http://www.korg.com/pa900

Col

THanks!

Nothing new, I heard. Recycled styles from PA 500.
I hope they price this competitively ( same or $100 less than 950).

I think you got the facts right...The PA800 was so overpriced,(Not unlike the Tyros4).. they lowered the PA series (600) to ease the cost pain a bit...problem is,,all of these keyboards are incorporating compromise..From the BK to the PA and PSR.

I will reserve my decisions until I play all the sub $2500 keyboards..But visually it is evident..cheap is the common feature...and I am not talking price...but quality built..

Am I the only one that feels this way?
Don't you guys like the feel of a real instrument under your fingers?

To me , they are all making entry level keyboards, with some nice features..but are screaming "Home" use...they should put "fragile" do not move on the name plates..

Most of it has been stated here already in particular in the other thread where initially Deane offered his PSR950 up for sale.
But although I know there is no accounting for tastes it slightly bothers me the way Fran is knocking the PA800. AS you know I recently added an "old/new " Roland G70 to my home set up and so far I am in two minds about keeping it or not. I have had assistance of folks well versed in working with the G70 and all I can say is that it is absolutely less user friendly than the Korg PA800,much less programmable and soundwise there are some sounds which are better , some less and many it is an open contest. Both keyboards to my mind go back to approx. 2004 when first introduced.
The PA800 is the equivalent of the PA2X but with built in speakers and 61 keys instead of 76. I passed up on the PA3X two years ago on account of it being too much of a chore to reprogram, too many parameters , not enough innovations and way too expensive. In my view the PA2X and subsequently the PA800 are still terrific keyboards. The PA800 is still in stock in several shops overhere and currently selling (-out) brand new at approx. 1500 euros, just under 2000 bucks that is.
I am sure the PA900 will have some good stuff as well but the improvements are clearly measured out by the manufacturers so as not to spill all of their beans at once.

regards,
John

P.S. having now got all three brands at my disposal one can safely say that the Korg is the only one of them that can be dubbed a "synthesizer-workstation-arranger " . The degree in which you can tweak and influence single sounds/samples, and the way you can incorporate these into an existing or new style is nowhere as extensive as on the Korgs. Not even close....

Fran, I've been playing arrangers since they were invented. Never had one fail.
The joystick spring on Roland G800 broke about a week after I got it. I took it out and cut off the broken part and it worked fine.
The G800 seemed to be built like a tank, and weighed about as much as one but it had bad paint and the keys were clumsy feeling.
HankB's PSR 2000, had several drinks poured into it. Mostly Vodka. It had burn marks all over it. It was dropped and was never cleaned. As far as I know it is STILL in service for the third owner. When we sold it, we guaranteed it would last at least 24 hours!
Now, feature-wise, I suppose they have to leave some stuff off the MOTL keyboards in order to sell the TOTL models.
To me "Home" means it's too big and too heavy to carry around!

DonM

I have the PA600 and the build quality is great and I bet the build quality of the PA900 is also great. As soon as I have the money I will buy the PA900.

Now Fran, the Roland BK 9 is overpriced with his ridiculous screens, no aftertouch, no sampler etc.

I am talking about the direction all manufacturers are going..I am not talking about sounds or features or ease of operation,,all of this can be learned and than it will be the easiest for you to operate..

The market is flooded with sub par quality (to me) , not just arrangers, but workstations big time..starting with the Juno G series and right on down the line to the Krome..

And they are definitely sub par..quality built..they are not..in fact I recently played in a show room 3 Korg Kromes..all 3 had problems with the keybed...coincidence?

They are called entry levels for a reason..you will most likely lose interest or move up to a decent product..

John I use the PA800 as an example for value to the selling dollar...compare it to Korg's own PA3x...price was not a big difference initially...and used I see 3X's going for less than some PA800 asking prices..

Fran, maybe it has something to do with where they are built these days. I'm not up to date on Synths or Workstations, but I'll bet most are made in China.
DonM

Well you have to look better Fran. I can buy a new PA800 for 1500 Euro. That's 500 Euro cheaper then a BK 9 and for that money I get aftertouch, a sampler, a full synth, a TOUCHSCREEN etc. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Don, they are mostly built in China...and I can't visit that topic again..I already got slammed for stating the facts..

