Yamaha MODX vs the best software pianos

► Website: woodypianoshack.com
► Podcast: / woodypianoshack
The Yamaha MODX piano sounds go head-to-head with the winning software VST piano libraries, as voted by you. We'll just hang out for a while, improvise and enjoy these pianos and see if we can draw some conclusions and reach a final verdict on the best piano. Note that the sound demo from the MODX featured in this video are the same in the MODX6, MODX7, MODX8 as well as the Yamaha MONTAGE.
SPOILER ALERT
The contenders are:
Pianoteq Stage Steinway D
Native Instrument THE GRANDEUR
Yamaha MODX Concert CFX Grand Piano
Yamaha MODX Bosendorfer Imperial Grand

[@nickshutte8369]

Great review of these pianos Woody....I have a Roland FA08 which I bought for ease of access and performing and your videos make me want to go back and dive into my Native Instruments and other software pianos to explore their depth and capabilities for recordings!

[@GregoryDumont2]

Fantastic demos and wonderful playing, as always, Woody. Really enjoyed this.

[@timbrandon1466]

Keep up the good work Woody. Love your video's.

[@FrankyGun]

The best Woody video I have seen imho! I was driving and just listened to you playing... from minute 35 onwards I was in heaven!!!! Especially the Bosendorfer parts beamed me to other planets. Thanks so much, Woody for this amazing video! It was an expensive one to watch though as for one I urgently need to purchase a MODX now and secondly as I certainly will JOIN to get your piano lessons and learn from the master! Love and light from sunny Thailand, Franky

[@tarciuscondgerente5154]

Bravoo! Woody!!! I cant stop coming back to watch this great comparative video. Great playing and inspirational pieces that put together a variety of styles and harmonies that fit each sound. Thanks to the effort to show the main features that matters to serious musicians!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i'm astonished so many of you made it through to the end!!!

[@benskia]

36:24 - that little version of Tubular Bells is epic!! Love it. I'll be tracking that patch down on my MODX8

[@koulyone1172]

Totally Epic! I had this album on cassette. I haven’t heard it in 25 years. The moment my brain made the connection, I think I time traveled.

[@waveform-synths]

Loved the tubular bells sections... thanks...

[@rashminparekh1364]

thank u so much sir for uploading this video. really enjoyed your improvisation.i just purchased MODX.

[@dgp1080]

Really good work!.... some of us really appreciated. Thanks!

[@RicHollandUK]

Really excellent dem, thanks. I particularly liked the Pianoteq: imoressive for sound, versatility and being around only 100mb.

[@jst4curiosity704]

I'm now convinced I'm better off spending that money on lessons than software!

[@abz124816]

Any knowledge that you can store in your own brain beats what ever software lives on your computer :)

[@MrEMann]

Perfect attitude. New sounds might inspire but they won't ever improve technique.

[@OctavianVesa]

These videos are the reason KZbin exists! Thanks, Woody for taking the time (51 minutes is no small feat!) and showing us that although software is becoming the most accessible 'Instrument', there is still a place for the hardware keyboard/synth/digital piano, and, ultimately, they aren't a replacement for 'the real thing' yet they are the closest we could get when an acoustic piano is not suitable or possible. Keep up the good spirit, we love the humour in your videos!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks octavian, and congrats for making it to the end!! :D

[@samscott54]

very well done - thx for explaining and telling pad names

[@janisalo9011]

Nice playing. I liked the parts where you played a bit of Tubular bells!

[@encrust1]

Great playing. Thx for the comparison. The Grandeur has always been my favourite, more like sitting in front of a real instrument in a real environemnt than any synth or EP I've tried (Yamaha, Korg or Roland). Not always easy to to place in a mix though

[@irishmusico]

Tubular bells is just beautiful. So What sounds really cool. It's a real pleasure to listen to you play. I am still loving my Kronos but the MODX sounds great.

[@user-qz7sf5mu1h]

Thank you, Woody! Great video!

[@stevenrobinson2047]

Thanks for the review. Very helpful!

[@Robin_S78]

No matter how long Woody’s videos are, I have to watch them all and completely till the end. Very informative and entertaining video Woody, keep going!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

and some of them are veeeeery long... thanks for watching!

[@Peter-Dirks]

wow, great video, wonderful sounds and your playing is FANTASTIC!!!! Many thanks for this great video!!!!!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

that's very complimentary, thanks!

[@StochasticDesign]

Wonderful playing and interesting comparison! Thanks!

