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Originally posted by Octave8:

.....If I want to find out more about a new Keyboard I will avoid reading on forums that lean towards "biasness"


O8, I am not sure if you mean this forum is biased towards a particular brand/model of arrangers; at least that's what I thought you meant. Each member might have a biasness towards one brand or a model, but the brands/models used by the members are so diverse among them that, as a whole, I think this is very close to being an unbiased sample.

Quote:

- because all you are doing is fooling yourself into thinking "you" have the best product on the market.


I own a PA80, but I think it is NOT the best product in the market.

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I've heard great comments on the PA80 for example, on other forums, but not so much here (by comparison) That's probrably because its a KORG - and KORG - with its Triton engine will appeal more to most "Pro" players than "PSR" keyboards - which people see as "Cheesy".

O8



The way I see it, having good hardware and software/data related to synthesis in an arranger is sort of like having good instruments in your band. Having good control software and data related to the automation in your arranger is kind of like having good players backing you. If your arranger has the former category well designed and implemented, but not the latter, then it will sound like bad performers playing good instruments.

For example, you play saxophone on the PA80 and you have to play the harmonica soon after that. After the last note on the sax, if you switch to harmonica using performances or STS, the sax stops abruptly. Does the sax player have to mute his or her instrument because harmonica player is about to begin playing ? harmonica player has not even started playing! On a Yamaha, after I play the last note on SAX, I would hold the note down, and switch to the harmonica (I can use OTS). Then press the sustain pedal down and start playing the harmonica and release the pedal soon before I hit the second note on it. This way I can avoid the unwanted gap between the two instruments. On PA80, it is just like having great sounding sax and a harmonica and having a stage-frightened sax player who gets confused and stopped playing because the harmonica player got ready to play it. I don't think this behavior is appealing to an arranger keyboard player.

If I just wanted the Triton sounds I would buy a Triton. But from an arranger I expect good arranger features as well.

Also, play an accomponiment on PA80 and hit the Break button. How pro sounding is that ?

These are just examples of PA80's bad software design decisions.

BTW, I get confused all the time as to who a pro is. Is it one who makes a living out of it, one who places oneself above the others, or one who doesn't play arranger keyboards ?

Shiral


[This message has been edited by shiral (edited 12-24-2001).]