Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

new Vox Continental - Some thoughts


Recommended Posts



Guys how can you like this keyboard for something more than electric pianos?Accoustic pianos are bad , B3/Lesie is much worse and thinner than Nord's one and ''other'' sounds are not that good and plenty.Come on it doesn't even have a simple warm pad sound or a decent brass sound.And the most important thing!I was shocked when i found out that Farfisa and Vox sounds are really ''toy like'' and not that fat.Especially farfisa sound.I mean that this keyboard was created for it's Vox/Farfisa (or it should be) sound but they are not that good at all compared to a Nord.It's a really beautifyl instrument but i think you can find these sounds on Mainstage/VST.Anyway really nice feeling on rhodes/wurli sounds but nothing more!

 

Speaking as someone who owns one and likes it, I nevertheless have to be honest and say it's difficult to say this keyboard is a good bang for the buck, or is something lots of people should own. Honestly I think it's a quirky niche keyboard that only a few people will own, but that is endowed with quality, uniqueness, and some strikingly endearing attributes. I would also point out that much of your dissertation is subjective. Are the acoustic pianos "bad"? Every digital piano has its fans and detractors, but lots of people like the Korg pianos and the Vox has a smattering of the best of them on board, and they are very playable considering it's a semi-weighted keyboard. I suppose it would be really damning if the transistor organ emulations were not good. I don't feel I'm one to judge having never played the originals, but I've read many a positive review of them.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose it would be really damning if the transistor organ emulations were not good. I don't feel I'm one to judge having never played the originals, but I've read many a positive review of them.

 

 

I had an original Continental years ago. To my recollection, the new Vox does a pretty accurate recreation.

 

And to the question about the Vox case, it fits perfectly and the shoulder staps work ok... but I found the 73 note was pretty uncomfortable to transport that way for more than about 50 yards. I use it for rehearsals or if I'm traveling local and light. If I'm going far or moving lots of gear, it goes into a hard SKB. I'm not certain how long the handle's going to last, though - as it doesn't seem to be attached to the case as securely as the dual loop straps are on Nords (and most other cases.) So we'll see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys how can you like this keyboard for something more than electric pianos?Accoustic pianos are bad , B3/Lesie is much worse and thinner than Nord's one and ''other'' sounds are not that good and plenty.Come on it doesn't even have a simple warm pad sound or a decent brass sound.And the most important thing!I was shocked when i found out that Farfisa and Vox sounds are really ''toy like'' and not that fat.Especially farfisa sound.I mean that this keyboard was created for it's Vox/Farfisa (or it should be) sound but they are not that good at all compared to a Nord.It's a really beautifyl instrument but i think you can find these sounds on Mainstage/VST.Anyway really nice feeling on rhodes/wurli sounds but nothing more!

 

Speaking as someone who owns one and likes it, I nevertheless have to be honest and say it's difficult to say this keyboard is a good bang for the buck, or is something lots of people should own. Honestly I think it's a quirky niche keyboard that only a few people will own, but that is endowed with quality, uniqueness, and some strikingly endearing attributes. I would also point out that much of your dissertation is subjective. Are the acoustic pianos "bad"? Every digital piano has its fans and detractors, but lots of people like the Korg pianos and the Vox has a smattering of the best of them on board, and they are very playable considering it's a semi-weighted keyboard. I suppose it would be really damning if the transistor organ emulations were not good. I don't feel I'm one to judge having never played the originals, but I've read many a positive review of them.

 

You are right and this is just my opinion!I just didn't surprise when i tested the instrument like i did when i first tested a Nord or Mainstage.It is subjective what someone likes or not.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everybody, I've been a long time reader of this forum without contributing so far, so thanks to the all the contributors for the valuable advices and discussions. I could make good use of it on several occasions!

 

Now I'd like to talk about the Vox Continental which I recently bought to use as the bottom board on my Carlos Santana tribute band, together with a Hammond SK1. I was using so far a Krome 73 for this purpose, which I bought two years ago, but I was already thinking for a while to replace it. I think the Krome is a nice piece of gear, with some good sounds inside and a lot of possibilities for combinations, sound design, sequencing or drum patterning, but I could never get used to the keys. Not really because of the keyboard feel, which I think was alright for EP's, synths or organs, but rather for the keys size, especially the black ones. It was not working for playing Latin piano parts. I was very often missing the right key, or playing together two keys by mistake. I had to concentrate very hard in order to play things right, and it was a bit killing my playing experience. I must say it is much better with the Vox Continental! I find the keyboard feel pretty good, even for this Santana Latin piano stuff. So my main problem is now solved ;-)!

