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voxpops

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  • Birthday 11/30/1999

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  1. Some years ago I used to own a PX-5S and found it a great gigging tool. However, I soon dispensed with the internal acoustic pianos in favor of Pianoteq. I would place a Surface tablet on the righthand side and gain the benefit of the PX's hi-res MIDI spec. It was a really good combination. But for the last five years I've been using the Kurzweil SP6 as my bottom board as I needed a full range of sounds from across the spectrum. The action is acceptable, but suffers a little from requiring significant downweight, although I find it quite fast and responsive. To be honest, I haven't come across anything significantly better in the lightweight category, particulary with its ability to access sounds from the PC3 series, PC4 and Forte. If drawbars are required they can be added externally as the SP6's KB3 mode will respond to CC values. If I could have the SP6 with my Kawai ES110's action, I'd be very content. I also acquired the Numa X Piano 73 recently. I think the 88 is still only around 30lbs. It doesn't have a VA synth or dedicated organ engine, but it is a competent piano and well worth considering.
  2. The Line 6 L2T seems to be switchable for different functions or environments, but is a fairly expensive piece of kit. It may be one of the closest things to a multipurpose speaker at the moment. I have no experience of it, but if it allows for effective nearfield / midfield listening as well as stage performance then it might be worth considering secondhand. https://line6.com/data/6/0a06434d16dcc51080ca2e605f/application/pdf/Line6 L2t Specifications - English ( Rev A ).pdf
  3. This sounds to me like the speakers are applying some form of auto-level compensation. I notice that the Edifier MR4 has a button to switch between "monitor" mode and "music" mode. My guess is that "music" mode makes adjustments, whereas "monitor" keeps things clean - but that really is just a guess. Have you tried a long press to switch modes? As for alternative amplification, it seems unlikely that you'd solve your issues by using a keyboard amp without introducing new ones. Currently you're running a small stereo setup, presumably for mixing/monitoring. The K900FX and KC200 are both designed for mono stage reproduction, unless coupled with a second unit. I owned the K900FX some years ago and now have the KXD15 as a backup for stage use, and although they're really quite good as far as keyboard amps go, they probably won't give you the fidelity you need at low, close quarters listening volumes - and they're large and fairly heavy. It really depends what you're trying to achieve and in what context. Speakers designed for near-field listening are tuned differently to those designed for stage, so it's not that easy to find multi-purpose tools. I have a pair of EV-ZXA1 PA speakers for amplifying my keys on stage when I don't need a heavy bottom end. They're pretty much perfect in that context, but are less good at low volumes in a small room - i.e. when they're not being driven at stage volumes. The last time I bought studio monitors was when I had a pair of Yamaha HS7s. They were great for accurate reproduction, if a little unforgiving, and you could probably pick up a pair of those secondhand and in good condition for somewhere near your budget. Otherwise, I wouldn't pretend to know what to recommend. However, I would check into the different modes on your Edifiers and maybe provide a little more info about how you intend to use these speakers.
  4. Just gave that a try - certainly bright and punchy! It shows that the Vintage Piano is versatile and doesn't lose too much authenticity when tweaked. Thanks for posting your settings.
  5. Congratulations on the purchase! I'm getting used to the Numa X now and I agree that the TP/110 is a very playable action. I'm also enjoying the EPs and some of the APs, particularly on headphones and recordings, and am working through EQ and other settings to optimize the piano for stage amplification. When I said that I found some of the non-piano sounds "somewhat uninspiring" I should have qualified that with "for particular types of music." Coming from keyboards with built-in VA synths and dedicated organ sections, I have found the Numa's rompler characteristics limiting - even when compared with the old Korg Triton LE. Anyone playing European folk music or augmenting theater productions with orchestral sounds will be very well served, but if you're looking for evolving sounds or portamento synths for prog and other rock or ambient genres you won't find them here. However, there are some nice pads and strings, and it is certainly useful to be able to layer as required. What I also agree with is that the clarity and depth of what is there is excellent, but as with many romplers it's a good idea to find the pitches at which the non-piano sounds work best. Having said that, I think if you accept it for what it is, it fills a niche, especially with the 73 (and the GT for different reasons), that is very sparsely populated. Without separate synth and organ sections I don't think it's realistically a Nord Stage competitor, and some of the recent enhancements to the Piano 5 mean that it might be a bit of a struggle there in a side-by-side comparison. As for the YC that also has a clonewheel engine and FM synthesis, there's a lot more on the table than with the Numa X. However, if you accept the X Piano as exactly that - a piano - I think it competes well with most other brands, even in a significantly higher price bracket. I certainly prefer the APs, EPs and action over the YC73. Add in the audio interface, controller capabilities, extended polyphony, downloadable sounds, build quality and price and you have a winner!
