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Viscount Legend '70s


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Interesting that the acoustic piano module uses samples rather than the modeling from their Physis. (EPs are modeled, though.)

 

I like that the clav module mimics the layout of the original 6 rocker switches. I'm guessing that the mute button will activate the mod wheel to functions as the original's mute slider.

 

www.viscountinstruments.com-clavi-module-33.jpg

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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Sound Cloud Demos

 

https://soundcloud.com/viscountinstrument/335-emotion

 

The Clav sounds good, phase effect is nice.

There's a 335 Guitar model or sample with Chorus sounds nice.

Suitcase and MkI sound good.

Acoustic pianos are meh in these demos - also, they aren't modeled like the Physis Piano, the Acoustic Piano module is sampled with 8 pianos and 128 polyphony.

Wurly is decent.

 

Compact: (Sound modules: E.Piano, Sound Collection, Free Slot 1, Free Slot 2)

Compact: 73 Keys, Hammer action, velocity sensitive with triple sensor

112 x 18 x 47,5 cm / 44' x 7' x 18,7'

16 Kg / 35,2 lbs

 

dsc01007_1.jpg

 

Artist / Artist-W: (Sound modules: E.Piano, Sound Collection, Free Slot 1, Free Slot 2, Free Slot 3)

Artist: 88 Keys, Hammer action, velocity sensitive with triple sensor

Artist-W: 88 Keys, Graded hammer action, wooden keys, velocity sensitive with triple sensor

133 x 18 x 47,5 cm / 52,3' x 7' x 18,7'

19,2 Kg / 42,3 lbs

 

dsc00939_1.jpg

 

dsc00943_2.jpg

 

Each sound module can be assigned to a programmable keyboard zone. 2 zones in Split Mode with a programmable Split Point

 

Reverb - Room, Hall, Stage, Plate, Spring, Tape

Tremolo, Vibrato, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Wah-wah, Amps, Rotary, Delay, Equalizers, Compressor

 

dsc00828.jpg

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I'm starting to warm to the idea of pluggable hardware modules, IF it is priced well. The entry level 76 with only EPs and extras better not be anywhere close to what its more complete competitors cost.

 

OTOH, if you consider the piano module sounds meh, you could hold out for them to do a modelled piano module. This is like Eurorack for pianos! :D

Moe

---

 

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This is becoming a very interesting category when you look at the new Korg SV2, Crumar Seven and the multi purpose and combo options like Grandstage, Vox Continental, CP 73/88, Nord Electro and Piano, Mojo 61, Roland VR730 and the new Yamaha YC61. I"m sure I"m missing a bunch of choices.

 

I really like the choices of designs and interfaces that we have. Sound wise, I"m not hearing anything that screams that it is more realistic than Busch"s Purgatory Creek vintage collection, or David Weiser"s presets or my conversion of Scarbee Mark I into my Forte Flash Drive... and we are by no means there with matching the realism of The Canterbury Suitcase or Keyscape in these products (or Scarbee EP-88s) but not sure those things matter for gigging. Lots of interface and keyboard action choices out there for the Rhodes centric player for sure! I sat in on a jam session recently on an MODX with Chick"s Rhodes and it was also satisfying. Just a great time to have choices.

 

Also nice to see instruments where the clav is not just an afterthought to tick the feature box but well thought out for playability.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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This is becoming a very interesting category when you look at the new Korg SV2, Crumar Seven and the multi purpose and combo options like Grandstage, Vox Continental, CP 73/88, Nord Electro and Piano, Mojo 61, Roland VR730 and the new Yamaha YC61. I"m sure I"m missing a bunch of choices.

 

I really like the choices of designs and interfaces that we have. Sound wise, I"m not hearing anything that screams that it is more realistic than Busch"s Purgatory Creek vintage collection, or David Weiser"s presets or my conversion of Scarbee Mark I into my Forte Flash Drive... and we are by no means there with matching the realism of The Canterbury Suitcase or Keyscape in these products (or Scarbee EP-88s) but not sure those things matter for gigging. Lots of interface and keyboard action choices out there for the Rhodes centric player for sure! I sat in on a jam session recently on an MODX with Chick"s Rhodes and it was also satisfying. Just a great time to have choices.

 

Also nice to see instruments where the clav is not just an afterthought to tick the feature box but well thought out for playability.

 

From the specs it"s also looking like they went with Fatar actions. Triple sensor with wood side panels on the keys in graded and balanced variants. Where else would they source actions like these? Roland isn"t going to supply them. Could possibly be Kawai. But I doubt it.