[@dekzan]

Thanks !! !!!🌌🎹🎵 Great video. Impressed with the Bosendorfer Dark Wooden Box.

[@100CTMusic]

Very Nice piano voices. Thanks for introducing us to them.

[@erichkohl9317]

Lovely playing Woody, just lovely. *wipes tear* ;-)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

tears of laughter?? :D

[@markjaylandes]

Another great video Woody! 👍😀😃

[@ericmelton7557]

Love your videos Woody. Because of your vids showing off the Yamaha MODX, I bought a MODX8 and love it. Fantastic playing too.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats on your MODX, bet the pianos are pretty nice to play on the 8.

[@guidryjoseph44]

Loved the review!!

[@tommymandel]

Nice playing near the end of the video on Miles Davis' "So What" composition, Woody! And agreed, that's a very good point you make: all these 'simulations' aspire to give the 'feel' of a real piano being played, but fail. However, once recorded, the differences are harder to perceive.(you said it better!)

[@tommymandel]

IMHO, comparing Rolands to Yamahas, to the various VI's, they each seem to take their own approach to 'where' the player/listener will be situated physically - some sound like the user is seated at the instrument, others like they're standing beside it, others like your head is IN it! Have you played the Prophet-XL for it's piano sounds? Curious as to your take on that!

[@JoseVGavila]

Great work, as always!. I am now setting up my keyboards and I am always looking for good piano sounds. For me, Pianoteq seems the most versatile. I will probably give it a chance soon. Looking forward for your next video. Best wishes from Spain

[@reactions5783]

You can download the free trial from the Pianoteq website. The trial version has pretty much all of the functionality of the full version except 8 notes are disabled and Pianoteq needs to be restarted after 20 mins. But that's more than enough to see if it's right for you and worth buying.

[@reactions5783]

Oh, and the download is under 50 megabytes!

[@djGreenALERT]

Thank you for Tubular Bells Woody. I'm not convinced any of these sound better than Keyscape but I thoroughly enjoyed this video anyway. (I have to confess I do like The Grandeur with effects though)

[@thomjohn98]

Great video Woody, I own the MODX7 and love mine, it does so much and is my workhorse for the acoustic sounds, I use it with either the Nord Piano 5 or Fantom 08 depending on the band I am using it with, and a Roland VR09 for the organ... Please keep making videos... Take care and all the best in the years to come...

[@vincentpaula3184]

Great video. Beautiful sounds you are a very gifted player

[@vincentpaula3184]

46:55 was 👌🏾

[@deauvillevrienden]

Great playing Woody, as always... I love it ! and another vote for the Grandeur when it comes to the software :-)) but really love the Bosendorfer free library. Heve no MODX yet but a MOXF8

[@tuneunleashed]

Rik Vanhoenacker Bruv keep the Moxf it has a better Keybed then the MODX

[@deauvillevrienden]

@@tuneunleashed I had no plans to sell the MOXF and i'm very sceptic to buy a MODX as I heard that some refuse to start up sometimes :-o

[@Angelstarscotland]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video, regarding the piano sounds the truth is that you are such a melodic and fluent player that any decent piano library would Sound beautiful with you playing. For me the Modx sounded more finished in terms of the fx etc. I’d like to hear a completely dry test to actually compare the raw sounds. Saying that I used to use a load of software pianos in my music since I bought a Kurzweil SP6 I tend to only use the sp6 for piano parts. As good as software instruments are these days I believe good hardware synths still have the edge. This is coming from someone who sold all their hardware then decided to go back.

[@davidplatt5957]

I really enjoyed this.. Thank you..

[@djGreenALERT]

Blimey Woody. That CFX Padded sound (36.30) blew everything else I heard on your vid clean out of the water! I would love to know how a keyscape/Omnisphere equivalent patch would measure up to that.. My first comment needs to be amended. There are a few sounds (Presets) on the MODX you played that sound phenomenal.

[@ZoeSummers1701A]

Grandeur wins for me! Thanks Woody, your concern for the viewers makes your videos unique. xXx

[@Alan_Chapman]

Just to add some info on the architecture on the Montage/MODX: The CFX Concert performance contains 4 AWM2 parts (remember you can mix in FM-X parts as well). Each AWM2 part contains up to 8 active "elements" which can be thought of by themselves as a single oscillator synthesizer, complete with EQ, filter and amplifier envelopes, etc. The architecture gets very deep on those keyboards if you're into programming sounds. For the CFX Concert, in a nutshell it's part 1 assigned to every note up to G5 of 6 velocity layers from 2-92, part 2 is every note up to G5 with 3 velocity layers from 93-127, part 3 is every note from G#5 on up with 8 velocity layers from 2-127, and part 4 is a key off sample "expanded articulation" on every note up to G5. The additional detailed control allows each element to have individual cutoff frequency and level assignments, among other things that differentiate the behavior or a piano at those velocity layers beyond just switching the sample and volume level.

