New Studiologic Numa X Piano

[CHarrell]

15 hours ago, CyberGene said:

However it's not sluggish and unpleasant as the TP-100LR that I hated

 

At this point I'm almost curious to try out the 100 the way people go see a movie everyone says is trash.

[obxa]

4 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

8 hours ago, obxa said:

 

The Rhodes was a mono instrument, the only stereo would come from effects.

Yes corrrect-sorry as owner of 2 of them should of finished my sentence: in a mono amp . My MKII has the Retro Flyer stereo preamp installed, sounds good in mono, but glorious in stereo. 

 

[obxa]

8 hours ago, CyberGene said:

I mentioned to Gianni about the overly loud pedal noises and he explained that this is mostly an issue with the switch type of pedal that comes with the non-GT models.

Thanks for that info.  That makes more sense now.    They have to know half the buyers aren't GT, or using the full 3 pedal -  and as you said,  the pedal they include doesn't even do HP.  

 

It becomes most irritating when you're creating a show full of  presets -trying different pianos models,  and having to reset that parameter every time.  It's worse on the EPs.   At very least, they should just offer a default global value that can be overridden per preset.    They're not the only ones;  Pianoteq, and many Kontakt piano libraries do the same thing.  But I get now why the Numa is set so high. 

 

I concur they've been great about updates and listening, so here's hoping they finally address this. 

[stoken6]

9 hours ago, CHarrell said:

At this point I'm almost curious to try out the 100 the way people go see a movie everyone says is trash.

It's an experience everyone should try once in their life. Just to say they hated it.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[bjosko]

In my experience, it have to be more than one kind of TP100. 
For example, the Viscount Legend 70’s Compact and the Crumar Seven both should have TP100, but feels very different.

On the Seven, it feels like the pivot point have been moved. Heavy as H, but very similar to a Rhodes Mark 1.

I know the velocity curve can be tweaked, but it feels like more than that is going on.

The TP110 in Numa X I am using in one of my bands is in a better league in my opinion, but I can easy adapt to the Legend I have here at home.

[Stefan011]

It is turning into some kind of therapy session her (TP 100 Anonymous).

 

My 2 cents: I hated it wit the passion on Nord Electro. Whatever lick I had been practicing on my home piano was almost unplayable on Nord. What helped was taking it home and practicing directly on It. It had to go eventually.

 

Also looking forward trying Numa X. But there is no floor model around. 

[time4jazz]

3 hours ago, Stefan011 said:

My 2 cents: I hated it wit the passion on Nord Electro. Whatever lick I had been practicing on my home piano was almost unplayable on Nord. What helped was taking it home and practicing directly on It. It had to go eventually.

Yes, playing piano on my Electro is nothing like playing piano!  I too would  have to learn any intricate or fast lick on the Nord itself. 

[RandyFF]

I just joined the club!  Got me an X 73 last night!  Will do a review after spending more time with it.  

 

The standout so far is loving the EPs- super stoked!!!  

 

Surprised that the UI is not as friendly as I’ve expected, but I imagine I just need to learn the Numa Piano way of doing things.  Even without 1 knob to 1 function capability, there are MANY things you can do in real-time while performing

 

USER FORUMS?  

I’d like a forum where users are exchanging/sharing Programs they’ve made, and sharing tweaks to the sounds.  Many sounds have the ‘Uncanny Valley’ problem of being a little different than what I’m used to and definitely needing tweaks!

 

Also: I have a white key that is 1/4” / 5mm below the others.  It produces no sound UNLESS I lift the key up before hitting it, otherwise it’s just a loud thunk

? Top panel easy to take off?  Availability of parts? Known problem?

 

[bjosko]

13 hours ago, RandyFF said:

 

Also: I have a white key that is 1/4” / 5mm below the others.  It produces no sound UNLESS I lift the key up before hitting it, otherwise it’s just a loud thunk

? Top panel easy to take off?  Availability of parts? Known problem?

 

Was it a new unit from a store ?
Then you should have warranty and ask for a repair or return, no reason to DIY.

It sounds like a defective unit, transport damage or something.

[Noah DC]

@RandyFF For what it is worth, I dropped my 73 at one point loading out from a gig and had what sounds like the same issue with the very bottom key. I unscrewed the side panel (and the top but I don't remember it coming off in any way that was useful). I then saw that the key had fallen out of place and after some fidgeting, I was able to snap the plastic mechanism back into place, where it's worked normally ever since. Just sharing in case you decide you might want to try a repair yourself before dealing with the warranty.

[CyberGene]

On my Numa the highest key was clacking and a bit heavy to press. I unscrewed very slightly on of the screws on the right panel and all was fixed. I recorded it back then:

https://youtu.be/idGJSuekSaw

[RandyFF]

16 hours ago, bjosko said:

Was it a new unit from a store ?
Then you should have warranty and ask for a repair or return, no reason to DIY.

