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

[Mike Martin]

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

 

Did I say that or attempt to spin this at all? Just sayin...

[Dana.]

I'll wait until the next incarnation of the PX-5s when the CASIO engineers realize their folly.

You do that.

[David Loving]

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

 

Did I say that or attempt to spin this at all? Just sayin...

 

One should never read music at a gig. It makes one look like he/she doesn't know the tune. It interferes with engaging the audience. It's a distraction. It separates one from the rest of the band which most likely does not use manuscript. One should never need to read music at a gig. Just learn the tune! Herbie Hancock can get away with it, though.

[Ken Beaumont]

Good lord its not like its an insolvable dilemma!

 

Clamp on music stand

[area51recording]

If I'm on a gig with no chance to prep, and there's a chart available for a tune I'm unfamiliar with, I'd rather read a chart than f*ck it up, but that's just me.....

[Lone Stranger]

The PX-5S does not have a music stand!!!? DAYUM! I'll just have to kill myself.

Seriously, if I wasn't nearly broke I would consider buying a PX-5S.

[area51recording]

I like a Manhasset better than any stand on any DP.....just try reading one of them 17 page big band charts on some bolt on stand....as it is on some of that stuff you're gonna need a couple of Manhassets.....

[Dave Ferris]

One should never read music at a gig. It makes one look like he/she doesn't know the tune. It interferes with engaging the audience. It's a distraction. It separates one from the rest of the band which most likely does not use manuscript. One should never need to read music at a gig. Just learn the tune! Herbie Hancock can get away with it, though.

 

Thanks, I'll take that advice under consideration....

[MojoGuyPan]

Yeah I'm with you Area51,

 

There are times when you really need a stand, like if some singer comes up and has her own charts. Granted that I've only needed a stand maybe 5 or 6 times in the last year but it's like keeping a roll of toilet paper under your seat in the car... ...it's worth its weight in gold for the few times that you do need to use it.

 

Having said that and after having ranted about Casio's lack of foresight (who wants doo doo on their hands or a very dirty sticky backside), the stands that they've had on previous Privias and their WK's are rather feeble. Very weak and wobbly. Can't handle a Real Book but a few sheets are fine and an iPad is do-able. The best built-in stand I've ever used is the one on the Nord Stage and C1/C2 it is big and solid almost like my Manhasset.

 

I love the Manhasset but don't want to lug that thing around for few emergencies. Even the coat hanger style would be good for the Casio.

 

I don't know what people around here have against music stands. For rock cover band stuff you don't need them but for solo piano gigs they are almost a necessity for playing oddball requests.

 

Mike, I wasn't goofing on you. You are a really great ambassador for Casio answering user questions and putting together the great blog site for the XW-P1. It was just that the "we've got the great Privia piano sound, all the Synth stuff that surpasses the XW series and all he versatility that the Music Stand was just too much and had to be jettisoned." Seems like even you didn't have a real answer as to why the Casio engineers left it off. It's not like the music stand and Hex layers all with their own effects couldn't coexist.

 

The only reason why I am so passionate about this is because the board seems to be just what I need and I'd like to have the security of a music stand. I actually like the livery of the PX-5s. When these come out in the Spring, I may swap out my current board for the PX-5s. I just don't like having doo doo on my hands when a guest singer sits in for a song or two.

[AnotherScott]

It was just that the "we've got the great Privia piano sound, all the Synth stuff that surpasses the XW series and all he versatility that the Music Stand was just too much and had to be jettisoned." Seems like even you didn't have a real answer as to why the Casio engineers left it off. It's not like the music stand and Hex layers all with their own effects couldn't coexist.

The way I read it, he was saying they were intending to market it as a synth, not as a piano. By convention, for whatever reason, synths don't have music stands. Kronos, Motif, Jupiter, whatever, I don't think any of them has ever had a stand. But then Casio decided to market it as a Privia after all, a hybrid synth and stage piano, and then it probably would have made more sense to include it, but they were too far along in the design/manufacturing process to reverse that decision. But as people have pointed out, it would have been nice, but there are other solutions, and the board looks so good in features and value, I don't think this is going to stop anyone from buying one. Well, maybe one person. ;-)

[David Loving]

Casio could include a coupon for a $15.00 coat-hanger stand.

