I don't think his initials are that big of a secret. www.BrianTranseau.com



-tek

FAEbGBD,

I believe your perspective work in theory. However, the problem is that quality is a relative and subjective attribute.

For me, electric piano sound is not quality. I would rather they invest in excellent acoustic grandpiano sound than give me extra electric pianos.

I know my comments would enrage many, especially those whose genre of music require such an instrument. But that is exactly my point. Quality is a subjective matter after all.

The best Keyboard that handles this is Genesys where all memory is flash. So the factory installed sounds can be erased and replaced.

Some of those home version of keyboard like P80/90, pf series that came only with few sounds or presets are still too pricey, but I am not sure yet if the manufacturer put their top of the line samples on them.

Faeg-

you said that you think they've got piano and drums nailed.

Can I just follow that up with a question?

What keyboard do you think has the best piano sound?

I've been a Roland man for years, but for pianos, I'd have to say that Yamaha does a better job. I really think they did a nice job on the S90 and Motif pianos. They aren't good enough to make a solo classical piano album out of, but it would be difficult to distinguish the difference in a multi-timbral multi-instrument composition.

SK880, sure, quality is relative, but the huge number of patches on these boards to impress people is over the top. Even the S90, whose pianos I praise, could probably have done better giving us 2 pianos instead of 8.

Well, looks like we're back to square one again...
Did you buy your synths just for pianos and brass and all that meat & Potato stuff?

May be I'm overanalyzing (for which I apologize in advance), but it seems to me like you're buying your synths for their on-board samples. Not for the sonic ability or ANY programming capabilities for that matter. If you're after BIG piano sounds - get a sampler. Then you'll decide how to use up the memory. You know grab a CD ROM with 256 MG piano samples or whatever. Why not do that?
There's just NO point in complaining about on board ROM on your synth. You only solution is to spend a couple of grand and get your self a sampler.
BTW have you ever used a sampler, do you know what it is?

For many of us (players, mostly) it is better to leave sampling to the real pros. I have never heard a user sample that compared to the comercial products.
I buy kbs as a substitute for the real thing. There are no venues that will support a 17 pc band in my neighborhood, so I have been forced to downsize to keep working. Since going solo (late 1980's), I rely on high quality samples to reproduce (as close as possible) the sounds of the instruments that I cannot afford to hire...or don't have room (or patience) for.
I'm sure most of the readers here know what samplers are, but the most common useage of digital kbs (at least in the US) has got to be peformance oriented. Tweaking and fiddling with knobs and filters is not the norm for many working players, so that's why we seem to clamour for the instuments with the best "on board" sounds.
"Meat & Potatoes" are what puts bread on the table for me...and in my pocket too, so please don't be so condecending toward those of us that derive little pleasure from adjusting sounds that we already like. For the average pro player in Philly - the sound of the instrument is secondary to the selection of tunes, the vocal prowess, and the overall entertainment value. Players get paid each performance. Programmers get paid once - at the factory...or in a studio.
( I do that too )
Programmers are few and far between in my world. When we need to modify a sound - we fix it, and save it .... and USE it. End of tweaking.
I'm sure you have a vast background of Synth-knowledge 3351, but give us a break with the put downs. We all play for different reasons and the use of a product is to serve the needs of the user. It's very individual, don't you think?
Didn't mean to sound harsh, but you struck a nerve with your last comment.
Your point about buying samples os very valid, but the way you presented it sounds like a critique.

Ok Uncle Dave - please don't get upset. I'm saying this as a player. I'm putting all the producer and programmer crap aside for now.
But do hear me out - please!
Above all I value a good tune - not knobs and faders.
And I grew up surrounded by good players, not good producers. May be I come across as a "strictly programmer kinda guy" but that's because all I ever speak about on this site is synths.
Speaking as a player, I think one has to understand the basics about the instrument that they are using. One doesn't need to be a programmer to understand those basics. Nowadays, a lot of people go to a music store (having played a PSR for 2 years and having no understanding about Pro gear), play a tuba sound on a Pro-synth for three seconds , pay and take it home. They don't really understand what they are buying. It is somewhat irresponsible, to buy a "cat in a bag" and then complain about it.
If someone needs big samples and doesn't want to carry a sampler around - they don't need a 2080, they need a workstation that can load samples. And there are many sample libraries available - they are pretty good too. For both studio work and live performance.

It's good to be a player, but using a synth or a synth workstation requires a bit of knowledge that a lot of strictly players lack...They just act like they don't care.
hence- their frustrations.

Sincerely,
ED

I am familiar wih samplers. I have Gigastudio. I also know my way around the XP-80, my primary synthe at the moment. I have almost filled a user bank with sound enhancements and original sound ideas of my own. I love editing and creating. I was trying to answer Equalizer's question in my last post, not continue to complain about what I think is a lack of high quality samples. I do not base my opinions strictly on the XP either.

Cool!
I hope I didn't piss you off with my earlier remarks. And you're right about lack of high quality samples on Roland synths and expansions. Although I liked their older "Vintage", "world" and "Drums & Bass" expansions. Some people say that the old "piano" one wasn't bad either , but that's just a matter of preference.

ED