AUSSIEKEYS

hi spanish bloke welcome to the site and the thread feel free to put all your info on here, thats what I intended for this thread to get some definitive reviews from the guys in the trenches or at home. I am happier with the sustain on the 330 than the 300, I find most digital pianos have low sustain duration, but this one is adequate, ironically electric piano and synth type piano sounds on digital pianos always have long sustain and fair better amplified...why is this so...why cant a digital piano incorporate the longer sustain of these others,I never understand that. I find all digital piano's sustains dissapear for live work [hooked up to amplifier/PA] lost in the ambience of the room and definately drowned out by the guitar in a band. Yes I am 50 and too find the labelling on all gear too small..I am now having to wear glasses to gig. dIDNT HAVE ANY BLUE TAPE OVER KEYS EITHER..DONT THINK CASIO DOES THAT AND HERE IN AUSTRALIA HAVE SEEN IT ON OTHER PIANOS OR KEYBOARDS i HAVE BOUGHT....whoops sorry hit caps by mistake...no i am not shouting tee hee,. thanks spanishbloke...anyone else feel free to pipe in with reviews, impressions, ideas...this thread could be handy for casiophiles and possible purchases if everyone who owns one gives their impressions.

VLH...very good idea will look into doing that, such a simple solution for any power lead being carried.thanks This is the first time this particular problem has happened to me with a powerpac,[has happened with leads before though] usually it's the thin wires breaking at their exit point, just seems a run of bad luck, but I was using it to emphesize the fact I had worried initially about the powerpac, more from the case of the removable prong unit becoming loose in its connection or getting broken but instead it was the prongs bent...who would have figured. You are correct they can be a problem...but i thought problem solved with their floormount model I also have[and i still believe so]...this bent prong could have happened with a built in transformer in a keyboard too. turning the current powerpac into a floormount model by replacing with two prong lead will eliminate the removable prong cartridge, will need to test soon. Daviel...not a huge problem just bent power pin, that i easily bent back....any powerpac could have had this happen to it, but the fortunate solution with the factory powerpac for the px330 is simply to replace the removable prong area with a 2 pole lead which is precisely what I am going to do when I find one in my gear [ironically have just moved house and finding stuff is extremely difficult as everything is packed away] I have a preference for wall warts in gigging keyboards simply because it keeps the weight of a keyboard down if i choose to carry the wall wart separately, I put up with the other negatives they have just to keep the keyboard lightweight. This thread is just a running review of using the new px 330, a diary of sorts. As I have always been a big fan on here of The Privias I wanted to truthfully mention any negatives or problems I have encounted to put a fair presentation of the Privia and as such I am including any difficulties even though it could be argued this could have happened to any powerpac. Maybe of interest to those wanting an insight into a possible purchase...I wont suger coat my findings just to prove I made the right purchase. Apart from my concerns about the powerpac and the unfortunate coincidence that I bent two prongs this keyboard is so far proving a great SUCCESS for me...next step is to see how I can use it in a more complex situation...stay tuned for splitting and zoning within it and outside of it. So far positive for PX 330, will see soon what it is like for gigging as first gig with this band in December, one on New Years Eve and one in early January, so hopefully a review of how it sounds live through the front of house in a few clubs.

This weekend played a solo gig at an outdoor party [it's summer here in a few weeks].. Used my old PX300 due to the fact I had to carry a passenger in the backseat of my girlfriends diminuative toyota echo [still bigger than my goggomobil though]. Was expecting to rest the keyboard across his lap [didnt want to do this with my new 330], but upon packing was able to just fit the keyboard across the boot by removing the sustain pedal and powerpac from the end of the soft case ,thus allowing the softcase to be squished smaller effecting its fitting across the boot. This shows the versatility of the original casio softcase.Carry extra goodies or be able to compact smaller. Ironically, upon arriving at gig I found that the plug of the older power pac [AD12FL] had been squished and I dont necessarily think from being in the case as I had removed it for transport. It's spooky to have both power pac's plugs bend within days of each other. But i did have both at my computer earlier comparing options on how to switch over the 2 pole lead into the modern powerpac [perhaps I trod on it?].. Fortunately if it had been permanent damage I could simply have replaced its 2 pole lead, as it was i simply bent the pin back with no damage. Damn have used the px300 for 4 or 5 years at non payed gigs without damage..now bending a pin on 2 powerpacs within days...whats going on...? One thing upon replaying the PX300 I noticed that the 330 has sensibly placed the speakers facing towards the audience where the 300 has it facing the sky. Although I was using the 300 this night through my PA. And man now the PX300 does sound less inviting compared to the 330 soundwise... Therefore the 330 as a standalone keyboard should fare better with audience facing speakers that sound quite good with the improved sounds.. Readdressing the PX300 at a gig showed me it was slightly harder to switch between sounds than the 330...although it had double the buttons for sounds....or was it simply I had forgotten their locations?

