Trying to decide the best digital piano

[LoboLives]

I usually use the piano sound from either my Roland or Kurzweil but as of late I'm really interested in getting the best digital piano which has an incredible sound, has the ability to do splits and layers and has good midi control.

I was looking at the following three

Roland V Piano



Kawai MP11



and the just announced the GEM Promega 2+


I do like a layout on the front panel in regards to programming and selecting sounds as oppose to menu diving. I think the Promega and Kawai are both good for this. The Promega also has the upper hand in regards to variety of sounds since it also includes organ sounds.

I do also have to say I LOVE the fact the Roland V Piano and Kawai MP11 are built in a way where I can lay my Moog on top of it.

I don't think the Promega has a built in recorder like the Roland or Kawai. This isn't make or break but it would be nice to record something or loop a main riff on the piano while I play the Prophet or Moog over top. I guess I can always get a separate looper pedal for this.

Any suggestions? Experiences with these? Thoughts?

[chysn]

When I worked in musical instrument retail (ten-plus years ago), we were a Generalmusic dealer. At that time, Generalmusic had a couple of digital pianos called (for real) Pro 1 and Pro 2. I loved these things. They had something that nobody else had, which was physical modeling of undamped strings. That is, you could hold very gently hold down some lower notes, so that they made no sound, and then pound a staccato chord several octaves above, and the harmonics of the lower notes (that you're still holding) would ring, like a real piano. Due to this capability, the instrument's polyphony was ridiculous (like 128 notes). It was an amazing thing at the time.

Generalmusic is now called GEM, and it looks like they do the same thing now. I don't know if Roland, Kawaii, etc. have caught up to Generalmusic's sample/model hybrid approach ten years later. If so, great. But if I didn't have an acoustic piano, I'd get a GEM in a heartbeat.

[LoboLives]

When I worked in musical instrument retail (ten-plus years ago), we were a Generalmusic dealer. At that time, Generalmusic had a couple of digital pianos called (for real) Pro 1 and Pro 2. I loved these things. They had something that nobody else had, which was physical modeling of undamped strings. That is, you could hold very gently hold down some lower notes, so that they made no sound, and then pound a staccato chord several octaves above, and the harmonics of the lower notes (that you're still holding) would ring, like a real piano. Due to this capability, the instrument's polyphony was ridiculous (like 128 notes). It was an amazing thing at the time.

Generalmusic is now called GEM, and it looks like they do the same thing now. I don't know if Roland, Kawaii, etc. have caught up to Generalmusic's sample/model hybrid approach ten years later. If so, great. But if I didn't have an acoustic piano, I'd get a GEM in a heartbeat.

I have an upright and I was contemplating a baby grand but I'm just thinking about logistics, real estate and recording the thing. I guess if Wakeman and Emerson swore by the GEM Promega line then it's pretty clear they are damn good instruments. I just wish they were built a bit bigger so I could rest my Moog on it to save myself a stand.

[DavidDever]

Hmm, same folks behind the Elka reissue initiatives...http://bringelkaback.com/

[LoboLives]

Hmm, same folks behind the Elka reissue initiatives...http://bringelkaback.com/

Yeah but this time something actually was made.

[DavidDever]

Hmm, same folks behind the Elka reissue initiatives...http://bringelkaback.com/

Yeah but this time something actually was made.

lol

[chysn]

I guess if Wakeman and Emerson swore by the GEM Promega line then it's pretty clear they are damn good instruments.

Emerson has been a Generalmusic endorser for decades. At our store, we had a used Generalmusic synth that was made specifically for him; as far as we could tell, it was the only one of its model.

[Sacred Synthesis]

A few years ago, I had a Roland FP-7 digital piano.  I thought it was excellent.  Great sound, a nice variety of piano types, and an excellent keyboard touch.  Even the built-in speakers sounded good.  The only other digital pianos I've doodled around with are a Yamaha and a Casio.  But they were like toys compared to the Roland.

[DavidDever]

A few years ago, I had a Roland FP-7 digital piano.  I thought it was excellent.  Great sound, a nice variety of piano types, and an excellent keyboard touch.  Even the built-in speakers sounded good.  The only other digital pianos I've doodled around with are a Yamaha and a Casio.  But they were like toys compared to the Roland.

Ages ago (when I worked at Guitar Center back in the mid-90s), we sold the Roland FP-1, which had a nice, natural piano sound (best of any that we sold at the time); it had downward-firing loudspeakers IIRC and just filled the room. I don't think you can go wrong with Roland, if that's what you decide.

[Jan Schultink]

While a regular piano keeps it value, digital pianos get better and better as computing power goes up. Maybe worth considering super high end MIDI controllers that power Keyscape or a C. Bechstein sampled piano. A Lachnit controller can set you back as much as $4500... http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/review-roundup-just-the-keys-please/58798

[LoboLives]

While a regular piano keeps it value, digital pianos get better and better as computing power goes up. Maybe worth considering super high end MIDI controllers that power Keyscape or a C. Bechstein sampled piano. A Lachnit controller can set you back as much as $4500... http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/review-roundup-just-the-keys-please/58798

Naw, I'm a hardware guy. I think I've settled between the Promega 2+ and the Kawai. Going to give them both a try and decide which works best.

[Jan Schultink]

Naw, I'm a hardware guy.

 

Go to the store with a set of good headphones and a laptop with a Keyscape or C. Bechstein demo. Use the candidate digital piano keyboard as a MIDI controller in your laptop and let your ears decide.

I own a 1996 Yamaha P-150, the sampled pianos that came out over the past 6 months make it sound like a toy piano in comparison. The instrument itself, but also the pedal and instrument noises (which you can switch off). These new sample pianos are also better than the industry standard Alicia's Keys by Native Instruments.

[LoboLives]

Naw, I'm a hardware guy.

 

Go to the store with a set of good headphones and a laptop with a Keyscape or C. Bechstein demo. Use the candidate digital piano keyboard as a MIDI controller in your laptop and let your ears decide.

I own a 1996 Yamaha P-150, the sampled pianos that came out over the past 6 months make it sound like a toy piano in comparison. The instrument itself, but also the pedal and instrument noises (which you can switch off). These new sample pianos are also better than the industry standard Alicia's Keys by Native Instruments.

Let me rephrase. I don't want to use a computer as my sound source. I want it built in and under the hood.