This Just In......PX-5S

[kanker.]

Pa Gherkin raises the most important question of them all - how's the PX-5S in mono?

 

I'd love to check one out. Any chance Mike's in Chi-town this weekend? I'm playing a private thing up there Friday and Rosa's Lounge Saturday

[C.J. Lewis]

To clarify - the sliders to not act as drawbars - according to Mr. Martin at the rep meeting.

[Mike Martin]

It is excellent in mono. We tried it at the show.

[iDavid]

Do you know when the PX-5S will be available in Japan?

[AnotherScott]

To clarify - the sliders to not act as drawbars - according to Mr. Martin at the rep meeting.

Correct, to the extent that there is no clonewheel engine in the PX-5S. However, if you're running a MIDI-friendly clonewheel engine elsewhere, since it sounds like all the PX's controllers are MIDI CC assignable, you should be able to use those controls as drawbars (i.e. to control VB3, a stacked Nord Electro model with drawbuttons, maybe an iPad organ app). Limited to 6, but you can do a lot with that (or you could even use three of the four knobs for access to the last three). They will probably work in the reverse direction, though. Which brings me to...

 

Suggestion to Mike: If it's not there already, could there be a setting to reverse the direction of the sliders (top position = min, bottom position = max) to facilitate their use as drawbars? Also, might it be possible to program the knobs and sliders, not just with MIDI CC functions, but also with the ability to send out Sysex? I could see where that would be complicated from an on-board interface perspective, but it would be cool if that assignment were supported internally, even if the actual sysex could ultimately only be assigned through a Mac/PC or iPad based editor, if such an app may be forthcoming at some point.

[JeffLearman]

Guys, I completely understand about the music stand. Unfortunately it isn't going to change at this point. This decision was made months ago. I guess part of the reason for the design choice was because at one point this product wasn't going to be called Privia at all. It has so much diversity as a synth and it is much more than a "Stage Piano". In the end obviously we decided on the Privia PX-5S which I believe is a logical next step up from the PX-3S. Unfortunately in the process we lost the music stand.

None of that has anything to do with a music stand.

 

I just gotta say: if it was a marketing decision rather than a cost-cutting one, it was totally idiotic. I've seen a lot of keyboards (pianos, synths, etc) with holes to accept a music stand. I've never heard anyone decide against a keyboard because it had them.

 

But I do realize that there are dozens of relatively inexpensive optional items, and if you include them all, it bumps up the price point, so some have to get tossed, even though looking at each one by itself looks a sily decision to shave $2.

[Joe Muscara]

With all the "pro" boards I see that do not come with music stands, or the ones that I've seen come with useless ones (my old Korg SG-1D comes to mind), the amount of consternation about the lack of one on the PX-5S in this thread befuddles me.

[Tobias Åslund]

The old Kurzweil PC88 actually had a music stand option. I was considering it, but it was to expensive for me, so I got a separate music stand instead. IIRC it was attached to the keyboard by a metallic bracket that was fastened by four screws on the back of the keyboard, providing support for a piece of plexiglas stand.

[AnotherScott]

With all the "pro" boards I see that do not come with music stands, or the ones that I've seen come with useless ones (my old Korg SG-1D comes to mind), the amount of consternation about the lack of one on the PX-5S in this thread befuddles me.

I agree. It would be nice, but we're all used to seeing pro boards without them. I guess it may partially be the fact that all previous Casio 88s have had them (AFAIK), including models that presumably share some manufacturing design with this one, so it seems like they almost had to go out of their way to "remove" it.

[Tonysounds]

As a member of this forum and a few others, I have to admit, its really entertaining (sort of) to watch criticisms of instruments no one has played and boil it down to wheres the fn music stand, Not enough sliders for organ (on a non-clonewheel no less), why the f would you make it white.

