OK....Pleez Don't BASH....but.....best 88 key Rompler..?

[surreal mccoy]

I used to post here quite a bit back a few years ago...and although I still play keys professionally, I went into other directions (personally)...(I did have the pleasure of meeting Dave Bryce at NAMM in hall E a few years back).

 

I'm currently using a Roland RD-700 and B4/ laptop via a 61 note Oxygen controller in a Praise & Worship band. We're looking to upgrade the Roland for better Pianos, Strings, Horns, Synths etc.

 

What are the best sound options?

 

Roland RD-700GX, Yamaha S90ES, Kurzweil PC3....Clavia..?

 

I'm a Jazz pianist that's been out of the loop from the digital key world for awhile.......PLEEZ HELP...?

 

I'm going to NAMM next week........so I'd like to check out the top/ best contenders..

 

THANX........

 

PS......should I look into more soft synth options..? (East/West)?

[Aidan]

The RD700GX is a fine piano (I have one myself) but from what I gather the other voices aren't really much better than its predecessor, the SX. I've never played the S90ES but it has quite a few fans here. I do have a Motif XS - in my case the 76 unweighted variant - which does pretty much all of the above very well. The Roland Phantom X8 is the comparable model from that range. Forget Clavia - won't give you horns and strings you require. Kurz PC3X also has many fans here but again I've not had the opportunity to try one.

 

I'd say it was between the Kurz and either S90ES or Motif XS8, myself.

[Outkaster]

Yamaha S-90 or ES

[MoodyBluesKeys]

The crew from Kurzweil R&D will be there on the second floor. Check out the PC3 series and talk with the guys who are still making changes to the software (working on one now to make the Leslie emulation sound better on hi speed)

[RABid]

For just piano and ep, the Roland RD700GX. If you want more sounds and don't need a sequencer the Yamaha S90ES. I have the RD700SX and the S90ES. While I like the overall sounds of the S90ES better I like the piano on the RD better and it stacks better in a rig.

[Bill H.]

Hey Surreal I remember you! Long time...

 

There are a lot of variables here that you didn't mention, in particular budget and portability. But here's my picks of what I would be considering if I were shopping for my P&W band and needed a soundset beyond pianos and occasional strings:

 

Yamaha S90ES

Kurzweil PC3

Korg M50 88

 

So... the S90ES and PC3 both have old types of small displays that make navigation a bit more of a job.

 

I haven't played the PC3 yet but I hear it has the old PC2 triple-strike piano wavesets. That would not be my personal favorite for a gigging piano, but others like it. Maybe you.

 

When you are at NAMM I think there's a good chance you will see a new S90XS. But even if you do, production will be a few months off. As you know, you will not be able to just buy one.

 

I'm personally quite drawn to the M50 88 but that's largely because of it's portability. It's by far the easiest to move of the bunch. The sounds are all there too though, including compared to Yamaha much better choirs and vox pads (which is important to me in my P&W band anyway). Don't know about Kurzweil. It's significantly less money too.

 

As you know, you will not get even a ghost of a chance to really audition anything at NAMM. Instead, go to a well stocked showroom on a weekday if you want any shot at some serious comparisons.

[surreal mccoy]

Thanks guys.......I appreciate......

 

Our sound man originally pointed me to the Muse Receptor. While this very well may be the best option, I had concerns with live perfromance usage.

My brief understanding is that voices are a bit slow loading unless you pre load up to 16 voices into a mixer section (for instant recall). In order to achieve this, I'd assume you'd need to purchase a rather sophisticated MIDI controller in addition to the @ $2500 (not sure of this price) Muse...?

While I wasn't given an exact budget to work with, I'm thinking @ $2500 total.

 

I should have also mentioned that I own one of the original Yamaha S90's and I used to own a Kurzweil PC2r. So I'm quite familiar with those voices.

While the Kurz voices often sounded truer or more realistic via headphones, the Yamaha always cut thru and projected better onstage.

That's one of the reasons I was curious as to the upgrades/ differences between the older units I've used and the newer S90ES & PC3...?

 

So without completely hijacking my own thread......

 

Would I be better off looking into East/ West for strings/ horns?

What kind of laptop memory would this require? Is this a practical solution for onstage use?

Once again.....I'm not looking for recording purposes.....only onstage live performance within the overall band mix.

The Roland RD700 I currently use has "tired" sounding strings and really "clunky" sounding horn voices......so I'm sure at this point......anything might be an improvement.....

 

Although we also have a Yamaha grand onstage, occasionally the pianist/ singer likes to get up from the piano.......so if I could occasionally cover the piano from my setup.....this would be a +........

 

One of the other reasons I started this off looking for "the best 88 key rompler".......is because I constantly use a strong vocabulary of B & B synth pads, etc.

 

I guess I don't have to married to the "88 key" concept if there are better/ more options. Someone on another forum mentioned the Tyros for the "best" voices.....