Everything today is build in China but that doesn't mean it is lower quality. It is just cheaper.

I bought a 1 year old PA800 for $800 from a Zoner...and still sold it because it was over valued...different folks I guess..

I didn't like the way Korg handled effects and shared blocks with the mic input..I didn't like the efficiency of the Helicon...I didn't like the quirks of the optional ($200) MP3 player..and I didn't like the keybed...I didn't like the boot up time...I didn't like the track record of others with failed buttons...all in all I felt a new owner was needed

Fran BK 9 pending?

And I mean it!!!

I like very much what I see - the new pa900 that is.

While not revolutionary, still offer a lot! Now all will be about the price, but this it's pretty close to the pa3x, that's for sure.

LE: Price not too bad I think... http://www.kraftmusic.com/digital-pianos-and-keyboards/arranger-keyboards/korg/pa900/

Good for you Korg - did very well. I like it also visualy, fresh and simple. There's many buttonson the panel and given the huge nice touchscreen, I think Korg actually became one of the easiest instruments to play on stage. Again, good job Korg.

Adamatis,

Price in Europe will be more than 2000 Euros !
Also see this link, and in the right hand bottom corner there
are 50 demos, for those interested.

http://www.korg.de/produkte/keyboards-produktbersicht/pa900-produktinfo/pa900-produktinfo-1.html

greetings,
John

Just buy the way guys, the price is JUST AS MUCH as a new PSR S950: $1899.

I think that a great price for a close to pa3x arranger way more advanced then the bk9 with two useless screens and missing a lot of the features of even the pa600. I know all the roland fanboys will start knocking me on this, but this is just my opinion. Buy whatever you like.

For me, the pa900 wins hands down...

Question is, when will the New PA900 become available to purchase????

For me, just the fact that it has built in speakers and is lighter (at 23.79 pounds) makes it a better buy then the pa3x. Obviously also considering the price.

I know in my area these will sell like hotcakes. Finally replacing the pa800 for nearly half the price, which many in my area still use!

I buy them for how they SOUND...

I'll put my BK-9 up against anything out there, right now. You want punchy, live sounding drums? You want fat, warm basses? Nothing better, IMO.

And, if you don't, you are welcome to whatever you decide to play. It's not for me.

On korg you can practically load any sound you want (yes, external sounds) AND you have the ability to tweek and edit to your hearts content.

Only reason you need a sampler is if the internal sounds suck. Pretty happy with the ROM in my BK...

Tweaking... see above. The BK has most of the common synth tweaks, envelopes, filters, LFO controls. You need more than this, there's thousands of synth presets that go far beyond what the edits can do.

Look, I've got Kurzweil's, Korg synths, a ton of VSTi's... If I want to twiddle around programming sounds all day, no sweat. But when I go out on a gig, I'm there to PLAY. I want to sound like a live band, and I want to do it with the minimum of effort. I don't want an arranger so complicated it can do it all, because I've got plenty of other stuff that does it all. I want something that makes gigging EASY.

John, you could be right, but usually what the US has in $, we get the same but in euro.

Also, unofficially, the price for pa900 with the official Korg dealer in Romania is 1.850 euro. We shall see very soon the final prices I guess.

Once you tweek the sounds on korg, they are saved and "ready to play". You didn't really think you have to reprogram sounds on every gig did you?

That is very simplistic, no doubt. There are many other reasons - but mainly you can add a variety of sounds that no ROM set will be able to offer, ever.

When it comes about the things you can tweak (as many here are very vocal about making tweaks, to personalize, to change that "out-of-the-box" sound...) nothing really beats Korg.

You don't have to, but to know that you are able to change a million parameters is very nice!

No way you can compare the 500 series to the 800/900. I played the 800 for 4 years, 500 x a year. I bought the 500 for a backup and it was like a toy in comparison, thus the reason it doesn't sell well.

They did the price right (as I 've expected). After touch/VH/speakers /will play 3x styles , yet no too heavy.I hope keys are better than recent budget synths.

Rember the days when psr2000 was 1199$ and pa80 was $2000?


