A substitute arranger keyboard for Genos?

[Tonyo1000]

Hi,
I'm reaching out for some advice.   Have been a happy Genos owner for about a year now (but it is my first ever Yamaha arranger keyboard).  I am a solo performer doing 100+ gigs per year and GENOS is my bread and butter workhorse.  I rely heavily on the musical accompaniment.  I use an external mixer for vocals not the Genos.   

My concern is, if the Genos stops working unexpectedly and needs to go into the shop, what do I use in the mean time to meet my commitments?   I'm not willing to buy another Genos ($$$$) to have as backup arranger keyboard!   

Is the PSR975 a decent backup system to Genos?  Can I use the Genos registrations in the PSR unit?  Learning Curve?

All thoughts welcome.
Thanks,
Tony       

[Roland]

Hello Tony,

The PSR could do the job - but I wonder: Wouldn't you be better off to just get a "loaner" from the shop where you would bring the Genos for repair? Maybe talking to your local dealer and preparing him for that possibility might be an idea?

Have a great week. Cheers, Roland

[mikf]

The chances of him having another Genos that you can have is not guaranteed. I would think the PSR would work admirably.
Mike

[Al Ram]

I have seen Youtube videos of excellent players using PSR and it sounds very good.

I think it would do the job.   You might want to check it on Youtube . . . .

Just out of curiosity, why the mixer for vocals instead of the mic directly into Genos ?

thanks

[elad770]

I'm in Maryland

If your Genos ever fails on you and you need to perform, you can come and take mine any time (Except for Sabbath)

You pay travel expenses 

[Toril S]

The PSR will do the job! There are many great entertainers, some even on this forum, that use PSRs for gigs.

[beykock]

Or ... a second hand T3/T4/T5 might be a very good alternative ...🐣

Babette

[Toril S]

Absolutely!

[pjd]

Hi Tony --

I currently play a Genos. Before that, I played an S950 and was quite happy with it. I traded the S950 for a MODX ($$$$), but would have been very happy to keep the S950.

I'm sure that an S970 or S975 would do the job. There are still some S970s on sale at retailers who wish to clear out the older model.

Hope this helps -- pj

[murrayb]

Tony:

Since no one else answered one of your questions, I will.  Genos registrations will not load directly on a PSR.  You can however use my program YRM to convert the Genos registrations so that the PSR will accept the data.  The conversion will also alert you to styles, voices and dsp settings in those registrations that aren't available on the 970.

Cheers,

Murray

[elad770]

Tony:

Since no one else answered one of your questions, I will.  Genos registrations will not load directly on a PSR.  You can however use my program YRM to convert the Genos registrations so that the PSR will accept the data.  The conversion will also alert you to styles, voices and dsp settings in those registrations that aren't available on the 970.

Cheers,

Murray

Which basically Means that despite the conversions he will never be able to duplicate the Sound as he designed it on the Genos. The slightest missing feature in the PSR will be noticable to you and frankly Annoying.

I would say if you don't have a friend nearby with a Genos you can consider renting for that day.
I must say though, I opened up the Genos lately to see its gut and i must say that this is the most reliable piece of equipment out there.
It literally has few modules and parts and most is in the technology embedded on the motherboard which is also relatively small.

I would even say that you are more likely to experience an electrical component failure due to an OUTAGE or current changes more than ANY other issues
This can be addressed easily by always connecting your Genos to a UPS or at least a surge protector.

Good Luck

[Al Ram]

If PSR is not the best option due to compatibility of registrations . . . then a used Tyros 4 or Tyros 5 might be the next best option.   Some tweaking might be required to registrations but they should play fine in most cases.

I migrated Tyros 5 registrations to Genos without much of a problem.

Thanks

[panos]

Whatever you decide it should be something not expensive while you're not gonna use it a lot and it's only for emergency.
I would choose a used s950 if I could find one from a home user, or a used s970 because both have on board speakers for any case.
A new s970 is kind of expensive for not playing with it in a regular base.

[murrayb]

If PSR is not the best option due to compatibility of registrations . . . then a used Tyros 4 or Tyros 5 might be the next best option.   Some tweaking might be required to registrations but they should play fine in most cases.

I migrated Tyros 5 registrations to Genos without much of a problem.

Thanks

Al

The logic behind registrations appears to be that newer boards within the Tyros and PSR lines can read data from older boards, but not the reverse.

This is probably because newer boards will have all the settings of the previous models, but because older models would be missing  items, the o/s has been set to reject the file as not loading properly.

