Kurzweil supply updates free, and so I downloaded and installed version 2.03. I did a bit of searching and here's the thing.the keyboard was running v1.32 software. The organ sounds great, but I was a bit disappointed with the Leslie - something just didn't sound quite right, and the speed changes were not to my liking. The acid test is Whiter Shade of Pale (settings are 6886, Perc: On, Soft, Slow, 2nd, if you're interested). I was most interested in the KB3 Organ engine and find the access to Leslie, vibrato, percussion, and drawbars give all the control I need. There is also the ability to access via the bank switches or the category & 8 program switches. you can scroll with the wheel, + & - buttons, cursor arrows, or up & down cursor arrows. Selecting sounds is flexible, which I like. A curious omission is the lack of ethnic sounds, apart from the GM ones. A large range of sounds are present, with orchestral sounds being especially well presented. I have had some experience with Kurzweil keyboards before and this much I knew - they have quality samples. There are over 1000 presets so I have only scratched the surface, but it has to be said that the sounds are very good. Having got past that, it was time to audition the sounds. So I have ordered a Miditech I2 Control 61 and this will be used to play organ and synth. After deliberating about the action for a couple of days I decided that the solution was to get a second keyboard with a softer action that will act as a keyboard controller, driving the PC3 by MIDI. The black keys have a matt finish just like on a real piano. and it has the right octave span (ie 16.5cm, which is the size of a piano keyboard). The firmness of the springs is a plus for playing piano, E piano, clav etc. After playing for a while I realised that the action is pretty good overall. For a moment I wondered if I had made a mistake, but decided to persevere. I was surprised when I got my PC3 out of the box and played it for the first time because its semi-weighted action is quite firm. A very nice weighted action too - quite light. In the shop I played a PC3x and it had a weighted action. I have had the PC3 for a week now, so I thought I would jot down my first impressions.
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