Sorry pal, you are way off base, once again.

I had three clients that owned the module, and they returned/sold it to buy something much, much easier to use.

Roland is actually doing Yamaha (and Korg) a big favor with this product.

I have the same posting rights as you regarding this forum. You left this forum under your own steam, and by your own rules...anyone else that you feel has been "driven away", has either been rightly banned by Nigel, or has left due to their own issues.

If my posts bother you, there is an "ignore" function that allows you to do just that; ignore my posts.

I suggest that you either start using it, or stop accusing me of something that everyone does on this forum, and that is to promote the products they feel are worth buying.

I would not recommend the BK-7M, partly due to your reactions to the product, and also because of the experiences of several other professional entertainers on this forum, who wisely returned it, rather than try to make it work for their needs.

And, yes, Yamaha's are wonderful arrangers...I highly recommend them.

But, I will not recommend a product that has seen so many dissatisfied users.

If you wish to do that, go ahead...it's your integrity on the line, not mine.

Ian

Thanks guys for ALL your input. I now am considering waiting for something else to come down the pike. After all the hours spent working with my G1000s I hesitate to have to spend untold hours setting up a new module. I more and more want to get back to basics and PLAY, no program or button push.
My G1000 got me through fine on my German Club gig I mentioned in another thread and I again thank those who offered help with tunes.
Its more me than the public. New styles, sounds etc. As long as theres a good drum beat, some solid backround and most important, a decent vocal it doesn't really matter to them.
I'd really like to go backwards to a split keyborad, bass pedals, and drum machine. I enjoy doing more live anyway

Sorry to carry on and tanks again for the expert advice. Hey, Yamaha's aren't so bad HA! I ride a Yamaha Tour Deluxe, not a HARLEY!!!

Thanks guys for ALL your input. I now am considering waiting for something else to come down the pike. After all the hours spent working with my G1000s I hesitate to have to spend untold hours setting up a new module. I more and more want to get back to basics and PLAY, no program or button push.
My G1000 got me through fine on my German Club gig I mentioned in another thread and I again thank those who offered help with tunes.
Its more me than the public. New styles, sounds etc.
As long as theres a good drum beat, some solid backround and most important, a decent vocal it doesn't really matter to them.
I'd really like to go backwards to a split keyborad, bass pedals, and drum machine. I enjoy doing more live anyway

Sorry to carry on and thanks again for the expert advice.

Hey, Yamaha's aren't so bad HA! I ride a Yamaha Tour Deluxe, not a HARLEY!!!

I don't perform live, so I can't speak to the ease of use of the module for that purpose. I use arrangers as songwriting tools to generate ideas and I find the BK7M ideal for this purpose. You can have an endless array of styles at your disposal on the USB stick and the synth's sounds are excellent. I can couple this module with a workstation synth like my Korg M3 and have the best of both worlds without two full keyboard sitting in front of me. Or I can couple it with my Tyros 2 or Pa2xpro and have two completely different sounding arrangers running simultaneously, again without two keyboards sitting in front of me. I haven't tried it yet, but I also envision using this with my Band in a Box software, which will output the chords to the BK7M and allow the BK7M to play its styles in sync with what Band in a Box is generating. I think the BK7M is a great tool and something I've been wishing for for years.

Ian , sometimes I swear you wear blinders..

I am sure Roland will do well with the BK-7m, folks that have experience with modules will have no trouble using this module ..The folks that have had problems (those mentioned above)..are basing decisions on user error and poor compatible instruments to acheive their desired results..Yes that includes UD...the problem was the Nord.....and My guess Deane had problems due to lack of experience with the controller he tried....To rule this unit as a failure via SZ comments is rediculous...it is not the total picture..There are by a large margin..favorable users here over the few "returnees"...

I decided to pass on the BK module because I wanted it for very specific needs, and it could not deliver those needs without an additional piece of hardware (Monitor)......The features that it has...it does well...and will compete with just about all other instruments in sound....Some features like the make up tools , surpass most other instruments......and bang for the buck..it succeeds again...


To tout the Yamaha boards, stating there are no disappointed ex users..is not accurate...Within the same posts here,,,,there are a few names already listed that have owned and played Yamaha keyboards, and were not pleased...so much..they sold them off.....DonM has had many..I have owned PSR 2100's and a Tyros3...and even Uncle Dave gave up on PSR 2000, PSR 3000, 9000 Pro, and Tyros.....I believe all three of us thought the quality was sub par, and keyfeel (and size)was not acceptable....So you can see there are unhappy campers across the board...not just 2 or 3 BK users...

Nothing wrong with mentioning your favorite keyboard..but remember that is your opinion....and making blanket opinions on other instruments without any experience with the unit..is just nonsense..

Of course there isn't Fran...you do it all the time, even the ones that start out as your favorites, get recommended, and then, mysteriously get sold.

I will not recommend the BK-7M because of the issues you had with it, Uncle Dave had with it, Deane had with it, and DonM had with it.

Plus the three people I met that had them as well.

That makes seven professional players at least, that had issues with it.

Out of those seven, only two kept it, and those two still aren't totally happy with it.

So, based on concrete evidence from pro players, and not just hearsay, we can see that nearly all the users are having issues with it, and way more than half of them have returned or sold the unit.

That's certainly enough to make it a non-recommendable product in my opinion, or at the very least, to proceed with extreme caution.