It sounds like a defective unit, transport damage or something.

Yeah, got a killer price for it used, and as I noted in an earlier post, AMS, the distributor for the Numa X does not support transferring of the warranty.  Bummer!

 

The fault actually was my own.  After auditioning it I moved it from the stand to the box.  I’m normally very careful about such, but not this time.  

 

I was using pinching force between the bottom of the board and one of the keys as a means of lifting/stabilizing.  Bad move.  That key made a clunk and I could feel like a notch that’d I’d gone past.  After that the key has been limp, hanging below adjacent keys by 1/4” / 5mm, and doesn’t sound unless I lift it up first. 

 

Bummer!  I love this board, one of my all-time favorites, and I messed it up!  

 

8 hours ago, CyberGene said:

On my Numa the highest key was clacking and a bit heavy to press. I unscrewed very slightly on of the screws on the right panel and all was fixed. I recorded it back then:

https://youtu.be/idGJSuekSaw

You are a good citizen, making that video.  Unfortunately my problem is not with the topmost note.

[RandyFF]

10 hours ago, Noah DC said:

@RandyFF For what it is worth, I dropped my 73 at one point loading out from a gig and had what sounds like the same issue with the very bottom key. I unscrewed the side panel (and the top but I don't remember it coming off in any way that was useful). I then saw that the key had fallen out of place and after some fidgeting, I was able to snap the plastic mechanism back into place, where it's worked normally ever since. Just sharing in case you decide you might want to try a repair yourself before dealing with the warranty.

 

Thanks!  It actually didn't take much pushing/pulling up, it just snapped back in place!  What a relief!  I didn’t squeeze the key that terribly hard, I guess this is part of their assembly/dis-assembly process.

 

Here's what it looked like:

 

[CHarrell]

Got my Numa yesterday! ....and stubbornly refused to pay for a Lyft XL to take me back home with it from FedEx, opting to carry it home instead, and my muscles are so sore right now that I can't fully play it. 😅

[CHarrell]

After my muscles resumed some function, I got to test it out yesterday. So far...I dunno, maybe I should've trusted my first time with it. I was experiencing some USB audio issues, hopefully the firmware updates fixed that but I haven't tried it yet. I dunno what it is, but I can't really find a satisfying velocity curve with the board and Pianoteq...maybe the keybed is just super-shallow? The keybed feels much better connected to the internal sounds (surprise surprise), but I didn't remember the sounds being so...lacking. The pianos seem to have limited dynamic range in timbre, and the (lack of) depth in the keybed compounds that by making it difficult to accurately control what range there is. The EPs don't sound bad at all--they don't have the fullness of tone that the Pianoteq modelling has, but if I didn't A/B them I don't know if I would miss it.

[CyberGene]

@CHarrell Give it some time (if you can afford keeping it for a while before returning it). My two “first” impressions were also meh which is why I returned it the first time. The second time I wasn’t too impressed either. However after an initial adaptation it’s a good piano IMO. What firmware are you on?

[CHarrell]

12 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

@CHarrell Give it some time (if you can afford keeping it for a while before returning it). My two “first” impressions were also meh which is why I returned it the first time. The second time I wasn’t too impressed either. However after an initial adaptation it’s a good piano IMO. What firmware are you on?

 

On Monday night I updated it to the most recent 2.whatever.

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, CHarrell said:

After my muscles resumed some function, I got to test it out yesterday. So far...I dunno, maybe I should've trusted my first time with it. I was experiencing some USB audio issues, hopefully the firmware updates fixed that but I haven't tried it yet. I dunno what it is, but I can't really find a satisfying velocity curve with the board and Pianoteq...maybe the keybed is just super-shallow? The keybed feels much better connected to the internal sounds (surprise surprise), but I didn't remember the sounds being so...lacking. The pianos seem to have limited dynamic range in timbre, and the (lack of) depth in the keybed compounds that by making it difficult to accurately control what range there is. The EPs don't sound bad at all--they don't have the fullness of tone that the Pianoteq modelling has, but if I didn't A/B them I don't know if I would miss it.

I didn’t find joy in Pianoteq‘s automated process for velocity curve creation either.  Had to start from the default and fiddle till I got something that works for me.  
 

It’s all about expectations really.  TP-110 being based on the TP-100 design.  🤷‍♂️ There aren’t a lot of lightweight hammer actions that play great.  How do you feel it compares to an ES-120?  

[kanefsky]

4 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

I didn’t find joy in Pianoteq‘s automated process for velocity curve creation either.  Had to start from the default and fiddle till I got something that works for me.  

 

Just in case you hadn't discovered it, if you click on the word "VELOCITY" above the curve there are a bunch of useful presets that might give you a better starting point than the default (or even be suitable as-is).  The presets have names like "Slow keyboard", "Moderately fast keyboard", etc.

