Legendary Italian Keyboard: Crumar Seven (Super In-Depth Review)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- My new channel "Milan Recording Studios"
/ @milanrecordingstudios...
The Crumar Seven is an instrument that I have wanted to try ever since it first launched. It is a high quality, specialized instrument dedicated to a niche section of the market, and of course that interests me. In this video, I show you the Crumar Seven to an extent that nobody else online has - we'll look at the build quality, fit and finish, and a basic comparison to the historic instrument that it emulates - the Fender Rhodes. If the demand is high, we can do in-depth comparisons between this and a real Rhodes, as well as the Korg SV2, one of the few instruments on the market that truly competes with the Seven.
My new channel "Milan Recording Studios"
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The ropeless legcase, the hardcase that doesn't meet ATA regulations and has a loose screw and cover, the bright brothel-red LED Seven, the sheer ease of use, the huge metal drinks platform, the glovebox in the right...
God that thing is so Italian. I want one.
crumar seven is probably the most beautiful instrument i've ever seen. (personal opinion pls no hate)
I agree, the fact that it looks retro but also so modern is crazy
The Zarenbourg is also amazing.
The Zarenbourg looks better imo. I hate the bright LED lights on the seven
I can look at mine for hours. I have a desk with LEDs, a 32" monitor with LEDs and a mouse pad with LEDs and everything in red. Maybe I'm one of the few who likes the LEDs
I can’t believe you got a crumar seven! Siiiick. Nobody really has done a good review of this while I was checking it out, so super smart choice to review! Keep up the amazing work!
Nice! I've had mine for 2 years and love it. Just a note, although the stock piano isnt anything special, there is a wonderful piano replacement offered as a free update from their site. Also, you can modify the sounds such as the reeds via the web editor using the C7's wifi connection! I have a Korg ARP Odyssey desktop module and a Waldorf Streichfett string synth box sitting on top of mine, both of which I play via midi using the Crumar. Examples on my channel. Great in depth review!
I'm fan of your youtube channel :)
The jiggle of the keys is what makes a Rhodes
Yes!
Hi James, love your channel and great review. I have the Crumar Seven, and with the most recent updates, the grand piano is now at the level of the Rhodes and the Wurlitzer. Both the Steinway and the Petrof give the feeling of a miked piano on stage rather than the sound produced by bouncing off the walls of a room, which is a plus if you try to cut through a mix. I guess you would now consider it “exceptional”! Hope you can test them if you haven’t already.
I didn't even know Crumar was still in business. After selling my Crumar Orchestrator some 30 years ago, I never heard about them again. Good to know they are still alive and producing new instruments.
Amazing. One vote for the in depth comparison of a real Rhodes 😁
GSi Gemini: Bi-Timbral, 4 Organ engines, String Machine, Orchestra, Trumpet and Virtual Analog Synth engines, Digital Output, two legacy Midi inputs, various effects like Chorus, Spring Reverb, Stereo Limiter, Rotary sim. All effects can be used at once (in serial).
Crumar Seven: Better Wi-Fi, Grand Piano and Vibes engine, an upgraded E.Grand engine, 1/4" expression pedal input and pedal Wha-Wha, Synth Pad
Both have the essential Tine, Reed, Clavi, DX7, Sample Player engines (also USB-Midi Type A and B).
Basically the Seven is a Gemini inside a plywood box with with a few upgrades and downgrades.
The Gator GKPE76D TSA Keyboard Case fit my Seven quite nicely.
You can probably put a heavy keyboard on top of it without fear of damaging the top, but you might damage the wooden and metal pieces that hold the top in place, so good call there. Wouldn't recommend that. But I would recommend the Seven, though I hate the action. I also recommend the Faderfox PC12 if you don't go the Ipad/Laptop Editor route. Every parameter can be mapped to Midi Control Change values that you can edit real-time. No tricky sysex mumbo jumbo. The Seven can power the Faderfox via USB, simultaneously receiving Midi.
A word on that Grand Piano. The Venice Grand samples can be loaded to any of the Seven's "yellow" preset slots as a custom "wavetable". Still not the best, but at least the Seven is now capable of a good Grand Piano sound. Most players go straight for the Venice sample, but I haven't seen anyone try to tweak the G.Piano engine to get a better piano sound. I ought to make a video on this...
I own the Gemini.. the huge advantage of the seven is the integration of the controlls.. combining the Gemini with my kawai mp7se gives me the best of all worlds.. the best grand piano sound in a keyboard.. and all the other great tools of the Gemini.. the Gemini is just a program change away form the Kawai.. also have a small drawbar controller attached to the gemini..
