Kurzweil KMP-1 Micropiano

Really good sounding 1/2 rack space unit. It's not a true-sounding piano, but it's so close. I'm using version 1.03 software in it. I dont know if it's updatable or not, but it suits me fine. The presets are good enough for live work (it blew away my Roland JV-1010 and it's factory patches). The polyphony is more than I'll ever need. The thing is basically uneditable. You turn the dial and select the sound you wanna hear. MIDI in and thru, left and right out. Coulda been nice to have a headphone out....

Not sure about the polyphony, but it works great for live work. IT has built-in effects that are there but so far back in the mix that they are useless. No expansion or new boards or anything like that. It's a plug and play thing.

It sounds like a piano, and an organ, and strings. NO velocity or aftertouch noticed from my end. The tone you get is what you get. It doesnt react when you "spank" it, which is totally UNLIKE a real piano. The organs are good, but not as good as my XK-2. The strings are good, but my D-50's strings are better. I just got it for the piano. So far it sounds good in rock, blues, R&B and country. It's good to me so far.

I better depend on it, as it's replacing my personally programmed TG55. All I need it for is the piano sound. I'm already covered for the organ and strings end of things. I dont see any problems with it yet. I dont know how well Young Chang/Kurzweil service is, but I'll have to wait and see. It's built quite well. If I had to, I could probly hurt someone with it.

Never tried to deal with Young Chang/Kurzweil yet because there have been no problems.

If it were lost or stolen I'd have to hunt down the guy who stole it and kill him. Hands down it's better than the Korg SG-Rack and the Roland JV-1010 and my TG-55. Everything else is expensive and I doubt if I'll get anything else. I've been playing country/rock/metal for years now. My rig consists of the MicroPiano, a Hammond/Suzuki XK-2, a Suzuki KM-88 piano/controller, a Roland D-50, an Oberheim Matrix 6R, a Yamaha TG-55 and a Korg M1R (I used to have a MemoryMoog Plus before it died, but s**t happens.

No brainer, pick a channel and play.

It has all you need for a basic piano module. The 32 note polyphony is the same as keyboards claiming 64 note mono polyphony. The borrowing is good and dropout is well hidden as it is in Kurzweil gear in general.

You can still hear this piano on TV shows like Smallville. It has a signature sound, not real, just good. I have software synth pianos that blow this away for realism, but they don't sound like this!!!!

NEVER a problem!!!!

They have always been very helpful with questions I have had. (system exclusive midi questions)

I have been thinking about getting a backup.. I love it!!!! It works well with my Yamaha P80 when I want THAT sound. The strings are good to layer with the piano in the keyboard too. A very useful box for me. I don't have a low level problem with my unit, on my mixer it is about the same as the rest of my gear. Listen for it on X-Files re-runs!!!!!

Its pretty easy to use. A monkey could operate this fine apparatus while eating a banana. However, it could be difficult for some of the readers on this board.

It is pretty simple a monkey could operate the dial again while eating a boxed lunch. Also the monkey could probably shut it on and off without electricuting himself. this is imporatant as not all animals are house trained. The monkee might have trouble with the LED screen

All joking aside, i still enjoy playing this after 9 years. It is not exactly reALISTIC but it offers entertainment for the whole family. When I visit my grandpa at the old age home he always comments on how sound #6 reminds him of the steinway they had before we got power of attorney and took all of his possessions.

it broke when I got it so I threw a rock in the store and beat up the owner. funny thing is I walked outta there with a FREE triton after threating to sue. It is mroe reliabilie than my brother Moe who is in jail for lack of child suport

The company was great they fixed the unit after only 12 calls by my attorney. i think using the better business burearu helped

I enjoyed it but had to work long hours at the McDonalds to buy it. My family didnt eat for a few weeks but I told them it was for a good cause/

It has sufficient features for a piano module

The pianos are good, the rest are not usable.

The unit's reliability is good. The wall wart is undependable crap.I have two because the wall wart died in New York and the power listed on the unit (9 volts @ 1 amp) won't run the unit. It lights up but ....no sound. You have to buy another crappy wall wart from them to make it work. See customer service below.

So I call them and say it won't work on the advertised current requirement. Their answer: Buy a wall wart from us. They wouldn't admit that the advertised DC requirement is wrong but I have tried several generic wall warts that fit the spec with no sound.

I am trying to eliminate the module-controller approach so
I wouldn't buy it again. I want to avoid Kurzweil because I believe they misstated the current requirements. Unforgiveable.

This module is very easy to use, even though it can't save last setting. I can always get to my favourite setting pretty fast.

The software version I'm using is ver 1.08.

The manual is really helpful.

It's 32 polyphony, 16 built-in effect and 110 default effect for proram. The only expansion capability is connect it to another module to have 64 polyphony, or any other sound module through "MIDI Through" connector.

