Taking forever to learn what 3000 will do!!

[ekurburski]

Man I've been reading the tutorials and the forums pretty regular for over a year now and I still don't know what I need to know.  Practicing right now on playing with bass and drums and organ left hand sound.  Figured out today how to use the freeze button while switching OTS sounds.  If it takes me this long to figure out the 3000 do I really want to move up?

[DrakeM]

OH yes!   

All that will still be there to use and more stuff gets added to the keyboard. 

[ekurburski]

Yes Drake, but I would still have to set up a new kb.  The only way I'm going to move  up is if the sound quality is better.  Will need to wait a see for that.

[Soh]

I fancy the sound quality of the 3000 is superior to my current 950, and still better than the 970 and 975 which I have tested in the shop.
But in terms of features, the 3000 is way behind time.
My 3000 was at the point of failing some years back, which prompted me to get the 950, the latest PSR model at that time.

[mikf]

The 3k was and still is a great keyboard. It is capable of making great music, reliable, and has enough functionality to satisfy most. I was very happy with mine for a long long time and only really upgraded because my wife wanted something that looked more like a piece of furniture. Although I would never give up the new touch screen, now that I am used to it.
For many people the additional features that have come along since the 3k may just not be that important and make little or no difference to the music they make. For others there might be make or break features they need - like large hard drive, sample loading - not available on the 3k. But if it does everything you want to do there is no pressing need to upgrade. I would stick with it until either it stops working or you you discover a feature on a newer keyboard you cannot live without.
Mike

[travlin-easy]

Earl, as I told you early on, the 3000 was way ahead of its time when it came out and while it does not have some of the new features that are available on the latest arranger keyboards, it is still a workhorse that will do just about anything you wish. Yes, the learning curve is a bit steep, but unless you have something better to do, I can think of nothing more fun  than exploring every aspect of the 3000, which took me several years to accomplish, and everyone tells me that I have an extremely technical mind.

Good luck, old friend,

Gary

[Toril S]

Stick to it Earl! 

[rene1242]

I fancy the sound quality of the 3000 is superior to my current 950, and still better than the 970 and 975 which I have tested in the shop.
But in terms of features, the 3000 is way behind time.
My 3000 was at the point of failing some years back, which prompted me to get the 950, the latest PSR model at that time.

I had both psr 3000 and 1500 but your compltely wrong about  the 3000 sounding better than the S serieswith all respect

[ekurburski]

Wow. Gary, you just made me feel a whole lot better!  If it took you several years to explore every aspect of the 3000 I guess I'm right on schedule!

[mikf]

I had both psr 3000 and 1500 but your compltely wrong about  the 3000 sounding better than the S serieswith all respect

The sound quality is good in all these keyboards, so deciding which sounds best is quite subjective. In my view few people could tell the difference if everything else is equal. But whichever you believe is best, the 3k is a great sounding keyboard.
Mike

[panos]

Hi ekurburski,
If you don't miss that much the sounds you hear from a newer model,stick to the psr 3000 as long as it is working good.No need to change.This model still sounds good.
Newer keyboards can sound better because of the development of new technologies but still you have to spend time with the voice edit menu to add the effects that you like for every set of voices to get the best results to "your" liking.
Some keyboard players do it,some don't.

Same styles between an older model and the latest have also a different mixing/equalization/arrangement approach form Yamaha.
Some they like it,some may not.

The preferences in sound(and in "favourite" music) as Mike well said, is very subjective matter for many reasons.

[Robert van Weersch]

When I buy a new keyboard, I always reserve an entire weekend to get to know it, accompanied by the manual. I virtually lock myself in my private office and wife and kid know not to bother me   This will at least provide me with basic knowledge of most features. Getting the feeling on how to actually use them correctly, will often cost weeks, if not months.

[mikf]

Earl - actually not everyone needs to know that much. From what I read, you enjoy just playing with simple accompaniment - as I do. That doesn't need a lot of technical know how. You need to know how to cycle through styles and find something you like. And bear in mind that you really don't have to edit styles down as much as you might think. A lot of the styles are really already pretty simple, especially the first couple of variations. So just selecting one and playing is all that is needed.
I set up a very simple set up registration that automatically selects - full keyboard piano, sustain on one pedal and style stop start on another - whenever I switch on. This is my default mode. Then I just  pick a song I want to play, guess a style, tap in the tempo I want and start playing. If I dont like it I select another style. There is a way to set your keyboard up so that when you select a new style it keeps playing seamlessly at the same tempo. This a great way to try and find a good style for the song you are working on.
And bear in mind that the absolute best way to find out how to do things is to figure out what you want to do, then ask here how you do it. Answering these questions is what we do.
Mike

[Robert van Weersch]

I'm an engineer. I like buttons and manuals

[mikf]

Cmon Robert, be truthful, engineers never read manuals. Our at least not until they are in a complete mess and cant figure out how it all goes back together.
Mike

[Robert van Weersch]

Can't speak for all of them, but in my opinion the first thing to do, when using an unknown "system" (software, keyboard, thermostate, TV-box etc), is to read the user manual. Not talking about a reference manual or technician manual. Safety, operational instructions, general maintenance, features, all stuff you need to know about many devices. And also: for a complex device like e.g. a Tyros 5 or Genos, it is almost impossible to "discover" all of its functionality by just exploring yourself. I've found many relatively unknown features in keyboards, printers, smart-TV's etc. just by reading the manuals. I've read the user manuals from every keyboard I've owned, every TV, amplifier, washing machine, you name it. And perhaps I'm just a very lucky guy, but I can hardly recall any premature broken devices. Perhaps because I use and maintain them as intended. Or just plain luck, who will tell 
But manuals, yeah, people should read 'm more often. It'll often pay off in the long run.

[ekurburski]

Well Robert, I assure you I have read my manual, several times!  I have also read through most of the lessons here.  BUT, reading and doing are two different things!