11/30/2011

Casio AP24 Digital Home Piano Review

Casio AP24 Digital Home Piano
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is a great piano for a new student. Overall price/performance is great. It feels a lot like a real piano. Of course, an experienced pianist can feel a difference, but the main goal with buying this instrument was not to spend tons of money and still get a decent piano.
Another great thing about this digital piano is a headphone jack. This is one of the most important advantages of the digital pianos (for those who have to listen :-). Even though we bought this piano for my daughter, I also play it at night using headphones.
The bottom line is if you need to practice playing piano, but don't want to spend a lot of money - this is your best bet. I searched other Web sites, but this one was the best deal.

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LEADSINGER model LS-3700 (or LS-3000) is a Portable, Hand-held, All-In-The-Mic Karaoke Player. The device connects to the user's TV / Stereo System and provides Lyrics on screen for 300 built-in popular songs. The device allows the user to adjust mic volume, music volume, guide melody, guide musical instrument, key pitch, speed tempo, echo, scoring, & a fun-filled random play Singing Game.
Included contents are: LS-3700 with 300 built-in songs, main cable, song list book, & AC adapter.
Optional items include: High-Fidelity Wireless Remote Duet microphone, Carrying Bag, & a wide variety of 20+ Song Cartridges.

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Casio PX-320 Privia Digital Piano Review

Casio PX-320 Privia Digital Piano
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I have played the Casio PX-320 for a couple weeks and am a beginner/intermediate piano player. The PX-320 keys have texture and shape and pressure and volume range and return speed that invites making music. The PX-320 is scaled (graded) so that treble notes are easier and quicker versus bass notes are harder and slower. The keys are weighted and have a simulated hammer action. For my taste the keyboard is a joy to play and is close to an acoustic piano.
I think the Yamaha YPG-635 and Yamaha P85 have at least as good touch and piano sound. I liked the Yamaha YPG-635 display and controls and features and sounds. The YPG-635 is too wide to lay flat in my car while the PX-320 lays on my back seat or back floorboard. The PX-320 base is flat and as large as the top, unlike the P85 that has a base smaller than the top. The P85 has 10 voices. The PX-320 weighs 26 lbs (12kg).
The PX-320 has 11 one-touch sounds like grand piano, electric piano, organ, strings and synth-voice. The PX-320 has 60 wide ranging Casio voices. The PX-320 has 128 General MIDI (GM) voices and 2 Drum Sets. I am pleased with the variety and quality of the voices. I like the large 3-character display and miss a numeric keypad and graphic display. The speakers are fine for a bedroom or living room. If the recessed screws underneath the back are loose the speakers can cause plenty of subtle or annoying noise.
I like the Casio PX-320 price, car fit, finger action, voices, 5 song recording or playback with as little as 2 key pushes, and usable speakers. I look forward to exploring 2-track recording, quick registration, 70 play-along rhythms, and flash memory slot. The Casio PX-320 is enjoyable to play and delightful to hear and easy to learn.


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The PX-320 is perfect for stage and studio use. Along with the advanced AIF sound source providing 128 notes of polyphony where notes reverberate naturally without being cut off it also has 1/4-inch line outputs for connecting to a mixer or PA system. The 202 tones including organ and drum tones will make you ready for any music style. The 88 weighted and Graded keys provide the look and feel of an acoustic piano.

