Lou: Scott isn't comparing the Tyros to his Steinway, he was just expressing his personal acoustic piano preference.

Since we all agree on the importance of the piano sound and we'd like to compare apples-to-apples, what we are really talking about is this: of the choices between the Yamaha Tyros, the Yamaha 9000 Pro, and the Yamaha 9000 Pro with the optional PLG150-PF piano expansion card installed, which acoustic grand piano emulation sounds best?

Simon Williams has accepted my shoot-out proposal. I have proposed that I will prepare three midi files: a 76-note C major scale walk-up with all velocities set at 128, the same file with all velocities set at 90, and a short popular song sample on piano only that pretty much covers the entire keyboard range. The reason for the velocity-at-preset-level test is to remove any tone variations caused by the performer - those kind of variations will come out on the short music sample. I will play this file on a 9000 Pro and a 9000 Pro with the PLG150-PF acoustic piano expansion card and create MP3 files. Simon will play the same midi files on his Tyros and will host all of the resulting MP3 files on his site for side-by-side comparison.

Even if Yamaha's 9000 Pro with the added $300 expansion card comes out ahead (and especially if it doesn't!), it'd still be interesting to know how the Tyros grand piano compares directly to the stock 9000 Pro grand piano. We will only compare the best "Live!Grand" programs.

I don't have access to any other arrangers in the same price range as the Tyros and 9000 Pro but it's possible that we could expand this test by playing the same files on different keyboards and posting comparable MP3 files. For now, I think the Yamaha arranger comparison will be very interesting.

Great idea, perhaps we could get an mp3 sample done on other yamaha boards including the basic introduction models in the psr range and a roland va7 too? Its important though that everyone sticks to the same mp3 encoding properties!
Oh and by the way, how about a recording of your steinway, just to compare!! :-)

Simon


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Simon G.K. Williams
simon@svpworld.com
Creative Music & Multimedia
http://www.svpworld.com
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Actually, the Technics KN7000 uses a 'Steinway Grand' sample for their top piano sound. In fact I recently auditioned the KN7000 and was VERY impressed with it. Too bad the drums fills (lack of) & cheesy vocalizer disappointed me.

Anyway, it would be very interesting & enlightening to expand 'the Pro's' shoot out test to include the KN7000's Grand Piano (Steinway) as well. Hopefully a Technics KN7000 owner: TechnicsPlayer (Alec Pagida), Frank Bez, or another KN7000 owner, would be willing to come forward to offer their assistance here.

I'm really looking forward to this piano shoot out. Even though the test will be only MP3 quality, at least the test will be equal across the board providing a fair comparison, especially if all are encoded at the same bit rate & MP3 quality and all are made with the same quality A/D coverters, preferably the SAME soundcard.

- Scott

Pro's absolutely correct in what I was trying to convey.

I've sent the midi files and the 9000 Pro MP3 files to Simon so it's in his hands now. I suggested that he could make the midi files I created available for downloading so anyone could try them out on their fav keyboard and make their own MP3's. It would be nice to hear direct comparisons on other instruments with our Yamaha arranger MP3's. I'm sure Simon will let us know when he's got everything online.

What I think, unless you guys have already thought of it....just # the demos 1,2,3

we can then listen w/o prejudice and say in a few days whoever numbers them could then reveal which is which, here.

Perhaps we could post in a vote thread as to which we think is best, 2nd, 3rd.

Then one of you two posts in to say which is which.
Terry

I offer my X4 to test the midi files with the standard (horrible) piano and with one of the pianos on the optional soundbanks.

-- José.

Yes,
and I could offer my VA7 and (later) my SD1 too (right now hospitalized in the "Ketron keyboard clinic").