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Kurzweil PC4


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It"s great to see one out in the wild! Immediate impressions, if you would be so kind? I"m primarily curious about the action and general fit and finish.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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To be honest my weighted actions were my old spinet , a Wurlitzer , a suitcase Roades, a Yamaha CP-70 & my two ( one for parts) Kurzweil PC2X's . This action on my PC4 plays smooth - - playing rapid repeats is much better than playin' with a PC2X. the action has a nice touch & feel to it a bit lighter. I think that's only because all my PC2X's had - - uh a bouncy resistance while you pressed thru your attack & would slightly bounce before You could respond again. But this just my thoughts . Right now I'm learning the interface & just started making my set-ups (multis). So I'll be woodshedding for a while .

 

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I haven't been following the pc4 release or reviews so hope my question isn't repetitive or obvious.

Can you load all the setups you have made on your pc3 or pc3k into a pc4?

I imagine there is compatibility for loading a regular pc3 program file but is there a difference when loading a setup with say 14 zones with multiple parameters and effects or a riff created in the pc3 song mode?

Kurzweil PC3K8/ GSI Gemini Desktop/ ESI UNIK 8+ monitors/ QSC K8.2/ Radial Key Largo/ CPS Spacestation 

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The MODX has some serious competition now. Even with the new update coming, this Kurzweil might be a better deal if the action is good. If I didn't get the MODX before this was announced, I'd definitely be considering it. No Kurz dealers nearby to my knowledge. Would love to try one though.
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Thanks for the initial impressions, @Fuzzy1. I look forward to hearing more and will try to get my hands on one at some point. I adore my Forte, though I know the interface isn't for everyone, and the PC4 strikes me as having some nice improvements even though it isn't intended to replace the flagship.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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I agree that fit, finish and hammer action are fine for a sub-$2k keyboard. I slightly prefer the PC4 action to my Casio PX-5S - certainly the keys are quieter, and organ sounds are much easier to play due to the high attack point in KB3 mode on the Kurzweil. Both are a cut above the heavy hammer actions on the cheaper models I"ve tried from various other manufacturers. If you"re looking for a compact padded wheeled bag, I"ve found the PC4 fits snuggly in the Kaces XKP15KB XPress Slim (which fits on the back seats of our Camry and Mazda 3).

Kurzweil PC4, Expressive E Osmose, UNO Synth Pro, Hammond B-3X on iPad, Rhodes Mark II Stage 73, ART 710-A MK4s

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silly question on storing/transport .. with my old PC88, I was told never to store it in a case on its edge due to the possible damage to the key weights ..... I currently have a PC1x and I have always stored it and transported it in its (hard shell SKB) case in the "flat down" playing position just to be safe ... since the PC4 is on my radar as a potential lighter board (the SP6 just didn't do it for me) ... i would probably get the soft case mentioned below ...Question: with the Medeli keybed .. would storage and transport on the side be okay ????

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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Because this is Kurzweil, I'd think there's a better than even chance of seeing 61(unweighted) and/or 7X (weighted or unweighted) versions of the PC4. That would definitely grab my interest.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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silly question on storing/transport .. with my old PC88, I was told never to store it in a case on its edge due to the possible damage to the key weights ..... I currently have a PC1x and I have always stored it and transported it in its (hard shell SKB) case in the "flat down" playing position just to be safe ... since the PC4 is on my radar as a potential lighter board (the SP6 just didn't do it for me) ... i would probably get the soft case mentioned below ...Question: with the Medeli keybed .. would storage and transport on the side be okay ????

 

This problem was remedied back when I worked at Kurzweil R&D, starting with the PC3 line. The old Fatar TP10 action from the '90s had key weights that were prone to falling out after a few years of use.

 

Solution - use an action where the weights don't fall out at all. ;)

[video:youtube]

 

Both the TP40L from the Forte and PC3K and the Medeli used in the SP6 and PC4 are quite robust. If we're talking about months or years, I'd still probably advise laying a keyboard flat. Otherwise anything from Kurz since 2008 can hold up to the rigors of vertical storage.

