I am in the market for a new keyboard to use with my band on gigs, but haven't yet decided but Yamaha do seem to be winning sound and interfacewise. Because I play with a 6 piece band "Arranger Keyboard" features aren't really necessary ( although nice to have at home ! ) so I am leaning towards the Motif6 at present, which I liked, is light and will fit in my Camaro with 2 amps, stand and 2 guitars. While I don't want to spend too much I dismissed the Triton LE for both its sound and keyboard feel. Plus the interface didn't seem like something I wanted to use on stage. I need to check out Roland's recent offerings such as the Fantom or even the VA76 although they are priced a little higher than say the Motif6. I am still using a Roland JV880 for the past 10 years which has some great sounds though it's piano is a little weak for using live. Lately playing gigs I have just been using a PSR-550 which while being quite useable and light to carry has a very smeared sound quality and cheap keyboard so I do need to find something around the $1000-$1500 mark that will do the job.

While I don't need an arranger keyboard, but if one fits the bill then I would certainy like to have those features for songwriting at home. I had thought about the PSR 2000/2100 but reports of the cheap keyboard action put me off trying that as an option.

Hi Nigel,
i play in a Rock-Pop-Disco-Coverband (six-people). I've tested and owned a lot of keys the last years - from Emu Sampler to Triton and Kurzweil PC2 and XV.
I must admit that it took a long time to accept that an "dancemusic arranger keyboard" fits best for my needs. But even while i owned other synths i mostly used the G1000-Sounds. The last gigs i played only with G1000 and it worked well. The natural sounds are great over PA. Many Synth i tested are great on headphones but disappointing playing over PA against real drums and distorted guitar.
Now i've changed to VA76. Main reasons were the number of voices (128) and the new stereo pianosound (great!!). Both natural and synth-sounds are superb.
It's a great keyboard for gigs for all kind of muisc.

Many greetings
Volker

Nigel,

I can't say for sure because I don't know your taste in sounds, but if you dismissed the Triton Le, and you're looking for "good out of the box", I'm not sure if the Fantom will fit the bill either. The sounds for the most part are very "thin". The Motif is a nice board, despite my recent complaints about the polyphony. If you're not making layered sounds with multiple samples, the polyphony likely won't be a big deal. The Motif 6 is compact enough, not too terribly heavy ( although it's a bit more than say my PSR2k, and has a much more solid key feel than the PSR2000 does. It also has some very nice sounds "right out of the box".

If you really want that arranger, the PA60 is in your price range too. For my ears it has better out of the box sounds than the Triton Le. When I say better I mean the raw samples might ( or might not ) be similar but there is much more attention paid to producing the right mixes and effects on the "panel voices", therefore better sounding patches..esp the acoustic voices. An important point for you since you mentioned it, the key feel is not as solid as the Motif, but much more solid than the mid range PSR line.

I like the VA76. I can only speak from the perspective of someone who has spent only a few hours playing one, but.. for me, the key feel is decent, the styles are good, and a lot of the sounds seemed to be very nice as well. What I didn't like was the OS and navigating the board itself. This was my chief complaint with the G1000 as well. In spite of that, I'd own one if funds / space permitted.

AJ

Nigel,
Buy the 2000/2001 and you'll never look back--there's a huge difference between the 2000/2001 and the 550. As for the key feel, hey, it's not a piano--it's a synth--two different instruments. If you really want it to feel like a piano, slip a strip of foam rubber beneath the keys. I did that to a friend's keyboard and he raved about the great key feel. He was an accomplished piano player. The sweet sounds, incredible guitars, excellent piano and all the other features make the 2000/01 the best keyboard on the market for the money.

Cheers,

Gary

My choice for a band would still be the 9kpro, but there is a new offering from Roland that caught my eye too. I think it;s a "760" number, but I'm not sure. It's not an arranger - but more like 3 separate kb's in one:
1-drawbar organ
2-dedicated piano
3-programable synth

It's set up in 3 sections so you can play any of the 3 alone or together, and having the waterfall keys and real drawbars is way cool. It's a nice feel, maybe 76 keys but I didn't look at it that long.

I still think the 9kp is the best feeling, best sounding, best built, best featured kb for band use ever. (Wish it was black)
Thw psr line up is not in the same league when it comes to construction,
and Gary - there is a huge difference between "synth action" and whatever it is that yamaha did to the 2000/1000 line. That's more like "toy sponge action". (but I've beat THAT horse enough ! )
Motif has the best rhodes sounds out there, and great organs too. You have your work cut out for you Nigel ..... Happy shopping !


[This message has been edited by Uncle Dave (edited 07-02-2003).]

I played the last board ( Roland 760 or something or other ) that UD refers to the other day when I demoed the Fantom S. I'm not sure of the model # either, but there is no mistaking the board when you see it. Great Organ sounds, like nothing on any of the arrangers we play and talk about here.
I agree with UD. The key feel on the 2000 is similar to the feel from the 500 / 700 series PSR's. It isn't very good at all. I like my 2000, but it doesn't feel very sturdy, the key feel is mushy and because of this it's mainly relegated to being a backup in case my PA80 goes down ( though the PA80 has never given me any trouble at all ).

I also agree with UD on the Motif rhodes sound. It's outstanding. The organs are very good too. The AC piano is nice ( even the GM one ). The board is a pretty good "all in one" for a wide variety of sounds. Of my 3 boards, I would choose it over the PSR2000 and PA80 for playing in a band. By the way, the sounds are good on the 2k, but it's not really in the same league as the Motif in that area either. Especially if you want to do anything at all using synth patches.

AJ



[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 07-02-2003).]

Uncle Dave knows his stuff!!
Plus he's a good cook

While I fully agree with UD's comments on using the 9000 Pro with a band (because that's what I do), I think it's overkill for that particular application unless you want to sink a lot of money into just one arranger instrument that can carry practically any solo or band gig. Even so, I'm not thrilled with Yamaha's recent attitude towards the 9000 Pro and I'm not sure if I'd recommend buying one anymore. Mine has an uncertain future.

If I was going to buy an inexpensive, relatively light and small keyboard just for band gigs, I'd certainly consider the Kurzweil KME-61 for around $699. I haven't actually played one of these yet but I love Kurzweil sounds and this looks awesome for the price.

Also, if you're thinking about a new Motif then you might want to check out my thread on the new Motif ES that is coming out this October. Not only will the new Motif be pretty cool and feature things like USB connectivity and the Mega-Voice guitars from the Tyros but Yamaha is offering a special upgrade program for existing Motif owners to trade up to the ES. Yamaha plans on putting these old Motifs back out on the market at reduced prices, so whether you are in the market for a new Motif ES or the current Motif, the market is about to change soon.

Nigel,
I just got the word a few days ago that we can sell the motif 6 now for under $1500.00 and this is a great value. The Motif keyboards have been seen on almost every major tour with bands all over the world since it's introduction. It's sounds, sampling, sequencing and user interface, makes it a very popular piece.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

So what's the stigma with playing an arranger keyboard on stage with other musicians? I play with an oldies band; 4 musicians and 3 singers. I play with a Korg Triton and a Yamaha Tyros. I use the natural sounds of the Tyros using ultra-quick patch changes and the Triton I use for Synth, Piano, Sax, and brass sounds. I setup all my patches in sequential order and can quickly select the approprate patch for the song using the Bank Select buttons on the Korg.

The beauty of owning the Tyros is that when I'm not performing, I use it to rehearse and compose using the arranger features. It's an invaluable tool as all arrangers are.

Hey, it works for me...

Al

[This message has been edited by kbrkr (edited 07-02-2003).]