New Keyboard, what to get

I was going to go back to the tyros 5, just got out of a 970 and really have not been to thrilled with the 900 line since the 910. Was thinking about giving a new keyboard a try. However, with all the styles and the songs I have written I imagine it would be tough to get out of the Yamaha arranger line. Any ides or should I get the T5. Got to say these boards sure don't loose the value. got mine new for about 3200, looks like I'll be hard pressed to find a used one at that price.
Any thoughts?
Thanks

The Tyros 5 is an awesome beast, if you have all your content based on Yamaha instruments it might be best to stick with Yamaha, and you cant get better then a T5, i love mine..

Keep in mind however that the PA4x is certainly the Tyros5´s equall. But it indeed would be a tremendous job to convert all your stuff into Korg. IF you are a live performer, i would stick to Yamaha, if you are a home player, its allways worth a consideration to start all over again..

and there is another option, and thats called Varranger, Varranger plays all styles from all brands with its newly build in soundsource, and it would leave you free to choose any keyboard you want to accompany the arranger.. (other modular options are Ketron and Roalnd BK7) but only the Varranger allows you to take your Yamaha stuff with you... tough i think you need to be a bit of a techhead to pull it off, requires some setting up..

but with a Varranger solution you would be future proof.. If you have a decent laptop fit for a DAW its only 350 euro´s plus 100 euro for each of the new internal(laptop) soundsets (Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Ketron).. So for you it would 450 euro´s to try it out, and it comes with money back guarantee if you are not hapy with it.

A Varranger highend windows 10 surface tablet setup, with a small midi controller like Novation Sl2 mk zero makes the perfect arranger module to me, allowing you to use any keyboard like Nord stage, korg kronos, Yamaha Montage or MOXF, roland jupiter 80 whatever you want in combination with that module..

+1

Bill

Double post

I must be a bit dumb but I have to say that I do not understand what varranger does. I think it is a piece of software that you purchase for a laptop; and that you connect that laptop to your keyboard somehow...but how does it change anything that you play on your keyboard please?
I have a Technics KN7000 if that helps any explanation.

Why go backwards...?..Just wait for Yamaha's next release TOTL arranger KB ..... or maybe its time to make the next step to the New Yamaha Montage` and really create some songs from scratch and take your music to a new level..

You play on your Technics, or any other midi keyboard, and you hear sound and style in your computer.

More info here : http://www.varranger.com/features/

Tyros 6 will be a 2018 release according to French inside information set online by their largest Music shop..

That would be a 2 year wait

i am thinking Montage for me but still have time to decide with the next Tyros series keyboard prob at least 2 years away lot of time to explore I think having a Main stream unit as well as as a TOTL arang in my set up would be a complement to everything .

we will see not avail till at least May so lot of time here.

an arranger kb tyros or s series, korg pa4x/pa900, BK9, and a synth workstation Montage, Motif, Kronos, etc, is the way to go you can cover almost any musical project that way...there is no need for two arrangers Imo..

I fully agree, even better if one of them has 88 keys piano action and the other has top of the line synth/organ action.. Also i am a firm beleiver that having two different brands adds more diversity to your sound..


But then, the OP is asking for a single arranger keyboard....

vArranger is equivalent to the arranger software that comes with every arranger keyboard, however it can be loaded on to a computer and be used with any keyboard, (Arranger, Organ, Synth, Workstation etc.) whereas the arranger software on your KN7000 is built in, so can only be used conveniently on your keyboard. (Imagine being able to take all your arranger settings and control of your KN7000 and use it with a Korg Kronos Workstation for example)

Hope this clears up the confusion

Bill

That sounds amazing Bill. So I could take all my settings for all my performances and run them through varranger in to say a Korg PA4X and just carry on playing as if I was playing my Technics KN7000... Wow.
Bill do you use this facility down there in wonderful Devon?

http://www.varranger.com/

Not really, as vArranger does not play Techincs styles, but Ketron, Yamaha, Roland and Korg styles
You can however convert the technics styles to yamaha with EMC style works

Dan will Techincs styles be implemented in vArranger in the near future there are so many players that have them even though its discontinued?

Why invest time into that, since the technics styles are easilly converted to other formats... I have all technics styles in my Yamaha style collection..

Having support for technics styles would only be usefull with a technics soundsource, however the orriginal technics sounds are dating and getting old. I guess it would be to much work to create a Varranger soundset for them..

