Nathanael_I

I've got the OB-6. What draws me back to it again and again is that it just sounds good. And I can't really make it sound bad. It is easy to get a great sound that is satisfying to play. I think that Dave Smith's real genius is in setting the control ranges on the knobs. It's like they know the exact useful sweet spots and only let you control those things and only in the right values for good sound to emerge. His synths never have the deepest architecture or most flexible routing, modulation, etc. But they always sound good and program easily. As a result, it gets used more than some of my more exotic synths. The P5 does sound great... Fully agreed.

A Nord Grand2 would probably get some meager upgrade to RAM and maybe another piano sample for the Nord Library? Dunno, unless they put an even better Kawai action in it, or an SSD to hold multi-GB samples, it won't mean much to me. Maybe the bag could cost less than $1K! I don't primarily use their pianos, but use it to play software instruments that are far more capable than the Nord Library. The big deal with the Nord Grand is that it plays controllably down into the 20s and all the way up to 127. It is much more expressive than a Fatar action, which have poor pianissimo control in my experience. The good Yamaha triple-sensor actions match the Kawai. Now if they put the Kawai action into the Stage? I'd pay attention. But that would not be a very Nord thing to do.

I think its just that it is a new instrument and it will take a minute to feel comfortable on it. We are all excited because it is "piano like keys" and not a rubber surface like a Seaboard. It promises some finger connection that we already have. But none of us have played its version of continuous aftertouch - there will be some adaptation. I think what I'm interested in, I'll know quickly - "Is it worth putting time into learning deeply?". For me this will be how controllable the expression is. The Seaboard had real limits and it was not worth the complete retraining in my opinion, despite being more expressive than a standard action. The cons outweighed the pros for me. I am hopeful on this one, but expecting a curve to really make it sing. @David Emmis also right about the Eagen Matrix I think. At one level, its just another synth. But one designed by an actual genius to meet his needs on the most expressive MPE instrument created to date: the Haken Continuum. Good playable expressive timbres are not common. I am not surprised that the presets are not full of them. Its hard to make them. All the ones we like took dozens or hundreds of years to coalesce (piano, violin, guitars, etc). If there's a handful of truly excellent playable sounds in there its enough to get started. Think how many records had stock DX-7 patches on them... It's all solvable, but the world is filled with many more amateurs with money than working professionals who need this in their rig to earn a living.

Congrats! My first piano was the Hamilton (a Baldwin brand) equivalent of this size. My grandfather gave it to me and it was an amazing first instrument. So much joy from that piano. I hope you have a great time with it! Playing a grand is such a rewarding experience!

It is very awesome. Sounds great. Seems to have been put together by true synth lovers who tried to think of everything. The firmware updates have fixed most early issues I think and added new features. It’s very deep in what it can do. I think the Waldorf Iridium is the digital cousin of this board. Both massively capable. And have a decent learning curve. Having the Bowen Solaris covers this territory for me. But the Moog is a beautiful premium instrument. If the $ work and you like the architecture and sound….

For classical, Daniil Trifonov excels. I love the delicate phrasing and dynamic control. It is one version of "as good as it gets". Getting to see Olga Kern in person this last year was a real treat as well. She just dominated the piano - such a secure performance. The mechanical needs of the piece were completely handled and the interpretation rich. When the runs are truly effortless, there is an ease that is hard to say exactly what it is, but "ease" is a musically useful skill that she has in abundance. For classically oriented new creativity, Ashley Hribar (the guy I've posted in the Stuart & Sons thread) is a monster player. His recent album "Faust" shows him taking some very difficult pieces into new places on his own terms.

Dave, I'll try to give you a few that aren't as obvious, but still at the highest levels of musicianship. your favorite pianist still alive: Michael Wollny. A German pianist who is beyond capable. Classical, Jazz, fully improvised music of his own making. He's a very complete package, and has been very prolific the past several years. A wide range of moods, pieces, feels, concerts. He's just a very complete musician and not at all bound by convention. And yet, he'll show up playing with the Berlin Philharmonic as well. Just shockingly capable. I think he is very creative and has a lot more to say. His album Nachtfahrten was my entrance to his world. He seems to have a stable artists relationship with Eric Schaefer & Christian Weber, as this trio has made several albums. • your favorite pianist no longer alive: Dave Brubeck. I like his lines, his feel, his exploration of the possible and that he managed to avoid destroying himself with drugs or alcohol. It's refreshing to have brilliant musicians who also kept it together for a full life of massive output. It won't be new for you, but since he no longer playing, Keith Jarrett's solo work. I'm sure his straight ahead jazz is great. But I listen to the solo work. His commitment to long form improvisation is one of the bravest things I've heard musically, and one of the more rewarding. When he is "on" its deeply moving. His actual mechanical skill at the instrument is notable. He has great touch and dynamics. • one honorable mention (either departed or alive) Ethan Iverson. His solo work is very lyrical - much less dense than some of The Bad Plus work. Again, shockingly complete as a musician. And his writing about music is so erudite, witty and just plain enjoyable to read. One that you may or may not know: Tigran Himasyan. He does a lot of original music. Sometimes it is fiercely difficult and in odd time, and sometimes it is very slow and sweet. You may or may not like his music, but he certain has much going on that a pianist of your caliber might appreciate.

