CyberGene

The action of most Kawai digital pianos is pretty nice at first since it's light and nimble and if you're mostly playing some percussive type of music such as e.g. quick be-bop jazz lines where only rhythmic accents are needed, it's very easy to do so. However the lack of heavy inertia to the keys leads to unrealistic dynamics control when you need to play smooth gradations in dynamics, which is especially apparent by the ease with which you can reach fff dynamics, leading to a rather jumpy velocity response. I've experienced this for years with multiple Kawai digital pianos and is still present on all of their latest models I've tested. The reason is complicated and we've elaborated it in details on PianoClack forums but let's just say that a very lightweight action such as on the Kawai digital pianos, has relatively narrow force range, meaning it's easy to accelerate it to high velocities. However this is mapped to samples obtained from huge acoustic grand pianos whose actions are much heavier (high inertia) and thus you end up mapping a narrow finger-force range of a light action to a very wide sound dynamics that feels like having jumpy velocities that stick out way too easily. This cannot be fixed by changing the touch response since it will only limit the max velocities, thus making the timbre variation less varied. In contrast, Yamaha digital pianos create the impression of heavy and sluggish keys that have a push-back against your fingers which can be painful for people who are not used to acoustic grand piano actions. However the dynamics control is superior and allows for seemingly endless linear response where you can put more nuanced finger force producing the corresponding sound dynamics. This is especially important for classical music. After owning Kawai digital pianos for years and finally switching to a Yamaha N1X with real acoustic grand piano action and a CP88 and testing P515 in stores against Kawai digital pianos, I can firmly say for me the Yamaha approach is much closer to a real piano, although both brands have cons and pros with their digital (non-hybrid) pianos.

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” Bach

A bit of an off topic but I love your Bach arrangements. They sound exactly like following the steps of Wendy Carlos down to the patches, trills, dynamics and timbre change. I’m keen on Bach and classical arrangements but mine sound like a joke compared to yours. I absolutely love what you’ve done! ❤️ I’ve been unable to recreate Wendy’s patches (due to being relatively new to synths, I’ve been only playing piano until recently… and relying mostly on simple Minimoog type of synth layouts, modular is still too complex for me) which is why I’ve approached my Bach arrangements and the other classical arrangements with a bit more modern synth sound but I still strive for analog-like sounds. Here are some, if you’re interested: https://m.youtube.com/@CyberGene/videos

I program my patches in such a way that they can be controlled through only three controls: 1. Aftertouch 2. Mod wheel 3. Pitch bend but not for actual pitch bending, just as yet another mod source I don’t believe that I need a controller with hundreds of knobs and sliders that I tweak in real-time. I can’t do that, my brain is not that good. And while programming patches I don’t mind using screen controls with mouse/trackpad since I want to see labels and values on the screen. So, for an actual performance the three above are more than enough for me and that means I’m fine basically with any MIDI controller that supports AT. For instance I use a cheap Nektar GXP49 that serves me pretty well. Here’s a recent example of a recording I made with a piano and synth. The synth patch I created on the U-He Diva and programmed it like this: 1. Aftertouch controls the filter and the vibrato LFO 2. Mod wheel controls oscillator shape 3. Pitch bend controls filter and volume. So, pitch bend gives me a reference filter control, AT provides a relative brightening on top of it, while mod wheel sets the general character of the sound. I use the Hydrasynth as a controller but I actually programmed it for my Nektar, it just was in a corner of the bedroom (my “studio” 🤦🏻‍♂️) where it couldn’t be shot for the video.

The keyboard market is so over-saturated already I don’t see what else can be made that would be of interest to me. There are so many great digital pianos, workstations, analog, digital and hybrid synths and modules. Then, there are also countless virtual instruments and sample libraries. I really don’t need any new instruments, hardware or virtual. I need time to make music now 😕

I would never personally purchase any music instrument that requires a master’s degree in working with it. I felt the same way about the MODX which was worth it even for the patches alone but the engineer in me was bothered by the fact there’s deep engine underneath that I am not utilizing, yet is difficult to master. And I hear MODX compared to VAST is like understanding a toddlers book. I would never buy a workstation again. Each to their own. Replaced the MODX with a CP88 and a synth on top, that covers anything I need without having to spend ages learning about parts, elements, common, part common and all the BS.

I’ve been lucky to participate in his master class in 2004 here in Bulgaria. He’s highly regarded here, especially for popularizing our typical odd meters abroad mixing them with jazz.

Alive: Evgeni Bozhanov Deceased: Chick Corea, Esbjorn Svensson, Lyle Mays Honorable mention: Vladimir Horowitz, Herbie Hancock Best/favorite pianists I’ve never actually heard but am sure are the baddest badass pianists/keyboardists: Chopin, Scriabin, Bach

A DeepMind 6 is also an option. I think the raw tone is not mind blowing, it’s just OK, however it makes up with probably the most advanced and best sounding FX section you can find on an analog synth and there are some ultra-creamy patches I’ve heard that rely on FX.

Another option that I often consider are the Roland Boutiqes with the optional keyboard. The one I was most interested in recently is the JD-08 but I’d love the one that is a Juno-106 clone too (forgot the exact model, maybe Ju-06A or something).

That’s what I’m reading as user feedback too. Which is why I never pulled the trigger on any although I like the demos. I think with the recent firmware updates they introduced some analog imperfection parameters that may improve the sound. If I didn’t already have a Hydrasynth classic 49 version, I would go for the Explorer as the most versatile $/€ 600 couch synth.