[@xp50player]

Alan Chapman - as good as this is, the Kronos does all of this and more in a single Program OSC, which is 1/2 of one part. Kronos, which comes with now 4 major piano libraries on the new SE, has 12 velocity layers, full length samples on every key, with adjustable damper resonance, damper noise, modeled sympathetic resonance, release noise, stereo orientation, draggable lid and una corda samples. If Yamaha had only developed new specialized engines instead of staying with the Motif PCM architecture.

[@Alan_Chapman]

xp50player I do want a chance to dive into a Kronos beyond checking out store demos. I liked what I saw whenever I messed around with one. Yamaha’s SCM was a neat technology that became slightly less interesting once I saw it only applied directly to the electric pianos (still a mighty neat prospect in its own right). The CP1/CP5/CP4 still use samples for the acoustic pianos and SCM models for the preamps, effects etc. The best part of Yamaha’s tech is that it sounds so good out of the box in any situation. With Roland and others I find myself trying to edit things to sit right in a mix, or not sound so dry and digital when solo. Could just be my ear is used to Yamaha’s sound though. I personally can’t stand sympathetic string resonance. On products that include it I usually turn down the intensity or find a way to disable it. Engineers often try to EQ that out of acoustic recordings anyway. My favorite non-Yamaha piano sound on a hardware synth is the Grand Lady D from the Nord Stage 2. The resonance isn’t overly harsh, and it just sounds so warm.

[@followyourpassion8378]

Thank you. For some reason, I also still like the older Full Concert Grand. I think, it was already on the XS.

[@blakeh6250]

Yea original pianos are thin and weak..don't cut through live well.

[@Alan_Chapman]

@@blakeh6250 Try one of the Mono samples. Stereo is great for listening in headphones or a good set of speakers for solo or practicing, but in a live mix, use a Mono sample. Nobody is hearing all that stereo detail through a PA live anyway, and most bands play too loud in my opinion. If you’re really competing with some powerful instruments, spike the mid EQ. Also, wear earplugs! Lol

[@jespergummeson5606]

Great video Woody! The modx6 is the winner for me since It should be more reliable than a Computer and audio interfaces on stage. And it contains 4 DX7 in the same package as well. A monster synth to layer sounds, fm + samples, to new dimensions. Just bought one for the next gig...

[@WarrenPostma]

so how do you like the key feel on the modx ? I can't stand it.

[@jespergummeson5606]

For me it works just fine with the light touch when playing fast solos, pads, expressive fm sounds, and synth brass etc. Not the best keys for piano sounds. Then I prefere Kawai grand feel action. The modx (and montage sound module in it) connected to it is amazing. 👌

[@PietroPantaleo]

saluti dall'italia. thanks thanks thanks for sharing your knowledge...best wishes for everything you want

[@mysterio77690]

Hi dear Woody, Nice and interesting comparative video!!Keep this way!! Best regards my friend.Mysterio FTS

[@raffitchakmakjian]

someone's probably pointed this out already, but there are no heavy algorithms to playback samples, so sample based synthesis uses little horsepower regardless of the sample library size. A modeled instrument is doing lots of maths in realtime to produce the sound (in other words, synthesis), so depending on the quality of the instrument, a modeled instrument will be CPU heavy. Nice vid!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

you're right, well said, but still astonishing to me that you can play a 10GB piano without glitches The entire library is not loaded into memory, the memory footprint is negligible. must be some sophisticated caching and streaming algorithms going on behind the scenes.

[@theguy3174]

Your speech recording setup is perfect on these videos. Well placed sound even beyond the expected. wind em' up to max and see what happens. JAZZ. Really good JAZZ is what happens. Well done sir.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

appreciated, thx, i've always made a lot of effort on that

[@Gainn]

I really like the MODX piano, but it was the choir sounds and cheesy synth strings that made me get one. The Bosendorfer being a freebie certainly didn't hurt.

