Yamaha PSR-3000 vs Yamaha PSR-8000

I want to know which one is a better choice. I know that 3k is from 2004 and 8k from 2001 or even old, but 3k hasn't a sampler like 8k. And I think that 8k has a better sequencer. And I know that 3k has a double price (1400 $).

8k- less rom,heavy,has baisc sampler,better hardware.2 variations

3k,more rom,light,4 variations etc

know what you need.

Where'dya get the name? Just curious

8K has aftertouch
3k Not
8K can have expanded simms for sampler
3K no sampler

Best thing to do is try both keyboards if you can get the opportunity. Iown the PSR8000 and have waited 10 years to see if Yamaha can comeup with a replacement worth the extra expense. Only the Tyros has come close and i know that the PSR 3000 is supposedly a mini tyros. I have played the PSR 3000 in the shops but have not been tempted purely because in terms of sound, the difference between the 8000 and the 3000 is not great enough to merrit the cost. The sequencer is similar. There are more DSP's with the 3000, greater polyphony 128 compared to 64 on the 8000. That can be an issue if you are into sequencing but has not been and isue in live play so far.

the 8000 is real heavy but then its built for heavy duty use . I know there are others here that love their 3000 but it feels plasticy and not the best build quality to me.

I have used the 8000 for over 10 years for church and use with the choir and my band.In ten years i have had to replace the touch sensitivity strip twice. Other than that its still going strong.

If you want something new because its new then go for the 3000

But if you can get a 8000 for under £500 the snap it up !

El Shaddai is my band name meaning God Almighty in hebrew. I sing with my band in churches in Romania. I own Yamaha W7 since 1997 & Roland JV-1080 since 1999. My W7 has problems with the buttons and floppy-disk and I must repair or replace the buttons. So, it's time to purchase a new keyboard. I found many informations about PSR-3000, but none of PSR-8000 because it's discontinued. Can somebody send me a pdf manual for PSR-8000 and some hi-res photos? For PSR-3000 I have it. Many thanks.

I can get 8k for 600 Euro (800 $) and 3k for 1300 Euro (1700 $).

[This message has been edited by El Shaddai (edited 04-15-2005).]

Whats your email address EL SHADDAI and i will send it to you

The PSR3000 is so superior. The PSR3000 is better than the PSR9000, let alone the PSR8000.

It has

1. color screen
2. Sweet!, Cool!, Live!, and Megavoices!
3. 4 part styles plus Break and 3 intros and 3 endings.
4. Better operating system.
5. USB and Smart Media memory - easy to interface with computer.
6. Much better styles.
7. Music Finder Database.
8. Lighter weight
9. Video out.

I'm sure there are other advantages. I think it would be a big mistake to choose a PSR8k over the 3k unless you're saving a bundle and you cannot afford any more.

Beakybird

Couldn't have said it better myself Larry.

Cheers,

Gary

My email is adymeshter@yahoo.com

The manual is on its way. Like i said listen to the two keyboards and make up your own mind.

4 part styles plus Break and 3 intros and 3 endings.( Can all be created yourself using separate registrations accessible by thetouch of a button and tweeaking existing styles or creating your own )
4. Better operating system.( in what respect ?)
5. USB and Smart Media memory - easy to interface with computer.(there is a host direct connection cable for the PSR8000, does similar job as USB and i have a hard drive on mine which i have had for 10 years and i have not half filled its capacity)
6. Much better styles.( thats debateable)
7. Music Finder Database. ( useful for what kind of musician? El plays in church setting for worship, this function has limited if any value to him but he can decide for himself)
8. Lighter weight ( thats the truth !)But built to last. The build quality of the PSR3000 is toyish.just my opinion though )

9. Video out.( serves no practical purpose whatsoever to a musician )

However the Psr3000 has no aftertouch which for any type of synth is a major limitation and no sampler which El has already mentioned is of interest.

Dont buy something just because its newer EL . Go try the keyboards and report back

Thanks, spalding, for the manual for 8k. Can you give some mp3 demos, please ? So I'll can hear 8k.

if someone can give me some instructions how i will gladly do this

Spalding,

To record an MP3, merely follow the directions I posted at http://psrtutorial.com/L/REC/MakeCD.html which will record a WAV file, then convert it to an MP3. Nothing to it.

Good Luck,

Gary

If you want great key feel, buy an 88-key digital piano.

If you want a great arranger, you'd have to get the PSR3000.

Can anyone else here who has played both the PSR3000 and the PSR8000 say that it is debatable that the PSR3000's styles are better? That's ridiculous.

4 parts, 3 intros, 3 endings, and a break, made with better voices, and better production techniques.

If you have the PSR3000, and you can get a hold of the styles from the Tyros, CVP209, and the PSR90000, you have about 350 great styles with four parts and OTS.

I think the PSR3000's keys are pretty good. Maybe that is one of the very few areas that the PSR3000 is slightly inferior to the PSR8000.

If you want an arranger keyboard - that means that you want accompaniment, it would be crazy to choose the PSR8000 over the PSR3000 unless price were an object.

