Most 'Forgiving' Digital Piano Tone ?

[jimmymio]

'.

Being that Yamaha and Kawai are piano manufacturers, they know a lot about correctly presenting the sound of acoustic pianos in a live setting.

 

But shouldn't this also apply to Kurzweil which is owned by Young Chang?

[allan_evett]

'.

Being that Yamaha and Kawai are piano manufacturers, they know a lot about correctly presenting the sound of acoustic pianos in a live setting.

 

But shouldn't this also apply to Kurzweil which is owned by Young Chang?

 

It should, come to think of it. But perhaps Kurzweil hasn't had this issue adressed previously. After all, we live DP players are a small niche of an already small market. Plus, lousy stage sound is so pervasive that many players, when confronted with the problem, just soldier on through and consider it part of the unpredictability of hearing well on stage. And while using IEMs does help, in hearing my Forte's pianos, the sound then is either too present or not loud enough (when volume is adjusted). The problem with the 'tail' issue is also one of not blending well.

 

And that brings in another concept - the attack stages. One thing I noticed with the older Nord Library pianos that lose tail quickly: the attack stages are very agressive. So there's an abruptness to the overall tone that affects blend. It may be that the designers of those DP tones, along with those by Kurzweil (and others mentioned earlier) want to make a strong, realistic piano statement right away - but in allocating resources to the front end they create something that comes on too strong, then fades quickly in an unrealistic manner.

[Strays Dave]

I've only skimmed this thread. This is a nice robust forum and threads seem to grow quickly. I'm in this (as someone said) little group of DP players - happily, so I thought I'd weigh in, offer my opinions and solicit some of yours.

 

First, I am now retired and spend probably 4-6 hours a day at the piano. It's my retirement sandbox and my goal has been to up my game musically.

 

I recently bought a Roland RD64, mostly for the size and weight. I have to say, I'm not a techie, but it seems nicely built. There's a protector gizmo in the back to help protect the power adapter inset pin gizmo from breaking off. And the fake textured ivory keys play nicely. I bought 2 Yamaha DBR12 powered PA speakers. I'm impressed with how quiet they are compared to JBL Eon's I had years ago.

 

But I can't get comfortable with the sound. I'm going to keep trying. I played an ALF (assisted living facility - it's the new reality - we baby boomers aren't going out to the clubs of 35 years ago) last Fri night. Playing the keyboard with the speakers, I can only think to describe the sound as "transparent". That may not be the right word. I only know that it isn't comfortable to play a big block chord and just let it sustain for a while. When this is the case, I tend to overplay, I think because the aural feedback to my brain seems lacking and I'm trying to make up for it.

 

This gig is supposed to be alternating Friday's so next Wednesday I'll hook up the whole rig again here at home and spend more time trying to get used to it. I'm going to try another acoustic setting - the one with a more percussive attack. I understand I'm competing (on alternate Fridays) with a guy playing a Yamaha Tyros (> $5,000) that has a full band/with drums sound to it. Even though I'm playing 80 something ladies (maybe 15-20 people), a few occasionally dance. I'm thinking a more percussive piano sound might help to set a groove.

 

I also bought a CP4 and a hard Gator ATA case. Again, I'm retired and this is my sandbox. I figured if I have a special gig like say an art festival in the Fall or Spring (no rain threat) and the pay justified it, I could use it.

 

Along the lines of digital pianos VS acoustic pianos ? I'm firmly on board (pun?) with DP's. In conversation when it comes up my argument is usually: tuning. No one, with really rare exception, keeps their pianos tuned often enough. If you want to play jazz in let's say a Bill Evans vein, with chord voicings with major 2nds, the chords sound worlds better on a perfectly tuned piano.

 

I bought, just a year ago, a Modus F01. It also was branded as a Clavinova and I think the model year is maybe 8 years old. But I went around the local Yamaha showroom after being shown all the prospective pianos by the sales guy. He spend maybe an hour showing me suitable candidates. I thought I'd be preferring the CLP 595. But I preferred the F01. Went around playing one after the other. When I played the F01 I went back to an acoustic and I liked the F01 as well. I'm not saying it IS as good, but it is for me.

 

My 2 cents.

 

[jimmymio]

I know that for recording DPs I sometimes use the SPL Transient Designer plugin to manipulate the attack and sustain of the piano track. That might be a useful FX that keyboard designers might consider for future product development.

[Keysguy]

First off I think your sound system is overkill for those type of gigs.Too much to move and setup and way more powere than needed. I'd really look into something like the Bose Compact, Turobosound 1000, Maul 5 etc.

Look into adding a Roland BK7m Arranger Module to your Roland keyboard and you'll have those ladies rocking at a lot less cost then the Yamaha Tyros.

Keep the CP4 for home use where you will appreciate the better sound quality.

 

I use a Roland BK9 for gigs of all kinds and a Casio Privia ( which I plan to soon replace ) for home. Retired like you and have a loft ino our new house for my " sandbox"

Just my opinions but enjoy your retirement and keep the music alive.