Manufacturers article index
This section focuses on the hardware and software of various piano and synth manufacturers, including Yamaha, Casio, Korg, Roland, Steinway and Baldwin.
Kurzweil intros two new SP stage pianos: SP2XS / SP3x [NAMM09]
February 16, 2009
Kurzweil may not be the first name you think of when it comes to stage pianos (Yamaha and Roland come to my mind first) but its latest duo look pretty decent.
Shown off at last month’s NAMM, the SP2XS and SP3x both feature the Kurzweil Grand Piano sound, based on the combination of the highest quality sound samples, a powerful synth engine, and pristine reverbs.
The SP3x builds on the design of the highly successful SP2x with an expanded sound set of 512 programs. In addition to pianos, the SP3x offers a wide variety of other top notch sounds, including winds, voices, synths, brass, bass, guitar and ensembles. With a wide range of sounds, effects and extensive MIDI controller capabilities, the SP3x is equally well suited for use on stage, at home, or in the studio, and is perfect for worship based music.
The SP2XS joins the SP2 and SP3 to round out the product line, providing an option for players who need a high quality built-in sound system in a professional grade instrument. With a custom 20 watt per channel power amplifier and matched, high efficiency speakers with full range 3×5″ drivers, the sound system has been optimized for the SP2XS’s enclosure, delivering stunning sound quality.
Both feature 64 note polyphony, are 16 part multitimbral, have at least 60 pre-programmed drum patterns and a variety of controllers.
Available now.
Korg shows off new M50 Music Workstation [NAMM09]
February 16, 2009
Korg has taken the fundamentals of its flagship M3 Xpanded workstation and put it out in the form of the more affordable M50 Music Workstation.
The latest version offers 73 keys (six octaves) together with angled control panel and full-size TouchView interface.
The EDS (Extended Definition Synthesis) sound engine delivers stunning sounds and brilliant effects. New additions include a three-stage velocity-switched stereo piano programmed in conjunction with samples of the damper resonance, producing an extraordinarily natural sound. Also new are a number of vintage keyboards, including the classic Korg SG-1 Sampling Grand, acclaimed by artists around the world, numerous authentic electric pianos and clavs, along with legendary 1960s-era tape playback strings and flute sounds.
The M50 offers 256MB of PCM data shaped into 608 Programs, as well as 384 Combinations by Korg’s renowned voicing staff, covering all the acoustic, synthetic and imaginative sounds that current players demand. User-edited data can also be saved into the internal memory, with space for 640 Programs, 512 Combinations and 48 Drum kits. The M50 offers several advanced sound-shaping features, including low-aliasing oscillators, a powerful Filter topology and detailed EGs (Envelope Generators), plus a Drive parameter and AMS (Alternate Modulation Source) Mixers.
The M50 provides 5 Insert Effects, 2 Master Effects and 1 Total Effect, along with 170 Effects types; up to 32 Effects Presets are available per effect. An independent three-band EQ is available for each Program, the Drum Track and each of the sixteen timbres/tracks.
The Drum Track gives users over 670 natural-sounding grooves to jam with in Program and Combi modes, and to help stimulate the songwriting process. Dual arpeggiators offer up traditional arp performance with five preset patterns (UP, DOWN, ALT1, ALT2, RANDOM), as well as advanced polyphonic arpeggiation that can generate everything from simple phrases to complex rhythmic gestures – even fixed note drum and percussion grooves. Two patterns can be used simultaneously in Combination mode or Sequencer mode to create complete ensemble backing, especially when used in conjunction with the Drum Track.
An intuitive sequencer provides 16 MIDI + 1 Master tracks with all the tools needed to capture and easily shape musical ideas into polished productions. It features up to 128 songs, allows users to record 210,000 notes and offers a high resolution of 480 PPQ (parts per quarter-note).
