I can identify 3 ToTl arrangers..

Yamaha Genos
Korg Pa4X
Ketron SD9/90/60

You could also add the Roland EA7 and the Casio MZX-500 to that list
As they are theoretically the top of the line from those brands..
But that wouldnt be fair considering their pricepoints.

So whats your personal opinion on them..
Considering strengths and weaknesses?
Which do you prefer, and why?
Which did you try and didn’t work for you?

For my needs now the ROLAND BK9 is better then all mentioned...

at this stage all listed ...
they are all equal in sound & style,.....most just use an arranger kb in their bedrooms pseudo so called "studio" for their own personal pleasure so what's the difference which one you have if you ain't playing out for audiences..just put on your headphones and play music for yourself to enjoy. The whole whats the BEST saga is getting kinda old at this point ....too many choices,.....too many methods to play music....just choose you tool of choice and enjoy it
for weaknesses and strengths belong to the player themselves always ..
Most just want to turn it on and start playing not make an Einstein's theory of relativity project out of just playing an arranger KB or whatever...that said I love my BK9 !

Merry Christmas to all.

Too much eggnog?

chas

oh yes Chas I am on my second gallon of Nog....
and for breakfast we made Italian style Panettone French toast ...Yummmy!

I would be happy with any of the TOTL keybads you listed but for me the Genos has the best RH sounds, Ketron the best sounding styles, and Korg has the best features. So it would a hard choice to pick one.... I’m not in a position to buy one so I try to make the best music I can with what I got!

Don't overlook the Roland EA7. It has great styles, great sounds, great features.
It lacks vocal harmonizer, but the vocal sound is good. Good speakers, light weight . . .
Quite a bargain at the price point, and it IS the only arranger Roland currently has even close to a TOTL. The BK9 is out of production and difficult to find used.
I still prefer the Korg PA4X, but just barely.

Having owned or played most of the boards mentioned... except the over priced Yamaha

I will say the BK9 and EA7 are overlooked..

They are very closely matched when it comes to value.. I might even give the EA7 the edge because of a refined OS with dedicated buttons.. and useful features..

If the BK9 and EA7 had a touch screen, they would compete with the rest..

The EA7 is the best value for the buck .. What other keyboard , can you purchase at a street price , use for two/three years and still get a return at a $300 depreciation

A Genos would lose that much before the ink dries on your check

So basically in your book every musician that does not play live is 2nd rate? A bedroom musician as you call them, who should not care about quallity as its of no concern to him as he does not perform live? Thats an opinion... let me counter that, with why would you eat expensive steaks at home, if cheep chicken fills your stummage to. I think its a little shortsighted to think home players should not care about quallity and features, let me tell you this, we also have ears and taste.

You talk about “the best”? Please reread the post and tell me where i ask which is the best?

And about your love for the BK9, need i remind you about the fact that you love another keyboard every month? This makes you the person most suited for answering the question, as you allways fall in love with the strenths of a keyboard and drop it when you find the weaknesses of it.

SoI see I've hit a nerve I'm glad we all have our own opinions have a great holiday I know I will take care..

Genos-too much money for me and my needs and is missing some features that an expensive arranger should have IMO. Excellent sound though and the new revo drums and playlist are great.


PA4X-has everything you would want, still a little too pricey for my needs which is why I bought an open box PA900.


Ketron-can't say because I haven't played a Ketron at all. But the demos I have heard sound great.


Roland-I had an E-A7 and I wouldn't hesitate to buy one again. If I ever get to the stage where I want to go to nursing homes again (and use an arranger) I might even look at a BK5 for the ease of use light weight and good sound.

My thoughts on this subject:-
PA4X, great looking keyboard , nice keyboard feel, good sounds, has all functions I look for in arranger keyboard, separate buttons for break and fills, hold button, Restart button, after touch that allows you to bend the note without using joystick, the only thing that I like the least is Kong styles, I’m pretty sure it’s gotta be good, I just could not get into it, I really tried to , I had before Pa1x, 2x, pa900, the styles never really clicked with me.

Genos:-Styles and sounds are nice, it lacks dedicated Hold button, can not bend the note with after touch , no restart button

KETRON I don’t have SD9 had SD7 for a short period 1month, I like my Audya5 better other than nice Touch screen, KETRON has everything that I like as previously mentioned in Korg, big different is I’m used to hear Ketron styles

With all my rambling above, I’m most comfortable with KETRON

Personally i think all 3 have lots of goodness to offer ... but none are perfect...

The Genos, has lots to offer like the SA2 voices, which are still by far the best acoustic instruments, and the ensemble voices which are fun and very unique.. Most of all i like how Yamaha handles files directly from USB and their performance memories. Also the whole interface is huge. But there is also major things missing, where it comes editing (in-depth) and creation. But they also have the biggest selection of available styles and sample sounds. Yet still missing on the piano side of things. Biggest miss for me however is that the things i would like to assign to programmable buttons, sliders and knobs can not be assigned, due to a very limited choice..

The PA4x, is the most professional workstation. Not many fancy features but a lot of direct control and all the editing you would want except for a piano roll for editing midi and style parts. Wheere it shines is it layout, no programmable buttons needed, everything is right there on the front panel. Where it does not work for me, is how it handles files on external devices, and that there are no performance memories, for setting up things inside a performance. Also styles and sounds are just a little less to my taste as the Genos, with the exception of the 2 piano's.

And then there is Ketron. Hard to comment on this, i haven't really owned one. But i like the sound as it reminds me (solo voices) of my beloved GEMs. Styles sound out of this world, and style editing is top knotch. HOwever with just as many people quickly dropping Ketron after buying, but also a lot of very loyal customers, i wonder if i can make it my own. Mostly on the solo sound tab, i think Ketron feels a little dated to the other 2 brands..

There is one reason, i like Yamaha styles so much, and thats the number of great user styles, especially song specific styles. TO archieve that on Ketron, i would need to convert those yamaha styles to Ketron styles and set them up with Ketron sounds(which should work out just good, as V-arranger proofs this)

I am on the verge of deciding on a new setup... might go for the Ketron SD90, invest huge time and never look back... or change my whole setup to a Genos on top of a VPC1. Ywo days ago, i was sure that the first path was the right one... but now i am doubting again..

I echo Paul's comments.

Bachus made a good point too "Personally i think all 3 have lots of goodness to offer ... but none are perfect..."


Donny, Italiano, yes we enjoy Panettone in the North. Egg Nog love it minus the alcohol.

Bachus

I can appreciate your quandary. Fortunately and unfortunately, possessing a broad knowledge of, and using, so many facets of keyboards and modules makes your decision pretty complex. One person may say that the Ketron styles are kick ass, and visualize the effect on a dancing event. Another may say the Ketron styles are great, but since I don't care about live styles as much as the number of choices in the Yamaha camp. We all know there are pluses and minuses, and, the trick is getting the most for our choice. Not easy.

Fran, you've been the inside Roland man. Any idea if they plan to do this with the EA7 and possibly rename it?? Or are you out of the loop these days?