Here we go Spectrasonics.

[Lawrence]

I believe I am one of the most ardent Eric Persing fanboys, going back to the D-50 and the Roland S-700. I own Omni, Trilian, Stylus RMX and practically every Spectrasonics CD-ROM for the 700 series. I'll probably buy Keyscape someday for the pleasure of playing it, but given its price point and my needs, it's not near the top of my list. That may be a first for me re Eric's products.

[Guy Rowland]

In the future if i need some good piano, maybe i jump into this, but i doub, there is no reason to jump now. Keyscapes... great presentation, bad marketing.

One thing I've always liked about Spectrasonics is the no sales thing. I doubt that there's a single one of us who hasn't bought some no-brainer bargain in a 48 hour rush, only to never then use it.

Sorry to mention Tesla again in yet another unrelated thread, but a couple of months ago Elon Musk gleefully tweeted a link to a report that placed the Tesla sales force bottom, "worst sales team in the US" or something. When you read it, it referred to the fact that Tesla sales people left potential customers alone in their shops, used no hard sell, no special deals, no enticements. Great! Their waiting list is off the charts, of course - if you have confidence in the products, you don't need any of that tatty stuff.

I was going to write that Keyscape wouldn't be top of my list, but then I realised... "wait, I don't HAVE a list". There is literally nothing out there I want to buy right now, I think. Everything I want doesn't exist yet. Keyscape hasn't triggered the complete neuron-firing to make it a must-buy, but it has flickered to the point where I might. Probably not a giddy opening day rush like Omni 2 though.

[wst3]

not a fan of big collections like this - Omni maybe, but this, and the Arturia collection strike me as trying to move a bunch of turkeys with a couple of gems. Not at all fair, I know, but from a personal perspective there aren't a lot of key boards here that I'd use. I'd love a really good MKS-20, and I can always use another Rhodes or acoustic piano (as long as it is well done)...

I may be the odd man out, but I'd have been much more likely to pick up one or two of these if they were sold a la carte. Now I am not a marketing genius, and Eric does seem to do ok for himself (which doesn't happen on talent alone) so who know...

Man am I wishy-washy this morning!

[J Rod]

Keyscape hasn't triggered the complete neuron-firing to make it a must-buy, but it has flickered to the point where I might.

Exactly, but how many of us would buy Keyscapes immediately if there was a discount, given that is not something that we need now?.

I am very cautious with what I buy lately. but I have as priorities 1) what I need and 2) what I want, if what I want is not on offer, I do not buy it. Keyscapes is what i want, maybe tomorrow is what i need. oh! cruel world!.

oh!, Had not given me realize that integration with Omnisphere is possible, dammit.

[Guy Rowland]

Funny innit? Omni has been endlessly criticised over the years as being too expensive from those who know no better, whereas now it's held up by these same people as an example of thriftiness next to Keyscape. I too figured that same as you J, that since this is nice-to-have, not essential-to-have for huge numbers of people, some kind of sweetner deal would help tip people over the edge.

I think we all have to make our own peace with this new wave of Spectrasonics instruments. I see this as model of things to come. If they are covering instruments you value, and you feel they have a take on it that is better than anything else, then the price is a snip - it's really not expensive compared to a like-for-like compendium of competition. We'll likely all be facing these dilemmas over organs, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, voices maybe, solo strings maybe. I realise its a statement of the obvious, but for each one, we have to ask ourselves if it makes sense for us, in context of our work or our fun, in context of the rest of our arsenal.

I don't want to pick on East West unfairly as they've made some outstanding products, but an impression I had of the company a decade ago was that they positioned themselves as being uniformly ultra high quality and I thought the demos sounded fantastic. I remember the day I got Goliath - I was gutted. Nothing lived up to the hype or demos (a remarkable exercise in writing for the samples), vast swathes of instruments were just awful. I doubt anyone will get that feeling if they decide to invest in this series. That's different from finding it useful or indeed necessary, but at least you know you're always buying something of quality. That sense eats away at people, particularly after an apparently bargain purchase which ends up being functionally useless. I think Spectra are playing the long game here.

[kpc]

At first I was just ho-hum about another keyboard release (again, disappointed in a lack of RMX update). But after taking some time, I think it is great. Eric has again taken the idea that quality rules the day and I applaud that.