Vocalizer. If the PSR8000's vocalizer is similar to the PSR740 which came a year later, then it sucks compared to the PSR3000.

With the PSR8000 you don't get the Live! Piano. Come on! Are you crazy? You don't get that Sweet! Soprano Sax, the Cool! Organs, the Sweet! Harmonica, Live! Strings, Cool! Electric Pianos.

It's just insane to compare these keyboards. Those who know me on this forum know that I am normally not subject to hyperbole.

I am a gigging musician who plays the PSR3000. I'm definitely not in the big leagues, but I support myself and my family playing the PSR3000. I pay for the mortgage, the two cars, sock money away for retirement, and have a little money left over for a modest two week vacation with the PSR3000. With 9 months of performing every day, I can attest that the PSR3000 is no toy.


Beakybird

Have you actually played the psr 8000 ?tried its vocaliser? Have you heard the eps on the psr 8000 ? What is really "crazy" is trying to express an opinion on the two boards if you have not actually herad both boards.... I have spent time with both keyboards and so am able to make a comparrison. Its just my opinion though.However i have been looking for a reason to upgrade since 2000 and i am probably one of the most annoying customers a shop could have. I dont buy hype. I buy instruments that are worth the increment in price for a comparable increment in value.

I use my 8000 for similar purposes to EL so i am looking at it as an appropriate arranger for his use in worship and general playing. Read ELs post again and then actually listen to a psr8000 . If i understand his post correctly he wants to know which is better for him the psr 8000 or the 3000. The 3000 in the uk costs around £1000 and the 8000 around £500.

If no aftertouch, no sampler are not important and EL finds that the sound quality difference merrits the extra expense then go forit EL

But i amnot crazy. Thre views i have expressed are from a valid stand point.

The PSR8000, in my opinion, remains one of the all-time best Yamahas. Sure, the later ones have an improved OS, but the 8000 had some really neat features that have been discontinued.
It had the Groove function, which allowed you to easily change the timing on styles and save them in a special bank, effectively doubling the number of styles. It let you arrange the factory styles in banks of your choice.
By using the four style assignment buttons, you could effectively increase the variations, intros and endings to four per style.
It had aftertouch. The vocal harmony and voice processor was BETTER than the 9000, at least to me. Unlike the 2000, the harmony presets worked as they should.
It was built to last, other than the infamous keybed strip, which is easily replaced.
The registration system worked better and easier than the newer ones. You had dedicated bank buttons that let you quickly call up any registrations without going into a different screen.
There was more control over the style parts in real time, with wheels that adjusted the individual part volumes, instead of having to go into the mixer.
If I had to choose, of course I'd choose the 3000, but it's not a no-brainer, especially if the 8000 is in good shape and you can save considerable money. I went back to the 8000 twice after "upgrading" to newer models, and I kept it as a reliable backup up for several years after that.
DonM

I was able to play the PSR8000 at Sam Ash after the PSR9000 had come out. I did not try the vocalizer. I was currently playing the PSR740, and I was immediately disappointed that I couldn't get 4 part styles.

I remember the groove feature from the PSR740 - probably the same as the PSR8000's. It was nice to groove in real time. One advantage of the non-real time groove function on the PSR3000 is that you can tweak the groove with several parameters.

I don't know. I'm into styles and voices - the bread and butter of an arranger. My PSR3000 is loaded with all of the styles (less duplicates of course) from the PSR9000, CVP209, Tyros, the styles that come on the new Tyros with hard drive, plus dozens of styles from Midispot, Styles-Music.de, and conversions from other keyboards. I have an amazing arsenal, even though, I'm always hungry for a new sound. You cannot even load the PSR9000, CVP209, and Tyros styles onto the PSR8000.

The PSR3000 has almost all of the voices from the Tyros. All of the Tyros styles sound great on the PSR3000. Many of these stunning voices are not on the PSR8000.

I can see the advantages of the PSR8000's build quality, knobs instead of buttons, a few other things, but if it's no sweat to afford the PSR3000, it's an amazing keyboard.

I don't think I could make as good of a living playing the PSR8000 as I do playing the PSR3000. I admit, if I were a better musician, it probably wouldn't matter.

Beakybird

i have just added the folowing styles to my 10 year old keyboard

1. Korg PA1X jazz,styles . Funk styles,ballads
2. KN7000 Ballroom styles , jazz styles
3. Tyros styles

Got them all from the PSR tutorial and yes they need a lot of tweaking but i did not spend £4000 to get new styles. And all of those styles i could have created from scratch mysel with 10 yrear old technology.

I am certain Beakiybird that you would be just as good a musician today and make just as much money if you had stuck with the one keyboard. Your oudience is unlikely to know that they are listening to a 10 year old keyboard from a 6 month old keyboard. But you willhave discovered more fullty what you can do with your instrument once you have really probed its depths.

