New Studiologic Numa X Piano

[Adan]

60 miles to my ancentral home near Ascoli Piceno!

 

Italy is full of interesting juxtapositions of ancient and ultra-modern.

[Stokely]

I would say there is little no chance of me trying one of these before I bought. The same goes for the vast majority of keyboards apparently.

 

My buddy went to one of the two city guitar centers, reported back they had almost nothing but "home keyboards" and controllers.

 

I went into my regular Sam Ash that I haven't visited in a while. Wow. They had a decent selection of home speaker pianos (which was good as I got to try the Kawai es110), then I mosied back to the "pro keyboard" room. They had: Fantom 8, Fantom 6, Modx8 and that was it for current keyboards other than a Krome 88 if that is considered current. No Nord, Kurzweil, etc. The only midi controllers they had were a few "Carbon" models and assorted others, no weighted controllers.

 

(As an aside, I loved the feel of the Fantom 8 but why the heck is it like 2 feet deep?! That thing is truly old school, reminded me a bit of the S90 though not as wide as that.)

[wd8dky]

New video:

 

[Stokely]

That sounds pretty good to me, I've definitely gigged with a LOT worse! Not so sure about that "rock keys" section though

[3rdAct]

Studiologic has put up a bunch of videos, each with someone playing one of the Numa X Piano "sounds" , e.g., Mk I, Wurly 200, Chick Electric ....

 

https://www.studiologic-music.com/products/numa_x_piano/sounds/

[Tripp323]

Sounds are nice but you have to play on it and let us know about the action. Can we assume it"s great because of Fatar? Love to know how these stack up to similar price Previa P3000 or a kawai or Korg keybed!?

[Stokely]

I am pretty skeptical, simply because the status quo (tp100) isn't very good imo. They can *say* this one is way better, but proof is in the playing. If the tp110 is a nice action, that's great not only for this model but also it could appear in other low-cost keyboards.

[uhoh7]

You see the small mountain on the top left, just on the sea ?

Follow the coast after the mountain for around 10 Km and you'll find my family house

 

Maurizio

 

I'd love to wander through those hills and towns. I've been in a deep dive into Italian history for 6 months now as the whole "partimento" thing has got me to see how incredible was the Italian music scene 1500 to Napoleon I've been binging Monteverdi, Palestrina, Durante, and some of the tourists too, like Heinichen. Listening to the autobiography of Casanova now. The lowest point in his life so far: when he had to earn a living with his violin. But he's only about 22, so I expect more dire straits.

 

Wish I could hear those castrati.....

 

But I love to see these echos of the old guilds like Fatar, and though I whine about little details, I've always been impressed by their products and value. The current hammer action controllers are sold at an incredible price. They may not be quite as tough as the bed in my SL-880, but the guys who show issues on YT have been playing them a ton. I doubt I could wear one out.

 

I would venture to guess there are more people making a living building musical instruments in Italy than any place outside China.

[Fleer]

60 miles to my ancentral home near Ascoli Piceno!

 

Italy is full of interesting juxtapositions of ancient and ultra-modern.

I looooove Ascoli Piceno. Been there a few times with my wife (and kids).

And those fried 'ascolani' olives, man!

[Al Coda]

I am pretty skeptical, simply because the status quo (tp100) isn't very good imo. They can *say* this one is way better, but proof is in the playing. If the tp110 is a nice action, that's great not only for this model but also it could appear in other low-cost keyboards.

 

Then, there´s the option buying the GT version when all the other features tick enough boxes.

 

I´m more sceptical because of other limitations like:

 

a)

just only 7 (fixed?) DLY/REV FX variations for the audio inputs

 

b)

only 2 insert FX per zone

 

c)

no RingMod in FX 1 available for EPs

 

d)

I don´t like the Wurli200 demo on their website too much

 

e)

all the Rhodes (except Mark III) sound much too brilliant to my ears, kind of "bellish" artificial highs which increase in the upper ranges.

It sounds hard and is only masked when Phasor is active.

I miss an example of some Herbie Hancock like "Mandwishi / Headhunters" tone and Chick type mkV too.

 

But I hope d) and e) can be fixed by editing the models.

Leaves the question if there are enough user accessable parameters to do so.

The downloadable quickstart guide doesn´t explain much.

