Yamaha CP88 and 73 - Deserve their own thread

[Kelly Gibson]

The YC 73 also fits nicely in a Nord Electro 73 HP case. It is not an inexpensive case. Fortunatly

, I had one from a previous Nord. 

[deetee]

Is it possible to charge an iPad from the ‘To Device’ USB port while using the ‘To Host’ port for midi/audio from the same ipad (with Camera Connection Kit)? It’d make a nice, simple setup if possible.

[ElmerJFudd]

August - 2022, Yamaha is prepping the next OS update for the CP73/88 and will be including a new CP80 sample library.  I’m eager to see what other features and sounds get added based on all the user feedback. 

[CyberGene]

2 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said:

and will be including a new CP80 sample library

Yeah, I received an email with a link to four different audio demos to order them to my preference 😀 I chose one that was the brightest as the best... What kind of CP is sampled in our CP73/88 then? I thought it was a CP70 or CP80, why will they add a new sample set? Maybe it's for the Motif or some other keyboard?

 

P.S. According to the CP88 manual, there are two CP80 voices, so it's surprising that there will be a third one. Honestly I've never been too impressed with the classic CP80 sound and I find these two in the CP88 good enough. But maybe there are other people who wanted a different type of sound?

[ElmerJFudd]

4 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

Yeah, I received an email with a link to four different audio demos to order them to my preference 😀 I chose one that was the brightest as the best... What kind of CP is sampled in our CP73/88 then? I thought it was a CP70 or CP80, why will they add a new sample set? Maybe it's for the Motif or some other keyboard?

In the original request for character pianos, I had selected the 60s baby grand for more jazzy stuff.   But I guess we were voted out by the crowd that preferred a more quirky CP80 than the one that’s already in the sound list?  I’ll not sure.  I had also asked for a harp.  I guess we’ll know more when they release.  

[CyberGene]

I'm pretty happy with all the acoustic and electric pianos in the CP88. Apparently I've missed the first survey, I would've voted for something else, a baby grand is not a bad idea, or maybe another upright piano... What I'd love to have is Solina strings sounds and portamento for the synth leads, as well as filter cutoff control if possible. (the YC has it and I doubt it requires a lot of resources since filtering and portamento have been AWM standard features for ages)

[ElmerJFudd]

If we’re lucky the best features cross over between the two lines. 

[pawelsz]

I always found Yamaha emulation of CP70/80 too sterile, too perfect, so the character of real instrument was lost. Dexibell has a great one. Kurzweil has nice old samples too. Yamaha really needs to update them.

[AnotherScott]

3 minutes ago, pawelsz said:

I always found Yamaha emulation of CP70/80 too sterile, too perfect, so the character of real instrument was lost. Dexibell has a great one. Kurzweil has nice old samples too. Yamaha really needs to update them.

I guess Yamaha provided samples of how they intended for them to sound out of the factory, while the others sampled what they really sounded like once they hit the road. ;-)

[ElmerJFudd]

36 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

I guess Yamaha provided samples of how they intended for them to sound out of the factory, while the others sampled what they really sounded like once they hit the road. 😉

So, if I am understanding this “character instruments” effort going on in the CP development department - this CP80 is intended to have more “character” than the set we already have.  Where “character” potentially means flaws - in a good, realistic way. Perhaps. 

[Adan]

From what I've read it appears the CP has not been updated for touch sensitivity as has the YC.  Assuming that will be bundled in with the next OS update.

[ElmerJFudd]

1 minute ago, Adan said:

From what I've read it appears the CP has not been updated for touch sensitivity as has the YC.  Assuming that will be bundled in with the next OS update.

The last CP update has two parameters the user can adjust to set the velocity curve to taste.  

[SamuelBLupowitz]

 

21 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said:

August - 2022, Yamaha is prepping the next OS update for the CP73/88 and will be including a new CP80 sample library.  I’m eager to see what other features and sounds get added based on all the user feedback. 

So grateful for this forum. I'd totally miss these updates otherwise, maybe in a few years I'd go "I wonder if they ever did more updates to the CP88...?"

