That is the question. My heart is torn. I like what the Genos offers but then there are the shortcomings I mentioned in a previous post. To be honest there are workarounds that can be implemented such as the vocal harmony. The Genos has VH2 as we all know and it's supposed to be an improvement over VH1 which came on the Tyros 1/2/3. I think one of the limitations of the Genos VH2 is the mic that a person uses plus the quality of mic cable and also when recording to make sure the sound is isolated from the music itself so there's no interference. I did a song years ago on my Tyros 1 using the Vocal harmony function and the harmony actually sounded pretty decent. I used a Shure 87A mic and I had a quality cable and also I isolated the sound so as not to provide interference with the actual sound source. I posted the song below so you can hear for yourself. So I might be able to get the Genos VH2 to sound better than the demonstrations we've heard thus far on the web.

The second shortcoming in my estimation is that the polyphony is not allocated across the entire range of the keyboard. A solution to this is to tread lightly when layering preset voices and diligently use the expansion voices when a lot of layering is needed for a more robust sound.

The third shortcoming is the Genos still uses USB 2.0 instead of the current USB 3.1 standard. For recording purposes USB 2.0 is fine. But when transferring data files to and from the Genos to a computer there of course lies the bottleneck. The nice thing about the Genos is the internal flash memory is pretty quick and once the data in on the Genos it stays there even when the power is turned off. So once the data is on the Genos you're basically good to go.

What else... Oh yeah. No balanced outputs but since the DAC has been improved it's less of a concern albeit you lose a little in the way of signal strength and that can be corrected by simply adjusting the volume.

I would probably keep my Tyros 3 if I bought a Genos and maybe sell it later on. Or I could trade it in if they gave me a decent offer but that is highly unlikely. Bottom line? Since there are workarounds the shortcomings are less of a concern. Especially if I can get the Genos VH2 to sound relatively decent. I know I know. But strangers things have happened. That's what they we're saying about the original Tyros 1/2/3 VH1 until I cracked the code.

What can I say? It's Thanksgiving in a few days. I'm "thankful" Yammie produced a stellar arranger keyboard (76 keys no less) and if I buy a Genos I will be "giving" Yammie a ton of money (figuratively speaking of course) and that will make them extremely happy I would think. So therefore it's a win win situation. Decisions decisions..

All the best,

Mike

I've been in the thinking box about buying a PA4X-76 for a long time. Then Genos appeared on the market.
Although Genos is the arranger that, in my opinion, both looks and sounds best in Yammie series, I'm far from convinced that switching T4 is the right decision.
The price gap between G and PA is quite big, so I strongly consider keep T4 and add a PA4X-76.
That way, I might have the best of two top arrangers, and still get use of the large number of Tyros styles already in the archive.

As you say: Decisions decisions..

Decisions...

If it only had 88 keys... i would have jumped in...

I never buy a new keyboard in its first 6 months for 3 reasons
- Bugs
- Price
- Support

Especially the price. Now there is not much room for negotiations.
As there is a shortage of Genos.

Ask me again in May, and i will tell you if the Genos is worth adding $3000 on top of my lovely pa4x.

I’m at a bit of a crossroads on purchasing a Genos too. Got a pretty terrific set up now with the Pa4x and S970. I could sell both the Pa and S970 and buying a Genos wouldn’t be a lot of out of pocket cash. As much as I like the Genos, I’m not totally convinced I want to give up the Pa4x, yes on the S970. Gotta say once I played the Genos at Frankieve’s store I was sold. On the other side of the coin I’m 65 turning 66 in about 2 months, my late dad died at 64 and never really got to enjoy his retirement he developed cancer and died 2 months before his retirement date. Male mortality rate on my father’s side of the family is not that great. My point is got to enjoy as much as I can.

I guess Genos being backordered at present is a good thing, I’ll have more time to make the decisions. Life is short, but nevertheless Mike wrote “decisions, decisions.”

Prices have already started to drop in the UK (Even though the Genos is going down like a house on fire) and is now about £3000 cheaper than when first launched, so best to hang on till the new year (Sales are always quiet in January so dealers look for ways to get their quota’s in) when you should get a really top notch deal.

New instruments always sound great, but best to wait until things calm down before making a decision, as otherwise you may regret it long term. (Although Yamaha seems to have landed a winner with the Genos)

Bill

Mike, my wife has shortcomings. I just learned to work around them and do exactly what she commands. (Hope she doesn't read this!)

Gary

You mean you didn't okay it with her before publication?

124, I'm the boss of my family and I have my wife's permission to say so!

Gary

I am the The Boss in my Family..... I run the Dishwasher, Vacuum Cleaner, Floor Polisher, etc.....

Greetings every one. I hope everybody had a nice thanksgiving day with family and friends. Well guess what? I went ahead and bit the bullet and decided to purchase the Genos. I picked one up last Sunday at GC. They had a special customer appreciation day and they had another special discount going on so I was able to save quite a bit off the minimum advertised price.