 

The Nord Electro 6D was also in my mind, but the minimum price you can get here in Germany is around 1,800 EUR, whereas you can grab a brand new Vox Continental for only 1,099 EUR, without the stand, which I don't need anyway. So this price gap between the two keyboards was a strong advantage of the Vox Continental.

 

Now let's talk about the sounds, starting with EPs.

 

I'm pretty happy with the Vox EP sounds: I'm a proud owner of a Korg SV1 and I find the Vox Continental EPs sound more natural, and closer to the real thing. I like also the SV1 EP but only in the case you run it through the amp simulation. However, I always found it was a bit bright, especially when comparing it with recent software emulations (for example Scarbee EP88-S, or even Neo Soul keys). I couldn't really dig the SV1 EP sound without the amp.

 

And the tweaking possibilities on the Vox Conti with the valve drive and dynamics knobs, add a lot to tailor the sound according to one's personal taste.

 

The one sound where I find the SV1 to be the best is the Wurli: here I think the amp simulation adds a lot of character to it and this is really my reference sound for Wurlis. In this area, I find the Conti to be also quite good, though not as good as the SV1. But I think I can live with it.

 

In the piano area, I find the Conti's sound to be also good. Of course, the waterfall keyboard does not allow very subtle piano playing, but for playing in a loud live settings (which is the case on this Santana tribute band...), I think the grand pianos will cut through the busy mix easily, especially with the help of the valve and dynamics knobs.

 

The Key/Layer sound engine covers very well my needs for brass, strings, leads, and even distorted guitar (yes I need one on the song called All Aboard).

 

Last but not least, the organs: I have to admit that I did not buy the Vox for the organs, and certainly not for the Vox emulation, which I will barely use, but I think it does a good job in this area, even on the B3 emulation, and I can think also about using the Vox as a single keyboard to cover all sounds including organs, when needed. So the organ section is a bonus point for me.

 

Ive read the discussion around the lack of splitting possibilities beside organs: as you have seen, my intention was from the very beginning to always use the Vox in a two keyboard setting. I have tried the split approach, because I wanted maybe to bring only one keyboard to rehearsals, but it was too complicated for some of the Santana songs, and I did not want anyway to use only one board during concerts. So I finally gave up on this.

 

Therefore, the weight of the board was one of my main criteria since Ive taken the decision to always carry two keyboards with me, so I particularly appreciate the 8,4kg of the Conti ;-).

 

Im also playing with a soul and blues band, and there the Vox works very well as the bottom keyboard in combination with the Krome for brass and synth sounds.

 

It is clear that the SV1 will now stay at home most of the time, and that I will use it only for playing jazz in a trio for example, or only when Im motivated to carry the 20 kg to some gigs

 

The touch bar section is also quite good, though Ive not yet completely figured out how to run it in a precise manner: for example, when I want to position a bar just by touching the right position, it sometimes work, but sometimes not so I have to touch it two times. Sliding the bars with, one, two, or more fingers works well though. You can also proceed like on the Sweetwater demo, by kind of drawing your desired EQ or drawbar setting curve with one finger.

 

OK, so thats enough said for now.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share my positive impressions of the Vox Continental and give it some praise, for those who may be interested to buy it.

 

Ill maybe write another post later to give also some of my concerns (yes there are some) and wishes.

 

Until then, I wish you all a nice day!

 

Jérôme

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jerome, thank you for the very nice review of the Vox. I have been sitting on the fence as to whether to buy one or not. Been spending a lot of money on boards and have come to the conclusion that I will never gig with just one board. Once again thanks.

 

Mike

My Rig: Stage Piano: Korg Grandstage 73 - Organ: Hammond SKx - Amps: Motion Sound KP-500s - Mixer: Yamaha MGU10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Mike,

 

You're very welcome ;-)

 

I understand your position, and I think you are very well equipped with the Grandstage and the Viscount anyway!!

 

The Grandstage 73 was also on my wish list, but these days I just can't imagine myself carrying 17 kg once or twice per week!!

 

At least having two light keyboards (The SK1 73 weights only 9 kg) allows me to split the load between my back and my arms, which I find more manageable.

