Pa600 piano demo's

Worth a good listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SY0B_uoyaY

Wish mine sounded like that, could it be the player?

Col

Col,
It is not the player that makes these demos sound great. My PA600 did not sound like that either or I would have kept it. I have always wondered if manufactures sometimes allow a unit to be shipped that just isn't up to the specs but still plays and performs normally.

Deane

Our local SA just got the 600 in...since i had the pa50sd and microarranger i was excited to hear it...i played for over an hour connected to yamaha monitors and was able to compare many of the styles and tones with the pa50sd...to be perfectly frank i unimpressed...didn't like the key feel...the joystick...and many of the styles were exact copies of the styles i already had...when compared many sounded better on the pa50/KMA...i may have to look at the roland bk7m since i already have a yamaha psr 910...


Steve ....mox8,cx3,psr 910, psr 2000, KMA, pa 50sd

Let's not forget for the $1000.00 price point these arranger KB's are simply amazing at what they can do, sound & feature wise.

Its exactly how the PA600 sound you just have to know how to use the settings. You can't judge an arranger only having it one day without trying the limiter and the great onboard EQ. Only a few tweaks can make a difference between night and day.
The PA600 is an amazing sounding board.

I just tried a few of the Limiter and EQ presets for the first time and that does make a significant difference.

Hi Guy's

Just for the record, I was not complaining about the Pa600 I was refering (tongue in cheek)to my playing ability.

As a well known UK comedian once said and I quote:

"I am playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order"

Regards

Col

It's ALWAYS the player!

Maybe if you want to test the realism of the piano sounds, try and get some professional classical MIDI files performed by a pro (on an 88 note controller, for the full range) and run them through the sound.

You'd be amazed!

The last thing you want is a pro player or Midi File, as you will be hearing the player not the instrument.

Think how keyboards are demoed, they always choose songs and instruments that match the original, and even if the sounds are not that good the punters ears fill in the missing parts as it references the original.

The best is to play something out of the ordinary, and if the sound is any good then it should still sound like the real instrument, (Just badly played) the same as playing a real instrument badly will still sound real.

Bill

if you want some "BAD" demos or honestly played vs PRO just go on you tube type in what KB your interested in and listen to so many offered vs the good ones.

No after Touch, not for me, sorry KORG! you messed up on this one, you could of charged some more and added this important feature.

It's a fairly simple task to adjust the dynamic range or overall range of a pro piano SMF... Simply compress the velocities a hair, and add a hair of overall velocity to adjust for a sequence that drops down too far, or simply add a little velocity if it doesn't get into the upper range samples and ppp seems too quiet.

Finer detail can be done if needed, but on the whole simply scaling and/or adding/subtracting fixes the problem.

Trouble is, you'll find few to no pro piano sequences performed on an arranger keyboard in the first place. 60 notes simply doesn't cut it unless you are doing Bach or Haydn...

Could you guys share - either here or through PM or e-mail - what Limiter and EQ settings you might have tried ? ...

If you are shooting for a realistic piano sound, take the compressors and limiters OFF!

A piano's dynamic range is FAR greater than an arranger...

As I had indicated I only played with the general selectable presets in each of the Limiter and EQ screens. As yet I don't know enough to knowledgeably try changing the individual parameters.

I also have tried all the presets. The quy in the video use the hard mastering preset I think. I like the soft mastering preset together with the pop EQ preset.

There is also a master reverb in the global mode in case you want more or less reverb without changing every style or sound. Great feature for live setup.

In the Korg Pa600 the Limiter screen mentioned earlier has 3 presets - Brick Wall, Soft Mastering, and Hard Mastering.

Can someone please tell me what is meant my Soft and Hard Mastering?

The demos sound pretty good. Although in the higher registers most of the guitars end up sounding a little thin. Tony mentioned that he thought some of the sounds were thin also and others have mentioned the same thing. I'm still waiting for the PA600 to show up at Guitar Center. On their website it now says March 5 before they get them in. I'm also tempering my enthusiasm because I realize $1,090 is not going to buy you excellence per se.

I trust Tony's assessment and therefore I'll probably pass on the PA600. But I'll reserve final judgement until after I play it firsthand.

Muskimesse could prove interesting. Ketron hasn't released a high-end board in several years. Same with Roland and company. Summer NAMM is mostly guitar oriented but you never know. A Tyros or two was launched at a summer NAMM show correct? Although it will probably be priced in the stratosphere. Just like the Tyros4 unfortunately.

All the best, Mike

Mike ... WHEW ... ... when I read the first part of this sentence I thought OH, NO ... I wouldn't want ANYONE to not buy anything based on MY opinion alone ...
While some of the saxes do sound 'thin' to me, there is SO much more to like about this board ... and I do believe that in the hands of someone who KNOWS what sound editing is about - that's NOT me - the saxes can be made to sound the way you want ... but I love the guitars, organs, pianos, and the horns i.e. flugel, cornet, trumpets ...
Like anything else one might purchase, you have to try it for yourself ... AND don't judge it too much on its OOTB sounds ...

The world is still on a downwards spiral economically. TBH, I don't see a huge upswing in high end arrangers. The writing is on the wall, and in all honesty, it is good news for us...

When have low priced arrangers ever sounded better or been more capable? Most of them rival the $4000+ arrangers of just a few years ago, at a quarter of the price. This, in my book at least, is a great thing!

Although it’s true that North America and Europe are still in the doldrums, and probably in decline, the world is a much, much bigger place. The balance of wealth is shifting.