But immagine with the 4 soundsets, its allready a brilliant instrument...

Thanks guys lot to think about... What about that KETRON SD7 which was all the rage a while back. Can you import your styles and songs to that board?

Ok thanks fellas... maybe I'll go for one of these instead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAq6ZWYIDrA

p.s. Technics was once market leader by a long shot. What happened to all those KN3000; KN5000; KN6000 and KN6500 machines let alone the magic KN7000.

Beachbum: We initially had some pretty heavy hitters on this site going with the SD7.
I think the lack of discussion regarding it here as of late says something.

I know there are guys such as AJ that will help support you with any issues...maybe talk to
Donny or Don Mason to get their feedback.

jingleman

Well.....You got out of the TOTL Yamaha Flagship T5 Arranger. Now you dumped the MOTL Yammie Flagship S970.

What was the T5 lacking or missing that made you downgrade? I'm sure I would love the T5, but really wanted 76 keys, so it made my PA 4X choice easier. $1400 difference is a large spread too.

You are definitely still in search of something either better or different. Since you moved away from the Yammies, I kinda feel that ship has sailed.

If you do go PA 4X, you will be getting a professional keyboard that both plays and looks the part....I wouldn't worry about learning the Korg OS, it is really intuitive.

I still have my kn6000 but my gig board now is a Pa900 ... smaller footprint, less weight, on board VH ...

but technics was SO advanced and ahead of the curve - except for VH ...

I checked out the PA 4X and the board sounds good with some good sounds but I do pop, light rock and reggae. And I use the acoustic guitar a lot and most of the Demo's I heard we jazz and big band stuff. Not sure it would be for me.. You don't know what you have till it's gone was my feeling when I switched from the T5
Thanks for the ideas.

The Demos you saw I guess were done by those type of players, not my cup of tea either.

It works great for Pop, Light Rock, & adding my acoustic guitar. Sometimes I sequence and play my acoustic to my tracks live. For Worship it is awesome.

I am a Singer/Songwriter who plays acoustic guitar & keys.

I posted my first song on the PA 4X here called "Cry Of The Young" done on the PA 4X. You may want to hear it.... I added 2 acoustic guitar tracks to it along with the 2 or 3 guitar tracks from the PA 4X .

For me it is the perfect sidekick, as the sequencer is pretty extensive for an Arranger.....

Technics style format is quite complex and will need month of work to add.
One user converted KN7000 styles to Ketron here, and it works pretty well : http://www.varranger.com/vforum/index.php/topic,2148.0.html

Lets say I get the KORG PA 4X. Going from Yamaha to this do I loose all the styles and songs I wrote or do they transfer at all to this board? Or is a start from scratch?

Midi files will play. Styles will not. PA4X is really nice though.

I guess I can see the dilemma of switching brands...

Yamaha Formated midi files do not play well there will be extensive editing needed for them to sound right.

How easy would it be if all those top arrangers came in a need module like bk7 or MidJpro.. then you could change keyboards on the fly and stick to one brand for your accompaniment..

In regard to the Ketron SD7. I have owned it for a while now and the styles and instruments are very good. It still has problems such as "freezing", failing to change from one preset to another and vol. differences. All keyboards have problems when first out
but Ketron is much too slow in corrected their problems.

I have a Tyros 5 that really fits the bill. I love it. Lloyd
Don got rid of his Ketron SD7 for the above reasons.

easy yes, but ever gonna happen no,.....modules have come & gone they have now moved in a new direction technologically to make $$$$$$$$ and that's the bottom line...kinda sad & kinda exciting to see where its all going...meanwhile just enjoy and play music....there is so much out there to use.

Looks like the T5 will be shipping to the house next week. Was real tempted to try the PA 4X. But just have so much yammie stuff and starting new not an option. However, if 3K falls out of the sky I would not mind getting the PA 4X and giving it a shot.
Thanks for the replies

beachbum,
Did you get a new T5 or used??

Again: If you were right and they inevitably have come & gone, the BK-7m would never have been released in 2011, and neither would Ketron Midjay plus, MidjPro, SD2,4,1000, and the Synthogy Ivory and M-Audio modules just announced at NAMM 2016.

Hey Leeboy got it open box. Can't imagine paying retail for it. That would require a 2nd job. "You want fries with that?"

You just cant go wrong with that...

Still the best around... (atleast for me)