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


unclebyron

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Does Mike or anyone else have any idea when the PX-5S will be reaching the U.K.? I called three large stores, (one of them a nationwide chain) and all that they can tell me is that they are "awaiting stock".

 

I see that Thomann (Germany)say that they can normally supply in 2-3 days. Even Amazon U.K. are sourcing theirs from France.

 

I really want to have a play on one of these, but there seems to be no chance at the moment.

Occasionally, do something nice for a total stranger. They'll wonder what the hell is going on!
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I painted my knob...

 

Sharpie Extra Fine Oil-Based Paint Marker #1875034

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9581739065_cc7858371b.jpg

Hammond SK1, Casio Privia PX5-S, SpaceStation V.3, Behringer B1200D, 2-EV ZxA1s

MacBook Air, Novation ReMOTE 37SL, Logic, Pianoteq 5 Stage, Scarbee Vintage Keys

The MIDI Gizmo Museum!

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If anyone is interested in learning more about the PX-5S, please feel free to check our Facebook Group. It's a very active community, and non-owners are welcome to join. Questions are usually answered in less than 5 minutes and there are a lot of good resources posted on a daily basis. Come on over!

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Casio.Px5s/

 

:)

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I painted my knob...

 

Sharpie Extra Fine Oil-Based Paint Marker #1875034

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9581739065_cc7858371b.jpg

 

Exactly what is needed! I thought about asking Mike Martin if he could make this happen on the manufacturing end as it sure does help out when playing in dimly lit situations. Not all of us have sound guys to 'crank it up' when needed then 'cool it down' after that. I even think the EQ knobs would benefit from this.

 

Is this type Sharpie easily found in stores like Staples or Office Max? Thanks!

John Cassetty

 

"there is no dark side of the moon, really. As a matter of fact it's all dark"

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I painted my knob...

 

Sharpie Extra Fine Oil-Based Paint Marker #1875034

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9581739065_cc7858371b.jpg

 

it sure does help out when playing in dimly lit situations.

 

Another option is a small strip of glow tape - this really helps when it's dark. Either way works - it's just good to have options. :)

http://oi44.tinypic.com/qs5vug.jpg

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If you have a theatrical supply shop locally you can get it there. But I get mine online at http://www.stagespot.com/glow-tape.html - I do a lot of live theatre work and we go through a lot of it - we use it for spiking set piece locations, blocking cues, outline stairs and stage-edges... Much cheaper to buy online.

 

Just use a flashlight or LED light to "charge it" for a few minutes - then it will last a few hours. I use one of these clip-on lights.. very handy..

http://oi44.tinypic.com/2ui82ew.jpg

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Is this type Sharpie easily found in stores like Staples or Office Max? Thanks!

 

Availability is hit or miss in office supply stores, but art supply or crafting stores are a good source.

Hammond SK1, Casio Privia PX5-S, SpaceStation V.3, Behringer B1200D, 2-EV ZxA1s

MacBook Air, Novation ReMOTE 37SL, Logic, Pianoteq 5 Stage, Scarbee Vintage Keys

The MIDI Gizmo Museum!

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Just a quick note to let you know there is now a website for the PX-5S, it's address is simply http://px-5s.com.

 

It's a media rich site with video tutorials, audio and video demos and photos. The site also contains links to just about every PX-5S resource on the Web - the Facebook Group, Mike's PrivaPro blog, manuals, downloads, etc.

 

The site is mobile friendly so you can also access from your phone or tablet.

 

 

 

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I'm still loving mine. Mike posted an absolutely killer Bladerunner patch that I've been playing for several days!

 

Mike is an amazing sound designer. I dissected a bunch of the hexlayer Stage Setting patches he made to see how they were put together. Lots of craftsmanship there. And when you listen to them through headphones, you really appreciate all the spacial imaging and effects that give them a 3-D quality.

 

The Facebook Group members are also starting to churn out some great sounds, drum tracks and arpeggios.. all available for free.

 

BTW - he FB group is open to everyone, not just owners.. so if you are curious about the PX-5S, the link to join is in my sig.

All are welcome. :)

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We all know there is no perfect keyboard that works for each individual. That said, I've been gigging with the PX5S for three or four months, and there are some key attributes which inspire me to play it. It is one of the few boards I've had that comes through the FOH and sounds so good no matter what type sound I'm using. And, the ear/hand connection is soo good for me. Mike's dedication and support has been great too, and I think we'll see much more out of this board as more people get into the programming side of it. Don
Yamaha MOXF8, MOXF6, Radial Key Largo, Yamaha DXR 10's
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  • 2 weeks later...

Besides my regular band, I'm currently using the PX-5S as the 'house' keyboard for a popular weekly blues jam, and it's been getting favorable reviews. I love it. However, compared to other keyboards, it has a fairly 'wimpy' volume output - it's very noticeable when A/B'd with other keyboards. The sound man keeps asking me "can you give me a little more juice?". Does anyone know of an affordable and very small pre-amp of some sort that could go between the PX and the PA or amp? Thanks!

 

 

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I'm finding the outputs consistent with my other boards (Kronos, Nord, PX-350). The "Line Outs" on the Privia (any model) are also controlled by the volume knob. You can give it more juice simply by increasing the volume knob.