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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My Viscount Legend is a Fatar TP-8O action. It would make sense for the likelihood of a boutique Italian keyboard to be sourcing Fatar actions for this as well.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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Am I the only one looking at this and thinking: put JUST the external module in there, and you've got a hammer-action controller with a flat top to sit under a Nord Electro, VR09, yes YC61 or other "clonewheel-plus"?

 

So much depends on action, and price.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Am I the only one looking at this and thinking: put JUST the external module in there, and you've got a hammer-action controller with a flat top to sit under a Nord Electro, VR09, yes YC61 or other "clonewheel-plus"?

 

So much depends on action, and price.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

It's an appealing idea (even though I'm not in the market for it right now). The Crumar Seven will also do this too, so the question might come down to which one. The "Early Case" soundcloud example was brief and repetitive so not the best for judging, but it seemed very close to the much sought after "Herbie" sound.

 

Like I said earlier in this thread, this may come down to Crumar and Viscount being very competitive with each other, to the point where reasonable minds can differ.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Am I the only one looking at this and thinking: put JUST the external module in there, and you've got a hammer-action controller with a flat top to sit under a Nord Electro, VR09, yes YC61 or other "clonewheel-plus"?

 

So much depends on action, and price.

 

Cheers, Mike.

Good idea. However based upon experience with a Kawai MP11 with triple sensors action and Nord Stage 3 Compact the benefits with triple sensor does not translate via midi from the controller to the Nord. I think this is an area with lack of real or de facto standards.

 

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Am I the only one looking at this and thinking: put JUST the external module in there

Based on the info on the site so far, that isn't a config they are selling. This is what they list as ways to buy it:

 

Compact: (Sound modules: E.Piano, Sound Collection, Free Slot 1, Free Slot 2)

Artist / Artist-W: (Sound modules: E.Piano, Sound Collection, Free Slot 1, Free Slot 2, Free Slot 3)

 

So it looks like it always comes with the EP module and the general sounds module.

 

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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To my ears, the Rhodes mk I sounds exactly like it does in the Physis Piano (and expansion for K4 /5).

They even use the same MIDI files for demonstration.

I like the modular concept and the flat top,- except the wheels-configuration ...

 

When they want it compact, why using wheels ?

There are toys like the Roland paddle or a joystick saving space.

 

Or what about a ribbon and some modulation controller like a pressure sensitive pad or similar.

It all exists already.

Instead they use what they have,- the FATAR type haptics.

No innovation at all.

 

I´d imagine a pressure sensitive ribbon,- up/down movement for pitch and pressure for modulation,- user scalable.

It´s not a synth per sé and such controller combo would be more than enough for a (physical model) DP and ROMpler, saving space and being more innovative.

 

A.C.

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The EPs sound very pleasant, nicely musical, but not totally authentic. Reminds me a bit of the earlier modeled EPs from Gem in their RP-X module. That was also Italian, I wonder if any of the same developers were involved.

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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That is one clicky Rhodes sound.

Yes, that little click or pop was what first made me think RP-X. It's a nice sound, really, it's just not something you'd expect out of a real Rhodes.

 

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 wonder if that clacky sound can be edited ? Im sure there must be a hammer hardness parameter in the editor. Of course they release this right after I splurge on a crumar seven. I really like the sound and vibe of the seven , but those endless decoder knobs are getting to me. Im very interested in the legend , the module concept but so far I"m not hearing anything that would make me want one over the seven. No info on MAP , keybed used and very little demos properly recorded. There is a clip of Joey D playing AP that is great but recorded on a phone at Namm.

"Ive been playing Hammond since long before anybody paid me to play one, I didn't do it to be cool, I didnt do it to make a statement......I just liked it "

 

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The Seven is compact, has a lid, and compartment to store the legs and a way to carry it. They did their best to keep the weight down on a 70s design and build theme (33lbs/51.8lbs w/ cover and legs). Part of that is also the choice of going with the TP-100. Remarkably, it feels a lot like a Rhodes in this case - how it interacts with their modeled Rhodes. Unfortunately, it"s not as pleasing with acoustic pianos - but this is to be expected when the design is so focused on the Rhodes. Most wouldn"t enjoy it if their piano tech came over the house and swapped their Steinway"s action for a Mk I"s.