 

I kind of saw the Vox Continental as a light version of the Grandstage with fewer sounds but coming from similar sound engines. This helped me to pull the trigger somehow ;-)

 

Maybe in the future, I will also go for a Grandstage to replace my SV1, or whatever keyboard in this range will be available at that time!

 

Jerome

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK now I will start with my first concern: the gig bag.

 

I ordered one on Thomann 2 weeks ago because it was shown as available there, but 2 days later, I received a message from them saying that they were checking the availability.

 

I waited some more days and hoped that it would soon be available again, but finally, I received the information that the gig bag will not be available before July :-(

 

This is really annoying because I have to rehearse and gig with it very soon.

 

Since the Vox Conti has a very uncommon shape, it is not easy to find an alternative solution.

 

The Krome 73 gig bag which I already own works quite well with the Vox, but the problem is that I can't carry it on my back!

 

So now I'm a bit lost on what to do.

 

I will continue checking at other sellers in Germany, but if anybody has a suggestion, this would also be very welcome!

 

My requirements are pretty straightforward: dimensions should be quite close and it should be possible to carry the bag on the back.

 

Thanks for any hint!

 

Jérôme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Had no interest in this board at all...until a couple of days ago. I'd pretty much decided on a Dexibel J7, then happened upon a U-Tube vid of this. Now cant get the Vox out of my head.

Surely I can rely on some fellow forum-ites to talk me down from the ledge, right? ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool guys, glad to hear about other VC users ;-)

 

Im still very happy with mine after a couple of gigs and rehearsals. The keyboard feel is very good and the sounds too, especially the EPs!!

 

In the meantime, I could finally get the gig bag, so everything is fine ;-)

 

Cant put my hands anymore on the Krome, Ive already placed an ad to sell it.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

won't be me. I just purchased a 61 key version myself. Looks great sitting on my Wurlitzer 200. :cool:

Didn't get the deal Fleer got, that price is amazingly low. :idk

True. Got it through WoodBrass, a French store, during their January sales.

Price didnt include the stand, though, being too big for a 61-key anyway.

You can still get a very good price through Thomann, something like $1200 stand included. You can also get the stand on its own for less than $250.

Its a wonderful keyboard, great waterfall action, sturdy metal build, tube, 10GB of Kronos sounds with some of the best e-pianos Ive come across. Get it while you still can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I've got the manual open at the moment, just referencing the 'organ key trigger' system setting for shallow triggering.

 

I'm guessing it won't but can anyone test if when set to shallow triggering the MIDI out note ons follow as well ?

 

I'm considering the 73 key Continental as a master MIDI keyboard and I really like that shallow trigger option on synth sounds where I don't need velocity. Would be amazing if it did but I'm not holding out too much hope.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In collaboration with Suzuki Vox has released two first ever Vox Continental models optimized for harmonica sounds.

 

vox_continentalred.jpgvox-continental-1.jpg

 

 

 

 

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
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still have mine. It's the italian model with plastic keys. Found it in a pawn shop cheap in the late 90s. Those chrome Z shaped legs make it the flashiest keyboard ever made.

 

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/vox_continental/vox_continental-2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Second gig with the Vox Continental, Hammond SK1 sitting above it. This rig sounds f#%!ing great. This was a function gig so everything from Girls Just Wanna Have Fun to Uptown Funk. The first gig was a '90s night playing songs from No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom album. So, my thoughts on the Vox.

 

Yes the Hammond in the Vox isn't the best - percussion setting is especially rubbish - but that's what the Hammond is for. For rock organ though the overdrive is still better than that in some of the leading clonewheels. The combo organs, especially the Vox, sound great.

 

The EPs and APs are sweet. They play nice in mono. EPs On par imho with the SV1 as mentioned. The keys are fine given this musical context (I wouldn't want to do a jazz trio gig on it, but that frankly goes for most digital pianos too).

 

The surprise was the keys/layer section. Cello on Don't Speak, tick. Even the brass on Uptown Funk, tick. Mellotron flutes on The Climb, tick. But the real goldmine is the synths. The touch strips provide for easy tweaking and with the effects available there was no sound I couldn't nail for either set with most of them coming from the Vox.

 

The only downside imo is that you can only have one sound at a time with the exception of layering the synth/orchestral sounds over an organ, ep or piano. But combined with the SK1, which provided Hammond, some Wurly and a few secondary synth sounds, there really was nothing I couldn't cover, with patches selected over MIDI from the SK1.

