Not really a comparison Fran...the Roland is much more expensive than the S900...not a really fair deal.

But, it will give Donny a reference point...the S900's Live! Grand is even from top to bottom.

I'll be willing to put stock in his opinion...also, he is not brand biased like you are...Donny will use ANY brand as long as it fits his needs.

As I said...if he finds no uneven or inconsistent notes on the G70, then I will never mention it again.

I don't have a G70 here with which to record the notes and post the MP3...so I will do the next best thing and have a neutral unbiased professional make the call.

If you and Donny are truly good friends, then you shouldn't mind his honest appraisal of the G70's mid range...the uneven notes don't make it a "bad" piano...probably it would be more realistic, as John pointed out...so any assessment, one way or the other, would not really put the G70 in a bad light.

So, don't be so worried.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 01-28-2009).]

Well I have this to say about Yamaha pianos. I have the Tyros 1 and a lot of its voices are very similar to the S 900. I know because I played Hank B's at the Arranger Jam. I recorded my last 2 shows on the Zoom H2 and the piano really kicks ass. I'd put it up against any Roland arranger piano. Note that I said arranger piano because the Roland RD 700 blows most other pianos out of the room. I am really impressed with what I am hearing on the recordings.

Joe

------------------
Songman55
Joe Ayala

Hey Joe ......Im glad your enjoying the Zoom H2.....& dont forget to send me thoise Videos

jam 2010 Jan 24,25,26,27

I agree, Joe, the S900's piano is the same as the Tyros 1...the Tyros2 has a different piano, I believe, a little more robust, but the best thing about all three is that they are even and true from top to bottom, and having a nice even tone, especially in the middle where we play most often on an arranger, is pretty important.

I haven't played the new RD-700, but I must say, I am very interested in trying one out, as I am a piano player first and foremost

What did you think of the new PHA II “Ivory Feel” keyboard?

Ian

Gary thanks for the style, no doubt big difference than from the factory style, played on my S900.

Man it always brings a smile to my face to see this so called (everyone's talking about it-just not on the Zone) issue about Roland's pianos being inconsistent..., and that Yamaha's are supposed not have inconsistency.

You guys ever stop and think about how they make these samples. Ever consider the reason the Yamaha sample may not sound inconsistent is because Yamaha CHEATED a little (like all the makers do)? Ever consider the reason that next note you play and so on sounds consistent is because that next note is most likely the note you just played before it..., only this time it's digitally stretched and enhanced????

Do some of you guys actually think the keyboard makers sample all 88 notes of a piano for the samples you find in these current keyboards!? They ALL cheat..., do you have any idea how HUGE the piano samples alone would be if they didn't cheat?

If a Roland piano sounds inconsistent to some of you (or should I say one of you) on this forum.., I ask...., "Then how is that sample WRONG?" Real acoustic pianos ARE inconsistent. I don't care how much money you put into the bloody thing. It's nature of the beast. You can keep the thing in the perfect climate controlled environment.., read to it every night, blah blah blah.., and it will still have inconsistency. Hmmmmm.., real pianos are made out of what????? WOOD.., and we all know wood is not prone to the slightest environmental changes (even treated wood) right! It's not like there's a lot of moving parts or anything

You guys ever consider that if a Roland piano sounds inconsistent to you that perhaps Roland DIDN'T cheat as much on that sample.., and that you're actually hearing more REAL notes rather than digtially stretched notes????? It may sound crazy to some of you, but it's the INCONSISTENCY within the sample of an acoustic instrument that makes it sound more REAL and more NATURAL......

Some of you guys have gotten too spoiled with your keyboards soundset. I've said this in the past too..., some of you have gotten so used to your keyboards version of how the keyboard maker sampled the sound.., that when you actually hear the REAL instrument you trash the bloody thing because it doesn't sound like your keyboard.

I took heat for pointing out Yammie's "INCONSISTENT" nuances in their SA guitar voices with all the FAKE string noise coming in between chord changes when it's NOT supposed to be there.

Yamaha's always getting smoke up the backside because of their piano and drum samples...., and how can they possibly get it wrong because they make the REAL thing right????? Look at all the heat Yammie took with their top dog Motif XS piano sample..., how long did it take for the posts on Motifator to start showing up complaining about the piano samples (and in fairness Roland also took a hit with the new Fantom G line in terms of acoustic pianos)

Roland's pianos get a lot of praise for sounding NATURAL..., and they're always getting praise for their drums in both their keyboards and electric kits (which to date Roland V drums still outsell Yammie's DTX line).... Interesting how Roland doesn't make REAL acoustic pianos or drums yet they continue to get the samples right...., and we still continue to see comments saying Roland's drums sound more live and their acoustic pianos sound more natural.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm



[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 01-29-2009).]

Ian...

I must believe You Love "The Jerry Springer Show" or You simply Have alot of free time and are Bored.

First, Knowing Yamaha Products as well as You Do or Should....Would it not explain why the 900 and Tyros Pianos are very even Simply because the Sampled Pianos Yamaha choose to use were NOT sampled Note for Note from Their Acoustic Grand Piano.

It's using one sample used for many notes. Thus cutting cost and kind of cheating. This is a common practice. Not saying It Sounds Bad by any means but not really natural.It can sound very Good,But if You really want as close to acoustic as You can Get, You have to have Individual note for note sampling...Thus when You do this You will also have Natural varation in tone elements on how the Piano was Tuned at the time.

This rubbish You mentioned awhile back saying Roland used Different Piano's on one Sampling is Nonsense...Even the Cost factor could not justify that!...Sometime common sense is not to common.

Bye the way...I hear The 900,Tyros Piano's Sounding Really Good on This Forum with the Excellent Musicians We have Here.

And I Hear The Roland G-70 Ultimate Grand Sounding Outstanding...You will find this same Sample being used as one of the Piano's in the New Roland RD-700GX Stage Piano...Can't be to bad?

Have a Great Day Harold

My only point was that the Roland piano was uneven in the middle...it was okay in the bottom, and in the top.

Why would ONLY the middle be inconsistent?

If they are allegedly trying for "realism" then why not do the entire keyboard the same as the middle and employ inconsistent samples.

I am not the only one who heard this on this "issue" on the G70.

I have a visually impaired friend who was at my house trying out the G70 that another friend had left with me...it was the former who pointed out that ONLY the middle samples were uneven.

Up until someone had the bravery of saying the Roland G70's piano was "perfect", I was willing to leave it be...but saying something is "perfect" leaves it open to much deeper investigation.

I think the G70's piano is pretty good, but it is not "perfect" as claimed...otherwise the entire keyboard would have uneven samples (in the interest of realism) or it would be even throughout...like the Yamaha Live!Grand.

Since it is being discussed on other forums...actually I did not know that...then there are others who hear what my friend and I heard.

The thick plottens.

Maybe the Emperor truly has no clothes.

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?

I'm never bored, Harold, and I don't waste my precious time in front of a TV...but I do get a kick out of dispelling myths.

Someone said the Roland piano was "perfection".

I disagree...and it is becoming more obvious that I am not the only one.

Can we say that it is "perfectly imperfect"...or, how about "imperfectly perfect"?

I really think that you guys think I am picking on Roland's piano...I'm not...I'm just dispelling the myth that it is "perfection".

Ian

And that EVENESS in Yammies Live Grand is evidence enough of how much they really cheated and how compressed and stretched that piano patch really is.

Perhaps the ONE piano sampled for the G-70 has more "noticable natural occuring inconsistency" within one area and not others. I've played MANY acoustic pianos where inconsistency was way more present in one area of the keybed.