[Jon G]

On 8/1/2022 at 8:44 AM, ElmerJFudd said:

August - 2022, Yamaha is prepping the next OS update for the CP73/88 and will be including a new CP80 sample library.  I’m eager to see what other features and sounds get added based on all the user feedback. 

They have a CP80 sample already. How about another organ sample and an improved Leslie effect? Nothing to compete with the YC, just something a little better.

[Brad Kaenel]

On 4/18/2022 at 2:17 AM, Dockeys said:

I was also looking at the Vox Continental 73 softcase as an alternative. A reviewer on Amazon said his CP73 fits perfectly into it but the dimensions don’t seem to tally up for a snug fit?

 

 

Hmmm... I owned both a VC73 with this case, and a CP73.  The VC73 is a very thin board; only about 3.5" in height.  I'd judge a CP73 to be at least 2" thicker -- no way it could fit in the Vox case.  And the CP73 is 10 lbs. heavier; Vox case isn't robust enough for that, either.

[Dockeys]

8 hours ago, Brad Kaenel said:

 

Hmmm... I owned both a VC73 with this case, and a CP73.  The VC73 is a very thin board; only about 3.5" in height.  I'd judge a CP73 to be at least 2" thicker -- no way it could fit in the Vox case.  And the CP73 is 10 lbs. heavier; Vox case isn't robust enough for that, either.

good to know Brad, I thought as much. 

[time4jazz]

Hi all, I recently received my CP73.  Like many, I was unable to try one before buying it. So, based on reviews and the great input here (especially regarding the new “Touch Sensitivity” settings), I took a shot.

 

Fortunately, I am finding that it’s a really good keyboard (apart from some minor questionable design choices). Even before turning it on, the keys had a nice feel and were not noisy.  Playing it is great — dynamic and easy to control.  And turns out, it seems like I’ll only need to tweak the Touch Sensitivity settings by small amounts.

 

The balanced action plays really well, though a couple of small things might take a little getting used to. It’s easy to hit the low notes a little harder than desired.  Perhaps the acoustic pianos could be more piano-like if Yamaha could make the touch sensitivity vary over the keyboard? And the upper register plays nicely, though playing fast repeating chords, like in Back in the USSR, is a little fatiguing.  I imagine this isn’t something that can be helped with different settings. It seems more about moving mass. Maybe a triple sensor would be needed for this situation?

 

Anyway, it appears to be a keeper!

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

 

I have the CP88 which I really like a lot.
One feature I love is the ease of turning on different keys sections for creating big layers. However when you turn a section off (eg. keysB) the sound instantly cuts off during holding notes down.
I would love to have a feature where the sound from a section continues until you either let go of the note or pedal for smoother transitions. Is this possible on the CP88?

[CyberGene]

57 minutes ago, dickiefunk said:

I would love to have a feature where the sound from a section continues until you either let go of the note or pedal for smoother transitions. Is this possible on the CP88?

Unfortunately not currently possible. But it has been requested on their IdeaScale, you may want to upvote it and Yamaha can add it in a future firmware update. 

[AnotherScott]

Yes, that ideascale suggestion happens to be one of mine, you can upvote it at https://yamahasynth.ideascale.com/c/idea/271403

[dickiefunk]

Thanks for letting me know. I have posted and upvoted on your ideascale suggestion. Really hope yamaha add this in a future firmware update.

[ElmerJFudd]

 

[ewall08530]

Dave Ferris, have you ever tried the Kawai ES 520 or 920?  They may give you something closer to the Yamaha 515  without the weight and mobility issues. 
 

FYI I did see your request for a review on the Casio PX S-7000.  I’ve been busy with other things this past week but for now:

 

 

Pros-

*new improved action is smooth, tight and fast.  Hard to fathom how the piano looks so similar to the S-1000,3000 and feels so much better. 
*4 speakers upgrade (vs 2 in the S-1000,3000) gives a bit more volume and when you activate the surround sound mode it gives you that spatial effect without adding a brighter tone like the earlier PX S- series.  
*The New York and Berlin (only available on the S-7000) pianos are a wonderful addition and there’s an upright in there that reminds me of one of the Nords that I love.  Lots of character. 
 

