Tony,
Glenda and I are looking at the first two weeks in
April at Skegness again at the County Hotel. Not set in concrete yet but working on it. Airfare has nearly doubled since our first trip over a few years ago.

Donny,
It is not because the BK-9 sounds are bad but the SD2 sounds are absolutely awesome.

Deane

Deanne didnt you have an Audya already? anyway Im a one KB performer, I like to do it all in one......but believe me years ago before arrangers I carried 4 KBs to gigs with the band including a cutoff B3 & 147 leslie..lol Ouch up the stairs! BUt I always have problems with hooking things all together with modules, VH units etc .....many times they just dont talk to each other correctly...but dont worry Im sure your on board for getting a NEW Tyros 5 right and all your worries will be over and a smile on your face?

Donny. I've listened to every SD-2 demo. Haven't heard anything the SD2 does better, yet...

Hi Diki

The SD2 is effectively the sounds of the SD 5 Arranger minus any hardware controls and backing, so it’s probably around 6 or more years old now, thus its hardly surprising it does not do any better than your BK9, however it is still a great sound set that can expand any arranger keyboard beyond what the manufacture provides. (The SD4 is basically 2 x SD2 in a box with physical controls, so may be the better option with arrangers that have limited Midi capabilities)

The SD1000 is supposed to be the new kid on the block (The SD 2 bought up to date) however design wise it looks like it was built in someone’s back shed, rather than having the professional look of the SD2.

Bill

I think the SD 1000 is definitely interesting as an addition to the BK9 in term of sounds. Some brass and sax sounds are great, I also like the piano a lot. Even if they may not be clearly better than the BK sounds, it's nice to have variations (e.g. a Ketron solo trumpet with a mild, nicely SAMPLED vibrato, not present in the BK-9 in this exact way).

I am simply not quite sure of the logic of buying a lightweight, pretty comprehensive sounding arranger, then lug around a whole bunch of extra gear to expand it.

It would possibly be better to simply get a more expandable arranger (like the PA3X76) with a sampler and extensive voice editing, and you might end up with less extra weight than the module and laptop, less cables, setup hassle, etc., etc..

Overall, most arrangers made nowadays have an outstanding selection of sounds, with many, many variations of each. Not to mention voice editing capabilities and extensive EQ. So far, on the BK-9, I honestly haven't found any sound that truly cries out for another module to get it acceptable.

I totally agree that there is no deficiency soundwise which would have to be healed by an additional module. It's more for those like me who are a little crazy about collecting sounds. The weight however makes the Ketron really interesting: about 1 pound! But as Roland has announced the additional BK sound collections, it would be more logical to wait what they will hold in store - I hope they will come soon...