More observations The sound access [button pushing setup] is so simliar to my old GEM PRP7 digital piano that it is spooky. The layout is very similar in its approach. 8 buttons each accessing a number of version of that type of sound, Modern piano, classic piano, electric piano, vibes/clav,organ, strings/synth pads, bass,giutar, and finally a huge selection called various/GM tones. Very quick changes possible between the main sounds and setup in easy reach, the last sound chosen remains in memory ready for next push, this means fav sound in each button can be ready to be recalled at the push of a button. The various / gm tones are rather good but there is a huge amount of them meaning too much scrolling to acces in a hurry..leave your fav horn ready for access. As a gigging piano this setup is a very easy one to use/navigate,no double button pushing if you have your fav sounds in each category ready to go but using the large supply of various sounds is more difficult as you need to scroll to use the sounds. What i would have liked to see on this board was two more buttons thus creating a 10 digit pad capable of typing in the desired number for the various tones, this could have also been used for other functions thus getting closer to a controller keyboard,but what we do have is a very easy to navigate piano with some usable sounds at the push of one button if so setup. Had they incorporated their controller functions from their AZ1 controller [2 zone controller]but making it a 4 zone they could have grabbed a new market of controllers...maybe one day as it is I am very happy with what they have done I may later add one of my synths on top just to add some zones as the px really can only layer or split a second sound using its setup,thats if this new band deems to need zoning [at the moment they are not so demanding as we are all starting from scratch, I am finding that the ease of changing the main sounds on here doesnt at this stage necessitate me adding zones as I can quickly jump between piano to organ back to piano and onto strings withjout a glitch better than my PX300 but the 300 was easy to layer or split on the fly. I have an old and extremely lightweight XP 50 I used to use on top of my Gem PRP7 piano it will serve as a zoner,or i could use my Akai note separator module just to split the internal sounds if the px corresponds in any way to the note splitters program change mapping.Or my Alesis S4 module [adds also the Alesis quadrasynth sounds with a very powerfull controller zoning setup ie 16 channel zones external or internal of the S4] but this is only if the band deems the need for more than individual sounds. But as a standalone performing keyboard [or recording] it is great but if you need zoning you will need to go to something else unless you are going to add an outboard synth or note separator.

great thanks acidolem good to get peoples opinions of the sounds as I am not good at giving you a good comparison as I usually am happy with what I get....in current boards, I am afraid I am not as fussy even though I have been playing for over 30 years and owned many boards since 1978 i still find I am always generally happy with current sounds...this casio is the same, Anyway back to what I have found 4th practise last night with it and First bit of damage... the aforementioned power pac that I was unhappy with has been damaged already..the 2 prongs that go into a power outlet have been damaged, one prong was bent...easily straightened but quite bent. It was placed in the casio bag in the special compartment area in the bag,this is at the end of the keyboard.Now we carry the keyboard in my girlfriends car to practise purely because my panelvan would leak over the bass players concrete. The car in question is a toyota echo, small toy car, the keyboard fits across the backseat but only if it is squeezed at an angle slightly elevated too, so the door can close. Obviously the door has closed against the prongs bending one.[this is a guess but cant figure any other reason] Not good,I was worried about a weak powerpac, anyway what looks like could be done is the prong head could be removed and a simple 2 pole lead placed in the hole where the head slides, for here is a standard looking 2 prong socket. Referring to my older privia, it had an adaptor called an AD12FL rated at 12v 1500mA which is a robust floor mounted unit with a 2 prong socket , the rating appears the same on the current privias adapter model number AD-A12150W rated at 12v 1.5A so the same rating, I would prefer to use the AD12FL adaptor as it has proven itself to me at many performances, and replace the AD12FL adapter that came with the px300 with a brand new AD 12 adapter i have in a box rated at 12v 1000mA obviously lower but supposedly the correct one for the PX300. Then I can use on my new privia, and sell the px300 with a brand new and recommended powerpac AD12, but cant find anywhere on the net the correct Milliamp rating for a px 300, all other previous large casios were rated at needing only 1000 mA not the 1500mA of the later powerpacs, Can anyone enlighten on this The above are the Aussie powerpacs with appropriate setup for our 240 volt system, the current PX330 uses a changable head so you can use it in any country. So one of my first worries has been realised, if only they stuck to the AD12FL floor mount there would be no worries, obviously i can convert the current adapter into a floor mount by simply replacing the head with a 2 prong lead,although the plastic body is far lighter than the older floormount body. The other worry I hope I wont face is the output jacks which i feel are flimsier than the PX300...i am being carefull on the new model where on the older model i didnt even think about it... This maybe too that someone on this forum expressed their concerns over the flimsiness of them...I may not have worried, but they definately feel a little flimsier...so dont let a sound man or roady get near them just incase...hoping i dont have to report anything further about them. Piano cuts through good, but like all digital pianos get in a band with a guitarist and you will lose all your mids, this is simply something that goes with playing with guitar, it happens on all my keyboards... Am I happy with it so far...yes very...the powerpac can be replaced..or improved...shouldn't have to but it has been made a powerpac for all nations to cut down building many versions, great idea for home use as intended, lousy for gigging. Fortunately it is not part of the keyboard, and powerpacs are expendable after time on the road...carry a spare..

