stoken6 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Also Nord HPs, Numa something, Studiologic Acuna. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikismyname Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Been a bit put off my reviews on the TP100 keys. I'll wait a year or two for a PC4 , hop fully with the same dimensions with big screen and new sounds or get the Forte 7 then. Quote Nord Stage 2 HA76 | Roland FA-06 Gretsch G5420s I H&K Statesman | Strymon Flint | Catalinbread SCP | Source Audio Nemesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikismyname Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I've actually got some pretty decent sax and brass sounds out of the Nord recently and some of the strings are now usable now I e tweaked them so I'm not desperate or anything , but I do miss the warmer sound of the Kurzweils and excellent orchestral. Quote Nord Stage 2 HA76 | Roland FA-06 Gretsch G5420s I H&K Statesman | Strymon Flint | Catalinbread SCP | Source Audio Nemesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Ingram Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Don't understand the hate for the TP100s... I absolutely love it on my SP4super, super nice for AP and EP playing, and pretty awesome for everything else (even clavs, B3s, & even orchestral tones). Try it out for yourself before reserving feelings about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 Well, you certainly don't need a great action to coax the measly three dynamic levels out of the Triple Strike sample. I can't imagine playing organ on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Weiser Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Been a bit put off my reviews on the TP100 keys. I'll wait a year or two for a PC4 , hop fully with the same dimensions with big screen and new sounds or get the Forte 7 then. The Forte is being transformed into that mythic "PC4" via software updates. Full synth and fX editing have been confirmed and I'll bet we can see more goodies coming in the future that haven't yet been announced. I'm not crazy about the TP100 myself. But I got used to it after about a month or so when I was at Kurzweil. I consider its strong points to be lower cost and reduced weight - and those are important items since the action is both the heaviest and mostly costly component in any keyboard. Most players prefer TP40L and for my programming work for big rock acts and Broadway I definitely prefer the TP40. But I think the TP100 strikes a good balance when it comes to reducing cost and weight with only a modest drop in quality of feel. Quote https://www.theboywhowantedtorock.com http://www.weisersound.com https://www.facebook.com/weisersound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Ingram Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Been a bit put off my reviews on the TP100 keys. I'll wait a year or two for a PC4 , hop fully with the same dimensions with big screen and new sounds or get the Forte 7 then. The Forte is being transformed into that mythic "PC4" via software updates. Full synth and fX editing have been confirmed and I'll bet we can see more goodies coming in the future that haven't yet been announced. I consider its strong points to be lower cost and reduced weight - and those are important items since the action is both the heaviest and mostly costly component in any keyboard. Most players prefer TP40L and for my programming work for big rock acts and Broadway I definitely prefer the TP40. But I think the TP100 strikes a good balance when it comes to reducing cost and weight with only a modest drop in quality of feel. +1 I can't wait to see what else is in store for the ForteI don't think anyone could have predicted half of the things that have been added just by the OS updates. PS - Rikismyname, I don't think it's fair to compare the TP100 to the TP40 as "all-rounder" actions. The TP100 will always come up "short" in that regard, since the TP40 is basically the best for this when compared to any keyboard most have tried. Still, when it comes to cost/weight, it really has it's place there to shine in the lineup. Give both a shot and see what will work better for your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikismyname Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Thanks for that, I will try and find a keyboard with that action to try first then. I really like the action on the Yamaha CP4 , Kurzweil pc3x and Kronos 2, hated the action on Yamaha MOXF8 and Roland FA-08, the action on the Nord is somewhere between these. Quote Nord Stage 2 HA76 | Roland FA-06 Gretsch G5420s I H&K Statesman | Strymon Flint | Catalinbread SCP | Source Audio Nemesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I've played a number of boards with the TP100 action, and I wonder about how much difference in feel there may actually be among different boards that use it. Whether it's because of how the action mounts to the chassis, or different subtle variations that may have been made to the design over the years, or how a board's velocity response is tailored to the sound generator, or who knows what, I don't think they necessarily all feel identical. It's hard for me to be sure, because I"ve never had the opportunity to play two different ones side by side, and memory can be a tricky thing. But my subjective impressions at the time were that, while none of them had actions I thought were really good, they varied in how passable they were. Quote 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...