[@RobynVids]

Great vid! I forgot how good Pianoteq was

[@hleet]

nice comparison ! Now I appreciate more the GRANDEUR VSTI :)

[@garywright3628]

How I would love to play to this standard. Lovely to listen to Woody.... Oh well, I'll keep practising I guess :)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

we never stop... :)

[@philippesteindl3356]

We're way past the day, where software can't do anything. Chances are these days you'll find a VST, that's usually better than a hardware synth. Even analog can be simulated to crazy close amounts these days, although analog fans will cry blasphemy here :) Usually PCs can have both more RAM, HD/SSD space and CPU power than what is put into HW synths. Look at software like UVI Falcon ... you have more than a dozen Oscillator types (FM, Samples, Wavetable, Virtual Analog etc), tons of effects and you can combine and layer unlimited amounts of them only limited by your PCs hardware power. Therefore, you'd probably never buy a hardware synth to outdo software in terms of flexibility .. that's probably not a good idea. But still many people like hardware. Why? I guess because in the mix, you usually don't need that ULTRA perfect sound, great is enough. And second, the immediate way these machines behave ... they have 1 power button, 1 PSU and you're off to an immediate start. No need to also launch a PC, wait for it, navigate with mouse, start your software, sometimes wait for gigabytes of samples to load every time you change the program etc which sometimes keeps me off it. Studios don't really have this issue, though, as stuff is nearly always running through the day. Then again, hardware has usually convoluted hard to access menues. But: maybe a lot of knobs and sliders you don't need to setup, while it's a chore on a Software piece to setup your genberic MIDI controller you have on USB. So it all comes down to what you like. I think both still have their rights for existence. I mean the best synth isn't the one that has the most features and the best sound ... The best synth is the one you use in the end.

[@vincentpaula3184]

Philippe Steindl well said. I’ve slowly started really making the shift mentally from hardware keyboard (I still swear by Yamaha lol) but I found some really good vst. I will say tho that there is nothing like the feeling of playing on a really good semi weighted keyboard.

[@michel_merlin]

Good ! The hardware keyboard allows you to play immediately, alone or with a few friends, or on stage. And the keyboard (arranger) with its speakers doesn't even need a sound system ! It's even faster and easier to play... (sorry for my english, i'm french)

[@0815Snickersboy]

While the yamaha is a hardware synth it's a digital synth after all. So there are no physical components that you need to model. That's for the fm engine. The pianos probably use samples as well so there is no advantage to hardware in that case.

[@truthmanifestingtruth]

@Dice my MacBook Pro turns on and main stage or Logic Pro or the stand alone software vsts are all ready to go faster than hardware if not around the same time. I’m way more inspired when playing them. So because I love playing vsts for this reason, it helps me to see why the hardware guys with slow computers still go with hardware. For me, hardware is no longer impressive. The instrumentalist is the main thing anyway. So whatever you use have fun and make great music!✌🏾

[@danielbelik]

It's just different departments. VSTs are for studio work and synthesizers for live playing on stage. Synthesizers never glitch (until they are not broken) and generally more reliable than computers. I wouldn't rely on a computer for stage playing.

[@IrminZ]

And the winner is.......: Woody's playing. Enjoyed this immensely. Thank you

[@WoodyPianoShack]

very kind of you to say so, cheers

[@electricharmonyac7354]

Agreed ,

[@jamessisson3703]

Totally agree

[@williamgroener7778]

Woody; Enjoyed your playing and comparisons. Would like to hear some Dr. John, Jeff Lorber, Richard Tee, etc. style of playing as well, though. That’s more my style, but most all of the KZbin demos I listen to have “pretty” style ballad playing. Thx, Bill

[@WoodyPianoShack]

probly coz the ballad stuff is easier to play? is for me anyway! yeah, big fan of those guys, will try to accommodate you.

[@katseazzz]

your playing is amazing

[@sibell5]

Good to hear Tubular Bells getting an outing and played so nicely. Thank you. Are you based in the USA? Thanks for the link at the end of the video - Stockholm I think it said. Might explain the Petrof bit - I was in the Baltics for around a year.