The Non-Linear Labs C-15 and the Schmidt 8-voice both come with custom plywood flight cases. It didn’t come with the Minimood Model D, but I do have the Moog factory flight case for it.

Thanks for the kind words TJ! I've also got a lot of synths in the studio, and one of the things I'm interested in is putting them with the piano in both traditional and non-traditional contexts. This video by Ashley Hribar is improvised and way outside a traditional jazz or classical context. It gives some idea of the sound-design kind of things one can do with the instrument. What could be done with these timbres and synths? That is a space I think deserves some exploration. There's a whole crop of young classically trained players who are taking harps and other instruments and using electronics, FX, etc to take their instruments into many new places. I think that my new piano is an ideal candidate for this kind of experimentation given the extreme outer registers. Combine that with sampling & pitch shifting techiques and some truly otherworldly things await. But they will all have the complexity and interest of a real acoustic instrument, despite no longer sounding exactly like a piano. This is part of the "piano for a new century" vision. Not only to take traditional piano tone and technique into new places, but also to explore new sounds made by the very same instrument. I expect it to be a lifetime of exploration. This larger canvas invites the kind of "off the page" creativity that Ashley demonstrates here.

I am planning to yes! The Kawai RX-7 is still a magnificent instrument, in immaculate condition and fully recordable. I think it will continue to see use, even with the big Stuart and Sons available. 1) It's a different tonal palette. 2) For scales and technical work, do I really need to be using a full concert grand? I'll probably skip the wear and tear. 3) I have an optical rail from QRS installed in the Kawai, so it's pretty useful for capturing improv, writing, etc. 4) Guitarists "need" mulitple instruments.... why not pianists 😉 Who knows, maybe there's 4-hand piano music in the studio's future? What is true is that the Stuart & Sons will dominate my present space. It's 2'4" longer than the Kawai and wider too! I intend to expand the space or move the studio into dedicated real-estate at some point. But if the new piano comes here, I may put the Kawai on a piano board and tip it up against a wall temporarily. The choice will be two pianos on the floor, or one piano plus option to set up one of the drum kits. Given that drums and piano are the two things that typically get recorded here.... I'm likely to opt for drums over second piano. We will see.

Tools always matter. I’ve told all my children to optimize every tool that their body physically interacts with. Instruments, hand tools, keyboards, mice, monitors….Ergonomics matter. Haptics matter. 1). There is a threshold of adequacy in all things. A place where it’s pretty much good enough to do whatever one needs as well as one needs it to be done. It’s not the highest end in my experience, but it’s never the lowest either. And it’s north of the middle, generally. 2) Beginners are very sensitive to this. They need all the help they can get and don’t yet know what is easy or hard. I always bought my children real instruments that I would want to play. Learning is hard enough without fighting something inanimate. 3) The more one’s skill evolves to the finest shades of expression, the more the standard for adequacy rises to deliver all that one can express. The flip side is that there’s also a place where more is not better. I took classical guitar lessons for a few years on a quality, but student grade instrument. I ordered a fine concert guitar. It was beautiful. It played only the tiniest bit easier than my guitar. And I could only get a tiny bit better sound out of it. I returned it and kept practicing. It wasn’t the instrument…. It was me that needed work! 4) audiences are happy well before the outer limits of human expression. This has implications… artists can deliver what is expected on less capable instruments than they can maximize. Some very capable artists make peace with this and essentially do their best with what they have. A pragmatic approach. But, some artists simply decide that they don’t enjoy less than what gives them full freedom. They are not wrong, and generally get what they want. Happily, the world of portable keyboards is not the world of acoustic violins for cost. I’ve learned that I don’t like Fatar weighted actions. I like the triple sensor hammer actions from Yamaha or Kawai. For synths, the unweighted Fatar TP-8S is in every synth I own except the Minimoog. I’m hoping the Osmose is special. The Seaboard was not for me…. So I do think for portable instruments, one can choose after a while what one can live with…

Nope. This thread isn't about that. This thread is about my piano - which has none of that drama attached to it. Thanks.

A minivan is about perfect for stacks of keyboards, speakers, etc. nicely done!

Not sure who makes the key bed, but new contact strips or contact rubber can be obtained from places like: https://www.synth-parts.com/en/products/keyboard/fatar-keyboards/ it’s only screws to get most synth actions out and be able to see the sensor strip. Physical problems like worn parts are easy to see. I’d grab a screwdriver and have a look. It may be easy for you to do yourself.

The Make Noise Maths is mine. Definitely available used. There's no "standards" in modular, but this module is pretty ubiquitous for a reason....

Late summer to early fall next year. There’s a LOT of dependencies, so exact dates are hard. One thing is certain, it’ll be my best “new instrument day” ever!

I am planning to do all these things and to involve other pianists as well! I’ve already been approached by a composer to premiere a song cycle on it. I’ve also accepted the responsibility of arranging a premiere for it. Wayne and I are of a mind to have new work played by someone of Ashley’s skill set, broadcast on the web to allow the most people to experience it.