It has a very good velocity response (adjustable velocity response curve).

For my need, the features it has is more than enough.

Practically I like all the instrument sounds. All of them pretty realistic. I don't like some of them NOT because they are bad, just because I don't like that kind of sound.

For me, the Classical Piano and Stage Piano are great. "Piano & String Pad" is the best. I feel that I am playing "Piano & String Pad" of Yamaha P-200.

Compared to Yamaha P-200, I give 100 point for P-200, and I give 70 point for the Piano & String Pad sound quality of this module. For only 1/10 of the price of P-200, you get 70% of the sound quality of Yamaha P-200. GREAT DEAL !!

It responses to velocity, and the velocity sensitive response curve setting can enhance the expresiveness.

No aftertouch is supported.

I'm sure it's pretty reliable. Mine has been in UPS truck for 5 days, and has been loaded and unloaded (because they made a mistake). With a poor packaging and handling, it works just great!

I has no experience with Customer Support so far. I hope I don't have to contact them, since I believe my MicroPiano is reliable.

If it were lost or stolen, absolutely I will buy again. I got a pretty good deal from a local store. For $149.99 I got everything; original power supply, User Manual, and also Quick Reference Guide. Even the original manufacture box !!

I really love my MicroPiano, it enhances my Roland Synthesizer E-10 very much. On the first day i received it, I play it for 4 hours!! I just felt I couldn't stop playing!! The sound is too wonderful to be missed.

I tried a lot of digital piano everytime I went to local music store. Roland FP-5, Korg SP-500, Korg SP series, Yamaha P series, Korg Concert Piano series (EC series). You name it. I like Yamah P-200 the most.

Considering my limited budget, I am unable to buy any of them at this moment. So, this MicroPiano is really brighten up my day!! For $149.99 I got a pretty realistic Piano sound, and a wonderful Piano & String Pad.

I have tried to compare it with Alesis NanoPiano and Korg P3. Korg P3 is not realistic enough, especially on the high note.

Alesis NanoPano, the high note sounds too synthetic (for this one, I only hear the mp3 demo).

GREAT ELETRIC PIANOS,STRINGS AND PADS.
ACCOUSTIC PIANO IS DISAPOITMENT.
EDITING PATCHES;YOU CAN ONLY CHANGE THE EFFECT LIKE CHORUS OR REVERB.

POLYPHONY IS 32.NO EXPANSION,NO SEQUENCER LIKE EMU MODULES.
YES,THERE IS A DINAMIC.

GREAT FOR BALLADS AND OTHER SWEET ,GENTLY MUSIC.
IF YOU USE KURZWELL STRING 31 AND FROM OTHER KEYBOARD ACCOUSTIC PIANO
YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH FEELING,OR KURZWELL PAD 32 WITH ROLAND EP-7E
ACCOUSTIC PIANO.MEGA PATCH IS FENDER RHODES 14.
ULTRA GOOD EL.PIANOS 15,16 19.

Very easy to use. No problem

Lack of some features, like:
1)Memory for some presets: sound, velocity curve, etc...
2)No phones output.
3)Very few configuration options.
Good stereo effect.

Good pianos, bright sound, specially low and high notes, although a little bit lack of "body". Nice for classic piano playing with a good MIDI keyboard.
Excellent classic Rhodes emulation (patch #14); the best sound for me and the most widely used, both at home and at stage. Lack of some other variations on it.
Electric piano sounds (patch #15 to #19) too synthetic. Useless for me.
Interesting strings.
Organs only average. No velocity curve election for them. Limited usability.
Lack of a Wurlitzer electric piano patch. I miss it a lot.
Nice effects (reverb) but most of them useless.

Quite robust and reliable.

No idea.

Interesting product for gigging. I bought it for having a portable set (along with a 61 note MIDI keyboard) with good piano sounds for gigging purposes. Nice and bright piano sounds and better Rhodes emulation. For professional use at the studio, could be an option, but there are several more up-to-date solutions (although more expensive). If lost or stolen, I would try to find a module more specialized in classic electric piano sounds.

The micropiano is very easy to use, I have to give it that much. Basically plug it in, get your cables in place, and you're ready. You can't edit the sounds on this unit, only change which effects are paired with each sound. The manual is straightforward and simple to read.

For the rest of this review, I've got to compare the micropiano to other products on the market...which is what you want to hear. When it comes down to it, that's why people come to this site - to hear the pro's and con's of each synth so that you know exactly what you're buying. Bottom line on this unit ?? It was top notch in 1993 and may have a LIMITED use in today's synth market. The built in effects are average at best compared to what's out there today. No expansion. No sound editing. Doesn't remember settings.

