Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Looks nice in gold, don't you think? http://cdn.synthtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/casio-xw-p1.jpg Anyway, I've been a bit busy today and only spent about an hour with it so far. Here's a quick review for those who haven't played one: PROS: Super light-weight, and easy to navigate right out of the box. The synth section delivers some pretty convincing analog emulations and it's easy to beef them up and create some serious grunge. Hex layers are fun to play and offer quite a bit of versatility. Definitely something that will require menu diving and manual reading though. The drawbar organ section was what attracted me, and while it won't stand side-by-side with the more pricey clonewheels, it's fun for someone (like me) who never played anything with drawbars. I didn't spend much time with the arps or step sequencer but there's a lot to work with there. Can't beat the price either... it was $100 off. CONS: The XW-P1 is maybe a bit too lightweight. I'm afraid to really "dig into" the acoustic pianos, EP's & Clavs because the keyboard might jump off the stand. Also, the keybed itself seems rather spongy. Some of the strings and synth pads sound a bit metallic... hopefully that will just require a tweak of the filter or effects. Overall it's a lot of bang for the buck. I know many folks wouldn't consider this a serious synth but it's fun to play with and a great backup keyboard as well. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 The XW-P1 is maybe a bit too lightweight. I'm afraid to really "dig into" the acoustic pianos, EP's & Clavs because the keyboard might jump off the stand. It's called "Velcro." Haven't you heard of it? "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 The XW-P1 is maybe a bit too lightweight. I'm afraid to really "dig into" the acoustic pianos, EP's & Clavs because the keyboard might jump off the stand. It's called "Velcro." Haven't you heard of it? Yes I have, Joe. I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMEGZ Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Looks nice in gold, don't you think? http://cdn.synthtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/casio-xw-p1.jpg uthere's a lot to work with there. Can't beat the price either... it was $100 off. . Source/link? SpaceStation V3, MoxF6,PX5S,Hammond-SK2,Artis7,Stage2-73, KronosX-73,MS Pro145,Ventilator,OB DB1,Lester K Toys: RIP died in the flood of 8/16 1930 Hammond AV, 1970s Leslie 145, 1974 Rhodes Stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Linky: http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2012/10/03/casio-announces-limited-edition-gold-xw-p1-synthesizer/ Pitchure: http://www.moodswing360.com/mailers/enferno/xw-p1_gld/xw_features.jpg When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveCoscia Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I use my XW-P1 (Gold) as a solo synth mostly. Big and fat. Steve Coscia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charleston Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 See what you think of the PC editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMEGZ Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Linky: http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2012/10/03/casio-announces-limited-edition-gold-xw-p1-synthesizer/ Pitchure: http://www.moodswing360.com/mailers/enferno/xw-p1_gld/xw_features.jpg thanks for the info, and I was wondering where you score the 100 off.....if youre at liberty to share? SpaceStation V3, MoxF6,PX5S,Hammond-SK2,Artis7,Stage2-73, KronosX-73,MS Pro145,Ventilator,OB DB1,Lester K Toys: RIP died in the flood of 8/16 1930 Hammond AV, 1970s Leslie 145, 1974 Rhodes Stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 thanks for the info, and I was wondering where you score the 100 off.....if youre at liberty to share? From everyone's favorite music store..... Guitar Center (ducking). They had one of those "$100 off" sales for anything $499 and up last weekend. Unfortunately there was just a floor model available, so I ordered one "fresh in the box" and it arrived today. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 The XW (both of them) is a blast. I only wish I had more time to play and program them. I think the Gold ones have the latest firmware, double check under the Settings menu. From our website: Press the "SETTING" button to display the setting screen. If you can not find "INFO" under "MIDI" in the list, the firmware version of the instrument is less than 1.10. You need to download this update software and install it on the instrument. If you can find "INFO" and press [ENTER] to display the version confirmation screen, the firmware version of the instrument is the number which is displayed. http://support.casio.com/download.php?rgn=5&cid=008&pid=1160 Also other sounds for download and tutorials at http://xwsynth.wordpress.com -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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Thanks Mike. I've already downloaded some new patches. One question though... and I asked you this before and still am confused. I haven't had time to read the manual (forgive me) but here goes: I noticed with the Performances, some of them follow chord changes with the left hand while others just drone on with the same chord. Kinda confusing. What am I doing wrong? When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Switch on the far left above the pitch wheel...I think it's labeled Key Shift. -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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 I'll give that a try... thanks. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Note that the XW series won't follow chord changes, it will shift the sequence chromatically. -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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Fired up the XW this morning, and lost track of time... which is a good thing. It's so easy to navigate around this keyboard without digging into the manual. (I've only glanced through it a couple times). I have to say for individual sounds, the drawbar and solo synth sections are its strong points. Acoustic and electric pianos don't really cut it. Of course Hex Layers are another matter entirely--lots of potential there. I've been analyzing the build quality of the XW-P1 and found most of the buttons, knobs and sliders are solid. Not quite as sure about the rear connections though. Maybe Mike can share his experiences with that, since he's been using these keyboards on the road for over a year. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 People talk about the connections on the back our keyboards, but I never hear of them breaking. I traveled all around with the XW's flown them on planes and been rather casual with the way I treat them at times and they've always worked and always held up. Last week at SXSW I realized that one of the XW-P1's we had has been at every trade show for more than a year. That's about 12-15 different events, getting shipped all over the place....etc. -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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucktronix Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks for the review, Synthoid.. and congrats on your purchase I've been considering one to use with the new band as a 3rd board. I can see it as a useful tool for a lot of the synthy pop we're doing 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Last week at SXSW I realized that one of the XW-P1's we had has been at every trade show for more than a year. That's about 12-15 different events, getting shipped all over the place....etc. That's good to hear, Mike. Thanks! I've been considering one to use with the new band as a 3rd board. I can see it as a useful tool for a lot of the synthy pop we're doing Definitely. The solo synth sounds are highly tweakable and the rhythms/beats/whatever are inspiring as well. