http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImsxV32ii8U
http://www.yamahapkowner.com/go.php?http...ptempo8beat.wma

In my heart I know the S900 is the best solution for my needs & hectic in & out everyday gig schedule....I dont expect anyone to understand my reasoning because only I can be the judge of that on stage. Listening to this demo has brought me back all over again to Yamaha. I apologize for my flirtatious KB past scenarios but I am a very passionate player that needs certain features to accomplish my musical tasks.
Enjoy what you play ....I know Im trying my best too also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfwNDgSNBhY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFHzSRuMiCw&feature=related



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-29-2008).]

It's not surprising to see the return to the Yamaha PSR-S900...friend Diki predicted this scenario, and the S900 is an awesome "bang for the buck" arranger...but, what is a bit disconcerting to the occasional forum lurker or member, is the bashing of this product (and the manufacturer) that went on by this person before the return.


Ian


[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 11-29-2008).]

I wouldn't consider it bashing versus honest opinions of the drawbacks of the unit for my needs. What works for me, doesn't work for the next guy. Can't help it if I voice my opinions.Tyros line included & I have had a few of those also. But in the end when the dust settles your left with what you have.....then weigh the Pros + Cons & workaround it if your tolerance will handle it.
No arranger KB will ever be perfect!
At least I'm man enough to admit it regardless of what predictable friend says .

It's gig time again, gotta go

BYE

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-29-2008).]

Yes Donny, it takes a man to admit it...but it's very obvious to most of us that you have been a very confused man if we go by your earlier posts on the S900 and E-60.

It seemed like you had your feet firmly planted in mid-air.

Let's hope they've finally found solid ground this time, but time will tell.

Have a good gig.

Ian

indecisive   
Pronunciation [in-di-sahy-siv]

–adjective

1. characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided.

2. not decisive or conclusive: a severe but indecisive battle.

3. lacking definition; vague or indistinct: the indecisive outline of the distant hills.


Guilty as charged

Being indecisive can be a curse, but it also gives one a good excuse to keep buying gear, sometimes unnecessarily.

It also would seem to be a bit more serious problem when one keeps buying and selling the same gear over and over...but if one has the time and money to invest, then so be it.

Ian

Then in that case ....I am truly Blessed

No doubt, in your mind, you are, Donny.

Seems such a waste of time and money to sell and rebuy basically the same products, but it also seems you have convinced yourself that it is a blessing.

Whatever works for you.

Ian

Wow! If I could play that well I would only be working half as much, mainly because I could demand much more money.

Cheers,

Gary

Donny, good luck and I know where you're coming from. As you know I just purchased an s900 to complement the Pa2xPro. I like both boards, some gigs the s900 just feels better to play at with. I've always enjoyed Yamaha products and for the $$ I'm getting of plenty of bang for the buck.

Donny, in your heart you will know what is for you.. regardless of what anyone else says or does.

All one can do is follow their heart, because at any given moment in time, it is the only accurate guide to a person's true aspirations.

Go get em boy!!

Dennis

Dennis ....Thanks...

Godd luck to you

Take care

"I used to be indecisive.... Now, I'm not so sure!"

You know what WOULD be 'man enough' to admit, Donny?

Just how much have you spent on arrangers (cost payed minus cost sold) in the last year or so since you sold your S900? And don't give us that 'it pays for itself' line, because if you had simply kept the S900 in the first place, you wouldn't have lost ANY of that money (it's a loss if you would have made exactly the same with the old gear!).

You know, just in case some poor confused lurker or member here for some mad reason decides to follow your example, and just keep trading around forever!

What confuses me the most is the fact that you are probably VERY aware of what you do and don't need on stage.. MFD's, OS, all that stuff. Why would not a quick workout in a store (or even a simple read of the manual) tell you whether the MFD stores transposition, or whatever else bugs you enough to dump something, and save yourself the transition work (plus the transition back!)?

One thing appears very apparent from all this... if your bookings didn't go down during this odyssey, what you actually play doesn't seem to be anywhere NEAR as important as you make it out, to yourself AND to us...

As you keep pointing out so vocally, it isn't the gear it's the player, and then on the other hand, you ACT as if the gear is EVERYTHING.

It can't be both....

BTW, Ian, and the rest of you, do we start the 'Donny watch' now? I give this one a little longer than the others. Three months tops...

As stated in another thread "who is the fool - Donny for praising it or the person who buys it based ONLY on someone else's evaluation ?!?!? ." ???

t.

Donny,

Good luck with your new S900 it's a nice KB. I know you had one in the past but maybe this time will be the charm. Only you know whats best for you.

Donny, Where does it say you should not fall in love with so man different keyboards. Or that which you feel one day must be the criteria for the next. Part of being a one-man-band is the excitement of a new keyboard.

I have two conflicting beliefs: First, stay with a keyboard until you know it’s every part. The second is to change keyboards to relieve the boredom of the same whatever on your present keyboard has. ----AND both views are correct in my opinion.

Here is a FACT for me – A new keyboard excites me enough so that I find my playing and knowledge improves. Sometimes I find myself playing well into the night and enjoying every minute of it. And that’s just beautiful.

IMHO, John C.

I thought third time was the charm?