 

I wish the Legend 70s received a little more media activity this weekend. There"s a fairly light spec weight (35.8lbs), but I don"t see how the legs come on and off (specs suggest it is a metal stand that requires a separate bag for carry). Similarly, other than the Rhodes, I"m not able to get a sense of what these included and installable DSP modules can do. They aren't being open about which action they are using, but it's highly likely to be a TP-100 at this weight. The acoustic pianos they shared are pretty weak for sampled instruments. Maybe the models they are showing are prototype and they haven"t worked everything out yet.

 

 

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I had a wonderful time at NAMM 2020. I know many of you want to know more about what happened in the Viscount booth and in particular, the new 70s stage keyboard. In full disclosure, I"m a Viscount Legend Artist and I performed and presented at the booth.

 

On the floor there were 3 models - the 73 and 88 with a Fatar action (Elvio said it was similar to the Nord action although I"m not sure exactly which one) and the wood action 88. I liked the action on all of them although the wood action 88 was extremely nice to play. The 70s comes standard with an ep module (5 rhodes, 2 wurlitzers, and an e grand) and a sound collection bank which has pads, strings, choir, brass, keyboard, organ, bass, guitar, bells, marimba, and other sounds. More sounds will be available for the collection bank. For an extra cost, you can add two modules - the acoustic piano module and the clavinet module. It"s very easy to add the different modules. Three screws hold the top rail and you can easily remove the rail and add different modules. There is a full effects section which you can easily add several effects like reverb, wah, etc. You can also split the keyboard and it has an extensive midi implementation.

 

Even though I had never played the keyboard, I was surprised at how intuitive it was to play. Having different modules made it dead simple to understand which sound was playing. One thing I immediately noticed was how easy it was to control the volume levels if I had two voices layered or in split mode. There is an easy to read display and a 3 band eq as well. I really liked the look of the keyboard. It has a flat top where you can put another keyboard like the Viscount solo on top. There is also an iPad editor where you can dial in your sounds.

 

The big question - how does it sound? Playing at NAMM is never the best way to audition a keyboard especially with all the ambient noise. However, I thought the sounds were extremely playable and detailed. I really enjoyed playing the acoustic pianos. There are eight models and separate dynamic and brilliance knobs. I wish I could have spent more time on each sound but time is always limited at NAMM. Joey Defrancesco played the 70s with a trio (drums/sax). He mainly used the piano, ep, and bass sound. I was very impressed at the bass sound! It had a nice woody thunk.

 

If anyone has questions about the instrument, let me know.

www.brianho.net

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianho

www.youtube.com/brianhojazz

 

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I'm guessing if it has wood sides and a triple sensor, it's probably some variant of the TP-40W on the 88 key? Although there is only 6/7lbs difference between the 73 and 88k.

 

I really enjoyed playing the acoustic pianos. There are eight models and separate dynamic and brilliance knobs.

 

I'm surprised to hear you liked the sound of the acoustic pianos.

Can you confirm what you heard sounded like the soundcloud examples of the acoustics they've chosen to share?

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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To avoid any confusion, the 3 models have names. There is the 70s compact (73 keys), the 70s Artist (88 keys), and the Artist w (wood 88). The compact and artist have the Fatar tp100. I"m no sure if the action name on the 88. They were pretty quiet on the builder of the action.

 

Dave - great to meet you as well! I"m sorry I couldn"t stay longer to talk to you and Joe! I

Had to catch a plane. :)

 

Elmer - unfortunately I didn"t have a chance to listen to the SoundCloud examples prior to namm.

www.brianho.net

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianho

www.youtube.com/brianhojazz

 

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Nice video! It's really hard to make judgements from NAMM booth videos, but I really appreciate the competition in this class of products between Viscount and Crumar to recreate the vintage instrument playing experience with new technology. It's really fun to see this.

 

I'm not trying to make an "XXXX is better than YYYY" blanket statement, but I do have my own personal observations to generalize.

 

My overall impression is that Viscount does a better job than Crumar in its layout, ergonomics and build quality. And I think that Crumar edges out Viscount in some of the details of tone or accuracy of the sounds to the instruments they are emulating.

 

They are both good in every checklist and I would be happy to own/gig with either, but I am just generalizing based on what I think each is slightly better at than the other. Your opinions may vary.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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I saw this video on FB yesterday.

 

 

The issue here is there doesn't seem to be a note off model / sample. One of the defining characteristics of the Rhodes is how the dampers don't stop the tines from vibrating instantly. There's a distinct release time and sound associated with that release time that is missing in the Viscount. Without that it sounds unrealistic. Also the bell sound is synthetic to me.

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