velocity curves on m3 73 are BAD!

wildbluesea · Post by **wildbluesea** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:09 pm

I'm finally happy. Had my m3 73 for a while now. Have been dissapointed with many of the sounds, especially the pianos. Upgraded to expanded, and not much difference. After months of fiddling, I plugged my roland A70 controller keyboard in and found more dynamics etc in the m3 sounds. It appears that the velocity curves on the m3 73 make the piano sounds sound lifeless. I got desperate and went and bought a Yamaha s90es, for the weighted action and the piano sounds alone. Great. Then I connected it to my m3 73 and my m3 came ALIVE! Don't know about the velocity curves etc on the other m3 models, but the m3 73 velocity curve combination is a disaster! If you have one, hook it up to a propper weighted action keyboard and bring your sounds alive! Now I'm glad I never sold it. I'm discovering it again. And as for the piano's....how do they compare to the s90es - famed for it piano sounds... I'll let you know, but after a few hours, I really think the m3 expanded now comes close!!

jerrythek · Post by **jerrythek** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:27 pm

Have you tried all the curves in Global Mode? We added a 9th curve especially for increased dynamics for piano sounds - did you try that?

Curious.

Jerry

dfahrner · Post by **dfahrner** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:08 pm

You also might try adjusting Amp Modulation/Velocity Intensity (on the program's PROG P4: Amp/EQ page)...this seems to be set low on a lot of the stock piano programs, and setting it to a higher value with that 9th curve will give you a wider velocity response range...it's too bad the M3 doesn't have a user-definable curve like the Alesis Fusion - that's one thing that Alesis did well with the Fusion, almost all modulation curves can be user-defined...

df

wildbluesea · Post by **wildbluesea** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:00 pm

Yes, I tried all the curves - and found the piano sounds flat and dull. I worried I'd done my dosh. But now, with my most recent purchase of the S90ES, I got the piano sounds that I was after. I wasn't too worried, the m3 still had a lot to offer, but not pianos. But honestly, now that has all changed. I have discovered that the m3 73's keybed action/velocity curve combination does not work. Curve 3&4 make it sound like the volume only goes to 100 instead of 127 and 9 booms away at 127, with too light a touch. But it's more than just volume. Hooking a decent keybed (weighted piano action) up to the m3 has changed the whole sound/dynamics of the m3. I now love the stock piano sounds! The hammer strike sounds real, you can feel the resonance in the cabinet of the piano. I'm not knocking the m3 - I'm loving it! My m3 73 just needed a different keybed. Perhaps the m3 88 is perfect. I don't know, I've never played one. Maybe I should have gone that way. But if you don't have the 88, or even if you do, hook another weighted action keyboard up to it and see what you think. Perhaps my 73 keybed is just a dud, I don't know. But now it doesn't matter - many months (and a few grand) later and I'm really happy with the m3 sounds - the pianos really ARE good. If you're dissapointed with the piano sounds, do yourself a favour and do as I have done. I'm in love again. I've been sitting playing in between writing this and - I hate to say it - but the pianos in the m3 sound better to my ears than the S90ES!! (I know, I'm on dangerous territory here! But both are great. And now with the S90ES I have the motif ES sound set as well - the two sound fantastic together and I've only just scratched the surface. Now let's try again, M3 or S90ES pianos.....?????

apex · Post by **apex** » Fri Nov 26, 2010 4:43 am

I'm having a hard time hitting that top 120-127 velocity range on my m3. (what I do is I go into a patch (like a piano) and turn off all the multisamples except the one that is triggered with velocities 120 and over)... I have to hit the keys so hard to get it to respond on that velocity level... (very hard to play a chord at that velocity level (only getting single tones LOL)... maybe I'm just weak.... LOL)))

also a hard time with the aftertouch getting it to respond correctly... this is with everything on default settings velocity 4 or 5 aftertouch on 4....

any suggestions?

aellison62 · Post by **aellison62** » Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:40 pm

Apex,

I, too have problems hitting the highest velocity (120-127) on the stock piano sounds on my M3-73. I can't seem to get that bright, loud dynamic sample to trigger. I guess changing the cutoff velocity of that upper sample is in order, or is that sample truely existing in the stock pianos?

apex · Post by **apex** » Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:44 pm

yes it's there cause when I isolate the sample i am able to trigger it... but i'm having to hit the keys so hard that I feel like I may damage the board!!! LOL

ricard · Post by **ricard** » Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:28 am

apex wrote:yes it's there cause when I isolate the sample i am able to trigger it... but i'm having to hit the keys so hard that I feel like I may damage the board!!! LOL

I completely agree. I'm a fan of KEANE and I don't find the way to make the M3 piano sing the higher notes (9th curve user). I've tried a lot of tricks like EQ, avoiding Filter, compression, but I had acceptable but unnatural results. Many times I feel like I may damage te board too and also I'm worry to loose safety playing the piano. Because it is easier to make a mistake playing this way. I'd try m3 88 keyboard. Does anybody own one and could tell us if it worths.