Fellow PC3x owners...

So mine came. It sounds terrific.

Question:

If you turn the volume down on yours, and just hit the keys...does anybody else's rattle? It's quite a different experience than playing my Motif (which felt as sturdy as a brick house).

Just pondering whether or not mine (being Factory B-stock) has some sort of defect? Whether or not I can live with it...

By rattle, you mean the keys/keybed or some noise coming from elsewhere?

I haz a PC2X and the Fatar keybed indeed makes too much noise to my taste.

I mean the actual keys...nothing coming from my speakers.

This is a very different animal from my Motif. I'm in the "not sure if want" mode.

I know what you mean. That's the weak spot on all new Kurzweils. Too bad they don't build their own keybeds like in the 80s (K250, MIDIboard, etc.). Even the K1000 keyboard was better to me.

GUH. I mean the piano samples are incredibly expressive and beautiful, but since I'm primarily a piano player, the action is disconcerting.

I may opt to return it for RD700GX + used Motif ES rack...

When you play ff on the keys, do you feel that the "bottom" of the keybed feels too harsh, like you're almost hitting against concrete and that it resonates back through your finger joints? I wonder if they at least fixed that on this newer Fatar by using a slightly more malleable material to stop the keys.

That's exactly the problem. I mean, I have a heavy hand.

(is it terrible that I may pick up an S90ES off eBay in a few minutes?)

akliner,

I have never noticed this, but I just walked into the studio and played on the PC3x keys with the power off. It sounds like a keyboard with the power off. I turned around and did the same thing on the S90ES. It sounds like a keyboard with the power off, but a little quieter. There was no rattle at all on either keybed.

You may want to go over to Sonikmatter and see if others have had the same problem. I got one of the first units released last March, and it was not B-Stock. You may have a defective keybed, possibly why it was a B-Stock item.

Good luck.

Rick

Not really.

Maybe you'll want a Yamaha U3 too?

Thanks for the advice. After playing it a little more, I realize that the "rattling" wasn't that much of an issue...but rather probably a symptom of how DIFFERENT the PC3x is to play from my old Motif and every other 88-key Yamaha I've played.

It responds differently, and I think it's a lot lighter. Like I was telling cydonia, I have a really heavy hand while playing. I just think that perhaps to adjust my nuances to fit the PC3x may be more than I'm willing to do.

I think I should go back to Yamaha.

http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-S90ES-88-KEY-KEYBOARD-W-KASES-III-ROADCASE_W0QQitemZ120370811085QQcmdZViewItemQQptZKeyboards_MIDI?hash=item120370811085&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

A good deal? Free shipping + case for $1599? I could also pick up a warranty via Square Trade.

Bummer, AK. Not much greater buzz kill than dashed expectations with a new toy. I feel your pain.

Thx pupz

It'll be OK. Growing pains, ya know?

Thanks for the advice. After playing it a little more, I realize that the "rattling" wasn't that much of an issue...but rather probably a symptom of how DIFFERENT the PC3x is to play from my old Motif and every other 88-key Yamaha I've played. It responds differently, and I think it's a lot lighter. Like I was telling cydonia, I have a really heavy hand while playing. I just think that perhaps to adjust my nuances to fit the PC3x may be more than I'm willing to do. I think I should go back to Yamaha.

I agree that the PC3x action is lighter by a fair margin to the S90ES. I have a light touch, so I prefer the PC3x action over the Yamaha.

Have you tried the electronic adjustment with it on? Go to Master, page 2, and adjust the "Press Map" and/or the "Key Action Map" and see if you can find something that fits you better. You may be suprised. Or not!

Good luck.

Rick

Too bad you don't like it. Predictable though. My S80 is the heaviest keybed I've got. Haven't used it in quite a while though, because compared to the others I've got, it's a bit too heavy. Like doing finger exercises.

Not the end of the world though. If you really like the sounds, you can always wait for a rack version.

Yamaha boards I've used do have a more 'solid' feel to them, and if they had release velocity, I might not have switched to others.

I own a Doepfer LMK4+ masterkey which also uses a Fatar keybed (TP10 sth., PC3x uses a TP40L). It's LOUD when all sounds are muted but once you get used to it it feels very natural (I play a grand regularly). Never played a PC3x though.

As Keyrick suggested you might try adjusting the Key Action Map, maybe it helps matching what you hear to what your fingers actually play (pp to ff).

Hai Guys! Thanks for the encouragement! I'm going to fiddle around with it some more after work today. Like I said, I think it sounds great and has some lovely pianos, but I'm just not digging the action.

I may pick up an S90ES just to hold on to until maybe Yamaha release S90XS (whenever they feel like getting around to it)

Now I'm absolutely lost (I was biased towards a PC3x) choosing between a PC3x, S90ES or a used K2600 XS.

have considered only playing it with the volume set to: VALUE = ON?

I've thought about it...

That's how my Roland A-80 feels if I play hard, but it's not terrible. They fixed that in the A-90... some 15 years ago.

Is that common to Fatar keybeds? I'm considering trading my Fusion 6HD for an 8HD at some point, if anybody here has the 8HD, do you know if it will it do that?

Handful of orchestral patches? The Orchestral sounds bank patches are #'s 385-512 and then there's the String sound bank from 513-640. Are you looking for a specific sound?

Sorry, I meant like total orchestra. Not just brass and strings separately.

Maybe I overlooked...oh well. Back to playing it.

Combine programs in SETUP MODE? :poke:

Combine programs in SETUP MODE? :poke:

Yes, I understand that. But, I was just surprised at how many weren't there in the presets.