Hi,

The Triton LE does not have a sampler and the Fantom XA does not have weighted keys. The Triton LE needs an extra board, which is about 200 something. My vote is 110% with the Fantom X8 Or much cheaper the Fantom-S8. Both have everything you want and more. Supposedly the "So True" is their best, they have several other great piano patches, each tweakable in hundreds of different parameters, you cant find a sound you wont love. Did he show you the virtual grand?

Phil

[This message has been edited by Pennywizz6 (edited 04-07-2005).]

So True is not at all Roland's top piano. The So true patch is old technology from the Fantom S series and found on the XA as well. The XA has the same 64 MB ssample rom as Fantom S. The X has those 64 MB, plus another 64 MB, most of which is used with what they are calling "ultimate Grand". Each of the 88 keys is sampled at 4 velocities in stereo. This piano is not to be found on the fantom S or XA. But, if you did buy a Fantom S, which i'd recommend above the new XA, you could buy the SRX-11 Superior Grand expansion board which uses the same sampling techniques as the X's Ultimate Grand, only supposedly even better.

I too thought the Fantom x had the best acoustic piano[maybe as good as the first SRX 02 piano board], but the new SRX11 is even better..None of the other guys [Yamaha,Kurz, Ketron and especially Korg] can beat the newest pianos from Roland..Go to RolandUS and listen to the exspansion board demos and see what I mean...and they are responsive...very playable..

Thanks everyone! I think, unless anyone thinks it's a terrible mistake, that I'll try and get hold of a Fantom-S with an SRX-11 in it. Someone is currently selling both on eBay...

WARNING! Piano sounds are very, very subjective and the only sure way for you to know what you really want is to go listen to and play all the keyboards you are considering and decide for yourself based on what YOU hear.

I own a Korg Trinity with the Megapiano PBS sound set and I can truthfully say that there is not one single good acoustic piano sound in the whole sound set. I also own a fully expanded Roland Fantom XR and while I like some of the pianos OK I tend to prefer the Concert Grand; I certainly do NOT think that the So True is their best sound. I also own a Tyros and my own personal preference is for the Live! Grand Piano which is a sampled Yamaha C III 9'1" concert grand. I prefer that sound solo or in a mix where I want to hear the piano part up front. If I want a mellower sound that sits in the mix I like the Live! Warm Grand which is the same piano with some of the highs rolled off. If I need a really cutting piano then I like the Live! Bright Piano which is that same piano with the highs boosted.

The point is simply that different people like different sounding pianos. Some people prefer Steinway, some prefer Bosendorfer and some prefer Yamaha but those are ALL good pianos. Go listen in person to each and then make your decision. Do NOT trust mp3's off the web to base your buying decision on.

Tom

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Bigger is not always better

Hi,
I own a Roland VR760, extended with the SRX piano. I also have a Korg PA1xPro. Both piano sounds are acceptable, certainly in a band situation, where the details of the overall pianosound are left out. However, neither Roland or Korg come even close to the piano sound of my Yamaha P90.
This instrument I play at home, when the sound is really important and every detail is "hearable". I tested almost every stagepiano available in the store; this is really the best. Not to mention the true feeling of playing a piano.

But anyway, it's said before. Taste is personal and if your ears tell you otherwise: go for it.

Grtz,

CK

pondlife, head over to the gem website www.generalmusic.us and do yourself a favour and listen to the promega 3 or 2..if you want primarily a piano check out the samples..these a physically modelled pianos not just samples..yes i own a promega 2 (but I also USED to own a fantom X8, and a Korg PA1x-Pro..just have a listen and see what you think.

peace,out

The stock pianos in the Fantom and the Motif ES if played very carefully might be of some limited use but they are hardly for professional work. The Fantom suffers from incorrect EQing, dull bass section, hodge podge layers and poor programming that makes smooth velocity shifts impossible. Besides it's a small grand (less than 7'my guess). The Motif ES is too hyped in the bass section but if played only on the soft layers, doesn't sound too bad. It suffers from very unsmooth velocity shifts to the hard layer as well. The Triton piano doesn't count unless you're playing Cuban music (Pakito) where the sound of way too much laquer on the hammers is the effect you like. Lot's of traditional Korg aliasing included.

Third party pianos offer the only hope but all of the above units are pitifully slow in loading data. For example, the Motif ES takes 13 minutes to load a 250 meg piano. Slightly shorter for the Fantom.