128-Voice Polyphony This permits the keyboard to produce up to 128 notes simultaneously for full musical expression. It lets you play sweeping chords and make extensive use of the damper pedal.
Scaled Hammer Action 88 touch-dynamic weighted keys make for an authentic playing feel, responding to all your playing nuance like an acoustic piano.
202 Tones The PX-320 features 202 different tones, including standard General MIDI patches and drum tones.
70 Rhythms 70 preset rhythms offer a varied range spanning the world of music. With Auto Accompaniment, the digital piano automatically plays rhythm, bass, and chord parts in accordance with chords you select using simplified keyboard fingerings, or chords you play. Auto Accompaniment makes it feel like you have your own private backup group with you all the time.
60 Songs Listen, sing along, play along: 60 top quality songs are stored on your PX-320. You can also play back up to 10 songs from an SD memory card.
You can also turn off the left hand part or right hand part of a song and play along on the piano, which makes for a great learning tool.
8 Digital Effects Add a little more depth and variation to the built-in tones with 4 reverb and 4 chorus effects.
Registration Memory You can save up to 96 digital piano setups in registration memory, including tone, rhythm, and tempo settings, for quick and easy recall whenever you need them.
MIDI-In/Out Use the MIDI in/out to control other MIDI instruments, or with external sequencers, computers, etc.
SD Card Slot Easily expand your song memory with a built-in SD memory card slot.
USB The PX-320's USB port offers a quick and easy connection to a PC, handy for use with modern DAW and MIDI systems.
Two Piano Setting Keys The piano setting key switches to grand piano sound at the touch of a button. Two settings are available: "classic" for a soft, discreet sound and "modern" with a more lighter, brighter character.
Stereo Line In/Out Connect to a PA system or studio equipment, or connect other sound sources with the line inputs.
Panel-Lock With the Panel-Lock function, the control panel is protected from unintentional moves while playing and to protect settings.
Powerful Speaker System The PX-320 features a built-in, two-way system with four speakers and 2 x 8 Watts of output power, to fill a room with sound.
3-Pedal Unit Support With the optional SP-30, the PX-320 has up to three pedals with half-damper effect. This "half-damper" effect simulates a "half-pedaled" damper pedal.
2 Headphone Connections Use the two headphone connections for duets or lessons.
What's in the Box Privia PX-320 Keyboard, AC Adapter, Music Stand, User's Manual

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11/29/2011

Kalimba, Box, Natural Review

Kalimba, Box, Natural
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The item was shipped way late, and arrived in a box that appeared to have a deep crease in the lid. Fortunately, the thumb piano (kalimba)inside was undamaged. This is a great and soothing modality for someone with essential tremor to relax and be 'in tune'.

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Kalimba. Origin Country: India. 2.1 lbs. Made by Mid-East.
Kalimba Box, natural finish 7" x 4-1/2", 8 steel keys. The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is also known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box that acts as the resonating chamber. To play, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of both hands and hold it between your palms. Several reeds or tines are plucked with the thumb or fingers, and the reed vibrations are amplified by a hollow box resonator or a sounding board. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. The tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to adjust their length, and therefore their pitch.

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On-Stage Stands Heavy-Duty Deluxe X ERGO-LOK Keyboard Stand Review

On-Stage Stands Heavy-Duty Deluxe X ERGO-LOK Keyboard Stand
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I have this item in my shopping cart in Amazon.com for a couple of months already waiting for a sale.
Finally, the sale came last week when the price was lowered by the seller.
I completed the transaction immediately.
It came in a nice box with the parts ready to be assembled.
It's light assembly took about 5 minutes.
The slots and screws were color coded so there's really no need to read the instruction.
The stand is so strong I could literally lie on it.
It supports my newly purchased Yamaha CP33 (40 lbs) nicely and won't shake while playing (being on carpet).
It can easily adjust the height (the very reason I bought this ergo-lock model) with a press of the adjust lever.
This is one of the best stands I saw in the stores.
Highly recommended.
We have two more of the same stand in our church. It is great.

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The pro-level On-Stage Stands Heavy-Duty Deluxe X Ergo Lok Keyboard Stand is built and styled for demanding musicians. Super heavy-duty tubing and welded construction support up to 395 lbs. Double-X frame allows height adjustment from 27"-39" and width adjustment from 11"-30".Uses ERGO-LOK technology for ease of use. The ERGO-LOK system includes an ergonomic trigger, an internal rod mechanism, and a solid steel spring-loaded deadbolt assembly. Uses dual sheer disk plates and heavy-duty deadbolt for superior stability.

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11/28/2011

49 Keys Kids Musical Electronic Keyboard - Silver Review

49 Keys Kids Musical Electronic Keyboard - Silver
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I ordered it in black and was shipped blue, but other than that it is a great keyboard for the money. I am not sure who has more fun playing with it- my daughter or my husband and I.

