Kawai Stage pianos live?

[Hue Jorgan]

Hi yall, glad to become part of this forum. I have searched but didn't come up with much regarding this topic. Do any of you have any experience with kawai digital stage pianos in a live application. I'm interested in the new MP6 specifically and was wondering how the piano samples do in a band situation. Any info would be appreciated.

[CEB]

Do you run stereo or mono?

[Hue Jorgan]

usually mono live, but I don't want to open up that can of worms again (if you know what I mean)

[CEB]

I can not speak to the the MP6 but the previous generation MP5 and MP8ii don't sound good in mono. They function but sound 5,000 times better in stereo. In fact I think my old RD-500 sounds better in mono.

 

I think a lot of it was the way Kawai implemented the effects. Like on the EPs the tremolo is lost when summed to mono. Kawai seemed to use the stereo imagining to implement the effects. I converted to stereo partly because of it and the sound guys I work with mostly are running stereo anyway.

 

Again I have not heard the new stuff but I love the actions on the old stuff.

[kanker.]

I have the MP8II, and the pianos aren't really particularly great IMO, mono or stereo. Perhaps the new generation is better, but I haven't had a chance to check them out.

[Hue Jorgan]

Thanks guys for the wisdom and info. I'm in need of a new weighted 88 stage piano for live use and are racking my brain over the CP33, CP50, RD700NX or the Kawai. I play alot of big stages with quality PA's and just want something that sounds solid. Coming from a Motif ES8 for the past 5 years. I can't seem to find anywhere local that has all these boards to try out.

Just looking for pros/cons I guess.

[kanker.]

Thanks guys for the wisdom and info. I'm in need of a new weighted 88 stage piano for live use and are racking my brain over the CP33, CP50, RD700NX or the Kawai. I play alot of big stages with quality PA's and just want something that sounds solid. Coming from a Motif ES8 for the past 5 years. I can't seem to find anywhere local that has all these boards to try out.

Just looking for pros/cons I guess.

Local, probably not. If you take a trip into Manhattan, they have most, if not all, of that stuff at Sam Ash downtown.

[CEB]

The Kawai helped me out a lot. I have arthritis amoung other things. I have a lot less pain in my hands after switching to Kawai. But the old sound engine especially sucks IMO at bright rock piano type patches. The darker patches do a little better I think and the Kawais are decent with softer dynamics.

 

If someone was to get their piano sounds from a rack or an external software source I would think a Kawai would be ideal if you don't mind the weight.

[Dana.]

Sam Ash is in midtown. Last I checked, they had the CP33 and CP50, but the RD700NX and the Kawais are too new. Of the four, the Guitar Center in Brooklyn only has the CP50; don't waste your time with the one in Manhattan.

[kanker.]

Sam Ash is in midtown.

Yeah, that too

[CEB]

Another thing about Kawai, the black finish on the MP6 looks like the previous generation. It doesn't takes much at all to scratch off the black finish. It get buggered up pretty easily if that sort of thing bothers you.

 

[video:youtube]

[Skinny]

The CP33's Mono Piano setting works well for live rock gigs.

[AnotherScott]

Nice youtube demo there. One nice thing is that, when he demo'd piano sounds, he settled on chords and notes and let them hang. It wasn't one of those demos where everything is fast and you can never hear the decay of a note (perhaps intentionally).

 

I really like the features of the MP6, and as far as I can tell from that video, the piano sounds would be fine for my purposes. I just wish it weren't so darn heavy! But I realize that, probably more than anything else, Kawai is known for their actions. The best piano-like actions are heavy, and considering their reputation, that's probably not a place Kawai feels inclined to compromise, unfortunately. If they made a version of that that was under 30 pounds with an action only as good as something like the Yamaha P85, I'd buy it.

[Mr. B.]

The Kawai acoustics are fantastic to play on, they're almost bullet proof, a Steinway salesman explained in detail how they were built, tuned, shipped over here, and had their tuning checked again which does not change during all that travel. I almost bought a small one but since they weigh about 500Ibs I would have to have more bracing done to my mobile home and I just have not heard about any but million dollar mobile homes having them. No, you will not find Kawai compromising on their instruments at all.

[ADino]

In the past 7 months Ive been using the Yam CP50. I must say it has exceeded my expectations on all of the different musical situations I subject myself to. In other words, its pretty darn good. It didnt wow me at first, sitting w/it, but the more I used it, the more I liked it. I dont really use a lot of the other sounds, but as far as piano, rhodes n clavs, it covers. Some of the groups I work w/fairly regular love it out the mains. I do use a K12, as I feel it works w/it. Muxh better than the last 3 boards Ive gone thru..plus its light...good luck.

[peterkadar]

I had an MP5, and keep an MP8II in the studio for practice purposes since I can't fit a real piano...

 

The MP5 and 8II I would say are not particularly great sounding pianos. The rest of the sounds ( with a few exceptions ) have a real 90's rompler vibe to them. I really wanted to like them, but ultimately, I think what they do to isolate and then resynthesize the piano makes it sound harsh and fake.

 

The MP5 was great live for a few reasons though:

 

1) Reasonably portable and had a music stand.

2) Not only could you change sounds on it without notes cutting off, you could even switch MODES with no cut off. Not even FX. That is awesome. Like a Kurzweil or something.

3) No awkward velocity switching on the acoustic pianos as a result of the resynthesis method employed.

 

I sold the MP5 because I really came to dislike the action. The way it bottomed out to me felt spongy, and it also felt sluggish to me, especially on repeated notes.

 

Now... the MP8II is a different story in that department. Try triggering a great software piano with its action. OMG!!!

 

I went to an S90ES after the MP5 and haven't looked back AT ALL. They're large, but not that heavy for their size. Plus, you can fit an entire 19" table top or rack synth on the empty space...

 

I feel that Kawai is really behind the times sonically compared to the others. But their hardware is generally first rate save for the action of the smaller models.

[peterkadar]

OK... just listening to that video... the piano does sound waaay better.

[zephonic]

Yeah, the vid is nice but the demos on the Kawai US site sound like more of the same old. I ws not very impressed with the MP-5 but I really want to love the MP-6.

[ADino]

I have a few friends who use Kawai's, when Ive heard them the K sounded very nice thru the mains, I dont like the action on the 8II as thats 1 of the boards I checked out b4 the Yam cp50..I must say thou, I just sat w/the Yam cp5 for an hour...dam, what a killer board...funny thing is I was never a Yam guy b4 the cp's.

[Ken Beaumont]

The mp5 & mp6 also look like great controllers, 4 independent zones, with not only buttons to switch them in and out, but sliders to adjust levels on the fly. And a midi thru, in addition to in/out and USB. My friend has an MP8II and loves it! I like the sound through the PA, it really sounds full. I haven't played it so can't comment about the action.