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The ultimate single-board gig rig: 2 contrasting manuals


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Unfortunately modern manufacturers are stingy with midi zones. Something i look for on every purchase since the ultimate midi days of my Alesis quadrasynth and their run of QS keyboards. Where 16 zones internally or externally were nothing for Alesis to give us on all their synths. Alesis showed us what zoning was all about and it was simple to use too with easy access to random numbered patches.

 

Now people pray for a simple split setup. A split setup to me is not zoning. And scrolling for patches is just rediculous.

 

Why is zoning so out of fashion with manufacturers? And who deemed scrolling magical?

 

4 zones i used to consider basic as well as 10 digit input pads so we can go directly to a patch.

 

Gee my Akai MX73 controller had that with 4 zones. Loved that early controller except for the crappy feeling keyboard. But they could make a cheap controller with simple but powerful for the day/cost. Why not now. Studio logic used to be good for zoning but i notice not all their products now have more than 2 zones.

 

But what ya gonna do?

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I was actually hoping for more than two MIDI zones. My Oberheim has eight, although I'd probably be OK with four.

Okay, then eliminate the Nord Stage 3 from contention. That leaves:

 

Yamaha CP73 - 4 zones

Dexibell S3/S3 Pro - 4 zones

Korg Kronos 73 - 16 zones

 

also possibly worth checking into is that the boards vary in the number of multi-zone MIDI setups you can store in the board at once.

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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Stage 2 HA76 -- 8 zones (36 lbs, only 44" wide)

 

Same great action as the Forte 7.

Great sounding pianos that cut through for live work.

 

And of course that famously easy to use UI.

 

I recently got the Triple Pedal for mine. The half-pedaling, sostenuto, and una corda also transmit across MIDI. That was an unexpected bonus.

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Stage 2 HA76 -- 8 zones (36 lbs, only 44" wide)

 

Same great action as the Forte 7.

That was a nice board, the last time Nord used a TP40 in a 76. Not quite the same version as in the Forte, but same family. But it still has only two external MIDI zones.

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 guess it would help to define exactly what is meant by "zones". It's a little more complicated on the Stage 2 compared to other manufacturers.

 

Keyboard zones or ranges (local split points): 3 zones x 2 layers

 

MIDI transmit zones: 1 external x 2 layers, but up to 3 split points each

 

Global MIDI transmit zone: 1

 

MIDI receive zones: 4 (piano, organ, synth, external) x 2 layers

 

Dual KB mode (receive): links organ layer B for dual manual use.

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Stage 2 HA76 -- 8 zones (36 lbs, only 44" wide)

 

Same great action as the Forte 7.

That was a nice board, the last time Nord used a TP40 in a 76. Not quite the same version as in the Forte, but same family. But it still has only two external MIDI zones.

 

Interesting, I thought the Forte 7 also used a TP40L.. perhaps it has a TP40M?

 

I had a Forte 7 for about a month, until I found a used Stage 2 HA76 for $2k. The Nord action was lighter in feel, but I just wrote it off at the time as being more broken in. The Stage 2 came out in 2011, but the Forte was new out of the box.

 

Very slight differences, and a bit moot anyway as manufacturers can also tweak the same Fatar keybed so that they feel differently.

But it is a great action. I was pretty happy with the PX-5S, but the TP40 action boosted my ability up a level.

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MIDI transmit zones: 1 external x 2 layers

yes

 

but up to 3 split points each

the split point for each one merely defines the key range of that zone, it doesn't give you another zone. Nord is actually less flexible than most here, because you are limited in the top and bottom points you can select for each zone, they must always fall between E&F or B&C, whereas most other boards let you put those zone border points at any key you want.

 

Global MIDI transmit zone: 1

It's a stretch, but I guess in a sense you could call that a third zone, with limitations. Unlike the actual two external MIDI zones, you have no independent control of program changes, pedal assignments, key ranges, octave, etc. It could be useful for specific purposes, but is not really what someone would usually consider a zone from a MIDI controller perspective.

