Went to the "Dark Side" with a Korg PA5X 88 --so sorry for that!

[chesterkins]

The one and only reason putting me off trying a Korg is that I have 20 years worth of styles, multipads, registrations etc I would lose
I almost feel too old to start from scratch

[Amwilburn]

Personal preferences are so different. I found that the drums and bass on the Pa5x were significantly more powerful than on the Genos - for me personally, they were actually too powerful.

Fair point. I *love* the punchier Korg drums and bass for 80's Rock & Pop, and for modern Dance/Trance/Hip Hop/R&B, but otherwise, yes, it lacks the subtlety required for Jazz, Big Band, Latin, and even most Country music (although Country Rock sounds good there). But it's especially 'off' for orchestral! Which is my favourite category!

Mark

[Laurance]

there is a differences in build quality. Where Genos is plastic fantastic (Made in Ch***) and have clickety-clackety noisy keys, Korg is quality build by use of aluminium body with wooden panels at the ends, and a keybed and keys thats heavenly to play at.

Aside from the build and key quality, can Genos 2 sound like Pa5x ? ie: if you discativate the DSP's does the overall sounds are more dynamic ?

All Pa5x style demos (any type of music) are really dynamic which let you the choice to take these sounds where ever you want in the mix

But the Genos 2 overall sounds (in any music genre) sound the same, like less attack or over processed (polished) which let you easly know this is GENOS.

please correct me if i'm wrong as my argument is based only on daily demos on youtube.

[Gunnar Jonny]

Aside from the build and key quality, can Genos 2 sound like Pa5x ? ie: if you discativate the DSP's does the overall sounds are more dynamic ?

All Pa5x style demos (any type of music) are really dynamic which let you the choice to take these sounds where ever you want in the mix

But the Genos 2 overall sounds (in any music genre) sound the same, like less attack or over processed (polished) which let you easly know this is GENOS.

please correct me if i'm wrong as my argument is based only on daily demos on youtube.

To be honest, I can't see why there is any need to make Genos2 sound as Pa5X or vice versa.
It's two different animals designed by two differnt factories that try to get as much customers as possible so they can carry on develope further and not to forget, make as much profit as possible.
And yes, Genos1 & 2 has a recongnizeable overall soundpicture just as Pa5 (or other brands stright out off the box), but you can do a lot if you're working and tweaking with both of them. If so, it should be to please your own taste and liking, not to make them sound alike.
When it comes to number of styles, Yamaha is hard to beat. But then again, the Korg styles is great, and numbers growing.

At the end it's only your ears and feelings that should decide what to choose, and to get it right, the only thing to do, is to try it yourself.
If no one to visit, maybe there is a webstore to find that give 30 day return policy to try make a deal?
Then you could try the one you think not will be the choise first, and the one you think may be the right to keep next?

It's not easy, but I wish you best of luck what ever brand or model you deside choose. 

[cyber swine]

When going to an arranger I purchased a Genos first because of all the styles I had watched in demos.  I thought I would be playing stuff forever with endless styles and sounds.  Later I added the PA5X and as time has gone by I find I am bored (just a little bit) with endless oldies, pop and standards and spend more time playing full two handed scores and trying to emulate orchestral sounds.  That's just me.... but the point is that what and how you play is another deciding factor in instrument choices and decisions.  Perhaps also understanding that things might change!

[Lefty]

I don't see much discussion of a fundamental difference between Genos and PA5X.  The Genos is available in a single configuration, 76 key FSX keybed. The Korg is available in 3 configurations, 61 key semi-weighted, 76 key semi-weighted, 88 key hammer action.

Do folks generally not consider keybed quality, number of keys, and type of action as primary drivers in their decision making process?

Best Regards,
   Craig

[BogdanH]

... as time has gone by I find I am bored (just a little bit) with endless oldies, pop and standards...

I think, sooner or later that happens to most of us. Then we start looking for "the kick" that would awake the excitement again: we start looking after new keyboard. And once we have it, we might soon realize that the problem was not the keyboard that we had before.
If money would be no concern, then I would probably buy better keyboard a while ago. But as it is, I'm forced to use what I have. And you know what? During that time I realized that there's still a lot that I need to learn about my keyboard capabilities -not to mention the need to improve my playing skill.
Luckily I'm heavy interested in styles creation and so I'm never really bored 

Just sharing my thoughts,
Bogdan

[BogdanH]

...
Do folks generally not consider keybed quality, number of keys, and type of action as primary drivers in their decision making process?

My impression is, that majority looks after features like number of voices/styles, various effects, memory size, etc. Number of keys and type of keybed is more important for experienced players.
For example, keybed feel of my SX700 is good enough for my playing skill, however it's quality (rattling issue) is not acceptable for me -regardless of my playing skill.

