Hi all.
I have read much about the many different keyboards here. My problem is that now that I have been given the go ahead from my fiance to skip buying a wk3500 and spend what I need to get what I really want I am not sure what I really want.

Can anyone please tell me any and all keyboards that compare to the tyros (and give the comparisons) in price, performance, features/bang for buck?
I ask comparisons to the tyros due to my having the most present knowledge about the tyros, and my higher lack of knowledge to many of the other comparable boards out there.

Any help will be appreciated.

(whew) My fiance told me to get whatever I wanted just before actually closing the deal on a wk3500, which I have since been able to back out of.

With respect,
Jim the Old Newb

Jim,

All of this, of course, is very subjective. It solely depends on what you want to accomplish with the board. The Tyros is an incredible machine that will do just about anything anyone with a creative mind could every wish for. The next step down would be the PSR-3000, which in reality, no one other than a few folks at the NAMM show can really provide much insight as to it's capabilities. If you do not wish to wait that long, and don't want to spend the sum required for the Tyros, the PSR-2100, and the PSR-2000 are both incredible machines. Note, all of the machines I've mentioned have been Yamaha's, and for very good reasons. I've tried others, Rolands, General Music, etc, and though all had some great attributes, none had the versitility, support, style selection and availability, and voices that I've personally enjoyed with the Yamaha boards.

The best advice any of us can give you is to go to as many stores as possible, sit down with the boards and actually play them--don't have the sales person demon them for you. Go through the navigational pitfalls, listen carefully to the styles and voices, check out all the options, then make up your mind.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary

I have bought many arranger keyboards over span of 15 years, changing every 2 or 3 yrs/sooner. The best advice from me is to buy one from a retailer that offers money back guarantee like Guitar Center which also offers price match provided you show them a print of the advertisement (from a music website like music123.com). Just about every keyboard that I bought had some shortcomings that I really disliked and only found out about it after using it for couple of weeks. I thought the highly touted KORG PA80 was awesome, well after some frusrating days of pushing knobs, etc to get what I want to do, I gave that up and never regret that decision. And many other examples. None of them are perfect but some you can live better than others. You just need to try it for a few days.

Currently the best out there and can still be found quite easily/practical is Yamaha Tyros and Yamaha PSR2100. And also the KORG PAx. Basically just KORGs and Yamahas. Not much choice, huh !

The other high end arrangers like Technics, Roland, Ketron and Genesis are also top arrangers but much much harder to find and the price/performance ratio left much to be desired IMO.

But personally, I like the outstanding keyfeel of the low end keyboard of Yamaha DGX500 but the current model has a shortcoming that I really dislike (you can search for discussions on this on older threads). It just makes me want to play it more and more. There is a new model coming up this year in the same model that addresses some of the bugs.

Do a search here on the SZ .....you'd be surprised at all the info you'l absorb before you buy!

Thank you Gary, Lukitoh, Donny for your advice and opinions. It is exactly what I am after. I know that I ultimately will make my own decision and I will try to make it as educated a decision as I can.

You are of course right that the sounds and feel preferences are subjective and ones needs/wants from a keyboard are most important. So, I will explain what my future hopes/plans are.

Sounds/feel aside, I am looking for not only a good board but one that will hopefully be the most compatible with other equipment I may someday own. For instance, will a tyros work well along with a kn 7000 or with a korg perhaps?
My future plan is to perform not as a single but with my mate as a duo. Both of us having our own rig while we both alternate using other instruments as well. I play guitar ('87 Strat+ bought new) through a digitech rp400 processor which has it's own stereo keyboard and lo-z mic inputs. Any guitarists may be familiar with it. I also double on sax and harp (blues harp/harmonica) while my fiance will play some keys and some accoustic rhythm guitar. We both sing but a harmonizer in a keyboard will be a nice plus for us.
Eventually I will have the 2 seperate rigs for us but in the beginning there will be just the one so preferably the keyboard will be user friendly for my fiance is pretty much a beginner at midi sequencing/arrangers
while I have at least like a mid-level knowledge and abilities.

Does any of this help explain my needs/wants?

Also having a nice screen with score/lyric would be kind of nice.

I would like to eventually use the arranger as primary music back-up but initially will be using a lot of midi files.

I really think I will wind up with a tyros but just dont want to feel like I am rushing into it (though I can hardly wait for the thing ya know? lol)

One of the disheartening things about tyros that I think I just recently read somewhere here is that the mega-voices are arranger accessable only? That they are not playable like a panel voice. Is this correct?

Well, that's it for now. I know there will be more comments and questions as this post goes on.
I also want to thank you ahead of time for using your time in helping me out. I can not wait until I will be able to help others out as well.
Also I want to add that, it will be a couple months perhaps before I will be making any purchase as we must get our taxes filed and returns recieved first. So there is no immediate rush and I will be reading all the archives I can in the meantime also.

