Hello everybody,

Well, I have a different opinion concerning WK8:

1) sounds: very good (except the piano sound). But I have to be fair and say that all the piano sounds on ALL ARRANGER KEYBOARDS are lacking and maybe the WK8 piano sound in comparison to the rest is above average. The good news is that the realpiano expander is actually PRO1 sound. There is new WK8SE that incorporates that PRO1. so if you like the PRO1, you will definately like WK8SE and I would strongly recommend it above any other keyboard. (I wish I can pay GEM money to upgrade my keyboard to SE. I will however, never buy new keyboard for the sake of upgrade).

2) WK8 is hard to learn. This is a fact. However, the fact it is hard to learn or takes long time to learn, does not imply it is not easy to use in live performance. Once you learn it, it is the most logical, easy to operate, expandable, programmable keyboard you can ever buy. Furthermore, it is the most logical from live performance point of view. I know people who earn their living using this keyboard and they showed me why it is good for live performance. I am not talking from theoritical point of view, but from experience and from watching people performing on it and myself ofcourse.

3) the styles: well, this is a very opinionated subject. The styles on PSR series even if you got to PSR8000 or higher, I can easily say they come from a keyboard and not a live band. I am not putting down Yamaha, but because I used to be (and still am) yamaha keyboard fan and owner, I always can tell if that style is coming from a yamaha keyboard or not. The WK8 styles are different, they sound more realistic. The above post mentioned that the techno/dance styles are ok. I disagree. I believe that the other styles are better than the dance and techno. So it is matter of opinion. You need to listen to it yourself and determine if you like the styles and sounds.


So what I do think of WK8? I like it very much except the piano sound. But I guess no piano sound less than Yamaha P80 will make me happy. *smile*