My impressions PA1XPro vs PSR3000

Well, I am another PSR2100 owner who just bought a new PSR3000.

Friday night I went into G.C. and low and behold, there was a PA1XPro that I had been wanting to try for the longest time! I was so excited and I played it for 2 hours.

I loved many of the sounds, and loved the dynamics and expressiveness of the drums and drum styles. They really have a nice punch. There are many things I really like about the PA1XPro, and honestly I wanted to buy one, but after playing it, I'm sorry to say that as much as I like the Korg, it just didn't work for me in light of the PSR3000. I think maybe a more seasoned and experienced player and a better musician than I am would have liked the Korg more than I did. And my comparison may be very flawed simply because I understand the PSR and have no experiece with the Korg.

But I am posting this for those who keep asking which keyboard to buy hoping to glean some information you haven't heard before. I love reading those posts. They have helped me a great deal in evaluating keyboards. I am a real novice, have only owned my PSR2100 for a year, and my opinions are from my very inexperienced point of view, but they may help you in your decision SO here goes.

I found the PA1XPro to be difficult to keep the sounds in balance. I love the volume sliders and wish Yamaha would use the same. I like using sliders for drawbars also. But had a hard time keeping a good balance from one style to another. I loved the multiple break buttons on the Korg, and especially the break that gives you a couple of beats of silence, but found that sometimes hitting the break on the PA1XPro does not give you a very graceful break... I heard sounds that I didnt want to hear... almost seems like a bug in the OS. Where Yamaha breaks, although they could be more dramatic breaks for my liking, at least they are very graceful and forgiving in the way they are programmed adn implemented.

I found the screen on the PA1XPro very cheesty and cheap for a keyboard costing almost $4,000 and I don't care for the touch screen at all. I found that on the Korg there are not as many styles as the Yamaha, and although I find many of the Korg styles sound less 'canned' and more dynamic than the Yamaha styles, overall, Yamaha has a better selection and variety, And the availability of additional resources on the web made a big difference toward my decision for Yamaha.

While I was playing the PA1XPro I ofen felt that the style was pushing me rather than complementing me... (hard to explain). Like I was fighting the style rather than flowing with it. As for sounds, some of the Korg sounds are better than the Yamaha, but I was surprised at how many of the sounds I thought sounded quite inferior to Yamaha, especially in the flute and sax areas. Personally I liked the Korg painos better. I think they are more dynamic and responsive. I wish Yamaha would sell expansion boards for the PSR3000 where you could buy a Bosendorfer Paino if that's what suits your fancy. But I sure liked playing on the Korg's 76 keys way more than 61 of the PSR. How I wish Yamaha would come out with a 76 key model... but I could not hold back, I bought the PSR3000 the following day! And I am very happy.

I found that on the Yamaha the ability to use OTS and turn it off at will, gives me great flexibility, and overall its a much easier board to use. I was so excited to hear the difference between the PSR2100 and the PSR3000, I was real excited when I heard the violins and guitars. I miss some of the buttons on the 3000, and wish there were more than 2 foot controller jacks.

Well those are my crude and simplistic observations.... Hope they help someone.

Just want to say a big THANKS to everyone for all the great info I have recieved on this BBS. This is truly are fun place to visit. Happy playing!!!!

Russ



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Russ Bolduc
817-714-0488

Good post Russ. I've only a few, limited contacts with the PAX1, and for the most part I agree with your assesment.

Thanks,

Gary

Excellent post Russ. I was very curious about the Pa1x pro myself and you have given me some new insight.

Thanks!!

Russ,
I would just like to clarify one major point you are not correct about the PA1XPRO. There are 450 styles in the Korg and 240 styles in the PSR3000. My guess is that you didn't realize that for each catagory of styles there is a page up and page down button to find all the styles. Just to be fair, you said there are more styles in the Yamaha then in the Korg. I sell both keyboards and probably guess that if you were at GC, nobody knew anything about either keyboard. This is what my customers tell me who visit the chain stores and then come into my store.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

George,

I agree that going to GC and similar chains is aking to shopping for a car blindfolded--it just doesn't make sense. That's why I rely on both you and Dan01 for unbiased information pertaining to anything in this industry. I also rely heavily on forum member experience, which I consisder extremely valuable.

Cheers,

Gary

Thanks George, I stand corrected. The Korg is a great machine... maybe someday I can own one of each! Money and time are my only two obstacles!

