mildbill Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Five videos from Kurzweil: http://www.youtube.com/user/Kurzweilmusicsystems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Ferris Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I think those people over on Sonik matter can finally get on with they're lives now. I thought the EPs sounded really good. Too bad they didn't demo the thing that people want to hear the most. I don't know about you, but hearing that Mellotron makes me want to put some money down on one right now! Seriously, I'm sure it's going to be a great board. I might get one myself. I heard my friend in a jazz/R&B/Norah Jones kind of bag last night using his PC2X w/ a KC-500..he's a great player and the Kurz sounded great. I think it's more about the player and the music than the tool. It doesn't have to be the "newest" thing for a good player to make music. https://soundcloud.com/dave-ferris https://www.youtube.com/@daveferris2709 2005 NY Steinway D, Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, CP88, P515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Yeah, I thought the EPs sounded the best. The VA1 didn't knock me out but I'm sure it will sound tons better in person. I'd really like to hear the improved KB3 mode + Leslie sim. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 The sound quality of the demos was pretty bad, but even so, the musciality was obvious. The EP's were the most impressive in terms of expressiveness. The VA1 sounded a bit static/non-organic but I would never judge a VA by an on-line demo (or anything else for that matter -- it's just a teaser after all). I noticed a lot of key-switching, expression pedal, mod wheel, and other controller usage in the demo, which is good as a lot of that stuff defaulted to "off" in earlier PC-series boards and/or modules and wasn't always obvious as an option. What little acoustic piano and layered piano was there, did sound better and less boxy to me than the PC2. Akthough even the PC2 piano is musical and usable (especially at a gig) and a far cry above the offerings of the Big Three. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 This kind of demo just goes to show that you can't judge too much from a demo. I liked the EP's and the VA1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Wow! I'm savin' up. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwhite9 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I find this decision interesting: Europeans get the Fatar TP40H (for Heavy) and the US gets the Fatar TP40L (for light). The weight difference is 20 grams per key. Both are weighted piano with spring release. The US versions will feel like the PC1x with the addition of the release spring for quicker action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 This kind of demo just goes to show that you can't judge too much from a demo. My thoughts exactly. I just hope I can find one to play locally when they come out. Its been a problem in the past. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdkey Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Ep's sounded sweet, richwhite; where did you get the info about the key weights and do you or anyone else know what other boards use the tp40H action so I can check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYKeys Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 This is def on my must have for 08 list. Saving up now MY Toys - Kurzweil PC1X, Roland A-90, Yamaha KX88, Yamaha CS1x, Novation 49SL MkII, Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2, JBL PRX615M My Music Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdkey Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Hope the 76 key model moves the picth/mod wheel above the keys could be bye bye to nord, hello kurzweil again. Wonder if this is the same action as used in the nord stage weighted versions as they use Fatar action also, but not sure which model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 He may have gotten the info from me on the other PC3 post, but I was just quoting a Kurzweil rep who posted on the unofficial Kurzweil forum, so he may have directly referenced the same source that I did. Right now I'm debating whether to purchase an ultra-cheap ME-1 as a stop-gap until a PC3r rack comes out, but everything that I've read indicates that you would have to use MIDI filtering (via a MIDI patchbay or something else) as it can't be set up to listen on just one MIDI channel in a multi-module live setup. That's a killer for me, unfortunately. Such a deal for $225! Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwhite9 Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 I went through Sonik Matters a few months ago when I was choosing between a PC3 or a Receptor/StudioLogic system for new toys. Mark's post sent me over there again to catch up. I think the key weight post is relatively new. Page 36 or so. Search on TP40H and you'll find it. I can't help you with any other info than that. I haven't found an official Fatar source on key weight of the TP40L, TO40H or TP40GH (graded hammer VMK series). I can guess the 40 series ranges from 50 grams for the L to 70 grams for the H and that the GH ranges from 70 in the bass end to 50 in the treble end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 I thought the rhodes in the demo sounded pretty good, but it's hard to tell for sure from a demo like that. I hate to be a naysayer, but... one of the weaknesses of the Kurzweil PC-series rhodes sound in the past has been that in the upper two or three octaves, they sounded thin. Since they are still using the same basic rom, as I understand it, how are they going to get around that? I noticed that the guy in the demo stayed away from the upper octaves. And when he did go up there, it was very briefly. So, it was hard to get a sense of the character of the upper octaves. But, I must say, that what I heard in the midrange sounded good! As a gigging piano, I think it weighs too much for my tastes. I wish they could have made it <= 40lbs. Oh, well. Maybe I could use it as a "stays at home most most of the time" instrument. It seems to have some nice musician-friendly features, which has always been a strong point for Kurzweil. Like, the way the operating system handles patch memory, they way sounds don't cut off when you change patches, things like that. I just read on their site about a PC3 feature - you press the Cancel button while moving a controller, and it tells you what that controller is programmed to do in the current patch - excellent! I love player-friendly stuff like that. Looking forward to trying one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 .....I'd really like to hear the improved KB3 mode + Leslie sim..... My thoughts exactly. The improvements, or lack thereof, in this feature represent the deal/no deal issue for me. Interesting that we have two videos of EPs but no KB3/Leslie sim demos. Further, they only briefly played a layered piano, making it difficult to disentangle the actual piano sound from the pad/strings. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 I'm sure that piano and KB3 demos will be coming before long. They probably just haven't finished voicing them yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwhite9 Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 There may not be anything new in the Acoutic Piano and KB3. There's a lot of discussion on the new VAST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Hmmm...I agree that the sound quality of these demos does suck. But even so, when he plays those Rhod.. oops, I mean "EP SOUNDS" (wink, wink) up high, they don't exactly sound authentic; they actually start to sound synthetic or badly modeled. I hope that Kurz can get their gear back in SA or GC, so we can hear them first hand. But I've really gotta ask, why in heaven's name did Kurz post demos with such poor sound quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyoctave Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 The following are some excerpts taken from a personal email that I received from Dave Weiser in early November. He is programming many of the sounds (and the one playing on the video) at Kurzweil. You can read all his informative posts over at Sonicmatter. My questions to him were pertaining to brass and KB3 sounds and fuctions. "There is one brass patch specifically called "power riff" which gives you exactly what you're looking for -octaves on one note. Sounds like the intro to "Squib Cakes" from TOP's Back to Oakland album. Also, there's a version with just saxes..... Also, there will be plenty of setups, with pre-made brass/keys splits specifically designed for the most widely used GB tunes - from EarthWind&Fire to "Oh What a Night" to Marvin Gaye to "Disco Inferno". The PC3's KB3 mode will be light years ahead of the PC2. Yes you can route a dry KB signal to the aux outs............The PC3 will be capable of having a piano or any ROM sound on channel 1 played by the PC3's keys, with a KB3 sound on channel 2 which can be played by some other external controller. Also, the PC3's Leslie Simulator will blow your head off....." Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK-1 + Ventilator, Korg Triton. 2 JBL Eon 510's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 But even so, when he plays those Rhod.. oops, I mean "EP SOUNDS" (wink, wink) up high, they don't exactly sound authentic; they actually start to sound synthetic or badly modeled.Notice how he doesn't go anywhere near the top octave either? The Kurz factory Rhodes have always sounded bad when you get up high - samples stretched WAY too far. A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 You'd think that they'd get it right by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 What was the note range of the original again? Which octave got chopped off; the top or the bottom? In other words, is it fair to expect the high octave to sound as good, if there's nothing "real" to compare it to? Just wondering. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyoctave Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 There is now a stereo sample of the videos on myspace. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=23598407 Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK-1 + Ventilator, Korg Triton. 2 JBL Eon 510's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 What was the note range of the original again? Which octave got chopped off; the top or the bottom? In other words, is it fair to expect the high octave to sound as good, if there's nothing "real" to compare it to? Just wondering. There was an 88-note version of the Rhodes. Klonk here for an interesting refurbishing story. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 I understand your question, but it doesn't really apply in this case. If you listen to those lousy sounding demos, it starts to sound phony even in the octave above middle C, IMHO. (Strictly referring to the EP sounds.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 I was probably more forgiving since I knew the audio quality was bad, so didn't pay particular attention to whether it broke down at a certain range as I wasn't sure I could trust the demo to reflect the source (lots of things can happen at different frequency bands during compression, etc.). I was just reacting to the comment about the upper register without reference to my own listening experiences or the demos, as the comment seemed to be about the PC2 series as much as the upcoming PC3. I no longer have strong memories of my PC2 other than that I liked the clavinets a lot but wasn't happy with the less organic sound of the Rhodes. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Lewis Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 I think those people over on Sonik matter can finally get on with they're lives now. I think it's more about the player and the music than the tool. Dave - two things. Thing 1. That Sonikmatter was completely inflammatory, but hilarious. I love it! (As a SonikMatter user myself, who was sitting in the passenger side of our van driving through western Nebraska the other night in a ridiculous storm browsing the MP forum on my iPhone, then typing like the true geek that I am to find the YouTube videos). Ha ha ha. Thing 2. I snagged your infamous words from said post in my sig line. ivorycj Main stuff: Yamaha CP88 | Korg Kronos 2 73 | Kurzweil Forte 7 | 1898 Steinway I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Lewis Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 There will be a much-improved KB3 section - from what they tell me. ivorycj Main stuff: Yamaha CP88 | Korg Kronos 2 73 | Kurzweil Forte 7 | 1898 Steinway I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megakazbek Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 PC3's Rhodes sounds quite realistic to me, including the upper octaves. A real Rhodes doesn't sound very interesting in upper range either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.