Kurzweil Forte

[ADino]

I ran into the Forte today. Ive heard K is coming out w/a new piece, so I was a bit surprised.

Put together very well, a lot of sounds. The action feels the same yet much better then previous models. Most interesting were the AP's, there r quite a few of them. 9 Ftrs,7 Ftrs, bright, vintage, uprights, Artis piano, pads etc. Im really not going to get into the sound list. Too much there...The salesman told me the piano's are 16GB, which is impressive. All of the piano sounds r different and distinct from one another. The number of rhodes is great, lots of Wurli's including Mr.Ray. Clavs were also impressive, a few Stevie's, Herbie Headhunters..Wah was controlled by the mod wheel although I was "told" u could do that w/a pedal. Organs, only tried 2, were pretty realistic. Can see drawbars on the very nice display.

 

I def think it warrants another try. I enjoyed the piece quite abit. Price was marked for holiday, so I cannot give an actual on that. Weight is around 48, so its def not a lightweight.

 

I few of my friends are Kurz players, so Im sure they will be thrilled. All in all, a very good playing experience that I thought Id share. Def going to try it again.

 

If they put it in a module, I wouldve bought it today..

[Dave Weiser]

Glad you dug it!

 

If you plug the expression pedal into the CC2 pedal jack the wah will "just work" on EPs and clavs.

 

Total memory for the new large samples is 16GB: Yamaha and Steinway pianos, Rhodes 77, 73, Wurly, Clav (both pickups) and harpsi. Plus it's got the sample set from the PC3, the KORE64 option and the Artis 128MB piano as well.

 

Feel free to hit me with any questions. I worked on the Forte - it was the most fun I've ever had on a keyboard project.

 

 

[ADino]

Thanks Dave, by the way, you know the salesguy, Brents in Ft Myers.., great dude and a helluva nice guy. When I walked in he literally dragged me straight to it.

 

The Vintage piano reminded me a bit of the early Bluenote tone.

Very realistic difference in the 9 and 7 Fters too.

Nice job, very impressive.

[TechEverlasting]

If they put it in a module, I wouldve bought it today..

 

I would definitely buy a rack mount version of the Forte. Of course, there is no longer a market for rack mountable synth modules.

 

(I'm glad no one told Roland that.)

[ADino]

If they put it in a module, I wouldve bought it today..

 

I would definitely buy a rack mount version of the Forte. Of course, there is no longer a market for rack mountable synth modules.

 

(I'm glad no one told Roland that.)

 

I still use a module, a number of players I know do also.

Roland needs to put the V piano's into Integra to get me to bite on that one, especially at 2 G's. The Forte's piano's are that good. A Kurz module w/Forte's sounds would probably go for about the same.

[MorayM]

I do like my racks (you can fit more racks than boards in the same space!), but I wouldn't buy one for pianos and EPs where the finger-to-ear connection is important. I'd rather have a board where the sounds have been matched to the action. For synths and orchestral sounds though, pile 'em up!

[ElmerJFudd]

Thanks for the play by play on the Forte. I'm itching to play one myself, it looks on par with any of the best player's boards available right now, and not surprisingly has the price to match. The extra $500 over a PC3k8 gets you that SSD with the 16gb of samples and a new UI. Probably about right. Most comparable to the Kronos I figure, minus the DAW features. Would love to set them side by side and play for a few hours.

[Delaware Dave]

check these out:

 

 

 

 

[ADino]

I do like my racks (you can fit more racks than boards in the same space!), but I wouldn't buy one for pianos and EPs where the finger-to-ear connection is important. I'd rather have a board where the sounds have been matched to the action. For synths and orchestral sounds though, pile 'em up!

 

The thing I liked about the Forte is the action worked w/the different tones I tried. AP, Rhodes, Clav wa..It didnt matter, it simply worked.

[Al Coda]

The thing I liked about the Forte is the action worked w/the different tones I tried. AP, Rhodes, Clav wa..It didnt matter, it simply worked.

 

I think it´s interesting to watch what´s possible w/ the MULTIs too.

 

[video:youtube]

 

A.C.

 

[Dave Weiser]

I do like my racks (you can fit more racks than boards in the same space!), but I wouldn't buy one for pianos and EPs where the finger-to-ear connection is important. I'd rather have a board where the sounds have been matched to the action. For synths and orchestral sounds though, pile 'em up!

 

The thing I liked about the Forte is the action worked w/the different tones I tried. AP, Rhodes, Clav wa..It didnt matter, it simply worked.

