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

[Ekewaka]

I came late home from a gig and I'm super-busy the next days until Fri evening but then I will go through the settings and write a better report. Basically it would be nice to always know what layer is controlled by each slider and later I start re-remembering what controls what. Just now it's all based on guessing and hearing what happens with some of the stage settings.

[uncledunc]

... Just now it's all based on guessing and hearing what happens with some of the stage settings.

 

As soon as you move any slider or knob, the action pops up on the screen, but it only stays there for a second or two. What I don't recall is whether or not both targets of the slider or knob show up, or if they only show up if the zone they control is active (determined by the zone + or - buttons.) The zone + or - buttons will tell you what tone is assigned to that zone. (I hope I got all this right. I'm not in front a PX-5s right now.)

[stephenlnoe]

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate it. It just doesn't seem intuitive to me. Something like the Korg SV1 is really more my speed when it comes to making adjustments/selections. This casio really sounds like it could be a keeper. Tell me something simple, does it adhere to general midi? Can i hook up a sequencer to it and send a midi file which was created in the 90's and it would play properly with GM/GS tones?

[Mike Martin]

Stephenlnoe,

There is consistency in the Stage Settings and the way the knobs and sliders are configured. I'm sure its mentioned elsewhere in this thread but as an example for EP sounds, the sliders are almost always configured like this:

 

S1: Distortion Level

S2: Amp / Speaker Type

S3: Speaker Tone Control

S4: Chorus

S5: Delay

S6: Reverb

 

In the end, you make the sliders and knobs do whatever you want them to do. It is completely customizable and configurable. Sonically the PX-5S is more diverse than the SV1 and so are its controls.

[stephenlnoe]

Hi Mike, it's not the effects so much as the question was how to select tones. We couldn't figure it out at Guitar Center. Once i got home and downloaded the manual I found out how to reset the board. As we were standing in front of it, it wasn't possible to figure out just by looking at the buttons which ones to press in order to make selections for tones. Pressing a stage setting button did make changes, however, we were just trying to get a plain old piano and couldn't get it to that setting. ha ha. I only mention the SV1 because it is extremely easy for an old dude (me) to figure out.

[Mike Martin]

The PX-5S (like some other instruments) is always in Stage Settings mode (some companies call this Performance mode).

 

You can at any time choose a TONE from the categories on the left. This will change the sound used in the active zone. If your starting point was a Stage Setting that used more than one zone, then you're only changing one sound.

 

This explains the way the factory Stage Settings are organized:

http://priviapro.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/stage-settings-on-the-px-5s/

[Ekewaka]

Stephenlnoe,

There is consistency in the Stage Settings and the way the knobs and sliders are configured. I'm sure its mentioned elsewhere in this thread but as an example for EP sounds, the sliders are almost always configured like this:

 

S1: Distortion Level

S2: Amp / Speaker Type

S3: Speaker Tone Control

S4: Chorus

S5: Delay

S6: Reverb

 

In the end, you make the sliders and knobs do whatever you want them to do. It is completely customizable and configurable. Sonically the PX-5S is more diverse than the SV1 and so are its controls.

 

That is mostly true with the exception of layered stage settings with S1, S2 and sometimes S3 is controlling the layer volumes. And the issue is that the display does not show which layer is controlled.

[PianoManChuck]

EDIT: This was meant to quote stephenlnoe's message about the problem he had at the store!

 

After reading this, an idea for beginners might be to have a button labeled "Stage Settings ON/OFF". Its too late to physically add a button, but perhaps a firmware update to modify an existing button when held down for a few seconds could toggle Stage Settings on/off (or pressing two buttons simultaneously). When off, it could default (lock) to 0-0, with Zone1 active and all other zones inactive. This way, the left side of the board (tone selection) would work the way the other Privia models work, and the right side would be deactivated. The LED display could read "STAGE SETTINGS OFF" on top rather than "Concert Grand" or whatever someone may have labeled that stage setting... this way a new user wouldn't get confused seeing "Concert Grand" on the top display line and wonder why it says that when they selected a Bass Guitar tone.

 

I know a user could easily select 0-0 and it would default to this anyway (provided no one activated zone 2, 3, or 4)... but they'd have to know this in advance. My logic for a particular button would be the store unit where people can and do modify things as they try it. Or the beginner who's lost and just wants a PX-350 equivalent until they're ready to explore deeper into the stage settings.