  6. My goodness, that is amazing - in all respects! Well done, Cybergene!
  7. Yes, the context does make a difference and I doubt that many people playing the X 73 on stage would be performing a classical music recital. However, with the GT and its superior action, the potential purchaser might be intending to play in a more exposed setting (I viewed a couple of solo GT performances on YT), and even with the TP/110 variants one might be playing in a jazz duo or trio where a subtle touch and sound could be required. I know that you can easily add software pianos as required - and maybe that's a recognition of the board's inherent limitations - but perhaps there's still room for improvement within the chosen sound reproduction methodology. The old GEM pianos exhibited very similar characteristics, sounding generally good, but lacking the dynamic variations, particularly in the pp range. They, too, would rely on single samples with filtering and/or basic modeling - and it's possible that the Kawai ES110 is similar in that regard (although we have no definitive information), managing to achieve a dynamic response that is surprisingly good, given the tiny ROM. Having the Kurzweil SP6, which is in a similar weight and price bracket, it's interesting to compare the approach of the two. The SP6 can access multiple AP samples across the dynamic range within a single AP patch, drawn from its 2GB memory. However, it is limited to two main grand pianos (one of which has some rather odd characteristics!) plus a selection of old triple-strike patches. When I bought my first SP6 I was distinctly underwhelmed by the pianos. If I remember correctly they were based on only three or four dynamic levels. Very soon after, Kurzweil updated the firmware to include something like seven levels for these main pianos. It made a huge difference and has been one of the main reasons I stuck with the board and bought a second as backup. It was clearly a simple thing for Kurzweil to do and required no major re-engineering. I doubt if it's anywhere near as simple a task for Studiologic to make a mf sample sound realistically like pp, let alone ppp. The Kurzweil's action is quick, but can be tiring, requiring significant pressure when the hammer is fully raised, and it also employs flexible plastic pivots, which has so far resulted in one breakage for me (fortunately, an easy fix). The Numa feels better balanced and more sophisticated generally. The SP6 and the Numa share a similar 4-part architecture with seamless switching between sounds and zones within a set, but not between different sets. I have come to really appreciate the SP's layout and ease of operation in a live context - I think it was very well thought-out. (Plus the bonus of the VARIATION button means you have access to what is, essentially, a fifth part.) It's too early for me know how straightforward the Numa will be to use live, but it seems logical and fairly intuitive in that regard. The construction of the Numa is more robust and I have experienced minor flexing of the SP6's chassis, but I'm a little more concerned about how well the rather tall zone knobs and seemingly flimsy pitch/mod sticks will hold up on the Numa compared to the soft-buttons and wheels of the SP. Where the Kurzweil scores heavily is in the range and quality of the non-piano sounds, being able to draw on both VAST technology and the old PC3/Forte libraries as well as newer PC4 tones. In addition, although KB3 may not be everyone's cup of tea, you do have what is essentially a full clonewheel on board. The Numa is limited to a somewhat uninspiring range of samples with very limited editing capability. So, to make up for this it needs to rely on the EP and AP offering. I think the EPs are already very good, giving my Vox Continental and SP6 a run for their money, and the APs have a lot of potential. But perhaps the one area where the Numa hits a home run is in offering a 73-note variant. No, it's not really able to compete against the YC73 or the Nord Piano 5 73, but there are plenty of people who just want a basic piano that's lightweight but robust and will give a convincing performance on stage, without spending a fortune.
  8. Funnily enough, around 9 years ago when I used a PX-5S on stage, I used to attach a Surface tablet running Pianoteq because I didn't connect very well with the Casio's internal pianos. That combination was perhaps the best live piano experience I've had, mainly due, I think, to the PX's advanced MIDI spec, which meant the action interfaced with Pianoteq in an amazingly fluid way. That same tablet - running the original WIndows 8.0 - is still going strong! I occasionally dip into Pianoteq and Ravenscroft on it, but despite the advances with PT8 I much prefer to leave tablets at home and gig with hardware now. One thing I have noticed is that PT seems to sound considerably better on Windows than on iPad. Going back to the Numa, I made a mistake in a post above. I thought that DELAY was a global effect, but now see that each part can be independently set to bypass the master effects, if desired. The more time I spend with the Numa's APs, I feel there are two areas where improvements would make a significant difference. The first is the initial attack (which often seems to decay just a hair too rapidly, making the sound ever so slightly "plinky") and the pp rendering (which seems almost non-existent, losing out on that velvety smoothness when grand piano keys are played very quietly). I've seen a number of similar comments from other people, so it would seem that there's consensus on what would really lift the APs into contention with the best on the market. However. I realize that it's one thing to describe a problem and quite another to fix it. As with all these subtleties there are frequently trade-offs involved: you fix one thing, but it adversely affects something else. So it may not be a simple task to achieve the desired outcomes within the constraints of the overall system. But given the great start that the design team has made with this instrument, I am going to hope for (but not expect) continued evolution. Oh, and a global pedal noise control would be very welcome!
