Generalmusic Promega 3

Very and I mean Very easy to use. All editing can be done in real-time as you play/gig and saved to a user patch without any noodling around in submenus. I have the latest OS. The manual is great

The polyphony is outrageous at 300 notes or something. A professional beast. The effects are all amazing, so good infact that you wish you could have more simultaineously and that you could use them on external patches routed in, alas no. AS a midi controller it is superb, you can have full controll over everything. No expansion per se, but it is basically a computer inside so could take some more stuff in theory, if only as software.

The acoustic piano's are the best on any keyboard anywhere. Only bettered by synthology ivory, but then you can have that ontop.
rhodes are very digital as they are Virtual Modeled but they are good and expressive, I use the Nord electro2 and scarbee libraries for electric pianos. The melotron and acoustic strings are warm and lush as are almost all the other sounds, people have come up to me after gigs to explain how its the best synth they've ever heard. This is a distinct possibility. One can be a real musician on this board, the piano is so good, the action is lightish but then so is it on some acoustic pianos. If you are an actual pianist don't complain, buy this and a piano. hint(you'll only want to gig with the promega). I play jazz/fusion/soul/reggae/R&B/Latin etc all over the UK on this thing, my girlfriend plays classical piano and loves playing Chopin on it. You must always play it in stereo and never through keyboard amps as they all sound crap. Go through wedge monitors and PA. yes it has aftertouch, what did you think.

built in Italy, come on, not Japan, it will last longer than you will.

Tryed to ask about new software in an email and got no response. hmmm
maybe I'll write in Italian next time.

If it were lost or stolen I might get something else better if It existed, but it doesn't so....OK a Promega, I think my rig is great with this and the Electro2 73, augmented with my Mac. Add ons could include a dave smith poly evolver, Macbeth M3X and a Yamaha Motif Rack. I have been playing for 20 years, have played everything, I think the action of yamaha and Kawai is better but as a complete package this blows them all away. I wish it had moog lead sounds and a sampled rhodes, but hey.

Operating System used is the old 1.03 : not updated , neverthless no issues at all . Sounds are simply outstanding. Very easy to use and edit. Owner's manual is very simple , just because the usage is so simple and intuitive !

Polyphony is outstanding ( 320!) Keyboard is very precise and professional. Effects are very powerful and without any noise or aside effects . Full MIDI capabilities . No expansion possible , only up-download from PC : that's why I rate "only" 8 under this item .

Best acoustic pianos ever heard.
Best Rhodes and Wurlitzer as well . Also the CP 80 is outstanding.
When playing You have the same feeling and experience of the true instruments : no difference. Full reactivity to speed .
To complete the picture : beautyful and colourful organs(churh/pipes etc.).
In one statement: nothing better than this ever heard-seen before.

No problem so far.

Full and prompt support whenever questions were send to General Music.

This is -by far- the best piano ever seen in the market.
The price/performance ratio is outstanding as well.
Every feature is exceeding the expectation and the comparison with other/similar products.
The only ( small) negative point is the limited capacity of the user's sounds memory bank (64). Still the overall judgement and rating is maximum.

Don't know the software version but I think it is up to date. The Presets are amazing, especially the pianos and electric pianos. The unit can be easily edited and as such save lots of time, and frustration. A patch editor would not realy save much time as it is already so easy to edit. The manual is straight forward and due to the ease of editing doesn't have to be too involved.

As far as polyphony this thing is the first instument that you don't have to even consern yourself with voice stealing or robbing. Layer, double, Palm slur, even place a two by four across the keys no need to worry. With some pianos when your play complete arpagios up and down the full keyboard with the damper pedal down you incounter voice stealing. Not with this thing. The effects are good, reverbs, chorus, and a rather cool compressor that adds a great vibe to the sound. The best is the 8 band eq that is programmable, great stuff. As far as Midi it has a great action 88 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch capability is more then adiquit as a controller. As it is mostly a piano it doesn't have sequencer or drum sounds as such. I would say that it is the nicest, easyest board that I have ever used.

The grand piano sounds are super. The electric pianos are very expressive and seem to have that speacial amp type overdrivey sound when you push them velocity wise, great! The strings, are adiquit as a layering tool. The organs are good in a pinch. The basses are so so. The vibes are not bad. The brass is mainly for layering but I wouldn't count on it solo. This thing is ment to be a piano and as such it does the job better then most. It is the most dynamic nice feeling and playable piano on the markit by far.

