New Studiologic Numa X Piano

[pawelsz]

What a dynamics range!

 

[Dockeys]

Day 2 with the Numa X. Hooked it up to my studio Mac and played it for an hour. It works really nice with Pianoteq. Acoustic pianos play as well as any controller I"ve used. Works well with all of my other plugins as well. Really nice with the scarbee EP88. Lots of character and plenty of scope for gentle Rhodes playing or digging in and getting a bark out of the sound.

 

So I"ve been in the market for a 73 key for while but am torn between this and the Yamaha cp73. went to the local music store this morning and tried out the CP73 again for the keybed. I think I preferred the cp73 keybed over the Numa X. I just felt my playing was cleaner and more accurate. This could well be a mixture of sound and keybed rather than just keybed. However one thing I took away from my visit was compared to the Numa X the cp73 is very cluttered in terms of its interface. Man I was using standard Rhodes and trying to get a phaser going and then a little tremoloâ¦.took me a while but I got it but I would have done it in much less time on the Numa. The Numa really is a brilliantly simple but effective interface. Other manufacturers should take a leaf out of studiologics book on this.

 

I went home and tried to midi the MODX8 up to the Numa but couldn"t get it working. Couldn"t play the Modx from the Numa no matter how many times I tried. I tried multiple midi cables as well but to no avail. Maybe I just missed a setting in the MODX8.

 

So I"m going to try and spend more time playing just the Numa X on its own this week and into a mixing desk and speaker as well as I"ve been using phones to date. It"s only over a day since I"ve had it and I haven"t explored it anywhere near enough yet. However so far I think the action is nice, brilliantly intuitive layout, very compact size and weight and it works really well as a controller. I haven"t delved into using it"s knobs for sending midi messages yet but will try in the next week or so. But as a standard controller for playing from another device it fits really well and does most sound justice. Im not sure how I"m feeling about it as a stand alone machine as yet. I haven"t found a piano that I"m really really happy with yet. Most of them need a lot of eq. Rhodes are still very clacky for my liking. I"ve reduced the hammer and tines but I"m not at the stage where I"m happy with them yet. More work to do.

[AnotherScott]

Day 2 with the Numa X...works really nice with Pianoteq...Works well with all of my other plugins as well. Really nice with the scarbee EP88...went to the local music store this morning and tried out the CP73 again for the keybed. I think I preferred the cp73 keybed over the Numa X...This could well be a mixture of sound and keybed rather than just keybed.

If you get another opportunity to check out the CP73, I'd be curious to know how you feel about its action triggering pianoteq/scarbee/etc.

 

I went home and tried to midi the MODX8 up to the Numa but couldn"t get it working. Couldn"t play the Modx from the Numa no matter how many times I tried. I tried multiple midi cables as well but to no avail. Maybe I just missed a setting in the MODX8.

Mt first guess is that you have to toggle the MODX MIDI Out function from USB to 5-pin.

[Dockeys]

Day 2 with the Numa X...works really nice with Pianoteq...Works well with all of my other plugins as well. Really nice with the scarbee EP88...went to the local music store this morning and tried out the CP73 again for the keybed. I think I preferred the cp73 keybed over the Numa X...This could well be a mixture of sound and keybed rather than just keybed.

If you get another opportunity to check out the CP73, I'd be curious to know how you feel about its action triggering pianoteq/scarbee/etc.

 

I went home and tried to midi the MODX8 up to the Numa but couldn"t get it working. Couldn"t play the Modx from the Numa no matter how many times I tried. I tried multiple midi cables as well but to no avail. Maybe I just missed a setting in the MODX8.

Mt first guess is that you have to toggle the MODX MIDI Out function from USB to 5-pin.

 

 

Won"t be able to try the cp73 with the software as o don"t have any of them on a laptop, desktop only. I did have the cp73 for a week last year and it worked really well when I tired it then. As good if perhaps marginally better than the Numa but I"d be splitting hairs at that stage.

 

Yeah that was the first thing I tried with the midi. Maybe it"s a setting I accidentally turned off on the MODX8 as I never use the 5 pin midi sockets on it. I"ll figure it out.

[Dockeys]

So I’ve had some more time with the Numa X 73 this week. Il go through some of the other areas I haven’t addressed so far and if any of you have questions just holler and I’ll do my best to answer them. Also I’ll probably compare it frequently to Yamaha CP73 as for me it’s the nearest competitor in terms of size and features. 
 