Happy Playing, Russ



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Russ Bolduc
817-714-0488

I am forever puzzled by all you chaps going on about Yamaha bringing out a 76 note Tyros. I already use a 110 note Tyros, created by mounting a cheap 49 note Roland PC300 board under the Tyros with a simple midi connection. The split is set at C1 on the Tyros and , hey presto, we have a 60 note upper manual and a 49 note lower. It is so simple and for one who has played organs for years feels much more comfortable as well as giving more flexibility that even a single 76 note board. I know because I did use a 9000pro for a while.

I am sure it is common knowledge that most controller keyboards are very slim and even a 61 note one can be fitted very tightly under the Tyros as you only need to have the keys protruding. No need to be able to reach the other buttons and switches as all changes are made from the Tyros.

Since I switched to this system I have been even more happy with the Tyros, if that was possible especially since I up graded from the Logitech Z2200 to the Z5500, but that is another story............

Trevor

Trevor,
That is an interesting concept adding a small controller under the Tyros. I am an old organ player myself. I have the Z2200s and am thinking of adding the Z5500s and using the 2200s as monitors. How do you feel about the 5500s. Do they work well for you also? Did you build Gary's stands?

Tom

Russ,

Thank you for sharing your observations. I had tried the PA1Xpro at the stores a few times, and each time walked away underwhelmed. I even wrote some comments to post here, but never did (saved them on my PC), as after I re-read them I thought that they mirrored many of the other comments which people were putting up. However, I can relate to a lot of your opinions, and that is even without mentioning the dismal 62 voice polyphony.

Trevor, Tom - if you come from Organ background, adding a small controller to a 61-key keyboard will probably do the trick for you. I on the other hand, come from a piano background, where musical nuance is produced by the technique of hitting the keys with a varied force, rather than pressing keys (albeit very fast) on different manuals, producing different timbres of sound. Frankly, I believe that a non-organist would need some time adjusting.

A more important consideration is that for a person performing single gigs having an extra keyboard would also mean more equipment to carry, a heavier, bigger stand, longer hook-up and break-down time. There is also an issue with the ergonomics - if you position the controller keyboard at a convenient playing height, the main keyboard will be difficult to see, or block you from the audience. I used to perform with two keyboards, but then found that it created more problems than its worth. Hence, IMHO adding a controller is not a substitute for having a good size/quality keys on the instrument itself.

REgards,
Alex

Tom and Alex

Tom There is no doubt in my mind that the Z5500's are well worth the extra cost. They are much more powerful and the extra controller with the remote control give a lot more flexibility in sound. I run first through an Alexis mixer and position the four upright speakers in pairs in front of the keyboards with the horizontal speaker behind me as a monitor. The sound is crisp and clear making my vocals sound much better. To me, anyway.

I did not need to build stands as the light weight ones which I had previously bought came with an adapter kit which simply allows a flat metal plate to be fixed to the top of the stand. I bolted two speakers slightly angled on each of these and then series wired them into the left and right front sockets on the sub-woofer unit.

Alex..I will not comment on the different playing techniques used by pianists and organists because that is obviously a matter of personal taste except that I am sure there must be a very large number of forum members who have graduated from the organ to the keyboard and who are used to having their
hands closer together.

On your second point however I must take issue. I also play only single gigs and the extra equipment I need to carry is the Roland keyboard weighing 9 lbs and a small very light stand which fits under the stand which carries the Tyros.Oh! and a midi cable.
I still have the Tyros at the same height as before so there is no obstruction to prevent the audience having the full benefit of my ugly mug!!

I have also used two or more full keyboards
in the past and totally agree with you that they are not worth the trouble for any benefit you gain but this system is actually only using one keyboard with a larger number of keys and is similar to that used by Richard Bower, one of the foremost Yamaha Concert performers here in the U.K. Except that he has a full pedalboard as well.

The greatest benefit for me is that I now have 60 notes available on the Tyros for melody and 49 available on the lower keyboard for accompaniment both of which are touch sensitive.

Trevor

Good review man! I may be way off here, but from the reviews I've read so far regarding the Korg vs Yammie, it seems to me that Korg geared the PA1X-Pro towards synth junkies. Those who love synths, and also love arrangers, but want that good quality arranger with full synth features and the flexibility of an arranger (that would kick ass in a studio environment). Again just my opinion.

Squeak

Guilty as charged...

I must say that my keyboard (PSR2000 with Tyros Styles) sounds SO MUCH better than my old 25year old Crumar organ... that I am forced to not care that occasionally I run out of keys. I never run out of great sounds and my keyboard does a better organ impression than my Organ!

Jerry
Amsterdam

On Trevor's comment re number of keys. I also use a controller keyboard (Roland A-37) and can add 76 keys to my PSR3000. The beauty of midi controller keyboards is that your "home" keyboard will respond to the keys that it doesn't actually have!
Keith

My main point in a nutshell Keith