zephonic

I always felt Yamaha synths were unintuitive, but the Montage/MODX UI is actually easy to get around on for me. I have only had to look at the manual twice. Then again, I don't really use Super Knob, nor the transpose function.

Based on the recs in this thread I purchased the KZ-ZS10 Pro X as well and just received it. Compared to the SE215, it feels more comfortable. The Shure causes soreness and after 30-45 minutes I can't wait to take them out. Gonna take it to the gig tomorrow and see how it goes.

Do you have other piano libraries? How does it compare?

Anybody using this? How heavy is it on resources?

lol I thought this was about a medley/mashup of these two songs:

Thanks for sharing!

I was talking 1990's. Logic was the only one besides PT officially supported with Digidesign hardware.

Many years ago, there was something loose rolling around in my D-70. I was fearless and decided to open it up and remove it myself, which I did successfully. And then I bricked it. Now I’m not so fearless.

I think the difference was that every other DAW started as MIDI sequencing software, whereas SoundTools (ProTools’ progenitor) was the first audio editing software. That also explains why their user base was different, engineers needed audio tools, composers/producers needed sequencers. The sequencers added audio recording, and ProTools eventually added MIDI. Fun fact, for the longest time Logic was the only approved MIDI sequencing software for Digidesign (Avid) hardware, as ProTools was audio-only. That stopped when PT became MIDI-capable.

I think with MSB/LSB it could go up to 128x128 (16,384), but I take your point.

What are you missing in the current crop of flagship boards from Yamaha/Roland/Korg? Which VI's are your point of reference? I have no experience with Vienna piano libraries, supposedly the gold standard, but I've had the MODX8 internal piano side by side with the Ravenscroft and Keyscape pianos, and sonically it's not far behind. If anything, the soggy action is more of a detriment than anything else. I mean, I'd still pick Ravenscroft over MODX, but I can't say it's leagues ahead. To my ears, anyway.

Well, the good news is that hosts like GP address all those issues. I think my most complex patch has like 10 different plugins layered and zoned across three splits and they’re all basically on MIDI channel 1! It’s almost condescending, GP treats both controllers and plugins as essentially dumb pieces of equipment, like: “nah, you sit in your corner and let us handle that.”

For sure. A lot of newer VI’s don’t bother with any of that. I guess it doesn’t matter in a studio environment where you can just open another instance of the same instrument. Most of them are not designed with live use in mind.

Both! Since I've had it I use it on pretty much every track I make, really neck to neck with Omnisphere as the first instrument I open. I love it for pads, synth bass, and smooth leads. I'm virtualizing my live rig as I'm getting more flyaways, and backline companies don't always (or hardly ever) have what you request. Way it works for me, I'll have a Motif or Montage 8 on the bottom tier for basic piano/EP duties, and use a semi-weighted on top-tier as a controller for GigPerformer. Example, Kontakt Session Horns is really good, but adding some Zenology brass sounds really help it in a band context. I also use some Korg Gadget (WaveStation/M1) sounds to that end. Can't wait for Korg to release the virtual Kronos! I may just have to get the Triton, although I feel it's a bit pricey for a 25-year old sound module. I feel like there is some institutional sound design knowledge/experience with the big keyboard manufacturers that not many of the VI developers have. A lot of those guys make stuff that sounds great in the studio, but sometimes gets lost in the sauce on stage. Or you have to add processing (EQ/comp) to make it "sit". Roland and Korg have stuff that just works right for the stage without any mucking around. It just occurred to me, Zenology is mono-timbral, XV5080 is multi-timbral. Maybe that is where the rub lies...

I kinda hated how they replaced my paid mid-tier Sibelius First with a free version that has much reduced functionality, and my only other option is to pay monthly for the full version. Sibelius is great, but I have little goodwill for Avid. Good luck to their users.

Honestly, Zenology Pro kicks everybody’s butt. I’m not much of programmer, more of a tweaker, but the UI is very well laid out, you can quickly and easily find the parameter you’re looking for. Omnisphere is like that, too, but Zenology is even cleaner. My only two wishes are a dedicated aftertouch tab in the “keyboard section”, and MIDI channels! I know MIDI channels aren’t as relevant in the DAW era, especially for non-multi-timbral synths, but a “pro” instrument like Zenology should have it nonetheless, I feel.

I have a 1990 G2R which is 5'7", or 170 cm, which makes it a Mezza Coda, I guess. Weird how yours is 5 cm longer.

There is no accounting for taste, but to me nothing can quite replace that Roland flavor. I’ve been ITB for more than a decade now, and always relied on Omnisphere and others to substitute what used to be a part of my sound. Zenology has really brought that home for me.

Another vote for Beyer DT’s, 990’s in my case, which are the same as 770’s but open-backed. Have had them for more than 16 years, they go everywhere with me. Beyer is great with replacement parts, too. The pads on mine got really funky from years of sweat, yellow-ish, and the head band all raggedy. You can order them for a few bucks with instructions on how to DIY. Mine look like new again. They have parts for most of their professional products.

Not sure what that is, but MODX reads Montage data 1:1 The other way around, not so much...

I don't think so, no toggle behind those in my Library. But it's hard to the forest for the trees in Cloud Manager, so... I'm not sure what the point of JV1080 is, I mean, XV5080 has all that plus the extra sound banks...

For sure, Roland Cloud is convoluted, bewildering and confusing. For now, I just stick with Zenology, XV5080 and another "legend" (D50 at this time). More than once I've noticed I'm looking for something and next thing I know I've been browsing for like 20-30 minutes, total time suck. Also, I have a "Pro" membership and I feel they should include at least one of the classic drum machines for that tier.

What audio interface (and protocol) do you use? In my experience, the efficiency of your audio interface drivers are critical to good VI performance. I had great results with Avid(M-Audio), MOTU and RME, but not so good with Focusrite and Audient. Focusrite was stable, but the buffer needed to be at 256 and even then it couldn't take much. Audient was unusable at anything below 512, and forget about VI's. I'm running Zenology at 128 buffer just fine, MBP with RME interface, but the XV5080 depends on the host. It works fine at 128 in GigPerformer, but in Cubase it needs 256, and even then there is the occasional click or pop. I don't really understand why, because opening the same patch in Zenology will be just fine at 128.

That's incorrect. There is an editor/librarian and it works well, sort of, except the lag is really annoying, and it's kind of lo-res.

Well, look at me, I have both Zenology and Juno DS! Zenology mostly to have that Roland sound ITB, I tweak but don't really program from scratch. I use laptop rig on flyaways, so to have that Roland stuff ITB is really convenient. Juno DS, had it for a year and only gigged twice. One of these days I need to sit down and create all the patches/performances I need for gigs, but the Krome just keeps doing the job, so there hasn't been much incentive for me to switch. The difference between the two? They both have that Roland character and a lot of legacy stuff, which is both good and bad depending on your view. IMO, Zenology has some newer, better sounding stuff, though. Yeah, I'd love for that to always be true. But the fact is, I'm right now sitting in my room creating patches/performances in GP for a show this weekend. I literally spent 40 minutes creating a stupid string patch that is only used once in the whole show. I could just pull up any old preset and not care, but I can't help myself!