I’d love to love to MiniFreak and watched repeatedly many videos to somehow make me want it but there’s something that just isn’t working with me, the sound is all too meh and I can’t hear a single patch I like 😕 There’s always something like a digital noise to all the patches. Could be the factory patches are to be blamed. In that category of 600 bucks couch synths I’m often considering the Modal Argon8 and Cobalt8 which recently got some nice firmware updates.

As a Hydrasynth owner used to create patches with more than 10 mod slots I’ll certainly make a good use of the extended mod matrix, thanks for the advice 👍🏻 I’ve recently started experimenting even with FX modulation and I’m glad they can be used as targets on the Take 5 too. I’m only bothered by a polyphony of 5 since I have a very heavy chord habits that can sometimes exceed 8 voices (by pressing two keys with one finger) but I’ll take it as a challenge to not use too jazzy voicings here 😀

I just saw a B-Stock Take 5 at Thomann that was €200 off and couldn't resist, ordered it immediately 🤣 It's listed as a customer return. I'm afraid it might be a problematic unit but let's see. What do you think I should check first, are there any common issues with these? I hear the MIDI USB board might be defective but Sequential send replacement boards on request for free to affected owners. I also hear some people have problems with the wheels. Any other issues? BTW, I couldn't find any matching soft bag, so finally ordered a Thomann branded one for Behringer Poly D and it's 4cm larger on each side, so it should be OK. P.S. A user on a Take 5 Facebook group suggested it was the same unit he returned and that had wheel problems that couldn’t be solved even by following some mechanical adjustment instructions sent by Sequential to him. So, I requested a brand new unit instead. Well, I was hesitant to purchase a brand new unit, so it’s kind of forced now but hey, let’s see, hopefully I will love the Take 5 and it will be worth it the regular price of €1400.

Two pages and not a single audio/video demo 😛

Yeah, our government (I’m Bulgarian) ordered 8 of them last year and 8 more this year for our army and it’s a heated topic since the opponents of the deal say these are 1970-s design but the proponents state it’s the avionics and armaments that matter and not so much the plane. I’m more bothered by the fact we paid all 16 of them but will get them only after a few years. But we’re off topic already!

They mention 5ms which is fantastic if really achievable.

These old keyboards needed integrated cases because they weighed a ton and were thus prone to serious damage due to simple physics, kinetic energy and high inertia. Besides, good luck taking it in and out of an external case. With a modern lightweight keyboard that is less than 10kg you will be OK with a soft bag in most cases.

I can attest to that. Up until recently my company laptop was a maxed out top of the line MacBook Pro 15” with Intel CPU from 2017. Then when the MacBook Air M1 was announced I purchased for myself the base one. It literally blew the Pro out of the water. I could compile and build our entire heavy Java project on the Air two times faster and it didn’t even get hot whereas the Pro would become a stove with the fan spinning like mad. The M1 was also a beast for audio, capable of running 30+ U-he Diva instances in divine mode without a glitch. I could’ve kept it if I didn’t need more SSD and more memory, so I replaced it with an Air M2 recently. BTW, our company upgraded my laptop to a MacBook Pro 16” with M1 Pro and that’s a beast!

I actually believe the polyphonic AT is the more important feature of Hydrasynth than the synth engine itself. Here’s a patch I created on my Novation Peak controlling it through the Hydrasynth (could’ve been my CME XKey 37 Air though, don’t remember well. I use it along my Hydra for poly AT to various synths). I think this particular sound where separate voices behave really separate is because of the poly AT and not because the patch is special. I mean, whether it’s the Hydra engine, Peak, software synths… it’s poly AT that makes them shine, not just the actual synth engine. https://on.soundcloud.com/7TA311qa8F9VXhC5A

Even though I don’t often use the poly AT in an intentionally polyphonic way (e.g. to accentuate certain notes) I have found out that it naturally introduces a lot of randomness and aliveness even when played with (seemingly) equal pressure. I’ve even experimented by swapping poly AT to channel AT in the mod matrix and then holding chords and varying the pressure of all keys. It’s still a night and day difference. Because the channel aftertouch would simultaneously apply a single mod input to all the voices, the modulation is just too dull, abrupt and in-sync. And then the same thing with poly AT is like a bloom, you feel how it works separately on the separate voices, introducing imperfection, hence feeling alive. What I’m saying is, poly AT is not just a matter of technique to play. It’s a natural richness and randomness in keyboard control that you will certainly see makes a big difference.

Here’s more information: https://www.theverge.com/23220299/apple-macbook-air-m2-slow-ssd-read-write-speeds-testing-benchmark 256 GB SSD: 1433 MB/s read speed. 512 GB SSD: 2850 MB/s read speed. If you will be using it for streaming some sample-based instruments in real time it would be better to have as fast SSD as possible, although I’m not sure if in reality even the “slow” 256 GB can cause any issues whatsoever.

I recommend going for the 512 GB version. It has been discovered that the 256 GB SSD is almost two times slower in read/write speed than the 512 GB one. I purchased a MacBook Air M2 16 GB / 512 GB a few months ago and it’s a terrific machine for audio and everything else. And is very compact and beautiful. One of the best purchases I’ve made this year.

After I replaced the metal side panels of my Hydrasynth with custom made wooden panels, I really started getting more visual pleasure looking at it and that has also made me use it more often, I've designed a lot of patches afterwards, etc. I realize how silly it may sound but the there's a lot of psychology even with the looks of instruments.

I use the Roland DP-10 that has a rubber mat underneath that you step onto: https://www.roland.com/us/products/dp-10/