Jim Atwood in Japan

MKSensation MKS-20 Kontakt/EXS/Reason

The new MKSensation Sample Library for the Roland MKS-20 Piano Module compatible with Kontakt/EXS/Reason applications has now been released. Having purchased the Yamaha ES/XS/XF version of this sample set, I can honestly say it’s a nice set of samples. If you are after that Roland MKS-20 sound you can’t go wrong with adding this sample library to your collection. Below I have attached a video that highlights the samples and makes comparisons with the original Roland MKS-20. This Sample Library requires KONTAKT 3 OR 4, REASONS 4 OR 5, OR LOGIC EXS SAMPLER. All EP and Piano sounds have 6-Velocity layers. The Chorus was also sampled on the EP’s and the Vibraphone.

From the GospelMusicians website: For years, the Roland MKS-20 piano module has been the staple of gospel music for years. Artist such as Mike Bereal, and Jason White have used this module. There is a distinct sound to this module and gospel musicians around world still use this module today. Before it has been a secret, but now we are letting the cat out of the bag, while taking it a step further!

The Roland MKS-20 piano module contained the most distinct piano and EP sounds. Now you can load these sounds and samples into your computer DAW workstation for your gospel productions. Now you don’t have to purchase this module: You can put the module right into your computer and layer, and combine as you please.

The sounds were programmed from a real MK-20 right in our own studios through top Apogee converters and our #1 Goal was to make sure it sounded exactly like the real Roland MKS-20 module. Best of all we sampled all of the sounds, so you get the harpsichord, clav, and the xylophone!

BONUS: THE EP’S WERE SAMPLED WITH THE ORIGINAL MKS CHORUS FOR THAT ADDED PHATNESS. We also added a very nice DX7-EP and Piano sound.

NEXOE Roland Fantom YASE Review

Today I purchased the software YASE from Nexoe for the Roland Fantom X series workstations. I have been doing a lot of work with sampling lately and I really needed a faster way to import samples into my Roland Fantom XR and Xa. YASE has a really nice Patch Editor that allows the entire task of importing samples to be pretty much automated. It’s fantastic, but unfortunately the interface is kind of sketchy at times.

Nexoe YASE sells for $175 which is pretty steep, BUT this software is the ONLY software on the market that allows one to organize their samples and patches effective and easily on the computer. In addition, you can import any AKAI sample CD or file beautifully. If you have other formats, I just use Extreme Sample Converter or Awave Studio to convert into AKAI S5000 format. I then simply import into YASE and presto, a few minutes later I have it ready to import into the Roland Fantom XR.

The PROS of using Nexoe’s YASE software are as follows:

1. Renaming Patches, MultiSamples, and Samples is much easier.
2. Drag and Drop organizing of samples can ONLY be done with YASE.
3. Combining and/or organizing different patches into one patch set can ONLY be done with YASE.
4. The auto assigning of Root Notes and the auto creation of Multisamples can only be done in YASE.
5. Everthing is very well organized and visually appealing in YASE. It’s fun to use.
6. The Sample Editor is nice after I solved my initial audio playback problem with it. I haven’t test much the auto loop detect ability yet, but the sample editor itself is pretty feature rich and much better than the standard Roland Fantom Editor.
7. Nexoe’s support is top notch. Something rare these days with regards to software companies on the net.

Now the CONS of Nexoe’s YASE software are as follows:

There is only ONE! YASE is extremely finicky and will play with your mind it seems. I have developed a good workflow, but in the beginning I was going in circles trying to get from A to B. Despite the nice panels and layout, the code with which YASE was written in is not quite solid in my book. It feels like a “flash” website where you are constantly clicking buttons that only seem to work when they want to. Java software feels the same too sometimes. I don’t know what development tool was used for YASE, but it just doesn’t play nice sometimes and thus causes issues with workflow occasionally.

Unfortunately as is common with Roland products, the free software for the Roland Fantom X is crippled. It cannot do some pretty basic and necessary functions when working with multisamples. This is where the NEXOE YASE program shines. It fills in all the gaps that are missing with the Roland Fantom X software. Is it a must buy? Absolutely if you are working with samples a lot. I am really glad I bought it.

There is no review anywhere that I could find on the web for Nexoe’s Roland Fantom YASE software. It’s a good piece of software, but for $175 it can be quirky. It all comes down to what you need and is it worth that amount of money to you. For me, I have a ton of multisample patches that I want to create and load into the Fantom XR and Xa. Tinkering around all day long with the Roland Fantom “crippled” Software just doesn’t cut it. I have a need for speed and efficiency. NEXOE YASE is the answer I’ve been looking for which will allow me to get back to what I enjoy most, playing music rather than programming it.