 

I buy instruments based on what IT DOES, and HOW IT FEELS, and HOW IT MAKES ME PLAY. Never once have I made a decision based on where do I put my music, or theres no room to put my sampler up here, or my organ just doesnt make the coolest farting duck sounds, OMG, its fn yellow or That logo is a goddamned billboard!. WTF. We complain all keyboards look the same (black, drab and interchangeable), and then complain when they look different (red, white, too small, too big). Did anyone EVER say man, that Rhodes/Wurli will look great on top of my B3, who cares if the sustain pedal has to be removed? No, no one ever said that. But if theres no room for an L, you stacked and did without. Did anyone ever say Man, I am NOT buying that Rhodes/Wurli because my clavinet/minimoog cant sit on top? No, you duct-taped it on, or cut the Rhodes lid and put new latches on and made it work. Basically, you took these big heavy keyboards which typically did one thing, and one thing only (B3, Rhodes, Wurli, Clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog, Odysseyand if you wanted poly synths, you bought another keyboard, either a Prophet 5, an OBX or a Memory Moog) and you figured out HOW to make it work. What the hell happened to our coping skills??????

 

You want a music stand? Join the 21st century, and put your iPad (cuz youre using an iPad, right?) on a $20 adjustable brace like this one (see below), buy a roll of gaffers tape ($14), and some stickyback Velcro from the hardware store ($3-20, depending on whether you want a roll of it, or just a patch for this application), apply the gaffers tape to the section of the keyboard you want the iPad to sit on (end blocks work best generally), put the fuzzy side Velcro on the gaffers tape; apply gaffers tape to the bottom of the stand, and apply the hook side of the Velcro to same. (I put the fuzzy side on the keyboard so that when I dont use the stand, I dont have an irritating, abrasive surface to feel or look at, and I can put my cellphone there without it falling off or scratching the phone or keyboard.) Now you have a music stand. And guess what, you can put it in your keyboard gigbag or case, no extra trip. And you dont have to screw it in. And you dont have to use it and have it disfigure your groovy appearance when you dont use it.

 

Now as for the white keyboard and duck farts..youre on your own.

 

And Mike Marten? You guys have an awesome instrument ready to unleash on folks. But it would be so much more awesome if it didnt have that blue mylar strip on it that makes me want to use it like a ribbon controller. (kidding) Can you guys just replace that strip with a real ribbon controller?

 

 

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/IPADSTAND.jpg

[tucktronix]

As a member of this forum and a few others, I have to admit, its really entertaining (sort of) to watch criticisms of instruments no one has played and boil it down to wheres the fn music stand, Not enough sliders for organ (on a non-clonewheel no less), why the f would you make it white.

 

I buy instruments based on what IT DOES, and HOW IT FEELS, and HOW IT MAKES ME PLAY. Never once have I made a decision based on where do I put my music, or theres no room to put my sampler up here, or my organ just doesnt make the coolest farting duck sounds, OMG, its fn yellow or That logo is a goddamned billboard!. WTF. We complain all keyboards look the same (black, drab and interchangeable), and then complain when they look different (red, white, too small, too big). Did anyone EVER say man, that Rhodes/Wurli will look great on top of my B3, who cares if the sustain pedal has to be removed? No, no one ever said that. But if theres no room for an L, you stacked and did without. Did anyone ever say Man, I am NOT buying that Rhodes/Wurli because my clavinet/minimoog cant sit on top? No, you duct-taped it on, or cut the Rhodes lid and put new latches on and made it work. Basically, you took these big heavy keyboards which typically did one thing, and one thing only (B3, Rhodes, Wurli, Clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog, Odysseyand if you wanted poly synths, you bought another keyboard, either a Prophet 5, an OBX or a Memory Moog) and you figured out HOW to make it work. What the hell happened to our coping skills??????

 

You want a music stand? Join the 21st century, and put your iPad (cuz youre using an iPad, right?) on a $20 adjustable brace like this one (see below), buy a roll of gaffers tape ($14), and some stickyback Velcro from the hardware store ($3-20, depending on whether you want a roll of it, or just a patch for this application), apply the gaffers tape to the section of the keyboard you want the iPad to sit on (end blocks work best generally), put the fuzzy side Velcro on the gaffers tape; apply gaffers tape to the bottom of the stand, and apply the hook side of the Velcro to same. (I put the fuzzy side on the keyboard so that when I dont use the stand, I dont have an irritating, abrasive surface to feel or look at, and I can put my cellphone there without it falling off or scratching the phone or keyboard.) Now you have a music stand. And guess what, you can put it in your keyboard gigbag or case, no extra trip. And you dont have to screw it in. And you dont have to use it and have it disfigure your groovy appearance when you dont use it.