I was VERY disappointed with the paino sounds to say the least. The next reviewer is absolutely right - any synth after 1998 will have a better sounding piano..that goes for the S80, XV-88, JV-2080, QS8, N1, SGproX, Proteus, and PC2. I trained on classical music for 10 years and have been in rock bands for 10 more. I bought this without hearing it first mainly because of the reviews on this site and the Kurzweil name. The piano's don't outright suck. They're not terrible, and again, they were top of the line in 1993. But, samples and data storage in the last 5 years are light years ahead. The pianos on this unit sound distant, thin, muffled, and lack presence and body. I'm playing a Korg and I'd compare the micropiano to a watered down beer...you get the jist of the taste, but there's no fullness, no bite, no body. Really, after reading the reviews on this site where it was compared to the K2600, I thought I was missing out by not having one. My Korg pianos blow this unit away though and again, any unit in the last several years will have a better piano. The electric pianos were better (above average in some cases) and the strings were ok. Organs downright suck.

Seems very dependable. I didn't keep mine long enough to put it throught the paces.

Haven't dealt with Kurzweil

"IF"..you have a pre-1995 synth and need a piano sound for under $350 this unit may work for you. Otherwise I'd steer clear of the micropiano. I never recorded with mine but I'd guess it wouldn't shine at all in a mix. There are other synths in the last several years that can put this unit to shame.

Since all the other reviewers seem to be in love with this thing, I
thought I'd cast a dissenting vote.

I used to own a Micro Piano (for two years, 1993 - 1995) and sold it
because I thought it was pretty lame.

A couple of caveats:

1. Kurzweil pianos are "pretty and nice" for solo noodling, etc., and
don't out and out suck, but I frankly don't understand why people rave
about them.

My keyboard player has a 6 1/2 foot Yamaha grand at his house (1978,
I forget the model number), so yes I know what a good piano, well
tuned sounds like.

2. If you are playing the Micro Piano in a band situation, or trying
to record it in a full band situation that has any power or volume
whatsover, the total lack of balls and punch with the module will really
frustrate you.

I would characterize the sound of the Micro Piano as being ok at low
volumes and velocities, but when you bang it, there's no payoff, it
still sounds like the blanket is on the top of the piano.

I'll cover this more in the sound quality section.

I bought mine when it was new (I'll agree with several of the reviewers
I originally bought an Emu Proformance piano and took it right back, that
thing totally bit) I don't remember the software rev, but it was a
real early one.

The presets sounded ok (most of the pianos) to pretty lame (the organs).

The piano/string layers were nice, but nothing to write home about.

Ease of use?

This thing was so damn easy to use, if you've got a pulse you can
figure it out. If you think it's hard to use, you probably also would
need to be told the difference between the black and white keys.

You can't really "edit" patches, just change the velocity response and
turn the effects off.

Kind of annoying, other than the velocity, the thing doesn't remember
your settings when you turn it off.

The manual was pretty good, but hey it had a small set of sounds and
a few buttons, it would have been pretty hard to screw up the manual.

I'm taking off a point for the thing not remembering settings...

32 voice polyphony, which was great in 1993, and it's REAL polyphony,
with a notable exception.

Unlike Roland at the time, who claimed 28 voices on their synths, but
you had to use three oscillators for a decent piano sound, which
resulted in 9 - 10 voice poly, the Micro Piano has a true 32 note
poly.

The exceptions are some of the "combo programs", like strings and piano,
then it's only 16 notes, since you are in effect using two sets of
sounds.

In practice unless you lean on the sustain pedal a lot, you won't run
out.

No expansion capabilities, no patch RAM, no nothing. Like a PC-88, you
had better really like the sound of a given patch because there is no
way you can change it, other than the effects a little.

Midi implemenation was pretty basic, it does respond to controller 7
(midi volume), which turns out to be useless because if you turn the
Micro Piano down at all you can't hear it.

No sequencer, etc., it's just a basic bare bones module.

I'm giving it a low rating because hey, it doesn't have many features.

Well I guess different strokes for different folks, but here's my take:

Warm? - Well if you call murky sounding warm, yeah I guess so.

Dark? - yeah it was real dark, I don't consider that good

Responsive - Actually the lower half of the velocity response is quite
nice, my problem was that in spite of always tweaking
my controller, and the module, I could never get the
sound to open up and have any presence.

Probably best for new age, unless your classical repetoire consists of
material with no forte or double forte passages.

Rock? Fuggitaboutit! Once the band kicks in there is not way in hell
you can hear the damn thing.

I'll put it to you this way, I use a Mackie LM-3204 to submix most of
my keyboards. In order to even hear the Micro Piano in a mix, I'd have
to turn it up all the way, turn up the channel ALL the way, and then
turn all the other synths and keyboards down below one half.

It helped some to just run the micro piano straight into the console
and then jack the gain up, but I bet the damn thing only puts out about
-40 db, instead of the -20 to -10 that most keyboards put out.