I won't be able to get it right away because of budget issues. But this has moved to the top of my list.

[Udo]

Warning! You're being sucked in to funding Eric's hobby - restoring old keyboards.

[Scoredog]

be careful, he may have other hobbies.

[Ashermusic]

My approach with this is as always:
1.Does it add something I don't have?
2. If it does not (and this does not) am I not fully happy with what I have ?
3. Is it so inexpensive that I think, "I might as well?"

While i m sure it is splendid, it is not where I wish Eric had gone for his next product.

[X-bassist]

4. Does it make my other versions of this instrument sound like crap.

Well no, it doesn't literally, but after listening to the video and then going through all my EP Vi's, I don't have anything close to the sounds coming out of keyscape. My others sound dull, a little lifeless by comparison. Good news is I dusted off my real Rhodes and gave it a whirl, it also sounds better than any of my vi's. I tried again to dial up a funky Rhodes sound on my vi's (including soniccouture) and although there is interesting stuff in there, it's almost too dry and too close mic'ed, plus the speakers add a lot to the real version, were SC only sampled the line out and live clicking of the instrument (really, tine clacks) but no speaker or room mcs.

I think many of us will eventually get this and replace what we thought was "fine", realizing for all that's there it's indeed a deal. If there was a demo version I'm sure it would put many over the edge.

[FriFlo]

Does anybody know, if continuous pedal is supported for the Yamaha C7? Listening to the classical bits from the video, it seems to me like, it is not ...

Heard back from Spetrasonics and, unfortunately, it does not support half pedaling. I find that a rather regrettable decision! Furthermore, they said they doubt, half pedaling would not add anything to the sound or playability of a piano. I can't quite follow them with that!
I like the keyboards, but the Chopin Etude put me off with this wishy-washy-drowning-in-pedal sound. Someone on Vi-Control said, their grand is obviously not geared towards classical playing. I agree that the focus of that library seems to be somewhere else, however, I would also require half pedaling for a Jazz piano, if such a thing even exists ... a good piano should sound great with any style you play (except for things like the Tonehammer soft emotional). I am not sure, if I will buy it Keyscape ... what do you guys think? Do you have a continuous sustain pedal? Do you find half pedaling important (with virtual pianos)?

[Guy Rowland]

Just for Tobias, a bit of launch party walla.

[TheUnfinished]

Just for Tobias, a bit of launch party walla.

Hmmmmmm...

[Guy Rowland]

Hmmmmmm...

Not Jon Hopkins, is it?

[TheUnfinished]

Hmmmmmm...

Not Jon Hopkins, is it?

I wasn't commenting on the music.

I think Spectrasonics deserve all the plaudits and success they get and more besides. I just wonder what such ostentatiousness looks like to Joe Consumer on the launch of a new, not inexpensive product.

Maybe it's the LA schmooze style of it that feels a bit distancing to me. Perhaps I wouldn't think twice if, say, u-he launched a new product with some electronica artists at a Berlin club because that would feel somewhat less exclusive to me. After all, I didn't think anything negative about the promo video with all the great keyboard players.

[Ashermusic]

Hmmmmmm...

Not Jon Hopkins, is it?

I wasn't commenting on the music.

I think Spectrasonics deserve all the plaudits and success they get and more besides. I just wonder what such ostentatiousness looks like to Joe Consumer on the launch of a new, not inexpensive product.

Maybe it's the LA schmooze style of it that feels a bit distancing to me. Perhaps I wouldn't think twice if, say, u-he launched a new product with some electronica artists at a Berlin club because that would feel somewhat less exclusive to me. After all, I didn't think anything negative about the promo video with all the great keyboard players.

Eric is, and has been since his days at Roland, a high profile LA sound designer, rubbing shoulders with the great and nearly great. Big time roll outs are no more unusual than e.g. a George Clooney fundraiser for Hillary. or a runway show for a new product line for Michael Kors. That is the way it is in Los Angeles and NY, and my guess is in London, Paris, and Hamburg as well.

[Tobias Escher]

Yikes - Guy, you nailed that
That is exactly what I meant. Maybe I am not well-versed enough in these styles, but these types of demos just do nothing to me apart from making me NOT want to buy the product.
But then again I'm not the biggest fan of schmooze-fests in general. I also always find trade shows the worst place to try out stuff (with the slight exception of stuff you can try out via headphones).

