I hope Kurzweil prospers....

[Sundown]

...because I really want to see what a PC4 / K3000 might be like...

 

Every time I play my PC361 I'm blown away with the programmability and the customization. There's almost nothing that you can't change or modify on the instrument, and they have incredible attention to detail.

 

An overhaul of VAST (new sample library, new algorithms, etc.) could really be wonderful.

 

P.S. I have no connection to the company, financial or otherwise.

[aronnelson]

I just think they need a UI overhaul - VAST is already powerful enough. Yes, new samples would add tremendously. Bump up the polyphony to 256 and it will be a monster.

I loved my PC361. Was sad to see it go, but the airlines took care of that.

[allan_evett]

You might want to check out out what Kurzweil has been doing with the Forte / Forte 7 lately....

[aronnelson]

The Forte etc.. looks good, but it is not like the PC3 series.

[ahutnick]

Really liking my Forte it just had a major OS update with more new features planned.The acoustic pianos,Rhodes,Wurlitzer,Clav and Harpsichords on the Forte are IMHO much better than the PC3 versions

[Analogaddict]

The Forte etc.. looks good, but it is not like the PC3 series.

 

Not yet, but they're adding more features all the time. I swear by my PC3K7 (have two of them) but the Forte is closing in... Just wait for the 16 GB Kontakt compatible sample expansion.

[lekanout]

The forte has all the pc361 in it except the sequencer,but more dsp power,more samples,a better ui....

I can't see where the pc361 keep something more(the pc3k has sample import)

To resume:

Exept sample import,the forte is the flagship.

[Dave Weiser]

And hopefully the ability to load user samples is coming.

 

It was a smart move on Kurzweil's part to get the new hardware platform up and running with the simpler stage piano architecture. Now that the Forte is stable, they've been adding more and more workstation features (like full VAST and FX editing editing), and also several features not found on previous Kurz boards like string res, half pedaling, twice the fx and polyphony-free KB3.

 

BTW VAST on the new screen is lovely.

 

 

[humannoyed]

I too hope Kurzweil prospers and continues to innovate!

 

I have dreamed up a product that Kurzweil could do better than anyone, based mostly on R and D already done. I think it would be a must-have for most of us gigging with more one keyboard. I don't want to divulge here if it could mean it's instant death of ever happening.

I really need to write up my idea and send it to someone at Kurzweil...

[analogholic]

And the ability to load user samples is coming.

 

 

When man....when?

[Dave Weiser]

And the ability to load user samples is coming.

 

 

When man....when?

 

I added "hopefully" to my post.

[Delaware Dave]

"... and polyphony-free KB3.."

Here's what's missing on the Forte, a hammond/leslie that is dual manual capable and on par w/ the SK1.

[hardware]

Blofeld module has sampling options, no reason for proprietary only these days.

 

FWIW I became addicted to ribbon controllers on a CS80.

For years I saw nothing.

Then came the Kurzweil Expressionmate.

Not the cheesey recent one, the old controller module triple zone.

 

I run in into the 2nd MIDI In port on my K4.

Solaris has a ribbon too and Solaris goes into 1st MIDI In.

 

Nobody made such great hardware controllers and MIDI Controllers as Kurzweil.

Even that discontinued KSP8 with AES/EBU I/O is a monster fx unit.

 

I hope forte sells well.

Such companies cannot be allowed to fail in the era of cheap plug ins run by dispoable plastic junkwagons.

[Sundown]

I didn't think Forte was marketed toward the PC3 bunch... I always saw it as an extended digital piano or a "stage" piano.

 

But it's funny, if you look at the lineage of the PC3x series, it didn't start off as a synth either... The PC88 was one-half MIDI controller and one-half extended DP, and the PC2 was pretty much a DP as well. When they grew the capabilities of the PC2 and migrated to the PC3, they trumped the mighty K-series.

 

I don't really care what it's called, but I know they are a very capable shop. I'd love to see what they could do with software as well.

 

 

[aronnelson]

Is there a 61 key Forte? For some reason I never thought the Forte was the next PC361.

[Delaware Dave]

The Forte is branded as a Stage Piano. How's the 61 key stage piano market doing?

[aronnelson]

Thanks for reinforcing our point. However, a 61 note weighted keyboard that was light would be interesting.

