Yamaha P95b!

Hi Chris,

so this might be a little off topic, but I still wanted to thank you encouraging me to ask for an old piano action to test my sensor bar on it. I had the luck to get the action of a >100 years old english piano (oberdämpfer = dampers above hammers) and restored it to a useable state. You can watch it at work on my blog if you didn't do that already
Its really sad that you had to freeze the TP40WOOD project. If I remember correctly you hat a pnoscan mounted in it and it seemed to work quite fine? so where did you stop the project?

Concerning the P95b: The last time when I tried out the latest digital pianos the one that I liked most was a kawai with wooden keys (dont remember the model). When I play on yamaha actions I always get in trouble with the springs they use to keep the key up, but finally its a matter of your taste if you're okay with that action. Did you try it with pianoteq? I'd highliy recommend doing that before purchase.

Get well soon!

I went looking for digital pianos with good actions and settled on a Korg SP250. The sounds are blah and the MIDI is limited but the action is quite nice and it comes with a stand and continuous-action damper pedal for $700 in Canada. A very nice Pianoteq companion.

Hey Chris,

Nice that you're back!

I second that about the Casio Privia actions. I just got a Privia PX330 a few months ago, and I thought it was quite a bit better than all the Yamahas in that price range. The GHS action which I had on my Yamaha P85 was just too harsh for me at the bottom of it's travel, so I sold it.

Bottom line, it's all a matter of personal preference in the end.

I'd highly recommend bringing a laptop with you and headphones so you get a realistic sense of how it's going to feel with Pianoteq. There are too many distractions in a music store, and headphones help minimize that. I even frequently run into a store's piano section, and there are no sustain pedals on the keyboard(s) I want to try! That drives me bonkers!

Take care Chris, and be well.

Michael

I strongly recommend any Casio Privia (PX-130 or PX-3 if you want ivory finish keys) over a Yamaha with GHS (P95, DGX-640, etc). I've owned both and although they are both good, I can't live without the triple sensor in the Casio Some may disagree but I find the Scaled Hammer Action feels more solid and offers greater control over the GHS, and I daresay the GH as well.

At the very least, make sure you give Casio a solid chance before buying the P95...sure the sound on the Casio isn't nearly as good as the Yamaha (but again, some may disagree, can't figure many would though), but you're using Pianoteq, so that doesn't matter.

There is the dependability issue and brand reputation of Yamaha over Casio...either way you put it, you still have likely the same warranty (although you might want to double check that). Good luck!

Thank you Guys for all your responses and well wishes.

I was seriously contemplating the Casio PX3. There seems to be so many divided opinions and of
course, alot is subjective, but I am intrigued by the fact that the PX3 not only has a bunch of sounds
(good or otherwise), so much midi capability, ivory feel keys, triple sensor and is very light.

I am going to the shop tomorrow (Thursday 17th May) so I would really appreciate some more input
on the Casio PX3 in addition to what's already been provided.

Thank you all,

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Hi, what a great thing not to have to haul B3's or pianos around anymore. As for performing with bands, the quality of Pianoteq is lost in the mix or on the crowd. However when using a portable sound to work what amounts to piano bars or singles gigs, nothing is as expressive. I've been privileged to try, own or perform with most of the popular keys short of Ultimate Response. I finally ended up using the Yamaha P250 and now the CP300. The tactile response of the built-in speakers is a plus. The feel is very natural for me. The sound is less fatiguing over time and yet versatile.
I used Pianoteq in studio for obvious reasons but still prefered the CP300's action.
I'm not a young thing anymore so I started looking for what my friends call an old man rig. I wanted a lightweight option so I restarted the search process. In my opinion, the P95b's action is very similar to the CP300. The main negative for me was the effect of working with a lightweight instrument but playing on it like it was a heavy piano.
It was bouncy, and too unstable for use with aggressive technique. I used industrial velcro to attach it to a heavy stand and it did the trick for me. It's acceptably stable now and about like a guitar for portability. We are happy.
I realize that others have their preferences for controllers and yes, I do own equipment that does not have a Yamaha logo. I'm just offering an opinion and my solution for adapting lightweight controllers which could be overlooked.
One last thing, using the single sustain pedal input with a appropriate pedal will give the full range of sustain that Pianoteq offers. The optional Yamaha pedal unit (3 in 1) only offers full, half and closed modes of sustain.

Go with the Roland RD-700NX. How many times do I have to tell you?

If you don't believe me, take your laptop to the store and play Pianoteq with various keyboards. Also play them alone. I think you'll come to the same conclusion.

I found the Yamahas to be oversensitive in the upper register when using Pianoteq; barely striking the keys produced a loud sound, while I'd have to play harder than normal in the middle range. That's why I've been PLEADING with Pianoteq since day 1 to include some sort of finer MIDI velocity adjustment--different keyboards DO output different velocity curves in different ranges. The RD-700NX with Pianoteq gives me the most even response, and it's still not perfect.

Giving users finer control over the MIDI velocity would be another great selling point.

Did I mention the developers ought to provide finer MIDI velocity adjustment?

I'm curious...

How much cost a PNOscan kit (including discount for pianoteq's owners) ?

How is the feeling when instaled in a real piano action ?

What's the difference from a real piano, in terms of key response, ?

Does it have key release velocity?

I can think of a FAR better way: let the developers simply implement finer MIDI velocity adjustment (separate curves over 3-4 user-adjustable ranges, or note editor adjustment). Going through your 2-3 year-long pain-in-the-ass rigmarole is NOT what I'd call ideal. As a software, Pianoteq ITSELF should be adjustable to yield an even response from ANY keyboard...

Are you saying that all your problems were solved because you switched from MIDI cables to USB?!? Please elaborate.