I guess I simply EXPECT to tweak anything I buy. It's pretty plain to see that I am not a fan of the Yamaha 'sound', the drums still don't cut it, for me at least. I play in live bands, I simply want my arranger to sound like one!

So, for me at least, it doesn't matter what brand I buy, I would have the same amount of work no matter which! So my main focus is on, what does it sound like AFTER I have tweaked it..?

In the meantime, if anyone is trying out a BK-9 (or other Roland BK's), and you want a quick glimpse of what it will sound like after you tweak a bit, turn the Mastering Tools down a bit (or off, if you have great monitor speakers). Do it for both the Style section and the Keyboard Parts. This will return a more natural dynamic sound. Then turn up the faders for the ADRUMS and ABASS Parts to 127. Now back down the Style/Keyboard Balance knob to about 10 o'clock, so that the RH sounds are quite a bit quieter.

This should cure at least some of the issues with the style Parts and RH sounds being too loud, and kicking the master compressor in too much. And you should at least be able to run through the factory presets and them be closer to a decent balance.

On the whole, I'm not really all that impressed with ANY arranger's OOTB sound. So tweaking it is part of my buying decision. But that's where hanging on to an arranger for 8-10 years pays off! You only have to do the tweaking once a decade or so... Keep playing musical chairs with gear, and yes, your need for something you can live with OOTB goes up exponentially. But it doesn't seem like such a PITA if you only do it ONCE and then sit back for many years.