analogholic Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Would like to start gigging again and was thinking of what´s out there today regarding an axe like this.... My PC3X is to heavy to schlep, so would need to find something lightweight with as good action "as possible". Quote All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 13 minutes ago, analogholic said: Would like to start gigging again and was thinking of what´s out there today regarding an axe like this.... My PC3X is to heavy to schlep, so would need to find something lightweight with as good action "as possible". Any particular features you need: pitch/mod wheels, expression pedal? Aftertouch? 5-pin MIDI or USB? Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Keys Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 The Roland RD88 is pretty light for an 88 weighted board and has built in speakers. Personally I find the action a little stiff, but they're an option. Quote Yamaha YC73 Korg Kronos2 61 Yamaha CP88 Roland Jupiter 8 Roland JX3P Roland D50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 I went with a PC4 as my lightweight stage piano. It’s around 28 pounds. Great sounds. The action is okayish. I find it very responsive on the hard1 velocity curve but a little slow. The question is what is affordable. There are cheaper things. There are much more expensive things. 1 Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogholic Posted December 4, 2023 Author Share Posted December 4, 2023 4 minutes ago, stoken6 said: Any particular features you need: pitch/mod wheels, expression pedal? Aftertouch? 5-pin MIDI or USB? Cheers, Mike Thanks, I guess all above except aftertouch 1 Quote All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluMunk Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 I feel like folks have often compared the PX-5S and Kurzweil SP6. I've never touched an SP6 so can't comment on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogholic Posted December 4, 2023 Author Share Posted December 4, 2023 19 minutes ago, CEB said: I went with a PC4 as my lightweight stage piano. It’s around 28 pounds. Great sounds. The action is okayish. I find it very responsive on the hard1 velocity curve but a little slow. The question is what is affordable. There are cheaper things. There are much more expensive things. Well...was just checking the specs and reviews for the PC4....that board would tick all the boxes and then some except maybe the action.... I´m a "Kurz-dude" and to be "completely" happy for some types of more demanding gig, Kurzweil is It for me...with the superb master functions. Maybe I´d need to get two boards, a PC4, and then something with better action for "simpler" gigs where piano and touch is no 1. Unfortunately my hands are "calibrated" to my Kawai VPC-1 that I use only at home...so of course most things will be a downgrade Quote All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogholic Posted December 4, 2023 Author Share Posted December 4, 2023 7 minutes ago, BluMunk said: I feel like folks have often compared the PX-5S and Kurzweil SP6. I've never touched an SP6 so can't comment on it. Ah thanks, will check that one out 👍🙏 Quote All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 I use the PX-560 as my lightweight 88k. I could also have gone with the Kawai ES-120 for most piano centric gigs. But the 560 has a wide sound pallet (like the 5S) and its screen makes it easy to navigate. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mullins Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Yamaha CK88. Pros: Good sounds, great UI (surprise for Yamaha), built-in audio interface and 28 lbs. Cons: Plastic and a bit bulky. I've adjusted to the action and find it acceptable. Not the best I've ever had, but no where close to the worst. Quote Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact www.stickmanor.com There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Piano Man Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 It’s a pity there’s not a PC3 rack or PC4 rack as you could then buy a lighter weight midi controller and still enjoy your Kurzweil sounds. I actually just sold an RD88 and picked up a second hand PC3a8, having previously owned the PC3x. My lighter weight alternative is a 2001 Technics P50. (16kg) Personally, I cannot stand any of the modern lighter weight 88s. The RD88 action was tiresome and the piano sounds were far too muddy sounding for me. Any attempt at EQing couldn’t sort the base sound. I actually own an old Roland XV3080 with SRX02 and far prefer these piano sounds than those on the RD88. Quote Kurzweil PC3x Technics SX-P50 Korg X3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 As opposed to a rack, I wish Kurzweil did PC3 or Korg Grandstand in a small desktop form factor with a little touch screen. So you could place it on the surface of any digital piano or controller that doesn’t have a screen. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Woodward Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 18 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said: As opposed to a rack, I wish Kurzweil did PC3 or Korg Grandstand in a small desktop form factor with a little touch screen. So you could sit on the face of any digital piano or controller that doesn’t have a screen. I never considered the appeal of a desktop Grandstand (stage), surely it's the live features that make it appeal. I guess Korg believe their Module app is nearer to what you are suggesting, although the GS sounds are leagues ahead. Quote Korg Grandstage 73, Mac Mini M1, Logic Pro X (Pigments, Korg Legacy Collection, Wavestate LE, Sylenth), iPad Pro 12.9 M2 (6th gen), Scarlett 2i2, Presonus Eris E3.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 13 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said: I never considered the appeal of a desktop Grandstand (stage), surely it's the live features that make it appeal. I guess Korg believe their Module app is nearer to what you are suggesting, although the GS sounds are leagues ahead. The iOS devices become a stronger option all the time. Especially with apps like Pianoteq and Module. I would hope MainStage for iOS arrives in 2024. 1 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Piano Man Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 1 hour ago, ElmerJFudd said: The iOS devices become a stronger option all the time. Especially with apps like Pianoteq and Module. I would hope MainStage for iOS arrives in 2024. I still don’t feel the “device to keyboard action” connection is as good as old school hardware modules. Latency? Secondly, you plug a hardware module in and it turns on but god forbid you forget to charge an iPad… you plug it in at a gig and nothing happens… you wait hours for 1% battery to appear. (Yes, I guess I need a new IOS device, but the point remains) I’d love to see a Pro iPad for gigging with near instant power upon being plugged in. Then I might consider it for gigging but, for now, it’s a stress I could do without. Quote Kurzweil PC3x Technics SX-P50 Korg X3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpops Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Some years ago I used to own a PX-5S and found it a great gigging tool. However, I soon dispensed with the internal acoustic pianos in favor of Pianoteq. I would place a Surface tablet on the righthand side and gain the benefit of the PX's hi-res MIDI spec. It was a really good combination. But for the last five years I've been using the Kurzweil SP6 as my bottom board as I needed a full range of sounds from across the spectrum. The action is acceptable, but suffers a little from requiring significant downweight, although I find it quite fast and responsive. To be honest, I haven't come across anything significantly better in the lightweight category, particulary with its ability to access sounds from the PC3 series, PC4 and Forte. If drawbars are required they can be added externally as the SP6's KB3 mode will respond to CC values. If I could have the SP6 with my Kawai ES110's action, I'd be very content. I also acquired the Numa X Piano 73 recently. I think the 88 is still only around 30lbs. It doesn't have a VA synth or dedicated organ engine, but it is a competent piano and well worth considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 I couldn’t come to terms with a controller that doesn’t even have a CV/expression pedal input. 😀😀😀 Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 1 hour ago, The Piano Man said: I still don’t feel the “device to keyboard action” connection is as good as old school hardware modules. Latency? Secondly, you plug a hardware module in and it turns on but god forbid you forget to charge an iPad… you plug it in at a gig and nothing happens… you wait hours for 1% battery to appear. (Yes, I guess I need a new IOS device, but the point remains) I’d love to see a Pro iPad for gigging with near instant power upon being plugged in. Then I might consider it for gigging but, for now, it’s a stress I could do without. Yes, there are a few factors there regarding latency. iPad and iPad OS designed to run on battery being one of them. However the iPad Pros lately, especially the 12.9” with the 1tb storage, has a very capable CPU and 16gb of RAM. I’m certain the current crop of iPads can get latency down very low even with polyphony set high. But it depends on the app developer as well and making buffer and polyphony settings available for the end user to experiment with. Dedicated hardware is still floating around. There’s the V3 sound Modules. https://www.v3sound.com/_index-english.html# And GSi may still be selling the Gemini desktop? I’ve seen it paired with the Lab4Music Sapario https://www.lab4music.it/sipario.php?lang=EN as its front end very effectively. But it’s not a cheap setup, even compared to an iPad Pro or a MacBook Air. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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