The voices are in a word amazing !

I have always looked to the organ sounds of my past arrangers , and the T-3 is no exception.

However , I have discovered , there is more to an arranger than great organ sounds.

Yamaha has done a spectacular job with sounds that I would not ordinarily use.
The guitar sounds are very realistic and are a heck of a lot of fun to play.

The brass section has always been a strong area for Yamaha and on the T-3 , they just got better.

The woodwind section is extremely well sampled and very authentic as well.

If there was a weak spot , I would have to say that the piano sounds are not as good as they could be. I base this on my trial of the Roland FP-7 , Yamaha is good but , just not as good as Roland when it comes to piano sounds. Please keep in mind that with some tweaking , you can achieve a very good piano sound. I base all the sounds I am reviewing straight out of the box , and with the Yamaha 2.1 speaker system that was made for the Tyros.

I find the organ flutes good , but no where near a real Hammond , of course I have played tone wheel organs and it is very hard to beat the real thing.

The basic organ sounds are very well done , and would be a fine addition to anyones list of go to sounds.

In a good arranger I also look to the string section , and that is where you will find some of the most well but together samples of the whole keyboard , they are excellent and extremely well done , and very fun to play.

The synth section , could be better , but this is an arranger and not a Motif.

The styles are of Yamaha ancestry , the first time you press start , you will notice that classic Yamaha sound. That is a very good thing.

The HD recording is very easy to use , even for a beginner.

Adding samples is equally easy , to a certain degree , you must do some work. Don`t except a sample to load and off you go. It is almost the easy , but not quite.

Older midi / kar files may need to be re-voiced for them to sound correct on the T-3 , I have no doubt that if you purchase midi files from Yamaha`s IDC web site , you will have no problem at all in getting them to sound perfect.

The overall sound of the new Tyros is somewhat different than other arrangers or even other or past Yamaha`s. It is more like they have done away with that pre made industrial sound , this goes for the overall sound and styles as well , it is more like live play without the usual Yamaha polished effect. That means more realism and accuracy. Another good thing !

The new style of the Tyros is very pleasing as well , I thought that I would miss the diamond style , but I find that is not the case at all.

The overall build quality is very good , and I am hoping for a long relationship with my new Tyros 3.

If you have a chance , try one , or just buy one !

Either way you will be glad you did. I waited about a year and a half for this keyboard , and searched for many other arrangers before it`s release. I am glad that I had the patience to wait.

If you are wanting one or are thinking of buying one , please contact the following:
http://www.audioworksct.com/music.html

Please be sure to ask for Frank , you will not be disappointed.

I hope I have in some small way helped !

Take care , and Have Fun !!

Gary 

Gary thank you for that thorough review.

I agree with his assessments after buying a Korg PA2x (when I could have bought Tyros 2 for 10% less than cost as a retail employee)
I sold the Korg based on the T3 on paper before I heard one.

Now that we are Korg Dealers and I can get a Korg for cost or less I still bought the Tyros 3 and have no reservations or remorse. For my use the Tyros does it all and is a huge upgrade from the T2 not only on paper. But to the ear as well.

Working with it to redo older songs is more challenging than just pulling up a style as I am still learning how to use it as a basic DAW workstation and waiting for an INS file for Sonar. The MIDI implementation is different.

Good review, Gary.

Glad you like your Tyros3.

An awesome arranger, to be sure.

Sound wise, it is definitely more robust and substantial, and yet, it still keeps the classic Yamaha sound.

Of all the SA guitars, I like "Single Coil Clean" the best...great for Country tunes.

Congratulations on your new keyboard...your patience paid off.


Ian

What's the main difference in the MIDI implementation?

Hi Gar,

Enjoyed reading your T3 review and after just having had the opportunity to explore & play one for several hours myself, concur with most all your assessments. Though I came away disappointed by Yamaha's (falsely?) touted vastly improved Tyros3 grand piano voice, lack of MFD feature improvement enhancements, and pathetically lacking (3.2MB) internal flash memory, there are many other features (and sound improvements) to admire. That said, though I acknowledge these improvements, after having tweaked and setup my Tyros2 and getting it to sound just the way I want it, I remain very satsified with its sound & what it offers me as a live player, and plan to wait till AFTER the holidays before reconsidering (again) any upgrade to Tyros3 or other keyboard brand/model.

That said. Gar. Congratulations on your new Tyros3 keyboard. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about your experiences as you discover its power and music making potential and would love to hear your music performed on it as well.

Scott

Hi Guy`s ,

Thanks for the positive review of my review !!

Yes Ian , I am glad I waited.
And you are right , the guitar voices are a blast to play ! , they almost sound as good as when I play guitar !! LOL

Diki , when you try to play an older midi file , the T-3 will use as many of the newer voices as it can , and won`t go into the "legacy" folder unless you force the issue. No really big deal , just have to work around it.
All in all a very good A/KB , buy Yamaha could have done more , but I`m still pleased with my choice.

Scott , KF , Stephenm52 , I glad my review has helped.
I do wish that the piano sound , out of the box , was better , but I`m sure I can make it usable , just a little nudging and it will work. Still not the sound they advertised , but workable.

My go to sounds , like organ , strings and brass and now guitar , are worth the price !!

Have fun ! and Take care !!

Later ,

Gary 