Thank you SW/ CM Sounds incredible as is the playing. Bending single notes while holding a chord is magic! I don't suppose you crush diamonds on the side? I can't believe the feel and dexterity you have with those awesome mitts, sir. Thank you for sharing your talents and expertise. Kurzweil and SW chose wisely - cheers!
WOW! 29 pounds...88 key weighted action... $1995.00... that sounds like the kind of board I need in my studio, heck at that weight I would even gig with it...oh, and Chris, I could sit here and listen to you play all day! Great great job!
It's official. You are sick! Your "shire" sound makes me wanna go and pick up a PC4 this afternoon. Not many sounds more beautiful than that. And the great thing about you playing it? You played it for almost a whole minute. Awesome sound. As always, thank you so much for sharing your videos. So much appreciated!
I recently picked up the SP6 and love it - but I am thinking of upgrading to this for the increased control and FM capability. I can attest to really liking the Medeli keyboard too. What made the SP6 really come alive though was the user patches available that provide for some phenomenal sounds not featured in the factory presets.
Very excited about the PC4 with the lower weight, shorter length, better screen...and larger storage memory is making me consider it. I wonder what other changes and improvements have been made to the sounds and controls and tech in the last decade. I have a 2010 PC3LE8 that I enjoy but this seems better in enough ways to make it worth the upgrade.
Not instantly blown away by the acoustic piano sound, but everything else sounds fantastic I have a yamaha CP4 which has some really nice sounds on it but some of these are just wild ❤
Very nice demo. Having previously owned (and sold, too heavy to continue to gig with) PC3 and PC3k8, I just ordered this based on this review. Unlike other comments, I really like the look. Other reviews just couldn't prompt me to pull the switch and order. The weight is a huge factor, onboard knobs& sliders, and sounds. I'm not fond of menu diving so the quick access is appealing. Price is good for todays market. Great piano samples are very important, so we'll see what it sounds like in person. Having never played it, hopefully action is acceptable. Will update this review and provide feedback.
Also, the great advantage is a good price and one of the best piano sounds on the market. I like the simplicity and usability of the interface. The design is nice and clean. I would go with Nord due to the design but it is twice the price.
So they're really never gonna. bring back the arrange function in their sequencers huh... great price point though! Kurz is still the best.. IMO... great job Chris. ;)
@@davcar23 The arrange mode.. where your able to link together individual sequences into a "song" .. almost like Ensoniq did it.. very logical... its been my main composition tool for 20 years without having to use a computer. 768ppqn is so far advanced in resolution for any sequencer.. and for them to simply STOP offering this function is bullshit!! Its simple function code..
@@kerzwhile Sounds like the format of the MPC series. I've been sequencing with the MPC for over a decade and you can arrange different "Songs" together to make one full composition in one project. There's a free download/entry level version if you want to try!
Thank you, excelent review and explanation, it convinced me to buy one. VAST and FM synthesis together, light keyboard but with piano action....... extremeley practical
Totally agree ^^ this workstation is pure power of sounds I love it ^^ its not like other trademarks with plastic sounds lol have one with one yamaha moxf 6 and the famous JD XA Roland but my favorite its my pc4 with a amazing V.A.S.T 😍😍😍😍🤩
I do need some insight regarding this workstation as I have never tried Kurzweil before - I am sick of these new touch screen based workstation such as Nautilus or Modx, I like the fact this one shows so many physical controls. In addition, although Roland Fantom also shows several physical sliders, buttons and knobs, it is still relies too much on the touch screen which made me sick. So how is the menu diving on PC4 ? - How is the keybed quality on the 7 version ? - Kurzweil has excellent reputation on orchestral and natural sounds, how is the synth part sound quality ? - Can you send midi and audio via USB into a daw ? - Can you add an external audio source such as microphone/synth/guitar and process via PC4 ? - Is the sequencer intuitive ? Thank you so much !
Regarding the first one - I prefer physical controls too. Especially these tiny screens with poor touch sensitivities. That is why this gear and Nord are the big winners in this matter.
I love your willingness to help musicians and interested people to introduce the Kurzweil PC4, among other things 👌. I would also like to promote the Kurzweil company.🙏 And by the way, I love the variety and the very detailed sounds of Kurzweil keyboards. Please help me to buy such an excellent instrument.🙏
Hi, thanks for your interest! The audio inputs on the PC4 can't be used for sampling. They are only for playing backing tracks or other audio content through the instrument. For more details, you can check out Kurzweil's complete user manual at this link: kurzweil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PC4-Musicians-Guide_Rev-C.pdf Feel free to reach out to me directly with any further questions. Thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
You can't for now, but with a software upgrade they surely could implement it if they want. I love my PC4-7 BTW! My favorite board ever, and I've playing since the 70's.
When I heard this was coming out, I was ultra exited, always loved Kurzweil keyboard/Synths, Then I realized that this PC4 board has the same build as the SP6 & SP1 range ate sadly made of crappy Plastic!! Not Metal, Not Solid! What a crying shame, thank Christ the Superb Kurzweil PCK3 & Artis range are still on sale.