 

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Three questions in re: PC4. The 8 switches/buttons below the sliders, are you able to assigned more than one program to each individual switch? Are you able to assign a KB3 program to switch #1 and another KB3 program to switch #2? And now for the biggie: Are you able to program an individual switch to turn on/off the other 7 switches? What I want to do is have multiple programs assigned to the switches, hit one of the 8 switches and it will mute the remaining switches, all while holding down the sustain pedal with no cutoff of sound. Probably a question for Dave W. Hope the last question isn't too confusing. Thanks.
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I used mine for two gigs this weekend. It is a great board. The pianos and EPs are not as detailed as the Forte, but that's to be expected due to the constraints of the sample memory (16GB in the Forte vs 2GB in the PC4). However they are still very good and enjoyable to play live and competed favorably with the blues guitarist in the band. The synth section is wicked. There are lots of great sounds included and a new release of the OS is coming soon with a plethora of really killer FM sounds. I have the latest beta of the OS and the FM engine is fantastic. The Forte is still the king but the PC4 is a monster for the cost. Two pairs of 32bit DAC driven outputs, 1/4" stereo input, ribbon controller input, full MIDI on DIN and USB, 2GB user sample flash RAM, arpeggiator with dedicated controls, CC sequencer, chord mapping, 32 layers in each program, 16 programs in each multi, 256 note polyphony, 9 fully programmable sliders, 9 fully programmable buttons, 9 fully programmable knobs, etc. It's a fantastic value.
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Three questions in re: PC4. The 8 switches/buttons below the sliders, are you able to assigned more than one program to each individual switch? Are you able to assign a KB3 program to switch #1 and another KB3 program to switch #2? And now for the biggie: Are you able to program an individual switch to turn on/off the other 7 switches? What I want to do is have multiple programs assigned to the switches, hit one of the 8 switches and it will mute the remaining switches, all while holding down the sustain pedal with no cutoff of sound. Probably a question for Dave W. Hope the last question isn't too confusing. Thanks.

 

If you use MULTI mode, you can assign a switch to mute other layers, yes.

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I have doubts about having two different KB3 programs available in the same setup.

Yes, I don't think any Kurz has supported that. If you want a "two manual split" you'd have to use one KB3 organ and one sample-based VAST organ program. I'm guessing (though do not know for certain) that the two organ patches (KB3 and non) could be simultaneously processed through the same overdrive+rotary effects to give them a sense of unity (i.e. they would speed up and slow down together),

 

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 guessing (though do not know for certain) that the two organ patches (KB3 and non) could be simultaneously processed through the same overdrive+rotary effects to give them a sense of unity (i.e. they would speed up and slow down together),

 

Generally KDFX Leslie effects are used as inserts, which means they are dedicated only to one program on a single channel. It should be possible to set up a Leslie effect as an "Auxiliary Effect" which can be accessed from multiple zones in a Setup by setting one of each program's aux effect to 100% wet.

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If you want a "two manual split" you'd have to use one KB3 organ and one sample-based VAST organ program. I'm guessing (though do not know for certain) that the two organ patches (KB3 and non) could be simultaneously processed through the same overdrive+rotary effects to give them a sense of unity (i.e. they would speed up and slow down together)
Yeah, I've done the two-manual trick with the Fisher drawbars on my PC3s. It works well enough. I never did get the Leslie-as-Aux-Effect thing working, but I think I'll give it another try in honor of this thread.

 

Multiple taps of the KB3 engine (like a real Hammond -- one set of wheels serves both manuals) is one of the two items on my wish list that did not make it to the PC4. The other item is deeper sample editing / loop modulating, like I used to do with an Ensoniq EPS. (The latter should be cheaply doable even with ROM samples.)

 

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Chris Martirano detailed walkthrough posted.

 

He"ll never make it as a hand model.

 

eIfwNMb.jpg

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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He"ll never make it as a hand model.

 

It's not the meat... it's the motion.... that and a set of good ears! ... Chris always sounds good though . . .

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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