The Piano Man

Yeah, I knew about the difference in the MIDI zoning features, but I didn't realize it didn't even have the In/Out conectors! So not a serious board at all then. That"s a shame. At least it has audio outputs I suppose. I detest those boards that have speakers built in but no proper outputs. What"s the point!!

Great insight. Thanks for sharing. On a side note, what does everyone think of the Dexibell design. I get that, these days, companies need to think how to stand out and, dare I say, compete with the 'red' keyboard company. However, I must admit, I yearn for simplicity. The old Roland XP range, for example, is a design style that suits me fine. Would love to see a Dexibell top end board with internal power supply and sleek black casing. Anyway, perhaps I need to stop being so superficial!

What would P120dUdE make of all this?

Announced in January and not much word since. Obviously there are global delay issues for pretty much everything. Does anyone know what the latest is and if Korg still plan to release this model in 2021?

Always lots of great chat on here about the range of excellent keyboards out there. I have reached a point where I now fully consider amplification and speaker setup to be the most important. I know a lot of you know this already and it maybe took me too long to realise. Years of putting high end stage pianos through Roland KC amps in mono etc. Or even mid range stuff in stereo⦠still not a great sound. Anyway, I recently upgraded on the amp/speaker side of things and, not only did I realise how much they improve top end stage pianos, I was surprised to realise how good lower end older stage pianos could sound. I actually sold my red keyboard during lockdown and now own only old stage pianos: Korg SP100 and Technics P50. However, through my Logic System with MC2 amp, these older boards sound great. Any thoughts on the topic? Anyone out there enjoying an older stage piano through some top end sound system?

In boards with only a L&R output, you typically need to pan each sound (and effects). I remember looking at this board"s manual and being unable to find the pan function. Very annoying! I would do as AnotherScott suggests. Hope you get a solution that works for you.

Is there a way to set up the PC3x so that, upon depressing the the damper pedal, you get the noise of a damper pedal, as you do on boards such as the Nord Piano? Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks all, Nick

Nice choice! I have three of them. I still really like the piano sound for live work. It cuts through well. Polyphony is tight but you can hook up a couple of the modules to extend the polyphony. Apparently Rick Wakeman used these for years. Perhaps he still owns one.

Great response, thanks for that! A most helpful rundown! Will do some searching. Cheers!

Dear all, I still own a few Yamaha EMT10s. Great little half rack with nice bright pianos that cut through live. I actually quite like the acoustic bass sound as well. However, you cannot do any zoning/setups etc. Does anyone know if these EMT10 sounds feature in a Yamaha rack module of the time? TG55? Or something else? Obviously, I could buy a Motif rack but suspect that will be a different soundset. Finally, I could buy a decent controller keyboard and zone to the EMT10 that way. However, I think I would prefer doing it through a rack as I already own loads of keyboards. Quite like playing an old Roland EP7 with semi weighted action. Sometimes the older gear just works for a particular purpose! Cheers

Not 76, but I think that's the action in the Dexibell S1. But the reason I revisited this thread is that there was so much appreciation for the Medelli in the SP4-7... for anyone who liked that one, I think you'll be more than happy with the Medelli in the Kurzweil PC4-7 (and presumably the SP6-7). I used to own a Kurzweil SP4-7 and wasn"t a huge fan. However, I think it was less the action that was the issue. I find the amp envelope release too abrupt on the triple strike piano. I own a PC3x and have managed to edit it to my taste. In terms of semi weighted boards, I do like the action on the old Roland EP7. It is a Matsushita (Technics) I think. Obviously, the sound set of the EP7 needs to be updated! So, I just use it as a midi controller to Ravenscroft iOS. I presume you are happy with the keyboard on the Vox Continental Scott? Will be interesting to see how the forthcoming budget Korg L1 compares...

I am sure one of the top posters such as AnotherScott will come along shortly to provide an answer of superior depth and clarity to mine but, in the meantime... You have got: - a controller/keyboard/stage piano - the iPad - the apps You need: 1. a means of connecting the iPad to your controller 2. a means of outputting the audio 3. a means of controlling the range of apps with a master app (optional) I combine 1&2 with a Korg plugkey. It connects standard midi 5 pin to the iPad"s lightning socket and also provides left and right 6.3mm standard jack outputs (and a 3.5mm headphone jack) Alternatively, you may have a controller with usb only, in which case you could use a simple device like the Apple camera connection kit, or something more sophisticated like one of the Focusrite Scarlett/claret devices. I have yet to sort out point 3, above, meaning I have to switch between apps on the iPad. Hopefully others may help to address this point. I would be keen to hear of any recommendations personally.

