Here are five recordings of the same song, using five different arrangers. Genos, S970, PA4X, SD7, and EA7.
All done live on the job by me.
Wonderful Tonight multi keyboards

Great comparison. Shows me that it really doesn't matter which one as they all sound as good as the person playing it. I think I liked the Korg best but really not sure.

EA7 all the way..
sounds live and remember its half the price of the others..

I liked the Korg Guitar the Best...Harold

1. PSR - by far (flowed the best and soft instruments)
2. EA-7
3. 4X
4. SD-7

Just saw the Genos - tie for 1st

1. Genos
2. PSR
3. EA7
4. SD7
Just shows how subjective listening to the different keyboards is. l didn't like the Korg at all, but the Genos and PSR were quite close to each other for me, and likewise the EA7 and SD7

Russ

Genos and PSR use same songstyle.
Korg uses converted midi file (onboard midi to style converter)
EA7 and SD7 use generic factory ballad styles.
EA7 and PSR use Harmony M vocal processor. The others use built in vocal processors.

Jim I have it almost like you... Based on pleasing sound, and not the style used.


1. Genos
2. E-A7
3. PA4X
4. SD7
5. PSR (if you guys think the Genos and PSR sound close.. get new monitors)

They're all good, Don, but I can definitely hear the difference in each keyboard's tuning, EQs, etc. Personally, I enjoyed the S-970 the best, mainly because it showcased your vocals better than the SD7 and EA7. Overall, there wasn't a hill of beans difference between them all. Damned, you almost sounded as good as me with this one.

All the best,

Gary

(if you guys think the Genos and PSR sound close.. get new monitors)
[/quote]

Just listened to them again, and nope l don't need new monitors Fran, just have a different liking and opinion of the keyboards to you

Russ

Well I guess if we had 30 people’s opinions, we would get 15 different answers.

The comparison is fair because the performer is Don M., he makes all of them sound good. Why does he make them all sound good? Because his performance is 75% Don and 25% keyboard.

#1 Genos #2 Pa4x #3 Sd7---- the rest sound almost as good, but given the difference in price, that makes them appealing.

John C.

+1, Totally agree John. The one constant on all recordings is Don's excellent vocals.

Russ

Should listen, other than computer speakers. I've really become interested in the SX900 recently. Listened to some YT videos last night and it blew me away.

Zuki you going Yamaha sx900 next?

The Genos is an uncompressed wav file, all the others use compressed mp3 files.. this might be much of the difference you hear on good monitors...


In general they all sound good and pretty close..
my ears prefer Yamaha, but the fact that the style is closest to the orriginal might also be part of my prefference, thats something the human brain does for free..

I stopped choosing keyboards based on sound quallity long ago, they all sound great and have tools to adapt their sound to your liking.. Just choose your instrument based on features? And make it your own,,


For the money, EA7 performs best, including its feature set, yet i have a personal problem with its key quallity/feel. The two i have tries felt a little cluncky..

Good catch Bachus, I uploaded the wrong file. I just added the MP3 of the Genos.
Thank you!

I agree with Fran. The fat, warm guitar on the Genos stood out for me.

Enjoyed listening. 👍😊
Just picked the two of the collection that pleased my ears and personal taste best:

1 - SD7
2 - Genos

SD7 differ more from the others and deliver a warm soft sound that fits very well to this song.

