Friends,

As the new year quickly approaches, we'd like to get some ideas from you of features you would love to have in a top-of-the-line keyboard that are NOT in any current arranger keyboard in the market today.

If refering to features that have been released in past keyboards which you would still like to see, please place the word(Old) before the paragraph refering to that feature ...

e.g

(Old) Chord sequencing. (Explain how it should work).

If refering to a new feature, please place the word (New) and explain in detail the feature in question.

Thanks,

AJ

AJ, I'm sure I got other requests too, but this is the first that comes to mind :

(Old) Chord Sequencing: allow one to trigger the chord sequencer to begin recording while playing live in auto accomp mode, and continue recording until you trigger it to stop recording; and then immediately playback the recorded (8, 12, 32 bar etc) chord progression until you trigger it to stop and then resume back to live auto accomp mode playing again. The advantage of a chord sequencer is giving us the freedom to 'solo freely' after the chord progression is recorded without worry about being restricted to playing only specific limited chord voicing for the arranger to correctly recognize your intended chords.

Scott

+1

Hi AJ:

Thanks for asking:

1. (New) Better sounding and more "Country Genre" sounding guitars and instruments including a Dobro. Fiddles that sound like fiddles. Drums with hi-hat sounds. More multi-pad sounds for a variety of backing.

Songwriters who use keyboards to create demos of their songs are "loathed" in Nashville A&R Departments. They refer to them as "cheesy sounding keyboards."

Regards,

Dave
http://www.ShowCaseYourMusic.com/DaveRice/

Choosing and controlling sounds that are actually running on a remote PC's VST host but using them them on your arranger would feel the same as local sounds ...

This would open up endless possibilities and sound pallets to an arranger like the Audya. Maybe even routing arranger sounds through VST effects


Tough this would require a highspeed connection like gigabit ethernet or firewire because next to mi9di and controll signals high quallity audio needs to be tranfered foreward and and backward between PC and Arranger.. The arranger would in this case be the PC's audio device...

As i said many times before its not necessary to run VST's on an arranger, but it would be awesome if we had an easier way to controll them....



[This message has been edited by Bachus (edited 12-06-2010).]

(new) lots more NON-bread-and butter sounds
like modern sounds for modern dance music, more synth, pads, atmospheric, type sounds

(new) more audio guitar loops. including (cavaquinho guitar)

(new) more and better dance, hip-hop, r&b, top 40 styles, this would include modern Drum Kits (analog'ish)
KEEP the acoustic real drums too already onboard

basically keep it as is with bread-and-butter stuff

and MODERNIZE/ADD cutting edge sounds and styles and elements to create them (audio drums, audio guitars, audio bass)

Old - Small display non tilted

New - BIGGER Tilted touch DISPLAY
at least a full 8" to 10" square/also outdoor viewable

Old - Serial Pin Plug for pedals (ketron)

New - Single 1/4" inputs for pedals (2)

Old - Too Heavy reduce wasted real estate

New - 10 Lbs Lighter overall.

Old - NO factory made KB cases soft or hard

New - Factory made Custom cases SOFT & HARD

Old - No Continuous current optional Style & Sound Library

New - Continuously current optional Style & Sound, instructional DVD for all levels HELP Library for customer purchase.

Great Topic!

(new) Ability to pick and choose Fills, breaks and endings from a library of pre-builts.

(old) Style creation utilities / functions.
(new) Highly intelligent ON-BOARD software (ala band in a box) that will automatically create new styles for you based on a specific Genre with the ability to morph into hybrid styles - ala Korg Karma.

[This message has been edited by kbrkr (edited 12-06-2010).]

AJ,

are you asking this for a NEW future keyboard to top the existing AUDYA?

or are you asking to IMPROVE the existing AUDYAS ?

Bachus,
Don't know if I understood all of what you want...BUT. Today...on my PA2XPRO I can setup any external voices (SW or HW based) as a user voice.
I actually key in the bank/program chg in the Korg user voice. It will then be used like any other internal voice would, Songbook, performances styles etc. Anything.

Multiple user voices on different MIDI channels are supported. It is all controlled using a user voice. You can even use internal and external sound on the same voice...meaning I could have a Korg String AND a VST Piano on the same user voice.

As to control, there are progammable slides on the PA2 that can b set to send any MIDI CC.
Or, just set a KOrg USB based micro contrller on the kbd top.

Lee S.

so is this for future keyboard?
or for current AUDYA?

Not sure if any current (or older) arrangers have this (maybe Ketron already has it?), but I'd to see a Breath Controller input...Yamaha (and some Kurzweil) synths have been using it for many years, and it is a great way to add expression to wind voices, and also to guitar sounds as well.

Maybe Ketron, being a smaller company, can readily add features like this.

And, I'm also for the Chord Sequencer that Scott (and Diki) mentioned already.