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 thought the Forte 7 also used a TP40L.. perhaps it has a TP40M?

 

I had a Forte 7 for about a month, until I found a used Stage 2 HA76 for $2k. The Nord action was lighter in feel

Interesting. As a rule, Kurz has been using the TP40L, and the Nord's have been heavier (presumably TP40M, though unlike Kurz, they don't officially provide that info). The Nord HA I've played have not felt as light as the the Kurzweil TP40 boards I've played, but maybe there is some variation, as there seem to be in so many actions.

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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Before I took the plunge on whether or not to get my MODX7 last year, I was fretting over its frustrating implementation of MIDI channels and zones. Why not make it so any of the 16 parts can be assigned to any MIDI channel. But no, Yamaha engineers locked the relationship: part 1 = channel 1, part 2 = channel 2, etc.

 

Then you kindly stepped in and reminded me that the workaround is to look at it from the view of the other board you're trying to control. If the receiving board implements zoning -- whether via channels or keyboard ranges, or both -- then it doesn't matter anyway. The end result is the same. You end up mapping multiple sounds across all your keyboard real estate. That is the end goal of zoning anyway, right?

 

Anywho, I also once entertained the notion that the ultimate single-board gig rig would be a lower tier hammer action coupled to an up tier semi-weighted. Perhaps variations as well, like 76 lower key with waterfall uppers, etc.

 

Another solution is to simply make a very flat, table top hammer action MIDI controller, so that you can put your 61 key directly on its surface. Variations of this flat controller concept could be 73 semi-weighted, 61 or 49 key waterfall. If you can get them down to 3" max height and very lightweight, you could conceivably fit the flat top in the same gig bag along with your main...

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Complicated...

 

Obviously the eight zones on my Oberheim are all external, since it's a dumb MIDI controller so everything it does is external. But part of the point of this restructuring is to reduce the number of devices that need to communicate with each other, and in particularly to be able to go out and do low key gigs with just a single board and no rack.

 

So it's the internal zones that will matter. I won't actually need to send MIDI out of this board.

 

What I will need to do is send MIDI in to it, and I'm not entirely clear how that will interact with the zone architecture. ie, if you've set up a bunch of zones defined by split points, are MIDI note-on messages received from another device just assigned to those same zones according to their pitch? Or can you have a separate zone or two activated just by data entering the MIDI in, that doesn't affect the zones of the local keyboard itself? Maybe this varies from model to model - might need some digging in manuals.

 

Kronos or Forte would be the surest way to cover all these bases and have a weighted board with the kind of MIDI-master flexibility my Oberheim gives me. Obviously they're more expensive than the others, but I'm willing to consider that kind of expense if it gets what's right for me.

 

Cons...

 

I'm not sure about Kurzweil. One of the units in my rack is actually a Kurzweil PC2-R, with the optional orchestral ROM installed. It's got some nice EPs and strings, and the KB3 organ is meaty and usable, but would be rendered largely redundant as I'm looking to get a Hammond clone for my other board. But I find much of the orchestral, brass stuff etc. really lame - even that on the orchestral ROM. I understand that when the PC3 came out, its orchestral sound set was basically derived from that. There was a lot of hype about it. Maybe it's been tweaked and updated to sound better, although I haven't heard any demos that make me believe that. I do understand the PC3 had a lot else packed into it in terms of VA etc, and I don't know how much the Forte has moved on further still. I really need to play one which I'm going to try and do.

 

Not much to dislike about the Kronos, although the 2 minute boot up time concerns me.

 

One of the UK retailers had a second hand Kronos 73 with warranty for £1,500 recently. I didn't buy it as I wasn't sure yet what I wanted, but I think I'd probably go to that kind of amount if it was right for me.

