Generalmusic Realpiano Expander

I'm using this mainly as a piano sound source, so it's pretty much plug and play. S/W v1.04 is an early version, but I've no problems with it. Limited editing and saving is available.

Note - this module has been out of production for several years) A basic range of features, it's not ideal if you want to change to a different sound for every song. A useful feature missing on this unit is the ability to be able to adjust the velocity response of the module. (This is corrected on Gem's new piano module the rp-x)

Piano sound: This is what it's all about - for me, this is the best, most playable piano sound ever. (I've also had/played korgs/yams/rolands.) It works for both solo and band work, blues, boogie, jazz. The Best.
BUT, to get the best out of it, it does need a master keyboard with a suitable velocity curve. I find a Roland rd300sx is ideal, but many pianos seem to transmit velocity such that the module is always playing at the quiet/soft end of the range. So, invest time in finding the right velocity curve from your controller to match your playing style to the rp expander.

I've had no trouble with this even though its 10 or so years old. I dropped it once and snapped the volume control pot off - after repairing that it was fine. There is a known problem with the displays going faulty (no replacements are available) but someone has now managed to fit a new display (details of this are on the generalmusicus.com community forum, tech support, but it looks a complex job)

Gem have excellent products but are let down by their poor marketing and customer support.

I'm tempted by the new Gem module the rp-x, but at present I have heard nothing better than this. I think that if General Music were to sort out their sales/marketing/support side, they could wipe the floor with the other major manufacturers. Unfortunately, the delays which beset their new product launches suggest that, if this were to happen, their capacity to cope with high demand may be a limiting factor. Technically though, unbeatable.

OK, well it's not outstanding, neither terrific. You can easily access the sounds but when you want to get deeper into programming there is a little playing with the knobs.

For example, the reverb setting, you have to get already deep into programming.

Polyphony is OK, even with layered sounds. Built in reverb sounds good as the tremolo. Midi settings are quite tricky.

Everything you need is in here.

The main reason I bought this one. Reviews are raving mad over the acoustic piano sound. Well, It wasn't for me. I was quite content with the string resonance and the way the sound but the main sample did not convince me. The kurzweil micropiano sample is far more convincing (except the low mid notes which are blurry), but this one lacks the finesses of the realpiano.

The rhodes on the other hand are quite good and also the wurli's. The DX ep's sound horrible. Layering give some very nice sounds.

Well, what can I say. After setting the volume at 0, playing an hammond piece on my triton and then setting the volume at a level again, there were a few notes still sounding out of the module.
Pressing the on/off button twice could only stop these notes.
This wasn't accidently cause I could recover it with the same playing style.

Now, this was the reasing for selling it again.

Never dealt with Gem, so no opinion here.

If it were lost or stolen I wouldn't buy it again. I don't think it was worth what I've payed for. Luckily I've sold it for the same price. I've been playing it for two months and took it on a gig once. Also stuck notes here, Aaargh.

I've been playing for 28 years now, started with classical organ study. I own now, an Korg triton (also with a horrible piano sound), a roland JV30, a kurzweil micropiano, a elka dmp18 midi bass pedal, a yamaha hs8 organ with cvs10 expander.

I love my HS8, it doesn't sound realistic but has a warmth and depth in it. The triton is versatile, but a little muddy, the jv30 is just a GM player from roland with only three nice sounds on board but effective as a layering instrument and it has a nice keyboard. I've been a bit disappointed in the dedicated piano modules as there are:
Emu proformance, GEM rpexpander, yamaha TX1P,kurzweil micropiano. I've did not try the yamaha P50m and have never seen an oberheim minigrand.
For now the best pianosound I own is the AWM piano in my HS8 organ, after that the TX1P, which I've sold for 15 euro because of the terrible velocity curve. You have to play loud to get it alive and hit it hard to play loud. And the lower notes play harder than the higher notes, terrible.

So, I am still looking for a playable replacement of an acoustic piano. Would be nice to have some wurly's and rhodes on board.

No, I can't afford a Nord electro........ Not yet.

Simple to use. Not a lot of editing capability, but I don't really need it as a general purpose module... I'm only interested in the piano. I have other gear for other sounds...

I upgraded the ROM to v13 (I think), anyway, earlier roms had some "quick" decaying notes in the lower ranges. The new ROM has a much more natural decay to the low notes. This, however exposes another, though lesser, weakness. The lower notes can sound a bit static if sustained for a long time. This is not really noticable unless it's just 1 or 2 notes being held.

It's all been said by others. 64 not polyphony is enough for me.

My rating is based on the piano sound only. The other sounds are OK, but there are much more responsive synths/samplers out there if you're looking for a vanilla bunch of sounds.

The piano sound, however, is unmatched IMHO. It's inspiring, particularly with a bit of carefully applied EQ. I've got a 150 year old square grand piano with speakers and a Peavey c8p controller mounted in it. Playing the RP Xpander in this context is as close to the real thing as I've ever found. To be fair, this is an unusual, and potentially optimal environment for a piano module since some of the natural acoustics if the piano and sound board still work. Even so, I had a kurzweil module before in the same setup and it sounded flat and lifeless (that's why I have the RPXpander now instead).