[Guy Rowland]

I think Spectrasonics deserve all the plaudits and success they get and more besides. I just wonder what such ostentatiousness looks like to Joe Consumer on the launch of a new, not inexpensive product.

Maybe it's the LA schmooze style of it that feels a bit distancing to me. Perhaps I wouldn't think twice if, say, u-he launched a new product with some electronica artists at a Berlin club because that would feel somewhat less exclusive to me. After all, I didn't think anything negative about the promo video with all the great keyboard players.

Ach, I dunno. I can't really see the difference between this and your example to be honest. Both would be examples of genres working in their context, surely? I get that it's offputting because of the genre, if you don't like that genre - and its a truism that people having a great time doing something you don't like tends to look just awful rather than getting you swept up in it. But by that token, don't cha think that a sweaty hardcore club arms-in-the-air crowd of teenagers isn't equally offputting - and exclusive-looking in its own way - to the 57 year old RnB keyboard player?

The only difference might be if U-he sent out a mailshot to everyone in Berlin to come to club X in a week's time to see something new, rather than it being an invite-only affair as is this. Perhaps it's the knowledge that mere mortals couldn't come to it that is offputting?

(could be heading for thread derailment right here, but it's a sorta interesting thread derailment if so...)

[Mike Greene]

I love that video! I guess it could be a little off-putting in a "Why wasn't I invited?" sort of way. (Which I wasn't! Curse you, Eric! ) But it's such good fun and great music. Really great music, which I'm always in the mood for. Plus we knew there was a party, so I like getting a peek at what went on.

I think what I like most about it, especially as a fellow (albeit small) developer, is that it's a culmination for Eric and his staff after working for so long on this. Like a wrap party. (Plenty of those in Los Angeles.) Whether you like KeyScape or not, the work was there, so the celebration is well deserved.

I only wish they had included a shot of Eric dancing . . .

[Tanuj Tiku]

I don't think it is off-putting at all. I think we may be reading too much into it.

Think about it. As Jay said, Eric is already friends with all these great musicians and he is a passionate developer. Also happens to be one of the best and financially successful.

Let us all step aside as customers and think may be he wanted to celebrate with some of the best musicians he knows and have a really great evening of music and celebration of a product long in development with all his team members.

For a developer, it must certainly be a different feeling to see great musicians perform on instruments he designed.

He is just done it at the level he is. That is all.

[Mike Greene]

For a developer, it must certainly be a different feeling to see great musicians perform on instruments he designed.

That's a great point, especially when you consider that this is one of the only times where that's even possible.

You're not going to have a band for a Stylus RMX release with one guy mousing around on a laptop. You're not even going to have a band for a Trillian release with the bass player replaced by a keyboard player. (Leave that to the Holiday Inn house band.) KeyScape is one of the rare software opportunities where a live band with great musicians makes sense.

[Tanuj Tiku]

For a developer, it must certainly be a different feeling to see great musicians perform on instruments he designed.

That's a great point, especially when you consider that this is one of the only times where that's even possible.

You're not going to have a band for a Stylus RMX release with one guy mousing around on a laptop. You're not even going to have a band for a Trillian release with the bass player replaced by a keyboard player. (Leave that to the Holiday Inn house band.) KeyScape is one of the rare software opportunities where a live band with great musicians makes sense.

Yep! Mike, I am sure you feel it too with your customers when they use your library in wonderful ways!

[vocalnick]

Ooh ooh, tell me more.

Yes, it's a risk playing thru a laptop live.

I reckon I played about 50-60 gigs with my last band using Mainstage 2 on a MBP13" and the only time I ever had an issue was when by bass guitar strap broke and the headstock hit the laptop.

Even then, I was back up in 5 minutes

[Lawrence]

Has anyone else gotten what looks like a strange Keyscape promotional email from Spectrasonics that appears to be in HTML code? I received one earlier in the week and s second one today.

[Ashermusic]

Has anyone else gotten what looks like a strange Keyscape promotional email from Spectrasonics that appears to be in HTML code? I received one earlier in the week and s second one today.

Yep, me too.