 

Stage Settings are an extremely powerful feature (and what really makes the PX5 attractive), but I can see where it would be frustrating to someone trying out the machine for the first time who just wants to hear what a particular piano sounds like, or any other particular tone, but the store example where someone activated one of the other zones with another tone/patch might make that simple task not so simple.

 

Just my two cents.

[DulceLabs.com]

Can i hook up a sequencer to it and send a midi file which was created in the 90's and it would play properly with GM/GS tones?

 

Yes the PX-5S has the GM tones ready to fire. I have been having a lot of fun playing .mid files. I don't use a sequencer.. I just put the .mid files on a flash drive and put the drive into the PX-5S. Load up the file you want and hit play!

[PianoManChuck]

This is for those interested in trying out the PX-5S at their local retailer. Since most people like to sample a particular instrument first and foremost (ie: a concert grand piano, or a B3 Organ, or a particular Electric Piano) before exploring the rest of the unit's capabilities... this is how you would accomplish this at the store:

 

1) Shut the unit off, wait 10 seconds, restart the unit.

2) Once started up, on the right side of the LED, press BANK-0-0.

3) On the left side, press one of the TONE buttons of the category you'd like. The tone selected will display below the horizontal line on the LED screen (ignore what's above the line).

4) On the RIGHT side of the board (not the left), use the + and - keys to select individual tones (patches) within your selected bank.

 

To sample a different tone category, repeat steps 3 & 4.

 

Note that while you're playing the keyboard, the four knobs (K1 - K4) control EQ (you'll see what it does on the LED display as you turn them). The sliders (S1 - S6) control other things, such as Reverb, etc... play with them and watch the LED screen as you do so - this will tell you what effect you're adjusting, and the value as you move the slider.

 

This should clear up any of the confusion at the store, such as what happened in stephenlnoe's case...

[theadman95]

I've been gigging with the PX-5S for a while now, and I'm loving it! However, I'm not much of a "programmer". I'd like to be able to change 2 of the sliders for an EP to new controllers: specifically, I'd like one slider to add tremolo and one to add the "pedal wah" effect. Can someone walk me through how to do this? Thanks!!

 

 

[uncledunc]

I don't have the PX-5s in front of me, so I can't be specific, but I can tell you that you can only apply one affect to a tone, which means you'd have to choose between the tremelo affect or the pedal wah affect. You would assign this affect in the tone edit screen. Then in zone edit, try going to "common" and assign the slider to control the parameter of the dsp affect you wish to change. You would also have to go to zone edit and turn on or off that slider for that zone, and you'd have to take into consideration that each slider can have two different targets, identified with a "T1" or "T2" on the screen. If you don't want a slider to have two functions, just leave "T2" unassigned.

 

Here's a link to Mike Martin's blog, with some tutorials on how to program stage set ups. It's really not that hard once you grasp the concepts. What is hard is trying to memorize the steps involved in programming without understanding them.

 

http://priviapro.wordpress.com/

 

On the first page, "changing a pedal assignment" is the same procedure as changing the assignment for a slider or knob. On the "older entries" link there is more info on stage settings.

 

In your specific case, the only way to access both tremelo and pedal wah in the same stage setting would be to have the same EP on two zones, one EP with the tremelo, the other with the pedal wah. You could then assign two sliders to control the volume of these two zones, and two more sliders to control the depth of each affect. It sounds complicated, but it isn't. If I could figure it out, just about anyone could.

[Mike Martin]

Theadman95,

With the EP sounds, usually the Modwheel is set to LFO depth (tremolo). If you set a Slider in which the Target = Modulation then it should give you the tremolo.

 

If the EP sound you're using already has distortion, then adding the wah isn't too bad. First you need to take a look one of the clav sounds that has the wah effect on the pedal. Go to the controllers page and see how Pedal 1 is configured. In your EP sound you'd have to simply duplicate those settings although it may require a little experimenting to dial it in to taste.

 

I'd make one of you but I won't have access to a PX-5S until next week.

 

 

[stephenlnoe]

PianomanChuck you nailed it with this post. The problem is there is no intuitive way to get the instrument back to the 'basic' tones without the 'deeper dive' you mention. This is where something like the yamaha offerings are so good. They are simple and user friendly interfaces. I think on the old PSR's they just put a button on there that took you back to 'grand piano' and you knew where you were in the menus because you were starting from ground zero. With all the PX5s has to offer it doesn't offer an intuitive 'second nature' interface. For me, i can just learn how it works. For someone like my wife, she would dismiss the instrument because it's not simple enough to operate. Thank you PianoManChuck for the instructions/advice on getting it to the tone bank selection.