Yeah :(. I'm with you there. Although something was always going to give there. They can come off as a bit of a confusing company. I mean you have a digital modular in VAST, an effects section that rivals Eventide h9000 (if you look through the KSP8 manual it's 311 pages; almost as many as the Eventide.) in both sound and scope (who's crazy enough to put an effects section like that in a keyboard? No one does that. It's crazy!) add to that a fully blown DX7 now with backwards compatibility, 256 notes of polyphony and you can see how some things had to give. Forte is probably what you want if you want PC3K build quality. It's the same metal construction and the same keybed. They're a small company though ultimately and the RnD budget just isn't what it use to be I guess.
You can get the Forte if you want to carry 23 kilograms of solid metal :-) For me being able to carry the PC4 without any health risks is an absolute blessing. No, it doesn’t feel as premium as a metal construction, but it’s perfectly solid as long as you don’t drop it down the stairs (which you are much less likely to do anyway with a weight of only 13 kg).
It’s a shame they abandoned updating the Forte SE. if it ran the 4.0 Forte update, it would have been a no brainer. I like the sound and simplicity of my Roland Juno DS, but the keybed is awful, and I would like to have FM added to the rompling.
Hi Gianluca. Having worked at Kurzweil as a Soundware Engineer, back in the early '90s, I can say that you're partially correct. It would be far more accurate to say that "some" of these sounds come from the original instrument recording session master tapes from the 1990s. But the samples in modern Kurzweils use many more roots in each keymap, and with higher sampling rates, and longer sample times than the ones used in the K250/K2000 days. And some, like the pianos, make use of the original stereo recordings. Thanks for watching!
Hi, thanks for your interest! Yes, you can set up “Quick Access Banks” on the PC-4, which will allow you to store 10 presets per bank for instant recall. You can also jump instantly to any saved program without digging through a menu by entering the corresponding program number on the keypad. For more details, check out Kurzweil’s complete user manual at this link: kurzweil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PC4-Musicians-Guide_Rev-C.pdf Hope this helps a bit! Feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Hi Sweetwater. Could you please review MEDELI AKX10 as well? There are a lot of "low budget" reviews out there for this keyboard that actually destroy the real value of this instrument.
Kuzweil may have the best sounds, however, people will always over look these keyboards because of there looks. Kurzweil needs to modernize their keyboards.
the sound of the piano is quite good on this video. You say the PC4 has much dynamic range, but you did not play any note PP, which is often required in classical music. Perhaps this cannot accomodate that kind of musical nuance. You seemed to be using quite bit of force on every note. When i was trying a similar model in the shop - without sound - it felt heavy and clunky compared to an acoustic piano. I would llike to own a keyboard like this as a substitute for my acoustic pianos, but have not found one good enough that I can afford yet.
@@WarrenPostma I think the patent lies in how they've made the sample loading times close to zero. The Kurzweil's boots in seconds, whereas the Korg Kronos for example takes minutes to boot.
@@monomorte Ah. That is cool. Today I learned a thing. The boot time on the Korg is a major impediment to its use in any live or stage setting in my opinion. If it was my board to redesign I guess I'd put a lithium polymer battery on board and make the RAM all battery backed so that it could fast boot.
Hello! The Kurzweil K2700 uses the Italian company Fatar's TP/40L keybed, which is quite a common high end weighted keybed in the industry - it feels great. The PC4 doesn't use quite the same keybed, being $1000 less expensive than its big brother the 2700, but it still does have quite nice feeling 88 weighted hammer action keys with aftertouch. You might notice a bit of extra sensitivity in the response of the 2700, but overall they aren't that different in weight or feel. If you'd like to go into more detail, please call my number below. Thanks for your interest! Nick LaMendola, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1660, nick_lamendola@sweetwater.com
Kurzweil is underestimated, and the demos are really not doing it better ,stuck in the same presentation as always piano,organ,strings........something outdated with the design too.And guess, i absolute love Kurzweils instruments despite this, (got a K2000 and a K2500) but the design and marketing is so bad it hurts and sells in negative,imho sorry to say.
For a synth guy like me, yeah, the demo doesn't really hit home. But when you pull back and think about live music and stage productions all over the world, reproducing a broad array of familiar and popular acoustic sounds is the biggest selling point.
I agree with this. I miss some sound tweaking and let’s see how powerful it behaves and how analog nice sounding this board could be. :) Right. Kurzweil should really develop a good VA and to learn from that experience as well. Nord is doing a great job by incorporating a VA to their Nord Stages. I wonder how this would be with the powerful synthesis from a Kurzweil and a good sound like that. I haven’t been impressed so far nor by Kurz nor from Korg, while Kurz sound better to my ears, the sound of Korg is quite tiny (but very modern and it could be nice, depending on what you expect). Korg VAs sound better to my ears than a synth like Kronos, for example.