If there's a criticism to be had about the sound, the dynamics in the middle octaves are not as good as they are at either end. The high and low are great. Carefully applied EQ seems to help quite a bit, at least to my ears/fingers. Sampling artifacts are few and far between. Trying to find split points is just about impossible. Low notes seem to go a bit static on long solo sustain, probably because of limited sample ram. Not bad at all though. The piano harmonics are more apparent with this module than any other I've ever heard. The dynamics are really surperb.

I'd give it a 10, but I spent some time playing a 9 foot steinway, and that kind of spoiled me...

Others seem to have had problems, but mine's been a rock. No problems at all. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Got the upgrade ROM without too much trouble, no other reason to deal with customer support.

I've had the RP Xpander for about 3 years, and it's probably the most frequently used piece of gear I've got. If it were lost/stolen/broken, I'd cry. Then I'd search the face of the earth for another, though they're rarely sold. People who have 'em want to keep 'em.

A bit hard to know which knob is for what in the beginning, now it's fine. The manual is straight forward and helpful.

Polyphony up to the moon, great! Midi capabilities ok (in out thru), I like the "lock-Midi" functions, so nobody can change the settings during a gig. Effects are great, I enjoy the phaser, vibrato and the wah as well as the very good reverb! Compare that to the other modules and you understand that this one safes you buying external effetcs

Piano is great in middle and higher range, low range is a but to noisy for me, comes with a little resonating tone. Nevertheless I never heard a single piano module or synth better than this!
The rhodes is as rhodes as possible, great, both the MK-1 and MK-2, the wurly is more than usable and the clav (esp. with the very good auto-wah) will get you to the funk!

Sometimes it crashes and I have to restore the factory settings (happened twice). Really cool environment (<10 degree centigrade) and the reverb doesn't work anymore....

Worse than not existant here in Germany. "Yes, I will care" and .... nothing happens. Nobody is responsible and they don't take ownership.

Yes, I would get it again, but these things are hard to find - but I would desperately search one! The next closest alternative seems to be a Gem Pro Mega 2 or Clavia Nord Electro (have you seen the $$$s for these?).
If the Gem-folks could sort out their marketing, sales and support they could flood the market with a re-release of this amazing box.
A true diamond in my rack!

Fairly intuitive to use. Manual is pretty good. Looks way more daunting than it is -- it's only a 25 page or so document but it is repeated in about 7 different languages so it looks like an encyclopedia.

The other reviews cover the features. I like that it has tuning, transpose, effects, volume, split and layer functions since my controller (Fatar sl-990) doesn't have those.

As good as electronic gets for piano. The resonance modeling provides the aural cues that make it sound much deeper than most. You can get it to sound electronic, but then again it is, and for the price ...
Also, others have discounted some of the other sounds. I think the vibes, pipe organ and vibrato b3 are very nice. Not a lot of flexibility but one really good sound is better than having the ability to fiddle with a bad sound, no? Strings are ok, choir voices are pretty good played ensemble but individually they sound a little to "breathy". The Rhodes patches have a well sampled sound but no expressiveness -- the "bite" comes on like a switch. The Wurli is actually more playable.
Currently I'm using the original EPROM (v. 1.06), but I'm going to puchase the updated one (1.13) which is supposed to improve sustain and a few other things.

Don't know yet. LCD and buttons look pretty fragile.

Peavey seems to have parts, but I haven't tested this theory yet.

For the price, I'd buy two. I paid $200 for a "new" demo in a bricks and mortar music shop. I don't think they knew how hard-to-find these things are, judging by the prices other reviewers said they paid.

Straight forward. Not confusing if you're comfortable with MIDI gear.

64 voice polyphony
2 voice multitimberal (layer/split with independent midi channels)
Effects aren't great
Basic MIDI in/out/thru.
Half rack profile is nice...

Also has the ability to boost low or high end. This proved very nice as
it really filled out the bottom.

The piano sound is why I bought this thing. Piano sounds are very subjective,
but I find this one extremely satisfying. I traded from a Kurzweil
MicroPiano to this one, and I find it much more expressive. I find when
I play the RealPiano Expander, I'm inspired, as if I were playing an
accoustic grand!

Other than the piano sound, I'd pass on this one... It's all about the
piano.

No problem so far...

No problem so far

If it was stolen, I'd absolutely get another one. This piece of gear
will get used more than anything else.

Production was discontinued a few months ago, so they're getting hard
to find..

This unit is pretty straightforward, since it's applications are specific. The biggest drawback to me is that everything resets when you shut down. I have to reassign the midi channel and effects every night (granted, the whole process takes about 10 seconds).