So I got it hooked up to the MODX8 to try out the sounds on the Numa keybed. The knobs on the Numa had muted the regions on the Modx which is why I wasn’t hearing anything. Once sorted it played well. Better than the modx keybed but still not as good as the cp73 which I’ve been back and forth to the store to try. 

 

As a controller it’s very capable. All the knobs appear to be assignable. I tried it with the iPad and with some plugins on the Mac mini. No issues. Most of the knobs serve multiple purposes (click up, down, left, right, endless scroll, push down to confirm). As a result it cuts down on having multiple other knobs on the front panel. I like this simplicity but if you need extra faders you may find it limiting. I just assigned stuff like volume and occasionally filters to some of the knobs and it’s served my purposes. Using it to manipulate drawbars on something like the B3x might be a challenge as you wouldn’t have 9 faders or knobs adjacent to each other. 

 

Speaking of which the Hammond sounds are actually quite nice. The Leslie is assigned via an external effect. I was just using the preset organs which didn’t have this effect assigned and the mod wheel just gave a weird wobble rather than a Leslie effect. Once it’s assigned you can save it and it sounds quite nice. If you scroll through their layered presets then it’s assigned for the most part and feels meatier. It’s certainly a nicer organ than the ones on the cp73. You can’t really manipulate the sound of the Hammond a whole lot. Unlike the pianos where you can adjust stuff like hammer or pedal noise or tines the Hammond has adjustments like filter or resonance. I think outside of the pianos the remainder of the sound controls are based on synth sounds and are applied as such. That being said I got some nice layered Hammonds with a passable Leslie. 
 

In terms of presets i’m still struggling with the pianos and elec pianos a little. I find the pianos remind me a little of the Kronos ones. A little compressed and slightly muted feel to them. They just don’t sing  as well as I’ve felt from other pianos. I don’t necessarily think it’s a modelled thing either as pianoteq is my go to piano in the studio. I just feel no matter how much I eq them I’m not getting what I want out of them. And that’s even in the headphone mix which is usually more forgiving. The pedal noise is quite loud as default but I just dial that at back though I usually like a bit of this in the mix. 

 

I mentioned the Rhodes previously as having similar issues. Quite “clacky” and I have to put work into getting a version of what is ok to me. Sometimes it feels like the effects (tremolo/phaser) disguise the sense that the original clean tone may not be there for me. Again ymmv. There’s a very nice Wurly and it’s customisable but you have to do a lot of tweaking. I think quite a few of the presets need work but then sounds like these are so subjective they may be perfect to lots of other players. 

 

Strings ensembles need to be layered to get a full sound but I’d be struggling to get a decent arco/sustain patch with good attack for fast lines. Pads are very nice, quite lush, leads are generally good too and the usual bread and butter stuff like 80s synth sounds are all usable, especially the synth brass sounds. Basses are very rich and ideal for splitting with piano or organ. Nice upright and electric basses and a couple of nice bass and ride cymbal sounds included which can be handy if you’re san drummer. 

 

More about its size and build quality. It’s incredibly compact. The end cheeks are quite shallow so it’s a few cms shorter than say the CP73. It’s also shallower without losing anything. There’s still room enough to hold an iPad or laptop on the top. The outputs and inputs are very solid. There’s a noticeable click when you insert a lead into the back and it doesn’t come back out without noticeable effort. It feels very solid and feels like it would not fall out or come loose. I haven’t come across this level of secureness in a board before. And I really like the orange colour scheme. Silly but it does add a little something to the usual black slabs that stage pianos offer up. Again all outputs/inputs are clearly labelled on the top and back of the board so plugging stuff is easy. A lot of thought had gone into the design of this board. 

 

The power is via a wall wart but not the type that come with the Modx which I always thought was a horrible lump which take up too much space on an extension lead and the cable always knots no matter how careful I wind it up. The Numas is a kenable figure of eight lead attached to the power supply so it’s more manageable and less likely to break in my opinion. It’s an acceptable alternative to the built in power supply. And considering the relatively light weight I’d have no issue with it.  

 

The audio 4 inputs are great although I’m not sure if ever use that many? Because of the built in interface my iPad just connects and sounds come through the Numa so no need for an audio input. Might be useful for a vocalist or sending a second keyboard or rack though. Short lead from a rack into an audio input and then all into the mixer etc. Navigating via the knobs is a breeze whether it’s individual presets or layered/splits combinations. It scrolls as fast or as slow as you want so no issues in calling up a sound quickly on a gig. 