So how does it stack up against the competition? Well, I have to say, the Genos is a step above every other arranger I've ever listened to over the years. Although I haven't played a Korg Pa4x in person the demo's I've listened to of the Pa4x sounded pretty good. But I think the Genos after, having played it, is a cut above the rest in my opinion. I'm still trying to familiarize myself with the new OS and menu screens but it's pretty straight foreword and quite frankly fairly easy to operate. I updated to the latest OS but after having done that I noticed the "auto" shut off no longer works. I read where others were having the same experience after updating to the latest OS. If Steve Deming reads this hopefully he can relay the message to the proper authority regarding this glitch. If you don't mind Steve.

I can carry the Genos under one arm with relative ease. The 76 keys is an added bonus and an almost must have for piano style playing with its 15 additional keys offering a more expanded repitoire with more flexibility. The new touchscreen is a real beaut and easy on the eyes too. One thing I've noticed though is it leaves smudges where you place your fingers and in which I need to wipe away on occasion. No biggy and that's obviously a small price to pay for the wonderful instrument that it has turned out to be.

I'm telling you straight up the styles have been completely reworked and sound superb especially through my Mackie HR824 mk2 near field monitors. The actual keybed feels slightly stiffer than my Tyros 3 keybed (which is a good thing) even though they supposedly have the same FSX keybed. Oh, and I checked out the vocal harmony on the Genos and it is better than I thought it was going to be. Below I posted the same song "On The Road Again" but this time using the Genos VH. I even used an inexpensive mic (not the Shure SM58 or the Shure Beta 87A - which quit working properly so I had to toss it). You be the judge on whether it sounds 'up to snuff' or not.

And just for fun I did a recording of a song called "Eye of the Tiger" by the band Survivor. All the music you hear is from the Genos. The Grand Piano you hear is the C7 Studio Grand. The Drum Kit is the REVO Vintage Open Kit. There is a 60's Vintage MegaVoice guitar, a Slap Amp MegaVoice guitar, 50's Vintage Pick MegaVoice guitar and the Active Bass Pick Hmron MegaVoice guitar used. The vocal is not me as you will obviously realize. It is actually Dave Bickler, the lead singer of Survivor. Just think of it as Dave Bickler coming over to my house and singing the vocal part on top of the music part orchestrated by the Genos. I hope you enjoy it. That's why the Genos is such a great keyboard especially if you are a singer/songwriter. You can achieve "professional" results but obviously the cost of the Genos is a big factor in the grand scheme of things. To those who can afford it it really is a great sounding arranger and one that has almost endless possibilities. Have a great weekend!

I really enjoyed "On The Road Again"

My decision to buy the Genos was not based on what the keyboard did or did not offer. I am getting to the age where any of the TOTL keyboards could very well be the last ones I will ever need or own. Next year I plan to add the Ketron SD9 and the Korg PA4X or 5X which ever is available then. I will then have all the keyboards I will ever need or want. Fortunately, my wife is on board with this and also a few other things we have decided to do before we physically are not able to do them. Just about everyone I know our age only has regrets about what they did not do in their life.

Deane

Congratulations Mike! The samples sound great. Continue to keep us posted with your progress. (Is that really Dave Bickler from Survivor singing lead?)

jingleman

My wife and I have a 50/50 relationship. I make the mess...she cleans it up!

Great job. Loved your version of Eye of the Tiger.

Never heard a better argument Deane. If you have the greenbacks,
go for it !!!

Regards,
John

Mike,

CONGRATULATIONS on your Genos! Nice job with "On the Road Again."

Have fun, you only go around once in life may as well do it while you can. As the Schlitz beer commerials used tout "ya gotta get all the gusto out of life you can" so have a Schlitz no that's supposed to be Genos.

I just don't know whether I'd want one if your fingers leave smudges all over the screen!!

So Steve, here's a solution. Between that rack of baby-back ribs or bag of buttery popcorn and sitting down to the Genos, WASH YOUR HANDS!

chas

ha ha thanks for the good laugh. I love baby back ribs and buttered popcorn guess I could get some Purell Sanitary wipes

Nice job thanx for sharing your works sound terriffic congrats on your new kb...more more..