Althought I've only had it for 6-8 months I put it on an airplane with me to Africa and back where I played it every day in a club date for 3 months straight. I am gigging with it constantly and I might add it has never let me down. It gives you a sence of confidence because it is made of wood and metal, very solid. I would however keep it in a proper road case as I have done only because the rotary controls probably could be easily broken. As far as backup I wouldn't worry although I use it with a Korg Triton and I guess I could use the Tritons piano in a pinch (doesn't hold a candle to the Promegas)!

Service I have never had to contact them so I don't know how reponsive or helpful they are.

I got it new but slightly damaged (it was B stock) so I save a little coin. If it were lost or stolen I would first cry, then buy another one even if I had to take out a bank loan. As it turns out had I known how good it was I would have not waited so long to buy it (I was waiting for a deal like the one I did get). I would have bought it at the list price. I've been playing keyboards for 46 years since age 8 and I think I've played every board on the markit. I own a Korg Triton, Hammond C3, B3, 3 Leslies, Voce V5, Korg CX3 version 2 and my latest addition a Casio Privia P300 which I use for jam nights because it weighs 28LBS! I love the playability sound and ease of use, I don't like it's size and to a lessor degree weight. As far as other pianos they don't have a chance. piano wise the Korgs are too in your face, the Rolands sound synthetic, the Kurzweils are close but don't have the dynamics like this and finally beleive it or not in a pinch the Casio Privia is a steal. I chose this because I wanted a real piano that I could take to the gigs. This fit the bill. I wish it were a little thinner and possibly lighter but in it's class it is not too bad. The sounds and playabillity inspires you to play for hours! I can't quite understand why it is such a well kept secrit. If I owned Gem I would advertize this puppy more over here in North America. If you are a serious piano player do yourself a favour and get one!

Quite easy...:)

Keyboard action is a bit light , but of course it is not that light like Technics P50 or Kawai ES1... Buy this instrument for its classical music and Jazz music ability...

The sounds are pretty killing...:)

It sounds fine

No idea

I don't think any thief dare steal it, it doesn't sound profitable, lol! I WISH KAWAI AND GEM WOULD WORK TOGETHER FOR A MASTERPIECE STAGE PIANO, MAINLT TAKE KAWAI MP9000 SERIES KEYBOARD ACTION AND QUALITY AND COMBINE IT WITH GEM'S KILLING PIANO SOUNDS... NO RIVALS WOULD BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINTS THAT PIANO... SHARE THE PROFIT GEM AND KAWAI, LET YOU DO IT...:)

This review is written from the point of view of someone who wanted a digital piano for classical piano. Therefore, it focuses on the piano sections more than the synth sections.

Software v1.05.

Everything is there right in front of you, nice chunky buttons and motorised faders. Couldn't be easier! Some sound functions are accessed from a menu controlled by the master section but they are only a few button presses away and once you learn where everything is, navigation is quick.

I am knocking the score down by one point because the faders can be used to set some parameters and these are difficult to position exactly and also have a tendency to jump by one value. This means that you might set a MIDI CC to the mod wheel and find the fader keeps pulling it off the setting you want.

Polyphony is 320 notes but I think this is split 80 notes per sound module.

Keyboard action is Fatar TP30 and this IMO is the only major weakness of the instrument. Far too light, unresponsive, sluggish and no real sense of interaction. I have ended up buying a Kawai piano to get a better action which effectively doubled the purchase price for one piano.

GEM also make a three pedal unit which features a continuous damper pedal. This works really well on the piano models and adds that extra edge to playability.

However, as I really don't like the action and that is a significant part of the instrument, I am lowering the score but other people might find the Fatar action fantastic - everyone has their own opinion here.

This is where the Promega3 shines. The sounds are simply fantastic. You really need to play it to understand how good they are. Play it back to back with the major Japanese products and they sound like Fisher Price toys in comparison.

Within the limitations of a digital piano, this is the closest I have been to playing a real piano.

It died 13 months after purchase - see below for how that was resolved - so I do feel a little nervous about it now.

