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I like this a lot but there are 3 things that hurt it for me
1. no mod pitch control, this would have been quite inexpensive to add and really is a deal-killer, having to have another machine, more wires, another stand just for a wheel is a bit silly.
2. the rounded top, I know this sounds a bit trite, but you really can't put anything on top of it, no laptop, iPad, or midi board.
3. Price, it is a bit steep, i was expecting 1400-1500usd, it's really just the action that your paying for along with its midi capabilities
Now 3 things that I love
1. Its classy, no way around it, this is a sexy looking controller
2. Tri sensor, this is a great addition for Kawai and going forward puts them at the tops for sure
3. The action, for me there is nothing better out there other than the gf, but I wasn't expecting that, so the rm3 grand II wooden still blows all other controllers clean off the planet
Unfortunately this namm is a massive letdown but this is the one shining spot for me, but I cant spend 2k on a controller that doesn't control any articulations, the mod wheel really is a deal killer, and I dont think I'm alone on this one. I sincerely would've bought it today and at that price if it had this. No question.

Not to be too negative, because I think this is a product addressing a real need, but I'm disappointed that it doesn't have a mod-wheel/joystick. I mean, it's not like you are only ever going to use it for pianos. It would have been so easy to include. Unfortunately it might be a deal breaker for some.

I wonder whether the concept was to make something that exuded a piano vibe - and nothing else. It's almost like it was designed to keep synths, and everything else away from it (although why it didn't include a place for a laptop to be safely anchored is beyond me, since it can do nothing without a computer.

It is nice (and shiny) but I suspect most people were expecting a little more.

It's quite bizarre to me to omit those two things. I would have thought a nice big flat surface, preferably rubberized, to hold valuable laptops, ipads, modules etc would have been essential.

The modwheel/joystick thing is a no-brainer. People use them for all sort of instrument sounds. The only thing it isn't used for is piano. Why be so narrow in target piano? It doesn't make sense and I suspect this oversight/snub will ultimately kill the longterm future of such a controller. To sell these things, they need to be ultra-versatile.

Shiny, ebony surfaces have no place in a studio or live gig - they will be scuffed into oblivion in no time. It's a good start, but they needed to consult with more real musicians, I feel.

Why would you want a mod wheel on a piano controller?

Sigh...did you even read the posts above? The point is it doesn't have to be exclusively for piano. It could have been used for any sound. Use your imagination.

Hi Ando,
My point is its not been marketed as such hence the name. For pure piano playing you would have absolutely no need for a mod wheel...

It's clearly targeted at (virtual) piano purists, who play at home or possibly in establishments that need something aesthetically pleasing. Whether the market is big enough for this, only time will tell. I'm still not sure where you're supposed to place your screen, but at least there's very little built-in obsolescence in this board (in fact there's very little built-in anything!).

That teetering laptop promo pic makes me cringe - what were the style guys thinking? I suppose to them we're just magpies looking to line our nests with shiny objects.

Yes, but that was also mentioned above. Why make it so strictly targeted for piano? It would have been so easy to throw a simple joystick on the side and still sell its benefits as a piano controller. These kinds of limited ways of thinking are frequently death sentences for new products. It doesn't matter how devoted Kawai is to the concept of a pure piano controller, people want more versatility in studios. Mark my words, this shortcoming will be commented upon time and time again in threads like this one. There's just no reason for them to be so narrow about this. You can be unobtrusive with such devices, but they should still be there when it's essentially a MIDI device that can be connected to any sound generator you like. A lot of electric pianos need a mod controller to do certain things. Are we to take from that that Kawai thinks this controller is only for acoustic pianos, not electric pianos? Talk about narrow! Crazy, if you ask me.

If you want proof of how this will affect sales of this unit: I would have considered it if it had had a mod wheel/joystick. There is another poster above who also called it a "deal killer". Are we that unique? I don't think so. There will be plenty of people like us, and that means lost sales for Kawai in a product category that is low volume already. I just think they missed a golden opportunity to make a brilliant product, simply because they like to stick to a purist approach about being a piano company.

Yes, if the designers had had their oatmeal that morning they might have come up with a hidden mod-wheel section, perhaps built into a revolving end plate or secreted under a flap.

