Korg Forums

[karmathanever]

Google it - some very odd-sounding demos!!!!


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PA4X-76, Karma, WaveDrum GE, Fantom 8 EX
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[paul]

Very intresting
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"The COOL cat"

[Dikikeys]

It is indeed a strange duck, the E-A7...

This is the first new arranger Roland have released for nearly three years, and the first one designed outside of Italy (which has been handling the arranger side of things for quite a while).

Although the hardware end of things is fairly up-to-date, the interface and button layout marks a return to older (and, IMHO more proven) systems of LOTS of buttons, rather than a menu-driven interface. At this point, without any further models, it's not clear if this is a one-off designed specifically for the ethnic musics demographic, or whether this marks a new direction in Roland arranger design.

There is much about it that harks back to the older arranger systems, individual buttons for each Intro and Ending, buttons for transpose up AND down, that kind of stuff.

In a weird way, it looks almost like a homage to the Yamaha PSR's... look at those buttons surrounding the screens... very PSR! And, most significant of all, yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you... those scale tune buttons double as Multipad buttons After a decade or more (almost two), Roland cave and finally put a multipad system in. Even better, it is either MIDI or looped audio (synced to tempo). Huzzah!

Not everything is rosy, though. At a mid point price between the BK-5 and the now discounted BK-9, it isn't the BK-9 killer some had hoped for (let alone the G70 replacement ten years overdue), there is much from the BK-9 missing. SN sounds (Roland's early DNC/SA2 system), the incredible B3 sim, a biggish step back in insert effect numbers, no Chord Sequencer (hard to understand why Roland are so conflicted about this, after resurrecting it to great acclaim on the BK-9), and a drawback in Performance List (think Songbook) from 999 entries to just 100.

But, not only does it pay homage to the PSR's, there's also a sampler... so an homage to the PA900!

Its style selection is big, but with a huge emphasis on ethnic musics, much of it will be of little use outside each style's ethnic region. It remains to be seen whether there's much new content for Westernized music players.

So... a strange duck. Is it the start of a new direction, or is it more of a one-off when Roland realized they have little to offer Middle Eastern and other non-western intonation arranger player users? Only time will tell. The thing that remains to be seen is whether Roland are capable of bringing out a new series that simply ADDS great features without dropping nearly as many. If there's one thing that Roland have always done, it's just that. For every new feature they add, there's a good possibility that something great from the previous series has been dropped.

Just ONCE, it would be nice to see Roland bring out an arranger that simply ADDS great new features, without dropping ANY. Is that really so hard? Both Yamaha and Korg seem to manage it fairly well.

[karmathanever]

I've always been a big fan of Roland - even though their current keyboards (not sure about BK9) are very plasticy and "cheap-looking" they still sound superb.

Don't laugh at me, but I have recently bought a Roland JV1080 - simply love this thing - managed to get an additional memory card for it last night and the guy selling it had a BK9 in his lounge - I've asked him to demonstrate it to me some time - didn't get enough time in the retail store to establish a feel for it. Youtube demos are not very exciting.

(Hey, have you got a BK9 Diki - couldn't remember)

Cheers

Pete
_________________
PA4X-76, Karma, WaveDrum GE, Fantom 8 EX
------------------------------------------------------------------
## Please stay safe ##
...and play lots of music
------------------------------------------------------------------

[Dikikeys]

Yep.. still rockin' the BK-9. Phenomenal little arranger for the price... For me, just the right combination of killer live sound with a pretty simple to operate arranger engine. And a Chord Sequencer (no arranger is complete without one, IMHO)!

At 20lbs, with a REALLY decent 76 action (no aftertouch though... I simply use delayed vibrato if I can't get to the bend lever) it's killer. But it suffers from Roland's usual neglect with the ROM defaults for styles. Put the work in, voice it the way you like, it stacks up against much more expensive arrangers. Sure, there's no sampler (don't need one... the basic meat and potato stuff is excellent), and relatively simple editing of sounds, but it's got it where it counts... A killer 'live band' sound, simple operation (once you create the Performances) a B3 sim to die for (pretty close to the Nord's), killer SN (Roland's answer to DNC) guitar sounds (the horns aren't too good though - the standard ones are much better), and a Pianist Mode that blows everything away (three notes for a new chord with sustain up, FIVE for a new one with sustain down... amazingly intuitive to get good tracking and still play pretty normally pianistic). And velocity modulation of styles (play harder, the band 'digs in', play softer they play softer, too). Those two in concert can really allow you to play normal piano style with a really responsive backing.

It's not a PA3X, not even a PA3Le... It's a lot more basic, but for me, that's a good thing! I already have pro WS's, VSTi's, all the heavy production stuff, but live, I want simplicity as long as the sound isn't compromised. The BK-9 achieves that, in a lightweight 76 (I simply can't play piano on a 61), few frills, but all business.

I keep looking at new arranger, and envying some of the features (I'm a huge fan of Yamaha's Ensemble Mode, and the PA4X's ability to save and Link Chord Sequences to Songbook entries) but they all come at a huge price and a huge increase in weight, and for simple gigging needs, simple is good!

Everything the BK-9 does is always online... everything (including live, tempo-synced audio loops which can be used in styles and SMF's) is read from the USB2 stick in real time. No loading, no trying to remember what SET what style and sound is on, there's a 999 entry Performance List (think Songbook), in a way, it's got stuff the PA4X is only just beginning to! It's the little things that make life simple.

The BK-9 confounds a lot of users. It doesn't come out of the box particularly well balanced, its OS is a fair departure from the previous touch screened G/E series, and it takes work to sound its best. But when the work is done, it's a little slice of heaven!

Try these demos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7JAA71x92I&list=RDb7JAA71x92I#t=9

Some good stuff in there.