Oh, and what about comparison between 9000 pro, tyros, psr3000.

And do the psr2000 and psr2100 both have harmonizer? what other commonalities/differences between these 2?
Peace and health to you,


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The old Newb

[This message has been edited by OldNewb (edited 02-08-2004).]

Both the 2000 and the 2100 have harmonizers, the 2100 has twice the user memory of the 2000, a few more voices and styles, but other than that there is not a lot of difference between the two. Naturally, the 2000 is now a discontinued model, therefore, you'll find them at a really good price as closeouts. By the time the 3000 comes to the U.S., July probably, the 2100 will also be history as well and the price should begin falling on that model.

Regardless of which keyboard you decide upon, if you're going to be performing in front of an audience, figure on eventually hooking up to a laptop computer, especially if you'll be using midi files and karoke files, both of which are excellent tools. The size and quality of the laptop screen will allow you to view the lyrics and screen selections of other devices much better than the keyboard's screen. Neither, unfortunately, will provide a good view outdoors--keep this in mind when booking jobs. It's a real problem that the keyboard/music industry never seems to want to address, probably because such a small percentage of their consumers are professional performers, and only a fraction of those perform outdoors.

Good Luck,

Gary

The Tyros Mega Voices are meant to be used within Styles although you can access them and play them individually if you want. If you do play them as a Panel Voice it is practically impossible to play them "effectively" without running into dead notes, hammer on notes, velocity switching (high-low - un-anticipated as to which note, ie., high-low sound you will get depending on how hard or soft you hit the key) - in other words it follows no rational logical formula as playing a normal real guitar does. (A Guitarist or Bassist has control as to how his Guitar or Bass will sound - not so with the Tyros Mega Voices). Also the Mega Voices use Effects that will cause weird sounds that you were not intending to hear or play.

OldNewB, if you want Mega Voice quality sounding Guitars or Basses that can be played in a Live setting without the fear of running into all kinds of problems and quirks as is the case with the Tyros' Mega Voices you probably should consider the Korg Pa1X PRO. It has all the features, "relatively speaking of course" - of the Tyros (except 128 note Polyphony) and more. It has 76 Keys vs. the Tyros 61 plus it has Sampling capability. And Korg's answer to the Yamaha Mega Voices makes it all the more appealing because with Korg's mega voice technology implementation you can play the Guitars and Basses and possibly other type instrument mega voices effectively as a stand alone Voice. You're hit and miss with the Tyros' Mega Voices. More miss than hit IMO. Although there are adjustments within the Tyros OS that can make playing the Mega Voices a little easier if not altogether perfect like you can with the Korg Pa1X/PRO.

But having said all that; there are many, many excellent Guitar Voices included in the Tyros. And even though they may not be quote un-quote a Mega Voice, they still sound very good and very convincing.

The PSR 9000PRO is a discontinued Model which support for it has essentially already dried up from Yamaha. There will be NO MORE OS updates for the 9000 PRO and it's a hit and miss proposition with finding parts in the future if not already. It is a great Keyboard though and if you can find one at a good price you might want to consider it also.

The PSR 3000 is the new kid on the block which won't be available most likely until a few months from now. I look for them to become available by this summer if not a little sooner. It appears the PSR 3000 will be a great little mid-range Keyboard that will be packed with features.

I am a little leery about espousing some of those features because there has already been a flap over how much WAV ROM it will have in it. Until Yamaha posts some conclusive specs on the PSR 3000 other than he said she said or a little bird told me so (ever hear of the term = dirty bird?? ) LOL Ha Ha! So until some factual substantial specs are posted by Yamaha on their site then we can only speculate really.

PS: I'm guilty of spreading false info at times too although I don't do it to spite people and it is completely unintentional. As hopefully is the case with the false info on the PSR 3000 WAV ROM. It was a big let down when I heard the 100 MB WAV ROM was incorrect.

So you see; your guess is as good as mine as to how much WAV ROM the PSR 3000 will actually end up having. Same goes for all the other features too IMO. That is until we get the 'official' word from Yamaha.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 02-09-2004).]

Mike
Thank you for the info on the Korg/tyros mega voice situation. Actually I had also just found the old post by George Kaye from a year and a half ago explaining this same issue at least from the tyros side of the coin. I guess it has to do with multiple sounds and their velocities.

I think I am leaning toward the tyros anyways at this point yet, even with not being able to play the mega voices live.
By the time I get really comfortable with the tyros and all it's intricacies maybe then something else will be out that I will be more interested in.

I fully expect it to take me a long time (a year maybe) to get fully comfortable with the working of a tyros, and to achieve the proficiency to get the most out of it. But I also expect to be able to get enough out of it almost right away, to begin setting up my personal play lists and have them sound professional enough to go and start seeking work with it (within a couple/few months)

I appreciate all the time and info you all have given to me.

I am finding out a lot of info from tyros archived posts, and will continue to read them.





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The old Newb