Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards I have a Casio PX-5S GAS

Hi

I have being listening to the soundclip/video's, at Youtube, of the new Casio PX 5S. Is there any audible string/sympathetic resonance ?
I know, from the manual, that you can increase the amount, but is it audible/noticeable ?

Thanks for any answers

Not sure if you can hear it in audio demos. You probably need to play it and decided for yourself. That will likely be hard to do for awhile as far as finding one to demo in a store. Right now most are buying these site unseen. It appears to be a hit right now.

YES there is. On a few presets even a bit too much, so you have to dial it back a bit. Which is possible of course.

I believe some of the damper resonance effects can be heard here:

https://soundcloud.com/casiomusicgear/privia-pro-px-5s-acoustic-1

Thanks for quick answer. As many people, I have to buy the piano unseen, on inthernet shops. So therefore i need to know.

Best regards
Vidar

[image]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...7.100000816181667&type=1&theater

Gig rig based on Casio gear, including new Privia Pro PX5S. Really enjoying the new board!

This is an "initial impressions" review that I just posted at KC:

Just received my PX-5S this afternoon. I only had about forty-five minutes with it before I had to go out, so these are really only the scantiest of first impressions.

Before I did anything I updated the OS to 1.10. Thanks to the downloadable instructions it was a piece of cake to do the update. Thereafter, I did a quick walk through the preset stage settings, and swapped out some of the tones to get a sense of the range of sounds.

The overall impression I came away with was that this is one heck of a deal. For the money, I don't think there's anything that comes close, given its comprehensive and somewhat unique features, and to be honest I think it will put a huge dent in the sales figures for competing stage pianos.

For me, the most important sounds are APs, EPs and organs (although I rarely try to play organ from any weighted board). Does the PX-5S deliver enough for me in those categories? Maybe - I need to spend more time to see whether the basic sounds have enough appeal to make me want to play them on a regular basis.

Right now, I feel a little ambivalent about the APs, which are obviously almost identical to those on the PX-350. They don't quite have the polish and depth of, say, the Roland SuperNATURAL pianos, and tend to have a slightly short decay, most noticeable in the upper mids, similar to that which afflicts the Korg SV-1. However, the essential tone is very pleasant and quite realistic for the most part, and there is a good range of expression available.

As others have noted, the Wurli sample is very good. The other EPs will require me to spend a little time with them to see if I can dial in the kind of tone that works for me. At first listen they seemed fine, just lacking a little bark and bite. But there's a lot of variation available in the EP department, and some of the stage settings are really nicely executed. I must say that I was also pretty impressed with the Clavs, and particularly with the damper pedal control - I hadn't expected it to work nearly as well as it does. I don't use Clavs much, but I may be tempted to now!

Organs are surprisingly usable - and I confess that, once again, I didn't really expect that! I might want to actually make use of one or two patches to supplement either my Numa or VR-09.

The host of other sounds in the PX covers a lot of ground, but unfortunately I'm unlikely to make much use of the synth section/hex layers. That may be something of a waste, given how much power there is under the hood of this thing.

The action is fine for the physical weight of the board - neither too light nor too heavy. I will probably need to adjust the velocity curve, as I found the response a little jumpy, but that may be just because I'm not used to it yet. I liked the textured surface, as I do tend to suffer from sweaty hands during summer gigs.

It really is staggering how much is available in this board, and even more, how much hands-on control is offered. Tonally, it can't quite compete with the top end boards, IMO, but you simply can't complain about the value. I suspect it's the kind of board that requires a considerable investment of time to get the best out of it, and these days I prefer more instant gratification, but I have a suspicion that the rewards are there to be had for those prepared to devote the time and energy.

At 24lbs, the PX is in the company of the Numa Piano, the Nord Electro HP, the Yamaha P-105, and the (slightly heavier) Roland RD-64. Both the Numa and the Nord cost considerably more, and in some ways are not as competent as all-rounders. The RD costs the same, but is hampered by its short keyboard and lack of effects editing, and it has no synth engine. The Yamaha is cheaper, and includes speakers, but has only about two or three usable sounds, although I think the main AP patch is a notch above the Casio's.

