Here they are recorded onto my Zoom recorder in MP3 format and normalized in Audacity. I used both keyboard outputs into an adaptor to the Zoom.

https://www.box.com/s/h6hkg31cw78j4lkddxt9

Deane

Thanks again, Deanne ...

Thank you Deane....
I listened to these audio styles closely a few times and just cant bring myself to say I enjoyed them, they obviously sound weird and weak & most of all out of touch sonically in the mix to my ears,....something is amiss vs the regular styles.
I am not trying to be negative here just very honest.....

take care

Donny,
I think you are right on. Yamaha has a lot of work to do with this technology. The S950 will be a really nice keyboard for folks who say owned the PSR3000 and really liked it - which I did. But, if you have been an avid Tyros 4 player it is just not going to sound like the T4 - I have them side by side and believe me - they are not the same tool. All that said, I will be using the S950 when I got back to gigging because it sounds pretty good with the Bose Compacts and will do all I need it to do. I don't sing so I don't care about the vocal harmonizer and I don't need sampling tools etc. I wish Yamaha would have made this one without the speakers and it would have been even lighter.

Can't wait to get the PA600 and throw it into the mix!!!

Deane

Good luck Deane keep an open mind ......who knows, maybe the Pa600 will be your cup of tea when it arrives.

carry on...

I can relate to your findings, Deane, and, like you had said earlier in the thread, you wouldn't buy the S950 mainly for the Audio Drum styles, and neither would I.

I also agree it doesn't have the power or detail of the Tyros4, but it is still far more than just adequate...I'd have no problems whatever doing a whole night of playing with it.

I don't sing either, although I do use the Vocal Harmonizer for other purposes ( I sometimes run a mono synth through it), and, if I hadn't been able to get a Tyros4, I know I would have been very content with the older PSR-S910, which I feel is an awesome little arranger, with all the tools I'd ever need...all the necessary SA sounds, all kinds of styles available for it...John Smies was right when he said that it (or the similar S900) would be a great partner with a Korg PA-600.

Plus, the S910 is very light, and, from my experience with clients, very reliable. I played one through two Bose L1 (not the Compacts) and it sounded awesome!

Still, the Tyros4 has that certain extra quality not possible with the MOTL instruments, and I am very grateful I was able to get, and use, one, as I like to hear the best sound possible for my music.

Because of previous surgeries, I am not supposed to lift anything too heavy, and, also fortunately, the Tyros4, at about 32 lbs, just squeaks by under my limit of 35 lbs., but I can relate to your feelings of being limited...it can be frustrating. At least you can still gig!

Good luck with the Korg PA-600...it appears to be a great little keyboard.

Ian

... but WHEN?!?

Realistically Xmas is around the corner so I cant see KORG missing that selling opportunity here in the USA........
also they could be coupling the re;ease with the possible Pa600 & PA900 also you just never know. The fact that they are available in the UK is a good sign also....so patience and before you know it we'll see them become available to us.
That said,.. the new T5 could surface also, ...Hmmmmm?

Thanks Deane. A lot of exotic genres....but the basic genres like pop/ballads are missing. What were they thinking? I think these missing styles will show up in the T4 replacement.. offering say 100 audio styles

As you said, for those who are upgrading from an old PSR, this should be a good choice. Tons of third party styles is still an important factor which influences many to lean towards Yamaha arrangers.

That 60s super group had Beatles written all over it.

I thought generally the styles sounded pretty good.

I've had my 950 for a month now and I continue to enjoy playing it almost daily as my form of "therapy". I have no gigs to consider, just an occasional opportunity to play at church.

First, let me say I like and enjoy using the audio drums - they're different and add a new sonic approach to the styles they're part of. However in their present state of "infancy", I'm glad they aren't included in EVERY style. If and when this technology grows up, it may revolutionize arranger playing - that is, if we are willing to give it the time.

One thing Yamaha has to work on is improving the responsiveness of the fills and breaks. I find them ever so slightly delayed in response to my button pushes - or is that just my unit or my brain?

Overall, I'm not impressed. Other than the Latin stuff, I think that similar results could be achieved with the current set of kits and a small room reverb.

Yamaha seem to have gone overboard with the drum room ambiance, and unlike Korg's, there's no way to alter the balance of it. Trouble is, there really isn't a way to add this kind of room 'space' around all the other sounds, so you get this disconnect between the drum track and the accompaniment.

Plus yes, I am still hearing some weirdness on some fill boundaries. Yamaha have chosen a much simplified method of making audio drums be able to do different tempos. Most other things that do this trick (Ketron's and many VSTi's) do it by slicing the original audio file into individual component hits, and have a MIDI file play them back. Yamaha have chosen to not bother with this tried and tested approach, and rely entirely on time-stretching the audio file. I think this is what is making some things sound a bit strange, and may well account for the less than snappy fill boundaries.

Kudos for Yamaha for at least trying, but I think they have perhaps jumped the gun a bit with this.