Hey! Josh here at Sweetwater… Thanks for the inquiry! Great question. The pads are very user friendly and easy to work with. Though it does depend on what you're used to. Give me a holler at my number below and we can talk through this! Josh Kattner, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1689, Josh_Kattner@Sweetwater.com
well...having owned various kurzweils (all K series...) I have ro say K2000 seems sounding better, I'm not talking about acoustic new samples like german piano, but synthesizer sounds.
@@dbefore7165 I will get a pc4 but I wont try out my K2000r and K2500rs because they sound great and I love old digitech fx and piano sample, I will keep both.
Hi, Mark! Thanks for your interest. The sampled sounds in the PC4 are essentially the same as previous models, but they've increased the polyphony from 128 to 256 voices, and this instrument adds a new Japanese C7 piano sound in addition to the existing sounds. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
You narrated very well but the design of pc4 is not ergonomic. Very far wheels and small screen without touching feature. About sounds; same quality sounds are there in other workstations too. So main theme is to be user friend.
@@Zwopper It’s interesting to know how KURZ was able to save so much, if the PC3K8 weighed as much as 24 kg, what do you think? Why are they saving so much?
@@AlexLaptschenko Well the body is plastic and it's got an external power supply and the keybed isn't as heavy. Internally the PC4 is the same as the K2700. If they would offer a 2700 with 76 synth action keys I would jump on that in a heartbeat.
@@Zwopper Dude to be honest, the PC3 and especially the PC3K8/PC3A8 are made very solidly and efficiently with a complete absence of plastic, which gives me more confidence in the quality and longevity of the instrument. Well, the FATAH 40 keyboard is very reminiscent of STEINWAY - it is more intense at the bottom, and lighter in the upper range, as it should be for concert instruments. And the internal features have also been little studied... Although I also love the 2700. But where can I get it if it’s not there?
Anyone with experience on the feel of the keybed? I HATE the heavy sluggish bouncy/floppy feel of Roland’s and Korg’s entry and mid keyboard (e.g. Juno DS88, Kross88, SV2) I have a Casio CGP-S350 which I find acceptable (but of course the onboard effects are essentially nonexistent, and you cannot really edit patches). I also like the feel of the Yamaha MX88 or MODX8 (but dislike the UI on the MODX, as much as I want something to add FM). I also like the (non synth but light) action on the Nord Electro that I have tried, but they are pretty expensive. How does the PC4 compare?
Hello, Roboprogs. Great question! Comparing keyboard action is quite similar to comparing mattresses, it is extremely subjective and dependent on a lot of factors that we probably cannot cover in the scope of a TH-cam comment. With that being said, give us a call and we're happy to go into more detail to help you make a decision. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Just got mine from Sweetwater. What I can't figure out is: When in KB3 mode, can one use a pedal for SUSTAIN? When I Global override any of the pedals, the override doesn't seem to apply in KB3 mode. Yes, the sostenuto still works in KB3, but I'm used to being able to sustain KB3 with pedal while my hands are doing other things, like I have with previous Kurzweils. Any insight here?
I have some questions, if by any chance someone could answer : How do I get the keyboard velocity to control the filter cutoff on synth sounds ? I play with both hands and feet, so I can't afford to use a fader or a CC pedal. Is there a multi that transform all the controllers into a mixing desk with 9 programs ? There are multi with 4 faders assigned, but when I tried to add volume control and on/off on the button, I had so many conflicts with other midi assignation. Is it possible to create a custom velocity curve ? And have velocity curve for each program ? I've a hard time playing Rhodes sounds and piano sounds with the same velocity curve. The keybed is good, but the way it interacts with different categories of sound should be tuned. And last but not least, editing fx is a nightmare for me. Too many menu diving, and when I scroll through fx chain, it gets so laggy. Are there shorcuts ?
Hello there, thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately the scope of this question is a bit too in depth to go into in the span of one comment. Filter cutoff can be assigned to velocity or aftertouch on patches where that is available, though. The short answer to the rest of your questions is no, but there may be some workarounds. Honestly, it sounds like you may want to explore some different keyboard options if the PC4 is giving you this much trouble. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
I believe he did use them, at the time Kurzweil was a much bigger company than it is now and the keyboards were groundbreaking back in the day. Kurzweil's VAST technology is so advanced, they've never really needed to change it. Unfortunately I don't know why they aren't as in favor as they were. I guess people just get so accustomed to presets they don't bother to create their own.
@@markom1976 Does it have to be that fast for you?To put it another way,the boot-up time is virtually instantaneous(meaning a few seconds,rather than minutes.) I have a desktop that is flash memory based and from the time I power up to begin using it,it's about 3 to 4 seconds.
@@HighlandStudio91 Could you, please, measure the number of seconds the Kurzweil PC4 takes to boot from the OFF status to the first keypad-playable sound? Thanks
@@markom1976 I never said I owned a PC4,as I merely read about the PC4 having flash memory.Honestly...who gives a f**k whether it's 1 second or 4 seconds?What possible difference could it make?