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Before I took the plunge on whether or not to get my MODX7 last year, I was fretting over its frustrating implementation of MIDI channels and zones...Then you kindly stepped in and reminded me that the workaround is to look at it from the view of the other board you're trying to control.

There are indeed often multiple ways to skin a cat! For example, any one-zone controlling keyboard becomes a multi-zone controller if you've got an iPad/Mac/PC running (depending on platform) Camelot Pro, GigPerformer, iMidiPatchbay, Keystage, Mainstage, Cantabile... so that's another way to get the extra zoning one may want. But the OP asked for 7x-key hammer action boards that supported more than two MIDI zones, so that's what I listed. Sure, if there's some other board he loves except it's weak on MIDI zoning, there could be another way to go.

 

As for the MODX, it's actually very good at controlling other boards (up to 8 zones)... it's MIDI weakness comes into play when you want it to be controlled BY other boards. Then what you can or can't do does indeed becomes something of a function of what the MIDI capabilities of the other board are... that might provide a good workaround (i.e. if your other board is a multi-zone controller), and if not, there's also the software I mentioned. There are ways...

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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So it's the internal zones that will matter. I won't actually need to send MIDI out of this board.
Ah. So that's quite different from "I was actually hoping for more than two MIDI zones." -- MIDI zones refers to sending MIDI out. You want to be able to split/layer more than two internal sounds... that's generally easier. There are more boards that can split/layer 3 internal sounds than there are ones that can split/layer three external ones. But now we get to the next part...

 

What I will need to do is send MIDI in to it, and I'm not entirely clear how that will interact with the zone architecture.

A board's MIDI zoning functions are basically irrelevant for MIDI in. What you need to be concerned with instead is a board's multitimbral capabilities, i.e. the ability to put each sounds on its own MIDI channel. A board may be able to split/layer multiple internal sounds, but if you can't put them on separate MIDI channels, that won't be so useful from a MIDI In perspective (more about that in the next section). Similarly, you can run into the opposite situation, e.g. a board that lets you put 16 sounds on 16 channels to be driven over MIDI, yet do not let you split/layer 16 sounds over a board's own keys. So these are really three completely different things:

 

...the ability to split/layer some number of internal sounds (we'll just call that the split/layer function)

...the ability to split/layer some number of external sounds (those are the MIDI zones)

...the ability for an external device to access multiple sounds in the board via different MIDI channels (that's the multitimbral function)

 

and whatever a board does for one of those three things may have little to no bearing on how it handles the other two.

 

The divisions between those functions not necessarily always so completely cut and dried, but conceptually, I think that's a good starting point.

 

if you've set up a bunch of zones defined by split points, are MIDI note-on messages received from another device just assigned to those same zones according to their pitch? Or can you have a separate zone or two activated just by data entering the MIDI in, that doesn't affect the zones of the local keyboard itself?

Usually the latter. However, there are also boards that do the former, or give you the option of doing things either way. But that first method (essentially putting a series of split/layered sounds on the same MIDI channel) is generally not so useful, i.e. having an external board/device triggering the exact same sounds over the exact same keys where you're playing them. Usually, the point of driving some of your sounds externally is for them to do something different from what you're doing on the main board, rather than to essentially duplicate it.

 

I'm not sure about Kurzweil. One of the units in my rack is actually a Kurzweil PC2-R, with the optional orchestral ROM installed. It's got some nice EPs and strings, and the KB3 organ is meaty and usable, but would be rendered largely redundant as I'm looking to get a Hammond clone for my other board. But I find much of the orchestral, brass stuff etc. really lame - even that on the orchestral ROM. I understand that when the PC3 came out, its orchestral sound set was basically derived from that. There was a lot of hype about it. Maybe it's been tweaked and updated to sound better

I believe the orchestral sounds of the PC3 did come from the orchestral ROM of the PC2, but maybe someone else can update. The real update for the horns (and some other non-orchestral stuff) came later, with the Kore64 upgrade (standard in PC3A/PC3K and later boards including Forte). Forte has additional updated sounds, but as far as the orchestral department goes, I think only orchestral percussion.

