Anyone surprised?
(C'mon ... it's TEN whole days old !)


Despite the awesome sound and rhythms of this fine unit - we are not a good match for live play. Here are some of the reasons why:

I need a dedicated button to switch the manual bass on and off. This is in a menu on the XD9.

I need a dedicated button to turn the kb into full piano mode - this is also in a menu on the XD9. Sometimes after I turn off the drums, I want to play the ending in full piano mode, and I need to access this instantly. Two button pushes in different locations is simply too much wasted time.

There are a few "double duty" buttons that will not do both functions in the song play mode .... for example - the octave button for the RH is actually TWO buttons that also control the volume of the sequencer. I hit it during seq play and it turned the sequence off! (Can't have that - I need to access the octave at all times)
Speaking of that octave button - it's weird .... it's not a dedicated up or down choice - you go in succession from normal to up to down in a cycle. Too many pushes for a live situation.

The transposer interrupts the sequencer for a split second during playback. I frequently transpose the keys to accommodate certain playing styles, or to allow for difficult fingerings that I am already used to in another key - if you don't have it set ahead of time - forget about doing it on the fly. The interruption is noticeable.

The layout of the fill in buttons is better than the X1 but still takes a little getting used to, because the fill in's are no where near the variations. It works well for arranger play, but when I'm doing live bass ... I can't move my hand that far away from the keys for too long. Again ... this is only a problem for guys that do manual bass a lot.

There are a few more "pet peeves" that are personal hurdles, and could be overcome with time, but with these few incompatible areas ... I just can't make any more sacrifices to my comfort zone. In live play - it's all about comfort.

This XD9 is a great choice for the player who loves to play melody and chords, and uses registrations to set up the keyboard instead of "on the fly" changes, like I do.
It's a little clumsy in a few areas, but if you are not as fussy as I am ..... it still has the best sound of any of the other offerings to date.
(I have yet to hear Tyros and kn7000, so I exclude them from my statement)I also excluded the Genesis because I don't believe it is really a PORTABLE keyboard. Too awkward and too heavy.(My opinion, of course)

Don't get discouraged because of MY dismay ... this board is a terrific performer for the typical arranger player. The chord recognition is great, and the solo sounds really shine. My style as the bass player is cramped by the lack of buttons ..... a lot like the VA7's trouble for guys like me. In the right hands .... this will make you sound like a million bucks ... in MY hands ... it makes me sound like I'm playing with mittens on !