 

So I’ve been working with it for a week now and I’m pretty conflicted. It ticks a lot of boxes for me in terms of navigability, weight, size and something ideal to add an iPad too. And if the iPad ever crashed then the sounds onboard are capable of filling in. But I’m not looking for a controller, I’m looking for a gigging board first that I can add an iPad or laptop to as a secondary resource. I did feel when I was away from it for a few days the action took a little work to get back into the groove of it. With work commitments I wouldn’t be playing but on a daily basis so I don’t like the idea of  constantly readjusting my touch every time I sit down with it. 

 

I’m leaning towards returning it at the moment. I might look at it again in the future once I see what other sounds they release down the line. But I think the action and pianos aren’t quite enough for me. That being said it actually makes me smile when I just sit down in front of it. Weird, I haven’t had that reaction from a keyboard in a while. I love the look and layout but that love currently doesn’t extend to the whole package. 

 

I hope this helps those of you thinking about it. I could of course look at the GT version with the superior keybed but the weight is way beyond my limit and I’d imagine it’s a heavier action as well. Sounds, action feel are all so subjective so I hope I’ve given some indication of what it’s like as a board. 

 

[CyberGene]

Thanks, I was stuck between this and a CP73 but you kind of solved my dilemma 👍🏻

[Stokely]

Apologies if you mentioned it already, but you happen to have two of the keybeds that I am interested in (CP73 and this Studiologic) but have never seen or played, and one that I'm pretty familiar with (GHS on the MODX8).   How would you compare and rank the MODX8 with these other two?  And this is the regular, non-GT Numa you are playing?

[Dockeys]

16 hours ago, Stokely said:

Apologies if you mentioned it already, but you happen to have two of the keybeds that I am interested in (CP73 and this Studiologic) but have never seen or played, and one that I'm pretty familiar with (GHS on the MODX8).   How would you compare and rank the MODX8 with these other two?  And this is the regular, non-GT Numa you are playing?

Yes it’s the Numa x I got rather than the GT. I wouldn’t gig with the GT as it’s too heavy   and apart from the keybed it’s identical to the Numa X version.  
 

So I had a CP73 last year but I returned it. I had the MODX8 as well at the same time so I felt it was overkill to have both. I love the sounds of the modx but the action was always a compromise for me. Enough to live with for the last year. But since the pandemic my main work as a full time musician has gone and Ive secured a work in university. So any gigging now will be much less so I can do that on a smaller scale hence the interest in something like the CP73/Numa X. 
 

In terms of sound the MODX is incomparable to the Numa and Cp73 as it has much more sophisticated engine but they shouldn’t even be considered in the same category. But in terms of of Yamaha keybeds I’ve played multiple versions of the GHS (Modx8, P115, P125, MOXF8). Despite having the same keybed I did find they differed in feel. I put this down to how it fits into the various chassis. It’s an ok keybed but when you get so much of the montage sound in the modx I was happy to work with it. I toyed with getting the CP88, I loved the feel but again the weight is too much for me so I went back to look at the CP73. For me the CP73 (BHS action) is smoother to play than the modx GHS action. I’m not expecting anything like the CP88 but I want something better than the GHS. The BHS in the CP73  works well with the acoustic and electric pianos. This was my impression when I first bought it and I’ve gone back to try it again this week to make sure i wasn’t remembering it through rose tinted glasses! I don’t feel I have to adjust my touch while I’m playing it. Left hand voicings are clear and it seems balanced to me. Again I’d prefer the CP88 action but you can’t have everything. Will probably look at picking up a CP73 in the coming weeks. 

 

 

[Dockeys]

47 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

Thanks, I was stuck between this and a CP73 but you kind of solved my dilemma 👍🏻

No problem, however I hope my experience wont deter anyone from trying the Numa. Where I bought it they have a good returns policy so I’m glad I tried it out. The Numa has a lot going for it. 

