Stagepiano for controlling mainstage

[Bachus]

I am looking for a stagepiano to controll mainstage (and an additional midi module) ... but it also should fullfill all my stagepiano needs... i am going to use this as a 2nd setup, both with and witouth mainstage

 

I think the Roland RD800, Kawai MP7 and Yamaha CP4 all quallify to fullfill my stagepiano needs... (keyfeel, sound quallity as a stand alone) .. in my selected price range.

 

 

But which one works best as a master controller over midi and USB? With direct access and controll over the VST and mainstage sounds from the stage piano? I was hoping to get some input from people actually using these stagepiano.

[Dnsmo]

Thanks for asking this question; I'm considering the same 3 boards for a studio setup, and it's my impression that they all have similar MIDI capabilities, each with 4 zones and assignable knobs/buttons/sliders.

 

Because of this, I'm more swayed by the personality of the piano sounds, action quality, and number/quality of other on-board sounds.

 

Have you had a chance to try out all three? It would be great if more stores had the RD800, CP4, and MP7 available for side-by-side comparison. For me, the winner is the Roland, but I don't think you can go wrong with any one of these. As others have pointed out, it's a matter of personal preference.

 

If I go with the RD800 as a master controller, I'll need to make room for it by parting with my Oberheim MC-3000 which is one of the deepest master controllers (no sounds) ever.

 

Dennis

 

 

[Al Coda]

... RD800, CP4, and MP7 ...

 

If I go with the RD800 as a master controller, I'll need to make room for it by parting with my Oberheim MC-3000 which is one of the deepest master controllers (no sounds) ever.

 

None of the DPs mentioned above offer the MIDI features of the MC3000.

 

The only modern controller which does is the Physis K4 / K5 and then you´d have to compare the actions vs the MC3000´s action in addition and pass a internal sound engine.

You could buy a Physis K4 (or5) EX though,- but then you´d have to be satisfied w/ that expansion´s sound set being offered and w/ the limited tweakability of those physical modelled patches compared to the real Physis Piano H models,- which then lack MIDI controller abilities vs the K4/5.

 

But I´d say, the Kawai MP7 has a very logical layout in regards of MIDI, rarely requires reading the manual, controls up to 4 zones pretty good and comes w/ an already very good action (even it´s not the MP11 and VPC-1 action) and quality note-by-note sampled acoustic piano sounds in a 256-voices polyphony instrument for a bang-for-the-buck price.

But you have to like Kawai acoustic pianos ´cause they sampled their own stuff.

The electric pianos are decent too,- but the Rhodes sounds in the CP-4 are better because they are physically modeled and I also prefer those over the ones in the RD-800.

 

When already owning a Integra-7, I´d never buy a RD-800 in addition,- but that´s only me.

 

But there´s more ...

P.ex., RD-800 and CP-4, both come w/ balanced XLR outputs and the MP7 doesn´t.

But the MP7 has 1/4" TS audio input jacks w/ a dedicated volume control so you can connect a 2nd instrument and mix it w/ the MP7 without the need of a mixer.

It all depends what you want to control in Mainstage (or any other host) and if Mainstage itself is able to compensate some lack of MIDI features in a hardware DP/ controller.

 

A.C.

 

 

[Bachus]

Thank you Dennis and AC for the reactions..

 

Point is that only these 3 stagepiano's fit my needs as a standalone stage piano... with their great keybeds, good piano's/dps and a whole plethora of other sounds.

 

I realise that compared to a true masterkeybed, with fully programmable slider, knobs and buttons, this will never be perfect...

 

 

Surprisingly, i have come to the conclusion that the Casio PX-5s would be better as a Masterkey then the 3 above... but i just can not stand the white color and cheap looks... and outside of the piano/dp/synths the sounds can not convince me..

[Iconoclast]

I may be a midiot here but I think that Mainstage is so flexible that your controller doesn't really need to be that smart.

 

You could have a single zone keyboard that only transmitted on Ch1 and you can do all your splits/layers in mainstage.

 

Additionally, if you change keyboards or have to use a backline or backup keyboard, the less dependent your mainstage progams are on the master controller, the easier it is to just plug and play mainstage into something different and still have it work.