I just listened to them all again, one after the other. As I have often said, there are no wrong choices these days.
Just some random thoughts on a rainy night when they won't let me work/play ...
I think I like the overall sound of the Korg best, but each of them has its strong points.
The Korg has the best vocal processor for sure, and I like the guitar sounds a lot. I hit the wrong ending button on it; nothing was programmed there! Korg has the truly wonderful Songbook than no one else has equaled yet. It has some terrible endings. You have to play around some of them. I could edit them, but I'm lazy and shouldn't have to do that.
The Yamaha guitars do a lot of the work for you. Hard to make 'em sound bad. Not sure I like QUITE the level of "help" from the SA voices though. Yes you can choose different ones, but I don't want to have to reprogram every OTS! Even though the new OS is way better, it is still the most difficult to learn and live with. Just my opinion of course.
The Ketron has its own charm. Not sure I used the best drum kit on it. The guitar was more of an acoustic, while on the Roland I used a slight overdrive sound. Neither wrong or right, just different. Eric Clapton doesn't always use the same guitar.
If I could assemble an arranger out of the various parts, I'd use the Korg vocals, the EA7 intros and endings, Yamaha fills and breaks, the flexibility of the Ketron and keys of the Genos or SX or EA7. Others will prefer the semi-weighted feel of the Korg and Ketron.
The EA7 lacks the big touch screen and doesn't display text files, and doesn't have a harmonizer, and has limited fill/break. BUT, I like the keys, the weight, the styles, the ease of operation and the PRICE. I love a few of the sounds. . . sax, organs, a few guitars, one piano, fiddle.
The Genos has that incredible pedal steel sound, and all the sounds are really good. The new drums are much better than ever before, but still not any better to my ears than the Korg. Genos has the vocal oohs and aahs down perfectly. Ketron audio drums are another story; they are just REAL drums.
With AJ's latest work, the Ketron guitars are WAY better than they ever were before.
If the Genos was 61-key length, I would have probably kept it.
If the Korg had lighter key touch, I would be almost totally happy.
If the SD7 wasn't so wide and was a little lighter, and had softer keys, it would be hard to beat.
If the EA7 had . . . ON and ON!
In the words of the great philosopher T. Graham Brown..."Big, little, short or tall, I wish I coulda kept 'em all. MMMM I loved them every one!" No perfect women, no perfect arranger, but there are some really good examples of both creatures.
If you read all this stop by the club and I'll feed you!

After a couple hours of listening again in detail comparing one to another, I came up with a different opinion then I did before..

I thought maybe the E-A7 was recorded with reversed left/right channels ( stereo image just didn't sound right, I reversed the L/R , but didn't notice a big change).

Every demo could be made to sound better with adjustments to EQ (mixer).

The Genos was not the clear winner as I thought in the beginning.

The PSR970 remained dead last .

PA4x, to me lacks fullness/clarity and seems very effects oriented.

Not even close.. SD7 has the fullness, clarity, realism, richness, and bass and drums are unbeatable.. My opinion , it was the best demo (sound).

Here is my "new" lineup.

1. SD7
2. Genos
3. toss up.. PA4X and E-A7
4. PSR970

I was very open minded in my judging.

Don, I am impressed with number of different keyboards you have owned and played --- your opinions have creditability. And I agree, each keyboard has its own value.

The Technics, Korg, and Yamaha keyboards I have owned all have done a great job in a different way.
John C.

I say who are we to judge?....

really? one song?

common people we can do better then this.....

there are so many variables to each keyboard in sound especially
let's just play music...

Kinda like the Genos overall...They all sound Great...Harold

Genos sounds mono , bad recording in my opinion .
When you whant to compare the keyboards you musnt sing with them .
Only on the Pa4 was the panning right (just my opinion )

I,

We are consumers, and we responded to a request.. We have a right to voice our opinions

Mine was based on the sounds of the uploaded offerings.

Fran you are right to a point but why do we always have to judge what is better then the other...it is just one song.....it can be done in so many ways using so many variables, sounds, styles, etc,.....
and all of this will be gone in a few years anyway....I say stop judging and more playing...it's all good,....it's all music.
Less talk more music learn from it all.

Donny, I'm confused. Somebody puts up a couple of versions of a song and asks, "which one do you like best?". What could possibly be wrong with that? Then you follow up with "less talk, more music". From YOU! SERIOUSLY?

From your mentor, Fran: "We have a right to voice our opinions".

chas (still your friend)

Don, maybe your solution is twofold..
Did you ever consider combining a Hammond SKX with a Ketron SD90?
Or a Roland VR-9 with a ketron sd90

Or the best Italy has to offer..
A GSI DMC-122 witg Gemini board and a Ketron SD90

Or the new fantom 6 with a ketron sd90


If you like the Ketron sound so much.. but dislike the keys and format of the SD7
Just add a keyboard you really like..

In the end, i am pretty sure the YC 61 or the 73 key nord stage 3 also would make great controllers, but keytouch might be a little heavy..

Chas it just seems so repetitive all the time judging what is "best".....just my opinion as you would say..

Donny, I think there's a difference between "what is best" and "which do YOU LIKE best". JMO.

chas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06PKIaB9qk

If I could make it sound like this!

Great find, Jim - really enjoyed this demo a lot.