[Noah DC]

Thanks again for these notes! They’ve convinced me to buy a Numa X 73 for sure. An action in the realm of a keyboard that costs almost twice as much (Modx) that offers one-touch access to VSTs alongside decent internal sounds in a package that is as compact as almost any other option on the market? I’m in. Just hearing people express uncertainty about whether to buy this vs. another keyboard that costs nearly twice as much (CP73) seals the deal for those of us who can’t afford extra dough. Also, fairly sure the Mojo 61 will be able to rest on the top of the 73, creating a tight, 42-inch-wide rig for bar gigs without the need for a mixer or extra FOH inputs for playing in stereo (especially helpful if I were to drop my Reface CS synth on top of the Mojo). Looking forward to trying this one out!

[kenheeter]

I'm getting a Numa X 73 as soon as I can get my hands on one....

[AnotherScott]

There seem to be 8 buttons for selecting Favorites... Can you easily change the bank for a different set of 8? (Ideally for me, there would be 64 Favorites set up as 8 banks of 8, and you'd be able to hold down the Favorites button and then use the 8 buttons to select your desired set of 8 Favorites, which then could be one-button selected with the 8 buttons.)

 

Related, is there an easy-to-get-to screen that shows you the names of the 8 favorites that those buttons will call up?

[Dockeys]

8 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

There seem to be 8 buttons for selecting Favorites... Can you easily change the bank for a different set of 8? (Ideally for me, there would be 64 Favorites set up as 8 banks of 8, and you'd be able to hold down the Favorites button and then use the 8 buttons to select your desired set of 8 Favorites, which then could be one-button selected with the 8 buttons.)

 

Related, is there an easy-to-get-to screen that shows you the names of the 8 favorites that those buttons will call up?

 

So it's packed up and ready to be shipped out but the 8 favourites buttons can be accessed directly by pressing them or the "Favourites" or "Sound bank" button under them to access individual banks..I can't recall now. So yes, multiple banks can be accessed relatively quickly. Once you click on the "favourites" button all 8 buttons with preset names appear virtually in the screen as well so you can see right off the bat  what sound is saved to what button. A bit like the Kronos setlist mode only smaller font as it's a small screen. Again you use the main scroll wheel to navigate to any of the favourites rather than the actual button. You can also move quickly between banks with the scroll wheel so you can jump from Bank 1 to bank 7 without multiple button pressing. Hope the helps.

[AnotherScott]

8 hours ago, Dockeys said:

you use the main scroll wheel to navigate to any of the favourites rather than the actual button. 

 

Do you mean you use the main scroll wheel to navigate to any of the favorite banks (as opposed to the favorites themselves, which sound like they should be button-selectable, based on where you said "you can see right off the bat  what sound is saved to what button" ).

[Dockeys]

When you press the favourites button or sound banks..sorry I can’t recall now but a list of 8 rectangular slots come up on the screen with the appropriate preset name in each one. To scroll to another bank I use the main knob next to the display. You click it to the right to move to the next bank of 8 or if you scroll with the wheel it moves from favourites 1-8 in the bank you are in. To go back to a previous bank you click left. If you see the photo I attached at the bottom of the screen is a small circle with left and right arrows and the letters PG2. This is an indication of what bank you’re in and you can use the scroll wheel to click left or right to move between banks. 

 

But you also have the 8 favourite actual buttons on the Numa as well in case you don’t want to scroll from favourites 1-8 and you just need an actual button that you can press and you can go directly to number 8 in the favourites list. 

[AnotherScott]

15 minutes ago, Dockeys said:

But you also have the 8 favourite actual buttons on the Numa as well in case you don’t want to scroll from favourites 1-8 and you just need an actual button that you can press and you can go directly to number 8 in the favourites list. 

 

I guess my question is, with the above "Page 2" screen activated, will the 8 buttons recall those 8 sounds (e.g. physical button 7 becomes Upright Piano)? Or are the 8 physical buttons fixed to 8 savable Favorites, which are always the same 8 sounds and not switchable to a different set of 8 (so you end up with "physical button" access to 8 Favorites, and then on-screen access to the rest of your favorites by calling up the page and scrolling through the on-screen options)?

[b3plyr]

Yes, this is a big deal. If the 8 buttons recall what is shown on the current page, that is a great performance feature. In fact, a necessary one.

[Dockeys]

I’ve only used the favourites section briefly to see how it works but my memory was that the physical buttons recall whatever eight presets that are currently on screen. So if I’m in bank 2 they control 8 patches in bank 2, if I’m on bank 7 they control the 8 patches in bank 7. 
 

