#1965239 - 07/01/08 11:35 PM
XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
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Sharon Gnana
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Ok, so im considering buying a new synth, and these are my three options. Yamaha Motif XS8, Roland Fantom G8, and the Kurzweil PC3x. All have 88 keys, amazing sounds, and incredible capabilities. Of course the XS and the G8 have the kurzweil beat by the screen. But what i'm really looking for is the sound. I play mostly piano(main instrument and biggest concern, ep's,drums, and organs. (Im in a rock band, if that helps.) but im really trying to decide which is best for me, since all three fall in about the same price range. and personally..I think the kurzweil
looks beautiful. But ya cant judge a book by its cover. And also i love to record music, but i also do have a computer based recording studio. So any thoughts would help..thhhxxxx!
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#1965267 - 07/02/08 04:33 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Sharon Gnana]
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cnegrad
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Sharon,
They are all great. You're going to have to play all three in your local music store and decide for yourself. When you've got it narrowed down to those few, it then becomes a very personal matter of -which- pianos, organs and EP's that you prefer. No one here can determine that for you. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with any of them, and just need to pick whichever sounds best TO YOU.
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#1965273 - 07/02/08 04:50 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Sharon Gnana]
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Tusker
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But what i'm really looking for is the sound. I play mostly piano(main instrument and biggest concern, ep's,drums, and organs. (Im in a rock band, if that helps.)
Have you tried out the piano sounds? Do you tweak or construct your own sounds? (The K is a tweaker's paradise, but the interface ...)
For classic rock bands ... I like the way the K's sit in the mix. The Roland has some interesting performance mode options what they did not before ... if you tend to stack a lot of stuff together, and rely a lot on atmospheric pads, that could be important. The Roland interface is quite intuitive to me, especially compared to Kurzweil. Personally I prefer Yamaha EP's and pianos to the others. But for the primal rock stuff ... there's something about the way the Kurzweils sound in a mix.
It's really a matter of personal taste and application. Were you saying that you will not be relying on this instrument for sounds in the studio?
Jerry
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#1965275 - 07/02/08 04:51 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Mike Davis]
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DanS
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If you have a well setup studio, you may not want to pay for the workstation features of the XS & G (not sure if the Kurz is a workstation?).
From my experience with my Fantom X7, I have yet to use the sequencer, for the same reason.
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#1965281 - 07/02/08 05:12 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: cnegrad]
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Synthoid
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You're going to have to play all three in your local music store and decide for yourself. When you've got it narrowed down to those few, it then becomes a very personal matter of -which- pianos, organs and EP's that you prefer. No one here can determine that for you.
+1000
_________________________
Korg M3, Triton Classic w/MOSS & EXB09, Kurzweil K2661, Alesis Ion, E-MU Vintage Pro, Roland D-50, and other toys.
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#1965291 - 07/02/08 05:36 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Synthoid]
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Trusted Horizon
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If could have been just the specific unit I tried in the shop... But I got the impression that the Motif XS screen suffers from rather visible smearing of the text as I scrolled through the patches. This surprised me since I've played other Yamaha large-screen keyboards that had crisp displays that would redraw without smearing.
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#1965311 - 07/02/08 06:31 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Trusted Horizon]
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GregC
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lets take a wild leap. You tried an XS at GC
My XS7 screen is flawless. I believe thats a fair conclusion
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#1965316 - 07/02/08 06:47 AM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: GregC]
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cnegrad
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My XS7 screen is flawless. I believe thats a fair conclusion
Ditto; perfect screen here.
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#1965453 - 07/02/08 12:04 PM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Sharon Gnana]
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Sharon Gnana
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Im going to be using the sounds from the keyboard, but to actually record the music i will be using a computer. And live performing will be def. happening.
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#1965456 - 07/02/08 12:13 PM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: cnegrad]
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MusicWorkz
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My XS7 screen is flawless. I believe thats a fair conclusion Ditto; perfect screen here.
Add my name to the "XS has a perfect screen and comes highly recommended regardless of what anyone else says or thinks" list...
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#1965463 - 07/02/08 12:23 PM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: MusicWorkz]
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DanS
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You might consider getting the XS Rack, and/or the Fantom XR, and a controller keyboard combo instead.
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#1965464 - 07/02/08 12:25 PM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: DanS]
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Mike Martin
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Get an XS Rack, and a PC3X to control it. You might be able to find a used ES Rack too.
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#1965608 - 07/02/08 05:26 PM
Re: XS--VS--FANTOM G--VS--PC3x
[Re: Mike Martin]
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suraci
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You must play them endlessly.
A "keyboard" is misleading, as you know, they are many many sounds under one hood
Therefore eg Ep's, i tend to like Yamaha, but you need to play each of their Ep's for quite some time- the touch enters in here too.
The weight size factor is against the Motif.
Screen is a non issue for me.
Organs?? That's another tough one. Naked B3 or just in a mix?
Which cab/amps/Leslie sim or not, you use is any issue w organ
None of the organs kill. But that Kurz is tempting
Piano??? Oh boy or Oh girl, that is highly subjective but i think the Kurz is better.
You are aware that all three of these models have one NEW and kind of limiting new aspect in common. Their previous models were open to additional sounds, these new deals are less open. But they are big. Some say, eg The prev fantom is better because you can hand pick your fave srx cards- four slots
The new Fanton, not really, just an untested Arx card and only 2.
Yamaha also closed it's slot option, but like the Roland situation , better processing seems to make it sound better slightly than the ES.
You have your work cut out for you
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