Topic by Ecaroh

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Topic: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

Hi everybody,

I had a short meeting with this "guy" in MESSE 2012 in Frankfurt.
http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/zarenbourg.html

Unfortunately I could not go more deeply into it, because it felt really good. And I mean mostly E-pianos: Rhodes and Wurly.

Still I'd like to know more about it. Has anybody here had a chance to check it? Two questions are puzzling me:

1. Does its loudspeakers provide enough power on stage? (normal pop/jazz-group with medium sound system)

2. Let's say that those modeled EPs were great, but how about its sampled acoustic piano? I have tried to check internet about that but there's no that much information available.

thx,
P

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Reply by skip

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

So did you actually get to play one? (I get the impression that you did not) If you did, what did you think of the electric piano sounds?

Greg.

Reply by Ecaroh

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

I have just played it for 15 minutes in Frankfurt and that time was spent with its E-pianos. And you know, those music exhibitions have so terrible backround noise that even playing with head phones doesn't give you a good idea of those products. But as said, those E-pianos felt great. Shame that I did not play more and especially its A-piano. I was so much in a hurry to check all the other new things. But after the Messe I had afeeling that it was Zarenbough which was the most inspiring new product and I should have palyed it more...

What is certainly not good promotion from Waldorf that they do not provide well made sound demos on their website. Or are they hiding something? Maybe I am paranoid or something but I begin to feel that perhaps this acoustic piano isn't that good after all. In some youtube demo(s) those guys seem to avoid this subject...

Anyway who the h*** would put 2969 euros (Thomann price) for a product which he/she had not tested or even heard any decent sound demos? I live in Finland and I think that there isn't any shop in a whole country which has this product for testing.

What are they thinking in Waldorf...??!?

Last edited by Ecaroh (05-09-2012 16:49)

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Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

Waldorf is sadly undermanned so a lot of the usual things are missing in their company activity. They still make brilliant products.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron...012-a.html


Check this thread on GS. One member (peter@greatsynth) bought one and posts about it, starting page 2 I think. Yes, the piano sound doesn't seem to be the focus of this thing - however the FM engine and physical models of electric pianos seem to be superb.

Last edited by EvilDragon (05-09-2012 17:44)
Hard work and guts!

Reply by Ecaroh

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

Thx EvilD,

This guy says it, what I thought:

"The Grand Piano is the only sound that is not on the same level as the others. Here the CP1 wins in my opinion, although having some other weaknesses. For example I never liked the S6's resonance of some keys."

Zarenbourg has 4GB of Nand (?) flash for samples, which A LOT for a hardware instrument. For example, Nord has 500MB memory and yet they can give you great sampled piano(s). (To be precise, you can only have 1-2 of their best APs at one instance) So as we well know, memory amount isn't the only thing. Quite opposite. I had Synthogy Ivory at same time when my Nord arrived. It was amazing how much better was Nord with this much smaller memory. So let's suppose that Zarenbourg has a potentiality to have great sampled ap as well, but yet they haven't done very good work with it.

Last edited by Ecaroh (05-09-2012 19:02)

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Reply by sigasa

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

Get this re: the Zarenbourg - it uses the same fatar action as the £390 accuna88! I know which one i'd prefer to fork out for! P.s. it's not the Zarenbourg! ;p

Reply by sigasa

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

For anyone interested, it's the TP100LR Keybed

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

It's not just the keybed you're buying with Zarenbourg, though - it has a damn good speaker system built in as well.

Hard work and guts!

Reply by skip

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Re: OT: Waldorf Zarenbourg

The EP I'm most interested is the Wurly. So far I think Pianoteq is better, going by the recordings.  The Z sounds very pure and harmonically simple (although I still like it too). 
EDIT: Well, I'm not sure.  I think perhaps Pianoteq is stronger in the bass register, but the Z might be stronger elsewhere.  I wonder whether the Z has sympathetic resonance though - that gives Pianoteq a lovely warmth.

Greg.

Last edited by skip (06-09-2012 00:10)