 

I think this is the first post where you talked about what sounds you care about the board having. Now that you've said you want strong orchestral sounds, I think that eliminates the Dexibell. Yamaha orchestral sounds are usually pretty good, but the CP73 doesn't have a whole lot of them. Kronos might well be your board of choice. Grandstage is just a small subset of a Kronos. in both sound and functionality. Its appeal over a Kronos is its simplicity and smaller/lighter form factor, but I suspect you may run into too many walls. Forte could also be a possibility, if you feel it offers enough sonic improvement over your PC2R, which in part depends on what sounds you're talking about.

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'd heartily recommend the Kronos any day. It's truly a master of many domains.

 

It can do almost anything you want MIDI-wise, with 2 major exceptions that only matter in the most edge case of scenarios -- it doesn't have MIDI merge, and what MIDI it receives over USB will not be passed along to its DIN ports. The latter was probably to prevent MIDI loop issues.

 

A Kronos is a sampler. A great rompler that can import soundfonts, Akai format multisamples, and of course your own custom samples and multisamples. This is really one of its strongest fortes, ensuring it stays up to date no matter the decade. You can stream huge GB-sized libraries from its internal hard disk. Gone are the days when a sampler/rompler was limited by megabytes of memory. Huge difference compared to all other workstations on the market.

 

A Kronos is also the top of the line FM machine. It can swallow whole any DX7 presets or bank, can do about anything a SY/TG77 or Montage / MODX can do.

 

Its Poly6 and MS-20 and AL-1 virtual analog engines make sure you can reproduce sounds from the 70s, 80s, 90s.

 

There's a built in Wavestation. You can import your own samples to mangle, if that's your thing.

 

Its MIDI controller capabilities are second to none. I'd say it's closest competition is a Forte. I don't know if the Forte is USB class compliant, or if its USB carries audio. Its zoning capability is about as strong as a Kronos, except that KARMA allows some acrobatics that no other board offers.

 

The physical modelled string engine (STR-1) is great for fretless basses, sitars, etc. It's pretty good at the unusual too, as well as emulating medieval instruments.

 

The Kronos FX are very strong as well. I'd venture to say that no other workstation has a better package FX-wise.

 

Its EP engine is also very good, and customizable. But if that's not enough, just import some quality samples. That's what any other board does for EPs anyway. The Kronos' custom EP engine just puts the pieces together for you, including cabinets and vintage FX, and blends any velocity switching so you don't hear any.

 

As for organs, it;s as good or better than any workstation offereing, including anything from Roland, Yamaha, or Kurzweil, But dedicated clones can one-up the Kronos in this department. It's a purist argument, but slapping a Vent on on aux output will solve most of that anyway.

 

One of its under-rated aspects is its built in 6 channel mixer -- stereo audio IN, stereo USB, and stereo SPDIF. What this means is you can directly connect an iPad and make sure your Kronos evolves as the music tech does.

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...the ability to split/layer some number of internal sounds (we'll just call that the split/layer function)

...the ability to split/layer some number of external sounds (those are the MIDI zones)

...the ability for an external device to access multiple sounds in the board via different MIDI channels (that's the multitimbral function)

There is a further nuance here that may be relevant. Some boards allow an external controller, transmitting on one channel across the entire span of the keyboard, to drive internal sounds that are split/layered. A subset of these allow multiple split/layered sounds to be played from their own keys simultaneously with another set of split/layers driven from the controller. (Nord's dual keyboard is a well-known example, but Kurzweil takes it to a higher level, at least in the PC3 series, and I assume Forte/PC4). And some boards can't do that at all (Alesis QS, much to my younger self's regret - it's 16-part multitimbral, but needs to be driven from 16 MIDI channels to achieve 16 simultaneous different sounds).

