Bluegroove wrote:

How is the quality of the CP-80 in your opinion? Since it's older and free, is it as advanced as the other newer pianos? Have they updated it with the newer features over the years?

I recently read that Elton John gets his sound from blending a digital piano with his grand, and I'm curious if the CP-80 would be good for this or is there a better alternative?

Thanks in advance.

Way too heavy. Heavier than really good and expensive Pianos like Boesendoerfer or Steinways.

YC5 being based on the Yamaha concert acoustic grand is the appropriate model if wanting to emulate what he actually used for most of his career.

The question is though what other piano to blend with that. Probably just going through all of the acoustic models and blending or combining them the OP could hit upon something similar or something he finds he prefers - if YC5 doesn't do it on its own.

How is the quality of the CP-80 in your opinion? Since it's older and free, is it as advanced as the other newer pianos? Have they updated it with the newer features over the years?

I recently read that Elton John gets his sound from blending a digital piano with his grand, and I'm curious if the CP-80 would be good for this or is there a better alternative?

Thanks in advance.

Way too heavy. Heavier than really good and expensive Pianos like Boesendoerfer or Steinways.

https://youtu.be/IYL-UUSw_xg

Also Kawai made rivals such as the EP308. Again very similar sounding. The most famous remains the CP70/80.

You would probably be hard pressed to identify by ear one from another on most recordings where there isn't a lot of bass notes.

Bluegroove wrote:

Thank you. This is really helpful.

Glad you found it useful.

I see he did use CP80 back in the day:
https://youtu.be/HnNw0pkD6pk

You can absolutely clone this sound very closely in Pianoteq with the CP80 model.

Very nice, thanks!

Thank you. This is really helpful.

Glad you found it useful.

I see he did use CP80 back in the day:
https://youtu.be/HnNw0pkD6pk

You can absolutely clone this sound very closely in Pianoteq with the CP80 model.

Bluegroove wrote:

Thank you, that's really good info.

And as for the quality of the CP-80 in Pianoteq specifically, is it up to snuff? I only recently started using Pianoteq 8 so I wasn't sure if the older pianos are still updated, or if they're lacking compared to the newer releases?

I feel it is.
Again the electric piano presets all need FX tweaking to sound like the music from the period that I like. Honestly that seems like most of the battle. The models have authenticity enough - even if they improve them later, and no doubt incremental improvements (within the laws of diminishing returns) will keep coming.

Could it be even more authentic? Possibly but it sounds excellent to me. That said I like to use lots of the FX to achieve that period sound.

Suffice to say I believe most listeners wouldn't pick out the false CP80 on a recording with other instruments, and probably not even on their own.
Owners of the real instruments could be a different case - if they cared about the difference.

Thank you. This is really helpful.

Thank you, that's really good info.

And as for the quality of the CP-80 in Pianoteq specifically, is it up to snuff? I only recently started using Pianoteq 8 so I wasn't sure if the older pianos are still updated, or if they're lacking compared to the newer releases?

I feel it is.
Again the electric piano presets all need FX tweaking to sound like the music from the period that I like. Honestly that seems like most of the battle. The models have authenticity enough - even if they improve them later, and no doubt incremental improvements (within the laws of diminishing returns) will keep coming.

Could it be even more authentic? Possibly but it sounds excellent to me. That said I like to use lots of the FX to achieve that period sound.

Suffice to say I believe most listeners wouldn't pick out the false CP80 on a recording with other instruments, and probably not even on their own.
Owners of the real instruments could be a different case - if they cared about the difference.

Bluegroove wrote:

How is the quality of the CP-80 in your opinion? Since it's older and free, is it as advanced as the other newer pianos? Have they updated it with the newer features over the years?

I recently read that Elton John gets his sound from blending a digital piano with his grand, and I'm curious if the CP-80 would be good for this or is there a better alternative?

Thanks in advance.

I guess Elton John's blend of a Yamaha grand with a digital piano; probably sampled going by law of averages not any specific quality.
That blended piano likely sound more tonally complex whereas the funky crisp tones of CP80 have a crystalline clarity and oodles of recognisable clunky funky character.

There are CP80 demos but this CP70 demo is better than most of the 80 demos I could find on YT and they are so very similar:
https://youtu.be/bKN5cpoG1SA

Run it mono into stereo FX it can sound highly authentic to the CP70/80 sound of the 70s and into mid 80s.
Watch YouTube videos of CP70/80 videos to see if that's actually the character you were after.
Most of the time you hear CP80 on commercial tracks you are also hearing EQ, chorus, flanger and digital reverb such as Lexicon 224.

I don't remember any Elton John tracks that were obviously CP80 but I don't pay close attention to his music.

Thank you, that's really good info.

And as for the quality of the CP-80 in Pianoteq specifically, is it up to snuff? I only recently started using Pianoteq 8 so I wasn't sure if the older pianos are still updated, or if they're lacking compared to the newer releases?

How is the quality of the CP-80 in your opinion? Since it's older and free, is it as advanced as the other newer pianos? Have they updated it with the newer features over the years?

I recently read that Elton John gets his sound from blending a digital piano with his grand, and I'm curious if the CP-80 would be good for this or is there a better alternative?

Thanks in advance.

I guess Elton John's blend of a Yamaha grand with a digital piano; probably sampled going by law of averages not any specific quality.
That blended piano likely sound more tonally complex whereas the funky crisp tones of CP80 have a crystalline clarity and oodles of recognisable clunky funky character.

There are CP80 demos but this CP70 demo is better than most of the 80 demos I could find on YT and they are so very similar:
https://youtu.be/bKN5cpoG1SA

Run it mono into stereo FX it can sound highly authentic to the CP70/80 sound of the 70s and into mid 80s.
Watch YouTube videos of CP70/80 videos to see if that's actually the character you were after.
Most of the time you hear CP80 on commercial tracks you are also hearing EQ, chorus, flanger and digital reverb such as Lexicon 224.

I don't remember any Elton John tracks that were obviously CP80 but I don't pay close attention to his music.

I recently read that Elton John gets his sound from blending a digital piano with his grand, and I'm curious if the CP-80 would be good for this or is there a better alternative?

Thanks in advance.