nigel i think this is fake

Well, the creator has not managed to spell 'Workstation' at the back of the creation right.
What is a 'Workstion'? 😁

but seriously, when will the world get a pa5x cos its overdue now. yamaha is moving far ahead in the game. korg DO NOT want to end up like roland

If you compare PA4X-76 and Genos, in what way has Yamaha moved far ahead?
PA4X is still at the top of the game, and also have features Genos don't have.
Guess the world wide virus has been a hard brake for all, so don't be too much surprised if
neither Yamaha or Korg comes up with any successor for the newest TOTL arrangers. 😱

Er, let me count the ways...!

256 voices
28 insert effects
Ensemble Mode
8 section Chord Sequencer
Revo drum kits with round robin triggering

These are all features lacking from Korg’s. It’s a tie... 🎹😎

Well,they`re not going to sell many when you look at all the
different selection of controls on the front panel and no indication of what they are or what does what.

Maybe Korg's major update was an interim appeasement for the next model. There have been new synth models released with less than the Pa4X update.

i think there will not be any PAX5 , there are not enough customers for arrangeres. and the companies develops the mid and low market .
very sad but the world is changing sorry for thoes of us who dream about a new flagship.

If that's it, I'm out

I believe that is a distinct possibility.

This potentially opens up a huge "tit for tat" than can go on forever... though I am happy to agree over all it is "a tie"

It is awesome that Yamaha have introduced or "re introduced" some awesome new features into the arranger market, BUT they still lack in a lot of prehistoric features that other boards have been doing for years...

- No octave adjustment of song / style parts in the mixer settings
- factory Non drumkit style tracks can only be erased instead of edited in the style creator / editor.
- Extremely limited voice editing capability
- Super Articulation voices include random generated noises that cannot be muted (random guitar fret slides etc)

As you say an eye for an eye, soon enough the whole world's blind. I find plenty of things in the Korg pretty stone age too. That's kind of the point. You figure out what you like, you figure out what you need, and you get whatever does the job FOR YOU best.

But no one makes anything technologically and sonically superior across the board.

Me, I tend to look for simplicity and convenience. Others look for micro editing and infinite customization. Others just want to hit the power switch and play without reading the manual..!

No one piece of gear is EVER going to please all three of us!

I've had one from each of the "big three" for many years now. There have always been one or two things that one brand does better than all the others. Once I figured out how to drive the second arranger's style engine with output from the first, a two-tiered, two-arranger setup became practical. When I decided that was too much visual bulk for the dining room, I switched to an arranger and a module. Frankly I don't care if they ever make a better model because I'm pretty content with what I have. Not selling any of mine anytime soon.

Fortunately, Roland took the decision out of my hands... No new arrangers!

That made it easy! 😂

It is a shame too, I had several Roland synths, plus the G70, and the BK-9. I loved the Leslie sim on the BK-9, and the two small windows were no problem because they had a useful purpose. I couldn't abide the lack of balance from the factory, and I lost patience with re-balancing most of them.

The strange thing is, I always look forward to redoing everything each new arranger I get! Admittedly, I’m a lot slower to get new gear than many here, so it doesn’t happen often... G1000-G70-BK9, that’s it over 22 years!

But each time I do it, I figure now’s my chance to do some housekeeping, to review how my show and audience have changed, how my taste in sound or my audience’s may have evolved, how I can perhaps improve something I used to think was ‘good enough’, how I can leverage each new kit or sound or feature to change what I have got used to, or dare I say it, complacent about?!

What initially felt like limitations, backward steps in the OS, can often lead to firstly ‘workarounds’ that often end up being better workflow than I was used to! I definitely found myself using multiple Performances per song with the BK-9 because of the lack of an UPR3 Part. And this has lead to far less button pushing and more playing, which is always better!

I agree with you that the BK-9’s Hammond section is killer by arranger standards, and far superior to the G70’s, then add in the Chord Sequencer, the SN guitars, the audio stuff (I use a LOT of audio tracks these days with embedded lyrics), the better drum kits, the massive increase in MFX, the slider control of MFX, the 999 sized Performance List, etc., etc. I honestly felt that even if I need to rebalance many styles, what I gained was worth the work, even if I DIDN’T want to work on it anyway!

Oh, and that drop to 20lbs didn’t hurt either!!!

But that’s what I feel is the biggest advantage to finding one piece of gear and sticking to it for a decade or so... a willingness to do whatever it takes to make it sound its best, knowing it may be a decade before you have to do it again! 🎹😎

Well said, Diki. Unfortunately, I was going on the premise that Roland, surely, knows far better than I about styles, rather than taking your route. Oh well, hindsight and all that.