 

Cheers!

 

EDIT: This was meant to quote stephenlnoe's message about the problem he had at the store!

 

After reading this, an idea for beginners might be to have a button labeled "Stage Settings ON/OFF". Its too late to physically add a button, but perhaps a firmware update to modify an existing button when held down for a few seconds could toggle Stage Settings on/off (or pressing two buttons simultaneously). When off, it could default (lock) to 0-0, with Zone1 active and all other zones inactive. This way, the left side of the board (tone selection) would work the way the other Privia models work, and the right side would be deactivated. The LED display could read "STAGE SETTINGS OFF" on top rather than "Concert Grand" or whatever someone may have labeled that stage setting... this way a new user wouldn't get confused seeing "Concert Grand" on the top display line and wonder why it says that when they selected a Bass Guitar tone.

 

I know a user could easily select 0-0 and it would default to this anyway (provided no one activated zone 2, 3, or 4)... but they'd have to know this in advance. My logic for a particular button would be the store unit where people can and do modify things as they try it. Or the beginner who's lost and just wants a PX-350 equivalent until they're ready to explore deeper into the stage settings.

 

Stage Settings are an extremely powerful feature (and what really makes the PX5 attractive), but I can see where it would be frustrating to someone trying out the machine for the first time who just wants to hear what a particular piano sounds like, or any other particular tone, but the store example where someone activated one of the other zones with another tone/patch might make that simple task not so simple.

 

Just my two cents.

[mate stubb]

This is more of a pro level instrument, and as such favors flexibility and configurability over instant understandability (is that a word?)

[Joe Muscara]

This is where something like the yamaha offerings are so good. They are simple and user friendly interfaces.

I nominate this for post of the week!

 

 

(No disrespect to you, stephen. It's just that some of us find some of the Yamahas obtuse, to say the least. Probably not the PSR models you reference though.)

 

I really think the PX-5S interface is no big deal. Did they sacrifice some "instant understandability" for "flexibility and configurability"? Possibly. But there are LOTS of people buying this board with various levels of ability who dove right into it. Also, this is one Casio. You'd find that models like the PX-350 are much more direct, so it's not a brand thing.

[uncledunc]

...The problem is there is no intuitive way to get the instrument back to the 'basic' tones without the 'deeper dive' you mention....

 

A sticker on the instrument would do the trick:

 

To audition tones, press Bank, then zero, then zero. Now, press a tone category button (over on the left) followed by the plus or minus buttons (up on the right) to scroll through all 370 tones.

 

This would reduce the functionality of the PX-5s down to the level of a beginner Yamaha model, (except with more tone choices) while leaving all the pro features intact.

[stephenlnoe]

We looked at the PX5 and then at the Yamaha PSR-750/950. Different instruments to be sure! Everyone would have to admit that the Yamaha interface is infinitely easier. Let's put it this way, if Casio's interface was more intuitive would anyone complain? Ha, ha.

 

Anyway, I'm not dismissive of the abilities I've seen on the PS5x demos (online videos). I particularly liked the ones from germany that showed it at the european NAMM (equivalent). It was just not apparent how to make the instrument shine just by walking up to it.

 

Peace!

 

 

 

 

[stephenlnoe]

I think everyone is a beginner on this instrument....

 

...The problem is there is no intuitive way to get the instrument back to the 'basic' tones without the 'deeper dive' you mention....

 

A sticker on the instrument would do the trick:

 

To audition tones, press Bank, then zero, then zero. Now, press a tone category button (over on the left) followed by the plus or minus buttons (up on the right) to scroll through all 370 tones.

 

This would reduce the functionality of the PX-5s down to the level of a beginner Yamaha model, (except with more tone choices) while leaving all the pro features intact.

[PianoManChuck]

...The problem is there is no intuitive way to get the instrument back to the 'basic' tones without the 'deeper dive' you mention....

 

A sticker on the instrument would do the trick:

 

To audition tones, press Bank, then zero, then zero. Now, press a tone category button (over on the left) followed by the plus or minus buttons (up on the right) to scroll through all 370 tones.

 

This would reduce the functionality of the PX-5s down to the level of a beginner Yamaha model, (except with more tone choices) while leaving all the pro features intact.

