Members Tusks Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 I have the AN1X which is a stand alone version of the PLG AN. There are reviews out there. For sonic tone, it covers the VA basics and then some. I heard people mention that it is hard to program in a host like an s90ES. It's a very nice, warm sounding VA. As VA's go it has a good tone and depth: good FM and osc sync, different kinds of filters, 16 mod routings, 4 customizable envelopes, ring mod, etc. Can't comment on the PC3 not having played one ... but V.A.S.T is vast. The S90ES add-ons are kinda like greatest hits. You can drop the needle on some VL, DX and AN timbres easily ... but control is Kurzweil's strength. They provide the funs, the scalings ... all kinds of tools to fully integrate. Of course with that comes a pile of OS bloat you don't use. HTH, Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 How are the expansion boards on this? I've heard some pretty negative things about the PLG150-AN board....some people really are giving it harsh reviews. Also, how will this keyboard compete with the Kurzweil PC3x when (and if) that ever comes out? What's missing on the S90es that the PC3x will have? Other than a smaller price-tag. S90ES is cheaper street price (around 2K) than what the PC3X's str. price will be - which is I think around $2300-2400? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 How are the expansion boards on this? I've heard some pretty negative things about the PLG150-AN board....some people really are giving it harsh reviews. Also, how will this keyboard compete with the Kurzweil PC3x when (and if) that ever comes out? What's missing on the S90es that the PC3x will have? Other than a smaller price-tag. I've been using the S90 Classic for 5 years and I absolutely love the thing. Truly a class act. I would have updated to the S90ES, if not for the additional width they added that would require me to purchase a new $400+ flight case. But I'm doing just fine rockin' the S90 and I think I could use it for many years to come. As for the PLG-AN, I think it is awesome. I have 2 in my S90 for 10-voice virtual analog. This works very well. I also have the PLG-DX when I want to create a little nostalgia for one of my early synths back in the '80s. I do like the Roland RD series (played an RD600 for 4-5 years before I got the S90), but I like the synthesis depth of the S90 and the aftertouch as well. The RD series does not have aftertouch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 woah - $400 bucks for a keyboard case, Eric? Must be some well-made case... is that the one where you had them put two handles on the top to make it easier to lift? I have a hard-shell case for my Ensoniq KS32 which is starting to go but it's held up all this time since 1995 so I can't complain - although it's not ATA flight case, it's wood with black felt/cloth covering & very sturdy & only weighs 20 lbs. It's a shame that there's no medium duty or lightweight cases out there for weighted 88key 'boards that can stand up to heavy gigging & do the job w/out killing our wallets and breaking our backs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted February 2, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 S90ES is cheaper street price (around 2K) than what the PC3X's str. price will be - which is I think around $2300-2400? Right now Musician's Friend has it listed at $2700. Not sure what the major differences between the two other than the PC3x has the V.A.S.T engine with it and so far the limited demos I've seen on YouTube make it seem sweet. Not sure I want to lay out $2700 on something sight unseen that isn't out yet and they're STILL working on. I can only imagine the software updates after it's release. The S90es is also 2 years old though ...almost 3. Didn't it come out in 2005? Is it close to an upgrade? Possibly by next NAMM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 Right now Musician's Friend has it listed at $2700. Not sure what the major differences between the two other than the PC3x has the V.A.S.T engine with it and so far the limited demos I've seen on YouTube make it seem sweet. Not sure I want to lay out $2700 on something sight unseen that isn't out yet and they're STILL working on. I can only imagine the software updates after it's release. The S90es is also 2 years old though ...almost 3. Didn't it come out in 2005? Is it close to an upgrade? Possibly by next NAMM? True - but the fact that S90/90ES has been on the market for a while also means a huge existing user base. For example - www.sninety.com ie, lots of folks owning/using/playing them that could be a good resource of info for the new S90ES owner... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 Even though the S90ES has been on the market for awhile and Yamaha may possibly have an S90XS waiting in the wings, I honestly don't know how much they can really improve upon it. Sure, the XS series Motifs have some cool stuff, but when you strip away sequencing/sampling and just hone in on the core sounds, the stuff you need for gigs, it really is not THAT HUGE of a difference. The S90ES is well loaded with features already and it can be a timeless machine. If you are trying to save cash, check for used and refurbished ones. I have seen many selling below $1400. If Yamaha does push out an S90XS, I expect they would source it with the Motif XS ROM and possibly the 4x arps. Maybe they would give it the color screen and some additional sliders too. It would lose the PLG capability just like the Motif XS, unless by some off chance the set of users that backlashed against this omission in the XS created enough of a stir for Yamaha to shove it back into another product (I doubt it). Polyphony would be the same as the ES with 128 voices and it may have a snazzier input/output, perhaps with firewire or something like that built into it. They would need to put some kind of differentiator in it like brand new killer piano sounds or other, kind of the way they did with both the S90 and S90ES. I'm of the opinion that the piano sounds in the S90ES are better than the Motif XS, but that is subjective. If you put a microscope on the other gig-type sounds (EPs, clavs, etc.), the stuff a normal gigging guy would use are not worlds apart between ES and XS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted February 2, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 True...and if I bought the S90es I'd still have cash left over to get Logic Pro! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcpro Posted February 2, 2008 Members Share Posted February 2, 2008 Even though the S90ES has been on the market for awhile and Yamaha may possibly have an S90XS waiting in the wings, I honestly don't know how much they can really improve upon it. To me, the only improvement they could make that would be GAS inducing would be to address the size and make it more like the MO8. But if Yamaha does make it a true XS and and drops smooth program changes in Multis (like they did in XS Mix), then it wouldn't be under my consideration no matter what the size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Captain Midnite Posted February 1, 2011 Members Share Posted February 1, 2011 What is the best amplifier for electric pianos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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