What a funny topic this is!
Amazing mashup of actual facts and Internet gossip (mostly spread by people who never used MODX and only "heard" about some issues with it).
Yes, MODX keybed is of lower quality compared to Montage and the unbalanced ones (6 and 7) have a bit hard time reaching the highest velocities. Bear in mind that this is not "the last third" (84-127) as claimed here by some, it's more or less in the 122-127 region.
Personally, on my MODX7 I have no issues reaching 121-122 while playing fortissimo, but I have to bang really hard to get to 127. Now, when you think about how many pieces of music will really require you to hit the utmost top of the dynamic range, you may recognize that this is not such a big deal at all. And you have all the required tools at your disposal to tame the response to your needs, but no, not as Scott's video suggests.
I know Scott, he is a nice guy and knows his way around synths, but he is prone to making shameless click-bait videos. The one about "fixing MODX and Montage thin sound" literally made his channel explode, and this is part of the problem - a viral Internet video that includes half-truths and provides a half-solution to a not-so-much-of-a-problem. But this is Scott, he lurks on all groups and forums and makes videos out of everything he finds tempting, which once again is a double-edged sword. Let us look at the facts - if you have a problem reaching the highest possible velocities, naturally, you do not want to cut the lower velocity range, instead, you want to make these higher velocities easier to reach, preserving the full dynamic range in the process. So, instead of adding Velocity Offset, you better add a tiny bit of Velocity Depth maybe something like 66 to 68 (up from the default 64). This will make you reach the highest velocities without breaking your keyboard.
This, however, brings another "problem" to the table. Adding Velocity Offset "solves" (unintentionally, in this case) another complaint - by cutting off the lower dynamic range it makes your playing more even, therefore helps with the case of "when I listen to the Audition it sounds great, but when I play it sounds nothing like that". Oh, dear... if you were me you would be laughing on the floor every time you hear this. Yes, we are not all equally skillful players, or at least I am not that good. We may not all be able to play as well as the guy who recorded the Auditions (yes, these are just small MIDI chunks, you know), especially on the lower quality (read as "harder to control") MODX keyboard, but this has nothing to do with the synth sound quality. It has everything to do with our ability to play it well.
And once again, cutting the lower part of the velocity range is hardly the answer, it is much better to use a compressor instead, this is exactly what was used in the music industry for the last 70 or something years to tame out-of-control dynamics, but setting up a compressor requires you to have a bit more knowledge about audio engineering. But then again, if you had better knowledge about audio engineering, you would know that having a "full" piano sound (which usually relates to lower mids range) and having a piano that cuts through the mix, band, arrangement, whatever, are exactly the opposite things and you cannot have both at the same time.
But to come back to the original topic - no, MODX does not have any sound quality issues. It's an amazing instrument in its price range, a leader in its segment in so many ways, that even this overly lengthy post cannot cover. The characteristic of its stock piano sounds may not be to everyone's taste. The included CFX and CFIII pianos, while majestic instruments nonetheless, inherit the century-long legacy of Yamaha making bright Grand pianos, which even when cutting well, could be perceived as "thin" by some. The S6 and S700, also included, seem to be more sonically balanced, but limited in depth (velocity layers). The Bosendorfer, with its natural wooden character, and the "Character pianos" are free libraries you can download and use to extend the stock sounds. And if that does not solve the problem, there is a huge library of compatible quality sounds that you can try (some are included in my signature![;)]( "Wink")
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Amazing mashup of actual facts and Internet gossip (mostly spread by people who never used MODX and only "heard" about some issues with it).
Yes, MODX keybed is of lower quality compared to Montage and the unbalanced ones (6 and 7) have a bit hard time reaching the highest velocities. Bear in mind that this is not "the last third" (84-127) as claimed here by some, it's more or less in the 122-127 region.
Personally, on my MODX7 I have no issues reaching 121-122 while playing fortissimo, but I have to bang really hard to get to 127. Now, when you think about how many pieces of music will really require you to hit the utmost top of the dynamic range, you may recognize that this is not such a big deal at all. And you have all the required tools at your disposal to tame the response to your needs, but no, not as Scott's video suggests.
I know Scott, he is a nice guy and knows his way around synths, but he is prone to making shameless click-bait videos. The one about "fixing MODX and Montage thin sound" literally made his channel explode, and this is part of the problem - a viral Internet video that includes half-truths and provides a half-solution to a not-so-much-of-a-problem. But this is Scott, he lurks on all groups and forums and makes videos out of everything he finds tempting, which once again is a double-edged sword. Let us look at the facts - if you have a problem reaching the highest possible velocities, naturally, you do not want to cut the lower velocity range, instead, you want to make these higher velocities easier to reach, preserving the full dynamic range in the process. So, instead of adding Velocity Offset, you better add a tiny bit of Velocity Depth maybe something like 66 to 68 (up from the default 64). This will make you reach the highest velocities without breaking your keyboard.
This, however, brings another "problem" to the table. Adding Velocity Offset "solves" (unintentionally, in this case) another complaint - by cutting off the lower dynamic range it makes your playing more even, therefore helps with the case of "when I listen to the Audition it sounds great, but when I play it sounds nothing like that". Oh, dear... if you were me you would be laughing on the floor every time you hear this. Yes, we are not all equally skillful players, or at least I am not that good. We may not all be able to play as well as the guy who recorded the Auditions (yes, these are just small MIDI chunks, you know), especially on the lower quality (read as "harder to control") MODX keyboard, but this has nothing to do with the synth sound quality. It has everything to do with our ability to play it well.
And once again, cutting the lower part of the velocity range is hardly the answer, it is much better to use a compressor instead, this is exactly what was used in the music industry for the last 70 or something years to tame out-of-control dynamics, but setting up a compressor requires you to have a bit more knowledge about audio engineering. But then again, if you had better knowledge about audio engineering, you would know that having a "full" piano sound (which usually relates to lower mids range) and having a piano that cuts through the mix, band, arrangement, whatever, are exactly the opposite things and you cannot have both at the same time.
But to come back to the original topic - no, MODX does not have any sound quality issues. It's an amazing instrument in its price range, a leader in its segment in so many ways, that even this overly lengthy post cannot cover. The characteristic of its stock piano sounds may not be to everyone's taste. The included CFX and CFIII pianos, while majestic instruments nonetheless, inherit the century-long legacy of Yamaha making bright Grand pianos, which even when cutting well, could be perceived as "thin" by some. The S6 and S700, also included, seem to be more sonically balanced, but limited in depth (velocity layers). The Bosendorfer, with its natural wooden character, and the "Character pianos" are free libraries you can download and use to extend the stock sounds. And if that does not solve the problem, there is a huge library of compatible quality sounds that you can try (some are included in my signature
)Statistics: Posted by ITB-Music — Fri Jun 14, 2024 5:59 pm