I have a Kurzweil PC88MX and am looking for a replacement. I want very good piano sounds and also want something to compliment my Motif ES. I’ve been using Ksounds Steinway piano on the ES controlled by the PC88 and find it a very enjoyable playing experience, but it’s time to move on.

Does anyone have any comments on the Kurzweil PC3X (either positive or negative)? It was reviewed in December Keyboard magazine and got some very favorable comments. 

I played one recently and was very pleased with how ‘playable’ the sounds were. The VA synthesis capabilities were also pretty cool.

I would appreciate any opinions offered.

Greg

I haven’t tried one yet, they’re hard to find stocking dealers being that Kurz went under for a few years and are back now.  I may have a chance next week.

Sonikmatter.com is a great forum to read.  To listen to the enthusiastic supporters on that site the pianos are the best out there with some really good variations, the orchestral and string section rivals vst players, and the vintage keys has a realism that goes way beyond the big 3. 

What I got from that site and the 3 pro reviews that are easily found on the web, is that it’s a joy to play:
~ the keybed on both the weighted and semi-weighted are consistently described as outstanding
~ the quality of the sounds inspire folks to play for hours and hours (this is what the reviews and the forum folks all say; for me that’s the top recommendation)
~ its setup as a performance/master controller is top notch (described over and again as being wonderful and completely configurable for performing);
~ the quality of the fx are to die for
~ the virtual analog rivals many of the other virtual analog boards
~ the KB3 mode has 9 physical faders on the board to control it with
~ the supplied editor makes sound editing less onerous.
~ 2 continuous control pedal inputs, 3 sustain/footswitch inputs, breath controller and super ribbon controller inputs
~ the 88 note weighted board weighs only 54 lbs.
~ over 2,000 slots for user voices and performances

The downsides to this board:
~ no external inputs!!! (no using those gorgeous fx on your voice or as a guitar processor!)
~ full documentation thats been slow to come (though the online forum is a place where many questions are answered by their factory guru and they’ve posted numerous online video tutorials)
~ no sampling (though there are two slots, like rolands, for rom expansion)
~ a smaller community of users, so fewer 3d party sounds and overall resources
~ an OS that’s been described by some like Yamaha’s: intuitive on the surface layers, but counter-intuitive/complex when diving deeper, but making sense once you’ve got your orientation to their way of doing things and put in your time
~ v.a.s.t., their primary synthesis tool, is apparently responsible for much of the quality of their sounds and for a programming depth none of the others can touch (?and being able to use such small sample size, 64MB in ROM for all these gorgeous sounds), but is said to be really complex and difficult to learn
~ apparently their virtual analog is really difficult to program as well
~ their 76 note board has that STUPID (’cause I don’t like it!) layout of E to G (I prefer for the bass to go down to C)
~ a smart and helpful moderator on the forum who’s also prickly and grouchy- not exactly pleasant-

I’ve had thoughts of replacing or augmenting my XS7 with this board.  What appeals to me is the fun factor, that the quality of sounds and keybed invite you to play (and that most of the patches are playable, which means not having to deal with HUNDREDS of sounds I’ll never use).  And that the reports from those using it live have been so enthusiastic is encouraging as well: made for the job as a master controller / performance board, and getting tons of feedback from audience and sound guys about how well it sounds, cutting through the mix or sitting beautifully in it.

What I don’t like is that there’s no external input (why oh why, esp. for a performance board?); that it’s yet another super deep tech board (I don’t like having to deal with so much technology to make music; the XS has been a real struggle in that regard, but I don’t know if i’d settle for a stage piano).  And the 76 note board is not much lighter than the XS7.

Would be curious to hear how this search turns out for you and your comparisons.

Randelph

Randelph,

I purchased and now have a PC3X in my possession. I’ve had it for eight days so my comments will be somewhat limited. I’ll be happy to try to respond to specific questions that may follow.

