best piano and strings?

n3wt15 · Post by **n3wt15** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:50 pm

So im wondering who makes the best piano in a synth, other strings, and natural instruments would be a plus too!

I used to have a kurzweil k2500s, but regretably sold it off

so now im looking for something

these are what ive been thinking of

Alesis Fusion
Motif 6
nord stage
or another kurzweil

any other good options in the synth would come in handy, but im really looking for sound quality

any help or other recomendations would be great

elmosexwhistle · Post by **elmosexwhistle** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:56 pm

i myself have a fusion which i crammed full of soundfonts, ie sounds of pianos/strings/whatever you want which are availible in many places off the net...the free software you get with the fusion lets you convert them...

the motif acoustic sounds i'd say were better than roland's or korg's offerings but there is quite a price difference...

so you could grab a fusion and do a little work, saving alot of money in the process...

the nord stage doesn't do strings as far as i know and the kurzweil synths are always of the highest quality...

whichever way you go you'll get good sounds...i guess it just comes down to what you can get the cheapest at the time...x

Chaorta · Post by **Chaorta** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:59 pm

I've been a fan of the Kurzweil PC series for a long time. The Motif, however, is quite a contender if you wanna do stuff other than Pianos & Strings.

stillearning · Post by **stillearning** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:23 pm

Another vote for Kurzweil, especially if you're looking for realistic orchestral strings.

And agreed on what the others have said about Motif. I don't own one, but a close friend does, and it's a nice piece.

Entropy Farmer · Post by **Entropy Farmer** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:32 pm

I can't vouch for the others, but my Motif sounds fantastic.

Post by **sepiakeys** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:54 pm

My favourite strings are the mellotron-strings in the E-Mu Vintage Keys. I think they just sound beautifully warm. Not perfectly realistic (due to imitating a Mellotron), but as charming as no other strings I ever heard before.

Diametro · Post by **Diametro** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:27 pm

IMO, only the Fantom X has a good sampled grand ... the Yamaha DOES have nice acoustic instruments, but their painos (even on the XS) fall short of the Fantom X ...

of course, the X also has some nice strings and pads ... (although you're going to eventually check out their SRX cards) ... I have SRX-06 (Complete Orchestra) and 07 (Ultimate Keys) ... both are excellent and really round out the Fantom X soundset ...

good luck ...

You may want to go here and post your question (and maybe first do a search on the subject; it's been discussed to death already)... it's more up their alley ...

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... y.php?f=18

... you really need to try them out and hear for yourself ...

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:39 pm

I'll always give a shout out to anything with the 01W synth engine/soundset. The 01W FD, 01WPro, X5 and 05rw are all instruments I've played for those sounds. Others may scorn them and me for supporting them, but I think it's better soundwise than everything from today, save the Motif.

depecheNIN · Post by **depecheNIN** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 12:05 am

From what I've played, the OASYS has the most realistic orchestral strings. Sorry about the price tag though!

Mr. Black · Post by **Mr. Black** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:13 am

Kurzweil PC3,If they ever release it.

Windreaper · Post by **Windreaper** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:43 am

Fantom X with SRX-04, SRX-06 and SRX-11 would be pretty hard to beat. Doesn't cost nearly as much as an OASYS, either :).

Post by **WDW** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:29 am

I've been quite satisfied with the SRX expansions in my Roland XV88.

WD

midiCHICK6 · Post by **midiCHICK6** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:33 am

WDW wrote:I've been quite satisfied with the SRX expansions in my Roland XV88.

WD

Very nice as well. What about the M3, though? It's got all the best samples from the OASYS, which was designed for this stuff.

Mr. Black · Post by **Mr. Black** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:43 am

M3 sounds are very compressed, not nearly as good as Oasys but considering the price difference it should sound better.

Diametro · Post by **Diametro** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:29 pm

The M3 has it's own sound and style, to be sure ... but it's rather specific: glossy and detailed ... but not very authentic or particularly classy — more flashy. Which isn't a bad thing, and it has it's applications.

And its piano is pretty bad for a new $2k+ workstation ...