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Why someone could choose Vox Continental over Nord Electro?


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Hallo!I am a fan Nord user and i wanted to make a question to Nord and new Vox continental players!Thomman reduced Vox continental price to 1399E which is a good deal now but close to Nord electro!But apart from price , why someone could choose new Vox continental over Nord electro?Here are my thoughts even though i have listened Vox continental only from Youtube videos:

a)Nord has far better B3 organ compared to Vox continental

b)'' equal quality on electric pianos (i think!)

c)'' equal quality on Vox/Farfisa

d)''equal piano

e)Vox has some lead/pad/strings/synth/brass sounds but they are not that ''wow''...we can find the same on Nord sound libraries

f)Vox has pitch bend and filters so you can modify lead/pads/strings sounds etc.

g)Nord has split and vox not

h)Nord has better leslie effect

i)I think Nord is more bass/mid freq keyboard and vox continental is too high/prima freq.I can hear too much noise from Vox continental especially when too much tube drive is used.

j)Nord can load samples.

 

So what i see is that Nord is better or equal on everything exepct pitch bend/mod wheel fuctions...what are your thoughts?

 

 

 

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While I would choose the Nord over Vox, I think that basic filter/cut off/ ADSR control in the Vox can't be underestimated for synth stuff.

 

So many songs, especially in EDM or even something like 'Human' by The Killers, need that functionality.

 

And from what I can gather the touch-sensitive controls to achieve this in the Vox works pretty well.

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Some people have different opinions to your own regarding the sounds and/or action. For example, I think the electric pianos on the Vox are far more satisfying. YMMV. Try here for other reviews:

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2887531/new_Vox_Continental_Some_thoug#Post2887531

 

Oh and Youtube is a useful source for comparisons, but not nearly as useful as actually spending time playing a board. I briefly owned an Electro-5D and after some weeks with it at home and two gigs realised that Nord just doesn't float my boat.

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

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So what i see is that Nord is better or equal on everything exepct pitch bend/mod wheel fuctions...what are your thoughts?

I haven't played the Vox, but...

 

Vox probably has better Rhodes/Wurli sounds... I think people have generally preferred the Kronos EPs to Nord's, plus Vox presumably benefits from the tube here. Piano is tricky... Vox sample sizes are much larger, but many people have long preferred the smaller Nord pianos to the larger Kronos ones, plus Nord has a greater variety of piano sounds, so I'll give you equal on this one. I have no idea about the transistor organ sounds.

 

Vox should have generally better rompler sounds (i.e.any acoustic instruments other than the ones Nord has in its Piano section, things like strings/brass/winds) because Vox uses multi-velocity samples whereas Nord uses single-velocity samples

 

For synth-style sound manipulation, Nord has only 2 controls (Attack, and a single control for decay/sustain/release options), maybe a third if you count the setting for how much velocity affects brightness. Vox has 7 to 9 controls (attack, decay, release, cutoff, resonance, pitch LFO/frequency, plus 2 additional parameters that can vary with the particular program). It has some monophonic synth sounds, Nord doesn't... I'm not sure, but I"m guessing some have portamento, an effect you can't get on the Nord.

 

Vox is a couple of pounds lighter.

 

Some things are just different, like 9-band global EQ vs 3-band sweepable mid program-specific EQ; drawbars vs. touchstrips; different effect options. Someone might also prefer what is probably a less heavily sprung action.

 

But overall, yeah, I'd say the Nord is more capable than the Vox. In fact, overall, I'd say the cheaper Roland VR-730 is more capable than the Vox. (Yeah, the 73-key Roland is still cheaper than the 61-key Vox.) Personally, I think the only reason I'd pick the Vox over the VR730 would be EPs and lower travel weight. (Or if you're okay with its action, you can pick the much cheaper and still lighter VR-09B.) Organ could be a matter of taste, CX3+tube may well have the edge on Roland, but at least Roland gives you all the percussion and C/V controls you'd expect, which are missing on the Vox. The Roland and the Vox can each do a couple of tricks the other cannot, but overall, I'd give Roland the edge. (And again, I'm ignoring transistor organ sounds in my eval, as I am not fussy about them.)

