zephonic

Looks like this will be the first NAMM I'm gonna miss since IDKW. Traveling. See yaw in January.

All of this on mine, too.

Trust me, I spend a lot of time on both sides of the pond, and life in the US is considerably more expensive all around. Cheaper cars, gas and electronics; that’s it. Everything else is way more expensive out here.

I have the Apex but I only ever use it at Disney. It’s solid enough, but it compromises pedal position and it’s not quite tall enough for me (5’11”). More importantly, I never figured out how to transport it on my RnR cart with my other stuff. Keyboard stands are like mouse traps. The first person to invent something that is truly better than the x-stand will make a fortune.

That is a major red flag for me. I’ve encountered that a few times, and usually bail.

I've played "Do For Love" to death, but I remember I used to love it. R.I.P. Bobby Caldwell.

For the last seven years I've been a mercenary gig whore, just trying to get as much $$$ as I could but after my mom passed away I've had a bit of a change of heart. I'm kind of done with the cover band thing and am trying to scale it down. Thing is, I haven't quite figured out what to do next, I know I want to do my own stuff, but it hasn't come into focus yet. While gig whoring, I did play for shits and giggles in a "fusion" ensemble, just to be able to play some original stuff and stretch out. They only ever did occasional unpaid gigs, but I did them because it was a good hang and the music was somewhat interesting. I think the old adage applies: do it for the music, the money, or the hang. If you get two out of three, that's not bad. @Paul Woodward Sounds like you're not getting even one out of three there, so...

Did you get one??

So I guess there isn’t anything here that the MODX doesn’t do, right?

link? If it's like an S90, I'd consider replacing the MODX8.

What sound do you use mostly, CFX or Bosie?

515 does have the Bösendorfer sample. But the CFX is clearly the crown jewel. They went for a darker, less dynamic tone for the Bosie. It’s nice for certain things, although it lacks the dynamic range of the CFX.

This is with all FX turned off, and MODX output lowered -6dB. It's a lot closer. I think the Master and Insert FX do a lot for the MODX' presence. But I still feel the MODX gives more of a change when hitting it fortissimo/fortissisimo. With the 515 I hit it hard and I don't feel like it barks as much. Where the 515 wins big is the action, of course. It is so much nicer. P515B MODX8 P515_01.wav MODX_05.wav

While the P515 sounds and plays absolutely phenomenal on headphones, it's not as satisfying on the line outs. I decided to do an A/B comparo with my MODX8 which -in theory- has the same piano samples. I've included audio samples below. I used the standard settings for both, which in case of MODX means the "CFX Concert" patch, velocity curve normal, output level 0 dB. In case of the P515 it means bog standard CFX Grand, nothing changed in the settings. Obviously, the MODX' output is waaay hotter, like twice as loud, and its reverb is much more prominent. I can upload files with gains and reverb adjusted later, but I just wanted to put this out there "as is" first. Both were recorded directly through my RME UCXII audio interface. The performance is not identical, I did not use a MIDI file. I just played roughly the same thing on both. For the purpose of this comparo I felt it would suffice. P515B MODX8 P515_03.wav MODX_02.wav

To my ears, Keyscape kinda nails it with the MKS-20 samples

Thanks and rest in peace, Maestro. Another one of the greats gone 😢

Dope, thanks for sharing! Wooden keys in a controller, what a concept! I still regret not getting it last year. I'd be seriously tempted if I found one in good condition.

The Eddie Reynolds is the crown jewel, but the classic Suitcase and Vintage Vibe stuff are just as good and have a more traditional Rhodes sound. To my ears, Keyscape is best for all EP's, even the MKS-20 is spot on. And the acoustic piano sample is pretty good, too, although that's more debatable. It's definitely a "producer" piano, more so than a "player" piano.

Keyscape

Yeah, the action on the 61/73 is terrible, but the 88 is not bad at all, actually.

24K Magic album was not done by Smeezingtons. Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence left Ari Levine and rebooted with Brody Brown as Shampoo Press & Curl, not kidding. IMO, it was for the best. I love 24K Magic album, but never dug the older stuff. P.S. the Stereotypes also did work on 24K Magic album.

I understand it's still available elsewhere, but in the past Sweetwater's site has been a good indicator of these things. The fact that Krome has been removed completely without any EOL announcement, suggests to me something is coming. But this is conjecture, of course. Thanks, D, hold that thought for now 😎

FB marketplace has been good for me, and it’s free. Just sold my Rhodes yesterday.

I noticed the Krome EX has been removed from SW website? Could that indicate a replacement is on the way?

OK, turns out to be the wrong adapter plug, my bad I thought I ordered 1/4"TRS to 3.5mm, turns out I bought 1/4"TRS to TS. Still don't understand how that would affect the other headphone output, though. That doesn't seem right, but it works just fine with the correct adapter plug, so whatever.