Jazz+ Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 I can't find much in the way of opinions or reviews on "The Famous E Electric Piano" Rhodes by Orange Tree Samples. I'm puzzled why there is so little talk of it. I invite commentary on it. Demos of the "E" Quote Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 700 of Harry’s piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and jazz piano tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleer Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I"m planning on getting this. Will come back if I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Paging Mark Schmieder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1203 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I have this âModel E' sample set since a few months and for me it"s on par with the Purgatory Creek samples and the Scarbee EP88. It has a great natural long sustain and is perfect for ballads. First i had to tweak a little bit with the internal eq's because i didn't like most of the preset settings, but then it really nailed that LA-sound perfectly for me! Quote Nord Stage 2 76, Nord Electro 5D 73, Rhodes Mk2 73, Sequential Prophet 10 Rev4, Akai Miniak Synth, Roland JC 120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 it really nailed that LA-sound perfectly for me! I'm chuckling because this e-piano is literally THE LA-sound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyS Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I have it and totally love it,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1203 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 it really nailed that LA-sound perfectly for me! I'm chuckling because this e-piano is literally THE LA-sound! Nothing to chuckle - this is not the sound, it's only a sample of it! Quote Nord Stage 2 76, Nord Electro 5D 73, Rhodes Mk2 73, Sequential Prophet 10 Rev4, Akai Miniak Synth, Roland JC 120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Hell, we all need a chuckle these days â come on everybody, group chuckle! (I'll take a sample of it - after all, there's only one of these Rhodes in the world!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I chuckled. But then again, irony is my thing. Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 I have found I love playing a Rhodes sound with jazz guitarists as jazz duets. The two sounds Complement and blend marvelously. There are 2 albums by Gil Goldstein on Rhodes and Pat Martino on guitar alone together. It"s all Introspective ballad work. I tried it with Mojo organ but it"s a lot much more work with organ because there"s no dynamics and no sustain pedal, it"s just not pianistic. I find ballads in particular are a real struggle on organ, the sound and subtlety aren"t there for me. I like organ for blues and quick tempos but find the range of expression more barrow than Piano. I should have the E piano installed in the next 24 hours. Looking forward Quote Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 700 of Harry’s piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and jazz piano tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Fortner Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 I don't have this virtual instrument, but I have played the actual Leeds Rental unit E in Santa Barbara. Must be close to 20 years ago at this point. It was owned by an appliance store owner named George, who had it set up in his home studio. You can't make this s*** up. Apropos of nothing, I really dig the 'Nefertiti' Rhodes patch in the Nord Grand. Quote Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan011 Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 'Nefertiti' Rhodes sounds rally nice! Not very flexible or dynamic, but tons of character. I use it as main e-piano live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1203 Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 I find the Nord Nefertiti very dynamic, with lots of headroom and barking, if you grab in. What don't like about it is the quite short sustain, espacially in the upper ranges. For me a long sustain is a very important part of the Rhodes magic and here the Nefertiti is lacking. The âFamous E' is totally opposite here, tons of sustain! Quote Nord Stage 2 76, Nord Electro 5D 73, Rhodes Mk2 73, Sequential Prophet 10 Rev4, Akai Miniak Synth, Roland JC 120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrythek Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Since you're discussing Nord E-pianos, I think this is OK to share. I am friends with the gentleman who samples and provides all the Rhodes source material for Nord. A few years ago I was going to be playing a gig where I would be using a backline Nord and asked him for his opinion of which sounds to consider loading in. These are his descriptions of some of the sounds for me: The most beautiful and soulful patch is the "Sparkletop" which is a Ray-Mac, felt-hammer beauty from 1967. It will give you the perfect sound for any vintage repertoire, and also has a lovely top, a bit more open than the common picture we all have of the sound from the 60's and early 70's. Just eq it to your liking. If you are playing material from late 70's and 80's and need a real slick LA, 'E'-Rhodes, Dyny-My ( close to DX7 Rhodes ) you shall use the "Bright Tines". It has an emphasized bell and attack and is a direct copy of the real 'E', that I have original samples from. I prepared the Rhodes I sampled for this with the "Herbie-trick" of moving harder hammer tips further down and even using 7 different durometer hardness tips, which to my knowledge has never been done before. It might strike you as too much, but please take you time and work some eq, reverb and chorus. Lastly, the "fun" one is my own 1970 Stage 73 sampled as "Nefertiti". A bit worn, uneven and not so "perfect". I sampled this without trying to correct all noise, tonal nuances and other things you normally try to wash away. It's the most recent one, and I think it has the best resolution. It's some interesting "background" into the sounds. Enjoy. