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Pianos - what's your fav digital piano (action+samples+velocity layers+least sample stretching)

edhamilton

Active Member
Looking for a digital piano.
Need to have samples onboard to avoid the resistance that arises from computer boot times/software etc.

Been using a Kronos 88 for a couple years as my main controller and lately just for piano practice and that's where the annoyances of not quite subtle enough velocity switching and sample stretching come into play.

I want to set up a digital piano off to the side, with a large full score sized music stand on it (I'll build that).
Instant on. Always ready to just play. No resistance.
And while on great headphones - I just want to get lost in music. Noticing poor velocity switching and sample stretching just pulls me out of the vibe.

Nord Grand looks interesting. Not convinced about it having enough samples onboard?

Might even go with a seperate mac mini that auto boots into MainStage if that's what it takes to get a huge sample set.
(no DAW, no email, no nothing. Just loading one piano sample quickly).
If that's the path, than what controller do you love and what piano Lib would you pick. (I own so damn many already but happily look at others).


Definitely want more of a Steinway, Bosydooser, more depth, more mids instead of the Yamaha sound (which I used to love and now seem allergic to. I think Yamaha motif and later workstations ruined it for me).

As to action - the lighter the better. Tired hands.

Appreciate your input.
 
Man that's a tough one. So you have two issues here: You don't like the samples on the Kronos and you need lighter keys in a 88 version?

No digital piano will ever give you the depth of an elite sample library in terms of velocities and depth of samples.

Have you tried the new Italian Grand on the Kronos? It has 12 velocity layers. And regarding the velocity, try velocity "9" in the Kronos settings, it's meant to be used for playing piano. Also Try velocity "3".

Nord samples are great too and the Nord Grand has a superb keybed.

But then comes your second problem, you say you want something with "lighter" keys..... so that rules out the Nord Grand as well as a handful of other digital pianos like Kawai ES8 or Roland RD-88/FP-90.

How far are you willing tolerate the weighted keys if i may ask? It it really bothering you to the point where you just want waterfall semi-weighted keys?
 
Thanks for the reply.
I haven't updated my Kronos from V1. (only really use as a controller at this point).
So I should probably get that together.

How is the sample stretching on the Italian grand?

As far as action - no heavier than the Kronos for sure. Any bit lighter would be great but not a deal breaker.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I haven't updated my Kronos from V1. (only really use as a controller at this point).
So I should probably get that together.

How is the sample stretching on the Italian grand?

As far as action - no heavier than the Kronos for sure. Any bit lighter would be great but not a deal breaker.
Oh you should update your Kronos so you can take advantage of the SGX-2 engine. The Italian and Berlin grands both require the SGX-2 engine to work. Use the velocities i recommended and see which one works for you.

I don't know what you mean about stretching but both grands have un-looped samples, 12 velocity layers and are both very dynamic.

Update your Kronos and give those a try before you look elsewhere!
 
Been using a Kronos 88 for a couple years as my main controller and lately just for piano practice and that's where the annoyances of not quite subtle enough velocity switching and sample stretching come into play.
Korg just released a stage piano that seems to fit your requests. It also includes speakers that can work well at low volume, for playing at late-night.

I can't tell you which one it is, since I am one of the developers. But I can say that it has an odd shape, as curvy as a vintage pin-up.

Paolo
 
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Kawai has some nice slabs; you get good action and nice samples for grand piano. I could see upgrades coming in soon also. You can try current MP11se flagship slab for example; at the store you can also try newer console pianos to see if the newest sounds are worth waiting for.

The recent Yamaha binaural patch is on some of their digital pianos and very well liked with headphones at PianoWorld (principally classical music).

Alternatively, run a dedicated PC with a good VI (e.g. Garritan CFX which sounds more like a steinway, Ravenscroft, VSL...). Put it in sleep so startup is just a few seconds. This gives you options of much bigger samples, your own DAC/amp, keybed etc.

Another angle, is consider one of the hybrid pianos. Real grand piano action and top-tier sounds. Kawai & Yamaha. The sound engines are really good now.
 
The Nord Grand has a quite light action compared to most other 88 fully weighted keybeds.
And since it’s a modified Kawai action those boards might be of interest too.
 
I have heard that the Casio GP series is rather light (without the artificial escapement). Their action seems inferior only to real ones from acoustics and hybrids like yamaha's avantgrand and kawai's novus. One problem is it's rare to find in the US (hard to test the action) and pricey.
 
I bought the MODx8 because it’s a workstation keyboard with great sounds, decent but softer action, and it wasn’t insane expensive. I kind of preferred the action on the Nord Piano, but it had fewer features and sounds and was more expensive. If I wanted it just for piano and keyboard sounds, that’s what I would have bought.

Yamaha just came out with a new stage piano this year, and Korg did last year. I’d say to narrow down between Yamaha (MODx8 or stage piano), Nord, and Korg. I’m not a big fan of Roland, and their option has heavier action you sound like you’re avoiding. Kawai has heavy action too. Some people love Casio for the value, and their key action is certainly on the lighter side so that could be an option too.
 
I'm waiting on the new Kawai CA99 to show up, with improved keybed and sounds as well as sound delivery system (from Onkyo).

The CA98 isn't quite there in my opinion, but is a huge step forward from what became before, so I have high hopes that the CA99 is yet another great leap forward.

Otherwise, the upcoming Casio GP updates are worth a look, though hard to find. They have a keybed designed by Bechstein, and also excellent Bechstein, Steinway and Bosendorfer samples.

At the more portable end of things (though still a bit heavy for frequent stage use without a stage hand to help), would be the Kawai MP11SE, which uses an earlier generation of the Kawai Grand Feel keybed.

Everything else is way below that, but maybe enough for a lot of people. Other than for Yamaha's Clavinova top-end models, if you're OK with Yamaha and Bosendorfer as your only piano sounds on-board. But Nord Piano does use a somewhat lesser Kawai action, and I think one of the Korgs does too.

The top-end was covered earlier but is wicked expensive ($8K and up), such as Novus and equivalent models from Kawai, along with AvantGrand. Roland has a new one too but it's not getting good reviews.

If you really only need a reasonable quality MIDI controller and nothing beyond that, but do want superior keybed feel to a typical budget line controller or an all-purpose ROMpler workstation like a MONTAGE, there's of course the Kawai VPC-1, or if you're lucky you'll find a used Oberheim controller from years back (three models as I recall). or maybe a used Roland A80.
 
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