I think there are probably some issue with the audio circuitry in this
thing, that prevented the designers from providing a hotter output, I
have NEVER encountered another unit that had such a low output,
including my Korg P-3 Piano module, which was pretty bad for having a
low output.

The PC-88 also has this problem, actually I may be in the minority,
but I think the sound of the PC-88 (see my review here on HC as well)
also blows chuncks.

Before you blow me off as not knowing what the hell I'm talking about,
both keyboard players I work with own PC-88's and agree with me.

One guy has been playing for 34+ years, the other guy for 20+ years.

They both know their stuff, and while they love the PC-88 for it's
action and controller features, they both feel the sounds in them
(and one guy has an MX version) totally bite.

The guy with the MX wound up buying a separate rack module, just to
layer with the PC-88.

I've kind of digressed into PC-88 bashing here, but believe me the
Micro Piano shares the same sound quality issues.

It's not so much that the sound totally sucks and is harsh, it's just
not "there", if you play with any agression or passion at all.

ONBOARD EFFECTS

Actually not too bad, although I usually bypassed them. The longer hall
setting sound a little swimmy, and the shorter ones a bit harsh, but
considering the price and all the built in effects are pretty decent.

SOUND QUALITY

While I appreciate Kurzweil's attempt to provide a "mature" type of
piano sound (rather than a "hyped one" that doesn't sound real), and
the piano tones are ok, my real problem with the unit as I keep saying
is when you spank it. It sounds like the hammers in the Piano have
cotton sponges taped to them. At low velocities, playing "noodly" types
of lines, it sounds pretty decent, but when you lay into it, the
sound just dies.

The strings are pretty decent, but there are a lot of things out there
that put the Micro Piano on the trailer. Nice to have to layer with
though. The organs kind of blow, I wished they had used the waveform
ROM on better piano tone.

I've pretty much covered the whole bit about reacting to playing,
velocity and aftertouch.

I just couldn't get past the feeling that the module ignored any velocities
over about a 75 and just played the same sound after that.

My original Piano module was Korg P3, which I bought in 1989. I thought
it sounded pretty good, especially compared to the piano sounds in
my Korg DW-8000 (no real piano there), and my Kawai K1 (with 512K of
sample ROM, what the hell do you expect?).

Later on, I realized that the Korg P3 really did suck, soundwise, and
then I bought the Emu Proformance. I used that for one night, and took

Yeah it was reliable, but it had a wall wart. Need I go into how bad
that all warts suck?

Ever had a wall wart fall out at a gig? You'll know how I feel.

I wouldn't gig with a Micro Piano, but not because it wasn't reliable,
but because unless you are just playing after dinner music at a
restaurant it's not gonna get it.

With Kurzweil?

Yeah right!

I don't understand how a company that makes such expensive products
as the K2000/K2500/K2600 cannot afford adequate tech support.

I doubt you'd need it for the Micro Piano, but the fact they have never
responded to the four emails I've sent over the years about software
bugs with the PC-88/PC-88MX kind of says a lot.

I've also left phone messages with them and never got a reply.

The only reply of any sort I ever got was in a Kurzweil forum on
www.synthzone.com.

The guy there (who said he was a Kurzweil rep), told me that there were
no ERPOM upgrade chips for the PC-88 series, which effectively meant
the bugs that I had encountered were not going to be addressed.

Kind of weird as both of the guys I work with have 1994 and 1998 vintage
PC-88's (the MX is the 1998) and they both show the same OS when you
fire them up.

I wouldn't hold my breath for any upgrades to the Micro Piano.

Let me get this straight.

I don't think the Micro Piano sucks, in fact you'd probably be hard
pressed to get a better piano sound for the same price, unless you
already had a Roland JV series unit and bought one of the Piano
expansion boards, which are now down to about $200.

You get what you pay for though, and I did not find the Micro Piano
to be very useable at all in a recording or performance situation.

If you're just a guy/gal that sits at home and noodles around, it
would probably work fine for you, but if your music involves playing
or recording with other people with any sort of volume or mix density,
you'll find yourself wondering where the hell the piano went to.

If I still had the thing and it were lost or stolen, I would certainly
move on to something better.

The Micro Piano has been on the market now for about 7 years, which
is geting real long in the tooth.

In modern synth with a decent amount of sample ROM is going to put it
on the trailer in terms of sound quality.

I've been playing, programming, and messing around with synths and
keyboard for about 14 years now (I'm mainly a bass player), even further
back if you count using a modular moog in college.

I'm no keyboard player, but a bit better than the average wanker.

I do know sound and recording though, I've been doing that since 1978.

Before you get the impression that I'm some high fallutin dude that
cannot be pleased by anything, take a look at my keyboard list, no
high end units there.