The Road To Mars It is compatible with 2500 & 2600 programs. There’s some conversion that has to happen, but you can definitely load programs with.K25 or. K26 extensions into the instrument.
O que a kurzweil trás de novo? Nada além da carcaça fora que a Roland já largou na frente com esse novo conceito tem um uns 20 anos a Yamaha tá no páreo com seu "super knob " e sua tela touch de tamanho rasuavel mas bem interativa fora que se pode salvar as cenas ou performances com inúmeras camadas, enquanto que a kurzweil agora que acordou e pós um visor minúsculo em cores apenas 🥱
display is old style, with no touch screen??? Thank god for that! And BTW, it's beautiful, makes a great pair with my blue backlit Voyager. But we do agree on the sounds :)
Touch screens aren’t convenient since they need to be bigger than most keyboards displays have room for. I would rather have tons of sliders and knobs.
Hey! Josh here at Sweetwater… Thanks for the inquiry! Great question. It's similar to the PC3, but has it's changes. Give me a shout and we can chat through it. Josh Kattner, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1689, Josh_Kattner@Sweetwater.com
Those are easily the best guitar sounds I’ve ever heard from a synth.
Thank you SW/ CM Sounds incredible as is the playing. Bending single notes while holding a chord is magic! I don't suppose you crush diamonds on the side? I can't believe the feel and dexterity you have with those awesome mitts, sir. Thank you for sharing your talents and expertise. Kurzweil and SW chose wisely - cheers!
WOW! 29 pounds...88 key weighted action... $1995.00... that sounds like the kind of board I need in my studio, heck at that weight I would even gig with it...oh, and Chris, I could sit here and listen to you play all day! Great great job!
Isn’t it $3000?
Still not bad for what you get.
That oboe sound gives me goose bumps all over my body. Totally, totally awesome.
Great sounding keyboard,Chris always does great demos,I could listen to him play all day.
The strings and pads are outstanding!
Tried one last week. Absolutely love it. Seriously considering it.
The synth sounds kicks Krome, MODX and Fantoms for sure, i will definitely check this keyboard
The piano sound on that thing sounds so realistic and incredible
Thanks for the great demo, Chris! Especially appreciate the indexing so everybody can skip ahead to specific sections.
I didn't hear a lot of EP sounds but the piano and orchestrals are beautiful ..the controls and quick modification with sliders is a big plus
Sustain in multiple notes and bend a single note 😮❤
Synth sounds blew me away 😮
It's official. You are sick! Your "shire" sound makes me wanna go and pick up a PC4 this afternoon. Not many sounds more beautiful than that. And the great thing about you playing it? You played it for almost a whole minute. Awesome sound. As always, thank you so much for sharing your videos. So much appreciated!
Starts at around 23:00 if anyone was wondering. I agree, it’s great!
Sounds wonderful. replacing my very HEAVY PC3x...now just teach me to play like you and my band will really "Love me!"
A really good demo video!
I recently picked up the SP6 and love it - but I am thinking of upgrading to this for the increased control and FM capability. I can attest to really liking the Medeli keyboard too. What made the SP6 really come alive though was the user patches available that provide for some phenomenal sounds not featured in the factory presets.
I'd love to upgrade to sp6.. but the sturdy construction of my sp4 make think on adding a 61 keys keyboard instead trading my decent sp4.
Jack Minear , I upgraded from the SP6 to PC4 about 3 months ago ... WOW! I really liked the SP6 and I really LOVE this PC4. Not a single regret.
Very excited about the PC4 with the lower weight, shorter length, better screen...and larger storage memory is making me consider it. I wonder what other changes and improvements have been made to the sounds and controls and tech in the last decade. I have a 2010 PC3LE8 that I enjoy but this seems better in enough ways to make it worth the upgrade.
THAT SYNTH PAD AT 19:00 JUST SOLD ME
Some people say the PC4 sounds thin compared to the 2661 but it sounds pretty full here.
Not instantly blown away by the acoustic piano sound, but everything else sounds fantastic
I have a yamaha CP4 which has some really nice sounds on it but some of these are just wild ❤
Very nice demo. Having previously owned (and sold, too heavy to continue to gig with) PC3 and PC3k8, I just ordered this based on this review. Unlike other comments, I really like the look. Other reviews just couldn't prompt me to pull the switch and order. The weight is a huge factor, onboard knobs& sliders, and sounds. I'm not fond of menu diving so the quick access is appealing. Price is good for todays market. Great piano samples are very important, so we'll see what it sounds like in person. Having never played it, hopefully action is acceptable. Will update this review and provide feedback.
Feedback pls 😅
Also, the great advantage is a good price and one of the best piano sounds on the market. I like the simplicity and usability of the interface. The design is nice and clean. I would go with Nord due to the design but it is twice the price.
So they're really never gonna. bring back the arrange function in their sequencers huh... great price point though! Kurz is still the best.. IMO... great job Chris. ;)
Finally, someone who has that same request!! I truly miss that feature.
What is this function?
