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I like the German Grand. Initially I push the bias up for a brighter sound thinking I needed that for a good mix in my church band. Recently, I reduced it for a more natural sound. (darker) So far, I like it much better.

I tried the Berlin grand demo and couldn't warm up to it. In my use, I tend to play in a certain area of the keyboard and the Berlin Grand seemed weak right in that area. Otherwise, I would likely have purchased it.

I also turn off the piano hammer noises for live playing.

In the old days you typically have to layer an E. Piano with any acoustic piano because they AP's were so thin. Not any more!

Geo

German. Hands down.

I've just spent days with them (albeit the Berlin in demo mode) programming with Alicia's Keys up to flip back and forth. Now that I've manhandled them all under the hood, it's not close--German Steinway. I did, however, make the Japanese Grand not the huge POS it is stock. Key being a combo of EQ on the honky middle and going negative on the velocity bias....and positive on the volume/velocity....and adding an IFX Piano Damper.

The Berlin was second best, but honestly pretty distant for me--it has a nicer attack but is really plucky with less sustain....and I'm a pedal riding "songwriter". Ha. I didn't bother with the Austrian demo this time around because I just disliked it a LOT when it was released. Maybe I should've redownloaded the demo to put my hands under the hood, but....

I'm 100 percent with popmann. I also firmly and respectfully believe that any problem "punching through the band" is a monitoring problem, a disagreement with the guitar player on which frequency range to occupy, or an issue for the FOH engineer. YMMV.

Also, is assumed from the posts we're talking strictly acoustic....but, the reason I'd never bothered getting my hands under the hood is because I bought the Kronos for the EPs, from EP to the FM to the sampled "90s era synth EPs"....most boards throw some tiny little non dynamic stretched across the keyboard sample to cover those "unhip" EP sounds. I find the ones in the Kronos more musically dynamic than the originals and with better DACs certainly cleaner/richer.

What is this ep sound popmann? Excuse me for my curiosity.

Honestly I'm using most all of them and tweaked variations as well. The broad and even subtle differences give a range of character to the various programs, combos and songs within each set list. I'm glad there's so many to work with and though an audience may not really know the detail, they certainly can hear, interpret and enjoy those variations. Thank you Korg for such a full and varied library.

SanderXpander wrote:I'm 100 percent with popmann. I also firmly and respectfully believe that any problem "punching through the band" is a monitoring problem, a disagreement with the guitar player on which frequency range to occupy, or an issue for the FOH engineer. YMMV.

This brings up a great point. I personally prefer to be staged distant from the guitar(s) so as not to have to compete for a place in the stage mix. As long as I can hear myself first and foremost I can always call for other instrumentation to my position.

Myself, and I can only speak for myself, generally tend to not E.Q. my piano all that much. I tend to use the E.Q. in my mixer more. I'm also not so worried about cutting through as I am into having my sound fitting in. Both of my bands rely on having a guitar heavy sound. My mettle band and my country rock band.. We tend more towards the idea of having piano pop out in spots where the guitars either come down or drop out completely.
We tend to worry more about dynamics.
Or so we like to think!

German dark 2 s... cut the low end a little bit to make it cut through the mix..

Pedja wrote:What is this ep sound popmann? Excuse me for my curiosity.

"Electric Piano"?....consisting of the EP1 engine vintage electromechanical, the FM DX7 ep, and the HD1 samples of later FM and ROMpler ep tones.

I own a nice U3 acoustic....and Hammond/Leslie....and do "programming" type things (drums/horn/strings) in software, so the driver for my purchase of the Kronos was as the fabulous feeling and sounding "electric pianos through the years".

I've got the German, Japanese and Berlin pianos. I used the German piano pretty much exclusively for twelve months as I didn't like the sound of the Japanese piano (except for one song). I purchased the Berlin piano as part of the Korg upgrade and I've used it here and there throughout our set and I'm not keen on the sound. For me, acoustic piano wise, the German is the best all round for use in our function band setting.

I use a wide mix of EP's, and I have the lovely sampled Yamaha stage piano (think it's one of the Purgatory Creek samples) that I use a fair bit too.

OT, sorry

studio429 wrote: I use a wide mix of EP's, and I have the lovely sampled Yamaha stage piano (think it's one of the Purgatory Creek samples) that I use a fair bit too.

i just was on the Purgatory Creek site after reading you here;
i see a download link but no shop/payment etc. exept a donation button,
so are those samples free or is later a serial needed ?
thanks


to go ontopic: for me: ( but i don´t count, i´m a modularsynth guy )
German Grand
Velocity Bias right now at -93 / Velocity intensity at +97 // something over +-50 has to be

First time I did not like any of them, after my Triton Extreme.. But later I've adapted German Grand to my liking, added reverb, shifted down one octave, and now I love that piano more than any other)
Also there's a nice Weightless Grand patch.

Now I just can't stand any looped piano, I feel myself deceived and it bothers my ears badly)).. But before playing Kronos I didn't notice it.

The Kronos can do that to you! It's not a bad thing.
The worst part is, you get used to a higher quality and everything else just doesn't seem as good anymore.

Funky40 wrote: i just was on the Purgatory Creek site after reading you here;
i see a download link but no shop/payment etc. exept a donation button,
so are those samples free or is later a serial needed ?
thanks

Everything at the site either I created or made available via public domain, creative commons license or by obtaining the rights to distribute it from the original license owner. So yes they are available for download at no charge and there is no serial number required.

Busch.
Purgatory Creek Soundware