The proprietary M50 Editor and Plug-In Editor software lets users edit the sounds using a computer, and allows the M50 to act as a plug-in instrument for their DAW (VST, Audio Units and RTAS are supported). The editor librarian also enables users to exchange sounds between the M50 and M3. Further, an SD card slot provides easy and affordable management of Programs, Combinations and Sequences, as well as sounds, songs and other data.
Korg’s proprietary 320×240 pixel TouchView display ensures excellent visibility and operability, making it easy to select sounds and adjust parameters. Other controls include a joystick and multiple switches and triggers.
Pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Korg shows off LP-350 “lifestyle piano” [NAMM09]
February 11, 2009
Korg has announced that its LP-350 lifestyle piano will be available from March this year.
The body of the digital piano is under 11 inches deep, meaning it should be easier to fit it into smaller homes. It’s a full 88-note keyboard, though, utilising Korg’s RH3 graded hammer action technology for a more realistic feel, three levels of touch sensitivity, and accurate stereo sampling from an acoustic concert grand piano.
It comes with all three pedals, can be tuned and has alternate scale tunings, features 60 note polyphony, 30 sounds including five pianos and seven electric pianos, reverb and chorus, sound layering, and 2x11W amp with 2x10cm bass-reflex speakers.
Available in black and white, pricing to be confirmed.
Roland shows off revolutionary new V-Piano [NAMM09]
January 28, 2009
Roland claims that its latest digital piano pushes the boundaries of realism far beyond that of existing sample-based digital pianos thanks to new “from scratch” technology that can be easily and creatively adjusted in real time to suit a pianist’s needs.
Rather than simply sampling real acoustic pianos, Roland created piano sounds from scratch. This means that, while sample-based pianos are effectively limited to what was initially sampled (with some effect variation), the V-Piano is far less restricted.
The V-Piano is able to emulate the characteristics of various pianos (American and European, for example), can handle detuning and variations in string construction, resonance and more, as well as only affecting a predefined “sweet spot” across the keyboard if desired, thus affording the player a great amount of flexibility.
Specs wise, there are 264 tone-producing virtual strings, 128 notes of polyphony, 24 preset tones and 100 user-definable tones, a whole host of editing parameters including Unison Tune, Hammer Hardness, Cross Resonance, Tone Color, String Resonance, Damper Resonance, Soundboard Resonance, Key off resonance, Damping Time, and Damping Noise Level, and three pedal inputs.
Take a look at the following four demo videos, produced by Roland, which give a much better demonstration of the product (Quicktime required):
Pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Roland intros Prelude music keyboard [NAMM09]
January 28, 2009
Roland has announced its Prelude home music keyboard that features a range of top-notch sounds lifted from Roland’s other sound modules plus a range of software and decent amplification.
This velocity-sensitive 61-note keyboard offers a very respectable 128 notes of polyphony with which to play the myriad of tones (896 plus 256 GM2-compatibles) and 41 rhythm sets.
Other features include 78 multi-effect types plus a range of reverb and chorus effects, the ability to load up and play a backing track encoded as MP3, WAV or AIFF, USB memory playback, 11W stereo amplification and speakers, D BEAM and pitch bend/modulation controllers, sustain and control pedal inputs, MIDI and USB MIDI.
The Prelude also comes with playlist editor and style converter software on CD.
Exact pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Roland intros the AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer [NAMM09]
January 20, 2009
Roland unveiled a huge array of new musical instruments and accessories at this year’s Winter NAMM, including this: the AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer.
Harking back to the glorious days of the 1980s when this kind of instrument was all the rage, it frees the keyboard player up to move about, while still having full control over playing.
Features include 49 note velocity-sensitive keyboard, whopping 128 notes of polyphony, 256 tones and eight special (SuperNATURAL) tones, a D-Beam, Ribbon Touch, Modulation Bar, Volume Knob Controller, Aftertouch Knob Controller, Portamento On/Off, Hold button On/Off, and choice of Bender Mode (Normal/Catch+Last).
It has a wealth of connectors too, including 2x 1/4″ audio jacks, headphones, foot pedal, USB connector, MIDI IN/OUT, and AC connector. It runs from eight Ni-MH rechargeable batteries which give around six hours of operation per charge.