Bogdan

[mikf]

......... as time has gone by I find I am bored (just a little bit) with endless oldies, pop and standards and spend more time playing full two handed scores and trying to emulate orchestral sounds. 

That happened to me quite quickly. The feel, resonance and ambience of a top quality piano is so enticing. Moving to the CVPs got me closer, but it's still not there. I am a big believer that it is the over use of boxed and busy styles along with poor and minimal playing that makes arrangers sound cheesy, and gives them a bad press.
But maybe some day someone will make a really smart module, that sits alongside my grand piano, and can add accompaniment or voices just from ' listening' to what is being played. A tiny hidden box, no wires , a bit of voice control ...give me a jazz combo, give me some strings, give me a rock band.......well we can dream.
I guess the piano room feature kinda tried to get this, but it has a way to go.
Mike

[Amwilburn]

Aside from the build and key quality, can Genos 2 sound like Pa5x ? ie: if you discativate the DSP's does the overall sounds are more dynamic ?

All Pa5x style demos (any type of music) are really dynamic which let you the choice to take these sounds where ever you want in the mix

But the Genos 2 overall sounds (in any music genre) sound the same, like less attack or over processed (polished) which let you easly know this is GENOS.

please correct me if i'm wrong as my argument is based only on daily demos on youtube.

That is an odd way to compare them. I know it might be difficult depending on how rural your area is, but it's best to see them in a store, running through the same speakers (or your own headphones) to really A/B them.

In person? the Genos 2 sounds real, not like "canned midi". The PA5x has a lot of sounds (especially orchestral) that sound... less real. Having said that? THe drums and the bass on the PA5x (which is what drives most of the energy of a style) are incredibly punchy, so yes, I would agree that the "hard" pounding styles (80's pop & rock, Modern Dance, R&B) sound more energetic and dynamic! But when you have them side by side, it's not even close which one sounds more *real* (but do you want real? Not a joke; we don't always want real!)


As for the keybeds mattering: the PA5x61 and 76 semiweighted keys actually feel slightly nicer than the Genos/Genos2 semiweighted! But almost everyone I know goes by the sound first.

However, a *bad* keybed can be a deal breaker. So while I love the fatar semiweighted PA5x keys? the *weighted* fatar keys feel... clunkier. I mean, if you absolutely have to have an 88 key arranger, there's only the one choice (well, other than a DGX670 or a Roland FPE50). But if you're used to fast, wooden keys (digital or acoustic or hybrid), then fatar weighted keys might throw you off (I don't know *any* pianist who enjoys them, but a lot of keyboard players who don't play acoustic pianos? they don't seem to mind)

Am I saying that G2 is better than PA5x? Not necessarily, it depends what you need out of the instrument (PA5x features SSS, G2 does not). But also the G2 has 800 styles right out of the box, and then with their 2 OS updated packs (Complete and DX7) G2 had 911 styles at launch. PA5x has 400 out of the box.

Mark

[Laurance]

That is an odd way to compare them. I know it might be difficult depending on how rural your area is, but it's best to see them in a store, running through the same speakers (or your own headphones) to really A/B them.

In person? the Genos 2 sounds real, not like "canned midi". The PA5x has a lot of sounds (especially orchestral) that sound... less real. Having said that? THe drums and the bass on the PA5x (which is what drives most of the energy of a style) are incredibly punchy, so yes, I would agree that the "hard" pounding styles (80's pop & rock, Modern Dance, R&B) sound more energetic and dynamic! But when you have them side by side, it's not even close which one sounds more *real* (but do you want real? Not a joke; we don't always want real!)


As for the keybeds mattering: the PA5x61 and 76 semiweighted keys actually feel slightly nicer than the Genos/Genos2 semiweighted! But almost everyone I know goes by the sound first.

However, a *bad* keybed can be a deal breaker. So while I love the fatar semiweighted PA5x keys? the *weighted* fatar keys feel... clunkier. I mean, if you absolutely have to have an 88 key arranger, there's only the one choice (well, other than a DGX670 or a Roland FPE50). But if you're used to fast, wooden keys (digital or acoustic or hybrid), then fatar weighted keys might throw you off (I don't know *any* pianist who enjoys them, but a lot of keyboard players who don't play acoustic pianos? they don't seem to mind)

Am I saying that G2 is better than PA5x? Not necessarily, it depends what you need out of the instrument (PA5x features SSS, G2 does not). But also the G2 has 800 styles right out of the box, and then with their 2 OS updated packs (Complete and DX7) G2 had 911 styles at launch. PA5x has 400 out of the box.

Mark

Thanks a lot for replying, the best is to have both of them, BUT I think YAMAHA should make detailed demos just like KORG on their website or on soundcloud to show the power of the machine especially the new sounds.

hard to decide....