Are you using the G70 styles?

You know, Lee, take away the need for the guitar loops in the Audya, and I'm not sure you can show such a radical improvement by the Audya over the G70...

I've heard a LOT of demos on the Audya that the G70's drums can come VERY close to, and they have the undoubted superiority of being easily changed (to a brush kit if in a low-key venue, for instance) and edited (you can't do a damn THING to a loop). And, to be fair, the audio loops are about the only thing that Audya shows as a clear superiority to other arrangers.

Perhaps you are heavily into Latin music (great Audya styles for that), but from what I've heard, little else is unquestioningly superior. Yes, sure, if you take the Audya's ROM styles and they are sufficient for all your needs, you are possibly good to go. But I still feel that the Audya's inability to have its' loops edited to your taste is it's Achilles Heel. They SURE sound good now, but after a couple of years, I know that I would start to get frustrated that I couldn't do anything to them to make them fresher.

I certainly wouldn't count on any Ketron software to make making your OWN loop styles easy... look at how poor their sequencing and style editing software has been in the past.

Personally, I feel that another couple of generations, in hardware and software is going to be needed before a live loop arranger is as flexible a tool as a MIDI one is now. I don't know if you are a heavy user of the Cover and Makeup Tools in the G70, but I for one would be lost if they were taken away.

I think the Audya provides the MOST 'instant gratification' of any arranger currently out, but at the cost of FUTURE gratification, or at least, a SIGNIFICANT increase in the workload to achieve that future gratification.

Styles using Midi are just too functional, adaptable, and programmable to give up, and, of course, the onboard sounds will eventually improve to the point where having actual audio tracks would be redundant.

Ian

Not at the rate that Yamaha are going, anyway, Ian! While other manufacturers either go to live loop drums, or heavily multisampled drums with a lot of ambiance around them, Yamaha continue to give us those bone dry 80's throwbacks that continue to deter many from moving to Yamaha. But ONLY in their arranger products. Great drums in a MoXS/XF. But 80's drums in a T3...

As the gulf between what Yamaha provide and their competition offers widens, sooner or later, Yamaha is going to have to play catch up. Sooner would be my hope...

Lets see...Yamaha's main arranger competition is Korg and Casio.

Roland is gone, and Ketron is barely holding on, and I'd be surprised if they'll be around for much longer.

Having said that, until we actually hear the Tyros4, it's a bit early to say they aren't competitive in drums/percussion.

Ian