I'd love to see a video of the grand piano engine's tweakability - well, a more comprehensive video of the editing features in general would be cool, tbh, as this hasn't really been explored in videos very much, aside from people showing off the fact that the DX engine can do some other classic DX sounds. I actually kinda like the modelled grand piano, and think there might be some great potential in there with a few small adjustments. it sounds kinda like a grand piano with a helpinstill pickup, or something, to me.
@@lordbachus any videos on youtube of you playing with this setup? Ive been intrigued by the gemini, but there isnt much to go by on the internet really showing off those many engines. Also, what other sounds in the mp7 do you like?
Great review! I own a Seven and do love playing it :)
Love these reviews and your enthusiasm for what you do. I don't know too much about the Fender Rhodes but I do have 2x12s from a Rhodes 4x12 cabinet - 1967 Oxfords, great condition and sound wonderful.
If you have a compressor plugin or a compressor pedal that has a lot of attack, it gives a really nice quack/pop to the front of the Crumar clavinet sound & makes it sound exactly like the real thing to my ears.
What a curious instrument, looking forward for your next video!
That instrument sounds amazing!!!
Thanks.
I’m a guitarist and i love your videos...got hooked when i saw you demo some different fender rhodes a while back...which i think is the most underrated under utilized instrument around.
Thanks for your passion...it’s inspiring.
Bruce in vancouver
I was literally researching this keyboard yesterday and you uploaded a video about it today!
Just FYI... if you turn those knobs a little more slowly, it takes only 6 turns to cover the entire range.
Someone else mentioned this as well, because they're optical knobs. Good to know! :D
Wonderful instrument ! I can see it as more of a recording studio instrument.
Make sure you download the app and update the piano sounds, I think you’ll be impressed
I have a crumar seven. I wish someone would do a video on how to update the sounds or import sounds from the website onto the crumar . I have the app on my computer but not sure how to go about it.
I think the EQ instructions are on the second instructions sheet. 😄
Crumar and Viscount do amazing stuff.
Did you try updating the piano sound? Supposedly it makes a huge difference - would love to hear your thoughts!
So that’s indeed a super-in-depth review. I heard about the crumar but never had a chance to play it so this was a nice surprise for me. Sounds really good if you leave out the grand piano. It’s a pity that the EQ not really did something. Supposed to do anything I think at least you have to noticed something. But it was again nice to see, and hear, you fiddling around and really enjoy it. I enjoyed it certainly so, thank you for sharing and playing.
I hope they gave you this keyboard after you made this incredibly detailed review that will obviously be seen by EVERY potential buyer lol.
So I ended up purchasing the Korg D1 for myself. Wonderful addition. A simple and inexpensive stage piano. My previous board was/is the Alesia QS8.1, original owner from 1998. Can’t wait until you review it.
I ordered 3 on Amazon. All arrived from different sellers with broken keys and returned. Really disappointed since I like the action and it's otherwise a great board for the price. I even sent James an inquiry in the TH-cam comments and he replied he got a hold of a D1 also broken and the D1 probably has a manufacturing issue. Where'd you order from?
Sweetwater
My D1 from Thomann has been working perfectly for a whole year now
Very nice in-depth video James! Owning a Fender Rhodes Mark I 73 I can say that the Crumar Seven is one of the closest I've heard. However, owning 2 Wurlitzers EPs, a 200A and a 214V, I do agree with you that the Crumar leaves a little bit to be desired. In fact, I can not point to a single instrument that gives me the satisfaction of my Wurlitzers. So much so that I insisted that I carry my 200A to every gig. Overall, I am impressed with the Crumar Seven and would recommend it to anyone.
I don't make many videos but, here's a 2 minute video of me playing a truncated version of a classic Queen song on my 200A. I've never been able to do this on any emulated EP 200. th-cam.com/video/ImtorvfiBjE/w-d-xo.html.
I would likely do the same, honestly. Some emulations are fun, but nothing beats the original. Yours sounds great!
Really interested in this or something very close to it, from your experiencing of owning one how would you say the feel of the keys hold up to the original? I was also under the impression this was mechanical keys and had a premium feel but it’s a digital keybed?
Please make a review of the Mojo 61. It would be awesome!
you should do an in depth vid on the Crumar Mojo!
That would be a lot of fun.
36:19 I genuinely had to pause the video and wait until I stopped laughing. Good title!
I love his subtle sense of humor.
I had to Google it to figure out what the hell was going on. DOE!
All the sounds are based on physical modeling but you can also download a sampled acoustic piano for the Crumar Seven.
It seems that the Waldorf Zarenbourg has gone out of production. At least that is what the retail stores seem to suggest. Pity ... still like to hear your opinion about it :)
The Crumar keyboards are like professional Yamaha Refaces
Thanks for also playing the kind of music, the clavinet was originally meant for! :D You can really hear how it was meant as an electric clavichord.