@@davcar23 The arrange mode.. where your able to link together individual sequences into a "song" .. almost like Ensoniq did it.. very logical... its been my main composition tool for 20 years without having to use a computer. 768ppqn is so far advanced in resolution for any sequencer.. and for them to simply STOP offering this function is bullshit!! Its simple function code..
@@kerzwhile Sounds like the format of the MPC series. I've been sequencing with the MPC for over a decade and you can arrange different "Songs" together to make one full composition in one project. There's a free download/entry level version if you want to try!
Beautiful job, Chris. Great instrument, artistically presented by a real pro!
I agree. This bro did a great job.
Thank you, excelent review and explanation, it convinced me to buy one. VAST and FM synthesis together, light keyboard but with piano action....... extremeley practical
Excellent for pads and chords. Great.
Thanks for your description video. I just discover this very nice instrument with his superb sounds. I put this kurzweil PC4 on my wish list. 👍
Totally agree ^^ this workstation is pure power of sounds I love it ^^ its not like other trademarks with plastic sounds lol have one with one yamaha moxf 6 and the famous JD XA Roland but my favorite its my pc4 with a amazing V.A.S.T 😍😍😍😍🤩
It's hard to beat Kurtzwiel orchestra sounds.
Sounds really good
I do need some insight regarding this workstation as I have never tried Kurzweil before
- I am sick of these new touch screen based workstation such as Nautilus or Modx, I like the fact this one shows so many physical controls. In addition, although Roland Fantom also shows several physical sliders, buttons and knobs, it is still relies too much on the touch screen which made me sick. So how is the menu diving on PC4 ?
- How is the keybed quality on the 7 version ?
- Kurzweil has excellent reputation on orchestral and natural sounds, how is the synth part sound quality ?
- Can you send midi and audio via USB into a daw ?
- Can you add an external audio source such as microphone/synth/guitar and process via PC4 ?
- Is the sequencer intuitive ?
Thank you so much !
Regarding the first one - I prefer physical controls too. Especially these tiny screens with poor touch sensitivities. That is why this gear and Nord are the big winners in this matter.
The keys on the PC4-7 is excellent. I love mine. The synth capabilities are miles ahead of the competition.
Nice axe -- cool demostration.
Thanks
Great demo Chris, I love the pads
I love the Sage reference at 23:10 by Emerson lake and palmer.
Sounds great, I fast forwarded to hear it. ELP were actually covering Mussorgsky on that album.
@@gevansmd1 True, the sage is one of Greg Lake's compositions though.
The first time Kurzweil has produced an instrument with 256 voices of polyphonie was for the SP1... ;)
Great keyboard kurzweil great sounds 👍
I think I'm in love.
Excellent demo
That's really nice. Good price too.
The weight........got my attention
Impressive
The best pads.
What a beast!
Wow! ELP's The Sage at 23:00 just blew my mind, like lots of other stuff! Yamaha MODX isn't quite in the same league, is it?
Bengt Samuelsson yes and no. MODX has great preset sounds. Pc4 has deeper sound shaping and editing with so many controls at your fingertips
ありがとうございます☆☆☆☆☆
I love your willingness to help musicians and interested people to introduce the Kurzweil PC4, among other things 👌. I would also like to promote the Kurzweil company.🙏 And by the way, I love the variety and the very detailed sounds of Kurzweil keyboards. Please help me to buy such an excellent instrument.🙏
New user question here, I love the sounds of the PC4, but I cannot find the The Shire multi, maybe it has to be downloaded from the site ?
Can you control the rotary effect using a sustain pedal just link on Nords ?
Hi Charlyaraya. Yes, you can change rotary speeds via any assignable controller, including Footswitch 1 or Footswitch 2. _Daniel_
@@sweetwater thank you so much Daniel
Thanks for sharing... 😉
Nice demo. Something I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere, can you sample through the audio inputs?
Hi, thanks for your interest! The audio inputs on the PC4 can't be used for sampling. They are only for playing backing tracks or other audio content through the instrument. For more details, you can check out Kurzweil's complete user manual at this link:
kurzweil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PC4-Musicians-Guide_Rev-C.pdf
Feel free to reach out to me directly with any further questions. Thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
You can't for now, but with a software upgrade they surely could implement it if they want.
I love my PC4-7 BTW!
My favorite board ever, and I've playing since the 70's.
When I heard this was coming out, I was ultra exited, always loved Kurzweil keyboard/Synths, Then I realized that this PC4 board has the same build as the SP6 & SP1 range ate sadly made of crappy Plastic!! Not Metal, Not Solid! What a crying shame, thank Christ the Superb Kurzweil PCK3 & Artis range are still on sale.
Yeah :(. I'm with you there. Although something was always going to give there. They can come off as a bit of a confusing company. I mean you have a digital modular in VAST, an effects section that rivals Eventide h9000 (if you look through the KSP8 manual it's 311 pages; almost as many as the Eventide.) in both sound and scope (who's crazy enough to put an effects section like that in a keyboard? No one does that. It's crazy!) add to that a fully blown DX7 now with backwards compatibility, 256 notes of polyphony and you can see how some things had to give. Forte is probably what you want if you want PC3K build quality. It's the same metal construction and the same keybed. They're a small company though ultimately and the RnD budget just isn't what it use to be I guess.