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This 49 keys keyboard is perfect for children or beginners. It comes with features like Rhythm Programming / Record /Play / Auto Warn. It includes the following demonstration songs: 1) American Patrol, (2) Fly Me to the Moon, (3) Caplown Races, (4) Besame Mucho, (5) Little Brown Jug, (6) Song Of Spring, (7) Music Box Dancer, (8) Nocturne. Also features Large Scale Integration/ Matrix Controlling Logical Circuit. Includes external speaker, double channel output. It also includes: Auto bass chord/ single and fingered chord, Tone Area: C2 ~ C6, Output: 1W x 2

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Casio SP-3R Sustain Pedal for Casio Keyboards Review

Casio SP-3R Sustain Pedal for Casio Keyboards
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I tried to work with this pedal for several months, but found it very frustrating. It slips all over the place!! Why does Casio not put more effort into a pedal that comes with such a nice keyboard -Privia PX-100? I later purchased the M Gear elongated silver pedal, which is wonderful.

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The Casio SP3 Pad Style Keyboard Sustain Pedal enables you to get more realistic piano sounds by giving you control over the sustain of each note or chord. A must have accessory at a great price!

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11/27/2011

Led Zeppelin - Complete - P/V/G Artist Songbook Review

Led Zeppelin - Complete - P/V/G Artist Songbook
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First off, I know it's a Piano/Vocals/Guitar book: I bought this many, many years ago (pre-tab: you actually had to read music!) as a beginning guitarist/bassist to learn how to play some of my favorite songs, because this was the only book available at that time. I got to noodle through some pieces of my favorite songs, but I was never satisfied with their handling of the guitar and bass parts (although some of the bass parts were very close): very few leads, missing pieces, and some parts that never quite seemed right. I don't particularly play the piano, but it seems to me there's only a passing effort to show the keyboard parts. Today there's too many better places to go to learn these songs note for note (music mags, YouTube, LickLibrary) no matter what instrument you play. Think of this as a Led Zeppelin Fake book for the first five albums. I give it three stars because it gave me a starting point to make me hungry for more, but if I were looking at it today for the first time, I wouldn't give it a second glance.

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Forty powerful songs from the heavy-metal masters. Includes: Stairway to Heaven * Black Dog * Dazed and Confused * Immigrant Song * Rock and Roll * Whole Lotta Love * Heartbreaker and many, many more.

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My Piano for PC/Mac Review

My Piano for PC/Mac
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I had very high hopes for this software. My almost 7 year old daughter is very excited about learning to play piano. But I guess she doesn't watch enough cartoons because she and I both find the talking piano character a little ridiculous. But that's not the problem. The problem is that the volume for the narration cannot be adjusted separately from the midi keyboard output through the computer speakers. Our keyboard does not have internal amplification. (MIDI only) so there is no option to adjust keyboard output. This makes the software all but unusable for us. We had high hopes but it looks like we'll have to look for another solution.

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Emedia Ek12097 My Piano

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11/26/2011

Piano for Kids (Jewel Case) Review

Piano for Kids (Jewel Case)
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This is a first-stage beginner's program with an excellent presentation. The cute characters provide a very good education about piano basics and how to play the piano. For the software version, screen animations provide a level of interest for kids. Recommended for age 6+, but I believe it could start younger for those that can read a little. The software version features printable sheet music, tempo adjustments, puzzles, games, and an option to download other free MIDI songs (but on Windows Vista with a broadband (cable internet) connection, this option did not work). SelectSoft/ArcMedia's website also did not produce a listing for free MIDI music downloads. If the download MIDI songs function works for you, this would be an excellent choice for long-term teaching. Piano for Kids (Jewel Case) Piano for Kids

