EXS12 Austrian Grand Sound Feedback

[jimknopf]

This thread is meant purely for sound feedback from those trying the demo.
Let's gather some impressions.

After my first hour with the demo there's three things I noticed:

1. Demo Mode: it's great to have this demo mode! I wouldn't be able to decide such a buy just based on some online sound demos. What went a bit on my nerves is the rhythm of the demo audio dropouts: you can hardly play a phrase and get a context impression before the next silencing phase comes in: a little longer pauses between the dropouts would really be helpful without changing anything about the protection.

2. Positive sound impression:
This thing really cuts through! I tried different kinds of (in part loud) contexts, and whatever I did: this piano will never be buried in a mix. It's a vivid, powerful rock and jazz piano especially.

3. Negative sound impression:
While the basic sound is fantastic, dynamic and powerful, the way in which attack and sustain go together (or rather don't) is weird! All the variations have a mighty (almost too mighty) hammer attack phase, just to fizzle out to a thin sustain sound immediatley after the attack phase. This sustain is definitely TOO thin from my view, especially with the higher notes, and more drastically so with the bright version of the sound.
This thin sustain just doesn't sound natural, and I wonder how that was obtained. I once had the chance to try an Imperial Grand and don't remember such a low sustain sound from that at all! No idea how that happened to this otherwise great sounding sample set.

My question to Korg staff would be: is there any chance to change the sustain for an update of this sound, or is it how it was recorded and will stay like that forever? To me, this question might decide if I want to buy it or not.

It's really a pity: such a great basic sound! And then this ultra-thin sustain...

[apex]

How do you think it would fit in a gospel context?

[burningbusch]

I've been working with the Dark Grand 1 setting, adjusting to taste and EQing a bit by rolling off the bass. I think this is a very strong piano. Contrasting with the Ivory Bosendorfer, Ivory sounds thinner and the note-to-note sustain is less consistent. The Kronos Bosie is thinner than the Kronos Steinway, but I think in a good way. I don't find it too thin at all. I tried, but don't like, the Bright versions as the attack is too over the top for me.

Busch.

[aron]

And then this ultra-thin sustain

That's exactly what I described when I heard the demo. I don't like piano sounds with lots of attack and not much sustain for the held note. I don't like that plinky sound.

[jimknopf]

I played a bit further and this thing made more and more sense to me.

The only thing I miss a bit is the "singing" tone of the Kronos Steinway in higher regions: but then again I got aware that I would use the Steinway for slow and ballad stuff with longer notes anyway.

So back to the Boesendorfer: I did some more testing with various backgrounds: bass and drums, smooth (strings, pads) up to fat (polysnth, brassy, organ etc.) background settings etc..
I must say, I'm not just satisfied, I'm really blown away meanwhile.
This grand sits in the mix in all the rock, jazz, electric jazz and funk stuff I play, in a way that never is muddy or "swimming", throughout all kinds of backgrounds. That's a lot in my ears! And by being so clear, despite the relatively low sustain, it carries melodies through crowded settings much better than the Steinway or the Yamaha in the Kronos.

@Busch
My favorites are the basic sound and the Dark 3 at the moment. The compressed ones work excellent with classical rock and pop stuff of that (compressed piano) kind.

@apex: this should work excellent with gospel stuff. Just download the demo and check yourself.

@Aron: it's not really plinky, thankfully. It just is not the right one for slow stuff with long sustained notes: that's the Steinway's domain. As alternatives these two seem to cover all I need, as far as I can tell after one afternoon/evening.

P.S.
After some hours it got me - and I got it. Too good not to be used. It will probably completely replace the Japanese Grand on my Kronos, after testing both side by side for some more time. The Boesendorfer is extremely "present", and within band play you can express slight timing variations and "swing" like hell: due exactly to this great basic tone and powerful attack. With this thing, you won't miss your drummer and bass player, and they won't miss you any more when you play a piano sound.

[Dniss]

And then this ultra-thin sustain

That's exactly what I described when I heard the demo. I don't like piano sounds with lots of attack and not much sustain for the held note. I don't like that plinky sound.

I'll try it. But if it ends up being like you said (plinky sound too common with piano samples), I prolly won't buy it.

I have enough plinky piano sound as it is.

[aron]

To be honest - to me, none of these pianos sound close to what a real piano sounds like. Even the cheapest piano I have played doesn't have the high end sound of a sampled piano. A real piano (that I have tried) ring and resonate on the high end. Most sampled pianos just plink away and sound "plastic" for lack of a better term.

I'm not saying they don't sound "good". They do. They sound perfect... but I would never say that I could sit down on these instruments and couldn't tell the difference between this and a real piano. The difference is like night and day.

[robkeith]

Dont know still tyring to get the file!!!! please can someone who has the file mirror the file to a server that can deliver it at a reasonable speed. I mean whats going to happen when the editor gets released??? OMG another mention of the editor sorry!

[Zeroesque]

This thread is meant purely for sound feedback from those trying the demo

That didn't last long...lol

[JFree]

Self deleted for topical detour

[aron]

Yes I could tell the difference I am sure. Which one would sound better? Maybe the Korg. But that's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about the difference when playing. Not listening as an audience member.

> its an irrelevant comparison

It's not. I am the player so it's not irrelevant to me. I understand your point, but is it too much to ask for the piano to sound a little closer to what I hear when I am playing one? Not what it sounds like over the PA, but what I am hearing when I play a piano. All I am asking for is more resonance, more sustain on the high end and maybe even not as perfect a note. I guess that's what modeling is for. Anyway, I guess we can agree to disagree.

[jimknopf]

I'm beginning to appreciate Zeroesque's comment.

And now for something completely else ...

[GregC]

Yes I could tell the difference I am sure. Which one would sound better? Maybe the Korg. But that's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about the difference when playing. Not listening as an audience member.

> its an irrelevant comparison

. All I am asking for is more resonance, more sustain on the high end and maybe even not as perfect a note. I guess that's what modeling is for. Anyway, I guess we can agree to disagree.

The Yamaha/Japanese grand ( with eq, plus parametric) gives me that.

Might be an idea to blend them together. I suspected that Roland combined piano samples for their GX1/NX stage piano.

[keekma]

I tried the demo today. I like it a lot, for what I could hear between the fadeouts. It is much better than the Japanese piano. It is close to the German but I think it is a cleaner, more defined, sound. For me it sounds more like a real piano. But that is what I am used to. I think for my purpose, playing in a pop cover-band, it is very useful. I expect it to cut nicely through the mix of my band, better than the german. I am certainly consider buying this piano.

K.

[SeedyLee]

Anyone know how to uninstall the demo? I've ahrd a good look, and from what I can see there is no way to uninstall the EXs without completely reinstalling from the install DVDs