 

That's relevant as it potentially opens up a wider range of controllers (for example, the Yamaha p121 mentioned a few times in this thread cannot transmit one midi channel below a split point and another above, but *might* be an ideal controller in other respects).

 

Cheers, Mike.

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There is a further nuance here that may be relevant. Some boards allow an external controller, transmitting on one channel across the entire span of the keyboard, to drive internal sounds that are split/layered. A subset of these allow multiple split/layered sounds to be played from their own keys simultaneously with another set of split/layers driven from the controller.

Yup. I think I dealt with the first of those two scenarios, but the second falls into my disclaimer, "The divisions between those functions not necessarily always so completely cut and dried, but conceptually, I think that's a good starting point." ;-) But I'm glad you brought it up, because in fact, yes, that could be a useful feature in this scenario, considering that the clone he may pair it with may well not have very capable MIDI controller functions of its own. That could be a reason to look more at the Forte. I don't think Kronos does this...?

 

That's relevant as it potentially opens up a wider range of controllers (for example, the Yamaha p121 mentioned a few times in this thread cannot transmit one midi channel below a split point and another above, but *might* be an ideal controller in other respects).

Yeah, though the P-121 also has the issue of being USB only, and not too many boards directly accept a USB board as an external controller. (I'd still prefer to avoid host adapters if possible.)

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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So you like it then?

 

I can say with confidence, Yes!

 

Exploring its many synth engines -- and ways to combine them -- has truly been the genesis of many creative patches. After 6 years of owning and 5 years of gigging it, I still get a rush each time I play. Though I consider it a triumph that I've tamed most of its capabilities, especially the modular FM and waveshaping engine that is MOD7, I know my sampling and sequencing adventures are only at the beginning stages of those journeys.

 

What I will need to do is send MIDI in to it, and I'm not entirely clear how that will interact with the zone architecture. ie, if you've set up a bunch of zones defined by split points, are MIDI note-on messages received from another device just assigned to those same zones according to their pitch? Or can you have a separate zone or two activated just by data entering the MIDI in, that doesn't affect the zones of the local keyboard itself?

 

1) the master controller will send out notes on different MIDI channels; the slave will play any sounds that match those MIDI channels

2) the slave device may further divvy up or restrict its sounds on a per channel basis; these keyboard ranges are also known as splits/layers

 

What this means in practice is that you're not limited to one sound per MIDI channel. Your Oberheim may send out on channels 1, 2, 3, and 4, but the connected slave devices may respond with two sounds on channel 1, three sounds on channel 2, and only one sound on channel 3, netting you a total of six sounds for that particular song.

 

I don't know if that was clear or more confusing. Maybe the coffee hasn't hit me yet, but it's much harder to explain this easily than I thought it would be.

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There is a further nuance here that may be relevant. Some boards allow an external controller, transmitting on one channel across the entire span of the keyboard, to drive internal sounds that are split/layered. A subset of these allow multiple split/layered sounds to be played from their own keys simultaneously with another set of split/layers driven from the controller.

Yup. I think I dealt with the first of those two scenarios, but the second falls into my disclaimer, "The divisions between those functions not necessarily always so completely cut and dried, but conceptually, I think that's a good starting point." ;-) But I'm glad you brought it up, because in fact, yes, that could be a useful feature in this scenario, considering that the clone he may pair it with may well not have very capable MIDI controller functions of its own. That could be a reason to look more at the Forte. I don't think Kronos does this...?

 

Yes, indeed the Kronos can play multiple splits/layers simultaneously from its own keybed and also from an external MIDI controller.

 

Let me illustrate with a gigging example. I used my Kronos 61 on the upper tier, and a split Prophet Rev2 below it. There was also a shelf below holding my Integra. On the floor was my FCB1010. Minitaur was perched on upper right side of Kronos.