UPDATE: NEXOE RESAMPLER Roland Fantom Software Review coming soon!

Precision Sound Electric Piano Samples

Today I just got a newsletter from Precision Sound about their Winter Sale which consists of 50 percent off on all Sample Sets until 31 December 2010. I’ve been waiting for this sale to come up so I could finally pick up some Samples sets to program into my Yamaha Motif ES and Roland Fantom XR Sound Module. I was primarily interested in the EP Electric Piano series samples which consists of the MKS-20, Fender Rhodes MKII 73, and Wurlitzer A200 Electric Piano. I recently purchased the GospelMusicians MKSensation and Neo-Soul Rhodes and I’m excited about adding to that collection with these new sample sets.

I’m a HUGE fan of the electric piano sound in jazz, gospel, Rnb, Funk, you name it. I don’t have a read Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, nor an MKS-20, so I feel (hope) these Sample sets will get me close if not there. At the moment I am programming these into my Motif and Fantom because those are my primary multisample based hardware keys at the moment. Once I have them in there, I’ll update my article here with some thoughts about how I think they sound and maybe make some comparisons to other sample sets like I mentioned above. These Sample Sets can be expensive I know which is why I waited for the Precision Sounds Samples to go on Sale.

The exact Precision Sound Sample Sets I purchased are as follows for those interested:

Dusty Electric MkII V2 – Fender Rhodes Mk II 73 Stage Piano
Funky Electric P200 V2 – Wurlitzer A200 Electric Piano
P20 – Vintage Digital – Roland MKS-20 8 Presets

If anyone has a questions or thoughts, please feel free to comment below. Thanks! – Jim

MKSensation MKS-20 for Motif EX/XS/XF

Today I picked up the recent Gospelmusicians Sample release called MKSENSATION MKS-20. I have never owned a Roland MKS-20 and probably won’t anytime soon as they are both hard to come by and are a bit expensive to buy and have shipped to Japan. After reading a couple of reviews from prominent musicians who recently bought the MKSensation MKS-20 samples, I elected to give them a try myself. I also recently bought the Neo-Soul Rhodes Samples from Gospelmusicians and they are really good. I was able to convert and import them into my Fantom XR as well. With some additional tweaking I think they sound great. I figured I would do the same with MKSensation so that I could play them both on my Yamaha Motif ES and Fantom XR Sound Module. ( Note: These samples DO NOT WORK with the Roland Fantom XR straight out of the box. They are for Motif Keyboards ONLY. You have to convert them and understand how to create multisamples in the Fantom manually yourself. I actually spent a few days on the Neo-Soul Rhodes Samples and was able to get all voices pretty close on the Fantom XR. MKSensation will likely be easier. )

In an earlier article, I wrote that these Samples were likely to be good, but were expensive. Although they are similar priced with other sample sets found on Motifator, I still think they “all” are expensive..laugh. With that said, I KNOW I will be using these samples on my Motif ES and Fantom XR extensively so I’m sure I’ll recoup quickly. I also believe in supporting Jamal Hartwell and Dave Polich for their fantastic work on the samples and Motif programming. I should also mention that unlike some samples sets on Motifator, you get all three MKSensation Samples Sets for the Motif EX,XS, and XF. Thus at anytime if you upgrade your Motif or get another keyboard you can use these samples for all three. Other packages make you buy the samples all over again unless you know how to properly convert them. Even then you still have to know how to program your Motif as these Samples contain not only the raw samples, but also use Rom based Motif sounds when layered. Not to mention that some use effects and other parameters from the Motif. When I was programming the Fantom, I noticed this was true for all the special effect patches in the Neo-Soul Sample Set and had to adjust accordingly.

I will update this article with additional info once I complete my download and put them into my Motif ES for playing. I’ll also write some comments about how well they program into the Fantom XR once I complete that later in the week. I use both the Motif and Fantom extensively so that is why I am shoving them into the Fantom. It’s not easy, but it’s doable and it sounds great to my ears.

Here’s the Voice List for MKSensation.

001 (A01) MKS Piano 1
002 (A02) MKS Piano 2
003 (A03) MKS Piano 3
004 (A04) MKS Clav
005 (A05) MKS Vibes
006 (A06) MKS Harpsi
007 (A07) MKS-20 EP1
008 (A08) MKs-20 EP2
010 (A10) MKS Remix – Piano and EP Tines with chorus
011 (A11) Piano1&Str – MKS Piano 1 with Strings.
012 (A12) MKSEP&Strg – MKS EP 2 and Strings
013 (A13) Stack Vibe – Super layered MKS and Yamaha Tines
014 (A14) MKS Tine 1 – MKS EP 2 with high chorus and warmth
015 (A15) MKS Tine 2 – Piano 2 and Strings
016 (A16) Hard MKS20 – Piano 3 with a hard dance piano sound

Stay tuned!

