Winter Namm 2009

[elwoodblues1969]

A couple of items from the Namm show caught my eye,which are the M-Audio Axiom Pro Series controller & the JBL LSR2325P studio monitors.

Here's a link to the reports from the show:

http://www.sweetwater.com/publications/reports/?action=day&sid=41

After having done more research on the Kurzweil PC3 series,I got an eye-full of just how small the display screen is on the keyboard,from this video:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PC3X/

Upon seeing this video,I realized that I will never be happy working with all of the PC3's advanced functions through this tiny screen and then I had an epiphany....it would just be absurd for me to choose the PC3 over the Propellerhead software...so I made up my mind to take the plunge into the softsynth world.

I'm excited about the new M-Audio controller,but not so thrilled about the white color...however though-since it's only a prototype,the color may be subject to change.
The release of this new M-Audio controller will obviously bring down the price of the previous Axiom series,which is something to be especially excited about!

As for the monitors,JBL states that their new LSR line is an affordable one,so hopefully they indeed-will be,& as such,may just be a good prospect as a pair of secondary monitors for my hardware set up.

The Namm show is at the halfway point,so hopefully there will be additional gear yet to be show-cased.

-Thom

[kara]

I always liked Kurzweil keyboard, ever since I discovered them listening to Pink Floyd when I was a little younger
I really think they have some of the best synth piano emulation out there, there piano sound sound like a piano !

Having said that, this keyboard I see as a live performance tool and not as a studio keyboard. It is setup to dial in setups & sounds very fast and not for tweaking sounds. Hence the small display. A PC editor would be nice with such a keyboard, build your sounds in the studio on the PC and have them ready in stand alone mode in a live performance, would be a cool idea.


k

[Oren]

I always liked Kurzweil keyboard

Me too.

[Laguna Rising]

A PC editor would be nice with such a keyboard

After all these years with PC based editors I almost forgot how to use keyboards internal editors 

[elwoodblues1969]

Kara,

The Kurzweil PC3 is without a doubt,a multi-tasking synth,in that it is a performance controller,a synthesizer & a workstation...that being said,the PC3 is probably the most disappointing product out there,because it does so much-for so little money and yet it's display screen is so small,that it works against all of the many functions...it's really heart-breaking.
So yes-I agree,the PC3 is good as a stage piano & nothing else,really.It was a hard decision to make,because I love hardware so much,but it really does not have any place in a studio-certainly not mine.
I think I would go blind spending alot of time sequencing & sound tweaking on the PC3,because it's the most in-depth workstation keyboard out there....if Kurzweil had any common sense,they would have added a video output on the rear of the board,so that you could hook up a pc monitor....this feature would have been economically viable for the company,as well as making the PC3 a VERY desirable product-thus making it an EXTREMELY competitive hardware workstation!
Kurzweil has a very unique synth engine & unrivaled piano samples,but unfortunately,these are the only two features that set Kurzweil apart from the competition(in my opinion).
The PC3 series is the first Kurzweil product line to incorporate a commonly used media storage card(SD)-finally! ::)This just goes to show how behind the times Kurzweil is in some ways.
Kurzweil's 88-key PC3X has dropped a $1,000 in price in less than a year-which just goes to show how Kurzweil has "dropped the ball" in their design concepts.
Korg is Kurzweil's most fierce competitor & after having had the extreme pleasure of owning & getting to know the Korg M50,I now realize that I should have been looking to buy the Korg M3 all along.

-Thom