 

Now as for the white keyboard and duck farts..youre on your own.

 

And Mike Marten? You guys have an awesome instrument ready to unleash on folks. But it would be so much more awesome if it didnt have that blue mylar strip on it that makes me want to use it like a ribbon controller. (kidding) Can you guys just replace that strip with a real ribbon controller?

 

 

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/IPADSTAND.jpg

 

Agree 100%

 

..and a non-clonewheel.. with WEIGHTED KEYS??!! Come on man!

[Joe Muscara]

Great post, Tony.

[HSS]

Great post, Tony.

I third that .... That had to be the "rant of the day" and its still early morning, at least out here in the Wild West.

 

But I do wish the damn manufacturers would at least supply velcro, duct tape, and spray paint with their boards for easy on-the-fly aesthetic modicifations to ease the pain of the whining nitpickers, which I'm known to be on occassion. Talent, at least for me, would also be a greatly desired add on.

[Al Coda]

What the hell happened to our coping skills??????

 

...

 

And Mike Marten? You guys have an awesome instrument ready to unleash on folks. But it would be so much more awesome if it didnt have that blue mylar strip on it that makes me want to use it like a ribbon controller. (kidding) Can you guys just replace that strip with a real ribbon controller?

 

Post of the day for me and reality check !

 

 

A.C.

[David Loving]

Amen, Tony. The annoying criticisms of boards that are not on the market yet is an amusing feature of this forum. Kind of like the Notre Dame football player's imaginary girlfriend bit.

[Mike Martin]

Talent, at least for me, would also be a greatly desired add on.

 

That's included. ;-)

[Rusty Mike]

Great post Tony!

[GovernorSilver]

I actually agree with Tony.

[Josh Paxton]

you figured out HOW to make it work. What the hell happened to our coping skills??????

 

I approve this message.

 

Along the same lines, imagine you could travel back in time to the era of those "big heavy keyboards that did only one thing." And imagine you found a full-time gigging keyboardist from back then, and had the following conversation:

 

YOU: I am from the distant future year of 2013! I've come to tell you that in my time, there will be keyboards that can take the place of all these, at a tiny fraction of the cost and weight. You can get a single, 15-to-25-pound keyboard that will replace your B3 and Leslie, your Rhodes, your Wurli, your Clav, maybe your synths, and your CP-70 (though you'll probably never use that sound, since you can also get a good real piano sound).

 

HIM: That's incredible! So I guess in your time everyone plays those boards and loves them, huh?

 

YOU: Nope. There are guys who complain bitterly about them because they're the wrong color, or they need a wall wart, or they have plastic parts, or the drawbars are in a slightly different place, or even because... I swear I am not making this up... because they're too light.

 

HIM: Wow. Future people are dumb.

 

YOU: Yeah, some things we haven't really been able to improve. Sorry.

[Adan]

Did anyone EVER say man, that Rhodes/Wurli will look great on top of my B3, who cares if the sustain pedal has to be removed? No, no one ever said that. But if theres no room for an L, you stacked and did without. Did anyone ever say Man, I am NOT buying that Rhodes/Wurli because my clavinet/minimoog cant sit on top? No, you duct-taped it on, or cut the Rhodes lid and put new latches on and made it work. Basically, you took these big heavy keyboards which typically did one thing, and one thing only (B3, Rhodes, Wurli, Clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog, Odysseyand if you wanted poly synths, you bought another keyboard, either a Prophet 5, an OBX or a Memory Moog) and you figured out HOW to make it work. What the hell happened to our coping skills??????

 

We also had to carry these heavy rigs to our gigs on our backs, uphill, both ways! These younger generations are just spoiled, spoiled, spoiled . . .

 

 

[JeffLearman]

Sure: Manufacturers should leave out useful features. Thanks for reminding us, Tony!

 

I'm very likely to buy one of these. It's nice to be able to tell the manufacturer that I really would have liked a music stand on it. I stand by what I said above.