I would agree with the online reviews and the one in Keyboard that say this instrument makes you want to sit and play. I would also agree that most of the sounds are usable for many real world applications (the online reviews also stated this, saying that there weren’t as many ‘wow’ type sounds that sound cool in the showroom but would likely never be used in a normal setting).

The keybed feels very nice. It is quite responsive and seems to need a fair amount of heft to get full velocity out of it (this isn’t a bad thing to me).

I likewise can substantiate the professional reviewers comments regarding the use of effects with most of the programs. They do not seem to rely nearly as much on the effects chain to sound good.

The acoustic pianos are very, very nice. Very responsive and quite enjoyable to play. I play a CP300 at church (which feels like a very good acoustic piano playing experience) and would say that the PC3X is somewhat different but equally enjoyable. It is dynamic and responsive. There are dark and bright acoustic piano sounds as well as a bright one that still has a lot of body to it.

I have similar props for the electric pianos. All very good and responsive. All the fun of a real Rhodes (I used to own one) without the maintenance and back pain. I can’t say that these are radically better (in general) than the XS, but they are noticeably different.

The guitars are usable but poor by even Motif ES standards. They ARE similar to what I’ve heard on Roland and Korg products. There aren’t many guitar sounds in the program bank.

KB3 mode is pretty cool. Some really strong emulations of sounds you’ve heard on hit records. The Leslie simulation is OK, certainly usable, but not as good to me as what is in the XS or ES. One nice programming touch of the ‘drawbar’ feature (using the sliders as drawbars) is that in KB3 mode they work like a real Hammond (pull them down, or towards you to get louder, and push them up, or away from you to get quieter). This is backwards from the way the sliders work on everything else, but is a nice touch for a more realistic Hammond experience.

All of the string and orchestra programs are uniformly ‘over-the-top’ unbelievable. Frankly, this is what really made this an easy purchase decision for me. Every one of these programs sounds like a real, live string section and/or orchestra. Have you ever played a string sound on a keyboard where you felt like you had to play a certain way to sound authentic? That is not really the case with these sounds. Some of those programs are 20+ (!!) layers deep. Velocity brings in different elements, different instruments are mapped across the keyboard so none are very far out of their natural range. As I played these programs, the instrument evoked musical passages from me that sounded like an orchestra! It is a very compelling playing experience for me, unlike any I have ever experienced with ANY other synth. There are also a myriad of articulations (many of which I did not know much about) that would make it very likely to create an orchestral piece that would be extremely convincing.

One other feature that is wonderful is that notes held before a program change still maintain their effects after a new program is selected. Likewise, there is no glitch or hiccup when the program change occurs. This is especially cool when working with the string/orchestral stuff as you can play and seamlessly change back and forth (creating much more realism) without any breaks in the sound. This is a truly unique feature. NOTE: This feature does NOT work in KB3 mode.

Another general observation is that this instrument seems to have a very full, robust low end to it. Very satisfying.

In my search for a new instrument, Roland and Korg products were not considered because of my personal dislike of their piano sounds (strictly my opinion). I had considered both the XS8 and CP300. I ruled out the CP300 because I felt the non-piano sounds on that instrument were not compelling. I ruled out the XS8 because I felt it was (for my personal needs) too much like my Motif ES. I was indeed attracted to Kurzweil’s VAST virtual synth technology as well as the KB3 technology.

Again, after playing the PC3X string and orchestral sounds, I was sold. It just opens a new palette of sounds for me to work with. Yes, this instrument makes you want to just sit and play (and play, and play, and play......).

I might suggest that this may be a good fit WITH your XS.

Greg

wow, thanks for the review- you expressed that very well. 

as you get deeper into using it, I’d be curious as well how you feel about its live performance experience and how user friendly it is to get that all set up.

we live in a good time indeed.  i started buying keyboards in the 80’s, and not the pricey super analog stuff, but the early sample based attempts to go digital.  suffice it to say, these boards have come a LONG WAYS! 

Randelph