PianoManChuck

Authorized reseller: Casio, Dexibell, Kurzweil, Nord, iLoud, Viscount

Keyboard Reviews +

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I'm running my PX5S into a Motion Sound KP200S and get plenty of signal from it. The Motion Sound has direct outs on it for the FOH and the sound man always has plenty of signal strength from my amp. Have you checked the master volume level setting on your PX5S? Don
Yamaha MOXF8, MOXF6, Radial Key Largo, Yamaha DXR 10's
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However, compared to other keyboards, it has a fairly 'wimpy' volume output - it's very noticeable when A/B'd with other keyboards. The sound man keeps asking me "can you give me a little more juice?".

 

 

Have you made any changes to the Master Effect Compressor? By default that is set up so it will not change with any of the Stage Settings. So if you've made a change in the output level here it would effect everything.

-Mike Martin

 

Casio

Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook

The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network

 

The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for.

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I'm running my PX5S into a Motion Sound KP200S and get plenty of signal from it. The Motion Sound has direct outs on it for the FOH and the sound man always has plenty of signal strength from my amp. Have you checked the master volume level setting on your PX5S? Don

 

Have the same amp so +1 on the signal strength.

John Cassetty

 

"there is no dark side of the moon, really. As a matter of fact it's all dark"

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Volume knob is up, of course. I've not changed any master parameters. It's not that big of a deal. It just seems less output compared to other brand keyboards that I own, but I can live with it. I just wondered if anyone knew of a small battery powered preamp or something.
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Volume knob is up, of course. I've not changed any master parameters. It's not that big of a deal. It just seems less output compared to other brand keyboards that I own, but I can live with it. I just wondered if anyone knew of a small battery powered preamp or something.

 

Weird.. I've experienced the total opposite with my PX-5S. In fact, it has a hotter output than a lot of boards I've owned.

Kronos 88 Platinum, Yamaha YC88, Subsequent 37, Korg CX3, Hydrasynth 49-key, Nord Electro 5D 73, QSC K8.2, Lester K

 

Me & The Boyz

Chris Beard Band

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Hahaha - though I can't think of ever having seen Mike in a turtleneck, much less an orange one. ;)

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Volume knob is up, of course. I've not changed any master parameters. It's not that big of a deal. It just seems less output compared to other brand keyboards that I own, but I can live with it. I just wondered if anyone knew of a small battery powered preamp or something.

 

Weird.. I've experienced the total opposite with my PX-5S. In fact, it has a hotter output than a lot of boards I've owned.

As always, YMMV. With the sys settings master volume at 127 and the knob at 100% I need all of the 20dB input gain my console has to offer on its line inputs. The PX-5S output at 100% is about the same as my PC2x with the master volume slider at 40%.

 

The PX-5S manual speaks of "standard plugs" but doesn't mention which standard. I'm guessing unbalanced -10dBV. The Kurzweil is balanced +4dBu. This accounts for much of the difference, but not all of it. That's a shade under 12dB and the real difference seems to be a bit more than 20dB. I have nothing to measure low AC voltage so it's hard to be precise.

 

I recently picked up a Rolls MX28 line mixer. It's not battery operated, but it could be. The wall wart output is 15VDC 0.3A. Its inputs are unbalanced -10dBV. I'm pretty sure that plugging the Kurzweil into it will attenuate the output of the Kurzweil. Using a TS cable instead of a TRS cable will do the same. Some stuff, like my Mackie mixers, will sense an unbalanced connection and adjust. My XK-3 is also unbalanced -10dBV. It doesn't do so well plugged directly into a powered speaker that wants to see a balanced +4dBu signal. I'd expect the Casio to need a mixer too. Either that or into a DI into a mic input on the powered speaker.

 

The only times I've used it live I had one line into a DI to the PA through the mains and monitors. I could hear myself and nobody asked for more signal. Back at the home, my time is my own. So for comparison I tried the same thing. Instead of using a stereo line input, I ran it through a passive DI into a mic input. About 12 o'clock on the input trim is about right on my console. About +28 on a scale of +10 to +60.

 

Compared to what? This page explains all that better than I can.

 

In short, even though it's way too late for that, my PX-5S has pretty low output, especially compared to something with balanced +4dBu outputs. Is it a problem? No.

 

--wmp
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Aside from the new Rolls MX28 line mixers, everything I own has balanced inputs. As mentioned above, the Mackies have balanced inputs. The 1604 VLZ manual makes a big deal out them working as balanced or unbalanced depending on what's plugged into them. The new console is a Midas Venice F32.

 

I am using TRS cables. I can't recall ever having a problem using TRS cables where TS cables are all that's needed. Using a TS cable to plug a PC3 into balanced input behaves as you describe. You'll get more signal using TRS cables. I'm not sure how that works out to be 6dB. My miscalculations indicate the difference between +4dBu and -10dBV is a shade under 12dB. Of course, that varies with impedance matching. I will remain confused about the minutia of this stuff long after my death. Until then I'll try to keep enough cables and contraptions around to smooth out any mismatch problems.

 

I'm pretty sure the PX-5S has unbalanced outs. If that information is in the manual, I missed it.

 

--wmp
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