In fact I would say that the Micro Piano has better sounds than
anything else in my rig except for my Roland JV-90 setup.

The Micro Piano does sound better than my Proteus F/X module's piano
sound, but that's a bit like saying that Margaret Albright is a better
looking woman than Janet Reno. I'd still be pissed off if I encountered
either one on a blind date...

The other gear that I have:

Roland JV-90 with VE-JV1 synth Expansion board and SRV-JV80-03 Piano
wave expansion board

Korg DW-8000 - Passable rhodes type sounds but certainly not very
good for piano. Hey it's a synth, that's what I use it
for. The DW-8000 has an Angel City Turbo Expansion
board in it

Kawai K1 - Good for certain things, but piano isn't one of them

EMU Proteus F/X module - Good for orchestral sounds and some synth
stuff. Brass is pretty bad, as well as a lot
of other stuff. Piano is REAL Bad. In fact
the Piano sound of this module reminds me a
bit of a tinnier, thinner Micro Piano. It
has the same lack of balls

Oberheim Matrix 1000 - Pianos? Yeah right!!! Well actually there are
some pretty decent Rhodes type things, but
this thing's forte is kick ass analog synth,
it was never meant to do Piano

Yamaha CS-1x - again, a pretty bad piano sound, but that's
not what I bought it for.

I did compare the Micro Piano to the Emu, and it won hands down.

The Micro Piano was probably the best Piano module of 1993, but hey the
world has moved on.

I think it would be a pretty good unit for a used thing for $150, but
I wouldn't buy a new one, no way.

I like the simplicty of the unit, and the idea behind it, I just wish
it had some presence and some balls. Real pianos can go from the
faintest tinkle, to the loudest roar, the Micro Piano barely gets out
of tinklesville for me.

It really got in the way of making music for me, because I found
myself constantly tweaking things to try and get it to be heard in the
mix of the recordings I was working on.

I mainly record analog, but use virutal midi tracking to run keyboards
"Live" through my console while the sequencer is synched to timecode.

This avo

Simple - not too many useless features that u will neva use etc. Just a damn good quality grand piano sound, which is all you will ever need if you are even thinking about buying this module. Only one annoying thing is that I have to go into the setup mode to change the velocity curve, as I use it with a Technics KN1400. Manual VERY easy - do not really need to read it, though MAKE SURE YOU TRY ALL OF THE VELOCITY CURVES IN THE SRTUP MODE, AS THEY MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE SOUND OF THE PIANO!!!

Top piano sound, best I have heard. Takes some getting used to, though. When I first powered mine up I was a bit disappointed, going froma technics kn1400, which had an OK piano sound, but now it is by far the best I have heard. Features - it is not fully laiden with everything you will ever want to do, but it doesn't promise to be. It is just a good sounding module.

Brilliant sound wuality on the pianos. Number 7 - 'stage piano + strings' is one of my faves, strings sound fake to start with, but sounds excellent after a couple of days. This patch is absolute ecstasy! Goes perfect with Disney-style songs. Normal 'solo' tunings DO make a difference to the sound, which is first rate on all of the piano patches. Organs are dogdy, not as bad as other reviewers make out, but all you;ll ever use this module for is a decent piano sound.

No need to use a back up. This thing feels pro down to its sockets. Deceptively heavy! nice, clear LED which has a window so u cant smash it (done that more than once before)!

Never had to deal with them, this thing is very reliable.

Absolutely brilliant. Definaltely would buy another if it got stolen, if I could claim off the insurance!! Just looking for decent keyboard amp to team it up with now - any suggestions ne1? e-mail me if you have - i cant spend too much money on it though!

This version appears to be about 4 years old. So..a piano module that claims to cover and imitate an acoustic piano, Rhodes and FM type electric pianos, smathering of strings, organs and a strange ( but surprisingly useful ) fx patch.
Well, since this unit is a basic plug and play creature and not a sound designing maiden....the preset sounds are pretty darn good.
Manual...with this unit...nobody needs a "stinkin' manual"...

With 32 voice polyphony, although not the defacto by todays standards, the module seems to cover its keyboard sound duties without a hitch. The effects are a bit of a dissappointment. They're pretty much bread and butter reverbs and such...but the quality of the actual sounds deserved a more extensive pallet and a higher end effects processor ( although that would probably bump up the price, if your even a bit aware of whats going on with computer audio software effects plug-ins; then be aware that higher end effects are being developed for relatively cheap ).
You can connect and use 2 units together, however; I've never had the pleasure.....MIDI, you ask?.....Works great. Pick your channel and play.