I know the other half of that story. The very presence of that video tells you a lot about the person who made it. I’ll not comment further, but his woeful tale of sour grapes is the exact opposite of my experience. Over the years, Wayne has welcomed all sorts of folk at every level of expertise to experience his pianos. Serious inquiries, whether artistic, sales related, or technical are taken seriously. Tuning the extra notes is easy - the same as any other. Now, I expect to pay my tuner more for the extra trouble of 24 more notes, but why would they be any harder? Probably the hardest thing is to find a Stuart & Sons piano NOT in excellent tune! One doesn’t buy a Ferrari and then skip maintenance - the extreme performance potential of a world-class concert instrument demands regular attention.

In response to the question about straight stringing vs cross-stringing, this has a definitely audible result. There are two tracks below, both of the same piece. Each played on a 102 key instrument. A Stuart and Sons, and a Paulello. Both use bridge agraffes, XM piano wire, etc. The Stuart and Sons piano is cross strung in the traditional manner. The Paulello is straight strung and the harp is completely barless. They are within an inch or two of each other in length. Gerhard Willems plays the Stuart and Sons. David Bismuth plays the Paulello. Listen to the harmonic complexity and color. Particularly in the bass. you can easily find a Steinway version of this. Angela Hewitt recorded it on her Fazioli, but you will have to buy the CD - it’s not on Spotify. This is an excellent piece to use as recordings are also available on Bosendorfer. The differences in tone and construction techniques are quite obvious even in $100 headphones

The XM piano wire used for my piano is stainless steel. This means that it can be touched and manipulated without damaging the copper windings. This is intentional to facilitate playing the strings directly and reaching inside the piano. We have discussed marking the tops of the dampers so that the black/white pattern of the keys is visible, aiding navigation. So the instrument has been considered for all the ways that it might be used, even beyond the keyboard. For an instrument built in 2022, it seems appropriate to acknowledge that the piano can make sounds in a variety of ways.

Joe, you would thoroughly enjoy Wayne. He has spent his entire life trying to improve every aspect of the piano. And, much of the guts (outside the action) have been improved. The more you know about piano construction, the more you see the myriad things he’s done. I’ve had a two hour conversation about improving the music desk and fall board. He got rid of the candelabra holders that are traditionally on the music desk years ago. The 108 key came with a minimalistic iPad holder in addition to a music desk. The music desks have been different for years - solid wood blocks some of the sound - so he made his music desks have slats so they let more rich sound to the player. If you’ve ever played a piano with the fall board off, that also improves the sound for the player.

The Rene sequencer is amazing. Very creative. Worth splurging for. On sequencers, you kind of have to. There’s the new Buchla 200 modules that I think Tiptop Audio is putting out…. Not expensive. I’d definitely look at used. Lots of very clean gear is available. The most versatile stuff also seems to cost more…. But I am with you on digital module menus. I have a computer for things than need a UI. Rene is plenty deep.

I call mine “The Laboratory”…it’s mostly about being very different from keyboard synths…. Some Mutable modules, Make Noise and the Erica Synths Dada Noise System II. Earlier this year, I was able to get it all into a Needham Woodworks case instead of several little skiff cases. It’s a very different way to explore sound…

No, it is cross strung, which gives a sound I much prefer. Paulello in France also makes straight string, extended compas instruments.

At the lowest end of the piano, the very lowest sub-contra "A" will vibrate at 14 Hz! Humans are practically deaf to sound at 14Hz. This is an overwound string, of course, like all the bass strings. This means that it has significant inharmonicity - more as the overwinding increases to lower the pitch. This is a note that is NOT dominated by its fundamental. But through the magic of our brains, we hear its harmonics and the brain fills in the fundamental. Strange stuff, but its true. And like the top end. Those low harmonics add richness and color to all the normal bass notes. Think about the 2x, 3x, 4x, and 5x harmonics of a 14 Hz note. They are at 28, 42, 56, and 70 Hz! Imagine that, 5 harmonics below 80Hz! That's a lot of color. Add that softly beneath the normal low A at 28 Hz, and you have a richer, fuller A. And it works for all the notes above this A as well. For every note on the standard piano, there is a "turbo" button to add this low octave support. It's quite intoxicating. And while these notes can be played loudly to bring out those harmonics strongly, it is truly magical to play them softly and let them speak "below" the higher note. Of course, all manner of low rumbles, "thunder" and special effects are available. Modern "prepared piano" techniques can use these strings to great effect to generate all manner of metallic and industrial sounding noises. I get that's not useful for the average jazz standard, but it again extends the instrument. So, the frequency extremes are "new" or "unprecedented" for pianos. They are going to be most useful for new music or new approaches to standard repertoire, which I find very exciting and interesting. But there's still lots of people who would disagree with me, and that's ok too. I still love a good Steinway, Bosendorfer, Bechstein, or Fazioli. Hearing Mozart played on a fine Steingraeber & Sohne is a very, very refined and pleasurable experience, even though it is very, very different from what I've chosen.