You can get the Forte if you want to carry 23 kilograms of solid metal :-)
For me being able to carry the PC4 without any health risks is an absolute blessing.
No, it doesn’t feel as premium as a metal construction, but it’s perfectly solid as long as you don’t drop it down the stairs (which you are much less likely to do anyway with a weight of only 13 kg).
@@St_Modler Not shure that a Forte dropted down in the stairs would be better than a PC4
It’s a shame they abandoned updating the Forte SE. if it ran the 4.0 Forte update, it would have been a no brainer.
I like the sound and simplicity of my Roland Juno DS, but the keybed is awful, and I would like to have FM added to the rompling.
Buy the 2700 if you want to carry around a ton of keyboard!
Is it possible to split/ layer simultaneously? Example bass/ piano split with a simple pad underneath the piano
Yep! 👍
There are 16 zones that you can place and space anywhere you want.
Sweetwater, please show us an audio playback features on this machine..thanks
At least half of the ROM comes from the 90s. So you get how great Kurzweil was, and still is today....
Hi Gianluca. Having worked at Kurzweil as a Soundware Engineer, back in the early '90s, I can say that you're partially correct. It would be far more accurate to say that "some" of these sounds come from the original instrument recording session master tapes from the 1990s. But the samples in modern Kurzweils use many more roots in each keymap, and with higher sampling rates, and longer sample times than the ones used in the K250/K2000 days. And some, like the pianos, make use of the original stereo recordings. Thanks for watching!
@@sweetwater I just left a question in another comment, will call my sales engineer this week if you guys aren't able to reply here. Thanks
If it ain't broke, don't fix 💯
Can MIDI OUT be used as MIDI THRU? How to set it in the instrument? Regards ;)
Yes under global settings.
can the user set custom presets that can be quickly recalled without pecking through a menu?
Hi, thanks for your interest! Yes, you can set up “Quick Access Banks” on the PC-4, which will allow you to store 10 presets per bank for instant recall. You can also jump instantly to any saved program without digging through a menu by entering the corresponding program number on the keypad. For more details, check out Kurzweil’s complete user manual at this link:
kurzweil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PC4-Musicians-Guide_Rev-C.pdf
Hope this helps a bit! Feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Yes
When is the k2700 coming out?
8:24 23:06 32:32
Hi Sweetwater. Could you please review MEDELI AKX10 as well? There are a lot of "low budget" reviews out there for this keyboard that actually destroy the real value of this instrument.
Kuzweil may have the best sounds, however, people will always over look these keyboards because of there looks. Kurzweil needs to modernize their keyboards.
Looking for the kurzweil that Kim Bullard used during the Farewell yellow brick road tour...
the sound of the piano is quite good on this video. You say the PC4 has much dynamic range, but you did not play any note PP, which is often required in classical music. Perhaps this cannot accomodate that kind of musical nuance. You seemed to be using quite bit of force on every note. When i was trying a similar model in the shop - without sound - it felt heavy and clunky compared to an acoustic piano. I would llike to own a keyboard like this as a substitute for my acoustic pianos, but have not found one good enough that I can afford yet.
I buy it without hesitation with a 61 key version!
Kurzweil needs a touch screen LCD!
Or is that the sort of thing likely to wear out?
They have on the SP7 Grand, but on this it would be useless.
Will they be releasing a 76 key version?
They did.
I have it - Love it!
didnt know they where still around
Got me into
11:45 the lick
Kurzweil has a patent on flash memory? I highly doubt that.
Warren Postma Their patent is related to streaming audio samples out of flash memory.
@@ChristianMartirano Interesting. Literally every digital synth does this.
@@WarrenPostma I think the patent lies in how they've made the sample loading times close to zero. The Kurzweil's boots in seconds, whereas the Korg Kronos for example takes minutes to boot.
@@WarrenPostma not really, its a patent on instant streaming form the ssd without pre loading.
@@monomorte Ah. That is cool. Today I learned a thing. The boot time on the Korg is a major impediment to its use in any live or stage setting in my opinion. If it was my board to redesign I guess I'd put a lithium polymer battery on board and make the RAM all battery backed so that it could fast boot.
How is the key action in Pc4 vs K2700?
Hello! The Kurzweil K2700 uses the Italian company Fatar's TP/40L keybed, which is quite a common high end weighted keybed in the industry - it feels great. The PC4 doesn't use quite the same keybed, being $1000 less expensive than its big brother the 2700, but it still does have quite nice feeling 88 weighted hammer action keys with aftertouch. You might notice a bit of extra sensitivity in the response of the 2700, but overall they aren't that different in weight or feel.
If you'd like to go into more detail, please call my number below. Thanks for your interest!