[rickzjamm]

I sold my beloved PC3K7 for the Forte "leap of faith" & no regrets here. It takes the PC3K7 sound to another level & while I agree the KB3 may not be on par with the SK1 Hammond / Leslie dual manual capabilities (still have mine but never use it, the KB3 more than handles the organ duties and sometimes add the NVII for extra tube goodness as needed), for a multi sound "one tier board" it delivers way more. Every time I play the Forte the compliments pour in especially on the AP, EP & KB3. Just depends on your specific needs.

[Synthaholic]

I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it: the smartest thing Kurzweil could do to bring in a massive influx of dollars to fund future development and keep parent Young Chang happy would be to package all the legacy samples/sounds into a one-rack-space module with no bells, no whistles. Basically a Kurzweil version of an EMU Proteus. Give it 6 or 8 assignable outputs and an SD Card slot for saving extra Programs/Setups. They would fly off the shelves.

 

OK, rant over...until next time.

[Sundown]

...all the legacy samples/sounds into a one-rack-space module with no bells, no whistles. Basically a Kurzweil version of an EMU Proteus...

 

Interesting... Which types of sounds? The K2000-series stuff, or earlier (e.g. K250)?

[NoLights]

I may sound a little lIttle like a troll here (I'm always suspicious of people who heap inordinate praise on a product or provider, and yet, here I am) -- but I am loving my Forte7 (and I've been a Motif/S90 person forever). First, there was the OS update, and then Dave Weiser came up with several new piano patches (if you buy a Forte from his Weiser Sound) that make make it even more useful. His KB3 patches - especially through a vent - are good enough for most gigs that I don't have to take a second board.

[Sundown]

I may sound a little lIttle like a troll here...

 

If you do, then I really do. I just like the products. They are very well thought out.

[aronnelson]

I wish you guys had played the "original" K2000 that I had at one point. It was an early model and it had a killer key action. I loved it and wanted that keyboard badly. When the final one came out, it was good, but not as good as that model I had for a while. I mean, obviously it was a Fatar action, but which one? All I know is that it was good!

[allan_evett]

I may sound a little lIttle like a troll here (I'm always suspicious of people who heap inordinate praise on a product or provider, and yet, here I am) -- but I am loving my Forte7 (and I've been a Motif/S90 person forever). First, there was the OS update, and then Dave Weiser came up with several new piano patches (if you buy a Forte from his Weiser Sound) that make make it even more useful. His KB3 patches - especially through a vent - are good enough for most gigs that I don't have to take a second board.

 

 

Not trolling for the Forte 7, either; actually there were days late last year when I wanted to politely show it the door. Unlike the immediate stage piano/synth 'ear candy' that the big three provide (with a typically bright, polished sound), the Forte has a 'old' vibe to it - closer in sound to an SV-1 than an RD-800. But after getting it set up with Dave Weiser's excellent piano Programs, a healthy dose of 3rd-party synth sounds, then several of my own attempts at VAST editing, it's proving to be a solid live / recording keyboard. The amount of DSP horsepower and memory onboard allows for a similar depth-of-field experience as with the Montage, but it sounds a little less 'perfect'. Though 'organic vibe' is an often overused term when referring to digital instruments, the Forte has all of that.

 

The big challenge was wrapping my brain around VAST (even using the software editor, and now full, front panel VAST editing). While Kurzweil's Setup/Multi mode has always been fairly clear to me (and likely the best live MIDI controller setup around), getting down-n-dirty with VAST programming has been akin to having dental work done - messy, not without pain; and sometimes the results are less than desirable. Having explored the myriad caverns of VAST, I can now say that I get it - that is, what can be done; but how to get there is another story - it's easily a handful of college classes in study and application.

For the rest of us who need to do some basic, dialing-in tweaks: thought continued here.

[MorayM]

I swear I could set my watch by the PC4/K3000 threads. I give it 6 months until the next one!

[stoken6]

Kurzweil's understanding of MIDI requirements and synthesis/modulation is spot-on. I'd like some more love for "proper" unweighted actions (TP9, say).

 

How about a Forte 61 with the TP9 action? (And please don't say "because it's a stage piano". A 61-key synth-action Forte would be a top board to ride above a Privia or similar. With that level of MIDI ability, it would be great). Hell, why not reintroduce a budget-61 to compete with the Junos and Krosses?

 

Cheers, Mike.