Just got a SD1, trying to get a grasp of the unit.

I will give my report shortly.

I will be able to compare this the Korg PA-80, Roland VA-7, and briefly with others.

So you've finally got three cool keyboards, you lucky one!

Sold the PA-80 for the SD-1..., sorry couldn't swing it, took a beating from the stocks

You're not singing those "Enron Blues" are you Frank? What a tragedy for so many people.
I look forward to your evaluation of the SD1, particularly in its live performance features.
DonM

Ouch! My back is still aching.....

Well my intial reaction was, wow, what alot of buttons, and they all look the same.

I've played the unit with headphones so far.
The styles are top notch, a great blend of drums to accomp parts.

The layout of the machine is really confusing at first. It takes some time to get your feel around the board. Alot o fthe opereating system is kind of confusing also. But once you start to understand its language, it is a very powerful machine.

The SMF playback sounds great, not thin or strange but a beautiful blend. It can store 999 midi files in the folder, I don;t know if you can make more folders but I'm sure you can.

The sounds are very good, some have a strange type of effect or too much effect as a reverb or delay. But I truely believe the sounds were programmed not for individual play, but as in a band or with the arranger playing.

Comparing sounds to the VA-7, The VA-7 are more realistic when you turn off all the added effects Roland put in. Strings IMO are better on the SD1, Brass on the Roland, it goes back and forth, but if I wanted a keyboard to play stand alone sounds I wouldn't get an arranger.

The PA-80 seems to have the same idea as the SD1 but not implemented as well.

As features for an arranger, I still haven't hit them all but so far it has them all.

One that impresses me is the " to end " button. At anytime during the song you can hit this button and it gives you an ending in less than or up to a measure, so instead of an abrupt stop, or a overdrawn ending you can just end.

Also there is a count in function, which allows you to start a style with a series of 4 drum stick clicks, then right into the style with out the intro but not just starting, very cool.

Once I figure out how to save styles and program patches with speeds and my own names I think this is a winner

I would have to say, if Ketron could better organize the button layout, ( maybe with colors or groupings ) possibly a little help from the Yamaha guys.

Once again thanks to Dano for helping me out, hopefully this is the one for me.

No offense George, your just farther away.

I'll update this when I get a chance to play live with the board.

Thanks

Thanks Frank . Here's a few tips .
If you access the FUSION style . Press F5 for arrange view . Go to the guitar sounds located next to F7 and F8 . Substitute the brazilian guitar with solid body . Also substitute the muted with texas guitar . Turn up the volumnes and listen to the guitar riff ! Way cool . Now press save/enter and F2 for styles . Your alteration has been saved !
Go to 8 beat 4 . Be sure to increase the volumne setting of the acoustic guitar . The guitar strunm within that pattern is great . You may want to just isolate the guitar sound (without brums /base etc ) .
Also check out style 16 beat 1 . Again listen to the guitar part . Increase the voumne level and save/enter . No registrations needed . The Sd1 just remembers your settings . dano

[This message has been edited by DanO1 (edited 01-22-2002).]

Congtats Frank. The button colour is a prob on x1 also but Two of us that have em got different colour circular stick ons and it worked well . Long whites on the wide butons and small circular on others. Different colours is a great help at gig -after some time it is not as necessary but it still helps me two years on. Re count in(clicks) on x1 this functions as a re set of style to 1st beat and it is great when having to back a (lose the beat) singer -simply hit it on his down beat and all is ok. Pierce

The nice thing about silver-colored buttons is you can use nail polish to color the button tops.

Dan Thanks,

Can you help me cheat,( instead of reading the manual )

IF I find a style, change the speed, change the primary sound, and want to save it in a new location with another name lets say the song name, how would I do it?