AnotherScott Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 ]very well may buy an electro rack or a ne61 if I can find one cheap enough... Once you leave mini-modules and open the field up to keyboards, you have a bunch of other options. The NE3 is a good choice... another would be the Kurzweil PC361. Personally, I prefer the Nord acoustic pianos and the Kurz EPs, though not everyone agrees. But since your focus is on EP, I think that would certainly be worth checking out, especially if the bargain pricing is still around. Or at a lower price, maybe a Casio PX3, which gives you a weighted action. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB Dave Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Also, considering the ratio, why is everyone debating acoustic piano sounds? :idk D'oh. Honestly, I dunno how I missed that, especially being in all caps and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 If you do consider getting a keyboard instead - do it! If you need EP's and clavs there is really no small module that'll do it. Of course you might want to check an Electro 2 rack, but its pianos are not on par with the new piano library (it also has a small flash memory, around 30 MB IIRC, compared to 185 on an Electro 3). Also no internal reverb in the NE2. The RP-X is nice, but sounds more polite and polished rather than grungy and ballsy like a Nord. I'd suggest a Nord Electro 3 or a Kurzweil PC361 or PC3LE6, or maybe even a Kurz SP4-7. Both Kurz and Nord sound great, but are two completely different animals. The Nord's advantage is the easy and the huge sound library available. Kurz have stock samples, but is probably the most programmable keyboard on the market. EP's and clavs are stellar on both, IMHO. Nord and Kurz acoustic pianos have been debated for years and years... I won't even go there! Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 hmmm... well then maybe the xv2020 + srx12 could be the way to go. If you are putting the eps and clavs in the same class as the NE then at around $500 that seems hard to pass up. The fact that GEM has shut down is pretty much a dealbreaker for me. I keep my gear forever, take good care of it and have a fantastic repair guy that brings anything back to life (as long as the appropriate organs are available for transplant) if I spend 600 on the GEM and it fries, I'm S.O.L. on the other hand that xv2020 could be in my superduperlightweight rig forever. In the editor can I assign drawbars to faders on my m-audio? (as I did with B4 software) that would be nice if I wanted to take it out or leave it at a rehearsal space or something. Organs - any good on the xv2020? (if I were to use them, I wouldn't in the setup I'm buying it for) Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 ]very well may buy an electro rack or a ne61 if I can find one cheap enough... Once you leave mini-modules and open the field up to keyboards, you have a bunch of other options. The NE3 is a good choice... I saw a NE2 61 for 900 whilst shopping GEM RPX at 599 it didn't seem like that big of a jump. I figure I'm destined to have a NE in my collection at some point anyway... but IF I can get a xv2020 + srx12 for a few hundred less, then I'll save my $ for now. Also the supertininess to me has added value for in and out gigs and rehearsals, since I could do a gig in one trip. (maybe 2 if I don't trust the sound guy Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I saw a NE2 61 for 900 whilst shopping GEM RPX at 599 it didn't seem like that big of a jump. The Kurzweil PC361 for $969 at Novamusik is a much better deal than $900 for the NE2. But a 5 pound half-size module serves a different purpose than a 30 lb keyboard. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Organs - any good on the xv2020? No Typical Roland rompler organs The Kurzweil PC361 for $969 at Novamusik is a much better deal than $900 for the NE2. Definitely yes! A PC361 for that kind of money is a really good deal! Beats an Electro 2 in every way, I would say. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis D Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Jeff I don't think there's one SRX just for hammond, but there's certainly one which includes some useful organ sounds. Unfortunately, internal hammond sounds are pretty bad. The best sounds are locked in the SRX cards, so you've got to search for the one that includes at least some useful patches for your needs. I don't know about drawbar assign-you'll have to download the XV2020 manual from the net and check out. As far as portability/built quality: it's light as a feather, and i never had a problem with it, although it had some rough travel times. If you have a decent controller it's the way to go for the money Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 In the editor can I assign drawbars to faders on my m-audio? Are you talking about the XV-2020? There are no drawbar organs in it. I mean, there are organ patches with rompler versions of an assortment of organ sounds, but no ability to alter them on a drawbar-by-drawbar basis, they are not generated that way. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Chimuelo Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 http://666897.r.msn.com/?ld=4v2-Uf7517KsOggrtTLjLinBZcYbK1RVl_X5HvuWNnBqXzwaNpEreUGXrPpVhLfB2ytJsJ7wIwYR980qQ98ZQGyX26t1Lz941ngjq_Z0V4RRA4F6gzGuVsxIwEEIA3xr_QrEx6bHw5JDCSXl7N7EMTEojv6eukKPYp6uCRx1UmtgTE1gCJXG1nQ9TeIKLugPaD2NzytlxusjupJVu42wbpE_f0ILkYD-tqhWUmEozbrgVB7L8-fbBBS3GiTFm5gh3_AIyAyj3vuIE85IqwXgA4daqhA3D6fKc-JDa-pl_ZoCe26VWGKyTTlGORMg4_Iihmg8RCTmeGQ9cToLb11VaaJLU4VqEQJmNzPampcefEBL9QAiREEnMUqBABu2OP3aqhCPHjgBVf9Ezt Really good sounding Creamware synths and B3 Clone. The Leslie has a wierd sound as if it was mic'd too close, but the parameter spread and distance can eliminate that. Magnus C350 and a TV Dinner Tray Stand http://soundcloud.com/you/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Plugiator is a cool module, but the OP wants EPs, clavs and APs... I think the Plugiator is 0-for-3? Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 http://www.americanmusical.com/plugiator Really good sounding Creamware synths and B3 Clone. The Leslie has a wierd sound as if it was mic'd too close, but the parameter spread and distance can eliminate that. I strongly advice to stay away from the Plugiator. I own one myself - it's very good at sounding like a MiniMoog, but the B3 model is a piece of s**t! It's probably the worst sounding clonewheel in the market. It does offer drawbar control via midi, though, if you're interested in that. Also the internal OS and editor software is buggy as hell! Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Plugiator is a cool module, but the OP wants EPs, clavs and APs... I think the Plugiator is 0-for-3?Yes, the plugiator comes with MiniMoog, Wavetable synth, piece-of-shit-clonewheel and a vocoder - that's it, no pianos, ep:s or clavs at all. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The Leslie has a wierd sound as if it was mic'd too close, but the parameter spread and distance can eliminate that. ... the B3 model is a piece of s**t! It's probably the worst sounding clonewheel in the market. It does offer drawbar control via midi, though It might be good through a Ventilator, though...? Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Jeff I don't think there's one SRX just for hammond, but there's certainly one which includes some useful organ sounds. Unfortunately, internal hammond sounds are pretty bad. The best sounds are locked in the SRX cards, so you've got to search for the one that includes at least some useful patches for your needs. I don't know about drawbar assign-you'll have to download the XV2020 manual from the net and check out. The only SRX that contains Hammond samples is the SRX-07 Ultimate Keys board, but those sample is from the old SR-JV80-08 Keyboards of the '60s & '70s expansion card (from the mid '90s), so those samples are hardly any better than what's already in the XV2020. You'll get a broader assortments Hammond samples though. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 ...the B3 model is a piece of s**t! It's probably the worst sounding clonewheel in the market. It does offer drawbar control via midi, though It might be good through a Ventilator, though...? Might be, haven't tried it, but even with no leslie sim the basic clonewheel sound is pretty bad, IMHO - think Klaus Wundelich cheese, not a ballsy Jimmy Smith sound. One more thing to know about the Plugiator is that when it receives expression, CC11, the expression is scaled backwards... so value 127 is interpreted as no volume and value 0 full..! I have no idea why they did it this way, but after mailing Plugiator support, they supplied a reverse switch available in the editor. Now, that would be fine if it was a global parameter, but no... you have to change every single patch (100 patches) if you want the expression to work normally... great..! Anyway - a Plugiator + Ventilator is a considerable amount of $$$. There's probably better choices, like a used Voce V5 + Ventilator. Why are we even discussing this..? I thought this thread was about EP's, clavs and AP's? Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 http://www.peavey.com/news/article.cfm/action/view/id/474/cat/1/article.cfm they got me a room in Compton not being from the States, and never hearing NWA before Glad you lived to tell the tale. I used to work as MD in a church in Compton a few hundred feet from the corner of Crenshaw and Rosecrans. (Listen to Dr Dre and NWA, Ice Cube, Easy E for info on that neighborhood) My first move was to hire my friend joe to play bass. Besides being a phenomenal bassist, he was mexican with cornrows, and a blackbelt who played college football. We carpooled. Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 * the organ inquiry was more out of curiosity than anything. I could always bring my Voce v5+ and H&K Rotosphere, and would probably do so. So the general consensus is that the organs are not of stellar quality on the xv2020... point noted. Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Ah, I see. A V5+ & Rotosphere must be quite a nice combo! Good look on your module hunt! Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis D Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 * the organ inquiry was more out of curiosity than anything. I could always bring my Voce v5+ and H&K Rotosphere, and would probably do so. So the general consensus is that the organs are not of stellar quality on the xv2020... point noted. Yes Since you've got the Voce, bring it. Along with the XV2020+electric piano SRX you'll be fine Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dglavko Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Has anyone heard a pianobox sound module? http://www.amazon.com/PianoBox-General-Midi-Sound-Module/dp/B003JCEDI6 Price is about right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Ah, I see. A V5+ & Rotosphere must be quite a nice combo! Good look on your module hunt! Voce + Holy Grail (verb) + Rotosphere= big beefy sound I think the Voce is a very overlooked piece in the clone world. I think they missed out big time by not putting reverb and a sim on it, but in terms of raw sound, it is a monster. I'm a huge gearhead and collector (as I'm sure many of you are) so i already had a motion sound 145 and the holy grail was cheap. (I got the rotosphere later) Maybe it falls into the same category as the GEM gear, which is high high quality stuff that you just don't see here because music stores only cater to entry level buyers. Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Since you've got the Voce, bring it. Along with the XV2020+electric piano SRX you'll be fine I got outbid on a 2020 today on ebay, put in a bid and then a counter came back and I threw in a buzzerbeater that didn't get in in time. oh well Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charleston Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The Peavey Musebox looks nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Chimuelo Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Never used the Pluggiator, but I can assure you on an XITE-1 the B3 Clone is better than the hardware I tried, but I also had a PRO3t I demo all hardware and software with. The Logic EVB and B2003 were the most verstaile and had exceptional routing, sound and foot free control.I do use the expressiond pedal but since it's audiorate modulation I stomp on it and then pull it back. The speed and destination of the drawbars only needs a trigger not contstant foot control. THe only thing that sounds like the a B3/C3 is the B3 or C3 with a 147, so anything after that is personal preferrence, I just happen to like full Overdrive straight or a dynamic control of the drawbars and rotary speed. Sorry I thought I read the OP needed an Piano and ep's, then an Organ. The Pluggiator must have crap converters or the typical German Presets which do sound awful. Their John Lord Preset is truly weak, but you can easily get great Hammond tones with Scope assuming you get a used card or have 4 large to drop on their racks. But then the Modualr can re create any electro mechanical instrument just by using the 13 years worth of patches which you can tweak than add audiorate modulations too, to avoid that last century 0-128 MIDI spec. The Peavey Muse sounds like you could get it all depnding if you like that NI B4.' I wish it had a battery that would be a deal breaker for me. Take into the tunnels at Hoover damn and get 480L reverb naturally. Magnus C350 and a TV Dinner Tray Stand http://soundcloud.com/you/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Trust me, the Plugiator organ doesn't sound good anyway you tweak it - I'm no newbie at sound programming. The presets are really awful, my sounds are better, but it still won't take you into Jimmy Smith or Jon Lord territory. All other clones I've had were miles better. I don't think the converters are the problem either - the MiniMoog sounds really good! I did an A/B test with a friend's Moog Little Phatty and it stood up to the LP pretty good. The OP has a a V5+ and Rotosphere combo already - a Plugiator will not sound as good, I'm sure. Anyway - I agree with previous poster - if you can afford it a Peavey MuseBox might be the holy grail for what you want. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff7b9 Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Pulled the trigger. Got xv5050 and the SRX12 card for $530 total. I think it should fit my needs. and I could always pop another expansion card if I want to juice up the pianos. (not my top priority currently) I would have liked the tiny tiny xv2020 too, but got the 5050 in the same price range (was outbid in an attempt at a 2020, didn't feel like dealing with anymore of that nonsense and did a buy it now on the 5050) - I think, sounds being the same, since I imagine I'll live on the srx bank, that the interface with user programable "favorites" will make life quite easy and I don't think that was possible on the xv2020. Had a talk with my repair guy about the GEM, which confirmed my conclusion that if something fries on the rpx, it is DEAD. if something goes on the roland, even years down the line, they will either have the part or can give out the schematics/component part number.... so it may out live me. I don't sell or trade gear very often, almost never, so longevity is very crucial to me. Anyway thanks for the advice, it was a big help in making my decision. I'll probably bump with a review once it gets here. Toys: Hammond SK1, Yamaha Motif ES6, Voce V5+, Virus ti 61, Mason & Hamlin upright, Everett upright, Hammond M3, Korg CX3 analog, Motion Sound Pro145, QSC K10, H&K Rotosphere.. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 At least on the 5050 you can actual read patch names on a display instead of just a number like on the 2020, so that's a plus. Though as you say, it no longer falls into the "tiny" category, and if you opened up the field to include full-width rack modules, there could have been some other possibilities as well. Still, you'll probably be happy with the 5050, enjoy! Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 The XV5050 is surely a nice module - congrats! Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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