Dispite my bit of wineing about the effects...we all have outboard and software effects processors. So..forget it! This thing sounds great. No, its not the perfect sounding "acoustic" piano. Its a damn good acoustic piano simulator for recording and live stage work. The Rhodes and FM type electric pianos work wonderfully...as long as you avoid the very upper octaves. The organs...never used them...I have other synths that eat them up and digest their their digital tone wheels for breakfast. The string sounds are a bit thin for my taste, however; layered with other tones they can be useful. Theres a nice piano effect on patch #32. But, the gist of this module is to be an acoustic or electric piano sound alike.
I like playing the sounds and they record and work well in a mix. For solo classical recitals,I suggest you use a Steinway or Bosendorfer.

Never had a problem.

If it were lost or stolen? The real feeling is of course...get something new...yea!!! Something different! Better!!!...In this case...I'd get another. I haven't heard a unit ( with the exception of the K2600 or Gigapiano software ( and alike ) )that has acoustic piano replications this good. Even your high end synthisizer beasts. And for the price..well you can't even buy some cheesy synth unit for the cost of this unit. And the sound quality has made it useable for me for use on records, soundtrack post scoring, and live concerts.
If you desire or need a piano sound module as an extention to your set-up...you cannot go wrong with this module!!

Necesitaba rapidamente un modulo de piano pra trascribir material midi de piano y se dio la casualidad que
alguien tenia este modulo disponible. Un breve regateo y voila.
Lo compre usado sin manual y ya lo usaba de pe a pa cuando finalmente baje el manual de la pagina web de Kurzweil, solo para chequear.
En realidad trae lo que se necesita saber, aunque eche de menos algo mas de informacion tecnica, en fin.
Respecto del uso en si, creo que le falta un boton mas en lugar de la combinacion de teclas para ajustar la curva de sensibilidad.
No tengo mucha experiencia en pianos digitales y me resulto muy facil de usar.

Al llegar al estudio, pude escucharlo profesionalmente hablando.

La polifonia de 32 notas funciona bien, no creo necesaria la
situacion de poner dos micropianos en paralelo para llegar a 64 notas,
aunque para cierto estilo de musica deberia hacer una diferencia.

Los efectos, facilidades midi y demas, son lo esperado y cumplen con su
objetivo. En general apoyan bien, pero no reemplazan los modulos de estudio.

Quizas deberian lanzar un micropiano plus, creo que todos lo agradeceriamos.

El piano es excelente, y tengo que reconocer que conozco de los otros registros
por el demo. No podria entregar un analisis serio de los otros instrumentos.

Lo principal que uno busca esta ahi, el piano.

Al principio me senti decepcionado por el rango medio, un tanto debil,
con un molesto campanilleo que delata sus origenes, al cabo uno se acostumbra, sobre todo con una mezcla astuta,
me falta oir el martillo golpeando las cuerdas, son detalles aparentemente simples, pero que mas se puede pedir
de un modulo tan economico. El oido se malcria finalmente si no se tiene a mano un piano real.
Gracias a dios, siempre tengo uno a mano. Y si no, ahi esta el Micropiano.
Sus poderosos registros bajos, con mucho cuerpo asi como sus registros mas altos son una joya, que hace mas inexplicable
lo que sucede al centro del teclado. En fin, sino no venderian otros pianos, verdad?

No hay posibilidad de problemas con el Micropiano, puedo depender plenamente
de el, sin backup.

Vale cada dolar pagado, y se hace querer. Su punto de comparacion es con samplers
mucho mas costosos y los pianos reales. Probe un nanopiano meses atras y no duro
un dia de prueba, rechazado por unanimidad. El vendedor me dijo, que esperabas de un
modulo de US$ 300. Bueno, el Micropiano es lo que uno deberia esperar.
Y ese es precisamente el argumento que me hace quedar tranquilo con la compra,
a pesar de sus peque?os defectos.

Simple, straightforward, barely need the manual.

32 voices, built in FX are reverb & chorus that are just OK. Preset FX are way overboard. Senses aftertouch to bring in Leslie speed change for Hammond sounds, though not a big deal as these sounds suck - and that's a compliment. Only expansion capabilities is to buy another one and link the two for 64 voice capability.

Excellent grand pianos. Dark, rich and full - top to bottom. Bright electric grand sounds are good for cutting through guitar walls. Preset #14 is a very playable authentic Rhodes sound with a bit of Dyno brightness to it. Several DX-ish EPs are bright but not tinny. Very nice for layering with, for example, an MKS-20. Hammond sounds are bad, only good for an occasional pad. If you try a B3 solo with one of these sounds, either the sound police or myself will come and pull you off stage. Strings are decent, kind of edgy on #28. #29 - 31 are nice and full. #32 is some digital pad that sounds nice with a hint of digital EP in the background. The definate high point of this box is the acoustic pianos. They are very playable, very expressive, and with proper amplification, will cover this aspect of your music quite nicely. The FX are just so-so, and you may want to bypass them and use outboard stuff. Many times I turn the reverb off and don't apply any, as too much 'verb many times just gets in the way. The chorusing works fine for the EPs, but is not a real great, rich, swirling effect. I think the bright pianos are a bit to brittle, and I turn to other sounds when I need a bright piano sound. My only complaint about the pianos is the midrange is a tad bit boxy. But overall across the keyboard, it's very even, clean, and distinct. You'll have to crank it's mixer channel louder than your other boxes though. For some reason, it's output level is nowhere near any of my other keyboards or modules. But the extra volume doesn't seem to add any hiss to the signal. Only certain Steinway B's could ever warrant a 10 for sound. I grew up playing nothing but piano, and any sample anywhere is just a reasonable alternative for live work and some recording, not a replacement for the real deal.

