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

[Jeff Comella]

Possible GAS! I may need one for the weight alone.

[Bif_]

Yes, neat features and sounds, but........

 

what about that tiny, tiny display??? I didn't even see it listed in the specs.

 

Seems it may be tough to navigate all the features on that postage stamp.

 

Greg

 

PS I'm still interested. Just surprised that hasn't come up in this thread.

[iDavid]

The screen it pretty tiny, but perhaps the amount of slides and knobs will help. I am trying to get over the look of this beast. It is starting to grow on me. One thing for sure, it will stand-out on stage... or anywhere else.

[FJR]

My wallet almost made it through winter namm season, unscathed!

 

I mean 88 keys, 24 pounds!, no extra crap on the sides!!, and 24 pounds!!!

 

 

[Brad Kaenel]

No need to repeat myself. KLONK

[Bif_]

No need to repeat myself. KLONK

Brad,

 

Thanks for the insight on the Casio PX-5S. Since you had a Kurzweil PC3 how would you compare the piano playing experience between the Kurz and the new Casio? I'm talking about feel, tactile response, sound, etc.

 

I still love my Kurzweil but am interested in finding a better piano playing experience and don't want to spend a load of cash.

 

Greg

[HSS]

No need to repeat myself. KLONK

 

Many thanks Brad for your excellent reviews of the new PX-5S as well as Hammond's new SK1 73 and 88.

[AnotherScott]

It would be nice to see an optional speaker module for the PX-5S that could go into the space for the battery compartment. Even if it needed it's own AC adapter and a signal cable run across the back from the line out. Better if it didn't, of course, but I could live with that.

 

I know it can record your audio performance to the USB stick, as the PX-350 does. Any chance they added the ability to simultaneously record the MIDI?

[MonksDream]

Last summer I was asked to MC the Janelle Monaé show during the jazz festival here in Vancouver. One of the interesting things about her rider is that everything in her backline had to be either black or white with no exceptions. Her crew would love this board.

[Brad Kaenel]

No need to repeat myself. KLONK

Brad,

 

Thanks for the insight on the Casio PX-5S. Since you had a Kurzweil PC3 how would you compare the piano playing experience between the Kurz and the new Casio? I'm talking about feel, tactile response, sound, etc.

 

I still love my Kurzweil but am interested in finding a better piano playing experience and don't want to spend a load of cash.

 

Greg

 

I had a PC3K6; synth diving-board keys, so no comparison I can really make with the Casio. I never used the Kurz' actual keyboard for playing piano. There are APiano patches on the PC3 that I really liked; I used the "Evans" patch all the time. The couple of grand piano patches I played today on the Casio were every bit as satisfying. Very good "touch/sound" connection, in my opinion. For under a grand, I don't think you can go wrong with the Casio. Heck, for under two grand.

[Brad Kaenel]

It would be nice to see an optional speaker module for the PX-5S that could go into the space for the battery compartment. Even if it needed it's own AC adapter and a signal cable run across the back from the line out. Better if it didn't, of course, but I could live with that.

 

I know it can record your audio performance to the USB stick, as the PX-350 does. Any chance they added the ability to simultaneously record the MIDI?

 

I asked Mike if that black compartment area was big enough to put a speaker in, or if Casio had allocated it for some set of forth-coming accessories like a speaker. But no; it's only a 1/2 inch deep, just enough for AA batteries to snuggle in. And there's no unimplemented connector inside that you could plug a speaker into, anyway; also, no amp onboard.

 

I don't know about MIDI recording, I didn't ask about it. Confirm that it does record audio direct to .WAV, as the 350 does. I love that feature; it will save me so much time making quick rehearsal recordings for vocalists.

[AnotherScott]

I asked Mike if that black compartment area was big enough to put a speaker in, or if Casio had allocated it for some set of forth-coming accessories like a speaker. But no; it's only a 1/2 inch deep, just enough for AA batteries to snuggle in. And there's no unimplemented connector inside that you could plug a speaker into, anyway; also, no amp onboard.