Enjoy your PSR 3000 . I am sure it is a great board.But i dont believe that it the step up in sound that you believe it to be other than a handfull of sounds like the much vaunted soprano sax on the 3000 which is the same sax on the psr 9000 (which is lovely never the less) and perhaps richer drums.

Sorry my keyboard is not 10 years old but close.( slight exaggeration)
Also the only other significant advance that is actually usuable in the psr 3000 is the mega voices . When they become useable as stand alone voices , this will be a genuine step change in terms of musical technology as far as i am concerned.

well, everyone in here seems to be very atached to yamaha's.
why is that?
get a korg pa50, i;d say is hard to beat this one, for a low price and alot of editing for sounds and styles. triton's sound generator, good (enough) key feel, light, nice design.
...hm?
greets to you el shaddai! i am romanian too!

I don't necesary need the sampler and aftertouch from 8k. What is important to me are the sounds of piano, guitars, sax, flutes, trompets, acordions. 3k has amasing quality of this sounds and I like it. 8k hasn't the same quality of this sounds because it is from 1997 (so spalding, your 8k is 8 years old) and 3k is from Tyros generation of 2004. Maybe I will can get 3k with less than $1600.00 (EU1300) from Spain.

I know Korg PA80/60/50. I like the sounds and styles but i don't like the LCD. PA50 don't has the optional HDD. Since 2001, PA80 was my favorite keyboard till 2003 when it released PA1X/Pro. So, now the best for me is 3000, I guess. I have a frend who has 8000.I will try to see and hear it.

So, spalding, did you succeed to record some demos and convert to mp3 ?

i will i promise. In the middle of law exams at the moment. Will try and record somthing late may.Good luck with your purchase

Agree with every word of that. My last keyboard was an 8000, and I still use it as a backup. Truth is that I'm about to sell it as soon as I have time to reattach the vocal harmony section. But it is a great keyboard and I miss many of its features on my Tyros. (Especially the memory feature which retains all the keyboard settings when you turn it off!)

Somebody can tell me how is the key feel with 3k and 8k ? I know the key feel from Korg PA-80, Korg PA1XPro and Korg Triton because I touched this Korgs.

The 8000 is slightly firmer, but not enough to make anyone jump up in the air and scream WOW! I had an 8000 for about a week, took it back to the dealer and said nice board, but it's not what I'm looking for. It weighed a ton, the sounds were OK, but not fantastic, and my older 5700 still sounded and felt better.

When the 740 came out, the 52-pound 5700 was still in service and I used them both in combination. Neat rig, but it took 45 minutes to set up and 8 trips tot he van just to haul in all the gear using a refrigerator dolly.

When the 2000 arrived on the scene, the advancements were astonishing. Incredible sounds, fabulous styles, great operating system, lots more memory, plus instant access to the floppy drive. This incredible machine is still being used by a lot of gigging musicians/entertainers who make a darned good living in show biz.

When the Tyros hit the streets, I was awestruck, but as much as I liked the keyboard, I really missed those onboard speakers.

Then the 3000 appeared! IMO, this is the most incredible arranger keyboard ever concieved. Huge number of fabulous styles, megavoices, incredible sampled sounds, more storage than anyone can use, lightweight, extremely versitle, and the easiest to use operating system of any keyboard I've ever owned.

I've owned lots of other brands as well. In fact, my wife says if I bring home another keyboard she's gonna' divorce me. I'm sure going to miss that woman!

One other aspect of the 8000 was the key strips, which were, and still are, a constant problem with this particular model. When the fail, and they will eventually do so, they are a real problem to replace. I've replaced them for friends and it took hours to do the job. The cost was about $80 U.S. for the strip and if the service department of the local dealer had to do it, the labor charge would have been $150 to $200 at the least.

You can replace the key pads in the 3000 in less than an hour, the strips cost $20 U.S. and the hardest part of the job is taking out the 18 case screws.

Additionaly, you'll find more 3rd party styles for Yamha than any other keyboard on the planet. However, many of those styles will not load in the 8000 without doing some major midifications. They'll all load in the 3000 and you don't have to do anything to them other than press a button and being playing.

Save your money, buy the 3000, and don't look back at acient technology--you will not regret it.

Good Luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary

great reply ,Gary.

So, how is the key feel for 3k & 8k ?

HI,
I just saw PSR-3000 demo on the net...
...what a machine!!!!It's so compact-very easy to transport,sounds are very,very good...why is there now aftertouch!!??Without speakers and with AT it'll be the greatest... hardly waitting to see new Tyros!!!

The 8000s keys are a bit heavier feeling than the 3000, but not significantly. Much of the key feel has to do with the mechanics of the rubber strips, and where they are positioned in relation to the key's pivot point. The closer they are to the pivot point, the lighter the touch. Some folks compar the 3000s key feeling to the Tyros, but IMO the 3000s keys have a slightly lighter touch.

Gary

The keys from 3k are solid not like a toy (like psr280) ? Is somebody who knows Yamaha W7 ? How do you compare the key contruction and key feel from 3000 and W7 ?

[This message has been edited by El Shaddai (edited 04-21-2005).]