 

In that menu you can also choose "Paste" after copying the textual representation of a curve that you get from someone else.  There are many posted by Modartt for various keyboards at https://www.modartt.com/velocity_curves and about a million posted by other users at https://forum.modartt.com/viewforum.php?id=10.

 

An example of a textual representation would be "Velocity = [0, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 24, 32, 127; 0, 5, 10, 21, 33, 41, 47, 56, 127]"

[CHarrell]

31 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

I didn’t find joy in Pianoteq‘s automated process for velocity curve creation either.  Had to start from the default and fiddle till I got something that works for me.  
 

 

Yeah I don't use the calibration feature, but honestly, even without knowing the handy tool Kanefsky pointed out, it usually just takes me a little slide of the bottom and/or top velocity dot and I'm golden, maybe some adjustment to the dynamics slider.

 

32 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

How do you feel it compares to an ES-120?  

 

There actually is a piano dealer not too too far away from me that has all the ES models, probly gonna hit em up this weekend and do a trial. I didn't like the 520 when I briefly owned it, and apparently the RHC isn't too different from the RHCII (I remembered it being too bouncy and light), but I'll give it another shot for sure. At this point I'm probly gonna just gun for a PXS6000 or an ES920 and potentially take the hit in weight, I don't know.

[CHarrell]

10 minutes ago, Dave Ferris said:

'm glad I played it, it is good but at least now I know without having to mess with repacking and return ship to Sweetwater. .

 

Why do you taunt me? 😭

[ElmerJFudd]

2 hours ago, CHarrell said:

 

Yeah I don't use the calibration feature, but honestly, even without knowing the handy tool Kanefsky pointed out, it usually just takes me a little slide of the bottom and/or top velocity dot and I'm golden, maybe some adjustment to the dynamics slider.

 

 

There actually is a piano dealer not too too far away from me that has all the ES models, probly gonna hit em up this weekend and do a trial. I didn't like the 520 when I briefly owned it, and apparently the RHC isn't too different from the RHCII (I remembered it being too bouncy and light), but I'll give it another shot for sure. At this point I'm probly gonna just gun for a PXS6000 or an ES920 and potentially take the hit in weight, I don't know.

If you can sit at a PXS6000 let us know.  I personally didn't care for the PXS1000/3000 action at all.  

[CHarrell]

26 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

If you can sit at a PXS6000 let us know.  I personally didn't care for the PXS1000/3000 action at all.  

 

Yeahhhh, my local GC has had a 1000 or 1100 there for like years, and the action feels very light and flimsy to me (not flimsy in the sense where it feels like it would break, it just feels like nothing). However, since I think this unit has been touched by an amount and range of people I don't want to consider, I'm willing to grant that that action could potentially feel better in better circumstances. The major thing I'd want to feel from the 5/6/7000 that I didn't get from the 1100 is a sense of solid weight with some resistance.

 

(For what it's worth, a couple of weeks ago I went to the GC like a dork carrying all my iPad related stuff and rigged up Pianoteq to the 1100, and after some quick and slight velocity adjustments from the top and bottom end, it actually felt very responsive. I don't know if the high resolution MIDI has anything to do with that or not.) 

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, CHarrell said:

 

Yeahhhh, my local GC has had a 1000 or 1100 there for like years, and the action feels very light and flimsy to me (not flimsy in the sense where it feels like it would break, it just feels like nothing). However, since I think this unit has been touched by an amount and range of people I don't want to consider, I'm willing to grant that that action could potentially feel better in better circumstances. The major thing I'd want to feel from the 5/6/7000 that I didn't get from the 1100 is a sense of solid weight with some resistance.

 

(For what it's worth, a couple of weeks ago I went to the GC like a dork carrying all my iPad related stuff and rigged up Pianoteq to the 1100, and after some quick and slight velocity adjustments from the top and bottom end, it actually felt very responsive. I don't know if the high resolution MIDI has anything to do with that or not.) 

Dork = Efficient.  Better than buying it, dragging it home and having to return it because it doesn’t do what you want.  I would definitely record my CP88 and play the wav through monitors at the shop before buying it, which is a short cut to carrying the entire instrument to see how it sounds on APs and EPs. 
 

 

[DeltaJockey]

Sorry to derail the conversation to back on topic. I have been mulling a question about my Numa XGT TP400 action for awhile. Not sure whether this may be relevant to the TP110 keybeds as well, but I noticed when I got mine, the textured white keys of a couple of them have some rough patches between the black keys. It's not something that's ever bothered me, just obviously a slight imperfection in the manufacturing of the keytops that I can feel from time to time. Anyone else noticed this on theirs?

