Hi all,
After much research I’d love to know peoples ideas and thoughts on this - any suggestions for a really good sounding piano module? Happy to go second hand.
I’ve been looking at older models, seeing as these days it’s all software based. Finding models by kurtzweil, alesis and Roland, to name but a few. Nobody seems to be making a hardware piano box.
I’m even considering swapping my controller keyboard for a piano keyboard just to have access to a decent piano sound.
Thanks
Maybe not as good as a real piano module. But I used my 1010music blackbox with a good multisampled piano (576 samples!). For a lot of use cases a nice compact solution.
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Pianoteq runs on a phone or a raspberry Pi. You could easily make your own module that way.
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I’m surprised Modartt haven’t built a box that does this. I’d say phone / tablet plus Pianoteq is the best solution.
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Check these previous threads :
How about the Knobula Pianophonic ? ( post ) It does this and a whole lot more.
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Ah I have a Blackbox and have been thinking of doing something like this, do you have a link to the sampled one you used?
On the market and worth thinking about if you want quality piano sounds in a module:
- Roland INTEGRA-7
- Dexibell SX8 (an acquired taste)
- Ketron’s arranger modules (an acquired taste)
- Any multi-sample capable sampler with a good chunk of polyphony
The INTEGRA-7 is your best bet in my opinion if you want something that’s currently on the market.
Older units worth considering:
- Roland’s later XVs and JVs
- Yamaha’s Motif rack
- Korg’s M3 module and Triton rack
- Kurzweil’s racks
Remember to take voice count into account when thinking about piano. Any module that isn’t capable of proper polyphony isn’t worth considering, unless you only need a tiny bit of piano.
Personally I would recommend sticking to software on a computer or an iPad, unless you really for some reason need a hardware unit specifically for this.
As for why nobody (outside of some really bad options like the V3 Sound stuff) is making hardware piano modules specifically, is that there’s no market there.
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Yamaha Reface CP5. Sounds great, keys are small but tactile.
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Old school decent piano, Proteus 2000!
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I have used the Blackbox and multi-sampled my own Nord Stage 2 for a portable sequenced option. It sounds pretty good, and better than the downloadable/free option that you can get from 1010.
But any time I have the real need to do any real live playing then I’m hauling the Nord along for the gig.
I want something I can just switch on and play with headphones. iPhone is problematic in this sense.
Got that! It’s ok. Not great though.
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Integra looks great but overkill.
I was going to recommend this - the keyboard size might be an issue for a real pianist but they’re great value for money. I had the CP and the effects are surprisingly good too. I bought it for the EP models but the standard piano is very decent.
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Yeah the keys aren’t ideal for a pianist, though it’s worth hooking up to your fave controller, it sounds that good! Charlotte Gainsborough’s keys player had one hooked up to their controller and it sounded great at the festival!
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1010 Tangerine even comes with a multisampled piano, no idea if it’s good though. Nothing beats Pianoteq probably.
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If I went pianoteq and raspberry pi, are there any ready made raspberry pis I could buy and then install pianoteq?
Similar money just buy a used Yamaha cp… it sounds amazing and is wonderfully useful instrument.
Sorry, but which Yamaha cp you talking about exactly? Just googled and there are loads!
Oh I meant the little one… I had one and it was really great. I used it a ton and was always surprised how much I liked it. It has a battery and good speakers so it’s great to just flash out ideas plus you can plug it in and it sounds amazing. You can find them used for a little over three hundred and for a piano I don’t think you can ask for more. If you need full keys then that is different.