Studiologic Numa X Stage Piano 73 Review

[StansHands]

I have owned this stage piano for @ 3 months, so I think I can give an honest and completely subjective opinion on this instrument. I am not a gearhead but I do a lot of research before I make a move. I have not had this out at gigs yet - I'm not working live right now as I prepare a set list of solo renditions of jazz interpretations for publishing and live performances.

To start - This is my favorite instrument I have played over the years from the first farfisas, to Rhodes to Kurzweil, to Nord and into Arturia controllers and everything running on my Mac and iPads. My happiest live performances were being able to pick up my Nord Stage EX with one hand, the stand in another, and split before the drummer, as the DI handled the outputs. That drunken fade was best handled in the car on the way home, instead of while I was still packing up before that. I digress - to give context.

 

This piano wants me to play more and more. The dynamic sensitivity of the triple sensor keybed responds accurately to my phrasing and expressiveness, So when Beethoven or Chopin calls me for abject beauty the instrument can respond. Multiple samplings of Steinway, Yamaha, Bosendorfer, and a Fazioli(!) grand gives me the options for smoky blues or rock or Bill Evans. I'm putting them thru 2 QSC K8.2s so response across all of the spectrum is tight. I can add effects as I want while playing. 

 

The electric pianos are customizable. There are organ, synth, orchestral patches that are very workable.Not excited about the Leslie, but I use outboard patches from my Mac Air M2, which, I am happy to say, do not have any discernible latency. When I want something special, I take it from Analog Lab or Logic Pro or KingB, 

 

Another cool thing is, I feel like I'm connected to StudioLogic. When I asked a question not in the manual, I received an email directly from Gianni Giudici, the Brand Manager at SL. I asked how to deploy the Leslie settings, and he responded "use this preset I created", which I did, and now I understand the complexity and logic behind how to better control the balance of the separation for simulating on a stereo speaker setup.

 

Playability, diversity, build, customizability, the realness of the sound - all excellent to me.

 

The only thing that I'm looking for, and Mr. Giudici is looking into it, is the ability to apply the aftertouch component to different usages. For instance, I became enamored with Nords assigning aftertouch to Leslie on/off, which added to its expressiveness, especially if I'm keeping. walking left hand bass line, and can't pull my hand away to move a physical switch. 

 

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I have to get back to writing/recording my daughter's wedding processional music - my interpretations of some Noah Kahan stuff.

[Stokely]

re: "Nords assigning aftertouch to Leslie on/off"

O_O  I've gotta try this!  It never even occurred to me.  I have a Nord Stage 3 compact and from a bit of googling this should work.  I don't do walking bass but sometimes am playing a split, and am pretty used to using a foot pedal.  However, if this works well that's one less thing to set up!   

Sorry for the aside!  Consider it a friendly bump.  

[cphollis]

1 hour ago, Stokely said:

re: "Nords assigning aftertouch to Leslie on/off"

O_O  I've gotta try this!  It never even occurred to me.  I have a Nord Stage 3 compact and from a bit of googling this should work.  I don't do walking bass but sometimes am playing a split, and am pretty used to using a foot pedal.  However, if this works well that's one less thing to set up!   

Sorry for the aside!  Consider it a friendly bump.  

Further derailing this thread ...

 

The aftertouch assigned to leslie speed sounds cool, but ended up forcing me to learn a new technique.  It takes a fair amount of finger pressure and it's like an on-off switch.

 

Now, vibrato aftertouch, that's more useful.

[Stokely]

Yeah, I use that on mono leads.  I suspected it might take a technique change, we'll see.

To the keyboard in the OP, I was curious about the key action in the 73.  I have had several keyboards with the TP/40 (of some variation) and don't like the TP/100, but I've heard the TP/110 in this (iirc) is an improvement.

 

[b3plyr]

TP110 is a big improvement. I really like it.

[stoken6]

5 hours ago, StansHands said:

Nords assigning aftertouch to Leslie on/off

 

4 hours ago, Stokely said:

I've gotta try this!  It never even occurred to me.  I have a Nord Stage 3 compact and from a bit of googling this should work

 

2 hours ago, cphollis said:

The aftertouch assigned to leslie speed sounds cool, but ended up forcing me to learn a new technique.  It takes a fair amount of finger pressure and it's like an on-off switch.

My turn to pile on the derail. Is this just a morph on Leslie speed? (Push down for fast, when you release you get slow).

 

I miss a feature from my KS32 (perhaps I should derail the Ensoniq thread?) where aftertouch would act as a latching toggle - push down for fast, and push down again for slow. That was really useful.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[cphollis]

1 hour ago, stoken6 said:

I miss a feature from my KS32 (perhaps I should derail the Ensoniq thread?) where aftertouch would act as a latching toggle - push down for fast, and push down again for slow. That was really useful.

More useful is a leslie speed morph using the mod wheel.  You can precisely adjust the rotor speed to a charismatic burble.

[stoken6]

28 minutes ago, cphollis said:

More useful is a leslie speed morph using the mod wheel.  You can precisely adjust the rotor speed to a charismatic burble.

The reason I like aftertouch is because I don’t have to give up a playing hand.

 

Cheers, Mike

[AnotherScott]

1 hour ago, stoken6 said:

The reason I like aftertouch is because I don’t have to give up a playing hand.

...though the Nord also gives you a dedicated footswitch jack for rotary toggle, too

[StansHands]

You are correct - the Nord was set to change from slow to fast with aftertouch.

 

I had also set the foot switch to go from slow to fast, but I finally figured out how to use the aftertouch, for expressive "leaning in" to the note.

 

Cphollis - I probably know you if you played on Atlantic Ave in DelRay a decade or 2 ago. I used to try to go to any of Jon Yurtz's Blues joints that would last a year or so. I worked a lot for Entertainment Source.

[stoken6]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:06 PM, stoken6 said:

The reason I like aftertouch is because I don’t have to give up a playing hand.

On 6/12/2024 at 12:27 AM, AnotherScott said:

...though the Nord also gives you a dedicated footswitch jack for rotary toggle, too

I play standing, and organ has one foot on the expression pedal. If I use my second foot to toggle rotary... well, you can work it out.

 

Cheers, Mike.