Now, if there are any changes, I'd be more than glad to also change my opinion...so far, there hasn't been any, and your post doesn't bode well for it either.

Nonsense? Only if you buy the darn thing and expect it to be relatively easy for the average musician to use. That would be nonsensical, especially after seeing that even professional players are having a hard time of it.

As I said earlier...Roland has done Korg and Yamaha a big favor ( I sold three arranger keyboards because of the BK-7M's issues)...if they're smart, they'll rectify the poor and unfriendly OS, introduce a Mark II, or, better still, a new module that will work for the average player (or, at the very least, a professional).

Ian

You know Fran...some of your posts (and DonM's) are a tad hypocritical...Donny mentions the fact that the people he knows have returned it, and nothing is said.

I mention it, and all of a sudden every Roland fanperson jumps on me.

Wouldn't have anything to do with me supporting and using a Yamaha?

No, couldn't be that...your pal Donny is using one and is always touting how well it meets his needs.

You guys should take off your own blinders, so at least you can see the whole picture, before you start in on little old me.

Tsk tsk tsk...shame on you!

Why not quit while you're behind?

Ian

All I'm asking is just an occasional thread about a Korg, Roland, Ketron, Casio-whatever, without touting what you are paid to sell and demo for a living.
I could easily go on every Yamaha thread and post a LONG list of shortcomings. Terrible harmonizer, buttons that push down into the case, paint that wears off. . . Tyros is such an awkward size that it's even hard to find a bag for it. The drums, until T4, haven't changed in 10 years and sound lifeless and dull without extensive editing to improve them a little. A vocal harmonizer that actually SHUTS OFF the singer's voice momentarily if you activate it while singing. They kept the darn thing unchanged since the PSR 8000 up until Tyros 4! That's amazing. Oh and you can get a partial upgrade every couple of years for only a few thousand dollars. There are lots of well-documented instances of display failures and everyone should know that if you keep one past the "upgrade" you better be prepared to take it apart and replace the strips under the keys (the keys that are smaller than the size used by everyone else.) You can also buy a great midi foot controller for only $300. It only weighs 7.7 pounds. If you want speakers (pretty bad ones) on the Tyros you can buy them for an extra $300 also. A $100. set of Logitechs blows them away. Oh, and do not try to run a Yamaha into a monophonic system. It sounds even worse than normal. I wonder how many thousands of would-be arranger players have been stymied at level one because of the proprietary fingering system that lets you play a C and an arbitrary note below it to get a C Minor or 7th chord. It has no musical basis at all. To make full chords you have to start over at some point and learn the right way. I can see the value of that on kid's toys 20 years ago, but why now?
I have personally experienced EVERY ONE of these faults by owning eleven Yamaha arrangers.
I won't be able to badmouth the 76-note MOTL or TOTL model will I?
Having said all this, I think they have a real winner in the Tyros 4. It has great lead sounds, although pretty gimmicky, finally vocal sounds on a par with Roland, an improved harmonizer (still a step below those of Roland, Korg and Ketron), even at long last an XLR mic input (what a concept!) Maybe the next incremental upgrade will address a couple more of the shortcomings. Start saving your money now.
That's a lesson on back-handed compliments I learned right here on this board.
Every arranger has its faults and good points. I could point out those faults on every thread about Yamaha, but then I would put myself on a level lower than I care to be on.
I used to be such great fun to come here and post and keep up with what the others are doing. Maybe I'm getting old, but it's certainly not fun right now. Too many threads turn into arguments. I don't have an enemy in the world that I know of, and don't want to start having them now.
I said all the stuff above to try and make a point. Am I the only one who wants to discuss the topic of the thread without someone turning it into a commercial for something else? If so then maybe it's just me and I should slip back into a Bayou in my boat somewhere and give up on this site, like so many of my friends have.
I'm serious, is it me?
DonM

Nope!!!

All I did was state that I was not recommending the BK-7M to anyone, based on what YOU, FRAN, UNCLE DAVE, DEANE and three other professionals, all of which had issues with the instrument.

Then I have one person defending the very product he took back because it didn't fit his needs....last time I looked we were on a General Arranger Forum, so the BK-&M didn't meet the needs of an arranger user. Now that's a real revelation.

Being a General Arranger Forum also means that mentioning, promoting, and recommending other products in a thread is allowed...there was no hijacking, and no nonsense.

Until now.

I repeat:

I will not recommend the BK-7M based on what I read here on SZ, which includes the experiences of at least TWO Roland fanpeople and from three other former users

In fact, one of my new clients was a real Roland aficionado, having several Roland synths, amps, recorders, and a Roland accordion.

He told me he was that displeased with the BK-7M, he wanted to take a hammer to it, and send the pieces back to Roland saying he fixed it for them.

He bought a PSR-S710 and is very pleased with it.

Is it my fault the BK-7M was problematic for you, Fran, Uncle Dave, Deane and the three new clients I have?

Seems you think so. Of course, you are the only one of the bunch who kept it.

It certainly isn't your friend Donny's fault...and he has mentioned it as well, so you conveniently turn your aim at me, so as to try and give yourself some comfort after buying a less than acceptable product.

You're just putting more egg on your face...as I said already, why not quit while you're behind?

Ian

PS...SZ has always had it's share of arguments...that's nothing new, and it certainly just did not start since I joined...all one has to do is look back at the older posts. As far as people leaving, that's also been a common thing...the door swings both ways, and I have seen many new faces here on SZ, as well as quite a few older members returning.