Audya has the best live sounding out of the box styles... If you dont eddit much, its a sure choice, still would probably own mine, if it would have been a lot more reliable..

But then my PA3x comes very close to the audya styles.... And it comes with a whole truckload of other things that make playing arrangers much more fun... And the pa3x solo sounds blow the audya away....

But if you just use it for the styles, audya is a prime choice

Henni, Several of my most recent recordings that I've posted have been recorded directly on the S-950, and using the S-950's onboard vocal processor. With some I used my Senheisser E855 mic, while with others I used my Crown CM-311A, and to be honest, they're both fairly close in quality.

Now, I have a friend that used a Shure SM58 and it sounded muddy. He switched to the new Samson Q8 and WOW! What a difference.

I've forgotten which sound system you use, but I remember it being huge at the very least. Also, if I recall, you went through a mixer as well. All of these things will have some bearing on the overall sound quality. I don't use headphones for setting up my keyboard and sound system, and I NEVER use the headphone output jack for my sound system. The headphone output has a significantly different impedance than the standard outputs in the back of the keyboard and the standard outputs are set up specifically for an external sound system's input impedance.

The type of harmony you select will have a huge bearing on what you hear. And, the harmony's default settings are not what you should be using at all. The ration of lead to harmony should be about 70/30 and no higher. Additionally, the default effects are echo and delay, which I would not recommend, especially if you are using harmony. Try using Hall 3 Reverb with a level of about 35 at most. Makes a huge difference.

I have a relatively deep voice, and it's now a powerful voice, therefore I use the high quartet for my vocal harmony. There others that will work as well, but I've found this one to be the best so far.

I have no hands on experience with the Audya other than one time when I played one belonging to Dan01 in Baltimore. For me, I really didn't like what I heard, but that's just my opinion, and it may have something to do with the sound system he was using at the time. I can assure you, however, that Yamaha's newest vocal processor is second to none. I know this statement will bring some ranting, teeth gnashing, etc..., but it's the way I feel about the system - to me it really sounds great.

When you get around to doing that system reset, be sure to do it by going through Function/Utility/System Reset and place a checkmark in every one of the boxes on the left side of the display. If you have some special settings such as registrations that you have created, be sure to back them up on the USB drive before doing the reset.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Hi Gary,

Tx, will try as suggested.

Regards,

Henni

Hi all,

Like me, dislike me, boo me if you want, but this is my honest findings to answer my own curiosity:


I sat down with the PSR950 in all honesty last night, to determine if the sound quality really comes short to that of the Audya. I used headphones only (very good quality & the same headphones I use for the Audya) and went through a few hundred of the absolute best Yamaha styles I've collected over the years.

I played around with the EQ settings & everything else I could find to tweak the sound. Well, after nearly three hours of this, I've reached my own personal verdict: (note, I say my "own")

I really, but really like many, many of the Yamaha styles. How I long for those on the Audya... However, try as I might, the quality of what I hear fall really short from what I hear from the Audya.

And I realize something else - we had a PSR3000 before we had the Audya. We then considered it to be fantastic. Why now, with the much later & better S950 are we no longer satisfied by the sound? I realize it is only because we've been spoilt by the Audya for the last year or two. No use bringing this over to someone who've never owned an Audya. We all are used & accustomed to what we've heard over the years & I do not expect anyone to understand what I say. We gigged happily with the 3K before, so I am not biased in any way at all. I have only very good things to say about Yamaha.

I can really not vouch or speak for the Tyros range, but, even though the styles on the PSR series are fantastic, it lacks seriously in the total produced sound compared to the Audya. If it was only EQ settings, then I should have been able to make it sound like the Audya.

I'll definitely keep the S950 - no need to get rid of it & I'm still very satisfied with it. But for now, we'll use only the Audya for our live performances.

Please note: This is not a "mine is better than yours" conclusion, I own both & have no plans to get rid of anything - However, I just had to make the above out for myself as I was really & totally baffled by all of this. Plus we really, but really wanted to use some of those really fantastic Yamaha styles for some of what we perform.


Henni

A very predictable response/result Henni. When one gets used to a certain sound (and styles) that they like, it is going to be very hard to find a satisfactory replacement.

I could never see me replace my Tyros4 with an Audya or a PA3X.

If your Audya were to fail, for some unseen reason, and require repairs, would you be able to continue your gig schedule with the S950?

A professional performer who gigs without a proper back-up, is like a cabby driving his taxi without a spare tire.

Ian

Hi Ian,

Tx for the good advice. However, because we never perform for reward no real harm done if we cannot meet our obligations for whatever reason.

I've owned quite a few arrangers in my lifespan, & apart from my own stupidity with the Audya, never had anything let me down as yet.

Yes, I can see that his would be a serious issue for any professional, but that title we cannot claim for ourselves at all.

Cheers mate,

Henni

Regardless of claimed status,I see no reason why the S950 could not jump in and carry on. This is assuming it is gig ready. If my Audya went down, I could use my S910 very easily, as well as my other keyboards.

I don't say it would sound the same, but passable.

Bernie

Hi Henni, hope you're well

Can you explain what you meant when you're talking about a lack in quality? I think that in every single brand there is a certain quality in each one that you cannot fault. A distinct difference, maybe, but certainly a lack in quality I don't find in any of today's brands, or maybe even in the last 10 years actually.

Henni, first and foremost, I would not judge the sound quality using a pair of headphones, even TOTL headphones. I would use the sound-PA system that I use for the jobs. This is important for a host of reasons, the least of which if venue ambiance. Every venue, indoor and outdoor, has it's own specific ambiance, and because of this, we make adjustments to the EQs to compensate. I play several pool parties each summer, many of which demand different EQ settings because the pool is situated in locations where sound does funny things. In some locations the pool is located near a building and the sound bounces off the building walls, despite the fact I'm performing on the opposite side of the pool and well away from the building. I have another marina job where the pool is situated next to a wide expanse of water - totally different settings.

Now, I have no problem with the vocal processor at all on the PSR-S950 - for me it does an excellent job. The vocal processor of the 3000, though, was marginal at best, and the harmonies were just plain awful, which is why I used an outboard harmonizer. However, if you list to some of the vocals that Dan741 posted on the PSR-tutorial using the PSR-2000 the quality is incredible. Dan went to great pains making those recordings, using a very high-quality mic, headphones for monitoring, and a great recording system. Ancillary equipment can have an immense bearing on the final product.

Having played an Audya, just once, though, I thought there was a significant difference in the overall sound resonance - not the overall sound quality. Those Audya sounds sounded much harsher than I was used to with the PSR-3000 and S-950, they were very crisp sounding, which is one of the reasons so many players felt the drums were more realistic than Yamaha's Drums. For me, the sounds were just too crisp and brite, but for some folks, that's what they want, which is fine as long as their audiences like it equally as much.

Now, if my PSR-S950 were to die this afternoon, I would be able to go to work tomorrow using my backup PSR-3000, which has served me faithfully for more than a decade. I hope this does not happen, and I seriously doubt that it will. In all the years I've been using arranger keyboards, all brands, I've never experienced a complete failure - not once!

Good luck,

Gary

Do Ketron have mid-range keyboards in their line anymore? In fact, I am not even sure they ever made them, I've always known them to be TOTL. I think a fairer comparison would be with a least a Tyros 4 at the very minimum as the T4 does have a fuller sound than the S950 and it's most noticeable in the drums.