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Platform:WINDOWS & MACINTOSHPublisher:SELECTSOFT PUBLISHINGPackaging:JEWEL CASERating:AGES 6 AND UPMeet Professor Rhythm and his staff: five cheeky characters who will open up the world of music and make playing the piano as easy as pie-ano. Children learn to read and play music with the help of an amazing magic piano that shows which notes to hit and when.Features: Adjust the tempo bar to match learning speed.Left and right hand movements taught separately and together.Watch the ladybug follow the notes as the tune is played back.Look up musical terms in the glossary.Well-known recognizable tunes plus printable sheet music with finger positions and notes that kids can color.Introduction to the basics of general music theory.Puzzles games and drag & drop exercises with fun sounds and animations to support the lessons.The unique touch & click piano helps kids learn where the notes are on the piano keyboard and the staff. System Requirements for Windows Windows 98 Me XPPentium PC or faster32 MB RAM (48 MB recommended)100 MB free hard disk space800x600 monitor 16-bit colorWindows-compatible sound card & speakers2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended) System Requirements for Macintosh Mac OS 7.5 9.2 OS X Classic modePowerMac or faster32 MB RAM (48 MB recommended)100 MB free hard disk space800x600 monitor thousands of colors2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended)

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Elegance 61 Keys Full Size Electronic Keyboard Review

Elegance 61 Keys Full Size Electronic Keyboard
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I am a beginning piano student, so I figured I could use a simple keyboard for practice. I paid the extra money for expedited shipping, as I needed it quickly for my class.Upon turning on the device, I was worried. There was a constant feedback noise that occurred. At first I thought it was just faulty speakers. However, when I put in headphones, the feedback continued. Playing any song with chords also sounds HORRIBLE, as the notes are all slightly out of tune. How an electric keyboard can be so badly out of tune is beyond me. I'm sending this product back, even though it will be a big hassle. I'm going to have to break down and buy a casio or yamaha...at least they're dependable. Do yourself a favor and invest a little more money for a better board. You'll be saving money in the end (shipping, return fees, price of product, etc.).

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This 61 keys keyboard is perfect for beginners and students or anyone who doesnt havespace for a grand piano.It comes with advanced features like Rising/Descending tone function, Single and fingered chord/ auto-base-chord/syn. Also includes features such as Vibrato, sustain, fill in, base effect. The LED digital displays relate number. Includes external speaker, AC Power, Double channel output. Large Scale Integration. Includes Users manual. Stand sold separately. Specifications: 935 x 355 x 125 mm; Weight: 5.0 Kg; Tone Area: C2 - C7; Output Power: 4 W

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11/25/2011

Jazz Piano - An In-Depth Look at the Styles of the Masters - Book and CD Package Review

Jazz Piano - An In-Depth Look at the Styles of the Masters - Book and CD Package
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Each song in this book is written "in the style" of a different jazz piano great. My only criticism is that it would be fun to have an idea of where these songs came from. The CD taht goes along with the book is quite good.

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Featuring lessons, music, historical analysis and rare photos, this book/CD pack provides a complete overview of the techniques and styles popularized by 15 of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. All the best are here: from the early ragtime stylings of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, to the modal escapades of Bill Evans, through the '70s jazz funk of Herbie Hancock. CD contains 15 full-band tracks.

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Top Christian Hits of '06-'07 - Easy Piano Songbook Review

Top Christian Hits of '06-'07 - Easy Piano Songbook
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This easy piano songbook is indeed a very easy/simple arrangement of music and contains the following songs:
"All that I am" by The Afters
"All to You" by Lincoln Brewster
"All who are thirsty" by Kutless
"Because of your love" by Paul Baloche
"Goodbye" by Audio Adrenaline
"Hold Fast" by MercyMe
"How great is our God" by Chris Tomlin
"Looking for You" by Kirk Franklin
"Made to worship" by Chris Tomlin
"Mountain of God" by Third Day
"My generation" by Starfield
"My Savior my God" by Aaron Shust
"Praise You in this storm" by Casting Crowns
"Real to me" by Nichole Nordeman
"So long self" by MercyMe
"Strong tower" by Kutless
"We are one tonight" by Switchfoot
"Welcome home (you)" by Brian Littrell
"What it means" by Jeremy Camp
"Wholly Yours" by David Crowder Band
"Your name" by Phillips, Craig & Dean

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This excellent collection offers easy piano arrangements of 21 of the year's best Christian hits, by artists such as Audio Adrenaline, Paul Baloche, Jeremy Camp, MercyMe, Starfield, Third Day, and others. Includes: All to You - Goodbye - Hold Fast - Real to Me - Wholly Yours - Your Name - and many more.