Gary

Hey I didn't even ask for judging. Just thought some might be interested in comparing the various models.
All recordings were made the same. The keyboard goes into a mixer, which is set flat. From there a stereo feed goes to my p.a., and another to my Tascam digital recorder. All e.q. and effects are from the keyboard. All were e.q. "by ear", except for the EA7, which is exactly like it was when I opened the box. They are panned the way they come from the factory, but they could indeed be reversed as I don't pay attention to which channels are right and left. In the future I will. See I learned something I knew but forgot.
In addition to these arrangers, I have also experimented with several modules...Midjay, BK7, SD40. There are advantages and drawbacks to using them. You CAN choose the keys you like.
The SD40 is by far the most advanced of the ones I used. I loved the BK7 when I had it but it needs so many peripheral gadgets to make it viable. I feel there are better options now.
This wasn't meant to be a definitive test of any kind, but it seems it did draw a lot of interest! At least we know it was by an average player, done in real-life situation.
I don't see any reason for controversy. If you don't like it, don't read it. Woops, too late!
I'm actually pretty happy with both the Korg and the Roland, in different ways. I think I'm going to set them up together. As someone says, the visual effect would be neat.

Don, you really are an amazing arranger performer. They all sound great. I just thought the 970 sounded a little dull and not quite as live as the others.
Thanks for sharing.
Mitch

You can! It is a fine arranger. Lots of features, great sound.

Hi Don,
Thank you for 5 great performances of a beautiful song.

Would have been interesting if people’s choices of which keyboard sounded best, would be different, if the songs were numbered instead of knowing which one was used.

Tend to think there would be a bit of bias, one vs another, even if we don’t mean to be.

It honestly wasn't be to be a "what's best" post; it was meant to be a comparison of how the various arrangers handled the same song, and I happened to have this song recorded with all of them.

Zuki you going Yamaha sx900 next? [/quote]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06PKIaB9qk

If I could make it sound like this! [/quote]

I think you will see that there are leads going out to external speakers and/or amp mixer, so it will sound better than the build in speakers for sure.


Allan

Hi Don,

A bit late to reflect on this perhaps but better late than "dead on time".....
First of all they all sound quite impressive thanks to the guy hitting the notes and the keys, that much should be clear.
And as Donny and many more would maintain there is no accounting for tastes ( though Tyros 2 is stretching it a bit.. :)), but personally I think your recordings/renderings here are the best on the Genos and the PA4x, not surprisingly so as they are supposed to be the best I guess, and the most expensive...
There is one caveat though and I am surprised that Fran after listening again came out with the SD7 on top.
Now as you may know I have had a Ketron SD7 for approx. two months now and overall I am quite pleased with it, notwithstanding its shortcomings. I guess the SD7 comes somehwere in between the TOTL and the MOTL models and as such one would not expect it to compete with the big boys.
As regards your recording here with the SD7 I can only say that it does not do justice to the SD7, despite your perfect and professional rendering of the song. Believe you me it can sound so much better on the Ketron. Drums and bass have been praised by all and sundry, and many natural righthand sounds are very good as well. The problem with the Ketrons is that they rely a bit too much on previous stocks of styles, average guitar sounds in the accompaniment section ( as for strings as well)...Furthermore the tweaking and programming that can be done on the SD models is almost too much and discourages many from even starting.... The recent demos by AJ on the SD9 have shown how much can be achieved by playing these models.
The PSR970 and the Roland E-A7 are very good arrangers for their price range though.
Thanks for posting,

regards
John

I think we basically came to the conclusion that they all sound great..and none are perfect..

Again, if you like ketron, you can get a super setup by adding the 5 pounds weight of the sd90 to any keyboard you prefer,....

Still catching up ...
Five versions of one of my favorite 'pop' songs, performed by one of my favorite artists - can't get much better than that ...
I couldn't begin to 'compare', but obviously there are differences in guitar and drum sounds ... I thought some guitars sounded more like the original, but I don't think anyone could go wrong with any of these boards ...
Thanks, Don ...

I liked all the version too, and didn't really feel one keyboard sounded vastly superior to another. I guess it comes down to personal taste and what you're comfortable playing. With that being said, the Korg sounded most like to original Eric Clapton version to me. There's nothing at all wrong with covering a song
with a different style from the original recording. I actually enjoy a fresh approach to an old standard.