Yeah, I realized that there was no amp onboard so it would have to be a powered speaker, which is why I referenced that, with no internal power connector, it would need its own AC adapter (wall wart), and yeah, with no internal signal cable routed to that point, it would need to be externally cabled. That would be how you'd have to do it "after the fact" if the unit hadn't been designed with that in mind in the first place. But the half inch depth is limiting... even if you allowed for something that could bulge out, I don't think they could get something useful in anything even close to that small a space. Oh well. Thanks for the info.

 

I don't know about MIDI recording, I didn't ask about it. Confirm that it does record audio direct to .WAV, as the 350 does. I love that feature; it will save me so much time making quick rehearsal recordings for vocalists.

It is a cool feature. I was just thinking, if you're recording some improv or whatever, and you come up with a really nice performance with a couple of little flubs, it would be nice to be able to take the MIDI file into your computer and fix them, and then regenerate the piece.

[AnotherScott]

I just saw Mike's video for sonic state. Good point about the batteries... One thing people complain about with a wall wart is that you can be stuck somewhere dead in the water if it breaks or if you'd accidentally left it somewhere. Batteries are a nice backup for that.

[Jaime Chimuelo]

I have the PX-3S and only use the 4 Zones and decent action, but I see now they broke down and have made the Registration Memory recallable so this makes the new PX-5S a great live option.

All that sucks with the PX-3S seems to have been addressed w/ the PX-5S so I must support their decisions to listen to the user base and give them 1 large when this hits the closest store.

That gay paint job has to go though. I will Dremel that shit off of there first thing, then use my Oberheim decals as I can't be seen using Casio or M Audio gear live.

 

[Joe Muscara]

That gay paint job has to go though. I will Dremel that shit off of there first thing, then use my Oberheim decals as I can't be seen using Casio or M Audio gear live.

[HammondDave]

Why not 9 sliders? I mean, if they are selling it as a controller.... Yeah, I know that organ players do not prefer to play on weighted keyboards, but I played organ and piano on an A90 for years.... 9 sliders would allow you to map the drawbars....

 

Wish I could have played it to feel the action...

 

But at 24 lbs and under a grand.... Sounds like a winner to me.

[resigned]

One other thoughtful feature on the PX-5s is the inclusion of an audio input jack. This allows you to input backing tracks off an iPod etc. for practice or live playing. Plus you can record the combined sounds using the audio wave recording feature for quick and easy demos.

 

I'm ready to declare the Casio PX-5s the "best bang for the buck" keyboard at NAMM 2013. The term "game changer" is terribly overused but it applies here. Even comparing the PX-5s to previous Privias, all of which were good values, the PX-5s is a quantum leap ahead in terms of what you get for what you pay. I haven't had a good healthy rush of GAS lately so this feels pretty good. My tax rebate has found a purpose... I'll be getting a Casio PX-5s.

[AnotherScott]

Why not 9 sliders? I mean, if they are selling it as a controller.... Yeah, I know that organ players do not prefer to play on weighted keyboards, but I played organ and piano on an A90 for years.... 9 sliders would allow you to map the drawbars

Well, there is no drawbar "engine" in it to map. If you're going to bother bring along a laptop with VB3 or whatever, odds are you have a more suitable action to play it from. But if you're desperately in a pinch, I guess you could map the 6 sliders to 6 of the drawbars and 3 of the knobs to the other 9. It's not much more of a compromise than playing organ from a piano action to begin with. ;-)

[Mike Martin]

I know it can record your audio performance to the USB stick, as the PX-350 does. Any chance they added the ability to simultaneously record the MIDI?

 

It doesn't do it automatically but it can be done. You'd have to arm the phrase recorder. Later you can export the phrase as a .MID file.

[AnotherScott]

I know it can record your audio performance to the USB stick, as the PX-350 does. Any chance they added the ability to simultaneously record the MIDI?