Jim

Fender Rhodes 1971 Suitcase Piano

I have always been a huge fan of the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano Sound. I love listening to some of the great artists like George Duke, Jeff Lorber, Bob James, Dr. Lonnie Liston Smith, Herbie Hancock, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Sample, The Crusaders and one of my favorites Eumir Deodato jam on the Rhodes Piano. It’s simply breathtaking and inspiring.

There are plenty of great hardware and software Rhodes Emulations out there from the Yamaha Motif Series, Nord Electros, Kurweil, Korg SV-1, to the Roland classic Vintage Keys expansion cards. Scarbee, Lounge Lizard, and Mr. Ray are a few of the top Software choices emulating the popular Fender Rhodes sound.

So what are some of the top Fender Rhodes Sounds and Samples? Well as of writing this post there are a load of Rhodes Sample choices out on the market. I have narrowed down a few that are popular, plus a brand new one released this week for the Yamaha Motif Series Keyboards.

1. Neo-Soul Fender Rhodes Sounds and Samples – by Jamal Hartwell from Gospelmusicians

2. Fender Rhodes Suitcase Premiere – RHODES Premier Japan

3. Dusty Electric MkII by Precision Sound

4. Real Rhodes by Pyramid Sound Productions

5. 1977 Mark I Rhodes Stage Piano by Learjeff’s Soundfonts

6. Scarbee R.S.P. ’73 – RSP 73 is the most comprehensively sampled Rhodes piano on earth.

7. E-PIAN by Acoustic Samples – a Classic 73 Keys Electric piano from 1972 recorded

8. Tubed Keys Mk I 73 by SampleTekk – The Rhodes challenger! Sampled using a Fender Twin (c) amp.

Here is a video of Jamal Hartwell’s new Neo-Soul Fender Rhodes Sounds and Samples for your Yamaha Motif ES/XS/XF.

Yamaha A3000 Sampler

Last week I dusted off my old Yamaha A3000 version 1 sampler and was surprised to find out how well it worked with multisampling. I remember shelving the unit a while back namely because I had issues with looping, midi, and a few other things that happened to be fixed or improved with Version 2. I never got around to upgrading it, but I recently discovered that despite the fact that it’s a version 1 Yamaha A3000, it actually works extremely well with multisampling. Nowadays I say leave looping to the likes of the newer Akai MPCs, Roland SP Groove boxes, Soft Samplers, or anything current. However, with multisampling, I think the Yamaha A3000 still has a lot of life left even if it’s still version one. Something tells me also that multisampling was probably the A3000′s primary function in the first place. and unless you were interested in that, you pretty much sold or moth balled the sampler.

Currently I have the Yamaha A3000 V1 maxed out at 128MB of memory which is plenty for most multisampling tasks. Attached to the rear SCSI is a zip drive which works to store the samples from memory and loads them rather quickly. I usually import my WAV files from the PC and using either the Floppy Drive or Zip drive works well with for this. I use Sony Soundforge to save my WAV files to Microsoft PCM format for easy importing. The on board effects are decent and applying the samples to the keys is easy enough. Triggering the samples via a midi controller works perfectly and you can do velocity cross fades and some layering as well. In fact with regards to multisamples, the Yamaha A3000 is actually pretty easy to use. Looping on the other hand is best done “from” version 2 and upward although it still can be done with Version 1.

Lately I’ve enjoyed using such hardware samplers as the Roland W-30, S-330, and S-760. When you compare the Yamaha A3000 version 1 to those samplers you start finding out that the A3000 is pretty competitive. In fact in some cases it’s an upgrade so it’s been really fun. I also have a Roland SP-606 which works fine for working with loops. It syncs well with the Yamaha A3000 if required. Honestly, I’m not into that much looping really so some hard core loopers may require more in features than what I currently use.

It’s always good to hold on to old gear as you never know when you might need it again in the future. Actually if I think about it, I don’t think I was able to sell the A3000 version one in the first place so perhaps that is why I really kept it…laugh. However, with my recent interest in working with multisampled instruments and synthesizers, I’ve found the Yamaha A3000 version 1 to be a more than capable and rewarding hardware sampler. So far, it has been getting the job done beautifully. Perhaps one of these days I’ll upgrade to either the A4000 or A5000 when I see one, but for now, my A3000 has a new life with multisampling and it’s super cheap on Ebay right now!!