 

Also, to me, one of the real weaknesses of the VOX is that there are only 16 scenes (user presets). I don't necessarily have an issue with a board that depends more on real-time sound selection than preset recall, but on the Vox, calling up the sounds you want in real-time from the various engines looks to involve too much scrolling; and even worse, scrolling through numbers (no names) so you have to know the number of the sound you're looking for. I'd actually be curious to hear from VC owners how that's working out for them. Roland's a bit better in having 100 registrations (though only the first 16 are directly selectable without scrolling) and in that, when you do have to scroll, you can see the names of the sounds. Nord is best of the three here, with 416 programs, and using their new numeric keypad mode, you can essentially duplicate the 16-instant-preset-recall of the Vox and Roland, but unlike those, you can switch among many different sets of 16 (plus you can also instantly recall any of them via MIDI, which you can't do on the Roland). And scrolling does display names on the Nord.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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From what I have seen/read about the Vox, I have the impression that it's even quirkier in terms of implementation than the Roland VR-09 (which I have and love), for example... And for a lot more $... Why it allows layers and not splits is beyond my comprehension, not to mention the missing percussion and C/V controls... I found the Nord much more rounded, even with some little disadvantages in the synth department...

My drawbars go to eleven.

Gear: Roland VR-09, Nord Electro 2 61, Korg CX-3. Hear my music: facebook.com/smokestoneband

 

 

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AFAIK, there are 3 people on this forum who own a Vox, I am one of them. For me, the Vox is a keeper and I have lots of experience with the Electro. But my advice to anyone making the choice is to be sure you know it's what you want. The Electro will be a better and more versatile choice for the majority of folks.

 

The main thing I like about the Vox over the Electro is the action, which is of course a subjective point. The Vox action is lighter, lacking that initial top of the stroke resistance of the Electro. I find this better for piano or synth playing. The Vox keys are shaped more like piano keys compared to the Electro, and for that reason I might have a slight preference to playing orgon on the Electro. Thus, the Vox, in my mind, profiles most favorably as an ultra-lightweight bottom board.

 

I think the epiano sounds of the Vox are outstanding, and very responsive played from the Vox keyboard. IMHO this is where the Vox shines most brightly. Pianos are also excellent and play very well from the semi-weighted keyboard.

 

The B3/leslie of the Electro is better and far more adjustable. If you see yourself playing mostly organ, that tilts in favor of the Electro. But the Vox organs can hold their own just fine in a professional context.

 

The tube on the Vox is very useful, don't underestimate the value of that.

 

The Vox has a very limited selection of synth patches and using the touch sliders to make adjustments (e.g. cutoff) is wonky and steppy. It's a very limited palate but despite that I've found a few sounds I love to use. It's just not versatile the way a decent synth should be.

 

 

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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I've owned every model of Electro from v2-v5, but I switched to the VC73. Here's a link to the review I posted on Sweetwater: Korg Vox Continental 73

 

I prefer the VC for its simplicity of use. Although its presets are very, very good IMHO, it's basically a ROMpler, and I would agree that the Electro allows more sonic customization. You could also argue that the Electro is more versatile, but only if you enjoy tweaking things all the time -- which I, personally, don't.

 

I'm primarily an EP/AP pianist who plays a little organ, and the VC works great for me in that role. If you're the opposite, my guess is that you will probably be happier with the Electro -- *unless* you want the synth engine for soloing; lack of pitch/mod wheel is a deal-breaker on that point.

 

 

Legend '70s Compact, Jupiter-Xm, Studiologic Numa X 73

 

 

 

 

 

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The tube on the Vox is very useful, don't underestimate the value of that.

That's definitely one of the nice things about the Vox. However, since tube settings (on/off, amount) cannot be saved as part of a preset (so the tube essentially has to be switched in and out in real time as you need it), I wonder if you might not get very much the same experience putting a guitarist-type of tube overdrive pedal on the output of your Nord or Roland, whatever. The pedals are an additional expense so that may change the cost equation, but here I"m just talking about comparing sound and functionality, regardless of price.