  9. Spending more time with it, I'm getting more of a handle on the board generally and the APs in particular. Surprisingly, I'm finding uses for the multiple AP variants, as I haven't yet come across one that I feel is truly multi-purpose - with perhaps the JpnGrand being the closest. The VintGrand comes close, too, but the lower register can sometimes sound a little too idiosyncratic. But I appreciate the "robustness" of the APs - I don't think they can be described as thin - which isn't always the case with lower-priced boards (or even some more expensive ones). One thing that would be nice to have is a delay available within the insert effects for use with splits, when a master delay isn't appropriate for all parts. Another little OS anomaly I've found is that there is no HybridFM7 available from the front panel. When attempting to select HybridFM7, the board always defaults to HybridFM8!
  10. That's some great playing! I really enjoyed the performance. I can hear what you mean about the Numa EPs getting a little lost in the mix, but I wondered if it might be partially due to the guitar and EP occupying a similar tonal spectrum. But I've noticed that, with the EP modeling creating quite a thick tone, chords may become less distinct, particularly with effects applied. The AP sounded pretty good (was it the Vintage?), but you can still just detect that rather "honky" quality that seems to affect all the pianos to some degree. I have to admit that I felt a little deflated after reading about your YC vs Numa experience. I spent months agonizing between those two (with the Nord Piano 5 73 also trying to tempt me into the red corner and penury), but I eventually opted for a factory refurbished YC. Delivery got delayed by a few days due to a storm, and when it arrived it exhibited very strange behavior - cutting out and then sustaining every D and G# unprompted - so I sent it back. For the short time I had it, I could tell that it's a very accomplished and refined board, covering all bases reasonably well, although I found the interface a tad confusing and the action was so-so. After briefly flirting with the notion of spending a bit more to get a new YC, I rejected that as, following my experience, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to trust it, and opted for a new Numa, with a substantial saving on what I had been expecting to spend. It may have been a false economy as, in the few days I've had it, I've been struggling a bit with the APs and was a little perturbed by the pedal anomaly. However, I'm going to stick with it, not least because, when playing the EPs, I felt almost like I'd rediscovered my old SV1's long-lost brother! Although I hope that an update will very swiftly resolve the pedal issue, I really don't expect too much improvement of the APs as the issues seem to be part of the way the sound has been processed - and that may be inherent in the architecture. So I think it's probably a question of finding the best compromise that suits amplification, style of music and other instruments. For a lightweight board the action is good: not as quick as Kawai's RHC, but definitely very playable. (As an aside, I setup a Kawai ES110 alongside the Numa and got unsurprising results: the Kawai's AP sounds great without any real need for tweaking, but the Numa smokes it in everything else except for action.) The Numa's AC adapter (sigh) needs a much better cable. The interface is straightforward, even if the menu system can feel a little convoluted, but the lack of a secondary numeric system for sound access troubles me a little. But in the end it's difficult to grumble about a board that is soildly built, yet weighs under 26lbs and is only around 41" wide. For tight spaces it'll fit better than my Kurzweil SP6, and if I do have to go with a second tier I have a Vox Continental or VR-09 that can be plumbed directly into the Numa, thus saving on gear and setup time. There's a lot to like here.
  11. Yes, my problems with random tones has disappeared since swapping the pedal input. One of the main reasons I decided to take a chance on the Numa X was the much-talked-about engagement of the designers. So often you're left on your own with flawed products that the manufacturer decides is no longer worth their time. I've also had previous Studiologic instruments (the originals of both the Numa Organ and Numa Piano) and they each had really good aspects, if slightly compromised by quirky firmware, so I knew what to expect. So far, I find the APs a little frustrating in that they come close, but don't quite get there! Maybe it's partly down to attempting to compress so much information into such small packages. I agree with someone's suggestion that it might be better to have just one or two really standout pianos in place of so many compromised ones. However, the Vintage is undoubtedly worth spending time on. I'm struggling a bit with some of the other sounds so far. I realize that coming from VA and analogue machines, sampled synths are not going to fare too well, but simply adding portamento - as Yamaha has done with the CK series - would go a long way to making those sounds more usable. However, with all that aside, there is massive potential with this board and the form factor of the 73, in particular, makes it so versatile. I really hope that Gianni and the rest of the team can maintain their focus on making this board the best it can be.
  12. Thanks so much! It's great to have the option of reverting to a previous version in case of issues that can't be worked around - or simply to compare before and after.
  13. Quick update. It's early days, but it seems that swapping the supplied pedal to input 3 has put a stop to the random noises (which it appears, in my case, were notes being randomly triggered/repeated). I also did a quick test of Fausto Ferreira's settings for the Vintage Piano and can confirm that there is a lot of potential there. The next issue I have is to work on the best way to amplify it, as it would seem that, beyond headphones (which sit well with it), it needs some tweaking to get the best out of it.
  14. What you said with regard to the pedal "sticking" may be the cause of my random noises, as it sounded a bit like notes either being repeated or sounding on their own when the pedal was depressed. I will give input 3 a go, and I have a DP-10 that I can try as well. Thanks for the tip re the taperec piano.
  15. Thanks for that! I'd seen the video previously but hadn't picked up on the settings in the description. I'll definitely give those a go as I did like the Vintage Grand more than most of the others. I've loaded all the additional pianos, but have only played a few notes with each so far.
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