New KORG SV2??

[The Piano Man]

Similar options: Yamaha P-121, both black or white, also with speakers, but with external power supply... and vastly different price point and features set than SV-2. Dexibell VIVO P3... also external power supply which is a bit strange at this price point. It is lightweight, but has TP100 keybed which surely not everybody likes. The advantage of external power supply is when it accidentally fails, can easily be replaced without disassembling the whole board. Also when you have another portable DC power supply you can use the instrument anywhere.

 

When it comes to 73 (or 76) keys and internal power supply and speakers, SV-2S 73 may be the only one. And Korg is one of the very few manufaturers who produces 73-key boards with good piano action. Most others have lower-tier keybeds than 88-key versions (Yamaha CP73, Nord Stage HP76) or don't have speakers (Kurzweil Forte 7).

 

Did I forgot about something else?

 

Internal power supply and speakers with hammer action:

 

Yamaha have a few, eg. P200, P250, CP300. There will likely be others from this range and probably older models from Roland, back when boards generally had a C7 or C14 socket or even the power cable fully connected to the board.

 

There are obviously boards with internal power supply and speakers, such as certain Korg PA models and some Yamaha arrangers. However, no hammer action on these obviously.

 

So, as I said, the SV2s 73... possibly the lightest and most compact hammer action board that has built in speakers and Internal Power Supply.

[jejefunkyman]

So I was still not fully satisfied with the Acoustic Piano sounds of the SV2, as I found the Grand Piano versions too mellow and too heavy in the low frequency range, and the Bright versions, well...too bright and thin. I think the best compromise is to use the Jazz versions, especially when playing with a full band, but also for playing in a solo or trio setting. They are nicely clear in the medium/high range, while keeping enough bottom to make them satisfyingly round, but not too much. And when one needs an even brighter and punchy piano sound for playing rock, I think the Rock Piano version could do the job well.

I had also to further tweak the MK I Suitcase with the clean amp version, as it was lacking some low frequencies, especially when comparing with the SV1 Tine EP amp.

I think I"m now happy with my settings, but it took quite some time to get to this point ð¥ And it"s almost guaranteed that I will need to do further tweaks after my first gigs with the SV2. But as I said, I guess it"s part of the experience with this board.

I"d be interested to hear other users about their settings, it"s always interesting and also inspiring. On the Korg Youtube channel, one can see short videos of patches reproducing existing song sounds (like Stevie"s Higher Ground Clav sound, or U2 New Year"s Day piano sound). Also pretty nice, though they didn"t yet make videos focused on EP (Rhodes or Wurlis) and AP(the U2 has more an electric piano flavor, has it is a mix of an acoustic piano and the M1 piano, and it is heavily processed).

One final note: on the EP, I"m mostly using the velocity curve 3, as I find difficult to control the volume with the velocity curve 1. I guess this is due to the fact that I"m still used to the SV1 EP, which has probably less velocity layers. So here an adaptation is needed to play the SV2 in the right way and take profit of all the dynamic range. It"s certainly a more evolved instrument than the SV1 ð

[pawelsz]

So I was still not fully satisfied with the Acoustic Piano sounds of the SV2, as I found the Grand Piano versions too mellow and too heavy in the low frequency range, and the Bright versions, well...too bright and thin. I think the best compromise is to use the Jazz versions, especially when playing with a full band, but also for playing in a solo or trio setting.

 

The "Bright" factory presets are made with "Jazz" program (or layer) and RX layer. You can check in Editor. So this should be just same if no EQ applied.

 

And I'm also mainly using touch curve 3 (or 4), on default curve 1 for pianos I need to really bang on keys to get bright sound.

 

P.S. I have my unit replaced with the new one and the keys are "less uneven", I'd say.

[jejefunkyman]

Yes you"re right for the Italian and Japanese Bright versions. But I did create Favorites with the German and Austrian Jazz versions, to replace the Classic versions. Plus a bit of EQ on the Italian and Japanese Jazz versions to put it to my taste.

 

Glad to know that you could change your unit and get a new better one ð

[pawelsz]

This better one looks like this

 

 

 

[jejefunkyman]

Doesn"t look fully aligned either ð¤ Did you get an explanation for the first unit, what was the problem which made them deciding to exchange it with another one?