Very reliable. Built Ford-tough. Metal casing, heavy plastic knobs. You'd have to be a real klutz to kill this thing.

Kurzweil support is practically non-existant. I owned a PC88 for a while that kept dying, and they are frustrating at best to work with. They never did fix it, nor did they seem to care. I finally took it back and replaced it with a Korg SGproX. My other controller is a Fatar Studiologic SL-880, which is what I use with the Micro Piano.

I bought this used in 1995, and it has been my staple piano sound for live work since. I like the Korg SGproX a lot, but the high end has a faky, stick-your-head-under-the-piano-lid type of sound going, and the mid-range is weak. I'm pretty picky about piano sounds, as I already stated. Growing up playing some magnificent instruments spoiled me. I've used the Emu Proformance - dark, ugly, and short decay; the Roland P55 and RD600 - too 'Roland-y'. They have their own idea of how a piano should sound, and I don't agree with it; Yamaha P50m - had one for a year and just sold it. Ridiculously noisy piece. Good sounds, if a bit brittle; Roland MKS20 & P-330 - hey, not even close, but you HAVE to have one of these forEP1. It's a must; Korg SG1D - used it for years, it's too dated now; Korg TR Rack - with tweaking, the best sounding piano in a synth I've run across, but not good for solo piano stuff. Anyway, you get the point. I've played many a module and sample, and still use the Kurzweil the most for good old acoustic piano. In small studios that don't have pianos, I always use it because it is clean and the most realistic going to tape. For live work, it fits the bill just right. Plus having some really nice e. pianos and some extra strings is a good bonus. Just watch out for those Hammond sounds - they'll just embarrass you!

Easy to learn, but it should have at least been able to remember settings for effects and program change on/off, etc. It does what it needs to but you will have to make a few adjustments every time you power up. So few parameters I suppose this is tolerable.

32 note poly is plenty for my use. Built in effects are great if you turn them off. I did kind of miss having a headphone jack, but I am happy with what it does for the money. I knew all this going in and still bought it.

Acoustic pianos are OK to good. Depends on style you are playing. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I prefer the acoustic piano sound on my Yamaha SY-85. The electronic pianos were a big selling point for me. They are absolutely KILLER. The organs and strings are usable but far from fantastic. Exactly what I needed to bring my sound more up-to date for church Gospel choir.

OK so far.

Haven't needed it yet.

I can't afford the new Yamaha p-80 yet, so I bought this in the meantime. Even with the Yamaha this will be a great addition for the elec pianos. Yes I would buy it again, I liked the sounds better than any other module I listened to (Alesis, Generalmusic). They are so cheap now (I sent my wife to the store ready to pay $300 and she got $20 off without a fight) I couldn't pass it up.

This unit is very easy to use. The "TV" style controllers are pretty idiot proof. I use it with a variety of keyboards and have experienced no problems hooking it up whatsoever. It would be nearly impossible to make it easier to operate.

There are very few features to the unit, but it isn't billed as a fancy synth module, just a piano module, which it does beautifully.

This module has been the staple of my keyboard setup for quite a while now, and I assume that it will stay that way for a long time. The piano sounds are by far and away the best that I have heard. There are some "cleaner" digital sounds out there, but for live proformance, this is by far and away the best. I have used it from avart-garde jazz groups to rock and roll, and it is perfect in all situations. The organs are kind of lame, but they do pass if you don't have to play any solos with them. I wish that it would have just a couple of more sounds, like the Emu products have, but I am so satisfied with the sounds, I am willing to deal with it. I really like the piano/strings patch. The onboard effects aren't great, but they get the job done.

I have used this all in many many gigs. It is scraped and scratched up, been dropped with numerous cokes spilled on it. And it works just like when I bought it.

I have never had to deal with them, that is how reliable the unit is!!

I absolutely detest playing a gig without the piano sound. So I can only give this the highest rating!!

As far as a dedicated piano module goes, of all I've played; this is the best. The preset sounds cover acoustic pianos, electric pianos, organs,a dab of strings and 1 strange enevloped piano effect. The sounds range from excellent to fair. There isn't much technically to learn here. Plug it in, assign it to your MIDI set up and play your tail off.

