Jer and all,

Interesting post but I agree with Fran on the 4 accounts are incorrect as I can do all 4 things.

However I do agree with what you say with regards to the KN2000 smf playback. I tell you why because I posted a similar thing about a month ago on the old forum about the GEM WX2 still the best ive personally heard for midi file playback. This keyboard (which I still own and have no intention of selling) is around 7 years old and plays songs on it effortessly and very faithfull to the original. It is even better than the X1 on this account, but thats all though. I really cant explain why its like this but its true and I even hate to admit it but the GEM WX2 plays songs exceptionally. I dont know why and what causes it to sound so good, but it just does! I myself have over 2000 quality midifiles/GEM specific songs that are a delight to play and sing along with. They just dont sound the same elsewhere.

I have never heard a KN2000 so I cannot judge. I have owned around 12 keyboards in my lifetime, and I think my first experience of song playback was on the PSR5700 in 1992? i cant remember the exact time that was. That keyboard was excellent.

But i think we are slowly going away from my original issue, and thats why various top keyboards have an incompatability problem with standard GM compatable files on GM keyboards. There have been a lot of explanations from a lot of people and they all make sense. But having played the same midifile in around 6 keyboards of recent times, the Solton X1 sounds like it plays the midifile like its supposed to sound, eg, with all the proper sounds in their relevant tracks. I often find on the PSR8000 and some tracks are 'snoozed' and having a need to go into the mixer and up the volume. Thats OK. The I30 suffers like the WK8 but not as bad where it seems to pick up any old instrument, and thats including drums. For exampled the drums are supposed to be in track 10, what the hell is a drum instrument doing in track 1 on the WK8 and the grandpiano in track 10 I dont know for the life of me!

Anyway, interesting subject and I am seeing a lot of views on this. Great stuff.

Danny (UK)