Mike Martin

I've had an Elgato Streamdeck for a while. For my work at Casio is has become an essential tool for controlling cameras and scenes for our webinars and such. However when I'm not doing these things, it has been sitting on my desk without much practical purpose. I've seen that there are plug-ins that can make the Streamdeck a controller for Logic. I ended up finding a practical application for my specific setup. I recently fixed up my K2600RS, replaced the floppy with an SD-card SCSI emulator and got it all set up and mounted in my desk. Some great nostalgia for me since I worked for Kurzweil for many years up until 2003. Unfortunately its placement in my desk made it challenging to reach and operate easily - I must have short arms or something. I'm not sure if Kurzweil still does this but the K2600 front panel buttons could each send and receive MIDI Sysex for remote control. My initial plan was to use an iPad app for this purpose but Logic doesn't like to pass Sysex data. As I result I found that the Streamdeck could be setup to transmit MIDI commands directly to a specific MIDI interface port, so I didn't have to worry about workarounds in Logic, MIDI mergers or anything else. You can customize the graphics for any of the buttons. I'll probably set up an additional page for the number pad. Honestly I see myself setting up a number of templates for other keyboards and rack gear that aren't immediately within an arms reach.

Agreed with AnotherScott. The CME line-up is great and so is their support.

This is the problem.

Craig, What kind of monitoring system are you using for your Atmos mixing?

Well I got something completely unexpected. Found at an estate sale in near mint condition. Probably hasn’t been played in 20 years but after a lot of heavy lifting and a quick clean its up in my studio. Between Vangelis and Peter Gabriel I’m just a crazy for this sound. I’ve never thought I’d own one of these much less in this condition. It has MIDI installed although I haven’t tried it yet.

This has been on my list. I hadn't seen anything that showed control over virtual instruments, thanks for sharing your findings. Definitely saving up for this.

CT-S500 also has an expression pedal input. Sound wise, the CT-S500 has a larger sample set which includes more vintage keyboard sounds (Mellotrons, String Machines and some vintage Casio stuff too). The DSP editing in particular is powerful.

I'd bet it is power supply related.

Pretty remarkable - https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/vocal/jacob-collier-audience-choir/

Yes. No drivers needed. I’d recommend installing the latest firmware for DAW use.

We had a Celviano demo stage and a Privia demo stage at NAMM. These aren’t stage pianos, they’re console pianos.

AP-S450 and AP-550 are shipping next week. AP-750 is late Feb, early March.

This in my opinion is one of the things Casio has always gotten right. The new "Hamburg" piano sample in these new pianos is just unbelievable too. They recorded the same piano - so it is a familiar sound but they nailed the dynamic response.

All three new models have the same action, the “Smart Hybrid Hammer Action Keys (Celviano Edition) with Spruce construction”. It is NOT the same action as our Grand Hybrid, it is a new action - a variation and improvement from what is in the PX-S7000. We've had some very discerning professional classical players at the booth this year and we have received some great feedback from them and everyone that has played these new instruments. The Bechstein plaque is on the AP-750 because they still collaborated on the voicing of the "Berlin" piano tone, as well as the speaker system on this instrument and other elements.

Yes, I've spoken with Dave Weiser and everyone I know from my previous days at Kurzweil. I've swapped a lot of RAM to test this. Perhaps I'll buy one more set but in the meantime I'll keep watching for a dented up K2600 to acquire another motherboard.