Rusty Mike Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Like you, Scott, I can't tell distinctly if there is a feel difference between implementations of the TP100, but I am a bit suspect. One of things that is apparent to me is that the TP100 on the Kurzweil keyboards plays better than the Nord do, but I have a feeling it's more about the sound architecture and programming. There just seems to be a better connection, making the Kurzweils more playable.I've played the SP4-8 and the Artis in stores, and find them very enjoyable to play. The interesting twist in the Forte SE is the addition of after touch to the TP100. I wonder how that will affect the feel of the keys as they bottom out. I'm also very curious about the price point. But I really wish they were a few pounds lighter. I'm spoiled by my Electro 3HP's weight. Quote . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonbass32 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I briefly owned the nord electro 5hp. Purchased it partially because I thought the TP100 in the kurzweil artis played just fine. When the nord arrived my first thought after about 2 seconds was that this feels nothing like the Artis action. It felt much more heavier and sluggish IMO. Just to be sure I went back to the piano store and played the Artis for about 30 minutes, returned home and immediately played the electro 5hp. My opinion was more than confirmed. Returned the electro hp and got a stage 2 76. Shame because the electro 5 sounds outstanding and I would have preferred it to the stage due to its simplicity and weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Weiser Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I briefly owned the nord electro 5hp. Purchased it partially because I thought the TP100 in the kurzweil artis played just fine. When the nord arrived my first thought after about 2 seconds was that this feels nothing like the Artis action. It felt much more heavier and sluggish IMO. Just to be sure I went back to the piano store and played the Artis for about 30 minutes, returned home and immediately played the electro 5hp. My opinion was more than confirmed. Returned the electro hp and got a stage 2 76. Shame because the electro 5 sounds outstanding and I would have preferred it to the stage due to its simplicity and weight. I've totally experienced this very issue many times. The TP100 used in the Electro and in the Artis is the same action. But... the way an action is mounted in an enclosure can have a HUGE impact on the playing experience. A few mm of depth, types and placement of support brackets and even the slightest tiniest angle are all multiplied out 100x when perceived through a player's hands. Also, the Kurz boards have detailed velocity maps that are a huge pain in the *ss to create. Much of the mapping work is done by some poor slob in a sound room over the course of hundreds of hours, the rest is done with very smart software tools. (I was that poor slob at Kurzweil for many years.) I imagine there's probably some kind of velocity mapping in the Nord as raw MIDI data from a TP100 is a bit crazy. Quote https://www.theboywhowantedtorock.com http://www.weisersound.com https://www.facebook.com/weisersound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Of all the boards with TP100 I've played, I thought it felt the best in the Arturia KeyLab 88. I suspect this is because of the aftertouch. Worst: Nord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer65 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 It is an open secret in the Nord forums that the velocitiy mappings have still room for improvement. I also don't know if you can tweak it or extend the range using a triple sensor midi controller. Quote One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. - Bob Marley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Forte SE has only 256 factory programs and 100 factory multis. This is less then Forte and a huge difference with the PC3 series (1000+ programs) Probably the Forte SE will have all the wave forms of PC3 + Kore 64 so importing PC3 programs should be feasable. But why the hassle? - Is it to focus on the best and newer sounds (especially piano, ep, organs, etc) and leave the older sounds behind like Kurzweil Strings and orchestral ROMs - Is it to impove user experience and prevent the navigation menus from being too long? - Is it to push players to be more creative and make their own user programs with the existing sample material? Do you think it is an issue? The user memory of Forte SE would be too small to import all programs from PC3 and Kore 64 at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipogrito Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Hi, Forte SE has 1024 user slots. You can load PC3-family programs into it because yes, it has all the PC3 and KORE64 samples. It comes with 256 factory programs but there's space for 1024. The empty slots in the factory area are reserved for future updates. Regards, Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Is it to impove user experience and prevent the navigation menus from being too long? I think part of it is to create a simpler navigational interface, and also, a way to differentiate lower cost boards from higher cost ones. Interestingly, at least in the Artis, if I understand correctly, you actually can "load in" more PC3 sounds than can be accessed from the board's own interface, using the Soundtower editor. You then can have a greater library of sounds, if you invoke them externally (i.e. send the appropriate Program Change command from another board, DAW, iPad, etc.). Quote 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...
