Posted by Dikikeys on
URL: https://forum.mixagesoftware.com/Patch-List-tp1607p2185.html

Coming as I do from one of Roland’s last general purpose arranger keyboards (the BK9), I hate to admit it, but the days of simply changing the PC/32/00 codes and you get a fully balanced performance in a newer piece of gear have long departed.

I can plug legacy GS sequences into my BK9, and yes, you won’t get the completely wrong sound, but the balance of the drum kits changed a fair bit, hihats came a lot more forward, some drum kits have flams on notes that used to be straight hits. The rot started with the VK series, and got worse with the G/E series, which the BK series is largely derived from.

It’s a shame, those golden years of GS were certainly convenient, but sounds, especially multi-velocity sounds have undone a lot of plug and play. Back in the day, a sound was basically the same if played high velocity low volume, or low velocity high volume. Vel-switched sounds changed all that. The velocity is critical to making the samples change at the right point, and thus volume (or Expression) is also critical.

Yamaha’s newest arrangers have something called ‘Revo’ kits with a whole bunch of new hihat, snare and other sound articulations on notes previously unused (but possibly not unused for post-GS kits) and some round-Robin triggering (on the Genos).

Nowadays, a lot of the backing sites have moved to audio tracks, which tends to negate the need for compatibility (the track will sound identical on anything!), and the whole sampled workstation thing seems to be a thing of the past, along with a legacy set that will play 30 year old sequences…

The price of progress, I guess!