SX900 arriving Thursday

...but it's not mine. My friend DickieT ordered it and it is being shipped to my house. I'll have as long as I want to evaluate it. Right now, it will take a LOT to make me buy anything.

"And on the third day he arose"

chas

Damn, I should've bet more money .

Boy, that darn Yamaha. There's already rumors of a SX950.

We'll look forward to your comments Don.

Hey Don:

Let us know if the VH/VE elements work better than the 970. I've worked my tail off trying to get them to sound better. Naturally, it's probably the raw vocal coming out of an old throat nearly as old as Willy. LOL!

Thanks for the photo, Donny. It sure looks nice. I wonder if they will ever put the USB port in a more convenient location?

Stay well, Mason and remember, it's still tornado season in this neck of the woods.

----Dave

No I think its an SX950/73. Longer keyboard and no on board speakers.

Stirrer. Haha

Hi Dave,
USB isn’t as difficult to get to as it was on my S950. Sx900. Has a recessed back. Without the music stand, it’s quite easy to get to all the plugs etc.
Still not as handy as it was on the korgs though, on the top.

That’s great Don, at least you get a chance to have a good look and make an informed decision.

Rikki, Bill, the new model will also be sporting the Casio soundset. Apparently some members have already gotten a preview.

REALLY, can’t wait. Haha

Already you had to ruin it by quoting scripture...

Bye

DNJ - Welcome home! And..... NICE LOGO!!! Just sayin'

Plus 1

Hi Rikki:

Thanks for the explanation about the USB location. The rest of your answer begs the question, "Have they done away with the music rack/stand?" I suspect there is more to the story than I have surmised... but, inquisitive minds, ya know! LOL!

All the best, ----Dave

...and yeah, Donny... glad you reconsidered. This place would not be the same without you.

Don, If Dickie needs a back up SX900 he can go ahead and send it to me..

Hi Dave,
no it still exists. Just with the recess it’s a teenie bit easier. Since there’s 2 , can’t really understand why they didn’t put one on top instead of side by side at the back.
Designers move in mysterious ways, maybe they should consult users. Haha

Don M,

May I make a request? A awhile back you recorded some tunes on Yamaha 970,. I believe the songs you posted were “ I Have Should’ve Called” and “Fly Me to the Moon” Maybe you could record those again using the new SX900. We could compare and try to guess which one is which....

Yeah, Mason:

I would love to hear "Rainy Night in Georgia" on this new sensational sounding music machine... if you have time. Comparison is always a learning experience... but that rendition will be hard to "top."

Knowing that "Beggars cannot be Choosers"... I'll be happy to hear just about anything you care to perform on the SX 900.

Regards, ----Dave

Welcome back Donny!
I am very close to ordering a SX900 as well....
Lee

Seriously gang...is there an announcement soon on a 73 key SX???? I would prefer that....to 51
Lee

Yeah Lee, nobody likes a "51" . Hey, we were all just kidding around, enjoying a brief moment of levity on this 'oh so serious' board . So NO, there will be no 73 key SX950; that Will be an option on the SX975 which will be released 3 months later (I have inside sources).

chas

Better place your orders soon they are selling like hotcakes.

Very interested to hear all feedback! Not ready to buy again soon, thanks to this great forum, got another 970 and am still loving it, quite an upgrade from my 910!

Play on!

Chas, So there will be SX975 with more keys? Or are you just kidding around again?
Lee

Another welcome back DNJ. I really appreciated your super critical reviews of new equipment. I have been suffering from upgradeites for sometime and your comments have reinforced my laying back on making any sort of a move. I have the PSR3000 that still does 90% more than I'm capable of doing and I've had it for over a year now.
There is so much sitting up in advance on these kb's today. I can't imagine how long it would take me to learn a new kb! If the kb doesn't sound a lot better why bother? Considering that sounds are sampled, how much better can a new product really sound? All the official demos emphasize the great piano sounds but really how much greater can you make a piano sound? I am much more interested in the sweet tenor sax, and trumpets that sound like trumpets. And of course the BIG one, I want a sample of Willies Martin! Coming to the conclusion of using VST's running thru the kb's sound system. I have a free vst, DEXED that is a klone of the DX7 with over 30,000 patches! I also have the Korg vst's and have been looking at the Roland collection. Would appreciate your comments on using vst's to add sounds versus the purchase of a new kb.