[pawelsz]

The retailer has exchanged the whole item when saw my photos. Grabbed next one and sent to me. I contacted distributor meanwhile. Maybe I will be able to get some info. The Christmas/New Year period finishes so maybe I will be able to gain some info soon. At least the second one is better...

[jejefunkyman]

News of the day: SV1's soundpacks 1 and 2 can now be uploaded in the SV2's Favorite banks :-) Thank you Korg, that's really nice!

[AnotherScott]

News of the day: SV1's soundpacks 1 and 2 can now be uploaded in the SV2's Favorite banks :-) Thank you Korg, that's really nice!

Excellent. I think a lot of SV1 users relied on those sounds, and losing them would be an impediment to upgrading.

[jejefunkyman]

Yes, on my side I was using the acoustic pianos from soundpack 2 instead of the factory acoustic pianos. Even though, I recognize that the SV2 new acoustic pianos are better. But the SV1 acoustic pianos did cut very well through a busy mix, so it might be that I rather use them on stage for busy songs, and use the SV2 pianos for more intimate songs like ballads. But anyway, it's good to have a wide choice (or not so sometimes, as it gets harder to take a decision )!!!

[jejefunkyman]

I'm still trying to find the right setup for the SV2 EPs, and I spent a lot of time comparing the MK I Suitcase with the Clean amp, to the SV1 Tine EP amp, which is also an MK I Suitcase base tone going through the Clean amp. I've found out, based on my long time experience with the SV1, that what I really like is the timbre of the high notes (from C6 to G6) when playing soft, and the "bark" of the notes in the low register (below C4) when play medium/strong.

 

The problem is that with the SV2 EP, one need to play softer than on the SV1 to get this nice timber, while playing harder on the low register to get this bark. Unfortunatly, I'm not proficient enough to handle this very precise playing dynamics.

 

So the best case would be to have possibility to program each key's velocity, or to program the velocity according to the keyboard's zones. Another option could be to have the possibility to do a split with the same EP tone, and program the velocity of each sound individually.

 

But I don't think it's in Korg's plan to introduce such feature in the editor.

 

So let's see if I can get used to the SV2 velocity layers, or if I will still have to continue using the SV1 EP for live gigs, when I need a powerful sound while getting these nice timbers that are more easy to get.

[cp-the-nerd]

I'm pretty sure you can save the touch sensitivity of any given patch, so you could create a split with the same EP sound using two different touch settings and get the response you like on each side. I only own an SV1 so I am assuming a bit.

[jejefunkyman]

Unfortunately, it's not possible. As the user manual states, the keyboard sensitivity setting affects the sound as a whole. And you can't use your saved Favorites to do splits. You can only use the basic sounds to build splits, and they don't have their own sensitivity settings saved. So it could work only if Korg introduces this feature within the editor, that is to say an independant velocity setting per split/layer. Korg, if you hear us :-)

[pawelsz]

Unfortunately, it's not possible. As the user manual states, the keyboard sensitivity setting affects the sound as a whole. And you can't use your saved Favorites to do splits. You can only use the basic sounds to build splits, and they don't have their own sensitivity settings saved. So it could work only if Korg introduces this feature within the editor, that is to say an independant velocity setting per split/layer. Korg, if you hear us :-)

 

But the favourites are made of same simple sounds (programs). Yes, the velocity curve is one per all three programs saved as a patch/sounds. No matter factory or favourite. So what you need is velocity curve per program (or per layer).

[jejefunkyman]

Yes exactly, velocity curve per program.

 

But actually, I visited a friend of mine today to listen to the SV2 MK I Suitcase on real loudspeakers and on other headphones, and I found out that I have a problem with my own headphones (the AKG K371). On my friend"s loudspeakers and headphones (BD DT-770 Pro), I could hear clearly this soft tine timber, even when playing normally. So it looks like the AKG has too much medium/high frequencies which burries this soft tine timber when playing normally, so that it can be heard only when playing really soft. I"m a bit pissed of by this, having tried to understand my problem since I"ve received the SV2 ð¤ So I need to order a new pair of headphones quick. It"s very important to use the right headphones. The AKG K371 doesn"t work with the SV2 ð¤·ââï¸

 

I"m sorry to have flooded the forum with my concerns ð I should have understood this earlier ð

[ProfD]

So I need to order a new pair of headphones quick. It"s very important to use the right headphones. The AKG K371 doesn"t work with the SV2 ð¤·ââï¸

 

I"m sorry to have flooded the forum with my concerns ð I should have understood this earlier ð

No worries. That's why we're here.

