Dear all,

I'm in the process of deciding which digital piano to choose.
A candidate is Kawai's CA79. I like its sound, key action and cabinet a lot.
But I'm not very impressed by the touch screen.
it is touted in various reviews, but they are mostly sellers and not independent sources.
(Would like to see James Pavel have a view on this...)

Maybe the PianoRemote app on an Ipad will be a good replacement of the tiny screen that comes with the piano.
(Why on earth they put it on the far left of the piano while most people are right-handed is a riddle to me by the way).
An Ipad can be placed right in front of you, so that might be a good solution.
My question: can the PianoRemote app be used to control the user settings of the CA79?
So: can you edit a sound, save it in the user area, change its name etcetera via the Ipad?
I've tried to find this information online, but without success. The specs that come with the app are a bit vague on this subject.
And when it's kept vague it's usually not there ...

Thank you for your input!

Did you look into the functions offered by the Virtual Technician app?

I was impressed when I saw it in photos as well, but it does seem rather inconvenient to have the screen on the left hand side. And, I couldn't imagine trying to use it without having to lean over to look at it. A similar problem with the touchscreen on the higher Yamaha CLP-700 series, but I would think less of an issue there since the button positions are fixed. I guess it comes down to preference - do you want an instrument that is easy to use with every function labelled and easily accessible, or do you like a less cluttered design that requires a little more work using menus to select and change the functions. Or hide all the functions and force the user to use the iPad app like the Yamaha CSP series! :-)

I haven´t tried every aspect of the app, but as far as I understand the app has the same function as of the touch screen.

Can somebody with a CA79 or CA99 confirm this please, it's very important for me to know.
Is it possible to manage (edit, (re)locate, rename, save, delete, etcetera) the user registrations (piano/voice settings) with (one of) the Kawai app(s)?

Edit: Or are there possible workarounds?

Hello F-Sharp,

As Michael notes, the PianoRemote app offers more or less all of the functionality of the CA99/CA79 touchpanel (the software is almost the same). Please feel free to download the PianoRemote app and test it on your smartphone/tablet in "Demo" mode. Perhaps you can also visit your local Kawai dealer and connect the PianoRemote app to one of their display CA79/CA99 models in order to check the operation?

However, it's important to note that User Sounds adjusted using the touchpanel are stored to the touchpanel's memory, while User Sounds adjusted using the PianoRemote app are stored to the smartphone/tablet's memory. Therefore it's not possible to store a User Sound to the touchpanel, then connect using the PianoRemote app and select that same User Sound.


Not yet, however User data management is planned for a future software/app update.

Kind regards,
James
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Hi James,

Thank you so much for your input, really appreciated.
When you have used the Ipad for making modifications in the settings, they are immediately visible in the touchscreen of the piano also I guess, and then you can save them from there also?
As a kind of workaround?

Any indication of the planning of future updates?

Thanks again & musical greetings

In the CA59 you can also save to a 'Start up' registration, is this also possible with the CA79?

No, the instrument's touchpanel is disabled when an external device (smartphone/tablet) is controlling the piano. However, when returning to the touchpanel (by touching the screen to reactivate), the currently edit sound will still be loaded in memory, and can therefore be saved to the touchpanel memory as a user sound.


I'm reluctant to provide fixed dates, as this may lead to disappointment when an update is not released on schedule.


Yes, however the system is a little different. Please refer to the Startup Settings explanation on page 74 of the owner's manual.

Kind regards,
James
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Thanks for the information again, James.
I'm going to order a brand new CA79.
In the end, it's the best fit for me: great sounding, nice keybed, modern features, good looking cabinet.
With the Ipad control (and hopefully some improvements on the way for the managing of user data), this is a fantastic, modern instrument.

I also enjoyed some other (mainly Kawai and Roland) piano's and it was almost a tie, but ultimately the Kawai wins for me.

Happy to help!

Enjoy your new piano!

Kind regards,
James
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