So, even going from Genos to Tyros will still require conversion by YRM.

Murray

[Toril S]

The PSR can play only 2 voices at the same time, Tyros/Genos 3.
In addition Tyros/Genos has the ensemble feature, and choir/scat voices.
Apart for this there is really mot that much difference in sound between the keyboards.
And sometimes built in speakers are handy. PSRs are also lighter.
Whatever you decide, good luck!

[elad770]

Also, Do the math:

A used Tyros 5 that's in good condition will
Be around 3000-3500$

A brand new Genos will be around 4000$

I would wait 6 months and buy a new Genos
If you really have to

[Bachus]

Also, Do the math:

A used Tyros 5 that's in good condition will
Be around 3000-3500$

A brand new Genos will be around 4000$

I would wait 6 months and buy a new Genos
If you really have to

prices are a strange thing..
I bought a used Genos for  2800 euro's

Where a brand new S975 costs 2100 euro's

[Ingar]

Can I use the Genos registrations in the PSR unit?  Learning Curve?

All thoughts welcome.
Thanks,
Tony     

My experience is that registrations work on the same type keyboard or newer releases. Therefore the reg made on Genos will work on psr 975 which is released later, if Yamaha hasn't changed that practice.

Regards Ingar

[JohnStarbuck]

I heartily agree with the members who have endorsed the PSR series as a great back up system for you. I have owned several and find they are phenomenal for the money... and you might not buy the newest series... for saving money. With usb / zip drive styles you can sound very similar to the Genos. I gig with the PSR (and appreciate NOT having to take amplification if the venue doesn't require it) and play Tyros 5 mainly at home. (and IT would be my back up should I need one. ) I HAVE had situations in the past that required service (usually ALWAYS with the keyboard being sent off to a certified service center) for MANY weeks to do the repair. I've never been lucky enough to have ANY kind of loaner available. (EVEN when I bought a service warranty years ago from Guitar Center who sold me the keyboard) . So I hope you won't have a problem... but the PSR series are quite amazing!!!

[ton37]

Posted by: JohnStarbuck
« on: Today at 10:01:21 PM »
Insert Quote

I heartily agree with the members who have endorsed the PSR series as a great back up system for you. I have owned several and find they are phenomenal for the money... and you might not buy the newest series... for saving money. With usb / zip drive styles you can sound very similar to the Genos. .....<>... but the PSR series are quite amazing!!!
++++++++++

Very coincidentally I just placed 2 songs on the Board: Songs Played by Forum Members...
http://www.psrtutorial.com/forum/index.php/topic,49093.0.html

I guess that fits what @JohnStarbuck means?

[guitpic1]

The backup for my Genos is my PSR S970.

[edtek]

I had a PSR-S670 when I bought my Genos.  I liked the 670 very much, nice for gigs and home play but thought the 76 keys of the Genos were something I thought could sub for my P255 (88 key kb) which I sold after getting Genos. 

I found keeping the KBs in sync was a real pain.  Volumes, voices, styles have to be adjusted to fit for each song.  Plus the Genos has 10 regs per bank which must be kept in mind (I ended up only using 8 of the reg positions to ease syncing).

I finally got fed up struggling with syncing and decided to sell my Genos (It had lots of nice things but in the end I preferred the built in speakers and light weight of the PSR).  Didn't get a sniff on the Genos, not even a low ball offer, so I ended up selling the PSR (day after I listed it for $100 less than I paid for it 2 years before). 

If I need a backup someday, I'll take my guitar.

[travlin-easy]

In more than 30 years on stage, I never had a Yamaha arranger keyboard fail - and I performed 6 to 7 days a week during three decade period. I've amps fail, mixers fail, cables fail, but never had a Yamaha arranger keyboard completely fail.

That said, I always had a complete backup system, keyboard, amp, mic, etc... To me, as a pro entertainer, this was a must have. And, the backup keyboard was, in nearly every instance, the same make and model. In your case, that does not make good economic sense, however, the PSR-S970 would be more than adequate to fill in with while the Genos was in the shop - if it ever happened.

The operating system is basically the same, it would be very easy to utilize the saved features such as registrations and MFD, so you would be golden.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[Tonyo1000]

I have seen Youtube videos of excellent players using PSR and it sounds very good.

I think it would do the job.   You might want to check it on Youtube . . . .

Just out of curiosity, why the mixer for vocals instead of the mic directly into Genos ?

thanks

My personal preference for vocals is the Behringer line of digital mixers over the mic/vocal system in Genos.  For me, the Behringer sounds better.  I use the XR12.