dickiefunk

Thanks. I would prefer to play it live.

Hi, I am looking for a decent Shakuhachi sample to recreate Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer intro. I would like something for my iPad or iPhone to trigger from either my Yamaha CP88 or YC61. What would you recommend?

Thanks. I’ll try this first.

This is good to hear though mine definitely has velocity issues. I’ve measured this both within Cubase and with Pianoteq. The Code 61 has been discontinued and I don’t have anyone local that can fix it which means I’m likely going to need to replace it.

I was hoping this would work on iPhones as well but this appears to be iPad only. I’m using VB3m on my phone which is fine but would like something a little better to use with my Yamaha CP88. IK’s B3X is also only iPad compatible.

Hi, I'm looking for a midi controller keyboard with 61 keys, 9 sliders, 16 drum pads and aftertouch etc. I've been using an M-Audio Code61 for a while but the keys aren't particularly even in velocity response so I decided to upgrade and picked up a barely used Arturia KeyLab 61 mk2. I have frustratingly found some keys need to be played a reasonable amount harder to trigger the same velocity. Also, with the Keylab61, you have to press the drum pads pretty hard to get get them to trigger. This means I can't play pianissimo. Are there any other midi controllers with the specs I want that are better than the Code61 and Arturia Keylab61?

Fully agree with this.

NI Noire is my goto piano at the moment. I’m considering Ivory 3 when it gets released for Windows but it will be interesting to hearing how Pianoverse compares.

I only have experience with the Yamaha CP88, Nord Stage 3 and Yamaha YC61. Regarding the CP88 and Nord Stage 3, I preferred the action and how the sample integrates with the keybed of the CP88 by quite a bit. I also prefer the piano sound in a live setting (along with many other sounds including the Rhodes). The Nords piano samples have more depth and adjustable sympathetic resonance that the CP and YC don’t have (though some of Yamahas boards have this including the cheaper P-515). The Nord also has adjustable mechanical noises which also add to the realism and can help in a solo classical/jazz performance. I haven’t tried the 73 note keybeds but a colleague of mine has and he personally preferred the Nord.

My goto pianos at the moment are :- NI Noire Embertone Walker Concert D Pianoteq 8 Pro I use Noire the most out of these. The Walker is also nice but I’m not 100% sold on it. Pianoteq Pro has been consistently been making big steps forward and now I’m starting to find certain aspects of it more realistic than my sample libraries. It is also the most playable out of these. However, there are still a few areas where it sounds synthetic though these are improving with every update! I’m very tempted by the new Ivory 3 library as it uses both samples and modelling. I’m particularly interested to see how their other libraries like the American Concert D will be updated using their new v3 engine!

This is a good cable https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZQCBYXS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Eartips https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XWG9R9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought this case https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0771DBFHW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I used my ZS10 Pro-X’s at a few more gigs over the past week ranging from a jazz trio (vocals, keys and bass) to a full band at a large festival. The ZS10 Pro-X’s worked brilliantly in every situation. I was particularly impressed with how much isolation I had (foam tips) at the festival gig as the onstage sound was very loud! Also, the clarity, detail and full sound I had was the best I’ve had using IEM’s. I recently recommended the ZS10 Pro-X’s to another keyboard player and so far they are loving them. The only test remaining for these IEM’s is how long they will last. Time will tell but so far I am extremely pleased with these IEM’s.

Hi guys, Thought I’d post an update to what I ended up going for and how I’m getting on. After a lot of deliberating and reading loads of reviews, one of the top touring sound engineers I know recommended the KZ ZS10Pro. I chose the newer (refined 2022 model) ZS10 Pro-X and I have to say I’m extremely impressed with these! Compared to my previous SE215’s with custom mould sleeves, I find the KZ’s exceed those in clarity, imaging, soundstage and bass extension. They also have great build quality and I find they fit even better than the custom moulds on my SE215’s! I changed the tips to the foam Comply ones and these really cut down bleed from other instruments on stage. The only negative is the cable is a bit thin and tangles easily. I replaced this with a high quality 16core cable which works great! I also bought a case and the Comply tips I mentioned earlier. Since getting them I’ve come across loads of pro musicians that are very happily using and recommending them! On the gigs I’ve done using these, I can hear everything so much clearer and richer than the SE215’s. The bass and piano don’t sound thin and nasally anymore and the extra details I’m hearing in the voices on my CP88 is wonderful. I can hear the hammer noise in the Hamburg grand really clearly like I hear through my Neumann monitors and I’m hearing more nuances in the vocals. The ZS10 Pro-X has really exceeded my expectations in every regard so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing/hearing how KZ continue to develop and refine this model!