This is Donny's second go round with the S900, isn't it? (I've lost count, I admit it )

I purchased S900 after hearing it's demos and previously i owned psr-3000 and it is somewhat better than s900.The s900 is good only for few SA voices and USB audio recording and better key bed.Overall the psr3000 sound is better than s900.I realized the importance of ps3000 after selling my s900.Now i'm getting new Tyros3.I don't know whether Tyros3 will satisfy me or not.

Sunny

Wow

I don't think I've heard that one here before...

Most S900 users say the new one is better for what got added, and no different otherwise (like most Yamaha model changes, to be honest...).

Anything specific you want to tell us about? I was always under the impression that the S900 was basically a PSR3k plus some more voices (a few SA ones, especially) and the audio recording ability.

Actually, Diki there are 23 Super Articulation voices, and 65 new styles...not exactly sweeping changes, but Yamaha does things incrementally as we know, and these changes are made all the better as the list price is actually lower than the 3k's when it was introduced.

The layout is a bit better, although some find the screen hard to read because of the angle...I find it okay for me.

More features...I personally find the Audio to USB very handy, and the new dedicated panel buttons for voice control AND...get ready for this ....all at a lower price...can't beat them apples.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 12-02-2008).]

If you truly believe the 3000 sounds better than the S900, do yourself a favor and do NOT buy the Tyros3. You will hate it. Keep your 3000. Give the extra money to the Salvation Army's Angel Tree. It will do more good.

Lot of factors can make you not impressed in a store with a new model... bad monitors or a mono keyboard amp can ruin an arranger's sound (if you are used to a good pair), but common sense would make you believe that a newer model, especially a Yamaha, who go VERY incrementally on nearly everything arranger related, is VERY unlikely to sound worse than it's predecessor.

So Sunny, how did you arrive at this conclusion?

Diki,
I always keep on buying new models whatever comes in the market but we should not think all the new models are good and Donny's idea is good "TRY BEFORE YOU BUY"

Sunny

Donny's words are wise, Sunny.

What made you feel the PSR-3000 was better than the S900...was it the sound or perhaps the layout?

Ian

Psr-3000 plus points:
1.Professional look better than S900
2.Voices sound very melodious during live playing.s900 has too much reverb.
3.Light weight-very easy to carry.
4.Metallic buttons.
5.Smart card facility to store data without depending on pen drive.

Sunny

I see.

The reverb can be adjusted very easily.


They weigh approximately the same. PSR-3000 is 11 kg, the S900 is 11.5 kg.

That .5 kg must have been the deal breaker.

The look I guess is subjective, but they do look very similar...what was more professional looking about the 3K?

The smart card was handy, but I don't miss it...the flashdrive holds much more and is more easily removed.

You didn't fancy the SA voices?

I think they are terrific and they were the main reason I upgraded from my 3k.

The keybeds are identical...trust me on that one.

Buttons? Ah well...I do prefer the rubber ones...very durable and less slippage.

I did prefer the angle of the 3k's screen to the S900's and I thought the buttons surrounding the screen were more visible on the former as well.

Maybe the Tyros3 will do it for you, or perhaps even a second hand Tyros2?

Ian

I enjoyed the Psr3000 very much also. But when the S900 came along there seems to be a much more brilliant overall sound to the whole KB. The SA voices, USB, are definitly a plus. For the price you pay & the sound you get it has to be the best bang for the buck on the market.

I have to agree John on the quality of the sound overall....don't know what new technology Yamaha used but you can surly hear the difference. My second one is on the way here.

Four gigs so far with the S900 in the last two days & I'm settling in & gettin comfy all over again.Good thing I saved all my settings.....just stuck in the Thumb Drive loaded Reg/Sty/ a little Global EQ's & all is well again what could be easier.!!!
I dont want to start sounding like Ian ...but I kinda love this little baby even with it's drawbacks that I have to work around....but all in all "I make it" sound very good.Yamaha has just given me the tools.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 12-11-2008).]

Donny,
Have you ever gigged with a ketron, what are your thoughts?

So far I have owned & worked with on stage with a KETRON X1, XD9, MidJay, SD1+....

That being said how can I help you?...
ask away.

I'm a newbie to yamaha s900 almost a year now and for the last 10 years always played a ketron with occasional second board like a korg or roland. I no longer own any since I purchased s900, but I find myself recently second guessing whether I made the right choice selling the Sd5 for the s900. Don't get me wrong, I love the sounds of the yamaha, which I wished there were on the Sd5. I play more ethnic music than just american parties, so the ketron at that time had portuguese styles onboard and good latin styles including Brazilian that most portuguese OMB or bands play since there is now in recent years becoming a mixture in the NY/NJ area.

What did you find in the ketrons that made you change and not stick with them?

How does the yamaha work better for you than anyone of the Ketrons?

Thanks, Mario

What did you find in the ketrons that made you change and not stick with them?

Each one of the Ketron units I mentioned is different then the others.many have been discussed here on SZ just do a search. There are many features I love on ketron units like Drum lock, Bass lock, the way the OS saves information, editing is easy & precise, Latin styles are unsurpassed great build too...just to name a few there are many more. I change units frequently not that any ONE KB is better then others but it's more of how many features work for my needs at the time.

How does the yamaha work better for you than anyone of the Ketrons?

With my experience as a player I can make the Yamaha units sound very good....I use workarounds to suit my needs...Im a singer first that backs himself up with an arranger KB & other gear too. For now yamaha is best for my needs "sound-wise" although many of the other features are truly lackluster IMO again a search will give you the answers for sure..