The best arranger that never was

Its my Jupiter 80, the keyboard has everything an arranger player could wish for..
4 keyboard parts (with 3 splits) from which 2 parts have 4 layers..
Incredible nice acoustic and synth sounds, and easy access to editing them on the fly
All your main sounds direct accesible trough direct access buttons..
Great drums, nice arpeggiators, keyboard harmony setting..
Nice touchscreen, 4 knobs and sliders for direct controll
It has everything an arranger player possibly could want..
Except, that one thing.. backings (styles,songs,multipads)



The instrument was designed as the ultimate performer keyboard
And thats also what it feels like..

They should have added styles.. and named it the G80...

Great Synth but NOT an Arranger keyboard ........
you could always use backing tracks..

Good luck with it Bachus.

It breathes arranger in every vein..
They just forgot to add the styles...

Its less suited tough as a controller for an arranger module
As how the midi external zones work totally sepperate from the normal zones

Hook up a BK7m?

Thats like saying go back to the stone age from my Genos,...

And no, the jp80 is not the perfect instrument to controll a module..
As i said because how midi zones work...
i think montage, fantom, nord stage, kronos and modx do a much better job as a controller for a midi module arranger or Varranger..

Bachus sounds like your getting restless and ready for a gear change?

If you know what you want... buy what you want... learn to use what you bought..... you won't get restless, because you made the right choice

Wish they made what I want ... a PA4X with speakers. (no, the PA1000 isn't "close enough", and no one else makes one either)

Maybe you should try the SD7..

No more Ketrons for me either. Not buying a Maseratti until there's a dealer in Philly. They are too high end, and prioritized for their reliability quotient. Sorry AJ ...
Maybe someday?

Uncle Dave,

No need to be sorry. I need the honesty to flow. When you initially tried the SD7, you returned it due to the vocalizer not satisfying your needs but please ... I need to know (from your prospective) - the issues with KETRON especially since simply opening up a dealer in Phily won't solve the issues.

Thanks for the honesty.

AJ

Dave, the Pa4x with the soundbar attached should do you nicely.

Dave had the Paas sound bar and quickly sold it

http://www.synthzone.com/forum/ubbthread.../bea#Post422764

PAAS For sale

Over the last 20 years I have followed SZ on a regular basis and seen how folks (including myself) have gone through any amount of equipment, keyboards, etc. Contrary to many of you here I do not gig so I guess I belong to a different kind of keyboard player than for instance Dave,Don,Deane.....( I was going to say "Dave Dee Dozy Mick and Tich " ( :)), anyway I have now kind of settled down with the Ketron SD7 and an old Korg. ( PA50sd). Suits me fine, all the more so as I play less an less arranger keyboard and feel more at ease these days with my piano and guitar. But.....
Although I do not entirely disagree with Dave as regards the Ketron products ( let us please not mention Ketron Italy) I mus say this in all fairness. The services and reliability of Ketron are definitely on the uptake imho. That for starters.
Furthermore I would like to remind all and sundry that several folks have testified here ( even recently) that the sounds and styles of Ketron are among the best. And they are.....
Taking stock of all that is on offer I think ideally a gigging artist should have a Ketron SD7 ( better still SD9) and a Korg or Yamaha on top, depending on taste. I know that the objection will be that it is bad enough to haul along an SD7, let alone two keyboards, point taken. But for best proximity ( read: imitating a real band on stage) ther is no arranger in my opinion to beat the recent ketrons. And as to the Vocaliser which is okay but nothing special, Donny would say this can easily be solved by attaching a TC Helicon Perform VK.
No offence Uncle Dave ( as I am sure you understood) but professionals like should definitely consider a combination of the the "K"s. Ketron and Korg....

regards,
John

P.S. a PA4X with an SD40 module would also be a stellar combination !!!

" there is no arranger in my opinion to beat the recent ketrons. "

Except,maybe sound wise,the Audya.

Probably true Bernie, I can't speak from personal experience though.
However the Audya is getting dated and for many a gigging artist its weight and also its lack of a touchscreen would be a disadvantage no doubt. Looking forward to read Danny's reaction this weekend when he adds one to his SD7,Korg and Yamaha...

regards
John

Nope - Korg dropped the ball on the PAAS big time. The signals from the AUX input do NOT get fed into the sound bar. I use an iPad in my rig, and the sound from the iPad will not come through the PAAS - only through the main outputs. That completely defeats the purpose of a close range monitor for me. I spoke with Korg several times, and there is no "fix" for this, and they do not intend to address it.

Yes AJ, the vocalizer was at the heart of my discontent with that SD7, but my other concerns are more from a service vein. Your instruments are superior in many ways (like a high end automobile), but without a nearby, competent technician, a working musician is left out in the cold for updates, repairs, and such. Maybe in time your company will grow and expand to fill this niche in the industry, but as long as you remain an "elite" boutique type company, I just can't feel confident putting your gear into my road rig.
Let me add: Your personal service, and knowledge is OUTSTANDING, and I will NEVER,EVER, EVER regret doing business with YOU - or our roadtrip together, or meeting your beautiful family at your home. Even without your title - you're a true PRINCE to me.
I'll keep watching your progress, and maybe someday my opinion will change and I'll try another go-round with your products. Time will tell.
Thanks for weighing in.

I have to agree with John's post. I have owned and gigged with Ketron products now for the last 4 years and have been completely satisfied with them. I have, like others, had a SD90 that had a defective screen and had to return it. But that got taken care of by AJ in a very professional way. I also have to agree that you can not compare the level of service of Ketron with other major companies like Korg or Yamaha. First off, Italy does not provide AJ with enough funding to do much advertising and often AJ has to come out of pocket to get things done and then rely on Italy to refund him. What a shame - a wonderful product and very low level of support from the company. All this said, there is another aspect to all of this. Folks on this forum often refer to being a professional. Well, the first thing most working pros do is take advantage of our tax laws and write off the expenses involved including the cost of a keyboard. Frankly, I have not given a lot of thought to losing some money if a keyboard of module can not be replaced or repaired-after all, it was a write off.

I also have never had a problem on a live gig with any of my Ketron products. However, I never use voices or styles on a gig that have not been tested at home. How often have we read a post that outlined a users issue with any keyboard that turned out to really be a user mistake?

Anyway, I thought it was time for me to step up and provide the group with my personal experience with Ketron and AJ.

Deane

And for those people that admire the ketron styles but prefer other brands for main sounds
Ketron is the only pro company creating modules..

So you can add it to any instrument..
Some are more suited then others..
Wersi OAX, Roland Fantom, Yamaha modx/montage, korg Kronos, nord stage 3..
All offer the perfect structure (direct controll/accesss to midi channels) for controlling a module..

Bachus,

I have gone to the Ketron SD40 module. I owned 2 of the Ketron SD7 keyboards but they got to be to heavy for me to carry to gigs. I often do 2 a day a different places. I use a M-Audio 49 key midi controller with it and it works great! Very light setup and easy for me to carry to my jobs.

I have never tried to pair it up with a regular keyboard. Might give that a try at home.
Deane

The trick is having atleast 2 zones for midi.. directly accesible..
Thats why the major workstations are so suited..
The modx 6 is extremely light.. ithink its about 10 pounds