 

f)

ext. PSU

 

 

 

A.C.

[Stokely]

Don't get me wrong, I want to like the tp110 because of the weight. This would be a gigging board for me. I tend to be a hope for the best, assume the worst person probably because of my job working with databases

 

I've kind of set my beady eye on a Kurzweil pc4 at this point though. I think the extra flexibility in programming I'll end up needing. But I'm not in a great hurry, looking forward to seeing what people say about both models of this one.

[Al Coda]

Don't get me wrong, I want to like the tp110 because of the weight. This would be a gigging board for me. I tend to be a hope for the best, assume the worst person probably because of my job working with databases

 

I've kind of set my beady eye on a Kurzweil pc4 at this point though. I think the extra flexibility in programming I'll end up needing. But I'm not in a great hurry, looking forward to seeing what people say about both models of this one.

 

Don´t get me wrong too, please ...

 

I´m following this thread because of high interest in the smallest TP-110 73 keys version just becuase I can imagine it might fit perfectly on top of a organ clone like the MAG P2.

 

But when the TP-110 action doesn´t fit one´s needs,- it might not be the best idea livin´ w/ such compromise.

 

And it´s matter of taste anyway,- ther ARE musicians being able to do serious work w/ even Fatar TP100 L/R action in NI´s and Arturia´s 88-weighted keys controller keyboards.

So, some are pickxy, others aren´t.

 

IMO it will also depend on how well Studiologic now implemented triple senso technology to their instruments.

AFAIK, Kawai does it best up to now.

 

And the other limitations I mentioned above come in addition.

 

 

A.C.

[Stokely]

I did really enjoy my old Studiologic 990...I bought it in the mid 90s for 125 bucks used in mint condition and the seller threw in a usb/midi interface. I used it until two years ago when the keys started going out despite my attempts to fix them. It had some variant of the TP40 in it and I thought that was a very nice action for just about anything (if you had to go with one weighted action for everything).

 

Heavy though for sure!

 

My benchmark for the new action will be the GHS I've played in various Yamahas including the Moxf8 I am using now (bought for my son primarily). I can use it but I find it kind of sluggish.

[HammondDave]

Got this from Sweetwater today:

 

"I wanted to give you a quick update on the ETA of your Studiologic Keyboard. Studiologic is currently telling us that we should be getting some in stock towards mid February. As a result of COVID, manufacturers are running into many logistical issues. We don't have tracking on a shipment headed our way as of yet, so that ETA is still subject to change barring any delays."

[GianfrixMG]

There's a series of videos about the Numa X Piano and they go in detail on many points. They are in Italian but there are subtitles you can translate. There's this one especially that talks about the keybeds and how they are designed:

 

TLDW, in the TP110 they redesigned the hammers, rotating the weights in order to have a more realistic feel. My guess is that it will still be a bit on the heavier side but maybe less fatiguing.

 

Also check out the other videos on that channel!

[The_Star_Guy]

I have been looking closely at the specs and the details for this product, and I also placed an advance order for the 73 note NumaXPiano as well. The FATAR TP 110 is of course an unknown, but at least on paper it is still the best weighted 7x option available, especially with 3 sensors, and a built-inwhite / black key balance adjustment control. There are three or four piano programs on my NumaCompact 2x that I still really like & use, and with the addition of modeling to hopefully improve the dynamic waveform complexity I am looking forward to the experience. I also figure that it will make a very competent 73 note weighted controller for my other gear as well.

[3rdAct]

A relatively new video consisting of almost all playing ...

 

 

[video:youtube]

[TomKittel]

Has anyone here already got his hands on the Numa X Piano with the new TP110 keybed?

[Al Coda]

Has anyone here already got his hands on the Numa X Piano with the new TP110 keybed?

 

Not available because of Corvid.

A few days ago, Thomann announced availability in about 1 week and today it´s again another 4-5 weeks.

 

A.C.

[Stokely]

Guitar Center has had the same issue with getting my PC4 apparently...I keep being told dates that "they will get the item from the manufacturer" and these dates keep slipping.

[Groove On]

[video:youtube]

[HSS]

Nice review by PianoManChuck. He spends some talking about the new Numa board's footprints. I don't know if I will like these boards until I try them but I certainly like the fact that Studiologic is aggressively minimizing the footprint of their new Numa boards by placing pitch bend and mod controls above and staying away from unnecessarily big end caps that many manufacturers put on their boards.

