I tried the Prelude and was unhappy with the keyboard action and the sounds are starting to get old...plus it doesn't have style assembly.

You can make styles on the PA-500?

They are scarce around my area, as the local dealer does not carry Korg arrangers...just synths and digital pianos.

Yes you can create your own styles on the PA500. I know what you mean with the keyboard action of the Prelude. I had the GW 8 who has the same keybed and didn't like the action either.

Ahem, didn't you mean Guns and Roses?

Slash will be paying you a visit, if you are not careful!

I think what Ian is specifically after is not necessarily style CREATION, but the ability to grab different Parts from different styles, and assemble them all Frankenstein-like into a hybrid. Without a computer

Can the Korg do THAT?

Is there an on-line manual for the PA-500? I suspect it will do style assembly, but it would be nice to know for sure.

The $1000 (approx) Yamaha PSR-S710 has on-board style assembly...and it's around the same price as a Prelude.

I can't see why they can't add it to a Prelude with an OS upgrade. Style assembly on the keyboard is far better than in a PC...you can hear the changes real time, and test out all the chords it should play properly.

For the only arranger in their line-up, it's lagging behind pretty seriously...are they that fed up with arrangers?

There must be a PA-500 manual available on-line.

Ian

All the Korgs in the modern PA series can do that.
PLUS you can also overwrite any factory style if you want.
Even if its only to mute a part out.
No need to waste valuable user slots, when you can simply edit the factory style by adding any other parts or deleting parts or muting parts, including ANY instrument, and the re-save back to the factory location, if you want. Of course the option is alwasy there to store it in a user slot too

Can ANY of the Rolands do THAT!!!

And I really have to agree with Ian, the sound of Roland really does get tired very quickly, GW8, G70, VA76 et al, its the same with the Fantom series (all of em, even the G) too, in my view.

Sheesh some of the sounds on the G70/GW8 I played were EXACTLY the same as the old SC55 module I had. And the SC88 after that.

That's a great feature. It isn't as important these days when USB is equally as fast as loading a style as it is from a user location, but it is handy nevertheless.

I've yet to try a Korg arranger...I probably would like them, if only for the fact that they are a little different than Yamaha, especially the styles. They seem to do the fusion stuff pretty good, and I like that style of music.

Ian

Here is the link to the online manual of the PA500 http://www.korgpa.com/pa_root/pdf/pa500/Pa500-110UM-ENG.pdf

Errrrr..... yes, Guns and Roses!!!

All the E and G-series can (as well as in the box style assembly). Also, all those legacy sounds are there in ADDITION to all the new ones. So, if you have legacy styles or SMF's, they can be made to work like the original. But it is also a snap with the Makeup Tools to revoice to the new sounds.

Having been the leader in SMF playback since pretty much the invention of the SMF, Roland pay more than lip service to backwards compatibility...