TomKittel
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Posts posted by TomKittel
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I just read that the Dexibells need nearly one minute to boot up after Power On. This would be a deal breaker for me. For the very same reason I never considered a Kronos.
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Look here:
Looks like a pretty cool sound module.
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Talking about a SP6 or Forte sound module... it seems that Dexibell (formerly Roland) listened. Look here (english subtitles):
No longer is Nord the only company to offer free downloadable piano libraries and more.
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Yes, the best actions aren't in the lightest boards. But I used to say that, for playing piano, even the worst hammer actions were better than the best non-hammer actions, and I no longer feel that way. As I've mentioned, I like the action in my Artis7 (with lighter springs), and in fact, I've come to like it more than my PX5S, which itself is far from the worst hammer action board. (Though I still prefer my old Casio PX500L over either!)
+1
I also like my Artis 7 with lighter springs a lot, including playing AP sounds with it. And the Master EQ helps a lot to make its old PC3 Rhodes samples shine. I only wish it also had the 7ft AP samples of the Forte SE/SP6.
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I am rather underwhelmed by the SP6 which I received earllier this week.The plastic casing squeeked ad creeked when I unboxed it and put it on a keyboard stand. Never experienced that with other plastic casings like CP4 or PX5S. In contrast my PC3X or the Artis 7 are built like tanks.
Then I played the SP6 next to my PC3X. By direct comparison the Medeli keyboard felt heavier and somehow doughy to me. And it is way more noisy which is due to the plastic casing I guess. While still quite playable I didnt like the keybed. Then I played the SP6 from the PC3 via Midi. It immediately became apparent to me how much better the TP40L is. No comparison. The SP6s sounds played from the PC3 are a real pleasure, Daves soundset in particular (thanks again!). But I missed an EQ with the APs. Some sounds like the Rhodes programs have a "built-in" EQ. In contrast the APs do not have any EQ. This should be fixed in a future update.
All in all, the SP6 said to me: "what you pay is what you get." It is a compromise. A powerful sound engine on the cheap. Great sounds combined with a not so great keybed in a cheap casing. The higher price of the Forte SE is more than justified in my opinion. Kurzweil should put the SP6 engine into a desktop or rack module and offer it for under a grand. I bet that it would be a hot seller.
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Anyone here who owns or has ordered one can have my sounds free of charge.
Dave, Thanks for your generous offer
I expect delivery of my SP6 today. Needless to say that I would have ordered it from you if I would live in the US.
Tom
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Interesting, I knew the Forte had the "polyphony free" organ, but didn't know there was any difference between the SP6 organ and the Artis7/PC3 organ. Can you describe the difference(s)?
The Artis does not have or use the "double Leslie" KB3 programs from the PC3.
The SP6 does.
I believe the Forte has a few of them that were added in recent OS updates. (They couldn't get them working at the time of release. I have been providing all of the PC3 double Leslie KB3 programs to any Forte owners who want them, free of charge.)
The double Leslie versions are a good bit nicer.
My Artis 7 is loading the double Leslie programs of my PC3 without any problem. But I can't tell from memory if they are sounding 100 percent identically because I don't use KB3 programs much. For organ sounds I prefer the Uhl X3 or the VR09. The VR09 is a great upper board to complement the Artis 7 BTW. It makes for a great compact lightweight rig.
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I used to be a staunch advocate of the SSV3 and I still like it. But the moment I plugged my keys into the MotionSound KP500S I immediately knew what I was missing. Still, the SSV3 is unrivaled at it's size and price point.
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I'm definitely eager to check out the SP6, though as I mentioned, it's a tough call for me as to whether I'd want to replace my Artis7, each of these has some real advantages over the other.
Same here. The SP6 is tempting. But I also love my Artis 7 which is not only a great lightweight stagepiano which loads all my PC3 programs but also a crafty Midi masterkeyboard. It's fun to have complete control over Korg Module f.e.
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Adding a set of knobs adds cost - way more than you'd expect. The cost of components was the biggest surprise for me when I got hired there back in 2000. When manufacturing on a tiny scale (thousands not millions of units), every tiny little thing is a pound of flesh so to speak. It made product planning really tricky and sometimes painful.
The cost thing is all the more challenging for an outfit like Kurz, where they're using high quality balanced outs, multiple pedal inputs, killer EQs and filters, and super quiet samples - all areas where other companies often decide to cut costs.
The PC3 didn't have dedicated front panel EQ knobs. But it had a master EQ and Compressor accessible in the FX menu. The SP6 has more FX horse power than the PC3. Maybe a similar EQ/Comp approach could be implemented in a future update?
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Ditto. PX-5S vs SP6 action preference.
Also in lieu of the EQ controls on front panel how did they implement?
(Downloading manual now).
The SP6 doesnt seem to have a master EQ at all according to the comparison chart (no Master FX):
http://kurzweil.com/knowledgebase/forte/product_comparisons/311/
With so much more FX horse power than the PC3 it should be possible to implement this. I think its essential for a stage piano.
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Got my SP6 today thanks to Weisersound.
I unboxed it, hooked up my camera, and did a livestream on FB before I even touched the keys.
https://www.facebook.com/jim.alfredson.3/videos/10213023888129319/
The FB livestream protocol really mucks up the sound. When I play the piano really light, FB completely cuts the audio off; as if it's going through a gate. It also uses really bad data compression. Next time I'm going to do a YouTube livestream.
After messing around for 30 minutes, I put it in a hardcase and took it to the gig tonight. It performed flawlessly and sounded great! I used the acoustic piano (the 7' one, preset 2), the phaser Rhodes sound, the regular suitcase Rhodes, the Wurly, and the Clavinet. I also did a split on the fly as the bassist wanted to play pedal steel on a tune. So I did a P-bass sound in the left hand and piano on the right. It was easy to set up (basically a button press.. or to be more precise, pressing two buttons together). I played it through my pair of Yamaha DXR10 powered speakers. It was full and present and the top end of the pianos really cut well.