 

Glad you were able to discover the "problem" before getting too discouraged with the SV-2.

[Doerfler]

No worries. That's why we're here.

 

Agreed, but as for myself, I can't understand how a pair of headphones that cost $150.00 is the problem. Something seems odd to me. I have no experience with this particular model of headphones, so of course that could be it, but something doesn't seem right. I'm usually wrong, just ask my children, just trying to sort this one out.

[jejefunkyman]

I don't know what to say, I'm a bit also surprised by this. But when I bought the K371, I still had the SV1, and I already found that the sound was changed compared to my previous headphones. It was clearly brighter and more heavy in the medium high register. I thought it was ok and decided to carry on with it.

 

But looks like for one particular EP tone on the SV2, this specific frequency response of the K371 has a negative effect. I don't have such an issue with the other EP tones. It could be also linked to my own sound perception. Anyway, I'll get the DT-770, as I liked the sound when I tried them at my friend's place. And hopefully, I can stop worrying about this ;-)

[Mighty Motif Max]

AKG headphones are bright and have a dip in the low mids in most models. I personally think it sounds great, but I could see how it could exaggerate the wrong frequency on a given sound. I haven't tried that model but I have the K240 Studios and K275. If I'm mixing I end up using Sonarworks, and the main thing that changes in the sound profile when I turn the correction on to make them flat is the mids change entirely.

[jejefunkyman]

OK, thanks for sharing your feeling on the AKG headphones. It makes a bit more sense for me now, and it is unfortunate that it affects the flagship EP sound of the SV2, and that I need to spend again some money to buy appropriate headphones !!!

 

I recently did a mix with them, and also found they were quite bright, so I had to use another pair of headphones to make some adjustments to my mix. Maybe I'll also feel better using the Beyerdynamic for this purpose.

[Mighty Motif Max]

Use Sonarworks for mixing - I get much better results that way! I actually like to use it in conjunction with Abbey Road Studio 3 as well (first ARS3 and then Sonarworks on the master bus when mixing, obviously turned off before export lol). I have a large head/ears so the AKG phones are some of the few that actually are comfortable. I'd recommend that software combo with any headphones actually. You can get really good prices on Black Friday as well (yes I know, it's a while away now).

[jejefunkyman]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't know about these monitor/headphones calibration tools :-). My new headphones are underway, but just as a test, I picked up the equivalent tool on iOS (called Morphit), as this is were I'm doing all my mixing/production work at the moment, and I ran the SV2 through the iTrack solo on Cubasis, with the AKG K371 correction on and off, and I could clearly see a difference. The correction itself shows a hole around 2,5k and 10k, which would confirm that the K371 is bright and amplifies pretty much in the medium/high frequencies. When the correction is on, the SV2 tone is better and more balanced, and I can better hear this soft tine timber, which is what I particular like in the MK I Suitcase tone. It's not exactly matching to the frequency response of the DT770 (as I remember it from yesterday), but it's going in this direction. I tried also one of my mix through the correction, and it sounds also less bright and more balanced.

So I guess I will use this tool now, as you recommend ;-)

[AnotherScott]

In fairness to AKG, just like other headphones manufacturers, they make a wide range of headphones... some are designed to be more neutral (useful for recording and other critical music evaluation scenarios), some are designed to give certain kinds of listeners an experiece they find more pleasant. The market for "this sounds good to me" non-neutral headphones is probably larger than the market for neutral headphones. That said, I'm not sure AKG currently makes the really neutral headphones they were known for years ago. The K240 DF was a well respected model, IIRC.

[jejefunkyman]

So I've received the DT770 headphones today, and I must say that, as I felt before, the sound is much better than with the K371, especially for the MK I Suitace tone!! But even for the AP.