 

Glad to hear it.

Speaking for the Forte presets I made (EPs, Clavs a few pianos), I spent about 20 hours per program on *just* the velocity response. I think the other sound designers spent about as much time on theirs as well. By the end of it my wife was a sick of hearing Forte sounds blasting out of my sound room, but I was quite happy with the how things felt.

[Kenny Ingram]

Holy crap! THERE is dedication. Selling two in one week and it's beginning to pay off, eh?

 

I can't wait to try this beast out, now. Next time I'm in the states I will. I'm sure they'll have imported a dozen or so of them to Canada by the time the Singularity happens. [facepalm]

[Dave Ferris]

Impressive keyboard, can't wait to try one.

 

Although for what youtube videos are worth (not always a heck of a lot), and what I've heard/seen, I prefer the tone of the Nord, CP4 , RD800 and MP11 APs to those on the Forte.

The Kurz APs to me sounds a bit muffled in comparison - specifically to the Nord and CP4.

 

This of course is no way conclusive how the Forte will fare live, in different musical contexts. There are way too many variables to consider that don't come through on a video- especially when someone is playing it solo. The only thing you can come away with is a general idea of the tone.

 

Also the player/touch connection in an ensemble, something I really didn't have with the Nord pianos on all styles, can change dramatically when you're out on the gig.

 

Still looking for the perfect AP substitute, when in reality there isn't such a thing. I keep telling myself to let it go, they all *are what they are*, but for some inexplicable reason I don't even understand myself, I seem to keep looking for the least compromising ax in regards to tone and touch.

[Brettymike]

It's bristling with gorgeous sounds , listen to "Dark and Distant" for a start - Beautiful >

 

Brett

[ITGITC]

but for some inexplicable reason I don't even understand myself...

 

I'm right there with ya, Dave.

 

I've been working on this forever, it seems.

 

And I've paid some of the best in the business for their help.

 

Yet still...

 

I believe in Santa Claus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rickzjamm]

Yup Dave, youtube videos are the pitt's for giving the true authentic experience, we always have to take them with a large grain of salt. Knowing DW the Forte is a force of nature with amazing AP's & EP's (I bet even his wife is glad to see this gem on market ;0) ).

[burningbusch]

check these out:

 

 

 

 

Interesting comparisons. In the first video I like the sound of the Forte AP a lot. I prefer it to the Kronos played. The Motif sounds wretched in comparison to the other two. It screams ROMpler AP. Listen to the low held notes at 3:14. He holds the Motif extra long so you can hear the loop and poor decay.

 

In the Rhodes compare again the Motif is clearly the weakest to my ears. It just doesn't sound like a real Rhodes. Listen to 4:43 where the static loops and artificial decay are clearly audible. The Kronos and Forte Rhodes are EQed very differently. One thing about both the Forte Rhodes and Wurly is that they are EQed with a strong mid-range and virtually no bass. I suspect the other presets show a wider range of sonic possibilities with the Forte EPs. If the demonstrator had done a few simple soft repeats to loud for a variety of notes on the Rhodes, you would have heard that the Motif is super jumpy while the other two sound natural. I prefer the Kronos phaser to the other two as it sounds like a stomp box phaser while the other two sound generic.

 

I actually like the tone of the Motif Wurly best, I suppose because it has that classic 200 sound. I know you can get that from the Kronos when EQed in such a way and likely is the same with the Forte.

 

The Forte sounds clearly best with the stereo harpsichord. The Kronos is done with the string modeling engine. The Motif sounds ridiculous.

 

Organs between the Forte and Kronos sound competitive. Again the Motif is outclassed.

 

The Kurzweil ensemble strings have always been a strong. With the Kronos2, it will have MUCH better strings and brass than is being showcased in the demo. The Yamaha, again, a lot of work needs to be done to catch up.

 

The Forte sounds really good throughout. I definitely want to hear more of it. I know the Motif is in a different price range than the other two, but as that recent compare video between the Moxf8 and the Motif XF showed, there is no sonic difference between the flagship and the mid-range model. Everything coming out of the Motifs scream ROMpler.

 

In the Piano Chuck video I preferred the sound of the Kronos AP as it sounded more detailed, but it's not a strong preference.

 

Busch.

 

[arX]

^ I always enjoy your critical analyses, Busch. Thanks.

[analogholic]

^ I always enjoy your critical analyses, Busch. Thanks.