Ian

Holy Smokes!!!

(New): I would like to propose improved 'cabinet dimensions' for arranger modules:

Current modules are too boxy (Ketron Auda 4: 21"L x 13"W x 5"H), making it difficult to access 'on the fly' all the button functions from the keyboard playing position (with module situated directly behind the kb controller), because all the module's button/slider functions are so tightly crowded together within a very limited confined area.

To solve that problem, I propose changing the dimensions of the module to something long and narrow, ei: 32"L x 7"W x 5"H. This would allow the arranger functions, sliders, and sound/style access buttons to be grouped, arranged & spread out 'across' the keyboard for far more convenient & reachably accessible' from the player's seated position, especially if the module is able to butt up directly behind & against the keyboard controller.

A pop-up style tilt screen would further enhance the arranger module experience too.

Scott

(old) how about something VERY basic & necessary,
like MICRO EDITING...
like the G-70 has had for years now

and being able to change FX, PAN, Volumes on EVERY single part of a single drum-kit... like the G-70 has...



[This message has been edited by leezone (edited 12-07-2010).]

Leezone,
Korg PA2XPRO/PA800 already has all of that.
Lee S.

A button that would make style part volumne the same. Example ? Audya style parts have volumne levels at 26 and some at 54 (out of 63). Instead of having to edit each and every part, have one button that would instantly balance the volumne to 50. It would be easier to edit and use the sliders in real time.

A change on the Audya ? SD1 has a button called "on line effects" . I would love to have that button on the Audya.

If I remember well, Diki has stated that "whoever brings back the chord sequencer, gets my money".

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 12-07-2010).]

With this NEW stuff included it should slowly bring the future TOTL arrangers slowly into the $5000.00 - $8000.00 range in the next few years....before you know it we'll be paying as much as the old Wooden HOUSE ORGANS of years ago!

leeboy,

i just know the Roland G-70 as i don't have Korg Arranger

so it seems that Ketron needs to "catch up" in this department (micro edit)

To allow users like myself, to make styles WITHOUT the need of special software like Yamaha's or Ketrons....

Ketron needs to GIVE the FULL style tools to make them correctly, Ketron, Yamaha have a very "Light" functions, more of a marketing limited function not having access to all the necessary parameters, just for the sake to say that has it, making impossible to make "Factory" quality styles.

The more style's library, makes more appealing the brand, and many style designers can NOT do certain music genders, so, let, the native musicians from wherever country/nationality, make those styles, since there are LOTS of details on what instruments are played within certain musical band, how is played, the MUSICAL PHRASING....etc...

Check our web site...
www.styles4 arrangers.com or if you are in a hurry, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V17_L7m1Iyc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tctdgc1C-tQ


Manuel Dorantes

------------------
mdorantes

Leezone,
Yes, I think you are correct, But I think Yamaha needs to catch up in the editing dept. as well.
Some of the micro-editing (or just plain any editing at all) are sure more important than others.

Lee S.

Leezone... both.

mdorantes,
The tools we use to create the professional styles for Ketron are made available to the public (the Editor for the Ketron AUDYA STYLE COMPILER is on our website). What is missing is the individual software (e.g many of us who make styles for Ketron use Cubase, others use other Midi-based software, rather than the keyboard ofcourse) that used for the Midi Programming, arrangement creation, phrasing, balancing ... etc. Once the style has been created on Cubase (sort of what you would do when creating the style on the keyboard itself, but ofcourse with some limitation), then you use the Compiler to compile the style (I believe it's similar to what Yamaha uses too). Once compiled, comes the other painful aspect of balancing and we nomally use reference to pre-exisiting styles/demos (and so does Yamaha too). The extra work (on Ketron's end) is ofcourse managing the AUDIO guitars, bass and Drums mated to the style!

Hope this clarifies it ... a little bit.

By the way, congratulations on the authentic Latin styles you've created so far for Korg and Yamaha ... great demos!

Thanks,

AJ

I wish there was a quicker way to achieve complete song status (i.e., a recorded backing track) on an arranger without having to play the song in real time, or entering chords via the step mode. Maybe a way to type-in the entire chord arrangement like with Band In A Box, with the number of choruses, intros, and endings specified. Or, better still, a way to interface BIAB to an arranger and dump entire songs (chord sequence data), select a style, tempo, etc. on the arranger, then, let it play.

ditto +1

wow AJ, both?

so Ketron is already at work on yet another keyboard/module?

i hope they "fix" and improve the existing AUDYA FIRST.

(OLD) I hate the 2nd voice system on Audya, If they could incorporate the 4 button system like the yamaha Tyros. Select a sound , turn em on or off,with the touch of a button stack em the way you like. So easy and fast ,in fact I wish all keyboards had this great and easy to use feature. Or is it 3 buttons , I don't have a yamie anymore.

Mr. G