Alesis Jazz Piano Q-card

LOVE IT! Got one for my QS8, and after I got a QSR off eBay, I had to find another! Its the basis for my overall piano sound. For those who complain about the sound quality, try EQ and effects tweaks at the patch level - it makes all the difference!

True many of the so-called jazz sounds are sorta useless, but the core stereo grand piano sounds are full and rich sounding at all velocity levels.

Sounds are very responsive to keyboard nuances. Who could ask for anything more? I've used these sounds for nearly everything... Rock, blues, jazz, classical and avant garde. No one complains. I've met other QS-synth owners who are amazed about the sound quality I achieve, all thanks to the Jazz Q-Card!

Reliability is not a factor. Just leave it in your synth!

N/A - its out of production.

If my QS8 or QSR was stolen/lost/destroyed, I'd be hitting-up eBay or Craigslist for replacements. I already had to scavenge eBay for my second card. Alesis should re-release the Jazz Q-Card!! I bought a backup just in case I want to sequence the piano sounds via a QSR or when I tour and have to use a backline-supplied keyboard controller - I won't play any other piano sound than the stereo grand sound on this card! If I found another auction for the Jazz card, I'd probably buy it anyway just for redundancy.

I agree with everyone that included feedback except the last guy who think it sounds like crap. It sounds beautiful, maybe because I know howto EQ it and produce it correctly as perhaps the others did. It is easy to install!

Enough polyphony (64) with the QS synths.

These are one of the best set of sampled Piano's I have heard. I totally disagree with the fellow who thinks its crap. All samples need to be EQ'd properly to meet each individual's tastes and requirements, maybe he should try that before he berates it!

It is a PCMCIA card, as long as you don't drop it and then step on it, you'll be OK.

Never needed it. Alesis makes good stuff!

I like it and would buy it again.

Well it's a card; just plug it in and play.

The card has 8 mbs of piano sounds. Sounds from 00-63 are stretched tuned. And from 64-127 are regular unstretched versions. Can't tell what piano was used but, the samples sounds very good. There are no mixes but you can create your own.

The piano sounds are great. I won't compare it to roland, yamaha, or korg pianos because I haven't heard their pianos. But the sounds on the jazz card are very playable. Neutral sounding pianos which I find very pleasing to my ears. The card is suitable for jazz and other styles. One other thing you may have to turn down the reverb just a little bit like I did.

Well it's a card which means it can be smashed,or malfunction if it is dropped, so be careful.

Customer service is ok. Had a problem with my qs7 keyboard and they responded very quickly.

If it was lost or stolen I'll buy another card. These sounds are very good. It beats the hell out of the factory preset pianos.

PLUG IT IN!!!!! Easy as One Two Three!

This Q-Card uses the 64 voice Polyphony and Effects of the QS Synths and the Sounds fits well with in tracks! There are many sound patches generally for the same piano, but with variations.

These Patches are the Best Piano Batches Alesis have! The Dark patches (Big Hall, Jazz Dark, Dark Classc) work for classical and warm & fuzzy musical styles. There are some good patch with pedal effects (Baby Grand). But I use the sounds in Hip-Hop/Rap, contemporary, traditional, and Gospel Music. It remindes me of some of Rolands Piano older patchs. The Classical Piano card is good also, but I think its mainly for Solo Work! The Jazz Piano card has some patch that cuts right through the sequence without being the dominate sound! And it is patchs for Solo Work also. The sounds corresponds well with the key action and gives a realistic piano performance. Always remember the synth sounds aren't any better than what you play them through. EQ is very important on all Alesis products. Keep Treble, Mid, and Lows balanced! start at 0 and tweak a little.

Alway read to do! Alesis make some HEAVY DUTY stuff!

NEVER NEEDED IT, not even for my QS6.1

I hope I can find another if something happens to is! I Love It MAN!

Excellent - plug and play

Just Great JAZZ piano (with a few not-so-important processed pianos thrown in)

The most playable and realistic acoustic piano I've ever played as a sampled piano. Beats every other piano sample including the Alesis factory presets that came with the QS8.1. I primarily play jazz piano (ala Bobo Stenson, Mcoy Tyner, Paul Bley, and the ECM pianists mostly), so I appreciate a duller, flatter sound like #11 baby grandm but also there are several others that are very playable and sound quite realistic when recorded. I will never need the preset pianos again! You can't beat the price of $99 at guitar center or musician's friend. I got mine at guitar center.