Back into gigging after a long break so I might give a running review of using a PX 330 live and its pluses and minuses. This will be a simple review to explain anything that might be of interest to prospective owners. Bought this a few weeks ago so have only just started playing with it with a few practices and first gig in a few weeks. Things noticed so far 1.very good build quality on creating a solid plastic body that doesnt flex. 2.Lightweight 3.Playing Feel to me is very comfortable and I wont try to explain that again. as you need to try it yourself. 4.Keys are very predictable and return to original level positions as many manufacturers fail to do... 5.keys sit squarely and evenly, 6.black keys seem correspondingly correct in volume/velocity to white keys.I havent noticed by ear any difference 7.fits into matching casio bag nicely making easy moving. 8.dont like the power pac ...although the changable electrical prongs are a good idea they dont seem as sturdy as the previous px 300 transformer..it works fine but it worries me a little...on the plus it looks like it has a socket to fit a 2 pole cable if the changable end dies...this socket is similar to that in the old privia transformer...so a saving grace 9.the jack plugs do seem weaker as some have mentioned...I am ok about them but am treating them with care...infact the px 300 seemed to be more robust i thought. 10. internal speakers are quite good, or is it that the sounds have improved so much that they make the speakers soung great 11.access to the main sounds are fine similar to my old GEM Prp 7 piano, the extra sounds are difficult to access due to needing to scroll, a 10 digit keypad would have made this more usable as a live keyboard. just an initial run down...as i start gigging and programming the registration area for song setups i will tell you how usable It is for a controller...it may be that as I start with more band work over solo piano i will find that I may need to use a controller module [ie Akai note splitter] routed back into the casio or say my Alesis quadrasynth S4 module as a controller to split zones. ironically the internal sounds will pass for many songs but will need some button pushing to access the extra` sounds time will tell hoping to keep you posted but I maY NOT BE ABle top help you with individual answers as my priority is to learn 40 to 60 songs in two or 3 weeks.

hi pollock good to hear from ya' cheers aussiekeys

welcome kenny feel free to start a thread maybe someone may offer a way of going about finishing off songs. cheers russell

Thanks Mr Nursers have seen you on Keyboard corner yes I dont mind Im a bit of a talker so ill take you up on that. I believe in inspiring people as I also rely on being inspired. ill see you on a thread.

See you have inspired me already,just writing the above makes me realise what I have to do...thank you. yes im now going to ring dad to tell him Ill start his new album and then off to the studio to make sure I get a start on my own stuff, morale of the story folks is dont put off your dreams....for one day you may not physically be able to complete them. dream 1...record my albums dream 2...return to surrealist painting dream 3...live long enough to enjoy....lol ha ha Sieze yesterday. cheers rusty

double post sorry

hi guys new to this forum Keyboard player,singer/songwriter. been in bands and duos all my life till ill health [caused by passive smoke in clubs] recently curtailed live playing. Have got back into writing and hopefully home recording. Probably my chops arent as good as when I was playing live,and not getting any vocal workouts too,but i can soon fix that as I once was a vocal teacher so I will just make sure I practise what I preached. Keyboards my weapon,24 track roland recorder,and 40 original songs to put down. Songs at the moment just roll out so constantly I dont know why. Had 2 deep skincancers removed 4 days ago and the pain was at least a 9 and remarkably i sat down that night and played piano and the next day I had written a "quirky" song about sunburn and skincancer,why couldnt I be this prolific when I was younger and playing in bands. And thank god ive broken the run of love/hate songs Ive written lately....god I long for the quirkyness of youth i once had...sometimes it reappears lately Had a fair few songs played live/radio in my band days but only recorded as demos really. have recorded/released my dads first album on his little Boss BR 8 track,and mixed his second album after showing him how to use the boss...what a nightmare to mix....he didnt understand input volumes. So got a lotta of songs to get down now before my health gets any worse and yet I still seem to not get into recording enough yet the songs just keep coming.Still I shouldnt complAin it would be worse if I couldnt write anything new. So i have the gear .I have the songs,but i dont have the health to get me into recording as sometimes I easily tire,even just playing piano...sometimes just the thought of rerouting the keyboards can deter me from recording,and this damn internet is a DISTRACTION...talking about it is easier than doing it...lol but Im actually given myself the rest of the day to set my studio up for the finaL time and will do it..as i promissed myself i would give a CD of the cancer song to my skin cancer doctor/nursers as a push to continue writting/recording.. and dad is waiting for me to record his next album and I keep putting him off and he is 80 years old ....how long can he wait?lol