[area51recording]

A couple years back I played a show at the local casino w/the Four Aces......run thru in the afternoon and read charts all night. No way you could get away with not reading a gig like that on stage. Dosen't come up for me a lot, but when it does it's nice to not have to lug a stand. If I remember correctly I used my Yam P90, which of course has its own stand (but DOES sound like ass on a plate in mono, IMO)

[grey]

does the px-5s have the short initial decay issue that the px-150/350 had mentioned in the other casio px thread?

[Doerfler]

Casio has a winner here. Both customers who won't buy it because it doesn't have a built in stand are the ones missing out. The rest of us will make do with an iPad or a Manhassett or nothing at all.

[galaxy4t]

I think the PX-5S is using the same sample as the PX-X50 line. It does sustain longer than the PX-X30 series as well as older Casios. The thing that some are complaining about is the initial attack still dies off too quickly for some. But every Casio I have ever played does this. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is the way they blend and compress their samples or the way the ROM reads the samples to reproduce the sound. I think the new models sound better than the PX-X30 series, but like everything else, the improvements aren't going to please everybody.

[grey]

Yes, I meant the initial decay that was mentioned by another member. He said the notes end quickly, I have been listening to YouTube videos of the PX-150 to try and hear it. Does the PX-150 and PX-5S both have such alleged problems? I am trying to decide whether or not to buy one.

[ksoper]

I'll be curious to see how it works as a controller. As it would just sit in my studio I don't care so much about portability (but it's nice to know this old back can carry it) or a music stand. It was the playability of the 350 that caught my attention. If that action translates into a good experience with my favorite piano plugs, I couldn't care less what color it is. Hell, if it's a good controller I don't even care how it sounds. (But the sounds are pretty damn good.) I've got sounds. I need a better action. And like I've said before, the 350 was just plain fun to play.

 

Everybody will have a different use for it. I had a project a couple of nights ago where I could've really used wheels instead of than that damn Roland paddle. A great action, very good sounds, sensible controls...and $999? Shit, send me two.

[Tonysounds]

The lack of a little slot for a music stand is a dumb move. The whole not-professional thing is a lame excuse.

The main thing is that there really isn't any good reason for Casio to nix the music stand from the PX-5S. Leaving off the music stand is something like Apple would do. 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.

 

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

[galaxy4t]

Well, the only way you will know for sure if it will meets your needs is to play one. Compared to other Casios, the total decay of the sustain is longer, but the inital attack does seem to behave the same as all other Casios.

[allan_evett]

The lack of a little slot for a music stand is a dumb move. The whole not-professional thing is a lame excuse.

The main thing is that there really isn't any good reason for Casio to nix the music stand from the PX-5S. Leaving off the music stand is something like Apple would do. 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.

 

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

 

 

It's rare that pro 'boards come with a music rack; some do come with connectors for an optional rack, though. I wouldn't trust most attachable music racks, especially to hold a notebook, or fakebook. For small $$ a compact, collapsible stand - pro-grade plastic or metal, not the wire type - will fit in most case pockets. 'Writing off' the PX-5S for that reason seems petty....

[AnotherScott]

Yes, I meant the initial decay that was mentioned by another member. He said the notes end quickly,

Those are two different things. The initial decay is what happens immediately after you strike a note, the fall off from the attack, which some people find steep, and I don't think has changed since the last models. Then, after you're holding the note, there is how long the total decay is before the note ends (or as you put it, whether or not the note ends quickly), and I believe that is longer on the new models than the previous (x30) ones.

 

I have been listening to YouTube videos of the PX-150 to try and hear it.

There are plenty of audio and video demos online. If you're not hearing anything that bugs you in these respects in the demos, you'll likely be fine with it. But of course, the ultimate test will be to try playing them for yourself. Whether or not these "problems" exist is really somewhat subjective, so other people's opinions here are not very important, you just have to listen for yourself.

 

Does the PX-150 and PX-5S both have such alleged problems?

No one has played a PX-5S yet, production models don't exist. But I would expect it to be the same as the PX-150 in these respects, but who knows, they may somehow tweak it to be better. I think it's a pretty safe bet that it won't be worse. ;-)

[Mike Martin]

Hey guys,

Just some quick updates of some things that have been improved since we showed the PX-5S at NAMM.