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedMoreBass Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-cXOudmOc0 Casio PX-5S...StudioLogic VMK 161 Organ Plus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I'm using XW-P1 pianos and e-pianos Saturday. Reference "Shameless Plugs." I like them. I'll drive them with an 88 key Roland RD 600 the guy in the second show is bringing and play synth-horns and clav from the XW-P1 keyboard. I like having the Casio logo on stage. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzeyone Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Hey synthoid congrats on the purchase!! Thanks alot for the review as well.. I've played Casio boards for the last 11 years( mainly wk series) for solo work. They are extremely underrepresented. The expense to output ratio is, in my opinion the best on the market. Im far from wealthy but have made ALOT of money through the years with Casio. Though I currently gig with a yamaha board I still bought the new wk 7500 Mainly just because Im a fan.. My old juno is pretty worn out so after hearing your thoughts I think I know what synth Im going with.....And yes the gold looks killer!! :-) "A good mix is subjective to one's cilia." http://hitnmiss.yolasite.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzeyone Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Man this tune kicks a%$ for reals! Great groove!!! Added it to my play list!! Organ patch is impressive! Thanx for sharing! "A good mix is subjective to one's cilia." http://hitnmiss.yolasite.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Hey synthoid congrats on the purchase!! Thanks alot for the review as well.. I've played Casio boards for the last 11 years( mainly wk series) for solo work. They are extremely underrepresented. It's been quite awhile since I've owned any Casio gear. I had a CZ-101 back in the 80's and really enjoyed it... a "poor man's DX-7" it was called by some back then. There is quite a bit to explore with the XW-P1. I've really had a lot of fun this week. Still trying to decide how road-worthy it will be though. Obviously not something Hammonddave would gig with. My old juno is pretty worn out so after hearing your thoughts I think I know what synth Im going with.....And yes the gold looks killer!! :-) If you want a gold one, I'd suggest getting it soon. That color is a limited run (only 200 will be made). When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al the Piano Guy Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I just bought my XW-P1 this week. Heres how it went down: Al has day off of work this week for a visit to his urologist for a brief, though intrusive, test procedure on his 61 year old plumbing. Afterwards, feeling he deserves to treat himself and since its NOT a school holiday, he goes to a nearby Sam Ash store and finally gets to audition in peace the XW-P1 they have on display. Sounds pretty good. Better than the 18 year old Roland JV hes played since new. And even better yet, its on sale, $100 off - while they last. After several moments of self-justifying and telling the sales guy to ring it up quick before he changes his mind, Al leaves with his new XW-P1. Later that afternoon, he gets home and cannot park in the driveway due to his wife and her mother hosting an afternoon card party: 5 elderly ladies all over age 75 and my wife. Al asks himself how hes going to get the new Casio in without being noticed. Theyre playing cards at a table right inside the door and they all have a direct line of site to my car. OK. Theyre busy gabbing, playing cards, whatever. He goes in, says his hellos and then goes right back out again through the garage which is right next to the music room. They wont notice. As he heads to the car he reaches for the keys and instead of hitting the unlock button, he hits the panic button. Al can only imagine 6 pairs of eyes immediately looking out to see whats going on. Several ask my wife, Whats that Als carrying in???? Looks like a keyboard. Does he talk with you about these things first?? Etc. Busted. Ever since, the XW has taken the upper tier spot where the JV resided, the O/S has been updated (thanks for mentioning this above) and now Im on the learning curve. Mikes tutorials viewed. Thanks Mike. Any more in the pipeline? More questions to follow. Al, the Piano Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al the Piano Guy Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Oh, BTW, my XW-P1 is the Orange/Silver, not the ltd. ed. Gold. My wife loves this color scheme, so everything is cool. Al, the Piano Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Good that she liked it. The way the story was going, I was thinking the XW got the upper tier, and you were sleeping in the car. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 There is long video which was a live clinic. I'm trying to get it posted on our YouTube page. Currently it's over at www.ustream.tv/casiomusicgear Will do another of these in April. -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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marillo Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 The XW is only let down by poor strings...if this could be fixed in a new board I'd be all in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Anyone know how the brass is on this board? I find tons of demos of the synth sounds, sequencing, etc., but none of the EP's, strings, brass... stuff I'd actually use on a gig. Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossbandbob Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 When I test drove one at GC, I found the DB organs a bit thin and then there is the beating issue, which I demo'ed on another thread here with my WK-7500 which is essentially the same DB organ. That and the smaller keybed is what prevented me from buying one, but if Casio could fix that organ issue with an update, I would probably still get one. All they need to do is tone the beating down a bit. Otherwise the DB organs on my WK sound pretty good with the Vent. On the WK some strings, brass, Ep's and Ap's sound pretty decent IMHO. I add an EQ pedal to the left side of the piano channels for a bit more bottom but the XW-P1 has it's own internal EQ. The two WK's I have had have held up very well. The 3800 kept working perfectly even after I accidentally dropped it down a flight of stairs! Hammonds:1959 M3,1961 A-101,Vent, 2 Leslies,VB3/Axiom, Casio WK-7500,Yamaha P50m Module/DGX-300 Gig rig:Casio PX-5S/Roland VR-09/Spacestation V3 http://www.petty-larceny-band.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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