I'm really hoping that I can make the PX-5S work for me. The tireless input from Mike, and the positive reports from nearly all the new owners led me to give it a try, and I'm very glad I have that opportunity. It'll be interesting to pair it with the uber-controversial VR-09 for the lightest two-tier rig I've ever possessed.

VoxPops,
Welcome to the club and thanks for the review. Don't forget to download and try some of the new EP and AP sounds over at the forum. There is also a nice Vox Continental and other sounds too.

Interesting reading, lots to think about - thanks VP!

James
x

Thanks guys. Itching to spend some time on the PX today!

Thanks voxpops! The videos are impressive, I hope to run across it at the local GC one of these days.

I too feel that the AP voice could use a bit of work (short decay, plinky upper mids) and it's too bad it doesn't have built-in speakers. It's looped so likely no sale here (famous last words) but perhaps the next generation.

I've been sitting here off and on this afternoon trying to get to grips with the PX. It's a very complex system - partly due to the Hex Layers. I must confess that I haven't extracted the manual from its plastic bag yet, so I've probably only myself to blame for spending too much time scratching my head. However, I got some very basic editing done, and have the beginnings of a set of workable patches for gigging.

I'm finding that the new Rhodes patches are pretty good for a sampled instrument (very meaty and with a lot of presence), and am looking forward to playing those, and the Wurlitzer patches, live. However, I'm also finding it tough to acclimatize to the acoustic piano "plinkiness" that's so noticeable in the octave that surrounds the C above middle C. That particular C is really dead-sounding, and I feel pretty sure it was a bad note in the original piano that was sampled - and with stretching, it affects a few others, too. I'll see how off-putting it is when playing with the band - it may be OK, but I hate being aware of things like that during a show. That particular issue has been around in all the pianos that drew on that sampling session, but it seems more obvious in the PX-5S - perhaps due to improved and clearer reproduction technology.

But don't get me wrong, I haven't changed my opinion at all on what a remarkable $1k package this instrument is. I'm VERY picky about piano sounds, and so tend to come across a little more negatively than some people (just ask KJ!). I was messing around playing a little piano with LH bass for a while, and I found the overall response very pleasing.

VP,
I'd be curious to hear your opinion of the Alternate pianos that we have for download when you have a chance

Mike, I've played those only very briefly so far, but I'll certainly come back and report when I've had a chance to give them a thorough workout.

Great thanks. When you do, let me know what you're listening through

I'm using a pair of Yamaha HS80M monitors at the moment - and they do reveal every detail (desirable or not!).

Mike Martin, not trying to hold your feet to the fire or anything, but could you comment on this? Overall, the AP sounds pretty decent, but this particular range in all of the demos I've heard has something weird going on that jumps out at me. (And my condolences on your job - appeasing every nitpicker in the world must suck - very sorry to pile on.)

RTFM!

I usually leave the manual in the bag in the box in the attic (easier to find when the inevitable resale occurs) and peruse the latest downloaded PDF.

OK, just spent a few minutes with two of the updated pianos, Piano<Dynamc and Piano/AltAtk.

To be honest, I find Piano<Dynamc limited in usefulness, as it feels almost like the velocity response has been turned off. Piano/AltAtk is more playable, and it does mask the plinkiness a little with the reduced level of attack - sounds quite pleasant for legato pieces. However both of these suffer from triggering quite loudly when a note is depressed slowly - much louder than I've ever heard before (and really it should be silent); sounds like the lowest velocity level might be somewhere around 30% up the scale or more, which means subtle they ain't!

Unfortunately, given there appears to be only one main piano sample, from which all the variations are derived, attempts to overcome the limitations within the sample set are band-aids at best. Never mind. As with the issues surrounding the Roland VR-09, I knew pretty much what I was letting myself in for before I took the plunge. It's an inexpensive multi-faceted keyboard that may not excel at any one aspect, but taken in toto, it covers a lot of sonic territory within its super-lightweight chassis.

Both of those have a narrow dynamic range. The response is matched to another brands product. I'll get you a version with the lower attack but wider dynamic range. ;-)