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11/24/2011

Jazz Conception for Piano Book and CD Review

Jazz Conception for Piano Book and CD
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Excellent book to improve your jazz vocabulary. Starts from simple jazz lines and chords to much more advanced styles. You'll use cluster voicings, drop 2, quartals, block chords and a bunch more. There's a little bit for everyone. The only thing is I wish the musicians started with the actual melody instead of going straight to the improv. Probably the next best thing to actually transcribing.


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Jazz Conception is a new and exciting way for players at all levels to learn the language of jazz! Each book/CD set features 21 solo etudes based on chord changes to standards and blues. The same 21 etudes transposed and adapted for the main jazz instrume

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Spectrum AIL495 61 Note Keyboard Pack Review

Spectrum AIL495 61 Note Keyboard Pack
Average Reviews:

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I purchased this keyboard for my son last Christmas. It worked fine for the first 6 months. Now the power light comes on but the LED screen will not light up and there is no sound. I have emailed the company who makes the keyboard twice but have not had any reply yet. I would recommend a different brand if you are interested in purchasing a keyboard. I only gave 2 stars since when it was working my son really enjoyed it.

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Spectrum 61 Note Black & Charcoal Electric Keyboard Pack. Computer Friendly with Stereo USB Input for Audio Digital Device & Computer Connection. 160 Tones, 200 Rhythms, Vibrato, Sustain and Pitch Bend Functions. Includes Music Book Holder, AC Adapter, USB Cable & Bonus Cakewalk Software.For Customer Support call 877-914-1800 or email customerservice@ashleyintl.com

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11/23/2011

Nord Electro 3, 61-Key Electronic Stage Piano and Organ, (AMS-NE361) Review

Nord Electro 3, 61-Key Electronic Stage Piano and Organ, (AMS-NE361)
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I sold my Electro 2 so I could partially buy the latest model. After using it a few weeks it's clear how much better it could have been. Here are the good and bad:
Good:
- New sounds including Vox Continental, Farfisa, harpsichords and samples.
- Better Hammond organ sound.
- Better piano sounds but they take up a lot of memory and do not have keyboard resonance features of the Nord Stage EX.
- Sample software allows you to create your own sounds, organize your patches and is easy to use.
- More built-in effects including reverb, compression and 3 different amplifier distortions.
- USB (not MIDI) interface to download patches.
Bad:
- Limiting up/down buttons plus A/B patch selector makes it difficult to get to the sounds you want quickly. The Electro 2 had 8 buttons plus bank up/down which is more useable.
- Unergonomic button layout makes navigation difficult. For example, the shift button is too far from the organ presets making it impossible to play and switch presets at the same time.
- Lack of effect amount knobs as on the Electro 2. You are stuck with toggling through only 3 preset amount settings.
- Ring modulation should not be an oscillator like tremelo. The Electro 2 is correct.
- New Vox and Farfisa sounds aren't that accurate.
- Expression pedal always effects organ volume so there is no way to do Wah-Wah organ.
- Only 64 MB of onboard sample library memory means you'll be limited to how many sounds you can use at a time.
- Sample software is limiting and doesn't allow for more than one sample per key, assigning polyphony, glide (portamento) or other patch functions.
- No pitch wheel. Nord provides many synthesizer samples but, there's no way to control them. The Electro 3 cannot receive pitch bend MIDI commands from another keyboard either.
- No modulation wheel. Why bother having any synthesizer sounds without modulation.
- Same non-weighted keyboard feels junky.
- Expensive.
[DW]

