E-MU Proformance Plus

Nothing easier to use. Turn the knob, play the sound. The Proformance PLUS includes access to an additional 16 sounds only thru MIDI, which would take away a little from ease of operation, but none of them are memorable, so it's a wash.

16 voices. Most of the patches are the same sample, just rigged to respond differently to velocity. No built-in effects, which would be handy if it's your only box on a gig. There are a few splits which, to my fingers, are a waste of space. Save the bass/piano & bass/organ, and give me a simple velocity-sensitive filter to add some realism to this box. Beautiful piano sample, but lack of timbre change is a big minus.

Very, very nice piano sample with the main complaint I've already noted above. There's a "ballad piano" which sounds like nothing more than the same sample without the highs. Blah. The organs and EPs are a COMPLETE waste of space. Tinkly DX stuff, but no Rhodes or Wurlys. I got this because my M1 piano sound didn't hold up to ballads very well, but this isn't much better: a little bit longer sample (but not by much). Probably best blended with another piano that WILL give you some timbre movement.

VERY lightweight box, but what can you do to it besides fry it?

No issues.

Been playing 40 years. I play this through a Peavy DPM C8, and I have to admit the low-end is nice, which I always liked about the M1. I also have an E-mu Classic Keys (again, suffers from lack of filters) and since my beloved M1 died, a little Korg K61P. I know I'm gonna miss that filter on the M1, so I've got a Proteus 1000 on the way. E-mu makes good stuff, but if I lost this, I'd look for a Kurzweil unit or just use the acoustic piano in the Proteus 1000, which does have filters, or the Classic Keys EPs, which sound great, despite the lack of filtering.

The only good thing for this unit is the ease of use

16 voices polyphony, Many problems with midi reception from my Korg DW8000 (sound changes while I play without any kind intention).

This unit is awful, piano sounds like a TX81Z harp with bad equalization. Organ are not bad, but the modulation is awful. Good fingered bass, the only good instrument of this awful module.

I think the only risk for this unit is the dust, because I think that i don'turn it on again.

Is the first and last time that I buy an instrument without testing his performance.

It's very easy to use. Just 5 knobs and that's it.

It has a polyphony of 16, which is only lacking for solo piano playing. This can be expanded to 32 by hooking up another Proformance to it. There are no effects.

As mentioned above, very nice and neutral stereo piano sounds. However, you won't use it for solo piano playing. It reacts to velocity too static. When you play a very soft note, you hear a tone which is too loud and too bright for that velocity. So expression gets lost. It doesn't have snare resonance (when pressing the sustain pedal). Maybe this explains that the manual says that you saved 18 grand by buying this unit instead of a real grand piano.
There are 4 piano sounds: 2 "normal", one dark and one bright (rock). These sounds merge well with other instruments. I use it both in a rockband and in the studio.
The rest of the sounds (e-piano, vibes, organ) are reasonable, but not wonderful.

Even considered the fact that there are keyboards/modules with better piano sounds, the Proformance isn't out of date yet.

It couldn't be much easier.

The piano samples themselves are very good all across the 88s, low to high.

My nit-picking complaint is that (as I read in another review somewhere and agree) although the amplitude responds to velocity, the timbre doesn't - The soft notes are too bright. I'm a little spoiled by having played a DX200 (DX7) so much recently and Yamaha FM IMO is the absolute reference standard for that kind of expressiveness. EMU wouldn't have even had to have velocity switched samples to correct this, if only there were just a velocity sensitive filter envelope I would be ecstatic about it's playability. Having said all that, if you really want a grand piano then go buy a grand piano! The Proformance Plus does fine for most live situations. Your audience will probably never notice the finer points. (Disclosure: I'm a synth player, not a classicly trained pianist.)

as easy as toaster oven! simple, yet effective, just the way I like it!

polyphony is great... I never run out of voices even with the sustain pedal always to the floor.

Instruments may be not as realistic as some crybabies would want them to be. Well, if you really want that B3 sound, then go out and buy B3 instrument! However, the clarity and punchiness of every instrument is just right.

toaster oven... you can drop it, toss it, spill that beer all over it, and it still runs!

didn't need any

Excellent unit. Get one!

