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How about a DPBSD recording for dewster?

James
x

I was wondering when I'd be asked for that! Yes, if I can work out how to do it, I'll try to get something to Dewster. It won't be immediately as I have a busy schedule right now, but I'll get on to that when I have some time available.

Yes please!

Fairly heavy stretching is involved as well. One or two of the groups stand out rather obviously, particularly in the upper mids. This is clearly no Roland (or Kawai) rival in the technology department.

I think that there are many DP's that have the "harshness" you describe above, especially when you play with extreme force of attack, "then that ugly DP sounds rears its head."

My current Casio AP-620 shows this same behavior, when playing fortissimo (or, louder) octaves from the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1. Have included a test recording* here, to illustrate that:

http://www.box.net/shared/lkdj2pvn3q21ajfmeent

Must be that the sample levels are exceeded in the loudest playing, and, things get a bit jangled up due to being overdriven.

One has to get the best Kawai's, Yamaha's, or, Roland's, to avoid this.

* Test recording includes:

1) Opening section from Piano Concerto No. 1, of Rachmaninoff.
2) Snippets from the Scherzo No. 2, of Chopin.
3) Two-handed chromatic octave scales.

Please note that this recording is an example of the loudest possible playing on a DP, with the chromatic octave scales at the end being the heaviest playing of all. Had I been playing my meager little acoustic Wurlitzer spinet, many bass strings could have snapped!

Thanks for posting all your initial thoughts vp.....

Hi Dave,

My playing is far from perfect, however, it is very loud...
(Only heavy handed pianists seem to appreciate this.)

OK, the software (update) is definitely buggy. I have double-checked by reloading the update pack. When programming, everything goes fine until, suddenly, the sound quits altogether, and nothing other than a restart will bring it back. Sometimes this happens when flicking through presets as well. This also means that whatever effects you were last programming gets flashed to ALL preset patches. This has now occurred on at least three occasions, so either my machine or the software, or both, is at fault. I suspect it is the software, and connected to the part of the update that now allows the piano to remember the effects settings on the fly.

Fortunately, the piano is very easy to tweak live, so this is not a deal-breaker, but it is annoying, and seems to reinforce Studiologic's reputation in this regard. I shall contact Studiologic and ask them to send me the previous software until the problem is resolved.

I shall persevere with this DP as I do quite like it - especially since activating the automatic velocity curve function, which works very well - but if the manufacturer wants to compete in the mainstream, they're going to have to put a bit more effort into programming and debugging their software. The way things stand right now, I think the Numa Piano is seriously overpriced for what it offers, and doesn't stack up with the likes of the PX-3 for value. BUT, it still has something about it that keeps me interested, and when I compare it to the FP-4 (my alternative lightweight board) it definitely has the edge, sound-wise; however, in terms of quality/reliability I suspect the Roland is ahead by a wide margin.

PLEASE SEE MY POST BELOW FOR A RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.

Right! Now I think I get it. You can't store settings for all 12 sounds in one patch - the system can't cope. You have to store the setting for one sound per patch. It's a bit rudimentary, but at least the thing hasn't crapped out on me since I discovered this. So, I am much happier now!

The piano now seems much more stable. I have managed to program in 25 sounds without a glitch, and all seems well. I will watch to see if the sound cut-out problem reappears; if not, I'm happy to move forward with the Numa as is, without trying to revert to earlier firmware or some other drastic solution.

Next big test will be to see how the band responds, and how I feel playing it in a group setting. Watch this space (if I haven't bored you all to tears with my Numa saga)!

Not boring at all, Voxpops. It's great to follow your experience step by step. Keep it coming!

Thanks Vox for the updates. We've really heard very little about the Numa Piano so it's nice to hear back to very useful feedback and input. There's been several folks on here interested, but because of the seemingly lack of reviews, lack of info in general, I think the Numa Piano has remained relatively anonymous.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think you'll really start enjoying it even more using it live. I LOVE the weight of the thing and have found that (for me anyway) the APs work well in the mix and I get a LOT of compliments on the Rhodes sound. Your comments on the upgrade improvements REALLY made me want to go ahead with the upgrade, but I'd be in deep doo-doo if I messed it up with 3 festivals coming up this week, so I'd best hold off on that. I did get mine painted so now the sides, keyrail, and the strip under the front are all black. It looks a lot less "chunky" and matches the Numa Organ a lot better now.

How long did it take to do the update? Is there anything I should watch out for?

Tom, the update took about an hour (although I did it three times before I got the issues sorted!). There are three files to update: the first takes a few seconds; the second is the big one that takes the best part of an hour (be careful not to interrupt it); the third is like the first - a few seconds.

It's not a difficult process. You just need to install the piano uploader software first, and then follow the instructions in the Word doc. Remember to do the final step, which involves a factory restore upon rebooting. Then you'll need to reformulate all your presets.

Interesting to hear that you repainted. I was surprised that they didn't match the piano and organ more closely (visually) to start with.

Can't wait to give it a good workout with the band!

Zac, I usually wait for everyone else to try something before I leap in! This time, Tom F's posts were enough for me to give the Numa a whirl. In the lightweight league, there was little left for me to try before I threw in the towel, signed up at a gym, and bought one of the heavyweights.

The Numa organ and piano are real oddballs in a way. I'm surprised that they were launched at their current prices. To gain market traction with unknown and untried products you need to attract people to dip their toe in the water. Perhaps because the organ market these days is small and tight-knit, word got around about the Numa Organ - and it's very good (which helps) although I wish it had just a little more bite at the top end.

But the piano market is very crowded. Kawai seemingly gives you a lot more for the same money with their MP6, and Casio are vacuuming up the low end very efficiently. The Numa Piano specs are limited, and because of the lack of opportunity to try one, few are going to opt for an unknown product from a company with dubious heritage. The fact remains, though, that aside from the Casio, it's the lightest hammer action DP available - and it sounds different. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it covers the bases pretty well. And that auto velocity-curve function is a real boon, given the nature of the action.

If it behaves itself, it's going to make my gigging life significantly easier.

Yes, I'm surprised that they didn't color coordinate them as well (at least paint the bottom 1" and the front rail black like the organ). I suspect though that they will eventually be available with custom colors.

Latest update:
Sound went dead again when changing presets. Not good.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it could be to do with either keys being depressed when the change happens, or possibly the pedal. The bizarre thing is that all the function lights still work after this happens, but the sound just vanishes, and only a restart brings it back.

No response to the email I sent to Studiologic about this problem, yesterday.

You may want to consider trying it a 4th time. I did the upgrade last night and it came out good. The large file took 1 hr 15 minutes. The sounds came out very much as you described except the bright piano did come out a little brighter than the grand piano, and not at all like the original grand piano. It's really hard to tell when everything IS actually loaded (the loader software needs a lot of work).
Here is the email address of a person at Numa that may be able to help: carlo.maffei@fatar.com He was very helpful when I was having issues upgrading my Numa organ. You may also want to contact American Music & Sound. They are responsible for Numa service issues in North America:
1-800-431-2609
info@americanmusicandsound.com

Thanks for the info, Tom, and glad the update worked for you. Dave Ferris had given me a contact at American Music and Sound, so I emailed him last night. I'll send another to Carlo if I can't get any answers.

BTW, how do you like the revisions? I launched into the update straight away so only have a fleeting impression of the pre-update sounds.