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilo Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Good information. I prefer the Nefertiti as well for reasons mentioned above. Not to turn this into a Nord discussion but for those that have a Stage 3 - with Nefertiti on panel A with no effects, volume all the way up, set the layer detune to 1. Add Nefertiti to panel B, volume 1/2 way and set eq to taste. I like to brighten up the second layer. Instant transformation from raw 70's to Al Jarreau 80's by turning the piano layer on panel b on and off. Real nice on ballads, I prefer it over the chorus effect. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan011 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 To think I have not touched my live rig for more than six months... Can not wait to hear those great sounds again. Sorry to digress :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleer Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Okay, got it in with the Group Buy running at 60% off. That Famous E is rightfully famous. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Downloaded it on the group buy yesterday. I really like many of the presets but something I'm not crazy about is the application of the fx â they don't kick in until the "next note." Sometimes I like to engage tremolo while a chord is sustaining. Not quite as punchy or fully-editable as Canterbury. Still, a good buy, especially at the discount! Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Downloaded it on the group buy yesterday. I really like many of the presets but something I'm not crazy about is the application of the fx â they don't kick in until the "next note." Sometimes I like to engage tremolo while a chord is sustaining. Exactly what I was gonna write. Not only "next note"; all notes that were sounding before you engaged the fx have to be gone for the fx to turn on â and by "gone", that means both note offs and sustain off, if the notes are being sustained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Downloaded it on the group buy yesterday. I really like many of the presets but something I'm not crazy about is the application of the fx â they don't kick in until the "next note." Sometimes I like to engage tremolo while a chord is sustaining. Exactly what I was gonna write. Not only "next note"; all notes that were sounding before you engaged the fx have to be gone for the fx to turn on â and by "gone", that means both note offs and sustain off, if the notes are being sustained. Yes, and I should have broadened my comment! I have this habit of using Tremolo like a singer or horn player uses vibrato, so this way of setting up the effect is really awkward. Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docbop Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 I remember back in the day when vintage Rhodes were becoming the thing in LA. Most the projects I was involved with were renting gear from SIR and it was getting hard to rent old Rhodes. I talked to guys that worked for SIR they said people kept renting vintage Rhodes and other vintage gear then claiming they were stolen and paying for them. Guess that's one way to get hard to find gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Exactly what I was gonna write. Not only "next note"; all notes that were sounding before you engaged the fx have to be gone for the fx to turn on â and by "gone", that means both note offs and sustain off, if the notes are being sustained. Yes, and I should have broadened my comment! I have this habit of using Tremolo like a singer or horn player uses vibrato, so this way of setting up the effect is really awkward. Me too. It's a little disconcerting to turn an effect on & off and not have it turn on or off. The behavior we're describing applies to turning things off too â the effect will continue if there are notes sounding before we switch something off. It's the only outright negative I've seen in this otherwize great-sounding instrument (so far at least). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Exactly what I was gonna write. Not only "next note"; all notes that were sounding before you engaged the fx have to be gone for the fx to turn on â and by "gone", that means both note offs and sustain off, if the notes are being sustained. Yes, and I should have broadened my comment! I have this habit of using Tremolo like a singer or horn player uses vibrato, so this way of setting up the effect is really awkward. Me too. It's a little disconcerting to turn an effect on & off and not have it turn on or off. The behavior we're describing applies to turning things off too â the effect will continue if there are notes sounding before we switch something off. It's the only outright negative I've seen in this otherwize great-sounding instrument (so far at least). I emailed Orange Tree Samples about this issue and received the following reply: â Hi Rod, That's something we've been looking into to find a solution so that those effects can actively update instead of passively updating as currently. Both the chorus and tremolo require a different amount of polyphony to emulate their effects. For example, the tremolo models the left and right channel separately, so for every note you play, it's actually playing two notes--one in the left channel and another in the right. Unfortunately there isn't a easy solution in Kontakt to dynamically switch those necessary samples off and on. However, we're working on the update for The Famous E right now, and that's one of the things we're hoping to solve in the update--among a few other items, such as adding a cabinet modeling effect. Kind regards, Greg --- Greg Schlaepfer Orange Tree Samples https://www.orangetreesamples.com Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleer Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Best developer ever. OrangeTreeSamples rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 I don't have this virtual instrument, but I have played the actual Leeds Rental unit E in Santa Barbara. Must be close to 20 years ago at this point. It was owned by an appliance store owner named George, who had it set up in his home studio. You can't make this s*** up. Can't make it up if it's true. George Mamalakis is his name, and the piano has it's own website. https://www.emodelrhodes.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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