 

On a different note, I bought the Studiologic carry case for it. They advertise it as, "now comes with wheels". Sadly for me, this means it now doesn't fit across the back seat of my 2021 Subaru Forester. I've been contemplating drilling out the studs and perhaps putting removable screws in, as I would rather fit it in the car, than be able to wheel it!

 

 

[Markus A.]

Hello all

 

Sorry to chime in... I am very tempted to buy the Numa Piano X but I have a few issues that I can not find answers so far. Maybe one of you owners can help me out here.

 

a) Is it possible to set the velocity curve/response per zone? Like having a AC Piano in Zone one (normal velocity curve) and a pad in Zone B with fixed velocity?

b) Are the EP-S simmilar to the ones in de free App "Numa Player"? Especially on the Wurlies I recon an annoying metallic tine noise around G4 and a few notes up, even if the Tine Volume is set to zero. I notice this noise in the "Wurli-Demos" on SL Website too...  

c) I've read somewhere that - with a Mixface attached - the drawbars in organ mode can be operated. Is that true? (Dont think so...)

d) What are the options to tweak the leslie sim? Are speed, ramp time, mic distance etc. available?

 

Thanks for any help re. this. Cheers, Markus

[counterpoint]

40 minutes ago, Markus A. said:

Hello all

 

Sorry to chime in... I am very tempted to buy the Numa Piano X but I have a few issues that I can not find answers so far. Maybe one of you owners can help me out here.

 

a) Is it possible to set the velocity curve/response per zone? Like having a AC Piano in Zone one (normal velocity curve) and a pad in Zone B with fixed velocity?

b) Are the EP-S simmilar to the ones in de free App "Numa Player"? Especially on the Wurlies I recon an annoying metallic tine noise around G4 and a few notes up, even if the Tine Volume is set to zero. I notice this noise in the "Wurli-Demos" on SL Website too...  

c) I've read somewhere that - with a Mixface attached - the drawbars in organ mode can be operated. Is that true? (Dont think so...)

d) What are the options to tweak the leslie sim? Are speed, ramp time, mic distance etc. available?

 

Thanks for any help re. this. Cheers, Markus

 

a)      No...and I find this a bit frustrating for my set-ups.  Hoping this feature is added in a future firmware update.

 

b)     I'm pretty sure the EP's are different than the Numa Player.  IMO the Rhodes emulations are the highlight of the Numa X and the Wurlies are pretty good too.  They were improved in one of the recent firmware updates.

 

c)      Not familiar with "Mixface" but all the organ presets look fixed to me with respect to their drawbar configuration to the extent it is specified.

 

d)     There are none of the options you are seeking in that regard.  The possible rotary adjustments are similar to those you would find in a chorus or phaser effect.  That said, I've heard worse sounding sims than the one on the Numa X...but if having an authentic organ sound is an important for your set-up, you should probably consider alternatives.

 

All that said, I like the Numa X.  It has great MIDI implementation and is an excellent weighted keyboard to use to play the pianos on my YC61…and to fill in some sounds here and there.

[Markus A.]

Tanks , counterpoint. Thats too bad and a no go then, as a) is mandatory to me and seems to be a standard function in many stage boards around this price range. Even the Studiolive SL controllers have the velocity curves configurable per Zone, so I was hoping they adopted that.       

[ElmerJFudd]

16 hours ago, DeltaJockey said:

Sorry to derail the conversation to back on topic. I have been mulling a question about my Numa XGT TP400 action for awhile. Not sure whether this may be relevant to the TP110 keybeds as well, but I noticed when I got mine, the textured white keys of a couple of them have some rough patches between the black keys. It's not something that's ever bothered me, just obviously a slight imperfection in the manufacturing of the keytops that I can feel from time to time. Anyone else noticed this on theirs?

 

On a different note, I bought the Studiologic carry case for it. They advertise it as, "now comes with wheels". Sadly for me, this means it now doesn't fit across the back seat of my 2021 Subaru Forester. I've been contemplating drilling out the studs and perhaps putting removable screws in, as I would rather fit it in the car, than be able to wheel it!

 

 

Someone is always looking for a case.  I’d probably put it up for sale and just order a case that does fit your car.   

[AnotherScott]

1 hour ago, Markus A. said:

Even the Studiolive SL controllers have the velocity curves configurable per Zone, so I was hoping they adopted that.       

 

It is disappointing that the Numa X does not include all the MIDI controller functionality of the lower priced SL controllers. I commented about another lost feature earlier in this thread (at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/180089-new-studiologic-numa-x-piano/page/24/#comment-2937076 ), that external zones seem to have only "generic" names available, losing the ability to name them using names more descriptive of their sound and source. I had been hoping that the Numa X was a kind of upgraded SL controller... i.e. all the same functionality, plus internal sounds, more real-time controls (e.g. for patch selection), and maybe better action (i.e. TP110 vs TP100)... but it's not.