Yamaha S03 vs. Synth Module

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mark4man

mark4man

MoonMix Studios
Sorry for the parallel post (& thanks everyone who replied to the original: JV-1010 vs. XV-5050)...

But I was wondering: what if I abandon the idea of a sound module altogether; & go with a digital piano/synth, like the Yamaha S03.

Is anyone familiar with this machine? I'm told it has many of the same quality piano patches as the S-80 & the S-30. Is this true?

How does it sound?

In listening to the piano examples from various mfg.'s at Purgatory Creek, the Yamaha pianos have a bright & beautiful sound...& I'm wondering if that might be a better route to go than acquiring another sound module.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

mark4man
 
First off, I believe that yamaha has some of the nicest ROM Pianos around period. As for the S03, you won't get the big 3 layer piano sample set, that is found on the bigger yamahas, but you get a ton of really good sounds, all around (I think like 700 programs). I played one last year, and seriously considered getting one myself. It has editor software. The only thing that threw me off was the lack of aftertouch ability on the keyboard. But other than that, not a bad piece of kit, especially for the price.
 
Atterion,

Thanks, man.

OK...the most important question now becomes: Even without the larger 3 layer samples...wouldn't I still be getting much better piano sounds than found on my existing synth module (JV-1010)? (& some other nice sounds, as well?)

And about those primo Yamaha ROM pianos, they couldn't be added afterward from an external source, right? I would have to get the better piano, or those same patches on a Yamaha sound module, correct?

Speaking of which...is there a Yam sound module that plays all the best Yam pianos?

Thanks again...really appreciate the feedback.

mark4man
 
As far as I am concerned the Yamaha stock pianos sound better than Rolands (But good results can be had from either one with a bit of tweaking, and Roland does have some nice expansion cards). As far as the 3 layer goes I believe the only module that has it is the the MOTIF Rack (But don't quote me on that). And as far as I have seen, none of the Yamaha modules except the PLG expansion boards, you'd need a full synth for that (S80, MOTIF, etc.). But I still think the S03 is a pretty decent board, that should keep you satisfied for awhile, but again I have always been a fan of the XG specification (Way better than the GS).
 
The S03 would be a waste of money if you already own the JV1010. I have a XP30 and tried out the S03 a few years back - it sounds virtually identical to the XP30 and does not add much in terms of sonic palette.
 
You know...

Sorry to rehash...& I appreciate all the help I've received, but I gotta come back to this one more time. To tell you the truth, over the past week or so I've succeeded in confusing the crap out of myself on this issue.

I may as well be honest about this; otherwise I'll never really find a solution. What got me going in the first place was...a couple of my Roland piano patches (from the JV-1010); which I really wanted to use on my CD, sounded like they had a little too much percussive attack...too much key hammer & not enough pure tone.

So I thought...maybe I need a new synth with a better engine. That's when I posted.

Then, in doing some research, I discovered that tone (synth) module piano samples are only sampled at three intervals per octave, with only three levels of velocity...whereas sample library samples are sampled at every note, with seven layers of velocity.

I thought...that's it...I'll switch to a software sampler & grab some piano & acoustic guitar libraries (since the JV-1010 is weak on guitars, anyway.) I went out & picked up Tascam's GigaStudio3; & it crashed my box, real bad. That went back; & I set my sights on VSampler, which will run in my DAW (SONAR XL 2.2) via DXi.

But before I purchased, I wanted to find some good sample libraries (& soundfonts.) In searching around the web, it's difficult to tell what the tech specs are on some libraries...what kind of quality & depth there is to the sampled notes.

I also made a brief excursion toward digital pianos.

So...what I need?...is good quality piano & acoustic guitar sounds. I need a variety of pianos, from grands to uprights. I need acoustic guitars that are realistic. The JV-1010 seems to have nice bass, drums, synths & keys...& if my search takes me elsewhere, that can handle those (unless I upgrade modules & get better all around sounds with such.)

But right now...I don't know where in the hell to turn.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

mark4man
 
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