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Best piano module - or expansion card 2015


iGirl

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Hi all - I'm looking for what is considered the "best" hardware* piano sound out there currently in a used module format - (but won't break the bank!)

If it's a part of, or expansion product to add to a module with many other sounds - that MUCH better.

 

Here's a starting list with rough estimates of street prices -

I've not heard anything live in person except the Kurzweil sounds (which may be pretty dated)

 

Kurzweil Micopiano - $150 and under

Kurzweil PC2R - $400

 

Roland SRX-02 Concert Piano expansion board - $150ish

 

Yamaha Motif ES - $400

Yamaha PLG150-AP - Acoustic piano expansion board - $250

 

  • Adds 64 notes of polyphony to the host system dedicated just to these new piano sounds... that's a big bonus!

 

Other ideas - or votes for the best one for recording?

 

*yes, "virtual" pianos may add options, but let's keep this to hardware only for now....

 

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Generalmusic RP-X Piano Module. 80 note polyphony' date=' physically modeled Steinway and Fazioli grand pianos, plus really good Rhodes and Wurlitzer EP's and Clavinet. Several other sounds for layering as well. Hard to find but hard to beat. BTW, I have one I'm not using.[/quote']

 

Thanks - GEM did go under completely, but was bought up and is now supposedly coming back with reissued products and possibly new ones. Maybe/likely they will put those pianos in a box with a full compliment of other sounds at an attractive price point! Worth looking at in the long run, unless a great deal can be had on the old module.

 

Still - all that sound design (like others) was done 25+ years ago. I have to think there have been major improvements - like multiple layers of velocity switching and every single note sampled - now that memory isn't so much of a concern... I'm sure that's the case in Virtual Instruments - but unsure who is doing it in hardware boxes.

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Roland JV 1010 has a very useable piano sound, good presence and sits in mix nicely.

 

Yamaha P50m goes for cheap and I much prefer it to the onboard piano of several more modern budget boards (such as the Yamaha MM6).

RE the Yamaha PLG piano card, I like it but IMO it doesn't improve on the S80 onboard pianos for live. It has a nice bright grand patch but it thins out too much in the upper registers, as compared to the sounds of Yamaha's P- series stage pianos.

 

EMU- If you have an Proteus 2000 module, the Sounds of the ZR ROM with the William Coakley Perfect Piano may be a good option. There is also a Holy Grail piano ROM, but it seems to be rare and pricey. I would stay away from the EMU Performance dedicated piano modules for live, they were popular in studios for their time but don't cut for live work, although I used to see professional road band musicians use them live when layered with a brighter, more cutting patch.

 

Kurzweil MicroPiano sounds nice and will get the job done but IMO the other alternatives mentioned are a better choice. And stay away from anything Alesis for piano, thin and tinny especially translated FOH through a PA.

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I have a Kurz Micropiano that I may be willing to sell for a good offer.

 

I happen to also have the Yamaha PLG-150AP mounted in a Yamaha 9000 Pro arranger. The piano sound is very good. My 9000 Pro and PLG150-AP is also for sale if interested but i won't sell the card separately.

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I own the GEM Equinox with the "RealPiano1" piano sample upgrade and a Kurzweil PC3 with the Triple Strike. The GEM piano smokes the Kurzweil acoustic piano. So I'm thinking that the GEM RP-X is a better move than the Kurzweil Micropiano in terms of sound.

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