[AnotherScott]

Surprisingly, i have come to the conclusion that the Casio PX-5s would be better as a Masterkey then the 3 above... but i just can not stand the white color and cheap looks... and outside of the piano/dp/synths the sounds can not convince me..

To each his own. But for those other boards that lack as many knobs and sliders, since you're using Mainstage, you can probably get a lot of that extra functionality by adding something like a Korg NanoKontrol to whatever else you get. Which brings me to one other thing to consider, ergonomics. i.e. when you look at these boards, where would you like any such extra controls to be, and is there a surface there where you can put them. I think that might give the CP4 an edge.

[Dnsmo]

Bachus, if I were you, I wouldn't let MIDI control capabilities alone sway you to the PX-5S if you weren't considering it already.

 

Having studied all three of your candidates carefully myself, I don't see enough of a difference in their MIDI functionality to make this a major criterion driving your purchase.

 

As AnotherScott mentioned, the CP4 may have a slight advantage since it has room for something small to sit on top. But I could see coming up with a similar solution for the Kawai and Roland.

 

The 88-note board I now have, the MC-3000 (controller only, no sounds), can run rings around any of these boards as a controller (8 sliders, 3 wheels, 8 pedals, 8 keyboard zones + 8 auxiliary zones). I used to lug this behemoth to gigs because of its huge flexibility. But with my current needs in the studio, it becomes superfluous.

 

Choose the stage piano out of these three that speaks to you for the other features you value the most.

 

Dennis

[JB Sherry]

What Iconoclast says is true - you can do all the zones and layering you need right in Mainstage. You wouldn't need to mess with the config of your 88-key slab, as long as all the sounds are externally generated. But if you're looking to mix Mainstage and internal sounds, it's worth noting that the CP4's 4 zones are separate from the 3 local zones ( Upper/Lower/Layer ). As this thread explains, a performance can have 4 external zones configured, and you can easily disable the split and layer sounds, but the 4 zones don't affect the mapped range of the main sound unless you turn local off and use MIDI loopback to control the internal sound.

 

So, I'm not sure that it's correct to say that your top 3 have equivalent controller capabilities. That said, if I get back to gigging I would buy the CP4. That's the one that really floats my boat as a dedicated piano substitute. It has its limitations, though.

 

-jb

[Bachus]

Bachus, if I were you, I wouldn't let MIDI control capabilities alone sway you to the PX-5S if you weren't considering it already.

 

Having studied all three of your candidates carefully myself, I don't see enough of a difference in their MIDI functionality to make this a major criterion driving your purchase.

 

As AnotherScott mentioned, the CP4 may have a slight advantage since it has room for something small to sit on top. But I could see coming up with a similar solution for the Kawai and Roland.

 

The 88-note board I now have, the MC-3000 (controller only, no sounds), can run rings around any of these boards as a controller (8 sliders, 3 wheels, 8 pedals, 8 keyboard zones + 8 auxiliary zones). I used to lug this behemoth to gigs because of its huge flexibility. But with my current needs in the studio, it becomes superfluous.

 

Choose the stage piano out of these three that speaks to you for the other features you value the most.

 

Dennis

 

 

Oh no, i am not even considering the px-5s at all, because as a stagepiano i like the other 3 more.... might probably go for the Roland or the kawai, because they offer most real time controll over the sound, and the bigger screen makes operating much easier...

 

Both are really really close, i like the whole chebang of knobs on the Roland, but it is also 50% more expensive... they come pretty close as midi controllers, so far i can judge based on reading the manualls...

[Tusker]

Both are really really close, i like the whole chebang of knobs on the Roland, but it is also 50% more expensive... they come pretty close as midi controllers, so far i can judge based on reading the manualls...

 

Just wanted to add my experience which aligns with those who mentioned that a) you can always get knobs from an additional piece of hardware. and b) since Mainstage is so smart, the knobs and stuff get customized, so you end up needing fewer of them.

 

I added a Novation controller with knobs and sliders and no keyboard. However, after configuring Mainstage I don't use it all that often, since I prefer to use continuous pedals.