Speaking of my PA588

Holy crap does this thing sound good!

Sorry but it had to be said.

I was playing around with the BeBop style late last night and discovered that variation #4 trades fours with the drummer. I about fell off my stool. I suppose some other brands must do this as well but it caught me by surprise.

What fun!

Dave

------------------
Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 07-24-2009).]

Glad to hear Dave. I've said all along the Korg is amazing, but few believe it. You'll probably change a few minds with your skills.

Zuki I always gave Korg credit for sounding good...What I never liked was the OS...and the effects operation..

I don't like the PA800 for my personal reasons...Key range, key feel, and the built in speakers..both volume and sound quality...

It would not be hard to talk me into a PA2x....but not to replace my G70...Korg ain't that great..

Fran,
Really don't understand the OS issue...I love the OS and all the programmability.

I have the PA2, I also, don't like the PA800 keybed...76 for me all the way!

Lee S.

Hi Fran,

For what it's worth, the 88 note weighted action of the PA588 feels wonderful. Maybe a bit heavier than my RD700GX and certainly different from the instruments I have around here that use FATAR actions (which have always been my favorite).

As for the internal speakers, the are very impressive. I really think I could do a small intimate gig using no external amplification.

I am still getting used to the operation of the instrument. I don't mean the basics of playing with styles, selecting sounds/performances, or playing back smf's. That stuff is very straight forward with no manual required. But for the in-depth MIDI parameters, setting up the song book data base, and so forth, well let's just say that it is different than what I am used to in the GEM products. I won't say better or worse, just different. Actually when I first got the Genesys, I couldn't stand what they had done to the operation as compared to the WK/SK/PS series that I was so comfortable with. But after a very short time, I realized why they made the changes they did and how much more usable the Genesys was because of those changes. I suspect I will have the same revelation with the PA588 in short order.

Thank goodness there are brand choices out there so we all can be happy. You happen to like Roland, I happen to still be very fond of GEM but am being severely seduced by Korg, and 99.9% of the rest of the folks around here are blind to anything not bearing the name Yamaha.

After only a couple of days I have come to the conclusion that the PA588 has a far better piano sound than my RD700GX. I almost bought a couple of piano expansion boards for the RD to try and get a better piano sound, and that just didn't seem right to me. In addition to the pianos of the PA588, the strings, brass, woodwinds, synth sounds, drum sounds, etc. are better as well. And the PA588 has an honest to goodness programmable synth to fully edit any of those sounds or create new ones from scratch. And full sequencing abilities, an extremely capable arranger, complete style creation that is crazy deep if you want it to be. And on and on.

What I am saying is, the PA588 happens to be the absolute perfect instrument for my needs. I do miss some of the features from the PA800/2X Pro like a mic input and vocal processing, internal hard drive, USB stick interface and mp3 audio recording and playback. But in reality, I can plug my mic into my amp which does have a mic input and digital effects (and I have decided that I don't really care for electronically produced vocal harmonies anyway), the SD card interface does the same job as a hard drive and is probably better because I don't have to worry about keeping my speakers away from the keyboard during transport. And if I really need to play live audio files at a gig I can plug my iPod into the audio inputs which is no more difficult that plugging a USB stick into a slot.

These are just my opinions, which may only be worth something to me. And that's fine.

Best Regards,

Dave

------------------
Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 07-24-2009).]

Lee, saving and loading styles for example..when you save styles ..it saves the entire bank of presets and 4 users...Like it did 15 years ago..Also with effects, it still shares one of the 4 processors for the vocals..

It reminds me of the same situation with Ketron..The X1-SD1plus..same OS...and not a very good one either...

This is just my personal views, and others may not agree...

Hi Dave, I am surprised that the Korg has better acoustic pianos than the Roland RD 700gx...Although I recall reading that they (Korg) were going to use the Concert piano from their Digital piano series...in the New arranger instruments...

Can you describe the difference you hear between the Roland and Korg?