Sure good to have you board.

Bernie

Diki, I asked to know more about you, I now know why. I find many of my beliefs in your posts.

For me, a new keyboard is like getting a gift at Christmas time, it’s exciting -- it’s like having a new toy; I get better, and I also learn more about keyboards. I begin to get bored when there is no more to learn; but the new keyboards have taken care of that problem.

I have no idea what people who do not have creating music as part of their day. Listening to music is nice, but not enough for me.
Last night I was restless. so, I out of bed and to my Sx900. While I was playing, I stumbled over something new I could do with the multi-pads; I went back to bed smiling.

John C.

John
I agree 100% about the value of creating music in staving off boredom or insanity during these down times. I listen to neighbors and friends that have no meaningful hobbies, and feel sorry for them. I too love to learn new things about my keyboards, something I should have done before, but too busy. I don't have to buy anything new, but simply dig down in my toybox, so to speak, and move to the next keyboard I already own.

I learned as a child that we are supposed to use our God given talents to the best of our ability. As much as I dislike our present environment, I am grateful for the chance to further my abilities. It is like God is giving me one more chance.

Bernie

Bernie, even at this age we are still learning; we are forgetting, but with the right attitude we are still able to learn and grow. I find the more I learn about my keyboard, the more I learn about me. I’m not sure how that works.

Bernie, your post is filled with good wisdom; it was a pleasure reading it, thank you.
John C.

I almost gave up posting how I am working with the regs. and PlayList on my Sx900. Bernie’s post has me going again --- this time I’ll approach the subject differently.

1-Create a band with the 8 regs. I use:
Reg 1 Piano Reg2 Trumpet Reg3 Clarinet Reg 4 Sax Section
Reg 5 Trombone Reg 6 Light Brass
Reg 8 Med. Brass Reg8 Strong Brass
When you save the Band, DO NOT save the STYLE when saving.
Select your style you selected for the song and save it in Reg 1. Make sure you are also saving the style. Now select/load the band you created.

You now have a style you selected for the song, and a band. Name and save.

That is all you have to do for every song you add into the Sx900.
Select the style you want for the song, save it in Reg 1. Make sure you are also saving the style when saving. Now select/load the band you created.

You now have a song/style, and a band. That is all you have to do for every song you add. Did I miss anything? Part is coming.

Open for questions, John C.

Thanks John

It is now clearer how you set up the registrations. I think it has a lot of merit. Thanks for sharing.
Bernie

I rather feel that some of the imbalance in Roland ROM Styles has a fair bit to do with the default Mastering Presets. I find them rather aggressive, and can often alter the balance of a style when listened to with them turned off.

The thing is, Roland’s ROM styles are a collection of some brand new styles, but a large percentage (as with all arrangers) are older styles from earlier models. Unfortunately, most of these earlier arrangers didn’t have the same Mastering Tools section, or only had one for the overall output, and were usually set less intrusively (an aggressive compressor on the final output tends to have your lead sound duck the style if you get a bit frisky!). So, play old styles through new Master presets, or use newer kits with more dynamics, you’ll often get styles that need a bit of tweaking.

But, put in the work, you invariably have a better final sound than your last arranger. And that’s somewhat the point of buying one, isn’t it?!

Yes, in a perfect world, where arrangers sold in huge numbers and manufacturers had the budget to make sure everything was perfect OOTB, we wouldn’t have to do some of this ourselves, but that boat sailed a decade ago! And due to the different playback systems that amateurs and pros use, there really isn’t one Mastering setting that works across the board.

I think with the BK series onwards, Roland voiced these far more towards those using pretty small underpowered speakers, and compressed heavier and EQ’d a lot more bottom in. This made them a bit tubby and choked the dynamics when played through a proper high power pro rig. So, just like I always have, pretty much the first thing I do with any arranger is turn off all mastering stuff. It’s amazing how often this opens up an arranger’s sound and makes it more lively and dynamic! I can always add some back in if I’m in a super quiet gig and want to tame my dynamics, but it’s harder to remove for a louder gig than add for a quieter one.

Any mastering engineer will tell you the easiest way to ruin a good mix is a poorly set up three band compressor! And yet, that’s what they slap on the final output of most arrangers and expect one preset to cover the whole gig! Tread carefully at the end of your chain, it’s easier to ruin something than improve it!