I am afraid I didn't like the Roland keytars. That stupid pressure bar that you had to go around to get to the pitch strip drove me crazy!

I must admit, the Yamaha's prehistoric MIDI is quite a hurdle to get round. PC#'s only up to 64, only transmits on Ch1 and Ch2, no PC/00/32 codes, velocity only up to about 110 or so (early Yamaha's, including the DX7, didn't transmit past 110 or so for some insane reason), it's a nightmare to use with modern gear.

Fortunately, I can filter PC's from my BK, so I do Performance changes from buttons on my FC-7, Upr1/Upr2 selection from an FC-7 button, MFX on/off, Leslie Fast/Slow, sustain (it's on the keytar, but if bending, impossible to do at the same time).

But two really handy buttons and a knob give me instant control of Portamento on/off and time, and mono/poly modes, something you rarely see on front panels of arrangers any more.

I used to use a Roland M-GS-64 rack module of the Super Canvas, but this BK-7m module is the BOMB! Quite honestly, the best companion for a keytar made, right now...