Nick LaMendola, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1660, nick_lamendola@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwater Ok, I understand... Thanks for the info!.
Kurzweil is underestimated, and the demos are really not doing it better ,stuck in the same presentation as always piano,organ,strings........something outdated with the design too.And guess, i absolute love Kurzweils instruments despite this, (got a K2000 and a K2500) but the design and marketing is so bad it hurts and sells in negative,imho sorry to say.
For a synth guy like me, yeah, the demo doesn't really hit home. But when you pull back and think about live music and stage productions all over the world, reproducing a broad array of familiar and popular acoustic sounds is the biggest selling point.
I agree with this. I miss some sound tweaking and let’s see how powerful it behaves and how analog nice sounding this board could be. :)
Right. Kurzweil should really develop a good VA and to learn from that experience as well. Nord is doing a great job by incorporating a VA to their Nord Stages. I wonder how this would be with the powerful synthesis from a Kurzweil and a good sound like that. I haven’t been impressed so far nor by Kurz nor from Korg, while Kurz sound better to my ears, the sound of Korg is quite tiny (but very modern and it could be nice, depending on what you expect). Korg VAs sound better to my ears than a synth like Kronos, for example.
...too much talking...
How are the pads on this? I’m interested
Hey! Josh here at Sweetwater… Thanks for the inquiry! Great question. The pads are very user friendly and easy to work with. Though it does depend on what you're used to. Give me a holler at my number below and we can talk through this!
Josh Kattner, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1689, Josh_Kattner@Sweetwater.com
Mod and Pitch Wheels are too far away from performance perspective. I'd say was a good start. I am checking if they have improved the PC series.
what are the tradeoffs? for that price... sacrifices have been made...
61 Note PC4 PLEASE Kurzweil
well...having owned various kurzweils (all K series...) I have ro say K2000 seems sounding better, I'm not talking about acoustic new samples like german piano, but synthesizer sounds.
kyma1999x that’s not possible, for a start the new kurzweil have anti aliased va and better fx
@@dbefore7165 it's not a matter of aliasing....is a matter of sound richness, in old series havin' both I can say it sounds more deep and 3d.
@@kyma1999x ive had k200, k2500, pc3k and forte...the modern baords are better , the pc3 with digital out was the best.
@@dbefore7165 I will get a pc4 but I wont try out my K2000r and K2500rs because they sound great and I love old digitech fx and piano sample, I will keep both.
I have not been able to find the banks setting to save and change my favorite sinidos you can help me
What about the synth section?
It's nothing short of amazing.
Question: Do the grand piano sounds seem improved over past Kurzweil stage pianos?
Hi, Mark! Thanks for your interest. The sampled sounds in the PC4 are essentially the same as previous models, but they've increased the polyphony from 128 to 256 voices, and this instrument adds a new Japanese C7 piano sound in addition to the existing sounds. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
You narrated very well but the design of pc4 is not ergonomic. Very far wheels and small screen without touching feature. About sounds; same quality sounds are there in other workstations too. So main theme is to be user friend.
Is it programmeble AS PC3k it was?
Yes, even more so.
@@Zwopper It’s interesting to know how KURZ was able to save so much, if the PC3K8 weighed as much as 24 kg, what do you think? Why are they saving so much?
@@AlexLaptschenko
Well the body is plastic and it's got an external power supply and the keybed isn't as heavy.
Internally the PC4 is the same as the K2700. If they would offer a 2700 with 76 synth action keys I would jump on that in a heartbeat.
@@Zwopper Dude to be honest, the PC3 and especially the PC3K8/PC3A8 are made very solidly and efficiently with a complete absence of plastic, which gives me more confidence in the quality and longevity of the instrument. Well, the FATAH 40 keyboard is very reminiscent of STEINWAY - it is more intense at the bottom, and lighter in the upper range, as it should be for concert instruments. And the internal features have also been little studied... Although I also love the 2700. But where can I get it if it’s not there?
Hopefully this keyboard is finished coming winternam seriously. I'm being nice in my way.
Anyone with experience on the feel of the keybed?
I HATE the heavy sluggish bouncy/floppy feel of Roland’s and Korg’s entry and mid keyboard (e.g. Juno DS88, Kross88, SV2)
I have a Casio CGP-S350 which I find acceptable (but of course the onboard effects are essentially nonexistent, and you cannot really edit patches). I also like the feel of the Yamaha MX88 or MODX8 (but dislike the UI on the MODX, as much as I want something to add FM).
I also like the (non synth but light) action on the Nord Electro that I have tried, but they are pretty expensive.
How does the PC4 compare?
Hello, Roboprogs. Great question! Comparing keyboard action is quite similar to comparing mattresses, it is extremely subjective and dependent on a lot of factors that we probably cannot cover in the scope of a TH-cam comment. With that being said, give us a call and we're happy to go into more detail to help you make a decision.
Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Faster and lighter.