voxpops Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 From the quick start guide: FlashPlay technology with support for 2GB of Sound ROM High Definition Japanese Grand Piano and High Definition Electric Piano ROM sounds included from Kurzweils acclaimed PC3 series, KORE64 expansion, and German D Grand EXP Grand Piano expansion New Piano String Resonance Simulation Full KB3 organ simulations with 9 sliders as drawbars 8 Zone MIDI Controller Space for 1024 Factory and 1024 User Programs and Multis (16 Categories of Programs) Arpeggiator with dedicated On/Off button (1 per Program, up to 8 in Multi Mode) MP3 player audio input jack Full 128 voices of polyphony Hundreds of Effects Chains So, one hi-def piano, and (presumably) one hi-def EP, plus the 128MB German D from the Artis. Not bad, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoochie Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 The Artis German grand is very well done for its size. I ended up using the Japanese grand for everything though. It's way better than the CFX in the CP4 in my opinion. Just beautiful. The ep's, clav's, and such are likely loosing layers. Some of the new orchestral bells too. But, I think judging from the past whatever they do to cut back on sample size is still going to leave top notch sounds. I'm just super jazzed as a Forte owner seeing the new flagship blooming before my eyes with these big upgrades. I was really feeling the hurt with SoundTower and not being able to edit much of anything except midi manipulation of presets basically. This is huge for me. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Forte SE user manual published on the Kurzweil website! Now we can have a better look at all the goodies inside (also full programs, multis and effects lists). http://kurzweil.com/product/forte-se/downloads/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Coda Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 The Artis German grand is very well done for its size. I ended up using the Japanese grand for everything though. It's way better than the CFX in the CP4 in my opinion. Just beautiful. The ep's, clav's, and such are likely loosing layers. Some of the new orchestral bells too. But, I think judging from the past whatever they do to cut back on sample size is still going to leave top notch sounds. I'm just super jazzed as a Forte owner seeing the new flagship blooming before my eyes with these big upgrades. I was really feeling the hurt with SoundTower and not being able to edit much of anything except midi manipulation of presets basically. This is huge for me. John No one mentioned before, but I guess there are possibly more reductions in a SE model and compared to a Forte/ Forte 7,- not only less samples and/or less layers of samples. I wonder if KB3 will have it´s own polyphony and if there will be the same FX architecture possible in the SE which both, in a Forte/ Forte 7, are based on more DSP power (compared to a PC3(K) model). So I wonder what the real DSP horsepower of a SE is and compared to Forte/Forte 7. Do we have same number of DSPs inside a Forte SE ? A.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Apparently the Forte SE is now available in stores. Anyone had the chance to try it out yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahutnick Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 What stores have it in stock? KB3 does not have it's own polyphony on the Forte SE and I believe the amount of EFX that can be used in the Forte SE is less than the Forte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBous Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Interesting. In going through the manual it allows you to create keymaps and edit samples. So maybe not a big stretch to allow loading new samples in a future release? Looking forward to beta testing the new OS when available for the Forte..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahutnick Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Full Compass has the Forte SE listed as being available for pre-order and supposedly shipping sometime this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 This music shop in The Netherlands have it in stock http://www.bax-shop.nl/stage-piano/kurzweil-forte-se-stage-piano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Kurzweil Music Systems has announced the release of v2.00 for the FORTE SE. They say that this free, user-installable software update expands the FORTE SE's capabilities to the next level. New Feature highlights: Load 188 MB of user sample content Double the FX horsepower (now offering 32 FX units) 256 new Programs plus over 80 new Multis, including selected classic sounds from K2 and PC3 series. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoochie Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Wow. That's pretty cool. Some further thoughts on the action. Kurzweil spends a lot of time on the velocity aspect of each program. It shows in the relative feel of each category of Instrument. It's not just "Here is a velocity midi keyboard. Here is a module inside the keyboard. Here is light , medium, and heavy velocity curves. Pick one. Go" John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 With all the latest features the Forte SE is really becoming a tempting choice, but unfortunately it still uses the old interface and has limited memory compared to the Forte. I really wish Kurzweil would build their next flagship with the SE form factor (in size/weight) but with the internals of the Forte. Would you like to see that happen? Or will the flagships stick with mod and pitch besides the keybed instead of on top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipogrito Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Willem, for you we have the Forte 7 http://kurzweil.com/product/forte7/ Regards, Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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