 

Kronos (receive on multiple channels, send on channel 1)

Rev2 (lower half on ch2 // upper half on ch3)

Integra (receive on multiple channels)

FCB1010 (send on channel 1)

Minitaur (receive on ch 2)

 

Obviously the Minitaur has synth bass duties, so channel 2 for every song has synth bass played from Rev2's lower octave.

 

Even though the Kronos only transmitted on channel 1*, it had multiple sounds spread across its keyboard. The Integra also had multiple sounds assigned to channel 1, so they could also be split / layered with the Kronos.

 

Put another way:

 

Jump

====

Main riff was played from the Kronos keybed. The lower part was a layered Kronos / Integra sound, with its upper range stopping at C4. The upper part was again layered Kronos / Integra, with its lower range restricted to C4. For the keyboard solo, I engaged Kronos Switch1 to bring in both a compressor and a quiet upper octave saw restricted to a range from C4 to G4. The upper octave only engaged when velocity was greater than 105... this was to highlight the solo's last riff of quarter note triplets.

 

The bridge section (Am G F C Dm) was played from the Rev2's keyboard and my feet on the FCB. The tight left hand bass was Minitaur layered with Rev2 and Kronos (whose channel 2 here was routed to an Aux output that went into my bass amp's return channel). The right hand played a stacked Rev2 / Kronos / Integra sound was that thick warm Am G interplay with the synth bass line. I also copped the guitar line f a c f e g c Dm / facfegc G. Feet were doing the high analog string chords.

 

Chorus was back to the Kronos keybed. Feet were playing the single note stacked octave C notes.

 

Pre solo was back to the Rev2, same as bridge sounds. On that last Db in the left hand, I snagged Switch 1 as mentioned above.

 

Space Intro / Fly Like an Eagle

=======================

Kronos left side has various wind sounds in lowest octave. Organ in next couple octaves. Last upper octave had various sound FX.

Rev2 both sides had that Moog-like analog line, with the bucket brigade delay. In the last octave on the Rev2 (transmit channel 3), each key was assigned to a specific sound FX on the Kronos (receiving on ch3). To answer confidence's question -- one MIDI channel can have multiple sounds, via keyboard range assignments. Feet triggered the organ parts while I played an improv'd bass line (original bass line not groovy / funky / busy enough for me).

 

Power of Love

===========

Upper right Kronos split into 3-4 keyboard ranges. Trombones in mids, overlapped by tenors reaching a few notes higher, overlapping both trumpets and punchy synth brass. Integra also layered like-wise... tried to get as real sounding as possible, not that dreaded cheesy monotone synth brass sound. Integra trombones very nice!

 

Rev2 left hand bass stacked with Minitaur, and a Kronos electric bass with some snap attack on it. Right hand Rev2 had those smooth pad and choir sounds for the breakdown part. Feet were programmed to duplicate the right hand brass parts. Initially I kept playing the bass guitar line while I stomped out the brass parts. Later I got a nice thickly layered bass composite, complete with funk pop on high velocity, that I resorted to left hand bass and right hand brass.

 

Uptown Funk

==========

I won't go into details here, as you get the idea. Suffice it to say that I really went to town on this one. Major challenge playing bass guitar and keys parts at the same time, with feet doing the sustained pad chords... all while singing backup! Crazy, I know. But for me, the challenge and the rush of it all when it comes together is totally worth all that sound designing and wood shedding to get it right on stage. And a big payoff seeing eyes pop and jaws drop when I'm in full Geddy mode.

 

(Sorry for the long way home, hopefully it was both informative as well as entertaining. Coffee is fully kicked in...)

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Spent some time at a couple of music shops this afternoon getting my hands on some of these. Thoughts:

 

KRONOS

 

Pros: Truly fantastic keybed. I think it's the best hammer action keybed I've played. It doesn't do what so many manufacturers seem to do and try too hard, I didn't get tired playing it like I do with some, I just forgot about the action and played. I obviously didn't have a chance to delve into the advanced synthesis capabilities. but the piano sounds, EPs and organs are all strong. I liked the screen, I didn't find the text too small as some have said.

