MuzikTeechur Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Yesterday I was reading in one of the threads here where someone had suggested some keyboards to someone else... so I followed a link to the Sweetwater site and found myself perusing Kurzweil keyboards. Now, I haven't bought many brand new keyboards in my life - I prefer slightly used and let someone else take the initial depreciation (like with my cars). However... I started drooling over the Kurz PC4 88. Before I knew it, I had watched the demo, and ...oh? What's this? 0% financing for 36 months? Well, don't mind if I do! It'll be here Monday. When I came to the forums yesterday, I had zero intention of purchasing a new keyboard. So.. thanks for that. Anyone want to buy a well-loved but perfectly functional PX-5S? Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Just doing our job... You're welcome. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Chuck should be paying us all commission, honestly. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Just doing our job... You're welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 So I walk around the corner, I'm like shakin' like a leaf now And I thought, "This is a dangerous place once again, you know." - Thela Hun Gingeet, King Crimson Quote .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 We're good at spending other people's money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Yes, we are. And ours as well. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Waiting for the 76 to hit. It"s way up on my list. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Should have bought 2 of them? Just in case... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Warren Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Should have bought 2 of them? Just in case... :roll: :roll: :roll: Quote DigitalFakeBook Free chord/lyric display software for windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Paxton Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Waiting for the 76 to hit. It"s way up on my list. I've heard from reliable sources that while a 76 is on the way, its action is different and regrettably inferior to the 88. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 I believe they went with a synth semi weight rather than a weighted hammer on the 76 (SWA76). I haven"t had my hands on the 88k (RPHA) - but am I wrong in assuming it"s the same Medeli action they picked for the SP6? I wish there was a place nearby I could try the 88k and 76k side by side. I"m ok with a 76k synth action as second board - I"d mainly be playing synth, orch and organ on it. Could pair it with a Yamaha CP4 or CP88, my Casio PX-560 or a Kawai ES-110. The only Medeli action I"ve played is the SP4200 they have on the floor at Sam Ash - this is not a desirable instrument in many ways - including how the action interacts with their sound engine. I have no doubt Kurzweil has done a better job on this. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam CA Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Chuck should be paying us all commission, honestly. Chuck says: 'You shop here, Why not work here? Find your dream job ...' https://www.sweetwater.com/careers/openings/?utm_content=hero&utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200925-hrrecruitment-t1 Quote www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 Chuck should be paying us all commission, honestly. Chuck says: 'You shop here, Why not work here? Find your dream job ...' https://www.sweetwater.com/careers/openings/?utm_content=hero&utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200925-hrrecruitment-t1 I only have four more school years after this one before I can retire (6% penalty for every year before age 62 otherwise). However, given the current restrictions on what I can do in the classroom (for instance: no playing in band or chorus unless it's OUTSIDE [we're in Maine] and distanced at 14'), I'd pull the plug today and bank my retirement if I could find something else to pay the bills for a few years. Hell - I'm still young: I'd do something until I were 65 or more if I liked it. Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickzjamm Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Enter at your own risk or should I say ... mission accomplished. ;-) Quote You don't know you're in the dark until you're in the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Chuck should be paying us all commission, honestly. Chuck says: 'You shop here, Why not work here? Find your dream job ...' https://www.sweetwater.com/careers/openings/?utm_content=hero&utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200925-hrrecruitment-t1 I only have four more school years after this one before I can retire (6% penalty for every year before age 62 otherwise). However, given the current restrictions on what I can do in the classroom (for instance: no playing in band or chorus unless it's OUTSIDE [we're in Maine] and distanced at 14'), I'd pull the plug today and bank my retirement if I could find something else to pay the bills for a few years. Hell - I'm still young: I'd do something until I were 65 or more if I liked it. You"re not alone - teaching music in person is a bitch right now. Especially if you do large ensembles. Sucks for us all. We"ll have to ride out, do the best we can with good weather and technology. Just feeling lucky to have a job. Gig money is no where and private lessons scarce. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhoh7 Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Seems like the logical upgrade from that casio, which I never knew was so light. I am very curious to hear how you compare the PC4 action to the casio. Both of these board are sometimes nit-picked for "slow action". Quote RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2 Stylophone R8/Behringer RD-8/Proteus 1/MP-7/Zynthian 4 MPC1k/JV1010/Unitor 8/Model D & 2600/WX-5&7/VL70m/DMP-18 Pedals Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzy1 Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Come on say it - - YOU wanted it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 I love a thread like this. I too have succumbed to Forum induced GAS. Quote Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Paxton Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Chuck says: 'You shop here, Why not work here? Find your dream job ...' https://www.sweetwater.com/careers/openings/?utm_content=hero&utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200925-hrrecruitment-t1 I browsed the listings out of curiosity. It makes me wonder if Ft. Wayne has a live music scene that consists mainly of musos who've moved there to work at Sweetwater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 It makes me wonder if Ft. Wayne has a live music scene that consists mainly of musos who've moved there to work at Sweetwater? That's what I've heard. Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted September 27, 2020 Author Share Posted September 27, 2020 Well, it arrived yesterday morning (two days early: Thanks FedEx!). I'd like to say I didn't dig into the packaging like a kid on Christmas morning, but it was close. First off: it's very light. EXCEPTIONALLY light for a Kurz. My last Kurz (PC1x) with case was in excess of 75 lbs. Second: LOTS of inputs and outputs. Two CC inputs, Two L/R outputs, L/R INPUTS, and 1/8" input. Holy smokes! Decisions! Choices! I took the easy way out and wired it into my mondo stereo (400W should do it, right?) from the headphone jack - thinking: "if there's anything to hear, it'll be in the headphone jack, right?" So, the pianos are great, the organs (KB3) are great, exactly what you'd expect from a Kurz. I still think I'm going to need my Neo Vent, but we'll see... The effects suite is amazing - someone really put some time and effort into these. With the reverb you can just give the piano a little wash, or make it sound like it's 300 yards away in an empty stadium. Phaser, chorus, Wah, etc. All adjustable in real-time without menu-diving. 9 sliders - of course; and the drawbars are represented on the screen so you know exactly what each organ patch is "doing" - and you can grab a slider and change them on the fly. Did I mention it's exceptionally light for an 88-key controller? My Casio PX-5s is also light, but in more of a plastic-y way. Perhaps this has been done elsewhere but a first for me: Finally someone put a dedicated tempo knob on a keyboard so those patches with a beat/rhythm/arpeggiation can be set to match YOUR tempo, not just what someone at the factory deemed appropriate. In real time. No menu diving. Key action: a little more like the Korgs - but a good weight for piano playing. I like my keys to "fight back" a little; a little resistance so I can 'dig in' when I want, hold back when I want. Still playable in organ mode, too. Dave Weiser hooked me up with some resources and a sound bank he had done - great guy - so today I'll be doing the recommended OS update and loading in some custom sounds. Can't wait! With this Covid mess my gig schedule is a shadow of its former self, but I'll have this out in a live situation soon enough. Again: can't wait! Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Paxton Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Glad you're digging it. Does anyone know if the Purgatory Creek EP samples can be ported to the PC4, or are they only for the Forte? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 By the time the K2000 first appeared, I was stacking a few lesser instruments and learning what was what. I was not at all prepared for a modular synth disguised as a friendly ROMpler and I'm still not! My orchestration skills have improved steadily, but I'll never be a boffin. If you can sit and properly set up zones/layers & sends on a K without cursing, you're the superior form of life. At one time, you were either a Fairlight person or a Synclavier person, because you had to marry the environment. The K daunts me a bit; its a very similar prospect. Its a vicarious pleasure to see that its hit the mark so well for you. I can relate to that tempo knob. Some marks get missed so often, its an added win for a really competent company to make it work. Break out that Vent and give us a follow-up in a few weeks. Quote "You get a couple of glasses of wine in those guys, they'll tell you the riddle of the Sphinx." ~ "Godfather of Harlem" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaspla Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I also transitioned from PX-5S to the Kurzweil PC4 (Still have the PX5s in a nice rolling bag...I need to put it out on the block) ..had the PX-5s for several years was looking for a combination of improved sound set, extensive programming flexibility, and better action which I now have in the PC4. PC4, although being a weighted keyboard, is faster and quieter than Privia keybed. The 10 velocity curves available seems to facilitate a player finding that 'sweet spot' with regards to key-board response. Josh asked whether Purgatory Creek Forte sounds load into the PC4. I have not purchased their Forte Vintage sound set, however, I have loaded in their free sample of Mark II, which did load in and play well: https://www.purgatorycreek.com/index.php/mark-ii/ An interesting article. The PC3K (one of the predecessors of the PC4) was commissioned from Kurzweil by Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were seeking for their musicals, "to re-create the massive sound of an 80 piece full orchestra utilizing a pit-sized group of musicians"...... https://www.kurzweilai.net/kurzweil-pc3k-starring-in-phantom-sequel As they talk about backwards-compatibility, many of rhe PC3, Forte, Artis, SP6 programs developed and shared by these board players import into the PC4...in cases, tweaks need to be done due to effects/objects being missing or different. All of these boards share to a large extent the underlying V.A.S.T. synth engine used by the PC4 Kurzweil has been working on the syncing of their OS's so that the Forte, PC4, SP6, can more easily share and transfer files. It's not that this has not been feasible in the past, but ...apparently they see a large value in players keeping and migrating their created programs/sounds, as operating systems are updated on boards. www.ksetlist.com is a user community where players can find or post their created sounds/programs. Lonnie, good to see you've made a connection with Dave Weiser, who also sells Kurzweil boards as Weisersound.com. He's a 'reseller' that intimately knows these boards, has worked for Kurzweil R&D, has specifically designed sound for Kurz, Casio, and does custom sound design for performance venues. If someone wants to acquire a Kurzweil board, and bring it out the street 'roaring' out of the gate, I don't think you can have a better vendor to help you do that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Bloody hell. I"m going to have to do some selling to fund this. And I"ll have to try both the 88 and the 76 to see if I can live with the 76 as upper tier board. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Just doing our job... You're welcome. LOL Quote "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 ProTip: (because I didn't find it anywhere and had to go by trial-and-error). USB Thumb Drives must be formatted in MS-DOS FAT, or the Kurz won't recognize the files. It's probably a good thing that my gig schedule is so sparse right now. What with teaching Remotely AND "In Person" in a hybrid model (public school) I'm going to need a few weeks (months?) to really learn this board. At one point I had a Kurz SP88x (927 pounds) which I used both as a main board and a controller. Main complaint: it had a tiny two-character alphanumeric LED display that used cryptic codes for stuff. It was laborious (on a good day) to program. The PC4 has a beautiful display that has great information in performance mode, and a huge amount of information in programming mode. I'm glad someone at Kurz was listening! Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 For me the Kurzweil PC.. fam is like interesting because there's the possibility of creating inside sounding patches with the preparations in the DSP architecture of the chips in it. The tuning required to be able to get neutral and proper sound in the face of acoustic signal preparations, D-A reconstruction error prevention and decent musical instrument behavior is considerable, and can absolutely not be achieved by well intended sound editing: too many variables must come out right. So I can like and appreciate the Kurzes, but only after a lot of work. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electro Fan Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Lonnie, you will have to let me know what you think about the PC4 action compared to the Casio"s? I have thought about the PC4 as an upgrade over the Px-5s. Bill Quote Nord Stage 3 Compact, Korg Kronos 61, Casio PX-5S, Yamaha DXR 10 (2)), Neo Vent, Yamaha MG82cx mixer and too many stands to name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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