It has only 32 voices, but I've never found that a hinderence when using this piece of gear. The built in effects are unimpressive and I prefer to use my outboard (Lexicon ) reverbs and such to add the ambience I desire.

The acoustic pianos are clean and respond well when played due to some very well programmed velocity curves. The highs are crisp, but have a warmth to it. The bass octave has a nice rounded lo tone. The mids are serviceable. Although they give you a number of acoustic piano patches, there is very little difference between the sampled tones.
The electric pianos were quite a nice surprise, as long as you don't play the patches in the extreem higher octaves. It has a nice suitcase rhodes patch (#14), as well as some crisp digital and mixed electric piano sounds.
The organ patches have that Kurzweil warm sound, however I found none of those patches usable because I own other synths that produce better and more realistic Hammond and organ sounds.
The strings are servicable. They have a somewhat transparent timbral quality, but I find that my main use for the MicroPiano is for the acoustic and electric piano sounds it emulates.

Never had a problem with this unit, and I've owned it for quite awhile. and use it quite abit ( both live and extensivley in the studio ).

If it were lost or stolen, I'd definately buy another. The sound of the MicroPiano is far superior to the Yamaha, the E-Mu ( bogus ), or the Alesis stereo sampled piano ( which I have in my QSR module, but I only use that sound if I'm dedicating the Micropiano to the Rhodes patches ). Thats only to name a few. Lets face it, just about every synth ( with the exception of those analog simulators ) has piano sounds, but I'd be hardpressed to find one as good as the Micropiano.
It is a crucial addition to my set-up and highly recommended!

Just plug it in, turn it on, turn off the annoyingly unprogamable default-ON efftects and you've got a great piano.
Recommend assigning effect level to a slider so you can easily turn effects on and off.

32 notes is enough generally, and the processor doesn't ever seem to get weighted down like in older synths, regardless of polyphony.
No headphone jack. Effects are limited and fairly poor. You can link two together for 64 note polyphony.

The BEST piano sample I've tried yet, and I'm a stickler for the real thing Still has some wonkiness in the middle octave, but very liveable, and after awhile it's almost enjoyable. Fat bass, clear highs. Ultimately sounds like a nicely miked grand piano.
I've tried Korg SG-pro-x (awful in the middle), Roland RD-600 (crap), Yamaha P-200 (realistic, but they sampled a yamaha grand: too thin and bright for me), Alesis SQ8 (crap crap crap), Technics p-something (very bland), Suzuki, Kawai, etc, etc.
I've heard tha gigasampler is excellent, and it better be with that much memory, and Oberheim's MiniGrand as well. Haven't tried either, but look forward to it.
I've also tried the Generalmusic PRO 2 and thought it was really bad too, but with all the good reviews about how nothing compares to it, I will give it another chance though a decent set of speakers, and not the headphone, and small amp I tried in the store.

Might be just my luck, or due to sketchy power situations, but I've had it die on me in live situations many times. Hasn't done it for awhile and now I give it and my other modules their own power strip. Seems to have cleared the problem up.

Haven't tried yet.

For a beautifully realistic piano sound this is perhaps the only box. Inexpensive quality. Very worth it.

The KMP-1 Micropiano is a very easy to use piano tone module. The piano samples are terrific. It also includes Rhodes and electric pianos, as well as organs, and strings (fast and slow). I really, REALLY liked the strings. In fact, I played live last week using the strings on the KMP-1 and the piano on my 01/W!! The sounds are very usable, though the differences in the pianos (stage, room, dark, etc) are somewhat minute, though the difference is discernible. Patch editing is not included, but different effects are. The effects are so-so. I prefer an external effects processor to Kurzweil's.

It is 32-note polyphony, and bridging two together with one responding to odd-number midi messages and the other to even, can bring it to 64. Additionally, that would give you the option of layering samples which you can't do with just one module, as it's mono-timbral. There are no expansion options, but it is responsive to aftertouch (on the organs).

It's a piece of cake to use, and the sounds are GREAT. Classical pianists will be pleased with the upper ranges of the notes. They are very clear. Likewise, where some modules get muddy at the lower end of the keyboard, the KMP is very clean. Granted, it's not, say, real grand piano clear, but it does a reasonably good job. The effects are good enough, until I heard what an Ultrafex can do with the samples!

In a word, bulletproof. I've used it NUMEROUS times live with no problems whatsoever. I've had it four years now.

None yet.

This is a super unit for the discerning pianist. The piano samples are clear and accurate, and the effects are usable. 64-note polyphony would be nice, but 32 gets 90% of the jobs done. It would be nice to have some layers with pads in them. As it stands, the only layer is with strings. Still, to get that PIANO sound, this is the one.