"The P515 can be found in practically every store"
Ouch. I've been looking for a month and it's been sold out everywhere. Covid hurts, man. I hate my Williams
Same here with Kawai ES110 and ES8 in my country.
I got mine through Kraft Music and had no problem at all.
I ordered mine 2 months ago and I’m still waiting 😕
It's sold out in the entire northern hemisphere
It looks like a vintage Rhodes that was created for an episode of Star Trek. This Keyboard is definitely for a very specific market. I know I would be more than willing to live with whatever Yamaha puts into my digital piano for a vintage or Rhodes sound. I'm not too picky, just sound respectable.
That's kind of why I find this instrument so fascinating, because it is made for such a small specific market.
It would be great to see the Waldorf Zarenbourg. That Crumar is a nice looking board for sure. Would be nice to be able to load in another piano sound.....
Awesome keyboard but same exact thing happened to me. The legs were loose when I first opened the box and they had been in direct contact with the keybed. The plastic ties they used must have cut during transport and cause the leg case to drop. Also the little silver pieces from the handle fell off too. Not broke, just loose fitting. Hard to believe such a beautiful instrument that is very high quality would have these issues. Good thing its amazing otherwise!
Limited-production instruments like this one often come with their odd quirks.
Hi James, interested in knowing how your Keybed is doing, have you experienced any issues with broken or sagged keys? Thank you, love your content.
Thx for your Video Work!
What do you think about the Viscount Legend 70?
Thx Tom
ZZ-Top said it well: "She's got legs, she knows how to use them" guess it is to keep the center of gravity low
Theres an almost untouched crumar seven for sale near me and i’ve played it quite much in a music store and the key action is very good feeling to me personally and it sounds awesome but is it worth the money?I also love the look and everything but i wonder if its reliable or have you had any difficulties with it?
The Crumar Seven looks like you gave RGB LEDs to a 70's designer and in my opinion that makes it look hilariously hideous. But I had a chance to play it once and I'd lie if I didn't say that it sounds and feels absolutely amazing!
Your review almost has me sold on the Crumar Seven, I'm a little concerned about the negatives you pointed out, but - not every digital piano in this price even includes a sustain pedal or a protective case at all! so the issues with this are relatively insignificant.
Your comments/demonstration of the EQ made me wonder if the EQ is completely subtractive, meaning it can only cut, not boost, the respective frequency ranges, and all the way to the red side is simply "neutral"?
The efficiency of an equalizer much depends on the audio material being processed, if the spectrum range is wide, then the EQ changes are more evident. James tested it only on a few notes of a clean Wurlitzer piano sound. Too few harmonics... you need more harmonics to hear the EQ better, so add more notes, turn on the amp simulator, add some distortion or reverb, or try with a richer sound like the Clavinet.
looks super cool but the amount you have to turn these knobs would drive me insane
It has been stated that if you turn them slowly they work better.
The hidden compartment to the right of the unit, not many people know this but.....you can put your weed in there. 👌
I need one of those!!!
One of the great things about the seven is that its flat on top!!!
Hi, maybe the eq works just with the amp simulation on. If not... it seems your unit has a problem or they missed the point.
Great rendition of JS Bach's WTK I C Major fugue thrown in just like that. Dude actually knows to play the piano.
Dear james,
Have you planed to compare it with the VISCOUNT Legend ´70S piano that seems to be an alternative in this niche ?
As you said in this video the Acoustic Grand piano’s sound seems to be a weakness of the Crumar seven,
Would you test for us the updated version of the Venise Grand and Venise Grand Open that have been released by Crumar ?
www.crumar.it/?a=support&b=36
Many thanx
I own the Crumar seven and I like the Venice very much, but never play the standard acoustic grand.
I love the shape and hate the color scheme. Knobs representing levels with color is cool, but not on a vintage black and white body.
The 2 styles clash too hard, it looks like a rainbow.
I feel like if the knobs were like an old Rhodes' you'd be able to read them more easily, since you'd know where the knob stands between minimum and maximum. Instead it's a color spectrum, which you need to get used to and learn.
Edit: also, it's a modeled instrument. Why not extend the range by those 3 or so semitones? Its basically a synth.
Full range is available with sample engines. PM engines are made as close to the original instruments as possible in all aspects.
@@Stajpson that's a bad design choice imo. Love the korg sv range for that, you can now play a wurli with 88 keys!
where can i sign the petition for the korg d1 review?
I am listening.
Thanks for the interesing review. The instrument seems to be very similiar to the Waldorf Zarenbourg. (I own the limited black edition and love it.) Would be great if you could do a review on that, too! www.muziker.at/waldorf-zarenbourg-black-limited-edition
Edit: I just saw you mentioned the Zarebourg at the end of the video. Of course you already know about it! :D
Wow, it looks really good in black!
haha this guy looks happy with his unboxing
Do you think the mojo 61 would be to heavy to put on top of the crumar?