 

+1

[Dave Weiser]

check these out:

 

 

 

 

Interesting comparisons. In the first video I like the sound of the Forte AP a lot. I prefer it to the Kronos played. The Motif sounds wretched in comparison to the other two. It screams ROMpler AP. Listen to the low held notes at 3:14. He holds the Motif extra long so you can hear the loop and poor decay.

 

In the Rhodes compare again the Motif is clearly the weakest to my ears. It just doesn't sound like a real Rhodes. Listen to 4:43 where the static loops and artificial decay are clearly audible. The Kronos and Forte Rhodes are EQed very differently. One thing about both the Forte Rhodes and Wurly is that they are EQed with a strong mid-range and virtually no bass. I suspect the other presets show a wider range of sonic possibilities with the Forte EPs. If the demonstrator had done a few simple soft repeats to loud for a variety of notes on the Rhodes, you would have heard that the Motif is super jumpy while the other two sound natural. I prefer the Kronos phaser to the other two as it sounds like a stomp box phaser while the other two sound generic.

 

I actually like the tone of the Motif Wurly best, I suppose because it has that classic 200 sound. I know you can get that from the Kronos when EQed in such a way and likely is the same with the Forte.

 

The Forte sounds clearly best with the stereo harpsichord. The Kronos is done with the string modeling engine. The Motif sounds ridiculous.

 

Organs between the Forte and Kronos sound competitive. Again the Motif is outclassed.

 

The Kurzweil ensemble strings have always been a strong. With the Kronos2, it will have MUCH better strings and brass than is being showcased in the demo. The Yamaha, again, a lot of work needs to be done to catch up.

 

The Forte sounds really good throughout. I definitely want to hear more of it. I know the Motif is in a different price range than the other two, but as that recent compare video between the Moxf8 and the Motif XF showed, there is no sonic difference between the flagship and the mid-range model. Everything coming out of the Motifs scream ROMpler.

 

In the Piano Chuck video I preferred the sound of the Kronos AP as it sounded more detailed, but it's not a strong preference.

 

Busch.

 

Spot on as usual BB.

 

While videos like this (the first one) are fun, boards like the Kronos and Forte are often short-changed by such comparisons... because the comparisons use just one of each type of preset. One of the main strengths of boards like the Kronos and Forte is the *variety* among the Rhodes, Wurlies, Pianos, etc.

 

I've spent a bit of time with the Kronos and of course I know the Kurz... both have a good amount of EPs, AC pianos and Clavs that all sound really nice, and really different. I think videos like this can be most helpful when taken in conjunction with the collections of demos from Korg/Kurzweil that show off this variety.

 

[Michiel]

played one last week briefly.

 

Very, very nice. I think the effects / rhodes are better than the nord piano

[rickzjamm]

DW

+

 

[DaBous]

While videos like this (the first one) are fun, boards like the Kronos and Forte are often short-changed by such comparisons... because the comparisons use just one of each type of preset. One of the main strengths of boards like the Kronos and Forte is the *variety* among the Rhodes, Wurlies, Pianos, etc.

 

This is completely true. There is a ton of variety in the patches, both for EP and AP. Especially for stage use. I have never used the base piano on the Forte for stage. I always use "Bright 9 ft Grand" - which cuts through a mix amazing well for solos, or "Punchy Edge" piano when piano is the driving instrument. These sound very different from the base piano sounds they use on these videos.

 

I appreciate the fact that people take the time to make these comparison videos and they are a place to start, but you really need to get your hands on them to know if they are for you. Too bad more stores don't stock the high end stuff.

 

Many online stores do have a liberal 30 day ( or longer ) no questions asked return policy in case a board isn't what you expected.

 

[ADino]

 

Check out Hannah Holbrook performing

Tango on A Tightrope.

 

Actually, its worth it to check out all the Forte vids in this reel, lot of different styles.

Ive tried this 5 times now. Really nice.

[ITGITC]

I actually like the tone of the Motif Wurly best, I suppose because it has that classic 200 sound. I know you can get that from the Kronos when EQed in such a way and likely is the same with the Forte.

 

Having an easily accessible EQ available on the board makes a huge difference in dialing in the sound I want.

 

This, plus having (easily accessible) alternate velocity curves, are more important than I realized.

 

Of course this is true at the gig in a new room, but these controls also offer a great deal of sound-shaping when listening through my studio monitors or headphones.

 

This may be obvious to many here. However, before we pass judgement on a particular board, it's important to change up these parameters to see how much difference this will ultimately make in our opinions.