Yes, the same man, the same magic... Korg is blessed having this man making soundpacks for the Kronos..

Tough keep in mind that they are expensive. I was lucky when i bought my used Kronos that those packs where on it...

Rosetree, I trust your judgment and your ears. If you say that the SRX-04 and SRX-10 "largely live up to these Kurzweil sounds", I believe you. Getting a Roland Integra-7 is certainly cheaper than a PC3K/A, so I'll certainly keep this in mind when I'm ready to buy.

Thanks for your feedback.

Have a look at the page describing how those examples were recorded. With the level of care for choosing sounds that people here may use, or with some different combinations of patches the Kurzweil PC3X could sound even better. Especially if some of the effects were used here and there for a subtle boost.

So many of the Kurzweil sounds have been set up with multiple style specific vibrato, delay, reverb and much more. Where on my old Fantom X, I may have had to have several patches lined up in favourites, one patch on the Kurzweil could handle the same in many cases.

For all my orchestral type voices and arrangements, my best source is my Tyros 5 and the fabulous Ensemble feature. Great all-in-one unit for home studio and for the road.

My best sound module I still use in my home studio is the Yamaha MU100R. This 1990s tone generator and add on expansion cards is still popular for users including the DX (DX7 synth), AN (AN1x synth) to the existing VL (wind and string virtual modeling) instrument and VH (vocal harmony) boards and I currently installed the DR (drums) and AP (acoustic piano) cards.

I still run multitrack audio tracks via the A/D inputs and all with FX etc. With simple System Exclusive data commands, you can have a MIDI automation track runnning alongside your other instrument tracks in a song.

I love the onboard licensed Aurel Exciter and some fully parametric EQ, reverb etc, to use with some of my vocal tracks. The incredible virtual modeling of the VL board is still relevant today, and when this is incorporated into the Performance multi-channel presets with the onboard samples you can achieve some breathtaking evolving sounds. Unique orchestral effects can be made by running the four separate midi channels from the Tyros 5 Ensemble output and assigning any combinations of the MU100R 32 midi channels and voice selections.

Marcus

Well, thanks a lot for your trust, but it always remains a subjective thing. This is my impression from overhearing these demos all in all, but to be sure about the individual quality of Kurzweil sounds and the range of different samples, I would have to try a PC-3 myself and go through the voices and samples, including the available expansion(s) (I've read about KORE64). I haven't ever tried a Kurzweil in a store, so my judgment is really just based on these demos.

Sound is indeed subjective. For example, I've read many people say they just love the Tyros 5. Others instead, say it's garbage. How does one reconcile these opposing opinions?

You absolutely have to try a keyboard for yourself. Everyone has different ears, needs and likes.

I hope you get to try a Kurzweil soon. You'll be glad you did.

Unfortunately, Kurzweil has no module, and the synthesizers are much too heavy for my taste. It's really a pity. But I'm going to try a PC-3 some time, just to see what I miss. But I won't accept that weight for my gigs.
About Yamaha modules - the latest one, Motif XS rack, is SO MUCH poorer than the Integra, there's just no comparison. The MoX had exactly the same soundset, poor string sections, poor artificial French horns etc., and no sample expandibility.

Here's an operatic pice, "Cavalleria Rusticana" played by two different people. The first one is done using the Roland Integra-7:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cokZT5qOL1Q


The second, using the Kurzweil PC3K:

https://soundcloud.com/orlan-charles/mascagni-intermezzo-from


Comments are welcome.

I'm not crazy about my Motif XF's strings, in general. That's why I want a piece of gear for that. My 3 options are:

1) Kurzweil PC3k/A

2) Roland Integra-7

3) Motif XF sound libraries, like, "Garritan", and "Digital Sound Factory Symphonic Strings".

Unless, the Motif's replacement is revealed soon with great string and orchestral sounds.

What about Muse Receptor???