The subtle things that Generalmusic did to make this module sound more like a real piano are extremely effective. It simulates sympathetic resonance, which is the principle that certain piano strings can resonate, or ring, if they are hit by sound waves that contain the same harmonic. In other words, if you hold down a low G on a real piano and wait for the sound to fade, you can strike a G an octave above and hear the frequency resonate from the low G being held. Therefore, an arpeggio played with the sustain pedal depressed creates not only a bunch of samples being played up the keyboard, but the natural overtones as well. The result is a fuller, warmer sound. The key releases are samples as well, unlike other modules which simply crossfade out. And, if you play high notes with the sustain pedal depressed, you can hear the box resonate, as on an actual piano. These attributes will probably go unnoticed in a group context, but sound beautiful during solo piano performance.

The selection of piano sounds is limited, so if you don't like the primary piano sample, don't buy the module. I personally love the sound for my purposes, which are primarily jazz and pop. The sound cuts through the mix well, which can't be said for all pianos that may sound great by themselves. It might be too bright for classical music - I wouldn't recommend it for that application. The rhodes are really pretty good, and the two sounds are quite diverse - very hard and a more tine oriented sound. Try using the phaser effect with the latter. Basses are good, choirs and strings are passible, wurlys and synths are subpar, and the clavinets and mallets are pretty rotten (I don't understand how Generalmusic could pay so much attention to realism, yet program massive delay on a marimba). You can get an optional pedal which gives you a continuous controller damper pedal, not just a switch. If you like to use a pedal to tap the beat, this can be a quite effective little device. Above all, this unit is really designed for it's pianistic realism, and it does a superb job at it.

With certain controllers, if I played too many notes, the module will not only lock up, but also omits a horrible, loud buzz. Also, the LED has become so illegible at this point, I have to press buttons by memory.

When I purchased the realpiano, I deliberated between it and the Kurzweil MicroPiano. Though both piano sounds were great, I prefered the Generalmusic one. I also felt that the other sounds were mostly of higher quality as well. I use the piece as part of a rack of modules, and I only use two sounds: the primary piano with stage reverb applied, and the soft rhodes (usually with the phaser effect). The piano voice is the only one I use, on every application, and I still personally prefer it to the top Roland, Yamaha, and Kurzweil sounds made today. So, for my purposes, this unit is invaluable.

This is a dedicated piano module, so it will only play one or two(split) sounds at a time. As usual there are a few good sounds and some pants ones. It is pretty easy to use, having few buttons.

Plenty polyphony for most people with only ten fingers. The effects are ok, and fairly easy to adjust. It is a pretty straightforward box.

You only buy this box because you want a top rate piano sound. Whether you get it or not is very personal, but I like this box. If you want a clean clangy yamaha sound, get a yamaha. If you want a warm, fuller more mushy sound, this is the one for you. It has more depth than the cleaner sounding yamaha p50m and is terrific up the top, good down the bottom, but the middle has a sort of electronic overtone to it. All piano players must face the fact that the only thing that plays and sounds like a piano is a piano. No box is going to do that for you. The big plus that this box has is that when you play it, all the notes sound as if they belong together, rather than just firing out of nowhere.

Seems ok so far.

I'm already thinking of trading it off. It plays great over midi files, but I wanted it for playing with a jazz band, and I found it just on the mushy side for that, although it has a great vibes sound.
I have now got a yamaha p50m for the live stuff. It is not as musical, and has no inspiration in it, but it cuts the mustard live.

The user interface takes a little getting used to, but since the module doesn't attempt to be very deep, it is a quick learn.

For what I bought it for (just a piano module), it's great. Plenty of polyphony (64 I believe). The built in effects are so-so, I'm using outboard gear anyway.

EXCELLENT. Once I made a performance containing the Piano1 and Piano2 sounds, it really filled in the middle range nicely. The highs are crisp, and the lower register has plenty of punch. Extremely expressive, although my Fatar SL880 controller took some manipulating to get the velocity curves configured so it sounded good when I played. I find the unit sounds better with very little EQ or reverb... it makes it sound much more convincing. I've already used the piano patch I made in a song and it sounds so real...it's hard to believe.

Seems fine so far.

What a great unit. Definitely think it's the best piano module for the money.

The structure of the user interface isn't completely intuitive.
Also some of the front panel switches are starting to fail, making
operation a little difficult.

This is the module that has the same capabilities as the PRO1 piano.
64 voice polyphony is great. Besides the grand piano, it comes with
other sounds including strings. You can define two patches to play
simultaneously. I was able to reproduce a convincing violin/piano
sonata.

The piano is VERY expressive. What's key for me is the ability to
combine delicacy with power. This module can sound delicate in soft
passages, then hit loud bass notes with balls, and deliver extremely
exciting loud high notes. I don't care so much how close it is to a
real piano. The Gigapiano for the Gigasampler sounds, at least in
superficial ways, more like a real piano. I haven't owned the
Gigapiano so I can't do a detailed comparison, but the Realpiano expander
delivers very expressive sounds, and that's what counts.

I have owned an Emu Proformance/1 piano module and a Yamaha P50m.
The Generalmusic vastly exceeds both in expressiveness.

I got mine used. It's worked so far, although some of the front
panel keys are getting intermittant.