already did?

It's German, not Dutch. Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands.

Hmm, you're right. Peter is actually Dutch so I thought he was speaking his native tongue in the videos but upon further investigation he is indeed speaking German. He speaks English of course too. I wonder if he speaks any other languages besides those three? Maybe Japanese perhaps? Not only is he a brilliant keyboardist he's also a multi-talented linguist as well.

All the best,

Mike

Mike,

Nice job with your review/thoughts on Genos. No fence sitting here Genos is the arranger to beat now, pretty amazing. If you can afford it go for it, life is too short. Just this year I have 3 particular friends all my age (65-67 years old) all with heart problems. 2 had triple bypass, one of those 2 also has prostrate cancer, the third a heart patient had the LVAD pump device installed in his heart to keep him alive.......he needs to walk around with 2 battery packs to keep his ticker ticking without that power he’s as good as dead........as I say if you can afford it go for it life is too short.

Another school friend was buried this week age 66. The male side of my family doesn't have a great track record of age longevity. Not trying to be a cynic nor a philosopher here just observing what I see happening around me.

Naw ... just the newest one on the block.

I agree, Genos IS the arranger to beat!

Gary

I don't think it beats Ketron sound and drums or Pa4X editing power or drums.

"once you use the KORG you may never return to Yamaha"

Not true. It depends.
John C.

+ 1 ...

Ketron is hard to beat for LIVE sound...always been like that...

My dad can beat up your dad.

😜

Just having fun here.

😊

I think much more emphasis should be on becoming better players then whats the so called BEST sounds or whatever don't you?

Seems about right for an arranger forum vs a player forum, IMO
regards, charles

Glad to see you jumped on board Stephen. I was coming from a Tyros 3 so I thought it might be time for an upgrade. The new DAC's on the Genos really give it that extra ummph if you know what I mean. Same thing occurred going from the Motif XF to the Montage. Plus basically all the Genos styles have been reworked and many of the voices themselves have also been re-sampled and improved from what I understand. Of course there's always room for improvement but suffice it to say Yamaha did an outstanding job with their new flagship arranger keyboard.

Oh and rumor has it there is going to be another firmware update soon according to a Yamaha representative. The Genos OS is a Linux distribution and it's running a new ARM processor so it's a new operating system that Yamaha really hasn't had much of an opportunity to delve into before the Genos was released from what I understand. So consequently there are a few bugs that need to be ironed out. One of those bugs I reported on was the Auto Shut Off feature shutting down my first Genos when it wasn't supposed to and subsequently the User drive became corrupted. I disabled it on my current Genos until hopefully Yamaha addresses the situation. I discussed this previously but I wanted to mention it again so other Genos owners are aware of the situation.

I'd like to see more Youtube videos comparing the Pa4x with the Genos. The first one by Hamilton Music in the U.K. wasn't comprehensive enough in my opinion. Korg Pa4x owners claim the Pa4x is better than the Genos sound wise but the proof is in the pudding as they say. Both are excellent keyboards but only one wins the trophy and in my opinion that is the Genos and that's not because I own a Genos that's because my ears don't lie. If the Pa4x was better sound wise I'd be the first one to admit it. As you know my past posts on this forum have not shied away from telling it like it is regardless of the brand. I don't mince words and I try to remain objective because if it turned out the Pa4x surpassed the Genos I would have said so and more importantly I would have gotten a Pa4x instead of the Genos. I'm glad I waited until the Genos arrived on the scene since it really was worth the wait. To each his own though. I respect Donnie and Uncle Dave's opinions I just happen to disagree with them.

All the best,

Mike

Nobody prefaces their 'declaratives' with "In my opinion" anymore. Given the subjective nature of all things musical, maybe they should. Just sayin'.

chas

I will say it until my ears fall off - the beauty of ANYTHING lies in the senses of the beholder ... I will not hear, see, or even smell, exactly what someone else is experiencing because in some way, shape, or form, my sensory organs are going to differ from another persons ... I had a fine arts teacher tell me that only a very small percentage of people can look at a color and tell what other colors formed that one, therefore everyone sees colors differently ... hearing falls into a similar category in that people will hear different levels of highs, mids and lows ... so this whole debate about what keyboard sounds best ?!? - EVERYBODY is right, if it sounds best to them, because we don't know what they are hearing ...

I think Donny said a long time ago - Play what you love, Love what you play ... the rhetoric means nothing ... whatever means you use to do it, make beautiful music and share it with others ...

Actually, chas, Mike did say "in my opinion" which I give him credit for (not that he should be looking for MY approval ) and said he just disagrees with Uncle Dave and Donny ... at least he didn't say they were wrong ...

Yeah, I missed that. Sorry.

chas

Chas, isn't it their opinion of they say or type it? In this wonderful world of high speed, internet communications, there seems to be a huge number of opinions, and sometimes, even a few facts. Kinda hard, sometimes, to find the factual parts, though.

Merry Christmas,

Gary

Not necessarily Gary. An opinion is only valid for the one who states it (and those that agree with it) whereas a declarative is a statement of fact. Example; "In my opinion, Genos is the best arranger ever made" - opinion; "Genos is the best arranger ever made" - declarative.

In Mike's post, he DID say "in my opinion"; I just missed it and subsequently apologized. BUT, as you pointed out, with so many opinions and so few facts, maybe we should just assume that "in my opinion" is implied (instead of having to type it out); it'll save a lot of bandwidth .

chas

Yeah, I agree.

All the best,

Gary

Hi
Definitely German, I could understand a fair bit of it.