[NAMM Show 2009] YoungChang to demo its piano 'Kurzweil PC3

[ageshero]

This guy sounds like he likes Evangelion's music.

[Obsidi0n]

@dvamateur I thing that what matters is what you create with the instrument, not how easy or hard it was for you do it.

If a keyboard helps me create something splendid, then welcome.

[zilvergrafix]

1:18 Super Mario World theme!

[cvl85]

My own Opinion. Kurzweil makes the Finest synthesizer.. even puts Motif and fantom to shame. in terms of sampling.. kurzweil's light years ahead.

[Keyboardman88]

I The Kurz sounds are fantastic - orchestras, flutes, etc, but I think that their piano samples need to be upgraded. Most of them are recycled from 10 years ago. The Organs are pretty limited also.

[StarlightAU]

The piano samples still sound like they were recorded from a Young Chang piano.....d'oh

[HammondB200]

4:41 How to play the... fucking sound? Its promoted as an "professional" keyboard. Why the hell would I want to be instructed by a keyboard?

[calleclarinett]

Actually I think this was targeted to almost everyone...

[datmpham]

did you forget to take your anger control pill again you mother-ucker ? hehe ..just trying to use your language. Kind of appropriate here, isn't it :-)

[HammondB200]

I live in the Netherlands, it's a free society. Cursing is allowed, I will if I want to. Have a nice day

[bluebook51]

you are right

[dvamateur]

By cheesy things I mean everything that makes a musical instrument make it more and more like a PC. Synthesizers used to be fine pieces of gear. Now, they have color monitors, picture icons, auto everything. Oh well, I just think that playing riffs with one finger is cheesy. If it goes like it goes, the new keyboards will slowly start killing the actually keyboard playing. But once again, I am saying these things becasue I am old. So, no offense to anyone.

[calleclarinett]

Ok, sorry misunderstood. I'm with you on this one.

[datmpham]

how would you play an arpeggio techno bassline at 130bpm on your left hand while playing another poly arpeggio chord pattern on your right hand ? May be you are that good...but the rest of us need more help from they keyboards since music are getting faster and we only gets 2 hands...

[mctipi]

I'm not old but I'm totally with you on this one.

I hope keyboard playing isn't going to disappear. There will always be people who actually create and play their music instead of letting a computer do all that for them. Those people are musicians. :)

[romagen]

@dvamateur: you know, you can give the best instrument to a beginner, and he won't be able to impress you. and you can give the worst instrument to a pro, and he will still be able to impress you with that. ;-)

[dvamateur]

Bigger screen? Audio tracks? Why not add autorythms to it to make it even more cheesy? My favorite Kurzwail was the K series. Well, I guess I am just getting old...

[calleclarinett]

... those cheesy things would make it unaffordable!

[dvamateur]

Isn't the K2600 better than the PC series? Anyway, the new keyboards are good, but I am more on a lookout for things like Roland D-50 or Yamaha DX7. I find the older keyboards more expressive, for some reason or another.

[cyclopss2008]

In some areas K-series are better, while the PC3 offers more functionality (like 128-note polyphony instead of 48, VA-1 simulation, more power than KDFX etc), Kurzweil recently announced that the K-series are about to be discontinued. So, I think that PC-series will be the flagship synths/workstations of the future for Kurzweil. I hope they add some more things to the next PC-series members, like sampling and audio tracks to the Seq, plus a bigger screen and some other things too.

[caponsacchi]

I'm a performer, not a programmer, and the complexity of the PC3 scares me. My biggest need is a split with good basses and layered ride cymbal in the left hand; piano in right. I would consider PC3 over SP2 only if the acoustic piano of PC3 is "dramatically" superior. Is it?

[diystompbox]

It's easy to layer. Choose New Zone, Choose a sound, done. If you want the slider to control volume, choose SLIDER and set a slider to volume. Set a key range? Choose KEYVEL, select a loKey or HiKey, hold enter and press a key on the keyboard. What other keyboard has mutes/enables plus volumes (9 sliders) and does not take up polyphony when the mute is enabled? (D-70 does not count!)