I agree that Krome 61 keys are a mess .(wasted opportunity ), Juno G is more playable .

Now Korg, do something to strengthen your style dept. I hear same /similar styles without life in it.I do love your editing power (second to none).

That's why Kurz has a sampler ?

Not.

What would you prefer? To not have to tweak the sounds in the first place, or to have them saved after you had to?

I'm still not over the Korg's lack of fills. Yes, now you have four... nice. The Roland's have had six for eight years. I wonder how many we'll have by the time Korg get around to six?

Looks like Roland could figure out how to do a Break/fill too?
I know, I'm beating an old dead horse.
I've gotten to the point where I don't much care what I play. They all sound good to me!
I would sell the PA3X if someone wants it, but then I'd have to decide what to get next. It would be something lighter and less expensive, and it wouldn't be the BK9 for a few reasons, so that would leave PSR S950 or PA900, or maybe the new Ketron Midjay Pro that is scheduled for later this year. I've already had S950 and could be happy with that again, and there would be no learning curve.
I wonder if the new PA900 still will have the same OS, where you have to load styles into user slots before you can audition them?
DonM

Here is a good question.
What would a PA500 in good condition be worth today?

Deane

$400.00

Roland BK9 miss the pads also and alot of other stuff I use.

Roland Break/Fill... Hit Break, then hit fill when you want it (not when it's pre-programmed).

Took a look at the page on Korg's site, but I have a hard time comparing things...
Is there any list of how this compares to the PA3X?
It seems like for a while, anyone who wanted 76 keys got the PA#X (PA1X or PA2X), and anyone who wanted 61 keys got the PA800 (not sure if there was a PA1X equivalent).
Now though, the PA3X has a 61 key version, and a lot of the musicians that I know who had PA800s upgraded to the PA3X 61 key version when it came out.
Now that the PA900 was announced, where is it going to sit in the lineup?
Is there any real reason for someone to buy a PA3X now, as opposed to a PA900?

Better keys/hardware/made in italy/more controllers like ribbon/XLR in with phantom power more simu VH efx/more simu EFX blocks/detachable speaker for morte pro look for some/yes less screen size/digital out/mores sounds ( SV1/ambient drums) and mastering EFX ( Waves)/4 outs/more performance memories/HD option/TC helicon 2 vs 1 ( assuming)
real time sliders/EC 5 in


900 is more or less Pa 600 built quality with added features.It has bigger screen size and Video out( an option in 3x)
. Finally Korg is following Yamaha approach with a few added features ( like after touch and better VH) and priced the same as PSr S950.
I'm glad that Korg still have PA 3x 61 version.


Good Job Korg.Now go ahead and have a team to beat SA RH sounds and add new 4/4 US/Uk styles.( but less funk and Hihop)

After giving a (really) quick listen, I find many of the styles to be the same as the Pa600 ...
And am I the only one who still finds the "Tenor Sax" very thin in sound quality???

Except for the harmonizer, and the larger screen, I am not sure the Pa900 is worth the price of an upgrade from my Pa600 ...

I think it has the same screen as 600. Larger than 3x.

From pa600, I agree. Don't think it is really worth an upgrade. But for me, it's basically like having a pa3x WITH speakers, and lighter. And costing MUCH less.

I would think it's a better alternative to the pa3x, then the pa600.

Gents...the sound examples are the same...suppose to have a better grand piano, aftertouch and has drawbars with leakage...i for one would be interested...I have 2 pa600's - i might trade up for the 900...it would have to be a bigger difference than what i'm hearing from the current demo's...i have been very satisfied with the 600's along with my yamaha psr s910 and mox8...i guess we'll have to wait until sept.

Steve

... if I did not have the Pa600 and were just now looking for a new board to join my kn6000, the Pa900 would CERTAINLY deserve a look - and listen ...

Tony- The tenor sax seemed one dimensional, not enough resonance. I used the sax section when I had my pa500. So, were there any styles/sounds in those demos that you don't have in the 600?

sparky ... I didn't listen that closely to all of them so I am not sure ... I know I did recognize a number of them, but whether the were Pa600 or Musikant styles, I can't be sure either ...