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From: knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP (mike knudsen)
Newsgroups: net.music.synth
Subject: Re: synth shopping...
Message-ID: <668@ihwpt.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Jan-86 20:34:33 EST
Article-I.D.: ihwpt.668
Posted: Wed Jan 29 20:34:33 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 31-Jan-86 23:58:08 EST
References: <661@aicchi.UUCP>
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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> I'm looking to get a synth and related equipment sometime late this year.
> (My 1986 christmas present to myself :-)  I need some advice on what is
> available for my particular application.  I have very little experience
> with current synths.  I usually play piano...
> 
> BTW: It seems no-one can do a good acoustic piano on a synth (or sampler).
> Why???


You raise a lot of questions, worhty of pages of rambling
answers.  However, I'll just venture one personal opinion
that I was thinking of posting.  Namely:

Never mind whether a given patch on a given synth sounds LIKE
a piano.
The REAL question is:  Does piano music work well
on it?

I'm mostly a pianist, but on my new Korg DW-8000 (1985 Xmas present
to myself, BTW) I use several
different factory preset patches (with my own twiddlings)
for different types of piano music, or to match the mood I'm in,
even changing presets for different sections of one piece.
Actually, I play lots of Harpsichord music as well.

To do piano music, a synth voice must be:
	Clear thru-out the whole keyboard range 
	 (lots of e-piano patches get too muddy in the bass);

	Well-balanced enough that you can bring out a part
	in any part of the range by varying your touch

	Crisp on the attack, but not excessively so

	Not harsh or muddy when played in close chords

	Have the appropriate decay time (easy).
	
Also, be aware that touch-sensitive synths allow this feature
on patches where you wouldn't expect it -- strings, brass,
even organs and voices.
Plus, may presets named "Hard Rock Bass" and such often yield
excellent piano/harpsichord sounds with a little tweaking.

If you won't take my advice, marry a rich girl and buy a Kurzweil,
or an electronic piano maybe (yech).
	mike k
PS: You'll want a separate MIDI keyboard, with the full 7 octaves.
Piano pieces on 5-octave keyboards can pose frustrating problems.