[@RevellingTerror]

Hi Woody, great comparison. Your very valid point regarding recording and stage worthiness of the piano software recreations is very interesting, I feel that this point is also true for several software app recreations of vintage synths. For example original manufacturers' and endorsed software versions of Korg's Poly6, Mono Poly, ARP Odyssei, Moog Model 15 Modular, Moog Model D Minimoog, and of course iVCS3 to name but a few, indeed in the case of iVCS3, EMS Founder Peter Zinovieff described the programming experience of iVCS3 as identical to the original hardware the touch interface quickly becoming second nature. I know that you have resisted delving into soft synths but as you are hoping to try some of these iconic hardware instruments for other videos, a great deal of programming experience can be earned by experimenting with the software versions first. Software and cloud based synths are definitely gaining momentum on the traditional recording platforms and iOS in particular is exploding with potential particularly with regard to the future integration with Mac OS and the availability of quality software from major manufacturers and independent developers. So if at some point you decide to cover this ever growing area of creativity I'd be happy to organise a complementary download of iVCS3 and provide any assistance with getting to know this iconic synth. Cheers, James.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

Hi james, thanks for the comment, better you send me an email if you have any propositions, cheers

[@Oklatucky_Guitarman]

I'm new to midi, but is there a way to record the voices in the MODX as midi files in a DAW like Reaper? I bought a couple pianos from Addictive Keys, and learned to use those as VSTs, but how do I create midi files from voices already built into my piano (Yamaha DGX-650)?

[@2chrisward]

Great vid! I love Yamaha, and YOU pushed me to buy the MODx8. So far so great! You almost need categories. I've tried so many kontakt libraries, and I think they can excel at different things. I thought I was done searching, and then NI's The Giant has this bite no other piano I've ever tried has. Insane! Spitfire Felt has this amazing dramatic feeling that makes you feel the velocity. It's pure joy. I think people gravitate to Grandeur for that reason as well. PianoTeq and Modx kind of resonate different than traditional sampled libraries. The yamaha pops, covers so much, and has few weaknesses. And last but not least, is Keyscape. It has this overall ready to go sound a producer wants, they agonized over presets. Because of the diversity it covers, and the quality, it's probably the best overall software product for keys I've ever tried. It's only problem is it just doesn't fit the price point of your video. Many products do certain things better, but I find that product so good that I could be happy with just that for piano and EP's.

[@bnjmnwst]

Keyscape is fantastic, for many different keyboard types.

[@michaels3003]

I loved the Imperial Jazz Trio bit. The "bass guitar" playing was great.

[@szde]

That Levitating Grand would be perfect for Debussy. Great playing as usual.

[@Uneedhelp91]

My favorite instrument is anyone that Woody plays! Pianoteq and the Yamaha are my favorite! I like the pianoteq as you basically get a Steinway you can change for $300

[@markwyer3161]

Unexpected Song - one of my fav ALW tunes. Beautiful.

[@wiggygfe]

The grandeur sounds so nice, think it's my favourite vst piano

[@74Interceptor]

Hi Woody, thanks a lot for your videos!! Do you know if the Rd and Wrl samples are stereo samples?

[@tlazohtlalia]

The bosendorfer imperial is in some Yamaha Clavinvoas as well

[@mousehouse4617]

Another useful demo Woody and always enjoy your playing but I'm finding that mirror is just a distraction! Also, did you have it the wrong way round? 32:34 Reminded me of the Snowman looking into the Christmas tree bauble!! My warped SOH maybe

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i hear you, same mirror, same side, but it got haunted this time... :o

[@BryanEddy09]

Imperial Strings would have been great for Bonnie Raitt I cant make you love me .Love your playing thanks for the walkthroughs!!

[@RogerToye]

A nice comparison I like the Modx 8 played it seems a good alternative to a native instruments 88 which is just a midi controller I have NI sounds linked to a Clavinova via logic. Was feeling the Modx a little lighter than the Clav's keyboard but not too much.

[@spacespecs]

your skills are incredible! Thanks for sharing this video 🙏🏻 What is this for a melody from 17:35 to 18:10?

[@NatureAndTech]

I forgot it was a test. I just enjoyed the playing. It was lovely.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

now that's what i was hoping for, thanks!

[@nickyates9820]

Also, very nice playing and comparison!

[@samscott54]

made my day when I found this thx

[@rickifyful]

Listen to how naturally the Pianoteq sounds decay. Only thing is that I think some of the bass notes have an attack that sounds a bit artificial. But it's overall very, very good. You didn't turn on the Mallet Bounce section, that's why nothing happened. Click on the little LED light in the top left corner. The Imperial jazz trio demo was awesome!

[@TheSunlight74]

MODX pianos sound great in headphones but playing live I found them incredibly muddy - and I couldn't fix it with EQ. In the end I sold my 88 for a Nord Electro 6 to obtain their latest White Grand sample, which is crystal clear (also a fan of the Bright Grand). However the synth capabilities are great so I intent to shoot for a MODX 6 to go above it...

