this thing definitely has the goods

I think this will be my next keyboard alongside my Motif XS!

Wow. This looks like a major step forward in arranger tech. Ketron ups the ante!

Just wait - I can see it now - Yamaha will come out with their version of 'live audio arrangers' to compete. Then SA voices will be old technology and you'll probably find them, along with megavoices even on their entry level boards...hmmm in about 5 years, maybe?

Ain't technology a hoot?
Tim

Tim,
It does make you wonder really. The day that SA voices trickle down to the entry level models..., you can't help but wonder where the voice quality will be in the upper end units.. I'm still waiting for those "Super Galactic Voices" of the future Hell by that time a keyboard will probably be nothing more than an ipod with a midi controller attached

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 07-25-2007).]

Can't wait to see/hear this board in person!

I am curious about one thing.

One would expect that the price on the AUDYA would be close to $4,000.00 US, or more! Hope I'm wrong!

With that in mind, I'm concerned about the unusually low amount of built-in styles. The specs say over 200, but thats a long way from T2s 400.

Any thoughts?

Don P



[This message has been edited by donpatt (edited 07-25-2007).]

Geez..., the price WILL be up there man! If the Ketron SD-5 goes for over $2,000 I can only imagine what the cost of this new model will be.

Don....
400 vs 200? the key is personal "USABLE" styles
Styles are a non issue in today's arranger market as far as availability, flexibility, conversion, with so many ways to mix & match.... the Audya is so much more then just an arranger KB........my sources in Europe who have seen the Audya tell me this is going to blow the sox of the arranger world feature wise...I guess we'll wait and see? If its near $4k and does so much more its worth it to those who can afford it & will benefit from all its features.

One thing to remember though, the more there is of IT, the less there is of US; the more it does, the less we do; not always such a good thing. Lets hope we never get to the point where the emphasis is on the 'machine' and not on the performer. JMO.

chas

chas look around buddy ....too late for that its here its taken over its getting worse......cant beat em ....join em...
this stuff is just in its infancy my friend.....we ain't seen nuttin' yet Im sure! Hold on to your seats its coming fast & strong in the future.....the DJ/LIVE PLAYER Sqeeze play GAP is getting smaller & smaller
I'm ready I think, are you?

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 07-25-2007).]

Still no word how these live loops can integrate with the intros, endings, fills, altered voicings, etc. It just didn't seem like a cooincidence to me that all the video so far of the audya shows the live instrument loops, but never gets beyond major and minor, and never shows them with an intro and ending. I understand the concept, and that it may well someday be a revolutionary advancement, but right at this moment I have my doubts. I'm very willing to be surprised though.

Too soon to tell by an early rear view only demo.....but Ketron is on the right track with integrating many different modes of play simultaneously for sure..

Here is a top deck Closeup of the AUDYA



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 07-25-2007).]

Drum loops have been available for years in computers, and the Ketron SD1 has also been able to use them in their styles since launch, (Including Intros and Endings) (Wersi also uses Drum loops it its Real Drums, and these came out in 2000) however it appears (As would be expected) that Ketron has advanced its Time Stretch and Pitch Shift technology to a point were they can now use it on instrument loops, (Software has been available for computers that achieves this for some time) which is a first for a Hardware Arranger Keyboard.
So I don’t think we need to worry about Audya not being able to deliver.

Bill

SLIDERS !!! Oh Yeah (sigh)

As some have pointed out from earlier threads, though, when dealing with loops of bass lines, or guitar strums or picking patterns, etc., do we get as much choice in different chord types and extensions as you can get with a MIDI based guitar?

I really can see drum loops working very well, but guitar (especially)... How many chord types are going to be available? Pitch and time-stretch techniques still can't turn a recording of a major 7th chord into a major 9th, or a major 7th flat 9th, etc. Unless there is a HUGE library of chord types in RAM all the time, I don't see how this concept can work with anything other than simple chord types...

Then multiply that by piano chords and patterns, horn lines, and all the other sounds that are supposed to be 'real audio'. Without GIGA type audio streaming and a HUGE library, this could end up as just a novelty that isn't practical for most songs and styles. And, of course, if it DOES sound so much more realistic than the regular styles based on MIDI notes, it may make for some unfortunate comparisons as you go from 'real' styles to regular types...

The one thing we all like to see on an arranger is consistency. Go from one style to another, and not get dramatic shifts in sound quality. I am going to be interested to see how well Ketron integrate the 'real' audio stuff with the regular styles....

yes donny this could be one to give up the sd+ for!!!
dennis

Hi Dikki
Your quite correct about samples, but as I have mentioned before, manufactures (Both Software and Hardware) are slowly moving away from sampling towards sound modelling which requires much reduced ram (Disc streaming is also not usually required) but increased processing power.
Therefore its possible that Ketron has developed an algorithm to model the actual loop in relation to the instrument in use, e.g., the loop is modified as if it was Midi loop being played using a Midi pickup or an arranger chord system. (And of course a Real Guitarist)
It will be interesting to see what it actually does when it is released.
Enjoy whatever you play

Bill

Bill... Hardware arrangers usually trail software, at least in the implementation of new concepts. Is there even any software out there yet which can morph real audio recordings of one chord into another, or modeled guitars that can be controlled with MIDI that are as nuanced as a real one?

The only thing that Ketron seem to be touting for the Audya is the use of time-sliced and pitch stretched audio loops. And, to my knowledge, there isn't anything that can change the internal structure of that recording (maj9 to min9) for instance) in current software.

Nor have I heard a modeled acoustic guitar that rivals an audio recording, yet (the majority of GIGA sets are just chord audio recordings, and they have HUGE file sizes). So it just strikes me you may be looking just a bit TOO far down the pipeline, Bill. What is current software reality may eventually (far too slowly, IMO!) make it's way to arrangers. But expecting groundbreaking features before they even become software realities is a bit optimistic