 

I thought before that they were sounding kind of hard in the medium/high register, though I could not explain why. Now I understand that the K371 had also a negative effect on the AP as well. So I feel much better now, though I'm a bit pissed of by the fact that a pair heaphones can so much influence the sound of an instrument. I initially chose the K371 for their fidelity and accuracy, and did not really read that they had such a frequency response in the medium/high.

 

The only slight negative effect of the DT770 is the fact that the perceived volume is slightly lower than with the K371. So I must also get used to it now, as I like to play at a quite high volume in my headphones :-)

 

And now, I must also go again through all my previous settings, to adapt them to the DT770.

[AnotherScott]

though I'm a bit pissed of by the fact that a pair heaphones can so much influence the sound of an instrument.

Same as any loudspeaker, really.

 

The only slight negative effect of the DT770 is the fact that the perceived volume is slightly lower than with the K371. So I must also get used to it now, as I like to play at a quite high volume in my headphones :-)

Headphones do vary a lot in sensitivity, and also impedance which can contribute to this. If the DT770 and SV2 are not an ideal match, you can probably correct that with a headphone amp.

[ProfD]

The only slight negative effect of the DT770 is the fact that the perceived volume is slightly lower than with the K371. So I must also get used to it now, as I like to play at a quite high volume in my headphones :-)

If the DT770 and SV2 are not an ideal match, you can probably correct that with a headphone amp.

Absolutely. I would consider a small 5 channel analog mixer which provides EQ in addition to gain.

[jejefunkyman]

Yes I'm already using the headphone output of a Yamaha 01V. I've already increase the gain of the line inputs where I plugged the SV2, and I can't do more, otherwise it gets to the maximum level and the signal gets distorted. And the headphone output volume is also almost at the maximum. So I think I've done the maximum I could do on my signal chain.

 

I'll maybe use the 32 Ohm version of the DT770-Pro instead of the 80 Ohm version which I've ordered. The AKG K371 impedance was 32 Ohm, and I found the volume level good enough.

[Stokely]

My buddy loves his SV2...I am certainly attracted by the shorter form factor. Once both of us have had our covid shots (he has had one, I have no idea when I'll be up) I'll go over there and try it out.

 

I'm curious about Sonarworks....I guess I'm old school and figure that referencing should be able to go a long way. I recently bought a really excellent referencing plugin, Metric AB. It has 9 or 12 (can't recall) spots to load in different reference tracks, and critically will level-match them to your current mix. You can set up cues and playback options so that different points in your song will jump to similar points in those tracks. Referencing, and then listening to your mixes on different speakers often, should be able to help overcome limitations in your phones or speakers, at least to a large degree. But again I've heard enough about it that I'm curious, since I'm stuck on phones most of the time.

[jejefunkyman]

Yes the SV2 is a very nice keyboard, more evolved than the SV1, but one should pay attention to the signal chain for listening and amplifying it, as the tones are very rich and of full of nuances and details which can be quickly burried by a wrong amplification system or headphone pair ;-)

[pawelsz]

So I was still not fully satisfied with the Acoustic Piano sounds of the SV2, as I found the Grand Piano versions too mellow and too heavy in the low frequency range, and the Bright versions, well...too bright and thin. I think the best compromise is to use the Jazz versions, especially when playing with a full band, but also for playing in a solo or trio setting. They are nicely clear in the medium/high range, while keeping enough bottom to make them satisfyingly round, but not too much. And when one needs an even brighter and punchy piano sound for playing rock, I think the Rock Piano version could do the job well.

 

I find myself preferring the Classic versions, they are the most balanced across the range, but may not be good for playing with the band. And I made my favourites with the Japan and Italian only. Austrian has a strange short decay, and German (Hamburg) has kind of strange behaviour of certain key. I mean the sound C#5 played with damper depressed. One of the dynamics layers has very strong attack. @ jejefunkyman do you hear this? By the way I found same behaviour on Hamburg Classic but on key C5 and on Hamburg Jazz on D5 or D#5. I suspect the Classic and Jazz versions can be just transposed original sets of samples.

I think the similar thing was with Roland's Grand Piano, Ballade Piano and Bright Piano in FP series. Ballade Piano was half step down from original, Bright Piano half step up. There is a thread on pianoworld about analyzing the sound of various pianos.... http://forum.pianoworld.com//ubbthreads.php/topics/1653650/re-the-dpbsd-project.html#Post1653650