[@dariainiowa478]

I've played synthesizers & digital pianos for so long that I'm used to the "perfect" action on these instruments. All the keys have exactly the same velocity curve which is why I used the word "perfect". Whenever I play real acoustic pianos (and I've played so many over the years), the action on acoustic pianos seems so uneven. Maybe these pianos were not set up properly, but I notice this when playing acoustic pianos. I enjoy playing physical modeled pianos more than sampled pianos because on sampled pianos (especially when doing scales) you can hear the samples changing and it gets really annoying. Having samples with more velocity layers helps a lot with this problem, but they're still not as good as physical modeled instruments.

[@CJMusic2]

Garritan CFX (I have the Lite version) is a pretty unbeatable software piano IMHO. I have used this piano in all of the recent piano backing tracks on my channel. You can get the lite version for just over £60 in the UK. Chris

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

Pianoteq stage - You're losing out on heaps. The tweaks on the voicing, soundboard, strings etc made me go for the proper version. I also notice you're also playing 'mint' . Try ageing the instrument just a little. I've tried all the others and I keep coming back to Pianoteq(6).

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, the presets default to mint, but agree, it's nice to back it down to 75% or something, i do that with the presets that I created

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

Interesting. How did you do the voicing?

[@keinpodcast4053]

OK, I think my next vsti will be the Grandeur - so I will be back in the high life again :)

[@ringodingo6945]

Love the MODX CFX Concert. Woody if you ever get a chance to do the Ravenscroft 275 as someone else here mentioned, you may never go back. I've got it but mine buffers and delays due to an ancient Macbook.

[@GalantGoStudio]

Nice video thank you :) You can change velocity setting to "FAST KEYBOARD" or use calibration option to get realistic velocity curve.

[@GalantGoStudio]

pianoteq

[@samscott54]

Personally my measuring stick is Addictive Pianos and I think the MO is wonderful

[@danielcolfer4671]

Hey thanks for your demo. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to put these things together. You do an awesome job. For what it’s worth here’s my take on this whole comparison thing. In the studio VST instrumentals are much less risky and one can take the time to dial it into its surrounding environment and get fantastic results. However, in a live band situation where one plays at different venues and reliability is paramount, hardware is the ticket. The subtleties between the various piano examples are minute in a live situation and are not worth the risk of a crash or malfunction that is inherent with a laptop and software. I know this view was not the context in which these were compared. You simply wanted to compare the sonic character without the consideration of wether it was played live or in the studio. The MODX 6 and 7 have disappointing action and Yamaha had better action on their DX 7 many moons ago. The MODX 8 is playable but still lacks the expressibility of even the KX 88 many years prior. I own (embarrassingly so) 13 keyboards some of which include Yamaha cp4 Korg Kronos 73 both the Nord electro and stage 3, MOXF8, and the MODX 8. Plus VST pianos and synths. You know what I grab when I have a gig and want a versatile keyboard that plays well, sounds great and is easy to move? The MOXF 8 and the Nord stage 3.

[@khawk2012]

Awesome woody. Love how you played the MODX Only one question. At minute 46, what tune was that?

[@ir23000]

So What (Miles Davis)

[@JPDC624]

What's wrong with me? I have Grandeur, and I've brought it up a couple times and thought it sounded really good but the hype told me all these other world-class libraries are the way to go. I had NO idea that Grandeur was this versatile! That one wins for me, hands down and I'm going to spend some serious time with it now. Why did I buy Emotional Piano? The "Soft But Loud" preset is superb! Woody, you did it: you are the first to convince me I need a certain library that won't cost me anything because I already have it, lol!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

grandeur will get the job done!

[@PastTime777]

Piano sounds have been good in work stations. The manufacturers have been doing this for years and those sounds have been perfected. It's the organ that needs work. Most synths sound "electronic" and don't have a good Leslie simulation. Hammond XK5 is the best, but then you only get an organ. If you want piano sounds in the same board, then you have to buy the SKX. Me? I have a Hammond XK-2 with a Neo Vent for the Leslie, with a Korg 01W/FD and I have all the sounds I need playing out live.

[@b.j.surfdog3724]

great Demo! first song "Back in the highlife", steve winwood?? if so...very nice rendition.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

it was some version of that, yeah!

[@JairajSinghPatil]

The Ravenscroft 275 and Keyscape pianos are the best software pianos I've heard. You should really try them Great video as always

[@bnjmnwst]

Keyscape is amazing.

[@bnjmnwst]

$100 limit, though...

[@ringodingo6945]

Yeah. I got Ravenscroft. And probably the best ever. When it runs smoothly on my crappy macbook that is.