 

Cons: I've read about it but it hadn't really sunk in: OMG the lag in the touch screen display is annoying! It's quite fiddly - sometimes I'd touch something at the bottom and it wouldn't respond. I wouldn't be sure whether it's supposed to, but after poking it a bit harder a few times it would. And the lag isn't consistent. Sometimes it responds straight away, sometimes after a lag, and sometimes not at all. Not good. I could see myself punching a hole in the middle of the keyboard in frustration.

 

GRANDSTAGE

 

Pros: Same keybed as Kronos - wonderful. Basic suite of good strong sounds. Good build quality.

 

Cons: I can see what was meant earlier about the limitations of the feature set. It's almost more like a Yahama or Casio home keyboard (ie a few pianos, EPs, organs etc. with really simple sound-choosing interface) but on steroids, rather than a professional stage piano. Well that's not fair - what it does, it does VERY well (piano action + high quality sounds). It's just it doesn't do much. Seems a bit overpriced for what it is, to be honest. If it had more advanced MIDI functionality I'd buy it as a controller just for the action, but it doesn't.

 

MONTAGE 7

 

Pros: This wasn't on my radar but it was there so I had a play. To my surprise I REALLY liked the semi-weighted action, for pretty much everything except full on classical and stride piano. They seem to have done some clever programming so it feels different in different contexts. With synth sounds it's shallow and immediate, but with EPs it's not actually that far off a weighted action. I could see myself playing Rhodes etc. quite happily on it, even piano up to a point. Also loved the piano sounds and acoustic instruments generally, more than the Kronos if I'm honest. Yamaha just seem to be good at capturing that stuff without it sounding hyped or processed. Soundscapes and arpeggiators obviously amazing but I don't know how often I'd use them.

 

Cons: I did find that when I broke into more vigorous piano playing, I found it harder to control than the others. I played more wrong notes than usual (maybe that should be "EVEN more wrong notes than usual"!), which might have been to do with the narrower Yamaha keys or might have been the lack of resistance and more ready triggering.

 

They also had a second hand Motif XS7 (same keybed) which I played with similar reactions. Liked it a lot. Really liked the interface, the way the eight sliders and knobs on the left are shown on the screen with each one's function. Very clear and logical. And huge wide range of acoustic sounds ranging from good to fantastic. I see a few of these around second hand at the moment. I have a Motif ES rack in my rack and like the sounds, so replacing it with an XS keyboard would be a smooth way to downsize and lose the rack. Would have to rethink things on actions, however.

 

HAMMOND XK-1C

 

Pros: Fantastic sound, faithful to the B3 through a wide range of settings.

 

Cons: Keyboard action has a little too much resistance IMO.

 

MOJO 61

 

Pros: Also fantastic sound. For some reason I found this easier to get into and shape the sound organically than the Hammond. Got quite involved in it. Key action was more Hammond-like IMO too.

 

Cons: None really. I've been concerned about lack of presets, but its being a single-sound instrument that you shape as you go made more sense to me once I was doing it.

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On the Kronos touchscreen, if you use the tip of your fingernail the accuracy is much much better.

 

Assuming that the Montage and MODX are the same sound-wise, I can see how one could be drawn to it. I enjoy its Rhodes sounds, even on the budget MODX7 keybed. And it does have nice orchestral sounds. They do slap of a lot of reverb over their presets, and Yamaha's reverbs sound wetter and a bit more sweet compared to Kronos reverbs.

 

Too bad there wasn't a Nord Stage to try out. Its pianos are really good, and the keybed as well.

 

Lots of good choices nowadays.

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MONTAGE 7

 

Pros: This wasn't on my radar but it was there so I had a play. To my surprise I REALLY liked the semi-weighted action

If you open up your 7x criteria to include non-hammer actions, the Roland Fantom 7 could be another interesting possibility.

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