 

It doesn't do it automatically but it can be done. You'd have to arm the phrase recorder. Later you can export the phrase as a .MID file.

Cool. Though would there be an issue with perhaps the phrase sequencer not being able to record something the length of the audio performance?

[Al Coda]

I'm ready to declare the Casio PX-5s the "best bang for the buck" keyboard at NAMM 2013.

 

And I think you´re absolutely right w/ that statement.

No other stage piano out there w/ 256 voices, all these features and for that stunning low price.

 

A.C.

 

[HammondDave]

Why not 9 sliders? I mean, if they are selling it as a controller.... Yeah, I know that organ players do not prefer to play on weighted keyboards, but I played organ and piano on an A90 for years.... 9 sliders would allow you to map the drawbars

Well, there is no drawbar "engine" in it to map. If you're going to bother bring along a laptop with VB3 or whatever, odds are you have a more suitable action to play it from. But if you're desperately in a pinch, I guess you could map the 6 sliders to 6 of the drawbars and 3 of the knobs to the other 9. It's not much more of a compromise than playing organ from a piano action to begin with. ;-)

 

Except for the musicians who may want to use this in their studios as the only controller for their DAWs....

 

I would guess that there is no drawbar engine in it because they knew that they would not have enough drawbars... I would bet that it was a "value engineering" decision....

[HammondDave]

I'm ready to declare the Casio PX-5s the "best bang for the buck" keyboard at NAMM 2013.

 

And I think you´re absolutely right w/ that statement.

No other stage piano out there w/ 256 voices, all these features and for that stunning low price.

 

A.C.

 

Before everyone gets all excited, remember that this product is "still under development". I did not see anyone allowed to touch this product. Until anything is released with a certain MAP price, it is all vaporware to me...

[ADino]

I understand the action is supposed to be the same as the 350?

I recently tried a 330 next to a 350 and preferred the 330.

So far, the vids I heard/seen of the 5s, the piano patch still sounds a bit short on sustain. The roads sounds better than previous models. Then again at the weight of these boards, u can use any module in the world and still save your body. If you like the action.

[AnotherScott]

I would guess that there is no drawbar engine in it because they knew that they would not have enough drawbars... I would bet that it was a "value engineering" decision....

I would say it would be the other way around. I seriously doubt that the most expensive or complicated part of building a clonewheel engine into it would have been the cost of the three extra sliders.

[AnotherScott]

Before everyone gets all excited, remember that this product is "still under development". I did not see anyone allowed to touch this product. Until anything is released with a certain MAP price, it is all vaporware to me...

It's already orderable at Kraft for $999. So I think that confirms the MAP. And unlike some other companies, Casio has, AFAIK, never shown a product at a show and not had it available to ship within a matter of months. They have been pretty on the money with release dates.

[HammondDave]

If you like the action.

 

And to me, that is the key! Especially for a piano controller.... That is why I loved the A90 for so many years...

 

It's hard for me to believe that you can design a very good weighted piano action for a keyboard under 25 lbs.... That's why the Nord Piano 2 is much heavier...

 

But like many times before, I could be wrong....

[AnotherScott]

Mike, I wonder if they addressed a couple of my little niggles about the PX3... the inability to name a registration, and the inability to switch directly from one registration bank to another (i.e. in order to go from Bank 1 to Bank 5, instead of holding the Registration button down and hitting the 5 button, you have to hold the Registration button down and hit the Up button four times). Maybe?

[VanDerGraaf]

Very interested to see the UK street price for this.

A portable, good-sounding dp with good controller features- GAS building!

 

Hoping we won't be hit with the £=$ crap that sometimes happens.

I'd be happy if it turned out to be £799. We'll see.

[Ekewaka]

Yes, 25lbs weighted keyboard with four zones and excellent piano sounds for $999 is already a game changer -- then all the synthesis on top of that...