Hi Bill,

Thank you for your reply. Johmette had inquired about making the pianos sound more full, with respect to the 80Mb bank. Here is what I replied:

When I think of a "full" piano sound, I think warm with strong bass frequencies and highs that are not exaggerated. For that, I would choose "Epic Grand Long3" (3, if you've loaded the 80Mb bank). I would move sliders B and C all the way up to activate them and then all the way down to set them to 0. (Each program can specify slider entry values, so you are welcome to edit them to your taste.)

You could also edit the sound, adjusting the EQ to a greater degree than the sliders facilitate. The samples respond very well to EQ, and the PC3K offers a lot of EQ power, so the tools are there to dial in a sound that is a great fit for your music.

"Full" could also mean maintaining an even volume when going from pp to ff. For that, I would use one of the "mix" programs - "EG Long Mix 3," for example.

I also think of "full" pianos as having a generous sustain, so I would probably push slider D all the way up to maximize damper resonance and the sense of sustain. I would NOT recommend the "fast" or "natural" programs for that since they have a faster decay.

Thanks Keven

I have both the Epic Grand and the German Grand Exp ROM. As we all know, piano sounds are a matter of personal taste. Both of these Pianos are REALLY good. They are slightly different though. From what I can tell I think its the positioning of the MICS that give the two pianos a different flavor. The individual samples on both pianos are all very good. I play country music, and before I bought the German Grand Exp, The Epic Grand was my main piano in the Kurzweil. I had tried several other Piano samples and the Epic Grand was the only one that I found to be pleasing to play. I have an acquaintance that uses the Epic Grand in a MoXF. Because of that MoXF I was able to hear what that Epic Grand piano sounds like out front in the mix. I was impressed! It sits very nicely in a country music mix. I somewhat recently bought the German Grand not because I was dissatisfied with the Epic Grand but simply out of curiosity - the Artis was getting great reviews. Yes it was expensive, but it is also very good!! I also have a Motif XF8. I have loaded the Yamaha version of the Epic Grand (yes I bought the version for the Motif also). I set the PC3K8 with the German Exp rom up next to the Motif XF and compared the Epic Grand with the German Grand. This is where I came up with the conclusion that they are both great pianos, and the fact that they sound a little different is a great thing. Again, I did tweak BOTH pianos to get them to my liking. If the underlying samples are good (and they are in both these cases) then the VAST capabilities will take care of the rest. I bought the Epic Grand for two different keyboards because it is professional quality. I am also very happy with my decision to buy the German Grand rom. No regrets on either purchase.

Thank you, bytefixer! That's great to hear! I'm very happy you are so pleased with Epic Grand, and I appreciate you purchasing it for both your PC3K and your Motif XF. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a positive review.

Here's a little Christmas music video featuring Epic Grand for the PC3K:

https://youtu.be/415nqpws65U

Very nice that video K-Sounds!!!!

Thank you, Fran!!

While I haven't heard the German Grand so far (I find it quite expensive, come on guys!) I've purchased the Epic Grand after being convinced by listening to it on Youtube and other sources.
I must be honest - and this is a very personal opinion - I am a little disappointed.

In direct comparison to the Standard Grand, I find the Epic Grand quite thin, and the "whow" factor is missing to me. The guys did a great job regarding sampling, and maybe it's "just" the EQs that don't feel right, but somehow I am underwhelmed.I have installed both the ~80 MB version and now the ~40MB version, it's kinda the same.

To be honest, I do not want to "dig deep" and tweak the sound to my liking, for that I am still too unexperienced and in some way refuse to invest my precious time in tweaking something I expect to have been perfectly tweaked already, justifying an investment of ~90 bucks.

Interestingly, I've read some comments that go in the same direction, whereas others are completely satisfied with the work.

So I guess you better use some "demo samples" I heard of - after my purchase - and see for yourselves.
Another conclusion for me: Chapeau for the Kurzweil guys, I really do appreciate now the 4MB standard Grand, best space/quality ratio I can think of.

Thank you for your feedback, Christian. I appreciate your comment that the sampling for Epic Grand is good.

Please consider that in listening to the official audio and video demos before purchasing, you heard the exact sounds featured in the product. The EQ settings (etc) that convinced you to purchase are the same settings you now have in your PC3K. I wonder if perhaps you listened to the demos on a different set of speakers / headphones than you listened to your PC3K after loading Epic Grand. If that is the case, please go back and listen to the demos and your PC3K using the same speakers / headphones.

Also please consider that EQing sounds for your specific musical application is simply part of making music. Even when working with a real Yamaha C7 (the grand piano sampled for Epic Grand), proficient sound engineers will adjust its EQ to best fit a given song. A real C7 costs hundreds of times more than Epic Grand, but engineers are not disappointed that their huge investment didn't come tweaked to perfection for their specific music. They understand that the C7 provides a fantastic sounding starting point (as I also believe Epic Grand does) and their role is to mix.

Hello Keven,

thanks for your reply. What I can notice is that customer feedback seems to be very important to you guys and I appreciate that. Trying to sample my father's Hohner Concerto II accordeon (from the 60s, a real gem) on my own showed me how challenging a sampling process can be, and this was just with standard, semi-professional equipment and environment with no significant investment, far beyond any professionalism.

The fact that many users seem to be satisfied with your product speaks for you. As everyone has different expectations, it will be impossible to meet them all (that - unfortunately for me up to now - included mine). This said, I wish you good luck for further customer acquisition and success for future endeavors.

Thank you very much, Christian. Very true, sampling is quite a challenging process. You're right that customer feedback is very important to me. I appreciate your thoughtful reply and wishing me luck for the future.