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Ok, thanks. I think I got the impression that the Electro 5 only receives pitch bend messages when it's in MIDI Upper Receive Mode from a post on some other forum plus the fact that the section on MIDI Upper Receive Mode is the only place in the manual where pitch bend gets mentioned. I'll try to test it at some point when I'm trying out an Electro 5.

I'm asking because I'm updating my gear since my old main keyboard died and I'm getting back into playing seriously again. I want to know what people like best so that I know what my options are.

Thanks AnotherScott for yet more valuable and very generous advice. Right, thanks. I thought I saw in the manual that it's possible to adjust the panning of the keyboard parts, making it possible to dedicate one side of the stereo output to organ only, but now I see that I was actually looking at the MIDI setting guide, which says that the Vox receives MIDI CCs for panning. But there doesn't seem to be any controller for it on the keyboard itself. I wonder if there's some way of getting the result I mentioned by sending the relevant CCs for panning to the keyboard by MIDI, then? I may have got this wrong, but I read that the Electro 5 only receives pitch-bend messages for 'Part Upper' in 'MIDI Upper Receive Mode', and that 'Part Upper' can only be played from an external keyboard:

Hi, Im trying to find a keyboard that comes closest to the ideal determined by the following list of features, listed in decreasing order of importance: 1. MIDI input and outputideally including 5-pin DIN ports 2. Weighs less than 14 kg (30 lbs) 3. Sturdy 4. At least 73 waterfall organ-style keys 5. Internal sounds that are acceptable in mono for live performance, including: - a. Hammond B3 organ emulation - b. Basic synth - c. Wurlitzer - d. Rhodes - e. Acoustic piano 6. At least four zones that can be split and layered as desired 7. Drawbars/faders that send MIDI dataideally at least nine 8. Pitch bend controller 9. A good number of knobs and buttons that are capable of sending assignable MIDI CC messages 10. Pedal inputs for: - a. Expression pedal - b. Sustain pedal 11. Aftertouch 12. Built-in audio interface 13. Ability to have a separate output for organ so that it can be run through a Leslie emulator pedal 14. Possibility of importing external user samples 15. Internal speakers 16. Under $US1,800 The best options I've found so far are: * Nord Stage 3 Compact - * Fixed split points - * Aftertouch - * Expensive * Dexibell Combo J7 - * Split and layer - * Can add Sound Fonts - * Expensive * Nord Stage (EX/2/2 EX) Compact - * Three zones - * Fixed split points - * Digital drawbars - * Aftertouch - * Expensive, but a cheap second-hand one might turn up eventually * Roland VR-730 - * Split and layer - * If the keyboard is split, with organ in the lower part and piano (for example) in the upper part, the Leslie effect will apply to both parts - * Drawbars do not send MIDI CC messagesonly Sysex messages (but I dont know how much of a problem that is?) - * No separate output for organ - * Comparatively cheap * Nord Electro 5D/6D 73 - * Split and layer - * Fixed split points - * No pitch bend controller - * Cannot use an external pitch-bend controller and the Electro keyboard at the same time * Hammond SK1 - * Keyboard can be split, but one zone must be organ - * No layering - * No pitch bend controller - * May be able to control pitch bend using an external controller? * Vox Continental - * Can split using organ sounds only - * Virtual drawbars (not sure about their MIDI functionality) - * Quite a bit of flat space on top of the keyboard to rest a laptop or sound module - * Comparatively cheap * Nord Electro 3D 73/4 SW73 - * Can split using organ sounds only - * No layering - * Digital drawbars - * No pitch bend controller - * Does not accept pitch bend MIDI messages * Nord Electro 2D 73 - * Can split using organ sounds only - * No layering - * Digital drawbars - * No pitch bend controller - * Does not accept pitch bend MIDI messages - * Not compatible with the Nord Piano Library * Numa Organ 2 - * No other sounds besides organ - * Comparatively cheap At this stage, Im thinking I might get a Roland VR-730 while I watch out for a cheap second-hand Nord Stage Compact. There are a few things Im not sure about with the VR-730, however. How much of a problem is it that the drawbars dont transmit standard MIDI CC messages? Will it be a problem for using them to control drawbar settings for VB3 II in MainStage, or is it possible to teach MainStage to translate the SysEx messages into the right CC messages? (Apologies for my ignorance here.) I assume that it would be a problem for controlling another keyboard or hardware module. But I take it that the problem might be solved (with some effort) by using a MIDI translator box? Ill also need to try out the VR-730 piano sounds in mono to see if they are usable, because Ive had problems with Roland piano sounds collapsed to mono before. If these problems are too serious, Ill try to look for a Nord Electro 5D/6D 73, though they are pretty much at my budget limit. Any ideas are most welcome! Thanks a lot.