 

If you like the Nutube in particular, Ibanez has the Ibanez "Nu Tubescreamer" which puts the Nutube in a pedal. There can be issues matching a keyboard signal to a pedal designed for guitar, but it's do-able, there's a nice article on that at

 

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-to-hookup-guitar-pedals-to-synth-or-keyboard

 

It is pricey, though... that pedal is $250. So I guess if you want stereo, that's $500... though I typically play mono anyway (and EP sounds are fundamentally mono). But if you want stereo tube and/or want to save $, Behringer has the VT999 with the 12AX7, and you can get a pair of them for $100. Too bad they don't make a stereo version, so you could switch it in or out of a stereo path with a single button press instead of two.

 

Hmmm, how does the Vox handle the tube and rotary effect? Ideally you want the tube on the (mono) organ sound before it hits the rotary effect, does the Vox route it that way? It kind of seems like the Nutube is at the last stage, after all other effects, but maybe not...?

 

The Vox has a very limited selection of synth patches and using the touch sliders to make adjustments (e.g. cutoff) is wonky and steppy. It's a very limited palate but despite that I've found a few sounds I love to use. It's just not versatile the way a decent synth should be.

That's a really interesting point I hadn't considered. The VR09/VR730 has 5 real-time synth controls (attack, decay, release, cutoff, resonance), similar to the Vox (Vox adds LFO amount, but that should equate to the Roland's mod lever, and it adds LFO rate which is also adjustable on the Roland but I think only through editing rather than a real-time control)... so at first I thought these functionalities were pretty equivalent , but if the Vox essentially supports 9 stepped values for these functions while the Roland probably supports the typical continuous range of 128, this would be a pretty significant Roland advantage from a synth perspective. (And of course, the Roland's synth sounds are fully editable via iPad, the Vox synth sounds are pretty fixed.)

 

But anyway, I think I'd agree that the action and the EPs (and tube) are the main draws of the Vox. (And maybe transistor organ sounds, which is another area where it at least offers more than the Roland, not sure about Nord.)

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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The tube on the Vox is very useful, don't underestimate the value of that.

 

I'm surprised by this. For years I experimented with tube preamps, many different products, swapping out tubes, using NOS 12au7's etc. to no avail. This is between clone and my solid state Leslie 900. All it did was add noise, not warmth. Then I bought a Loundsberry Tall and Fat, no tube, FET circuitry. It was worlds better. In fact my Line 6 POD was even better.

I came to the conclusion that the built-in single 12ax7 or 12au7 was just a lure,but useless in practice. The tube on my Pro 3 was useless.

So I'm not doubting you, and happy that your happy, but surprised that it's a big thing as far as a positive.

 

And just to be clear, I have no experience w/ the VC, I'm a Nord guy (for gigs) that was not thrilled with its internal sim. I added the Vent, and the OD and leslie sim is exponentially better than those of the Nord. I think the Vent tubeless, a FET, not totally sure. Whatever it is, it is spectacular.

Do you use the tube on EPs?

 

Hammond B-2, Leslie 122, Hammond Sk1 73, Korg BX3 2001, Leslie 900, Motion Sound Pro 3, Polytone Taurus Elite, Roland RD300 old one, Roland VK7, Fender Rhodes Mark V with Roland JC90
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Interesting experience, sagetunes. I have limited experience here. I think the real tube in the SV1 is part of what gives its EPs their nice character, but in an integrated system, it's hard to know exactly what is responsible for what aspect of the sound... unlike a pedal, you can't fully remove it and compare the identical sound with and without the tube. For example, when you turn up the Drive knob on the SV1, we don't really know whether it is simply driving the tube harder, or if it is doing other sonic manipulation as well, so how can we be sure exactly how much of what we're hearing is definitely coming strictly from the tube itself?

 

Also interesting that your Line 6 Pod was better than the T&F. I have one here that has only been used for guitar. It never occurred to me to try using it as one might use a T&F on a keyboard, whether for EPs, or possibly also even ahead of a Vent for organ, as some people seem to think that's even better than the Vent's OD by itself. As an aside, the best overdrive from what I've tried is when I played the Numa Organ (original) through the Vent, with some of the Numa's OD up before it went into the Vent. I have the NS3 now, and haven't tried that yet, I've just been using its internal sim so far.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I'm not a tube or tube emulation expert, but I think the built in tube on the Vox works very well to add warmth and analog vibe. Unlike the SV1, it actually does not do heavy distortion, you have to use the digital effect section for that. But I like what it does for the EPs.