The action is very responsive and easy to play. The Forte action is better, yes, but for the price and weight, it's really good.
Build quality is excellent. It's all plastic like similar offerings from Casio, Yamaha, etc. But it's solid. The buttons are really nice. The knobs are especially good. No side to side wiggling. They feel much better than stuff in this price range usually feels. The layout is logical and easy to navigate. The screen is bright and easy to read.
So far my only beef is that I wish the volume knob had a light around it. It's a bit hard to find in the dark, especially underneath the Hammond on a dual-tier setup. But I'm sure I'll get used to where it is.
It comes with a full-sized Kurzweil sustain pedal. Wall-wart PSU. Balance 1/4" audio outputs, just like the Forte. Same 32bit DACs, too. The sound is clean and dynamic. Expression pedal input. Two switched pedal inputs, SW1 supports half-damper. Both SW1 and SW1 pedal inputs accept dual-pedal units. 1/4' headphone out.
The bottom plastic piece is kind of a Ford blue color. It's pretty slick looking.
All in all, this is a fantastic 88 note stage piano with weighted keyboard in the $1k-ish category. I'm really happy with it. Just because of the weight, it will probably be my go-to digital piano for a lot of my gigs. I love the Forte, but between that and the Hammond XK5 Pro System, that's a lot of weight! However, the Forte sounds SO good. Definitely for higher profile gigs, I'll be using the Forte. But for stuff like tonight (a blues club in Ann Arbor), the SP6 fits the bill perfectly.
Thanks for the review! Did you miss the front panel EQ?
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Don't know too much about the desktop editor. I was under the impression that it might be good for importing sounds but won't do full synth editing. Will try to find out.
Hope that the promised IOS editor for the SP6 will not just ba a false promise like the long missing IOS editor update for the Artis.... sorry for repeating this over and over again. It's in hope that someone at Kurzweil or Soundtower will finally listen to my endless complaint...
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[
When I got my unit I had a similar side-speaker buzz/vibration thing going on. I took the speaker out (very easy to get to 4 screws on the grill in the side cut-out, just keep a hold on the speaker from the other side as you remove them) and discovered that there were splinters from the edges of the hole cutout that were protruding and touching part of the speaker cone/surround. Sanding those off and replacing the speaker cured the buzz for me. Definitely worth checking.
Sounds like poor chinese craftsmansship...
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Hope we will see better SP6 demos on YT soon. The sound quality of most of the current YT videos made by KURZWEIL YOUNGCHANG is awful. It sounds like the sound is going through a tin can.
And I don't have too much hope for a good editor. Most of the currently available Soundtower Kurzweil editors are not up to scratch - to phrase it politely.
Moreover, against all promises the Soundtower Artis iPad editor still doesn't work under IOS11.
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Thank you for posting that useful info. I was thrown off by some stuff in section 5 which made me think that tone select required sysex, and I think I stopped looking after that! Thanks for the correction. Inability to select organ is a bit of a bummer, but overall, section 7 is good news.
Program change commands were also discussed earlier in this thread:
https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2883041/Re_Roland_V_Combo_VR_09#Post2883041
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Instead you opted for the less than optimal HX3 chorus that you'll be tweaking to get right for three months..... SMH ...
Says someone who opted for a less than optimal Voce V5 which has a useless Chorus....
;-)
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Get a Gemini module.......
Hmm.... is this the only saving truth or just your opinion? I never tried a Mojo but I know quite a few B3 aficinados who didn't like the Mojo sound. All I'm saying is that subjective recommendations should always be taken with a grain of salt.
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You can't go wrong with the HX3. Just listen to the YT demos of the Uhl X3 which essentially is the exact same sound engine. In the latest OS version the HX3 chorus was improved streets ahead of older versions. Very tweakable and spot on. Ever since I hooked my HX3 to my Leslie 147 I stopped checking out other clones. My search is over.
Having said that, there are many Mojo/Gemini lovers at KC too. At the end of the day it's always a matter of taste and preferences. Anyway, the HX3 would be a major upgrade on your good old BX3 for sure.
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FWIW: I saw Brian Auger in concert yesterday night. He played a Viscount Legend on a B3 like stand with a Korg SV1 on top. The sound was freakin awesome! Completely undistinguishable from his B3.
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My original point, though, is that Roland and Modartts modelled pianos are considered the best around at the moment, and still many seem to prefer the big sampled piano libraries.
OT: I prefer Pianoteq 6 to any sampled piano library. It was a real game changer for me.
JMTC. Back to topic. ;-)
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Really too bad. Why don't they make these simple things work when releasing these boards ? Such an inconvenience when needing these capabilities, and all it is is a bit of extra code. So silly.
In the musical instruments industry incomprehensible product decisions seem to be common practice and nobody cares.... somtimes Im wondering what would happen to a product manager f.e. in the auto industry if he would omit standard features in a new product just at his discretion?
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Here is kind of an easter egg for saving presets: instead of using the registrations you can save any preset to the USB stick. Just press song record then stop and save the preset as a SMF song. No need to play anything. To load the preset just reload the SMF song from the USB stick.
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I was able to convert my VR09 to a pretty flexible Midi controller board by using the Midi Solutions Event Processor. Admittedly the drawbar faders and knobs don't send CCs but they DO send Sysex. Not only can I now control the drawbars of any hardware or VST organ but also any synth. Nice. I am loving the VR09 more and more. For it's price this thing is second to none really.
Behringer OB-Xa
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
Should we call him Elon Behringer or Uli Musk?
;-))