Very easy to use. I put my module on the "midi" setting and control the patches through Cakewalk.

I think polyphony is 32 voices, but I've never run out of voices.

I really enjoy the sound because it is "neutral". You can make it sound however you want when you mix, because the sound is not "colored" coming out of the module. It's not easily recognized,like most piano sounds from other keyboards or modules.

I would use it without a backup. It's very light, but still seems durable.

Haven't dealt with them.

This is my 2nd EMU Proformance, and if this one was lost or stolen, I would probably buy it again. For sequencing, this is my favorite piano out of everything I've heard. The Kurzweil Micro Piano used to be my favorite, but too many people have used or are using it, and it's a VERY recognizable sound.I would definitely recommend this module to anyone.

Very easy. Just remember to keep the MIDI switch on the right channel

It doesn't do a whole lot. It's just a piano module. But it's very good at doing what it's supposed to do

The acoustic grands sound very realistic. Very nice. The only thing is it's not to velocity sensitive so your really soft notes sound louder than you want them to. Not too bad though. And it hisses. Not a whole lot of gain. But the piano sounds are so nice I still give it a 9

This is a tough piece of crap. Just don't let it get dusty.

I've never dealt with them

If I had it lost or stolen I would get another kind of module but I'm very happy I bought it and I'm very happy with it's performance

It doesn't do much. You turn the knob or send the patch selection message via MIDI and you're done.

Never had any polyphony issues. The piano sounds are good, the vibes are OK and the organs are pretty cheesy. It is NOT multitimbral. The + gives you some additional patches accessible only through MIDI which have pre-set splits and that's all you've got. For the most part I use patches 4 (rock piano) and 8 (electric organ 2) exclusively. Can't complain too much for the price.

See above

I had to replace the power supply because the original had a bad connection. It also has a tendency to overheat and behave strangely which is complicated by the lack of an on/off switch.

I'd probably look for a different module to replace this. Maybe something with a good rhodes sound on it

Can't be too difficult with only a few knobs.

There's nothing else in this box except sounds. All sounds comes natural without any effects. Polyphony is more than sufficient unless you're thinking of playing a duet.

Can't get better piano sounds than this. I've been using my Proformance for 9 years and I've not come across another sound module producing a more realistic piano sound. The high and low notes are just great. Very expressive - like playing a real piano. Forget about the other sounds in this module, especially the e-piano. The vibraphone is quite good - able to appreciate the effect of the mallets hitting the vibes when playing hard.

Have absolutely no problems with it. I've even dropped it on hard cement floor a few times - it's still working with no hiccups.

Haven't met anyone from E-mu.

I will not give it up for anything else. I use it solely for the realistic piano sounds - just can't find anything else that comes close to the Proformance. One of my sound engineer friends first brought the Proformance to my notice and told my how great it sounded. I was at first a bit dubious about it since I'm VERY picky about piano sounds (being a pianist). I bought it not long after my first try-out and I have no complains about it for the past 9 years. My JV 1080 piano sounds with all the boasted expansions are a far cry from this small unit.
If you're looking for the best piano sound out there, the Proformance is a definite buy.

Just a few knobs on this half 19" module. Only a real piano is easier to use

It doesn't have much features accept that it has that one piano sample that has stood the the test of time. Many professional users and recording studios own one.

This module is famous for its main piano patch. You can hear it on many recordings of the nineties. It is a clear and neutral piano sound, very good in the highest octave. In comparisson with todays standard it still can stand the test. However it's a bit thin and has been surpassed by marketleaders such as Roland and Yamaha. But the differences are remarkebly small, regarding the fact that this module has been on the market for almost 7 years.

I think this thing will work even after mankind has ceased to exist.

Never dealed with them, but from what I hear they seem to be very nice and helpfull guys.

You can find these modules second hand for reasonable prices. Owning one will most certainly improve your setup. The pianosound is better than almost any sample find in any workstation or synth. For example it's better than Trinity and JV series pianosound. If you can find one buy one. You'lle like its natural sound!