The best I have encountered. After the instrument died, I had help from the US, UK and Italian GEM support people who organised on-site repair. I really felt they were very concerned that one of their instruments wasn't working and when the remote tests didn't indicate the nature of the fault, they shipped out a replacement motherboard and fitted it for free. Full marks.

If it was lost or stolen, would I buy it again? Definitely but I would probably replace it with a Promega2 as I don't use the extra sounds in the 3.

Is it worth the money? Yes.

If GEM could combine a better action with it then they would have an unbeatable combination.

As it is, this is a fantastic keyboard with real character and I would urge anyone looking for the best piano sounds to play this instrument.

My overall rating would be 10 but I had to drop it because of the Fatar action. Sorry GEM but you've really got to sort this part of it out!

Having this boards for just a week. Using version 1 of the software. The sounds are divided in four groups:
pianos, vintage keys, synths and pads, bass and others, each group containing
16 sonds. You can play up to four sounds, one sound from each of the groups, and create splits
and layers with them on the fly. There is not a synth for creating
your own sounds, but a truly "players" keyboard. The promega is
the follow up of the PRO 2, a famous board used by may professional
american based players. You will definitely like this board when
you're looking for excellent piano, rhodes, clav and wurlitzer
sounds. The manual is brief, but the intuitive layout of the board
hardly justifies the need of a manual.

This is not a synth but a players keyboard for live and studio work
and for that purpose it receives high points.
The maximum polyphony is 320 (!!) and has fatar weighted piano keys
with aftertough. No graded keys like in e.g. the new Yamaha P120, but the keys are really
nevertheless top quality and the sounds of the promega beat in my opinion other keyboards
by miles. There is a reverb effect block
containing 16 or so types of reverb, and an effects effect block
with an equal amount of effects, including a nice phaser and tremolo.
Both blocks are good to excellent, providing just the kind of spice you need for those vintage rhodes or clav
sounds. The boards does not provide for additional cards or so,
but has as a line input (with adjustable gain), 2 balanced outs,
and 2 additional outs. It has MIDI capability, but no on-board
sequencer. You can sequence up to four voices on a external sequencer
(up to 4 MIDI channels).The board can be used as a controller for other instruments or sound
modules.

A very good selection of pianos: standard 9' grands (including
an incredible Fazioli), upright, jazz piano, etc. Unbelievably
good vintage keys: four rhodes, two clavs, two wurlys, ... I doubt
you can tell the difference with the real machines when subjected
to a blind test. Compared to the Nord Electro 2, I like these sounds
much better. The Electro has a good an extensive hammond model
and may be better for emulating really tube distorted grumble, but
you can always add that to the promega sounds using an external
tube amp. Futhermore, you still hear the switching to different samples
on the Electro, while it is absolutely smooth on the promega.
Love it for that.
It is perfect for older classic pop and rock tunes (think
Stevie Wonder & Billy Joel of the '70 & early '80). However, it
should perform well for many styles. It
looks very retro, kind of like a synclavier. Some
may find the look ugly, but I find it nice enough, and I rate performance
and ease of use much higher than looks (this can not be
generalized to other fields of interest).

Only had it a week so we'll have to see how it stands up to time
and abuse. However, the board is solidly constructed, all metal
covers except for the sides, which are made of nice thick wood,
so that will take damage from
hauling it over time. You also have to be carefull for the large
V-post (about 16 in total) since they tend to stick out of the board.

No idea about customer support.

The day it got stolen would lead to horrible nightmares for the
individual who took it (I don't yet know how though and hope
to never need to start thinking about that). I've been playing for 15 years, some
years in a band with gigs (pop&funk&blues), but currently only
play for fun and help songwriters in making songs and demos for other
artists. Before, I played Yamaha SY99, but i like playing more than tweeking sounds, so
I switched to the promega. For what I need it for, i.e. playing
piano & keys, it's excellent. Before I bought it, I reviewed
Yamaha Motif, P200, P120, Kurzweil PC2, Roland RD700
and Korg Triton (Studio). Although promega is expensive
compared to some of the other instruments, it also delivers
in my opinion the best emulation of real piano and vintage
keys in terms of sound, which is was my most important criterium.
I also play guitar for about 20 years (my first love).