Cons-

*there is no internal EQ for editing sounds and the effects such as tremolo, phaser, overdrive etc. on some of the EP’s is baked in and not adjustable.  There is a brilliance

0-10 setting that can be used but it can’t be assigned to one of the EX buttons that have replaced the knobs.  (The S-6000 is similar to the S-3000 and CAN do what is missing on the S-7000). 
 

Initial conclusions after 1 week. The S-7000 seems like it will be great for the main reason I purchased it.  Solo piano or small ensemble gigs and playing piano at home. 
If someone is looking for it to be the bottom board in their rig you may want to take a hard look at the S-6000 as a better fit.  
 

 

[ElmerJFudd]

I already know without a shadow of a doubt that Dave won’t be satisfied with the slim design  short/keyed action on the newer Casios. Even with the size/weight reduction being the most attractive feature.  Not that he shouldn’t walk in a shop and try one for himself (which I intend to do).  But he’s been through CP4, CP88, P515, NP5 and would rather be playing his Steinway or Avant Grande.  

[ewall08530]

5 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

I already know without a shadow of a doubt that Dave won’t be satisfied with the slim design  short/keyed action on the newer Casios. Even with the size/weight reduction being the most attractive feature.  Not that he shouldn’t walk in a shop and try one for himself (which I intend to do).  But he’s been through CP4, CP88, P515, NP5 and would rather be playing his Steinway or Avant Grande.  

I pretty much figured that but he did ask me and up until now it’s been crickets from me. 😬

[ElmerJFudd]

8 minutes ago, ewall08530 said:

I pretty much figured that but he did ask me and up until now it’s been crickets from me. 😬

Those Kawai’s are always worth serious consideration for  discerning pianists with a penchant for the most piano-like actions. 😄

[rickzjamm]

Something about the hammer action on these CP & YC boards that's intoxicating, satisfying & inspiring.   

[CyberGene]

Here's what I posted on another forum:

 

Quote

After some more time with the CP88, I can say I really love the board and all my initial impressions still hold true. For what it is. However I'm not sure I really like the action. I generally have problems with digital actions pushing constantly against your fingers and I seem to not be able to overcome this feeling, it just annoys me. Furthermore, this particular action is heavy and has the infamous "initial friction", so yesterday I was trying to play some slow jazzy stuff with very thick chords where I often use my thumb to press two keys at a time and I struggled, I simply missed notes. On my N1X I can so easily play ppp with my thumb pressing two keys, however on the CP88 attempting to play very quietly double keys with a single finger feels almost like the keys are stuck and don't move  To a certain degree I think I hate all digital piano actions and am rather willing to use lightweight synth actions for a gigging board. I really loved the waterfall action in the YC61 and if there was a board with either 73 or 88 keys, I would have purchased it on a whim because it would also be very lightweight.

 

P.S. I don't want that to sound as a complaint. It's a gigging board for stages, for playing in a (loud) band context. When I play it with more force, it feels OK and doesn't annoy me. It's only when I try to play softer solo piano passages where it struggles.

 

I still think the sounds and the user interface are the best I've encountered. And the action is probably among the best on a digital piano. That being said, no digital piano feels like a real acoustic piano. If one becomes aware of that fact, the CP88 is a hell of a stage piano.

[ewall08530]

49 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

Those Kawai’s are always worth serious consideration for  discerning pianists with a penchant for the most piano-like actions. 😄

I agree. I have an ES 520 and apart from the slightly buzzy plastic cabinet when the speakers are turned way up, I love it. I bought the new Casio because I want something with a smaller footprint than the Kawai for solo piano gigs and I just can’t get on with the feel of the action on my Roland RD 88. 

[octa]

1 hour ago, CyberGene said:

Here's what I posted on another forum:

 

no digital piano feels like a real acoustic piano. *

 

*what I was thinkin'

But it's been interesting reading about Dave's extensive search for his optimal AP. 

 

I've been on similar mission lately. Nord NP5 73 has been great in band setting but YC88 seems better for solo or vocal accompanist setting (which may happen a few times in upcoming holiday season) so trying to keep 'em both for now.