 

1. Pedal polarity detection. The PX-5S will work with any foot switch. Plug it in before you turn it on and you're good to go.

 

2. Increased number of tones. They're increasing the number of presets EPs (clav also in this category) and also adding more user preset locations for your own. In the HexLayer mode they're adding 150 user preset slots for a total of 200.

 

3. Controller range limits. For any physical controller (slider, knob, wheel, pedal) you can specify a minimum and maximum value for its range. This will be particularly useful for things like controlling the distortion on EP sounds so you don't decapitate your audience.

 

4. Phrases per Stage Setting: If you're using drum patterns for phrases you can specify which ones are recalled when you choose a stage setting. This way you can start stop a drum pattern without assigning it to a key.

 

5. Additional amp models. We had six different ones at NAMM, I think they're adding two more.

 

6. Pitch envelope range: I think they added another octave for a total of 3.

 

 

[opdigits]

But you can still decapitate your audience if you want to, right?!?

[Mike Martin]

Yes you can.

 

At NAMM Jerry and I did most of the demos. We had set some of the knobs to control distortion gain. You had to be very careful. Jerry never touched those knobs and we removed that parameter from many of the presets after the first day because it was dangerous. Needless to say we didn't change them all and when some of the other guys jumped on stage to demo it, we heard an occasional roar of distortion followed by the sound of all the headphones hitting the floor. Ouch.

[grey]

Hey guys,

Just some quick updates of some things that have been improved since we showed the PX-5S at NAMM.

 

1. Pedal polarity detection. The PX-5S will work with any foot switch. Plug it in before you turn it on and you're good to go.

2. Increased number of tones. They're increasing the number of presets EPs (clav also in this category) and also adding more user preset locations for your own. In the HexLayer mode they're adding 150 user preset slots for a total of 200.

 

3. Controller range limits. For any physical controller (slider, knob, wheel, pedal) you can specify a minimum and maximum value for its range. This will be particularly useful for things like controlling the distortion on EP sounds so you don't decapitate your audience.

 

4. Phrases per Stage Setting: If you're using drum patterns for phrases you can specify which ones are recalled when you choose a stage setting. This way you can start stop a drum pattern without assigning it to a key.

 

5. Additional amp models. We had six different ones at NAMM, I think they're adding two more.

 

6. Pitch envelope range: I think they added another octave for a total of 3.

 

 

That's a cool feature. So does it come with a pedal or are we free to choose our own?

[Bif_]

If this is going to be available in March/April they'll be making them within weeks.

 

Excerpted from a Mike Martin post at the Piano World forums.

"The PX-5S goes into production in a couple weeks."

 

 

Man, it feels good to be right!

 

Greg

 

[SteveCoscia]

If this is going to be available in March/April they'll be making them within weeks.

 

Excerpted from a Mike Martin post at the Piano World forums.

"The PX-5S goes into production in a couple weeks."

 

 

Man, it feels good to be right!

 

Greg

 

The lead time makes sense from a supply chain and logistics perspective.

[tylert]

I know they're still tweaking the ep's but the Wurlitzer sample is bordering on deal breaker for me right now. Just listened to the Sound cloud demo with Joe Sample... not so hot. Don't get me wrong, I think they've come so far with the other ep's, but the Wurlitzer's a bit "Law & Order" at the moment. Hopefully they can remedy this in the next few weeks.

[Mike Martin]

We'll get more audio samples up after the next couple weeks of preset tweaking. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all.

 

One thing about Joe's playing, the dynamics are usually at the two extremes. He's playing incredibly hard or very, very soft. In that example he's playing pretty darn hard. I think if we had spent some more time and had a better monitoring system for him the result would have been different.

 

Anyway, we'll get some more audio samples up but I'd still suggest you wait and make up your mind when you play it.

[tylert]

So it wasn't recorded direct? I was thinking it might have sounded too clean because of the of the way it was recorded. All I can do is hope for the best here, and I might be overly critical of a board in this price range. Can we expect a variation in color scheme? Thanks a lot for the Q & A Mike.. you're a dedicated man.