Hi Fran,
PA800/PA2x loads & saves individual styles, banks of styles, whatever I choose.
Same goes for sounds, user drumkits, pads etc

best wishes
Rikki


[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fran Carango:
[B] Lee, saving and loading styles for example..when you save styles ..it saves the entire bank of presets and 4 users...Like it did 15 years ago..Also with effects, it still shares one of the 4 processors for the vocals..

Different strokes for different folks, but I gotta tell ya I'm a believer in the Korg Pa2xPro.

exactly Rikki ! But you can only truly get to grips with an instrument like the Korg if you study it. Other wise 2/3 of the capabilities of the machine is missed.

You have to own an instrument for at least a year but more likely a couple years to fully appreciate what it can do. I have had my PAX coming up to 5 years and i am still exploring its capabilities.

Dave trust me, you are going to have a blast with the Pa588 and by the end of the month you will be asking yourself why it took you so long to get here :-)

[This message has been edited by spalding1968 (edited 07-25-2009).]

The piano on the 588 has a proper decay in the upper range as opposed to the RD which decays very rapidly. Also the upper range on the RD is thin sounding whereas the 588 sounds full and punchy. The middle octaves of the RD are midrange heavy; this can be helped some with EQ, but not without thinning the sound out considerably. The inconsistencies between one sample to the next across the keyboard and throughout the velocity range of the RD is not acceptable. The ivory touch keys on the RD always feel dirty an gritty and feel nothing like ivory. Plain old plastic key tops don't feel like ivory either, but at least it doesn't feel like you are playing a gig having just removed the transmission out of a pickup truck.

All that being said, I still like the RD700GX because it is very easy to do things like create layers and splits on the fly. Having quick access to effects depths and EQ, volumes sliders for each of the four parts, external MIDI control, etc. is also very nice. No I don't care for the piano sounds or the key tops but there are many things good about the RD700GX. But I do think it is terrible to ask so much for a product and then hold out all of the really good sounds in order to sell them as add-ons.

Just my opinions mind you.

Dave

------------------
Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators

Not to start anything...as that is so counterproductive for us all...but...in the example of a PA800/PA2XPRO...if more people took a DETAILED look at the PA's and especially the new OS 2.01...I personally think a lot of people would be very interested in buying one. One thing I have learned regarding the PA's...you need to read/study the manual to realize all that can be done and the programming/configuration flexability it has. It is a PRO arranger and also works very nicely with full MIDI capabilities, whis I like. An hour audition at the store will not give you enough time to evaluate the full capabilities of the PA's. The song book is Very comprehensive.

No it's not perfect and neither is anything else...but IMHO it is superb for my use and I like the new DNC capability as I can now make any sound I want and use the Defined Nuance Controls to my liking.

The new Piano that was created by Sharp (Irish acts) and Rob S. at the Korg forum is so good it brings tears to your eyes (it does take 166 MB of user RAM to load, 4 samples per each note!).

When I get some time I will convert/create some of the Yamaha styles from T2 and T3 that I like very much...and that can be done.
(Thanks Rikki for the one you did for me already!).

Lee S.

Congrats on your new 588, Dave. I'm only six months into my Pa1XPRO so I have a L-O-N-G road ahead. But, going along steadily and diligently (why rush something you enjoy?), I know I have many years of pleasurable playing to come. And I just don't get the fuss about this supposedly awkward OS. It just takes some stick-to-it-tiveness. No different, really, than learning to play a piano in the first place.



[This message has been edited by 124 (edited 07-25-2009).]

People tend to like what they are used to and what they have invested it. Nothing wrong with that at all, except that it sometimes cuts people off from alternatives. If you like what you have then great. If you are looking for a new instrument though, if at all possible really try to investigate what other brands are offering. Sometimes it is good to make a complete switch because it allows you to grow musically by helping you find new tools and paths to create with.

Dave

------------------
Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators

Fran ... The mic effects are totally independent from the effects used for the style and RH. Have you ever played a PA2x?