God this is such a fantastic keyboard. Why am I not a rich man!
Reminds me of the Yamaha CS-synth series cases and legs too. Lost my CS-50 legs and took hundreds off value. I am never selling it though.
Did JPS just reference Doug DeMuro?
They are cut from the same cloth no doubt. JPS is the Doug DeMuro of pianos.
buddy bars truly are delicious.
Did you know when you go back to the 70s
you're supposed to make some funny noise
and go all wobbly
with a video effect
that's OK next time
I would definitely try to custom build my top
half the size of that and cut it down
to the bare necessities amount
just enough to get it to cover the keys
and the top
do you know what I mean
Did you play Minecraft soundtrack on electric grand?
I thought the same thing, that caught me off guard
Does anyone know what Fatar keybed it is? Is it TP/100LR?
So after 123 comments nobody said Minecraft :) 53:15
But is this instrument mechanical, like hammers and tines?
No, it is entirely digital.
@@ThePianoforever thanks man litterally the first time someone clarifies that on internet
Some keyboards/pianos are protected so well that they could probably be dropped from a low balcony and survive with no damage to the instrument itself.
But you can't lift them with one hand.
1:02:58 Roland MKS 20/RD1000 piano
56:00 is this pokemon 😆
Hi James, I know you have had quite a bit of experience with pianos and wanted to email you, but could not find any contact details.
Could you direct me to a way to get in contact? thanks so much.
Greetings from Girona Spain,
Jeremy
I have had one in the past, but the spam people found out where it was so now it is mostly shut down. I hope to have a new contact page up and running soon.
@@ThePianoforever Hey James, thanks for your response, I'll fill you in on the details here...unless there is a better way to discuss let me know please.
I have been researching and testing out the main brands of pianos and hope to get one in the coming months. I have narrowed down the selection to just the Bösendorfer 214VC (and the 280VC which is my favourite piano I've played to date, but it's too big for my house, and also not in my budget).
I have not had the opportunity/access to test out one more brand of pianos which seems interesting- the Shigeru Kawai. (specifically the SK6 and SK7). Could I get your feedback on how these two pianos compare to the Bösendorfer? That would be much appreciated : )
All the best,
Jeremy
Yes, the Bosendorfer 280VC is also one of my favorite pianos too, it is beautiful. The 214 is excellent, too, and always a dream to play. Not the most powerful 7 footer on the market, but that would make it more ideal for a home environment. They have a clear, pure tone that is pleasant to listen to.
I have a couple videos on Shigeru Kawais on the channel, which you may find interesting. The most recent one is a comparison between two SK7's, one made recently and one made a few years ago. There is a noticeable tone difference, so depending on which tone you prefer, you will like one over the other.
th-cam.com/video/YWGXoxWmO6Q/w-d-xo.html
The thing that made the SK pianos so unique was their warm, rich, velvety tone they had in 2016 and for several years before. It was unlike anything else on the market, and it seems to me they may have lost sight of that tone and are pursuing a brighter, more Yamaha-esque tone. Still a good piano, and there's nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't quite have that rich velvet sound that made them so special.
Last I heard, the older SK7 in this video was still available, so if you like that sound you might think about contacting Kim's Piano for more information.
@@ThePianoforever thanks for taking the time to respond, James. Take care, and hope you're enjoying Nashville, I used to live there and the music talent coming out of that city is incredible.
1:02:58 Minecraft
I am the comment seven :)
🤣“Buddy bar”🤣
You need to play Bronco
sorry, wrong Crumar
1:21 hrs Review! Here we goooo!
There is only matter of time we'll see 10 hrs in-depth review of Korg Kronos or its successor :)
Try a korg keyboard.
Crumar is like the Behringer of Electric Pianos. Designed for people that can't afford to spend 6k on a Fender Rhodes, or 2k on a Fender Rhodes with seven or eight non-working keys. The guitar equivalent is someone that wants a 1957 Stratocaster but ends up buying a custom shop reissue. I watched the Wurlitzer 200 video, about twenty times, and given the choice I wonder if JPS would pick the 200 or the Crumar. The Wurlitzer video is really pushing me to that over a Fender Rhodes. Can't find either one for sale locally though.
Crumar is a very high quality keyboard and honestly stands on it's own. It's one of the few new keyboards that I play in the studio as I have access to high level pianos.
@@ThePianoforever I think I'm going with the Wurlitzer because when you added vibrato to the tone it had the sound!! I want hammers and felt. I know that how it sounds should be the only thing that matters but I love the look of a Fender Rhodes I meant no disrespect to Crumar, but it might not have come across that way, by comparing them to Behringer, as I have a ton of Behringer analog stuff. You videos are fantastic.