I’m currently using the Pianoteq Clavinet addon which I think already sounds really good. How does the GSI D6 compare in realism?

Thankyou for this John 😊👍🏻

Yes, I’m hoping it will be possible as this offers a thicker and more intimate tone contrast to the default Hamburg preset.

I haven’t updated my YC but the new Gentle Hamburg live set sounds nice from the demo Moessieurs posted. I’m hoping this will get posted on Soundmondo for the CP.

These are all very good points! Though if Yamaha already had the VRM technology on their slightly older and cheaper P515 I don't quite understand why they don't also add it to the CP88 when it was released a few months later?

I have the YC61 and CP88 and really enjoy these boards a lot. There are some welcome new additions in the V1.3 setup. It’s always great to have some new voices and the Hamburg Grand is my favourite from those used in the CP. There are feature requests from ideascale that I was hoping for but haven’t haven’t made it or are even possible to do with a software update. -Firstly, the key trigger and release points for playing fast repetitive notes and trills isn’t correct for organ playing (though it works great for other sounds). -Secondly, I was hoping for advanced mode allowing too make patches of three non organ sounds. -Thirdly, I would love to be able to route the audio inputs from an external source directly to the headphone output and not the main outputs for IEM’s. This would negate the need for a separate headphone amp and reduce stage clutter. However, I’m happy Yamaha are still updating the YC series and there are definitely some nice new features added in v1.3. One thing I am a little concerned about though is the CP range. According to the usual pattern of Yamaha updates, it would have been the CP’ turn to get an update and I’m worried they are not bringing any more updates to this board!? There is a lot to like about the CP but as it is Yamaha’s flagship stage “piano” I was hoping these would get a bit more attention with an update adding things like their VRM (virtual resonance modelling) which already exists in their cheaper P515, or true sympathetic string resonance along with adjustable hammer, key release, damper resonance and pedal noise. As the CP is marketed as being “piano” focused I don’t think having the Bosendorfer and U3 is any where near enough to distinguish it as this! Also it seems a little strange why Yamaha only included half of the clavinet pickup samples? Ben from Yamaha has posted on their ideascale page that they have very recently sampled a D6 clavinet but there’s no confirmation as to which products will receive these samples in an update. I so hope Yamaha haven’t stopped updating the CP series!

Thanks guys. I’ve recorded both the audio and midi from my CP88 several times before but I also want to record the YC61 onto a different channel at the same time. Is it possible to do this by connecting my YC to the CP with a midi cable and then use the audio interface in the CP to send the midi data of both keyboards into different tracks in Cubasis? Some of my YC patches have a split (E.g upper and lower manual for organ) and I’m wondering if the if can send both manuals of the organ to different midi tracks in Cubasis aswell as another channel for the CP88. I would connect the YC to the CP via a midi cable and then use the built in audio interface of the CP to connect to Cubasis via USB. Will this work and if so, how do I configure the settings in the boards and Cubasis?

Hi I have a CP88 and YC61 which I’m planning to use for a mobile session this weekend. I would like to capture the midi of both boards on different tracks in Cubasis 3.5. I have a USB cable + Apple adapter to plug the CP88 into the iPad or iPhone and I have a midi cable to connect the YC61 to the CP88. Is it possible to record both boards into Cubasis on different tracks with this setup? How do I configure this set up to do this? Also, I have the YC61 split and is it possible to send the upper and lower parts into separate tracks (having three tracks CP88, YC Upper and YC Lower)? Thanks

I think Nord have made a few nice small improvements with the Stage 4 but seriously £4399 for the 88!?? Don't get me wrong, some of the acoustic pianos sound very nice and having a fully fledged synth section and organ section are handy but I paid £1699 for my Yamaha CP88 and with the class compliant USB interface I can add any iOS synth and IK's B3x (or the upcoming Acousticsamples B5 v3) for a relatively small cost! The only thing I really miss on the CP88 is true sympathetic string resonance and adjustable piano noises such as hammer/release and pedal noises. This has been highly requested in the Yamaha ideascale and I really hope Yamaha adds this to CP88! Their P515 already has these features and it would be great to have this on the CP88 (especially with their wonderful Hamburg Grand). Also, the various iOS piano apps are continuously improving and Pianoteq 8 is coming soon which is constantly being improved.

How is the keybed of the 2x for piano playing? My main stage piano is a Yamaha CP88 which I love.

It will be interesting to see what the Stage 4 update offers but I bought my Yamaha CP88 and YC61 plus decent cases for less than the Stage 3 costs! It will need to be something very special to tempt me to switch!