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With the introduction of the Nord Electro 3, the legacy of the original Electro and the knowhow that have shaped some of the other Nord models have been combined. The Electro 3 features a new organ section, a new piano section, new effects and a new exciting feature that allows the Electro 3 to use any samples from the Nord Sample library. This is the performance keyboard that sets a new standard based on its impressive sound quality.Right from the start, the Electro 3 is loaded with a great selection of pianos. There are three acoustic grands (two Yamaha* C7s and one Steinway* D) and two electric grands. Electric piano aficionados will love the tine-based types; a Mk I, a Suitcase Mk I, a Mk II and a Mk V all with their unique and distinctive personalities. A great Wurlitzer* A200 is of course present, as is the mighty Clavinet* D6. The Clavinet type also includes the Harpsichords. There is a French harpsichord in the factory sound bank, and more to come in the Nord Piano Library download area. Each and every one of these pianos can be replaced if you wish.Not only loaded with great piano sounds, the Electro 3 also sports some great samples to add flavor to your sonic arsenal. You'll find some of the classic Mellotron sounds, a selection of strings, a celeste, a vibraphone and many others. You can add virtually any sound you want to the Nord Electro 3. Sounds that we offer for free are from the Mellotron Library or any other instrument from the expanding and extensive Nord Sample Library, which is the same format as the Nord Wave uses. The Organ Section of the Electro 3 has the best emulation of the soul of a B3 available so far.The attention to minute details is stunning, the Electro 3 is even equipped with four selectable tonewheel modes, that stretches from a clean sound to battered unit with the most dramatic setting; vintage 3. This setting even produces a sound in the background of its own, even if you don't touch any keys.Every function in a B3 has been considered and examined in great detail, to make the Electro 3 as true to the original sound as possible. There are key clicks derived from the original busbar behavior and the energy robbing that produces the gentle compression when you do that massive palm smear across the keyboard. To get the response right, we have included the option to trigger the organ sounds at the very top of a key's range, making it react just as fast as the original. And sometimes we couldn't resist adding functions that went a bit further, like the option to either include or exclude the 9th drawbar when Percussion was activated.The Farfisa* and Vox* models are just as impressive as the B3. The massive savage sound created by their 12-top oscillator frequency-divider designs is of course also a nosample zone in the Electro 3; you have the same behavior and unique response from our models as in the original instruments.Using the Organ Split mode, you can play two different organ registrations in a dual manual fashion, one sound on either side of a user definable keyboard split point. Connect a second MIDI keyboard to the Electro 3, to use the organ split functionality, but in a true, dual manual setup. The Nord Electro 3 is also equipped with a great selection of high quality effects including a lush sounding reverb with five different algorithms. There is also a selection of tremolo, panning, wah-wah, phaser, flanger and chorus effects, and a ring modulator.And, those of you who are picky about the rotary behaviors will be pleased to find several user adjustable settings like speed and acceleration times for both treble and bass rotors. These options, as well as all the other System, MIDI and Sound Menu functions are written on the right side of the panel, a great help for all those moments when the manual decided to stay at home.The Electro 3 comes in two different sizes. The 61 and the 73 have the same type of semi-weighted keyboard with the waterfall profile. This is a great set of keys to play organ and pianos with.

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Korg KDM-2 True Tone Advanced Digital Metronome Review

Korg KDM-2 True Tone Advanced Digital Metronome
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but it doesn't do much more than the less-expensive Korg MA-30. That said, I like the KDM-2 quite a bit. It's an improvement on the KDM-1 (which I like very much also - it's just a more basic metronome), and similarly designed. The KDM-2 shares these features with the MA-30: tap-in beat; subdivided beats; 12 calibrated tuning notes (you can choose the exact tuning - A=440, 441, etc); mute button. The added KDM-2 features: son clave & rumba beats (3-2, and 2-3); choice of 4 different click sounds; LCD display; LED beat indicator; loud volume (I play trumpet & have no problem hearing the metronome), and tempo selection in standard metronomic increments (60, 63, 66, etc) in addition to +/- 1 beats (60, 61, 62, etc).
You should get the KDM-2 instead of the MA-30 if you need the extra latin beats, the different click sounds (at least one of which should cut through most loud playing, or possibly small ensemble volume) or the LED indicator (the light however doesn't seem as strong as that of the KDM-1). If these extras aren't enough, the MA-30 would be an excellent choice.

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The Korg KDM-2 is an easy-to-use, electric metronome that visually marks the tempo with remarkable accuracy, and delivers a powerful sound like never before.