Wow the VH sounds good in the tune! How you you put the singer in the song? Obv purchase Vocal only from somewhere? Then apply it somehow to played chords backing. Nice post but still too expensive at this time for me. Enjoy

I've had it for a week and it continues to amaze me in terms of the sound quality and user friendliness. I've come from a PSR-S950 but I've had Tyros in the past and I actually swapped out a Kronos AND Montage for Genos. I do not regret for one minute! The voices alone on the Genos are first class, even coming from a Motif and Montage, the orchestral and acoustic sounds are the best I've heard on a keyboard. The acoustic guitars are a delight to play, and the strings are plentiful. The new realtime control section is one of those features that you wondered how you ever managed without it, and as I mentioned the operating system is extremely user friendly and intuitive. Of course we all have different requirements and priorities when it comes to a keyboard, I've had Yamaha arrangers for over 20 years and although for a while I did move to separate synths and plugins, personally I find the arranger a very creative and entertaining tool as a solo user. Previously my decision to move to other synths was due to quality, one of my priorities has always been very expressive high quality instruments that are very playable and inspiring. I've found over the years that I didn't actually delve into the menus and editing features of these top boards from Korg and Yamaha, instead I tended to use the presets so for me a preset arranger board seems perfect. As for styles, I need flexibility in so much as being able to pull apart styles and create my own less busy backings, but at the same time have quality varied backings that can entertain and inspire me when the need arises. The Genos styles are really different to what I've experienced on previous arrangers from Yamaha, they really have reworked them and they sound a lot more "natural' and real, less canned. Of course there are many I won't use, but there's a good smattering on offer. I would say though its worth putting the styles to one side and just appreciating how good the quality of the voices on offer are. Actually with the new arpeggios, the recorder, the really powerful ensemble voices and the 76 note keyboard with split and layers you can really achieve some amazing sounds. I would suggest trying to get a hands on but take a good pair of headphones. There are lots of videos on Youtube, I've created my own playlist of the better ones (look up midinotes) which persuaded me to order it blind. Be careful not to get taken in by a few songs that fit the new styles well, these can soon sound tired as I've noticed lots of users on youtube play those same songs with the relevant styles. Personally I like to pull the styles apart and try and use them in different ways, see how well you can play songs that don't necessarily fit into the obvious choices. Hope my rant is of some use, more than happy to answer any questions you may have about Genos.

Kind regards
Simon

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Nice user Demos on the Genos! The VH is just cool to use once in awhile. I have used a harmonizer since 1992... DigiTech VHM5. The TC one in the Pa4X is fantastic but I don't use it enough to have it as a deal breaker.

Those DRUMS on the Genos are fantastic everytime I hear them!!!

If I sell my Pa4X-61... Motif ES7... Korg O1W/fd... Korg Wavestation EX... Korg Triton Studio... and 3 midi controllers, I should have enough for the Genos and a case!!! Plus, I'll gain much needed space in my studio!!

Just make sure they don't ask for your WIFE in the deal ...

keybplayer
Mike ... I really enjoyed the demos ... that was a cool style for "On The Road Again" and those guitars sound pretty darn good ...
thanks

Mike, really enjoyed the songs your recorded on the Genos. The styles sound superb, the vocals were crisp and clear and the vocal harmony was excellent quality with no distortion.

Keep em coming,

Gary

I think if i sell the pa4x 76, a Kronos 88, and the Kurzweil pc3x standing in the coner, i still fall €100 short...

When you got the BUCKS! you get a GENOS

Yeah I was kind of surprised with the Genos VH2 too. It sounds cleaner and more natural to me than the previous VH1 found on the Tyros 1/2/3. I'm sure the new and improved Digital to Analog Converter on the Genos plays a part in the better sound but Yamaha would have to confirm that.

The touch screen is very interesting. It's huge and easily readable and the touch function itself works as advertised. Ha! I made sure my hands were clean before I started playing the Genos so it appears it's highly sensitive to a person's natural skin oils. I noticed if you rub the screen you can tell there is a film material on top of the glass underneath to obviously help protect it from damage. A clean cloth seems to work okay. I use a soft cloth made for cleaning sensitive equipment like a TV screen.

Yes jingleman that really was Dave Bickler from the band Survivor.

One of the greatest improvements regarding the Genos versus the Tyros line is the new Revo! Drums needless to say. They sound awesome and possibly better than the drum kits on the Montage and that's really saying something. The Genos performs more like a traditional workstation keyboard as far as quality of sounds and advanced features. Yamaha seems to be getting serious regarding how people perceive their high-end arranger products. In the past arrangers were known for being 'toys' but that inclination has surely changed in the last few years and the Genos is now the icing on the cake at least in my estimation any way.

PS: I read the specifications in the Genos manual and Yamaha says the polyphony is 256 max without any asterisk to say it's divided up into two sections. I wonder why Yamaha says 256 max in the manual (with no clarification) whilst their actual website gives an asterisk stating 128 note polyphony for the preset voices and 128 note polyphony for the expansion voices? If I didn't know better after reading the manual I would assume the Genos has 256 note polyphony allocated across the entire range of the keyboard instead of being divided up into two sections like Yammie's website states. They should be consistent in what they print otherwise people might get confused regarding the true nature of the specifications. Maybe Steve Deming could shed some light on this issue.

All the best,

Mike