What do you think? Can you see yourself rocking out on stage with this?
Pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Yamaha to replace P140 with 128-note polyphonic P155 [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Buy the Yamaha P155 digital piano at zZounds
Get Yamaha P155 full specifications.
It seems that the Yamaha P140 digital piano, which many believe was inferior in all but the quality of the keyboard touch to the P120, is about to be phased out in favour of the P155.
Showing off at NAMM09, Yamaha will introduce the P155 “slab piano” that is aimed at both gigging musicians and those with limited space at home who want a decent digital piano feel and sound.
Perhaps Yamaha has listened to some of the complaints, for not only has it doubled the polyphony to 128 notes (the P120 and P140 both had 64 note polyphony) but it’s replaced the output jacks with 1/4-inch line-level outputs with variable volume control.
Other features include the Graded Hammer Effect key action, four-layer piano sample with damper resonance effect, greater amplification and USB song storage.
Computer-compatible features include a songwriting tool for jotting down quick piano recordings and quickly importing them into a computer via USB input, which makes it a snap to transfer song files to a PC or Mac. It also works in the reverse: play any Standard MIDI file using the P155′s incredible piano voices.
It will be available in three colours — black with mahogany trim, silver with cherry trim, and black with ebony trim — from around April this year.
Will it be a vast improvement over the P140? Will it acknowledge the P120′s popularity but with better build quality? Time will tell.
Yamaha | Buy the Yamaha P155 digital piano at zZounds | Buy Yamaha Digital Pianos
Yamaha intros PSR-S550B arranger workstation keyboard [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Yamaha will show off one of its latest arranger workstation keyboards in the PSR range at Winter NAMM, offering a sleek look and advanced features at a decent price point.
The 61-key PSR-S550B features 774 instrument voices and 22 drum kits including ethnic instruments, 176 song and genre styles which are expandable, 64 note polyphony, 16 track recording, XG compatibility, various dance styles, full DSP effects, style control and USB MIDI.
It features a sleek black finish with white cone speakers, retails for $999.99, and is available now.
Yamaha intros Disklavier E3 entry-level digital piano [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Yamaha will show off its latest Disklavier E3 series at Winter NAMM. The three “E”s stand for easy, enjoyment, and elegance, and encapsulates what this more entry-level digital piano is all about.
Many of the Disklavier functions are present, such as recording and playback and whisper soft playing, 450 built-in songs and Internet connectivity. This connects the user to DisklavierRadio and DisklavierMusicStore.
“A host of leading-edge capabilities, coupled with a competitive price point, are sure to make the E3 Series a very popular system in the line,” said Disklavier’s marketing manager Jim Levesque. “The E3 offers the ideal solution for budget-minded customers seeking the performance quality of the Disklavier.”
Yamaha shows off new Clavinova CVP409GP digital piano [NAMM09]
January 14, 2009
Yamaha’s latest Clavinova, the CVP409GP, will be on show at this year’s Winter NAMM exhibition.
Claiming it to be the world’s most innovative and technologically advanced digital piano line, the CVP409GP offers a luxurious mini-grand piano style cabinet option.
The ebony polished cabinet, synthetic ivory keytops and natural wood keyboard mean both look and feel are more authentic, while Yamaha’s Graded Hammer 3 technology accurately reproduces the genuine acoustic piano playing feel.
Yamaha has used its Instrumental Active Field Control (iAFC) technology which uses built-in microphones and speakers to reproduce complex sonic textures, rich resonance and an unparalleled sound.
Performances, including vocals, can be saved digitally to a USB device and then turned into iTunes or Windows Media Player files and audio CDs.
Other features include a built-in Ethernet port for connecting the Clavinova directly to the Internet or home network, auto accompaniment, style and sampled instrument voices for authentic backing parts, and vocal harmony effects. It also has an extra large full colour LCD screen which can be used to view musical scores downloaded from the Internet.