 

I frankly have not used the Vox for organ a great deal. Not that it's bad, but I have a Mojo for cryin out loud, why would I use anything else? The leslie sim on the Vox does not impress me. If it were my main organ axe, I'd be running it through a Vent. The Mojo 61, by contrast, is better than the Vent imo.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Also interesting that your Line 6 Pod was better than the T&F. tried that yet, I've just been using its internal sim so far.

 

I was unclear---I meant the Pod was better than any little tube preamps that I've used. The Tall and Fat is Much Much better than the Pod. Greg Loundsberry was probably plotting my demise.

Hammond B-2, Leslie 122, Hammond Sk1 73, Korg BX3 2001, Leslie 900, Motion Sound Pro 3, Polytone Taurus Elite, Roland RD300 old one, Roland VK7, Fender Rhodes Mark V with Roland JC90
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[i was unclear---I meant the Pod was better than any little tube preamps that I've used. The Tall and Fat is [b]Much Much[/b] better than the Pod.

Ah.

 

One thing that occurs to me, though, is that a "tube preamp" may give you a tube warmth, but is not necessarily a good source of overdrive. And the tube-based guitar amps are using tubes on both the preamp and amp stages, so their overdrive is presumably coming at least in part from the main amp tubes as opposed to the preamp tubes. Since the T&F is aiming to duplicate that tube-based drive, it is probably not fair to compare iit to a tube preamp which has a different goal. Instead, I think it would make more sense to compare it to, if anything, a tube-based pedal that is actually designed for overdrive. I wonder how the T&F would compare to the Ibanez or Berhinger pedals I mentioned.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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  • 1 month later...

A little late to the party, but seeking advice from the VC owners here who've also had/have Electros...

 

Am in a situation now where I am doing a lot of Doors music. Getting by fairly happily with an Electro 4, but wondering if a VC would bring enough sound improvement to the table to warrant the cost. Not concerned about splits, as I use a multi board setup anyway. I just haven't been able to get my hands on one to test it out, and the online videos I've seen haven't shown a real Vox/Vox sound comparison.

 

I would plan on keeping the NE4 for the blues/classic rock stuff I do. So wondering if this would be a redundant purchase.

 

Thanks in advance...

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Shadowman, I also play a lot of Doors music. Usually I use vintage instruments but on some occasions I use a Casio WK3800 as a replacement or supplement. I know it's a cheap instrument with the key action leaving a lot to be desired but sound-wise for specifically covering Doors I haven't found anything better. It can simulate the Vox and Gibson organ sounds as well or better than much more expensive Keyboards. You have adjustable sustain on the organ section so you can get the "Waiting for the Sun" sound and even The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky" Lowrey. I used this on a few dates with Robby Krieger and he was impressed with it's sounds. I demonstrated the afore-mentioned sounds to him. He asked to hear the "Wild Child" and "Changeling" Hammond organs, "Love Me Two Times" Harpsichord, and "Riders on the Storm" Rhodes all of which passed his scrutiny. I haven't tried later Casios like the XW-P1 but it's possible this may be able to do those signature Doors sounds also.
C3/122, M102A, Vox V301H, Farfisa Compact, Gibson G101, GEM P, RMI 300A, Piano Bass, Pianet , Prophet 5 rev. 2, Pro-One, Matrix 12, OB8, Korg MS20, Jupiter 6, Juno 60, PX-5S, Nord Stage 3 Compact
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  • 1 month later...
Nothing material to add to the technical discussion, but the Vox Continental looks so freakin cool...which may be a factor for those who are only in need of the relative strengths of the instrument and are smitten with its vibe.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, I have a question for the VC users here. I am absolutely in love with this instrument since I have tested it at my local dealer. For me this is close to a perfect stage and fun keyboard, rock show type of performances. Really inviting and intuitive to play, so lightweight! The color! The boxiness that makes it literally a 'board'- AND, you can put an iPad on it, or a setlist or anything - this is really a big deal for me since I always hated my SV-1 in this regard. This is sooo practical. It says 'hit me' and it produces some substantial noise with the tube and some distortion. True WYHIWYG. Really easy and fun to combine and mix the in my ears exceptional sounds or to just turn a knob to see what happens, just playing around all the time and only use your ears as reference ,no display that could give the illusion of objectiveness or digit accuracy. Maybe not made for the button pushers but to seriously rock around and say hello to the guitar players (oh yeah, the guitar players...) it is perfect. Very very musical and player oriented.

