From ken@kenhall.ca Fri Mar 18 05:48:48 2011
Subject:Re: Anybody try the B3 emulation on a Kurzweil PC3 series?

Hi Peter,

I'm a long time Nord Stage user and I was also interested in a PC3. A
friend bought a 76 note version and invited me over to check it out. It
was a huge change from the Nord in terms of tweaking - many menus and a
complicated interface that had us scratching our heads and referring
repeatedly to the manual. I'm a big fan of the Nord sounds and I thought
they were better across the board with the possible exception of the
acoustic pianos, which as we all know are very subjective. He had updated
to the latest available software, but I still found the onboard Leslie sim
unconvincing compared to my Ventilator. Of course if you need orchestral
or percussion sounds, the Kurz wins effortlessly. It's the kind of
instrument that requires a lot of preparation at home and should be quite
easy to navigate onstage once that preparation is done. One thing that I
was surprised at was the action. I'm used to the hammer action of the
Stage, but I had real difficulties playing piano on the PC3 action. I
don't know if I could get used to it or not, but I didn't like it. So, at
the very least I think you should play it before buying. It certainly
shines in terms of flexibility of mapping, output assignments, effects,
etc., but my main objective is to use an instrument that I don't think
about while I'm playing, and so far the Stage is my choice for a single
keyboard solution. I use a drawbar controller and the Ventilator so I
guess technically it isn't a simple solution, but it works well for me. Oh
yeah, the PC3 was heavier than I expected too. I'm very interested to
hear how it works out for you.

Cheers, Ken

> > there is a new "Big Leslie" patch and some further mods to the other
> KB3 sounds. It doesn't quite match my Electro 3 for solo work, but it
> is good enough I gig with just the PC3 unless I really need some solo
> Hammond, then I carry both.>
>
> I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on getting a Kurzweil PC3
> myself. In my long quest to find one keyboard that'll do justice to
> pianos, e.pianos, organs and orchestral sounds equally, one particular
> keyboard began to increasingly stand out... the PC3. Because I need
> to to play left hand bass on occasion, I'm opting for the 76 key
> version. The combination of video clips I've seen, sound demos I've
> listened to and the glowing reviews I've read made the choice even
> easier to make.
> Peter
>