That’s as far as I got with that section  it’s on its way back to the retailer now so I’ve no more access to it so I can’t really confirm anything else in more detail on the favourites function. 

[HammondDave]

All very interesting.  For me it al comes down to the action. But being primarily a Hammond player, maybe the TP110 will be just the trick? I guess we will find out soon. 

[Noah DC]

For those like me with an absurd ratio of interest-to-time-on-my-hands, there is a short new review of the 73 up on this Italian website, which Google Translate handles pretty well.

 

https://www.supportimusicali.it/forum/view/8/42/92955/1/

[Chiba]

Thank you guys for all the input - very helpful and informative!

I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the Numa X 73 against the Kurzweil Sp6-7?

I'm in the market for a 73-76 key lightweight piano and pretty much narrowed it down to the two (also maybe the Vivo S3 Pro) - but Kurzweils are notoriously difficult to find in UK stores - but I've had some very good experiences with them in the past... Numa seems really appealing when it comes to the interface and simplicity.

 

Thanks!

[Morrissey]

36 minutes ago, Chiba said:

 

I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the Numa X 73 against the Kurzweil Sp6-7?

I'm in the market for a 73-76 key lightweight piano and pretty much narrowed it down to the two (also maybe the Vivo S3 Pro) ... Numa seems really appealing when it comes to the interface and simplicity.

 

Thanks!

 

I was looking for the same thing awhile back, and bought a Vivo S3 before the Numa X 73 was available.  I'm happy with the S3 but probably would've gone with the Numa had it been available.

[AnotherScott]

On 1/22/2022 at 11:19 AM, Dockeys said:

I’m leaning towards returning it at the moment. I might look at it again in the future once I see what other sounds they release down the line. But I think the action and pianos aren’t quite enough for me. That being said it actually makes me smile when I just sit down in front of it. Weird, I haven’t had that reaction from a keyboard in a while.

 

Do I understand correctly that you preferred the action of the CP73, and you preferred the sounds of the CP73, but was the Numa that made you smile more? Maybe because of the interface and/or aesthetics?

[Dockeys]

Yes I preferred the CP73 action and piano sounds. A combination really of sound and tactility for me. Granted it’s still not in the same ballpark as the CP88 but for me it’s a sizeable step up from the GHS. The Numa was a little less responsive and I just couldn’t gel with the pianos sounds and that action. It made me smile because of the layout and the compact size. It was quite minimal in terms of layout but everything I needed was at hand especially as many of the dials had multiple functions, but all very logical for me. For me that excitement never really transferred into the sound and action. YMMV. CP73 arriving tomorrow. 

[pawelsz]

Syntaur sells exactly the same white keys K64U for CP73 as for weighted DGX series with GHS like DGX-660. So basic design is same or at least directly derived from GHS. 

[Dockeys]

11 minutes ago, pawelsz said:

Syntaur sells exactly the same white keys K64U for CP73 as for weighted DGX series with GHS like DGX-660. So basic design is same or at least directly derived from GHS. 

 

Yamaha use the GHS across a wide range of keyboards....MODX, P series pianos, DGX series. I've played most of them and though in theory they are the same keybed they all feel different. I can play the GHS in the P115/P125 series and its fine but in the MODX it tends to bottom out a little more and it has an effect on my playing. I imagine its down to how they fit the chassis around the keyed and how its programmed to respond to the voices in the board.

 

I'd say the BHS probably has some elements of the GHS but the BHS felt better to my hands. I remember in the original promotion of the CP73 the demo people were all keen to indicate that the BHS is great for playing Rhodes type sounds....maybe it was their way of saying the action is never going to be like the CP88 but it aint bad either. 

[AnotherScott]

The K64U is the key, and on GHS, the key is mated to one of four hammers (heaviest for the lowest keys, lightest for the highest) whereas on the CP73's BHS, as expected, the same hammer is used throughout, but what the Syntaur options also show us is that the one that is used throughout the CP73 is the one that's used only on the lightest keys of the GHS. Whether there may be other differences based on how the key assembly mounts in the chassis or whatever, I don't know.

[HammondDave]

Saw a price change on the Numa Piano X 88... up $30 to $1529.95

[kenheeter]

Dave, any idea when you're getting your Numa X 73?

 

[Noah DC]

When I pre-ordered mine a few weeks back, Sweetwater said the current estimate was mid-March. But that date has been sliding around since the fall so I wouldn't bank on anything.