Improved cylindrical resonator speaker This digital electric metronome delivers even clearer and more powerful sound, and Korg's acclaimed cylindrical speaker has been further enhanced with an improved resonator structure to ensure that it is easily heard. Even loud instruments will not overpower the unmistakable, clear sound of the Korg KDM-2. And with the KDM-2 you have the choice of selecting 3 different PCM sounds (cowbell/agogo/clave) for the beat, so you can choose which sound you want to compliment the instrument you're playing. The volume can also be adjusted to the most appropriate level. Since there's a PHONE jack built in to this electric metronome, you can connect a mini-plug (1/8") earphone, perfect for private practice.
Easy-to-see, large LED The START/STOP switch located on the top panel of the Korg KDM-2 blinks in two colors--red and green--providing for unmistakable visual indication of the tempo. The START/STOP switch is a great feature if you are looking to practice with a silent metronome.
A variety of beats cover even sophisticated rhythms From basic beats to variations like son clave and rumba clave, the KDM-2 contains a total of 19 beat patterns. You can set the tempo in any one of three ways. Full Step mode lets you adjust the tempo over a range of 30 through 252 in steps of one. Pendulum Step mode lets you set the tempo using the preset tempo settings, as on a mechanical metronome. and Tap Tempo lets you set the tempo by pressing the TAP switch at the desired interval.
Use the reference pitches to tune by ear Sound Out mode outputs a reference tone that you can use as a tuning guide. You can listen to any one of the twelve pitches from C4-B4. You can also adjust the A4 frequency (calibration) in a broad range from 410 Hz-480 Hz.
Memory backup function The KDM-2 provides a memory backup function that remembers the specified tempo, beat, calibration, and reference pitch, even when the power off.
Designed for stability and ease of use The large LCD screen on this electric metronome makes it easy to view the settings. An encoder-type TEMPO/CALIB dial and a Step Select switch provide quick and direct access to settings and functions. Featuring an original design that is compact yet stable, the KDM-2 is at home on your desk, your piano, or anywhere else.
Long battery life The KDM-2 is designed for long battery life. The electric metronome will continue marking an accurate tempo for approximately 120 hours of continuous use at a tempo of 120 beats per minute.
Three-Year Warranty Korg digital and electric metronomes purchased from a Korg USA authorized dealer now have a three-year warranty.
What's in the Box KDM2 Metronome, Four AAA Batteries, User's Manual

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11/22/2011

Acoustica Pianissimo Virtual Grand Piano Review

Acoustica Pianissimo Virtual Grand Piano
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
If you are in need of a Virtual Grand Piano which can be used in live performance, I believe this is your best bet. I have tried many software pianos. Most of the free ones just don't have enough depth or expressiveness. And the Gigapianos are totally impracticle. Large sampled piano libraries that have to be constantly streamed from the hard drive can be far too CPU intensive and therefore too risky to be dependable for a live gig. The newest generation of virtual pianos has addressed this by combining sampling, modeling and morphing technology. The libraries are smaller in size and the marraige of these technologies has really trimmed the demand on the CPU. Best of all it has produced a richer more natural feeling, sounding and playing experience. The three top contenders in this category are Acoustica Pianissimo, 4 Front Truepianos, and Modartt Pianoteq. I have tried them all. And though they are all quality instruments, I feel that Pianissimo is the clear winner on sound and playability, alone. The fact that it is by far and away the most inexpensive is just a wonderful bonus. Try the demo versions of these pianos for yourself. I think you'll agree.

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Acoustica's Pianissimo is a virtual instrument that uses a combination of sample playback and advanced physical modeling to create a stunning acoustic grand piano sound. Starting with 250MB of high quality samples of a Steinway Model D grand piano, the Pianissimo plug-in uses complex signal processing and programming to recreate the warmth, response, and playability of a real grand piano. This natural sound is then paired with a professional studio-quality reverb algorithm to add the depth and ambiance of a true acoustic space. Add in modeled sympathetic resonance, incidental mechanical hammer sounds, remarkable control over tone and velocity response, 256 voices of polyphony, and incredibly low CPU usage, and Pianissimo might just be the best sounding, most playable virtual piano you've experienced.The VSTi plug-in will operate in any DAW with support for virtual instruments in the VSTi format, including Mixcraft. The standalone version supports any MIDI device, and any WAV, ASIO, or WaveRT device. It allows for two-track recording, loading, and saving of standard MIDI Type 1 files, and supports mixing down to WAV, MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis files.

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