[mysticradio]

OK THEN.. BUY ME ONE. LOL

[mysticradio]

im just after sounds not bells and whistles....  MIMIK is a software app... that will copy SOUNDS of any analog or digi synth into NEKO....... I just wish that Kurz will change the OS...... its the same as K2000 almost. I heard it was a task making MULTI-PATCHES.

[poserp]

You could sample the output, but that would only get you about 10% of the way towards "cloning" a PC3 sound -- there could be dozens (or even hundreds) of variables affecting the sound besides velocity and aftertouch, which is all that Mimik captures. The beauty of the PC3 is once you learn how to edit a program and add layers (each layer is equivalent to a "patch" in most other synths), making a 32-layer program is as easy as editing a single layer.

[rakeliisilva]

is it an 88 key and a 61 key? or a 88 and 76?

[ChurchBoy0487]

Looks to be the PC3X (88 keys) and the PC3LE(61 keys) is on top. The one in the back to his right is probably the PC3(76 keys).

[akissgr1]

Pc3x has 88 hammered keys you can ge it also with 76 semiweighted and 61 synth type keys.

[mysticradio]

what does Ray Kurzweil care anymore... dont think he owns that end of the bizz.. i think he's more worried about LIFE EXTENTION.... financed by us.. lol. IM sure a MUSE RESEARCH Receptor and some state of the art sofware would outdo a Kurz anyways.. and if you have OPEN LABS MIKO or NEKO.. you could use MIMIK software to put all the Kurz sounds in... just rent it for a day...... and voila.. PC3 in your computer !!

[poserp]

Actually, no. For about $2000 you get a top-flight synthesizer, sequencer, and controller keyboard with expert programming and more DSP horsepower than any Muse Receptor or Open Labs system on the market. You'd have to spend upwards of $8000 on hardware and software (or spend several years with MAX/MSP and a very nice computer) to get something that can mimic what the PC3 can do. That's the benefit of having purpose-built chips (kurzweil rolls their own for the PC3) and expert programmers.

[lavakava]

also if there is a VA1 synth, why didn't they have a vocoder? lol...

when they make a new k-series with updated UI, i will buy it.

[lavakava]

kurzweil bombed big with the pc3 by not introducing a sampler or audio in. what use are all the effects and VAST if there is no way to process your guitars, vocals.

its saving grace is a lot of the sounds are very usable (minus some guitars and brass which are way better on motif xs).

also the fantom g blows the kurzweil out of the water in terms of sonic characteristics - not the samples itself, but the fantom g is a sampler so you could get any sound you want.

organ/orchestra: this is good

[mysticradio]

well Kurzweil has had 20 years to work on this crappy GUI and never did a damn thing about it... if i cant make layers easy.... its a no brainer..... I WONT BUY IT.... all the soft synths are EASY to make COMBI'S.... whats wrong with these people anyways.....

[ChurchBoy0487]

I feel your pain. It was discouraging because I was really stoked about getting this board. It's a shame because Kurzweil is putting themselves back in the same box that made them nearly bankrupt and extinct. Maybe the rumored K3000 will spice things up a bit and put an end to the archaic and overdue Kurzie GUI. Who knows? In the mean time, I'll just keep my FantomX7, and save up for a Bose L1.

[mysticradio]

does it have the equivelent of a COMBI or PERFORMANCE mode? i dont see that anywhere.... can you layer and STACK sounds?

[ChurchBoy0487]

To answer both of your questions, yes but to make your own layers/splits/ and somewhat of"combi's" is cumbersome, complicated and not intuitive for the average consumer. The sound is pure phenom but the GUI is a maze. If you don't have any prior experience with Kurzweils GUI then it's guaranteed you'll get lost and frustrated. You'll be diving through 5-8 sub menus just to adjust one minuet parameter. It shouldn't take all that compared to other brands. However it still sounds phenom.

[ChurchBoy0487]

I guess My FantomX7 has me spoiled of how quick and easy to layer/split. I was considering the PC3 to replace the X7 but I don't see that happening any time soon after playing it. Even though the sounds make me think twice about not getting it, especially the strings/orchestrals. Never had I spent so much time in that section until I played this board. It felt as if I was controlling an ACTUAL symphony from the amount of detail and realism this board has. Great sounds but NOT USER FRIENDLY.

[44Bigs]

Come on, it's a bit more than a 'stage piano' :)

[T3raDownloader]

I want this keyboard.