 

All things considered, when I shop for a new board, I not only want reduced weight but also the smallest possible footprint so I don't end up having to potentially spend a bunch of additional money on a new case just because a board has big bulbous endcaps that make it an inch or two too long to fit in any of my existing cases.

 

I wish more manufacturers would take the hint and aggressively try to minimize not only weight but footprint as well when they design their boards.

[Stokely]

Some of those endcaps and big chassis in general (thinking mainly of several Yamahas I've owned, Motif and MOXF8) are not only too large, they are hard to grip properly. Picking up the keyboard to place on the stand/back in the case is more dangerous than it really needs to be. Light weight is one thing but easy to grip is just as important imo. Just looking at the pic, this one looks like it would be easy to manhandle.

 

I loved the action on my old studiologic (some form of tp40) that gt might be one to add for my home studio.

[Al Coda]

Unfortunately not much detailed MIDI implementation info in this vid.

I appreciate polyphony of 300 voices.

I´m very interested in the GT model and really hate the by "Corvid XX" caused availability-delays now !

 

A.C.

[Groove On]

Some of those endcaps and big chassis in general (thinking mainly of several Yamahas I've owned, Motif and MOXF8) are not only too large, they are hard to grip properly. Picking up the keyboard to place on the stand/back in the case is more dangerous than it really needs to be. Light weight is one thing but easy to grip is just as important imo. Just looking at the pic, this one looks like it would be easy to manhandle.

Yes, that should be a marketing bullet point for stage pianos

 

- Lightweight

- Easy to manhandle

 

Copy the PA speakers, that have multiple, easy to use and convenient handles.

[Mighty Motif Max]

I'm guessing that partway through Chuck's video the mod stick ended up at the max...just noticing the heavy vibrato on virtually every sound after that point. But at least we can hear the underlying tone still of most of the "accessory" sounds.

 

The pianos seem rather bright and thin to me, but what I find interesting is that the "Japanese" model sounds identify-ably like a Yamaha piano, even if the overall tone isn't quite 100% like an acoustic piano. That's well done.

 

Some of those endcaps and big chassis in general (thinking mainly of several Yamahas I've owned, Motif and MOXF8) are not only too large, they are hard to grip properly. Picking up the keyboard to place on the stand/back in the case is more dangerous than it really needs to be. Light weight is one thing but easy to grip is just as important imo. Just looking at the pic, this one looks like it would be easy to manhandle.

That's my one beef with the Motif/Montage design. Such oversized end caps and terrible ergonomics for actually moving it about. The weight would be more manageable if one could actually grip it well (and I'm fine with the weight, but it's amazing how much of a difference a simple change like that can make for moving a keyboard around).

[AnotherScott]

That's my one beef with the Motif/Montage design. Such oversized end caps and terrible ergonomics for actually moving it about. The weight would be more manageable if one could actually grip it well (and I'm fine with the weight, but it's amazing how much of a difference a simple change like that can make for moving a keyboard around).

It's such a common problem, that things provide no good way to grip them. Side panels that bulge outward and/or that are angled for their entire length and/or are too high to get your hand around (with no in-between handle area) seem like such avoidable problems.

[Docbop]

I have three keyboards and two are a nightmare to move no place to grab and knobs and such that all seem to be fragile and could break off. I wished they make a cover that would attach to cover the top when moving and hopefully provide a way to grab it. My third keyboard a StudioLogic controller probably not designed for being a grip, but it has a channel deep enough to get fingers in the back. I think the real purpose for the channel is to attach the removable music stand and computer platform accessories they sell.

[Dave Number Four]

Looks like a nice candidate to eventually replace my CP4 as a controller for VSTs with internal sounds in case of unexpected laptop death.

 

Anybody have an inkling of whether it will be possible to send program changes using those 8 Sound Banks/Favorites buttons, rather than by turning a knob?

[GeorgeRaindog]

They just uploaded today "User manual" and "Sounds MIDI Map" documents

https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/numa_x_piano/

 

https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/numa_x_piano/Numa_X_Piano_Manual_EN.pdf

https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/numa_x_piano/Numa_X_Piano_MIDI_map.pdf