[@tuneunleashed]

Pianoteq

[@Nico-rw2tl]

vslo bosendorfer, garritan cfx are better...

[@bontempo1271]

The Grandeur is emotional !! ;) ❤

[@666JGNotts]

Great video mate thanks. As far as I know though, the Bösendorfer Piano is only free for Montage owners and not MODX owners?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

free for MODX also, same download I think usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/modx/sound_library.html

[@johnnulf624]

Can you do a similar hardware/software comparison with a Nord and Keyscape? Shoot out not only pianos, but electric pianos and clavs as well. Keyscape doesn’t have an organ engine, but a comparison between the GSI plugin or the Acoustic Samples plugin and Nord’s B3 sound would be great. That might have to be a separate video lol, but it would be much desired and appreciated. You are doing good work here!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks for the suggestion, i have neither so unable to do a test, but I will keep your request in mind, should I get lucky enough to have both.

[@chrisnerjoseph1111]

This was great. You have to do more of these version of this, when you can. Peace. Chris grand panio player some day. Bye....

[@jamessisson3703]

At 38mins I almost burst into tears. Bravo :)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i don't remember what happened, and don't want to re-watch, but hope the tears were in a good way!

[@jamessisson3703]

@@WoodyPianoShack You're one of my best reviewers man. I just purchased a MODX6 based on your video and the mad but lovely Doctormix. I hope you watched Dave Bristow san on his DX7 presets.

[@jamessisson3703]

Nice job real wood man

[@tudorhoria764]

Hello . the piano on the Yamaha montage sounds better than the DGX 670 - 660 cvp?The quality of the piano and the sound. I use 2 Hs7 monitors and a Yamaha Hs8s subwoofer. Please answer me . thank you very much . Horia

[@pointsurrender]

You're the best Woody. Keep doing what you love.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

ahh, shucks, thanks.

[@lyneicehaynes4922]

I really enjoyed playing Yamaha piano and write a music notebook from Ez Voice because I love singing.

[@andreievkalupniek5717]

When the MODX pianos come in, I can hear right away on the mid range of the piano that there is some "body"/"sustain" missing on the sound as compared to the software ones. The timbre of the MODX pianos sounds wonderful, but the NI Grandeur still sounds more balanced.

[@davebassP5]

I really enjoy your videos, very helpful, especially the MODX ones (as ive recently brought one). Can i ask, have you gigged your MODX? Do you use any special EQ on it? I love the sounds in headphones at home, but find at rehearsals there is way to much fizz and brightness with the top end on brass and strings, and pianos sound quite boxy. I’m having to change the EQ in almost every patch (thank god for the loads of EQ options), inc the standard MODX ones. Just cant get a natural Piano tone with the band.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i don't gig out any more, yt is my stage. eq must surely depend on the amplication system and the room, must be tedious to have to adjust each patch, yikes! i wouldn't have bothered, these details probably lost on the audience anyway :)

[@davebassP5]

Woody Piano Shack No, i dont gig out anymore either....at least not at the moment lol. it was the first time ive used my MODX through a PA system and it was quite soul destroying. I noticed a lot of brass sounds have a boost around 8khz which is why it all sounded fizzy. Ive just put a LPF on each brass parch and hoping for the best. Going to use my Helix Stomp as main EQ next time. Its not the overall EQ I’m worried about, it was really painful and off putting. Thanks of the reply and for all the great videos

[@Silvestian]

The transition is SMOOTH between sounds / instruments on MODX? :) THX!

[@TommyRogersAlabama]

I'm curious as to what the mirror is for??

[@dykodesigns]

All of these pianos sound fantastic, the pianoteq combines great realistic sound with flexibility. I like it slightly better then the NI, but it’s a close call. I guess it depends on whether you want the ultimate tweakability in the sound or not. The MODX does a good job too, I really like versitality and the layering features. Software pianos have come a long way since the Korg M1 piano which used to one of the first that sounded like a piano allthough that has it’s own unique character to it. The bright setting on I think the pianoteq reminded me a bit of it. I kind of wonder how the M1 piano sound was created, it appearntly only uses 3-4 multisamples. It does have quite a bright sound to it.

