Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Exclusively for KAWAI CA93/CA63 owners: custom settings

Last weekend, our friend from East-Germany came over with his family. He's a seasoned semi-pro piano and organ player with hardly any DP experience. Therefore, I was quite curious what he would think of my CA93. After first trying out a few different presets, he soon settled for the below preset (not published before), being in awe with the spacious quality of the sound, the large dynamic range (even compared to some acoustic grands) and excellent action. He was surprised to hear the CA93's price, which normally would only buy him a fairly bad sounding acoustic upright.

In total, he must have played the CA93 for something like 5 or 6 hours at acoustic grand volume (that's excluding some lullabies for my daughter). I kind of expected a critical analytical comparison with an acoustic grand afterwards, but he was not inclined to do that, as he found the experience so immersive that he could just stay focussed on the music! (which he claims to be also beneficial for recording sessions)


TRILOGY PART 3 - CLASSICAL R1.0 HEAVY TOUCH EDITION

Dual Voice: Mellow Grand, volume 7 + Rock Piano, volume 3

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +5, mid +6, high +6

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: mellow 2
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 9
2 - 5 Touch: Heavy
2 - 8 Stretch tuning: Wide

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 7

Reverb: Room 1

Effect: Delay 3, time 1, depth 1

That's a great comparison between a mediocre acoustical upright compared to a DP at the same price point.

Thanks for the post Dutch and the new preset! Are there any other hidden morsels you have in your bag of tricks?

Oh yeah, there's always one more valuable trick (given my R&D/inventor background), even if I don't know about it myself yet!

Seriously, if you'd want to slightly reduce the amount of inharmonic complexity of the preset above you could lower the layer dynamics to 6 and/or change the relative layer volume to 8 - 2. An other option is to simply the set the high EQ to a value 4 (instead of 6), taking off the sharp edge during Forte playing.

I.m.h.o. this normal touch edition is the ultimate acoustic sounding of the three (and I'm not referring to the trilogy, but to the classical touch editions)! I prefer playing with this preset live at volume 4.8

If Kawai adds a Brilliance parameter to the firmware then heavy touch action could be combined with this ultra-rich timbre...


TRILOGY PART 3 - CLASSICAL R1.0 NORMAL TOUCH EDITION

Dual Voice: Mellow Grand, volume 7 + Rock Piano, volume 3

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +6, mid +4, high +2

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: mellow 2
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 9
2 - 5 Touch: Normal
2 - 8 Stretch tuning: Normal

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 7

Reverb: Room 1

Effect: Delay 3, time 1, depth 1

I've updated the preset list once again...
See #1 posting

...I'm just back from a short holiday. Great job! Thanks, mate.

Hi guys!

I went through the thread but didn't see a clear reply, but are those setups by any means portable to the MP6? I tried some yesterday, and it sounded funny. It's strange too because it seems I do have access to all these parameters, so even though it's not really the same sample set this should work in some way. I mean I have layer volumes, damper/string resonance, key off, dynamics (although there's one for each layer), touch, and reverb.

Could anyone do a recording, a simple one, with one or two of TADutchman's presets and post it so I could try to replicate the sounds on the MP6?

Thanks!!

Hello TADutchman
As said in another thread, I enjoye some of your preset,
but I have some trouble with the one called "Steinway" based on picked nylon.
I found the sound really "strange" and really not like a steinway.
I assume it is correct as this preset is strangely based on "picked nylon".

Is it normal ? do you get the same sound ? Did I miss something ?

Thanks,

Don't use it, because you own a CA93.

As indicated in this thread (somewhere), that preset has only been included for CA63 compatibility reasons and can have some of the effects you describe (although quite faint, so you must have good ears). Please also check out the background of the preset(s) and the comments/reviews of other CA93/CA63 users, for instance on this page:
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1529960.html#Post1529960

For your CA93 you'd better use the 'steinway grand devotion' presets with Finger Nylon Gt layer or e.g. check out the Trilogy Part 3 - Classical presets.

No, CA93/CA63 (UPHI Console UI) setups are not compatible with the MP6 (PHI Stagepiano UI) setups.

Several sound examples have already been given in this thread (if you want you can send me a PM with your email-address). Of course others are also welcome to demonstrate their CA93/CA63 playing style(s) here.

Thanks I looked harder and found some mp3s!

It seems headphones may play tricks on you. I'll try on speakers too

Hello,
I have found that was wrong... I misunderstood thevlume control for dua voices and inverted the volume ratio for piano / finger nylon"
But now, I cannot hear a real difference (with same settings) between the single voice mode piano and the dual mode piano + nylon...
Is the difference so subtle ?

Yes quite subtle, but at least in case you use high-end headphones for analytic listening it should become clear that some slight harmonic imperfections have been added, especially in the discant.

Indeed, I have not used an headphone for the test, and I don't want to, as I prefer enjoying the great pleasuer you get from the sound syste of the CA93.
I will try with and headphone, but I hope you can appreciate the subtle difference also "live"
Thanks for your active participation in making even more enjoyable this DP

Here's a slight update, improving both live sound and headphones compatibility in the process! While at it, I found the optimal volume slider position in both cases to be 4.9.


TRILOGY PART 3 - CLASSICAL R1.1 NORMAL TOUCH EDITION

Dual Voice: Mellow Grand, volume 7 + Rock Piano, volume 3

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +5, mid +6, high +3

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: mellow 2
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 9
2 - 5 Touch: Normal / Custom
2 - 8 Stretch tuning: Normal / Wide

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 7

Reverb: Room 1

Effect: Delay 3, time 1, depth 1

Here's my special Christmas Gift for you guys (hints & tips category, italics are quotes from the CA93/CA63 Owner's Manual):

Given for any Piano preset:
2 - 8 Stretch tuning: Wide

Combine wide stretch tuning with
2 - 6 Temperament: Equal Temperament (Equal Stretch)
"This is the most popular piano temperament. The hearing ability of a human is uneven and is not as
accurate with high frequency and low frequency as it is with the middle range. This temperament’s
tuning is stretched to compensate for this so the sound will be heard naturally to the ears. This ‘stretched’
equal temperament is a practical variation of the ‘unstretched’ equal temperament which was invented
on a mathematical basis."

Surprisingly, the overall tonal balance and resonances now sound so much better than in the factory default piano temperament: Equal Temperament (piano) (Equal P.only)
"This is the default temperament. When a piano sound is selected, the tuning will be stretched like an
acoustic piano (equal temperament).
* If any other type of sound is selected, the tuning will be set to equal temperament (flat)."

Here's a very short live in the living room CA93 test recording:


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50102670/fi...20Neumann%20KM%20183%20stereo%20pair.wav

Sounds really nice Dutch! Thanks for sharing Man.

I don't understand well. What is this a test for? Sorry if I have lost some trivial info in thread 0:)

Good question, this test is for:

1. Checking the basic functionality and quality of my new Lexicon FW810S / Neumann KM 183 omni stereo recording set-up (still need to do all kinds of optimisations and turn off the TV as this is not supposed to be 'Jazz at the Pawnshop').

2. Others to get an idea of what a CA93 can sound like in an actual living room (promised this before in several other threads), i.e. not in an often 'compromised' music store environment, assuming there is one nearby, nor by using rather clinical USB or line-out recordings.

To be continued...