 

We can only talk about what we know about it. Not having played it, it would be idiotic to talk about how it feels. That'll come after we get a chance to play it.

 

Meanhwile, buzz is good, even if it contains whining (yes, whining) about the color scheme or music stand.

 

I'm also not fond of the black&white, but that won't affect my decision at all, and I agree that it's nice to try something different. (I have a red keyboard too.)

[Ken Beaumont]

For duck farts:

 

http://www.gearnuts.com/images/items/360/SP404SX.jpg

 

Just get the duck to sit still long enough to sample it

[Pa Gherkin]

 

 

We also had to carry these heavy rigs to our gigs on our backs, uphill, both ways! These younger generations are just spoiled, spoiled, spoiled . . .

 

 

Adan,you beat me to it. Was just about to post this almost word for word. Synchronicity? Kismet? Who knows?

 

So we've had whining,whining about the whining,and now I'll start whining about the whining about the whining. How many generations can we create? The possibilities are mind boggling. And hey,in my day we had to wake up before we went to sleep and lick the streets clean,so you know damn well I can cope.

 

Seriously though,as I stated in another post,this thing could be electric lime green and metallic puce and it will still sell given its features,sound quality,price point and weight. I've played the PX350 so I know I'll like the action. I'm in.

[Pa Gherkin]

 

 

Meanhwile, buzz is good, even if it contains whining (yes, whining) about the color scheme or music stand.

 

I'm also not fond of the black&white, but that won't affect my decision at all, and I agree that it's nice to try something different. (I have a red keyboard too.)

 

This too.

[opdigits]

YOU: Nope. There are guys who complain bitterly about them because they're the wrong color, or they need a wall wart, or they have plastic parts, or the drawbars are in a slightly different place, or even because... I swear I am not making this up... because they're too light.

 

HIM: Wow. Future people are dumb. Ummm ... What's a 'wall wart' and do they have medicine for it???

[Dana.]

tl;dr

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaime Chimuelo]

I really need to see the charts and SysEx for register recall.

 

Registrations, which are called Stage Settings on the PX-5S can be recalled with a bank and program change.

 

Now we're talking, I already have an accounts recievable and will take the 1st one that comes in.

I really like the Privia PX-3S and the fact what I don't like about it had been addressed here, shows me that somebodys' home.

 

Thanks, and you have way too much fun for a NAMM rep.

Wait until NAMM comes to Vegas, you'll get to see women again and adults are allowed to carry their own beverage around w/o fear of external control.

[MojoGuyPan]

Have to disagree Tony,

 

The lack of a little slot for a music stand is a dumb move. Sure keyboards now sound better, have more functionality and are lighter than in years past but why leave off a music stand on what is primarily a digital piano? They have music stands on their cheapest boards and on their expensive Privias.

 

The whole not-professional thing is a lame excuse. Nord Stages have accommodations for a music stand, Steinway and Yamaha pianos have them. You could put lead sheets on it or rest your 21st Century iPad on it rather than get your little iRig stand and then search for a place to put it.

 

The main thing is that there really isn't any good reason for Casio to nix the music stand from the PX-5S. A real music stand does have more space and are more stable (Real Book capable) but carrying around a 15 pound music stand kind of negates the portability of the 24 pound board.

 

Leaving off the music stand is something like Apple would do (leaving a USB port of the iPad thus having to buy a $90 MIDI dongle, $30 Camera Kit etc.). I'll wait until the next incarnation of the PX-5s when the CASIO engineers realize their folly.

 

I applaud Mike Martin's efforts to cover the dopes at Casio by giving the music rest thing a good spin. "So versatile that you'll never need to read music again." That argument doesn't fly with me as even on the synth side they dropped the ball with the whole expression pedal deal. Missed by ..::| |::.. this much.

[richwhite9]

Mike Martin has patience. I couldn't do his job. I'd take a power drill to the top of a PX-5s, pop two holes, and send it off to customer fulfillment.

 

That may explain why I don't do sales any more.

[Ekewaka]

24lbs digital piano with built-in synth engine for $999. And people complain about a missing music stand hole???