[@n8goulet]

The Korg M1 piano was very good for 1988, but only a short time later "most" other decent synths had a better piano, and a "grand piano" sound which the M1 piano lacked, and would have been nice. The M1 had a total of 4 megs of rom wave files for all the instruments, not including Korg's own expansion cards that used the rom wave slot. The M1 piano was still popular for years to come because it was the best selling keyboard of all time, and because it cut through the mix of a live band well even if it was a weak piano for playing grand piano type of pieces. To most keyboardists, the piano sound is by far the most important and the biggest selling feature, though not to me but I"m an exception. It wasn't very long before other keyboards had better piano sounds. The real magic of the Korg M1, was ALL THE OTHER SOUNDS!! What the programmers did in a mere 4 megs of ram is amazing. I have a dozen keyboards, numerous soft synths of many classic keyboards, and I bought a Yamaha MODX6 identical to Woody's. Would you believe, the M1 probably makes more "useful" sounds than the MODX6 does? Sounds far fetched, huh? Well, combine the M1 with the magical 1993 $500 (professionally installed) Invision Plus One board which added another 4 megs of rom, and again, more genius sound patch programming. I play 80s & 70s rock. For my uses, the M1 combined with that board, and a number of great Korg & 3rd party expansion sounds, just amaze me. You would think newer Korgs would be better at reproducing real life instruments of things such as a solo saxophone, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ with great Leslie via foot pedal, pipe organ, electric piano, and countless great lead synthesizer sounds. I decided if anything happened I better buy a spare, so I searched the Internet and bought a 2nd one, with the same upgrades. I'm trying to play some gigs downsized using only the MODX6 & a netbook. It's not without some compromises. MODX6 portability is amazing though. What I really should do, is put up my own series of videos showing how great this old Korg was, and I'm puzzled why newer keyboards even from Korg don't match many of these great sounds, that are extremely useful for covering classic music, and also, that software synths for lead synths & organs generally are far better than the ones for the MODX either via Yamaha or 3rd party, which is usually targeting modern music like techno, rap & dance music, for young people. Though it's sound engine is superior to the M1's, the people making sounds for it have largely missed the boat for numerous weekend warriors like myself playing live shows of classic rock. Woody, please express to Yamaha the next time you talk to them that they are missing out on a huge classic rock live performance market, which the MODX hardware makes total sense for. Some, compact, powerful, affordable. I do believe MODX could make most of these sounds, with the right programming. A total of 8 megs vs almost 6 gigs. One would think 6 gigs would easily win the battle. Not so. I love the MODX hardware (especially the MODX6). So light, compact and fits on my back and impressive sound engines. The hardware is impressive. I wish I could say the same about the sound libraries. Roland FA seemed even less impressive in my auditions of them as with the Korg Krome. I'll be using the MODX6 though, one of my M1 "Plus One" keyboards, and others at one of the largest casinos in the world in a month or so when my band returns.

[@dykodesigns]

@@n8goulet I really like the M1. I have the iM1 iPad app and use it quite often as the Darwin gadget in Korg gadget. One of my favorite sounds are Universe, Pole and Pinger. This synth had such a big impact and it was used everywhere. It was famous for it's use in dance music but it was also used by video game composers, there are many super nintendo games and amiga games that use samples of the M1. The slab bass was super populair and the Universe sound was used by Darkman. Shadow of the beast also contained quite a lot of M1 sounds like the kalima sound. I especially like it's airy, breathy quality to the sound. The classic M1 piano sound has a unique quality of it's own mainly as a reflection of the technolgy of the time. It was quite amazing what they could with just 4 megabytes of Rom space back in the day.

[@LightShadow]

Did you ever review the Arturia Piano ? I find it to be a great option.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i did have a review lcense for a while but it's expired now and never got to try it out. should ask again.

[@Widiar0]

You should check Imperfect Sample's Fazioli, it's a spectacular VST instrument sound wise.

[@WarrenPostma]

I find their page confusing. THey have their OWN VST and they also support Kontakt and Logic Pro's own sample formats?

[@kaytam6997]

Wonderful video. Do you think or feel the presence or absence of aftertouch would influence the sound Woody? Could you do one such for VST vs MODX/Montage Strings. As someone trying to get into cinematic scoring, I wonder if these (Aftertouch + MODX capability) will play a role.

[@guyonkeys]

Why would you need aftertouch on a piano sample/vst? I have played many ‘real’ pianos and can say that not one of them had aftertouch on them!!!

[@Skijumptoes]

Kay Tam nope as you can use an expression foot pedal, and set it to aftertouch. I get more control in a foot pedal than aftertouch keys.

[@kaytam6997]

@@guyonkeys Not for Piano Samples Guido. More for Strings and Pad Patches. I asked this because I do not hold prior or much experience in gear/syth as such :) .

[@kaytam6997]

@@Skijumptoes That makes sense and seems like a great tip !