Any more info on this? I/O? Price? Release timeframe? Videos? Geoff? Chuck? Woody? Bueller?

I presume this does not have left and right audio outputs? Probably just a headphone jack, and probably 3.5mm? Looks like a replacement for the B2n and a competitor to the Yamaha NP32.

Any info on the keyboard action? Kurzweil have switched to Medeli for their most recent updates. It has the benefit of being lighter and more cost effective than the Fatar TP40. The buttons look similar to those on the PC4, so I wonder if they will have gone for a Medeli keyboard. Personally, I hope it is Fatar TP40 (not TP100!) Either way, I predict they will have the weight under 20kg.

This is shaping up to be a great Namm in terms of interesting new releases. Just need some gigs...

Where"s P120dude?

This...

What, in your view, is the most aesthetically pleasing modern stage piano? I"m talking about any model from the year 2000 onwards probably. That is, you can"t pick a classic Rhodes model. It needs to be something that has grand piano sounds. I like the look of the Valente electric piano (though probably no grand piano sounds) the Korg SV in black (though too many buttons to look sleek in my opinion) and the Kawai VPC1 (though very heavy for the stage) I also like the Technics P30, which has no buttons on the front panel. I think there is a niche in the market for something really classic looking, maybe even a Wood effect finish. When you think of the stunning guitars you can get and even some stunning Wood accordions, we are missing out. Albeit the weight does need to somehow be kept as low as possible. Not easy! Anyway, let me know what you think is the best looking stage piano, or any other thoughts on the topic. I mean, ultimately the standard of the player and the stuff on the inside is what matters most but, you know, I"m bored...

Perhaps there has been a thread before on this... Who are the decent keyboard reviewers on YouTube, with a focus on piano playing ability? I am not looking for concert piano standard but just looking for people who understand harmony and can display decent touch and technique on the keys. There are a number of YouTube reviewers whose credibility is compromised by their average, or less than average, playing ability. In some cases, the harmony is way off the mark and the touch and technique is really sub par. So, who are the ones that can play? Scott Tibbs of Roland is good. I also like the Merriam Music guy, Stu Harrison. Someone on here recommended him and he may well be my favourite. Jack from Andertons can play, as can Luke from Korg. Rudi from Better Music sounds decent as well, as does the guy from Muzykuj. Anyone I have missed out? Really enjoy hearing the different stage pianos played by people who know what they are doing.

1 - right 2 - left 3 - right and left Sound source - Gem RP-X. Program no.1 I mean, I don"t know if any of this is correct, or if I have even understood the rules, but 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'

Internal power supply and speakers with hammer action: Yamaha have a few, eg. P200, P250, CP300. There will likely be others from this range and probably older models from Roland, back when boards generally had a C7 or C14 socket or even the power cable fully connected to the board. There are obviously boards with internal power supply and speakers, such as certain Korg PA models and some Yamaha arrangers. However, no hammer action on these obviously. So, as I said, the SV2s 73... possibly the lightest and most compact hammer action board that has built in speakers and Internal Power Supply.

Just thinking.. the SV2s 73... possibly the lightest and most compact hammer action board that has these two features; Built in speakers and Internal Power Supply. I could be wrong but can"t think of any others at that weight and size. I would like the S version in black though. For a cream/white version, I would have rather they had made the entire board/panel/end cheeks all cream/white. As it is, the mix match reminds me of the PX5s, which I never liked either.

Totally agree. I seriously have not played any of the newer digital pianos that would make me want to give up my Promega 3. The dynamic range and smoothness of timbre change/harmonic content of the acoustic pianos along with the keyboard feel just hasn't been beaten, IMO of course. The size and weight on the other hand, well... I'm really enjoying the Casio px560 I picked up. Hello Dave. Do you know, does my RP-X have the same sounds as the Promega? I really love this module and cannot believe it is so old. Holds up so well. I have a Kurzweil PC3x at home and feel like the RP-X matches up really nicely with the Fatar TP40l keyboard action.

That actually makes a lot of sense. I did used to enjoy the Nord through in ears. Might try the earbud solution with Ravenscroft. Thanks for the tip