Just got mine from Sweetwater. What I can't figure out is: When in KB3 mode, can one use a pedal for SUSTAIN? When I Global override any of the pedals, the override doesn't seem to apply in KB3 mode. Yes, the sostenuto still works in KB3, but I'm used to being able to sustain KB3 with pedal while my hands are doing other things, like I have with previous Kurzweils. Any insight here?
PC4? Go to the Global Main 2 Page, see the Rotary Overide value? Change it to "Button", then Sustain Pedal will take effect to KB3 program~
Real organs don't have sustain.
Yes you can.
I have some questions, if by any chance someone could answer :
How do I get the keyboard velocity to control the filter cutoff on synth sounds ? I play with both hands and feet, so I can't afford to use a fader or a CC pedal.
Is there a multi that transform all the controllers into a mixing desk with 9 programs ? There are multi with 4 faders assigned, but when I tried to add volume control and on/off on the button, I had so many conflicts with other midi assignation.
Is it possible to create a custom velocity curve ? And have velocity curve for each program ? I've a hard time playing Rhodes sounds and piano sounds with the same velocity curve. The keybed is good, but the way it interacts with different categories of sound should be tuned.
And last but not least, editing fx is a nightmare for me. Too many menu diving, and when I scroll through fx chain, it gets so laggy. Are there shorcuts ?
Hello there, thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately the scope of this question is a bit too in depth to go into in the span of one comment. Filter cutoff can be assigned to velocity or aftertouch on patches where that is available, though. The short answer to the rest of your questions is no, but there may be some workarounds. Honestly, it sounds like you may want to explore some different keyboard options if the PC4 is giving you this much trouble.
Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Yes! 😎
Does anybody know if Jhonny J Tupac producer used the kurzwwil keyboard for his music production ?
I believe he did use them, at the time Kurzweil was a much bigger company than it is now and the keyboards were groundbreaking back in the day. Kurzweil's VAST technology is so advanced, they've never really needed to change it. Unfortunately I don't know why they aren't as in favor as they were. I guess people just get so accustomed to presets they don't bother to create their own.
Miss my PC3 76.... 29 Lbs is nothing.
29 lbs
I am always suspitious on rewies not showing the instruments boot time, a very important and well hidden weakness.
There is no boot time,as the PC4 operates on flash memory.
@@HighlandStudio91 Do you mean, the time between clickling on On/off button and playing sound on keyboard is less then 1 second?
@@markom1976 Does it have to be that fast for you?To put it another way,the boot-up time is virtually instantaneous(meaning a few seconds,rather than minutes.) I have a desktop that is flash memory based and from the time I power up to begin using it,it's about 3 to 4 seconds.
@@HighlandStudio91 Could you, please, measure the number of seconds the Kurzweil PC4 takes to boot from the OFF status to the first keypad-playable sound? Thanks
@@markom1976 I never said I owned a PC4,as I merely read about the PC4 having flash memory.Honestly...who gives a f**k whether it's 1 second or 4 seconds?What possible difference could it make?
Architecture
the guitar sounds like a guitar until he hits the pitch bend
It's because he uses it when playing chords, doesn't make sense on the guitar...
Sound is very good but lookwise it is not up to the mark 2019 though !
Hi Guatam Kumar Goswami. I'm fine with the looks. What I'm very happy about is the lack of weight on this 88-note instrument: 28 lbs! (13 kg)
Roland Fa is betther
Not backward compatible with legacy Kurzweil 2500-26000 files (so its a deal breaker for me).
The Road To Mars It is compatible with 2500 & 2600 programs. There’s some conversion that has to happen, but you can definitely load programs with.K25 or. K26 extensions into the instrument.
O que a kurzweil trás de novo? Nada além da carcaça fora que a Roland já largou na frente com esse novo conceito tem um uns 20 anos a Yamaha tá no páreo com seu "super knob " e sua tela touch de tamanho rasuavel mas bem interativa fora que se pode salvar as cenas ou performances com inúmeras camadas, enquanto que a kurzweil agora que acordou e pós um visor minúsculo em cores apenas 🥱
Kurzweil has gone downhill.. What! Are they owned by Behringer now?
Was enjoying this until he turned on the fast rotary
Sounds like an older generation sample keyboard to me--- not that great.
Excellent orchestra sounds, piano, guitar! But the PC4 is soo ugly and the display is old style, with no touch screen???
display is old style, with no touch screen??? Thank god for that! And BTW, it's beautiful, makes a great pair with my blue backlit Voyager. But we do agree on the sounds :)
Who needs a touch screen when your fingers are supposed to be busy on a keyboard to play music, anyway ? I don't get it.
@@gasminet Exact! From what I've heard, the Yamaha modx touch screen sucks
Touch screens aren’t convenient since they need to be bigger than most keyboards displays have room for. I would rather have tons of sliders and knobs.
What is the VAST workflow on here like?
Hey! Josh here at Sweetwater… Thanks for the inquiry! Great question. It's similar to the PC3, but has it's changes. Give me a shout and we can chat through it.
Josh Kattner, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1689, Josh_Kattner@Sweetwater.com
28.12 😂
sure isn’t what it used to be