Alternatives to Casio PX-5S ? (Affordable lightweight HA-88)

[analogholic]

Would like to start gigging again and was thinking of what´s out there today regarding an axe like this....

My PC3X is to heavy to schlep, so would need to find something lightweight with as good action "as possible".

[stoken6]

13 minutes ago, analogholic said:

Would like to start gigging again and was thinking of what´s out there today regarding an axe like this....

My PC3X is to heavy to schlep, so would need to find something lightweight with as good action "as possible".

Any particular features you need: pitch/mod wheels, expression pedal? Aftertouch? 5-pin MIDI or USB?

 

Cheers, Mike

[Dave Keys]

The Roland RD88 is pretty light for an 88 weighted board and has built in speakers. Personally I find the action a little stiff, but they're an option. 

[CEB]

I went with a PC4 as my lightweight stage piano. It’s around 28 pounds.   Great sounds.  The action is okayish.   I find it very responsive on the hard1 velocity curve but a little slow.  
 

The question is what is affordable. There are cheaper things.  There are much more expensive things.   

[analogholic]

4 minutes ago, stoken6 said:

Any particular features you need: pitch/mod wheels, expression pedal? Aftertouch? 5-pin MIDI or USB?

 

Cheers, Mike

Thanks, I guess all above except aftertouch

[BluMunk]

I feel like folks have often compared the PX-5S and Kurzweil SP6. I've never touched an SP6 so can't comment on it.

[analogholic]

19 minutes ago, CEB said:

I went with a PC4 as my lightweight stage piano. It’s around 28 pounds.   Great sounds.  The action is okayish.   I find it very responsive on the hard1 velocity curve but a little slow.  
 

The question is what is affordable. There are cheaper things.  There are much more expensive things.   

Well...was just checking the specs and reviews for the PC4....that board would tick all the boxes and then some except maybe the action....

I´m a "Kurz-dude" and to be "completely" happy for some types of more demanding gig, Kurzweil is It for me...with the superb master functions. Maybe I´d need to get two boards, a PC4, and then something with better action for "simpler" gigs where piano and touch is no 1. Unfortunately my hands are "calibrated" to my Kawai VPC-1 that I use only at home...so of course most things will be a downgrade

[analogholic]

7 minutes ago, BluMunk said:

I feel like folks have often compared the PX-5S and Kurzweil SP6. I've never touched an SP6 so can't comment on it.

Ah thanks, will check that one out 👍🙏

[ElmerJFudd]

I use the PX-560 as my lightweight 88k.   I could also have gone with the Kawai ES-120 for most piano centric gigs.  But the 560 has a wide sound pallet (like the 5S) and its screen makes it easy to navigate.  

[Sam Mullins]

Yamaha CK88.  Pros:  Good sounds, great UI (surprise for Yamaha), built-in audio interface and 28 lbs.   Cons:  Plastic and a bit bulky.  

 

I've adjusted to the action and find it acceptable.  Not the best I've ever had, but no where close to the worst.

[The Piano Man]

It’s a pity there’s not a PC3 rack or PC4 rack as you could then buy a lighter weight midi controller and still enjoy your Kurzweil sounds.

 

I actually just sold an RD88 and picked up a second hand PC3a8, having previously owned the PC3x.

 

My lighter weight alternative is a 2001 Technics P50. (16kg)

 

Personally, I cannot stand any of the modern lighter weight 88s. The RD88 action was tiresome and the piano sounds were far too muddy sounding for me.  Any attempt at EQing couldn’t sort the base sound.

 

I actually own an old Roland XV3080 with SRX02 and far prefer these piano sounds than those on the RD88.

[ElmerJFudd]

As opposed to a rack, I wish Kurzweil did PC3 or Korg Grandstand in a small desktop form factor with a little touch screen.  So you could place it on the surface of any digital piano or controller that doesn’t have a screen. 

[Paul Woodward]

18 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

As opposed to a rack, I wish Kurzweil did PC3 or Korg Grandstand in a small desktop form factor with a little touch screen.  So you could sit on the face of any digital piano or controller that doesn’t have a screen. 

I never considered the appeal of a desktop Grandstand (stage), surely it's the live features that make it appeal. I guess Korg believe their Module app is nearer to what you are suggesting, although the GS sounds are leagues ahead. 

[ElmerJFudd]

13 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:

I never considered the appeal of a desktop Grandstand (stage), surely it's the live features that make it appeal. I guess Korg believe their Module app is nearer to what you are suggesting, although the GS sounds are leagues ahead. 

The iOS devices become a stronger option all the time.  Especially with apps like Pianoteq and Module.  I would hope MainStage for iOS arrives in 2024. 

[The Piano Man]

1 hour ago, ElmerJFudd said:

The iOS devices become a stronger option all the time.  Especially with apps like Pianoteq and Module.  I would hope MainStage for iOS arrives in 2024. 

I still don’t feel the “device to keyboard action” connection is as good as old school hardware modules. Latency?

 

Secondly, you plug a hardware module in and it turns on but god forbid you forget to charge an iPad… you plug it in at a gig and nothing happens… you wait hours for 1% battery to appear. (Yes, I guess I need a new IOS device, but the point remains) I’d love to see a Pro iPad for gigging with near instant power upon being plugged in. Then I might consider it for gigging but, for now, it’s a stress I could do without. 

[voxpops]

Some years ago I used to own a PX-5S and found it a great gigging tool. However, I soon dispensed with the internal acoustic pianos in favor of Pianoteq. I would place a Surface tablet on the righthand side and gain the benefit of the PX's hi-res MIDI spec. It was a really good combination. But for the last five years I've been using the Kurzweil SP6 as my bottom board as I needed a full range of sounds from across the spectrum. The action is acceptable, but suffers a little from requiring significant downweight, although I find it quite fast and responsive. To be honest, I haven't come across anything significantly better in the lightweight category, particulary with its ability to access sounds from the PC3 series, PC4 and Forte. If drawbars are required they can be added externally as the SP6's KB3 mode will respond to CC values.  If I could have the SP6 with my Kawai ES110's action, I'd be very content.

 

I also acquired the Numa X Piano 73 recently. I think the 88 is still only around 30lbs. It doesn't have a VA synth or dedicated organ engine, but it is a competent piano and well worth considering.

[CEB]

I couldn’t come to terms with a controller that doesn’t even have a CV/expression pedal input. 😀😀😀

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, The Piano Man said:

I still don’t feel the “device to keyboard action” connection is as good as old school hardware modules. Latency?

 

Secondly, you plug a hardware module in and it turns on but god forbid you forget to charge an iPad… you plug it in at a gig and nothing happens… you wait hours for 1% battery to appear. (Yes, I guess I need a new IOS device, but the point remains) I’d love to see a Pro iPad for gigging with near instant power upon being plugged in. Then I might consider it for gigging but, for now, it’s a stress I could do without. 

Yes, there are a few factors there regarding latency.  iPad and iPad OS designed to run on battery being one of them.  However the iPad Pros lately, especially the 12.9” with the 1tb storage, has a very capable CPU and 16gb of RAM.   I’m certain the current crop of iPads can get latency down very low even with polyphony set high. But it depends on the app developer as well and making buffer and polyphony settings available for the end user to experiment with.  
 

Dedicated hardware is still floating around.  There’s the V3 sound Modules. 

 

https://www.v3sound.com/_index-english.html#

 

And GSi may still be selling the Gemini desktop?  I’ve seen it paired with the Lab4Music Sapario 

https://www.lab4music.it/sipario.php?lang=EN as its front end very effectively.  
 

But it’s not a cheap setup, even compared to an iPad Pro or a MacBook Air.