PM

No Lee, just kidding around with Rikki and Bill and also sort of razzing Yamaha for making people buy a whole new keyboard just to get incremental updates. The only way to get the features you want (ie. 61/76/88 keys) is to keep harassing (demanding) the manufacturer and encouraging your friends to do the same.

If I had a say, I'd have 'industry-standard' (as in interchangeable between manufacturers) midi controls on configurable modules (from 'basic' to 'all the features') so that a user could simply choose a controller (or two - ie 61 for synths and instruments and 76 or 88 for true keyboard instrument such as piano/Rhodes/clav) and the updatable module of his choice. Ideally, the soundsets from any manufacturer could be played on any other manufacturer's module. Imagine having a Genos, PA4x, and SD90 combined in one module played with your favorite keybed. Technically possible, yes, but from a marketing point of view, what is good for the consumer is rarely good for the merchant/manufacturer. The closest thing at this time is probably the V-Arranger.

Sorry to confuse you. Whenever you hear me say something far-fetched, assume I'm kidding.

chas

Chas, OK, no worries...I get it now...
Lee

Yes, he likes to tease. Haha

Steve - I ordered the "SX900 SLAM"...I am told it is coming with bacon, sausages, and 3 eggs over easy! Have fun you all!

Randy, Sounds like you've been to Denny's Diner/Restaurants

don't forget the Pork Roll.....just sayin"

A New Jersey staple !!!

Sounds great Tony! Gettin' hungry now!

Today is Thursday

I do expect it today. However, I won't be jumping to conclusions immediately, so it may be a day or three before I post an evaluation. DickieT is coming over to await the arrival of the newborn.
As for me, I'm quite happy with the lowly Roland EA7 for the time being, and it will take a LOT to convince me to buy another arranger at this time. But we'll see. . .

Don you mean Roland? Just sayin '

That's what I said. After editing at least. Thanks!

And the eagle has landed. Dickie is doing a nursing home until noon, and then we'll open the box.

Don I'm sure in a couple of hours you will have a full review of the sx900 good and bad no need for three days by a pro like yourself.. Everyone awaits.

No way to do a full review on a new arranger in a couple of hours. I would bet anything that some of things you didn't like about it could be easily corrected by changing settings.
Talk to ya later.

...bears repeating.

Hi Don,
be interested on your thoughts on the country styles.
I was doing a side by side comparison between my psr S950 and the sx900 versions, the styles sounded more realistic, possibly because of the guitars?
May have already sounded that good on the 970/975, didn’t own those.

Taking my time learning the new functions, song list function, never used Yem before, the buttons under the screen , ie deciding what to assign to them, haven’t gotten round to chord looper yet or the audio pads.
Lots to learn if I want to get the most out of it, if not, I can go back to pick a style, pick an ots and play. Haha

Be interested in your thoughts ( along with everyone else no doubt) when you have the time.

We spent a few hours with it. Dickie loves it. Mainly because it plays MP3 plus CDG files (Karaoke).
The keys are just right, light but responsive.
The onboard speakers are excellent.
My old "stuff" loads right in, but some adjustments will be necessary.
The drums are better than previous PSRs. Great Pedal Steel guitar.
Like others, I hate that the organ leslies are immediate. Korg, Roland and Ketron have all got the organ stuff easily bettered.
I hate that there isn't a light to indicate when vocal harmony is engaged.
I will explore styles and sounds more as I get time.
I was unexpectedly called in to work tonight, so no more time right now.
Enjoying by EA7!

Don thanx for the partial review, can't wait for more indepth thoughts,...
getting called into work when you're a musician is a good thing.
Buying an sx900 just to play karaoke and MP3s is kind of odd?...I hope he is playing it too...
but I agree with you on many of the things you reviewed
as I found the same things on mine very quickly...

Don, according to Telmo...all the Yamaha audio styles are available for free on the Yamaha website. (If you’re interested).
JM