That's a GREAT idea! Simple & to the point. While Joe pointed out that a lot of us just dove right into it (myself included)... in the case of going to a store showroom, without knowing this information, you would have to rely on the sales person. In stephenlnoe's case, the sale person obviously didn't know what they were doing. Maybe it was someone who didn't work in the keyboard department? I thought GC's keyboard sales people were somehow "keyboard certified" (whatever that's supposed to mean). But uncledunc's sticker idea is so good, that should be a standard at all showrooms for ALL keyboards, regardless of manufacturer or model.

[Josh Paxton]

(No disrespect to you, stephen. It's just that some of us find some of the Yamahas obtuse, to say the least. Probably not the PSR models you reference though.)

 

I was about to say the same thing. PSR boards, okay. But anything released in the past three years that starts with the letters CP, I'd have to disagree...

[Mike Martin]

A sticker on the instrument would do the trick:

 

To audition tones, press Bank, then zero, then zero. Now, press a tone category button (over on the left) followed by the plus or minus buttons (up on the right) to scroll through all 370 tones.

 

This would reduce the functionality of the PX-5s down to the level of a beginner Yamaha model, (except with more tone choices) while leaving all the pro features intact.

 

We have something similar rolling out to stores soon. We've been working on this but also waiting for more in-store distribution to take place.

[Keys-61]

Hey Mike - question on availability at local music stores - GC in Grand Rapids MI saying I would have to drive to Chicago to demo the board - local GC does have a few other Casio products but almost got the impression they might not get a PX5s here in Grand Rapids - kind of a bummer - would like to get some hands on with this one. Is distribution just playing catch-up at this point? I like what I am hearing on this thing - thanks

[Mike Martin]

Guitar Center is increasing their in-store distribution. I don't know if that includes Grand Rapids or not, I'll see what I can find out. Why not take a quick drive down to Sweetwater? They have them in stock.

[Moon Zero Two]

Got my PX5S Friday. It has version 1.0 software. I have to install 1.1 - I believe this gives you new and improved presets? Not sure. The main piano sound is good, the wurlies are really good but so far the Rhodes type sounds are not doing it for me. I am a bit spoiled by having Ivory and Scarbee.

 

The keybed feels really good, though there is quite a bit of variation in the spacing, but you can wiggle a key get it more evenly spaced, doesn't affect the sound or feel though. Some of the pads and leads are good too, though not really my thing anymore. The acoustic bass/piano patch is one of my gig patches and it is pretty good.

 

I hope 1.1 has better Rhodes sounds, but the main piano sound will do the trick and save my back. I will do the upgrade tonight and try out the editor - wish there was an ios version of the editor...hint hint.

[Mike Martin]

Moon Zero Two,

Welcome to the club.

The new Rhodes presets downloadable from www.casiomusicforums.com

[mate stubb]

Download Jim Alfredson's presets and tweak the EQ to taste. That's what finally made the rhodes work for me.

[jcazzy]

Got mine in from Sweetwater this past Thursday after reading all of the great reviews here and elsewhere that 'forced' me to buy one! Actually, I'm a guy that's played for a long time (50 years) and do not consider myself much of a player but wanted to try something new. I've used Yamaha's DPs with the graded soft touch for the past couple of years in the country and classic rock bands I play in and although I do think they are sufficient for my needs, I believe the PX-5s will allow me to be more expressive in certain areas. Due to a little bit of arthritis in my hands, I thought the PX-5s might be a bit too much for me to handle, but I'm thinking it will be okay after playing around with it for a few days. Can't wait to get into the meat and potatoes part of it with the editor and learn a few things.

 

Thanks again to all here and elsewhere and especially Mike Martin for his excellent contributions to this product. Hey, this thing even has an 80s Synth Brass sound so Ill still be able to play Jump using it! OMG, I can't believe I just said that!

[Pa Gherkin]

Been doing a lot of tweaking on the PX5S but one seemingly simple thing has eluded me. When you're done editing a stage setting how do you specify its location if you don't want to leave it where it is currently? Also,is there an easy way to take two stage settings and swap their locations?

[Mike Martin]

Pa Gherkin,

When you press the Write Button, then choose Stage Setting you'll see the location number in top right corner. Just dial in (use Knob 2 for speed) the desired location and press Enter.

 

The only way to swap locations is the the Data Editor. Transfer both to the computer then put them back where you want them.