 

BUT

 

One thing I somehow can't get over... and that is, why did they put this cheesy 'Brit Spirit' bulldog badge thing on it?!? Do they think that a glowing VOX Logo on the back or some chrome Logos or the color won't get the point across?

So, here is my silly question of the day: Is it possible to remove this badge? Since this would be the first thing I would want to do. I mean is it just glued to the body or actually fixed with screws and leaves holes in the housing?

 

Keep on rockin'

 

Doc T

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I don't own one, but a guy in here or some other VC thread somewhere said he removed it on day one. If I were removing it, I would take it apart to look for screws under/behind it and if there are none, grab the putty knife. And maybe judicious use of a heat gun could help, if you can isolate the metal top any sensitive plastic or electrical components.
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Its a cute keyboard.

If looks are important and you believe your audience doesnt care about anything other than choreography, vocal hooks and the all encompassing BOOV-BOOV-BOOV mating ritual beat, by all means grab one for that old Ed Sullivan Show 60s vibe.

If it wasnt for the British Invasion wed be listening to the Monkees and Ray Coniff Singers..

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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If it wasnt for the British Invasion wed be listening to the Monkees and Ray Coniff Singers..

Heck, if it weren't for the British Invasion, we wouldn't have even had the Monkees. But it wouldn't have been all doom and gloom, we still had Motown.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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  • 4 months later...
Got it new for $975 (without the stand) and Im simply in love with this keyboard. Contains five Kronos engines, over 10GB of samples, and that remarkable NuTube. Impeccable made in Japan build and a perfect waterfall keybed.
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Having spent some time with the Vox, to the OP:

 

Vox has way better overdrive, thus a better rock organ sound

Leslie sim is equal - I'm not loving either of them

Vox has way better reed electric pianos (Wurlis)

Vox sounds better in mono

EQ is 9-band, which helps the last point especially when it comes to pianos.

 

All, of course, imho.

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

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  • 8 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

You know it's a great thread when you read it and you want to drop everything and play.

 

I'm amazed at just how quirky the "single board candidates" all seem to be. After almost a year with the Numa CX2 I finnaly am face to face with a bunch of quirks, forcing me to spend money and time to make up for half-baked MIDI implementation. I still like playing the board alot, but I nearly went to Electro 6 HP or D. Yet after reading and reading I've come the conclusion it's trading one set of quirks for another.

 

A 2019 single board should:

have great MIDI programing and zone options.

have drawbars and a good organ (leslie can always come with pedal)

EPs and APs obviously. Good ones.

A working synth. Something which can build sounds and modulate them in some kind of matrix.

A great keybed. (that's tough, as most struggle to be OK) Besides the action and AT, obviously you need splits.

Under 35 lbs.

 

Far as I can tell such a thing cannot be had for love or money in 2019. But maybe the PC4 really does hit everything above?

 

RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, 

SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2

Stylophone R8/Behringer RD-8/Proteus 1/MP-7/Zynthian 4

MPC1k/JV1010/Unitor 8/Model D & 2600/WX-5&7/VL70m/DMP-18 Pedals

Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. 

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A 2019 single board should:

have great MIDI programing and zone options.

have drawbars and a good organ (leslie can always come with pedal)

EPs and APs obviously. Good ones.

A working synth. Something which can build sounds and modulate them in some kind of matrix.

A great keybed. (that's tough, as most struggle to be OK) Besides the action and AT, obviously you need splits.

Under 35 lbs.

 

Far as I can tell such a thing cannot be had for love or money in 2019. But maybe the PC4 really does hit everything above?

61-key Kronos is probably the best fit for that list. Nord Stage 3 even better in many ways, but weak on MIDI functionality (and may not have as much modulation flexibility as you want). PC4 organ is okay but not top tier, and while it has very capable synth functionality, it is not easily accessible from a programming perspective. But it's probably the closest you'll find if you want 88 keys.

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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