Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards VST with Kawai CA79..how to get audio on speakers?

A VST is a plugin software we can use in DAW (recording and mixing software). Such a software can create many different sound, but here we are interested in virtual pianos which produce a piano sound while we play. Then we can have other pianos (Steinway, Fazioli, Bechstein...), and each piano are typically more defined that the DP sound since the PC has enough disk to store any note from the attack to the end (a DP has typically the first seconds and produce later seconds by looping).

Most VST exist in a standalone version which can be launched independently of the DAW.

Even more basically. You buy an expensive digital piano, then you bypass it's internal sound and turn your expensive digital piano into a Midi controller, (usually your DP will have a USB midi port) You then download Piano software (a VST or 'Virtual instrument') to your Computer, and use that for your Piano sounds... Either output through your Piano speakers, or powered external speakers.
In short, use your Piano as a midi keyboard playing sounds that your computer is generating, and output those sounds to an external speaker.

Sorry but yours is just a very negative way of seeing this. Frederic expressed it perfectly. This is just an option to add more features to an already fantastic instrument. Is it needed? Of course not, but if I wanted to play with another sound that my piano does not have, or use a DAW, this just opens up other options for people that need it. So to say it turns "your expensive digital piano into a Midi controller" with that "tone" is just a very "glass half empty" view...

I didn't think that was a negative explanation at all. I love VST's, perhaps remove the word 'expensive'. 😉

This is all great information. Thank you!

The way you phrased does have a negative tone to it but nvm.

Yep the noise goes away without the USB cable even if connecting the audio cable to the headphone jack of the older laptop. I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019393MV2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but if that fails, I am going to try the USB to MIDI cable next.
Thanks!

" I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019393MV2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but if that fails, I am going to try the USB to MIDI cable next. "

I am the OP on the similar thread about the casio GP400 and my VST efforts. I ordered the same item yesterday. (The USB to MIDI cable did not work for me... it decreased but did not eliminate the buzz. It also 'made' my laptop use driver settings which increased latency). I was thrilled to see that the mpow device eliminated 100% of the noise for me. What I am uncertain about is whether it also reduced the fidelity of the output. I think it did. IN other words, when listening through headphones, I can plug them in directly to the computer with no hum or noise. When I put the mpow in between the headphone jack and my headphones, the volume dropped, and I think the sound quality dropped as well, though I didn't spend enough time to figure out how much it dropped (Was is low tones?? I suspect it is). But the only time I would need the connector is when using the speakers of the piano. It DID in fact eliminate all noise. But I couldn't do a good test how it was affecting the tones (though I can try again later) because I would be comparing a noisy unbearably buzzy tone (with the ground hum) to a clean tone. My impression was that the low end wasn't quite there. I'd be interested in what you find.

Good to know about the USB to midi not helping. My cable arrived to the local Amazon warehouse at 2am so hopefully they will deliver it today instead of tomorrow. I will be reporting back.

That tiny cable is working great!
My old laptop which was crazy noisy sounds MUCH better to the point that I can actually use it. I need to check with my wife's laptop but that should be even better since it was cleaner already.
Now adding the Focusrite did NOT help and made it worse. I guess is because the focus right requires an AC adapter and maybe its introducing more ground issues again?
I may try a USB powered sound card for the laptop in the future but for now, it works to play with VSTs and see what they offer even though I really like the default piano sound of my CA79.

Awesome news! I was wondering if you noticed a change in the tone when using that thing.

You kept the ca99?

I need to play more with it but my brief test I didnt notice anything offending