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Tyros 3 vs Tyros 2 vs Korg PA2x |
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Written by WebMaster
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Monday, 05 October 2009 |
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This article is a comparison between Yamaha Tyros 2, Yamaha Tyros 3 and Korg PA2x. I try to explain what the differences between Tyros 2 and Tyros 3 and also point out the weaknesses of the Tyros 2 and Korg PA2x compared to the Tyros 3.
First the sounds. Unless you hear this thing live you won;t fully appreciate the difference between this and the T2. Its not just a T2 with SA2 voices, It's a T2 on steroids. The distortion efx you can put on the guitars is amazing, as is the automatic "correction" of guitar voicing despite the chords played.
There are a ton of effects (I believe you can use up to 5 per style which really allows the mixes to breathe and create more space then the T2 which is very sterile and CD like. You can have that with the T3 but can also put more depth into the songs and styles. This is far more than a small upgrade. There are far more voices of all types (over 700).
One thing I noticed right away were the sliders. I was initially afraid they would be too small and inaccurate from the pictures....and yes although they have a shorter throw than the Korg they are much smoother and feel much sturdier and are pretty sensitive. The Korg's were too far away from the screen and seemed less precise and more "plastic" and had slightly more wobble to them. Over all the buttons and hardware are a lot larger and sturdier feeling and they light up so you always know where you are and what's going on. Korg seems to be still using the tiny button technology from their first Tritons.
The layout is better than the T2. I especially like the sliders front and center, and the 4 Pads on the left side as well. The redone effect engine makes a huge difference in the general overall sound. Major change there.
The Live Drums are far better. Far better and more of them. Again I think the new EFX engine has something to do with that as well as better samples. The SA2 controls and sounds are amazing. The whole keyboard sound live through studio monitors and a Sub far exceeded what I expected. But I really like the polished CD quality of the Yamaha mixes verses the looser sounding Korg, Although due to the effects one can make it sound less so. The Korg had a lot of multi effects which helped make it more "live" sounding. With the T3 Yamaha allows both a live sound or a tightly compressed mastered CD sound.
I also really like the IDC the LAN Internet Direct Connection, I immediately put in on the network and downloaded some Music Finder Styles. Thats a great feature. Want a song or style? A few button pushes, you got it. Thousands to choose from. My credit card is on file so it easy to just download what we need from the keyboard. But many are free as well. Especially the music finder stuff. You can download and audition a piece of everything through the actual keyboard before you buy it. Thats one huge advantage of the Yamaha. Endless styles and songs already out there at your finger tips. Thats one of the things I like most over the Korg, a TON of immediate styles and songs to download right to the board. BUt those who use Yamahas are already familiar with that.
The acoustic and orchestral sounds are Yamaha's forte. But then again Yamaha samples their own musical instruments. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the great samples but they seem to know something about Pianos,Guitars, and Horns,
When I had the Korg I yearned for Yamaha's Soprano Sax and Flute sounds, The only sound I really miss from the Korg is the great scat voices. I'm hoping Yamaha will release a scat voice pack. Korg had better human sounding voices ahhs and oohs. The one touch Pad sounds, arpeggios and loops are new FAR better than the T2
I did not get to deep into the works but at the outset I have to say its built like a tank. Big lit buttons, Smooth sliders, nice keyboard (although I will use an RD700 88 key MIDI'ed 90% of the time)
No motorized screen (which I never understood the need for on the Korg) but a bright TFT screen that needs no contrast control and VGA out looks great on external monitors. I do find myself touching the screen now and then. (6 years with a Triton will do that)But I do like the edge buttons better as the screen stays clean.
SO far my expectations have been exceeded and I have only scratched the surface. Like I said before. On paper specs to specs this is a huge upgrade. In reality its even more than that.
There is a very much wider gap between the PSR900 and the T3, I felt the PSR900 was 2/3s of the T2, Its about 1/8th on the T3. The next PSR should be quite the upgrade.
And the Manual is about 1/2 that of the PA2x....but there are less things and features to program and mess with in that regard.
The T3 is EXPANDABLE via Voice Packs from Yamaha. This is a huge plus for me as the engine is there. To be able to add voices without dealing with sample editing is a mega plus for me.
Cons...I hate the seemingly same string patch they use on many styles in Variation four. Can't wait to see what they come up with for additional voice paks....
I also would have liked to see one more foot switch to control each the SA2 sound controllers instead of the one programmable one. However I don't use a Volume pedal maybe I can reprogram that. Haven't looked into that.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 05 October 2009 )
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