Everything I have used from Alesis has been rock solid both in the studio and performance. Alesis takes a lot bad press from those who own kowg, kurzweil and roland gear, but I put the QS8.1 and many of the samples from the Classical and other Q cards at the same level of quality and usually the Alesis gear is more affordable and user friendly. If you have $3.000 or more for an 88 key weighted board like the other guys make and need every bell and whistle then go for it - but you won't always tell a difference once the sound is recorded, and I find the QS8 eyboard action superior to the very stiff feel of most other weighted digital pianos and synths.

never have needed it.

Yes, I think this card is essential to any QS owner who plays jazz piano

Very Easy, Plug and Play. Any dummy could stick it in the PCMCIA slot. I just wish you could save sounds to the user bank without the card having to be in. That's why I didn't give it a 10.

We all know what it does. Give awesome jazz piano sounds.

My favorite sounds are 11 the baby grand and 4 the jazz piano. I took a lot of the reverb off of the baby grand and saved it to the user bank and use this one almost all the time. I was a fan of the PureStereo sound until I played this. This Q-Card, in my opinion, kills the factory preset bank pianos. When compared (and my friends think so too) the factory sounds sounds like little tinny toy pianos. I love this card and paid $100 from musician's friend and recommend this to players of all styles of music even though I am primarily jazz. I read one review and don't know how someone wouldn't like this. MY FAVORITE aspect of this card is how dull it is. The fact of the matter is McCoy Tyner, Wynton Kelley, Herbie Hancock (I could go on) played on pianos in the 60's that sounded dull. I think the notes actually speak better like this. It's a great replica. I think I like this sound better than the Roland A-90 that I was a fan of before I got this card.

Looks like a regular old PCMCIA card. I keep it in the little plastic case it came in and haven't had a durability or reliability problem yet.

I've e-mailed Alesis once with a question for my QS8 and they replied within a day I think. They actually gave me some real good programming advice for the brightness of piano sounds.

Kind of expensive (I'm a jazz musician in school, allright) But it was $250, so I'm not complaining.

Easy - just stick it in. All patches are of the same sample, so the only variation is in effects.

No manual required.

The feature is a dedicated 8 meg piano sample. The feature is great, but the implemtation is poor.

The sound is poor, in my opinion.

It really sounds pretty much like the stereo piano that comes with the QSR. I suspect the same team did both pianos.

Imagine a piano with a blanket over it, with dead old strings that somehow decay too fast. It is very uninspiring to play this sound, especially in the critical middle notes.

The initial sound is a dull thunk. I suppose this is to represent the sound of the hammer. It quickly fades away, and the secondary sound comes in with slightly more harmonics, but fades way too fast. I timed it as decaying to silence in 7 seconds at middle C.
All of my other pianos last about 12 seconds at middle C.

It just sounds cheap. The stereo feature is unimportant if it doesn't sound good.

I called tech support and they basically said you can't change the decay, except to shorten it.

This is not just my opinion. Everyone I have shown this sound, compared to my Korg X2, agrees with me. The X2 has a 2 meg sample.

It is a shame that this is so blatently bad. The QSR has so much potential, but no good piano.

By the way, I also have the Vintage Synth Q card and it is really great. If you need synth sounds this is very worthwile. Too bad the piano card is not even near as good.

I'm sure it won't break.

Alesis always takes the call, and they are very polite. I hate to bitch at customer support, when they don't really make decisions.

It's too bad the product development people are evidently not interested in consumer opinion.

I wouldn't buy it again. Too bad I can't return it. If you buy it, make sure you can bring it back. Don't keep it like I did, beleiving that it must be good, because it is 8 megs. The emperor has no clothes.

It doesn't come close to my elderly Roland Rhodes mk60. It is also easily surpased by the Korg N1, and the Yamaha S80. My Korg X2 kicks it's ass. It might sound better that a sound blaster.

My style is pop music, but a piano is a piano. It sould not really be a jazz piano, or a classical, etc.

Why doesn't someone start making third party Q cards?