Oops, I forgot: Yamaha CP4 (hardware stage piano) I'll put that on the list in between Kurzweil PC2/PC2x/PC2r and Yamaha MOTIF XF/MOXF.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm gradually narrowing down a shortlist of monaural piano sounds to test. Here are the front-runners at this stage: GEM RP-7/RP-X (hardware stage piano/rack module) The few existing threads that I could find regarding monaural piano sounds were pretty old, and the GEM RP-7 and RP-X were mentioned quite often. Since nobody mentioned them in this thread, I assume that there are better options these days. I imagine it would also be quite difficult to find either one second-hand these days in my part of the world. Nord (hardware stage piano) Various Nord models have been suggested: Nord Piano; Nord Electro 5; Nord Stage EX; Nord Electro 3. I take it that all of these use the Nord Piano Library, and so use the same piano sounds. Kurzweil PC2/PC2x/PC2r (hardware stage piano/rack module) The Kurzweil PC2x was recommended in the existing threads I could find, and its Triple-Strike Piano was also recommended in this thread. I have used the PC2x piano sounds in mono and they work well. It is quite old now, though, so perhaps there are better options. Yamaha MOTIF XF/MOXF (hardware workstation) The MOXF uses sounds from the MOTIF XF. I also saw the MOTIF, MOTIF ES, and MOTIF XS recommended, but I read that they don't sound quite as good, even if you use the same sounds as on the XF (for whatever reason). Maybe someone can straighten me out on this. If the sound quality is comparable, a MOTIF RACK XS might also be an option. OTS Rosewood Grand (software) I found this one in an existing thread; there may be better options now. Pianoteq (software) I use Pianoteq in stereo and it is fantastic. It's decent in mono. Yamaha CP-33 (hardware stage piano) Roland FP3 (hardware stage piano) Kurzweil SP76/Micropiano (hardware stage piano/rack module) Again, I found these mentioned in existing threads, but they are quite old now. Kurzweil PC88 If you have any more ideas, let me know. Thanks again.

I thought you wanted THE BEST. As in singular. As in objective. You give no context - is this bright rock piano live? Jazz in the studio? Your question as posed cannot be answered. I'm sorry if my question was too indeterminate to be answered. Here are some clarifications. I worded the question in a way that appears to presuppose that there's a unique piano sound that works better in mono than every other other piano sound does. This was merely for the sake of simplifying the phrasing of the question. If this is part of what made the question unanswerable, here's a more precise formulation: Which (hardware or software) piano sounds are such that there is no (hardware or software) piano sound that works better in mono than it does (either because it uniquely best, equal best, or--more plausibly--one of several for which there is none better, each of which is on a par with the others without being better than, worse than, or equally as good as any of the others)? Apparently my original question was taken by some to imply that the better-than relation is 'objective', and was unanswerable on that account. In fact I have no view about whether the better-than relation, as it applies to piano sounds, is objective or subjective. I'm simply using the ordinary English expression 'better than' and, assuming that my reader is a competent speaker of English, leaving the interpretation up to them. Charity would suggest that I not be interpreted as asking which piano sound is my favourite, but, at the same time, I don't think charity requires interpreting me as asking which piano sound is best according to some authoritative aesthetic standard written into the universe by God either. Having said all that, my question probably was indeed unanswerable due to lack of context. I deliberately left out the context because I wanted to get a broad range of perspectives and assumed people would fill in the context as needed as they answered. Here's some more context. I'm mainly interested in (software and hardware) piano sounds for live performance in jazz ensembles, usually using my own amplification, but sometimes going through a house PA. So I am looking for some balance between fine detail and cutting through a mix. I am also interested in piano sounds for both live solo jazz piano performances and live performance in pop/rock bands, though, which is why I was deliberately vague in asking the question.

No, I'm not kidding. Thanks to the other posters who actually provided some suggestions.

Hello, Which (hardware or software) acoustic piano sound works best in mono? I did some searching for this, but all the threads I found were quite old. Here's a list that I came up with based on that search: GEM RP-7/RP-X Kurzweil PC2x OTS Rosewood Grand Korg TR88 Yamaha MOXF Pre1 A16 Monaural Grand MW Yamaha PF500 Native Instruments The Maverick Native Instruments The Giant Headroom Piano Acoustic Samples Academic Addictive Keys Ivory II upright pianos, left channel only Keyscape, panned hard left or right Imperfect Samples upright Pianoteq Sampletekk TBO Sampletekk White Grand Yamaha CP-33 Casio PX-3 Casio PX-300 Roland RD 300GX mono sample of the Superior Piano Alicias Keys Casio PX-310 Casio PX-500L Casio PX-330 Korg SV-1 Roland RD-700NX Nord Stage EX Nord Electro 3 Nord Piano Yamaha S80, right output only TS-10 Ensoniq Gem Pro2 Gem ProMega3 Yamaha Motif ES6 Yamaha Motif X57 Roland FP3 Korg PA1-X Pro (Elite) Komplete Thanks!