Yes, that could perhaps have been a workable compromise for everyone. Personally, I have no use whatsoever for pitch-bend/modulation because I'm only interested in piano. Generally, I find the joystick things visually hideous and they ruin the clean, uncluttered lines of things and destroy symmetry. But then I've been cursed with an eye for details like that - I really wish I didn't care about stuff like that.

I think the upfront links to software manufacturers and PianoTeq is quite a bold move for a conservative manufacturer like Kawai - no one seems to be giving credit for that. I think the thing (VPC) looks great from what I can see in the pictures.

An action equivalent to, or presumably better than, the MP10 for several hundred less in a package that looks very classy and tasteful and addresses what many piano players want (great action dedicated to controlling software) is surely to be welcomed? It will be perfect for pro and home studios and only needs to be bought once - much more future proof than a stand-alone DP.

I totally get the comments about the flat-top (or lack of) but generally I'm a bit mystified by the scale of the negative response to the launch of the VPC.

The basics are there; it is what many people have been asking for.

Just my thoughts,

Steve

I agree, Steve, the basics are there. For me it's a case of so close, but not quite. I was seriously considering this product, but I really want a one controller solution. It's a pity because they almost got it there for me. I still hope it does well for Kawai though because I want them to be rewarded for responding to a need. And who knows, maybe it will lead to a general controller in the future.

Yes, I think it is their toe in the water...if the details mean that it fails to hit the spot for enough people then I can't see them following through with further iterations of the idea, which would be a shame because many of us have been crying out for a great action minus sounds. Time will tell...

Hi,

It's finally more or less what I was expecting it to be, and more or less at the price I was guessing Kawai was going to price it to: that is, the price of MP10 less something.

If I was going to replace my aging MP5 that I got 3 years ago, that I mainly use as for piano playing, I would seriously consider this thing and its action. It has not got knobs and wheels, but they can be got in another small device if needed. In my case, I rarely use them... but from time to time are useful. As for the sounds, I don't use the MP5 internal sounds anymore, so wouldn't miss that for sure.

Regards,
Kurt.-

This is how I feel about Kawai products generally. They get so close to the ideal, and then allow one or two things to get in the way (usually marketing-related).

But that's why I'm really hoping they do succeed because they have the talent to create stunning products. Yamaha, by contrast, seems almost weary of innovation in their electronic products.

There is a lot to recommend such a sleek and simple piano controller as the VPC, but I do hope they haven't narrowed the market for this to such a thin slice that it quietly disappears without further development - time will tell.

As a side note, I do think that expectations were built to almost fever pitch. Clever marketing, certainly, but in a competitive marketplace you need to exceed expectations, not create a sense of deflation, however slight.

Between the weight and the need for the computer, I see it more as a home board than a gigging board. In a home studio, no matter how good the weighted 88 is, if I'm playing synth, I also want an unweighted board, and that's where I care about having pitch and mod wheels. So actually, no, I wouldn't miss them on the VPC at all.

They're pretty much pushing you into the arms of a 3rd party for sounds, which will almost certainly and quite noticeably outclass anything they have to offer. To me it signals that Kawai is giving up on quality internal sound generation, which I find depressing. Given this should be their bread and butter, this industry has an exceedingly bizarre aversion to good sound.

That aside, perhaps they should have made two controller models: one in polished black with their best triple sensor wooden key action, and another one their best lightweight action in a durable case for gigging (with controller wheels). This thing weighs too much to schlep, isn't their best action, and has a nonsensical form factor, so I kind of don't get who the target audience is - people who hate the MP10 internal sounds? Is that an audience they should actively court?

Steve,
I also think this piano is very future proof. That is a good thing... and bad. The only thing you need to update is the software pianos... not good for Kawai. But perhaps Kawai is working on that now then...and will integrate it in VPC2 which will feature a HD, CPU, and run on Linux? NAMM 2014?

I think of it more as a recognition that they can't currently give a computer owner as good as sound as Ivory for its $300 premium over their current products. And that there is a market for people who choose to go with computer pianos, and so there is money to be made in making a product for them.


If it sells well, I would bet on there being derivative products.