 

For the best part of 2 decades I've carried a rack of stuff, from an Ensoniq MRrack to a Roland Integra. The rack has gone (which of course explains the cable mess in the picture (link below), but I'm blaming the bass player :cool: ). I love the light weight of these two boards, the immediacy of the interfaces, the keys and the sounds. I got compliments from band members on both gigs. In fact one of the drummers who has an SV1 said of the Vox that even though he's not really a keys player he wants one, lol.

 

Rig pic here fyi: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1256231187884664&set=a.1256231214551328&type=3&theater

 

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

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes the Hammond in the Vox isn't the best - percussion setting is especially rubbish - but that's what the Hammond is for.

and only using percussion on your top board is kind of authentic as the lower manual of a B3 doesn't have percussion anyway!

 

For rock organ though the overdrive is still better than that in some of the leading clonewheels.

I'm assuming the tube helps there...?

 

The keys are fine given this musical context

How would you compare the feel of the Vox keys to the SK1 keys? And does it vary with the sounds? (i.e. might you alter which you think is better depending on whether you're playing organ, piano, EP, or clav?)

 

patches selected over MIDI from the SK1

though there are only 16 possible VC sounds you can recall over MIDI, right? (the 16 that you've saved as Scenes)

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. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still have mine. It's the italian model with plastic keys. Found it in a pawn shop cheap in the late 90s. Those chrome Z shaped legs make it the flashiest keyboard ever made.

 

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/vox_continental/vox_continental-2.jpg

 

What a great find. In a Pawn Shop?

 

I had tried out the VOX model you have when it was a current model, but one single 4 octave KB didn't work for me. I was looking for something more along the lines of a Hammond, with Combo organ sounds. So no deal.

 

When Thomas Organ started making and selling Vox, I bought a Super Continential dual manual Vox. I ran it through a Leslie 145 and it sounded great. The problem I had with it is the wooden keys would STICK DOWN after being taken out of our non heated equipment truck during PA winter months back in the dark ages. So I sold it. Too bad, that ax would have been a great collector item.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That photo brings back some fond memories...as that Continental with a Univox MiniKorg on top was my first gigging rig in the 70's as a fledgling player!

(Wish I still had both...)

 

Which is why I just HAD to get the new Vox. And am loving it, too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got the manual open at the moment, just referencing the 'organ key trigger' system setting for shallow triggering.

 

I'm guessing it won't but can anyone test if when set to shallow triggering the MIDI out note ons follow as well ?

 

I'm considering the 73 key Continental as a master MIDI keyboard and I really like that shallow trigger option on synth sounds where I don't need velocity. Would be amazing if it did but I'm not holding out too much hope.

 

Cheers

 

If anyone has the time to check this out I'd be v grateful. Cheers (:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes the Hammond in the Vox isn't the best - percussion setting is especially rubbish - but that's what the Hammond is for.

and only using percussion on your top board is kind of authentic as the lower manual of a B3 doesn't have percussion anyway!

 

For rock organ though the overdrive is still better than that in some of the leading clonewheels.

I'm assuming the tube helps there...?

 

The keys are fine given this musical context

How would you compare the feel of the Vox keys to the SK1 keys? And does it vary with the sounds? (i.e. might you alter which you think is better depending on whether you're playing organ, piano, EP, or clav?)

 

patches selected over MIDI from the SK1

though there are only 16 possible VC sounds you can recall over MIDI, right? (the 16 that you've saved as Scenes)

 

The Vox keys aren't especially springy, so they do come back fast but if you're trying to play the same chord repeatedly quickly it's easier on the Vox. I feel the Vox keys also allow for finer control over piano dynamics than the SK1. The SK1 keys I find better for Hammond, especially conga type comping but I'm probably just used to them. I don't have a real Hammond at hand to compare, but memory tells me the Vox keys are closer to a real Hammond than those on the SK1.

 

I like tube on synths and eps too, especially synth leads.

 

Yes only 16 patches, so I had about 30 set up on the SK1 but some of them select the same sound on the Vox. 16 was enough for me for 4 sets with a couple of slots to spare. Much better than the 8 favorites buttons on the SV1.

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

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much better than the 8 favorites buttons on the SV1.

The trick about the SV1 is that all the sound locations are equally rewritable with the editor. So you're not really limited to 8 favorites. All 44 locations (6x6, +8) can have whichever saved sounds you want, whether factory, or soundpack add-ons, or your own modified versions of any of those sounds.

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. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...