Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards KAWAI MP7 THREAD

Those are some gorgeous guitars you have. Welcome to the piano world.

Thanks James. Didn't want to attack the screen with my fingernail if there was nothing there.

Patrick

Ok, Im glad Im not the only one with a bad CP4 experience. I really thought it was great. But then the loose keys really bummed me out. The worst was when I played a P105 at Guitar Center and it sounded the same if not better than my CP4. That was it for me.

Anyway, I was immediately impressed with the MP7. I fell for its gorgeous looks the second I laid my eyes on it, but I know better not to judge a book by its cover. I was very fortunate to play it at my friends house without distraction of a busy store or salesperson. It was just such a pleasure to play coming from the CP4. So much easier to quickly navigate and so well thought out. I believe the MP7 was designed with musicians' input. The CP4 seems like it was designed by mechanical engineer students with complicated and abbreviated settings. I don't think one musician touched the CP4 until it was in production. The CP4 seems like it could be a great piano, but it just completely misses the mark. They should've just figured out how to make the CP5 lighter weight and simplify the navigation. That would have been perfect. They also should have asked Kawai how to make wooden keys the right way instead of just inserting wood into GH plastic casing. Everything about the CP4 is such a shame for Yamaha. Anyway, MP7 was a pleasure and can't wait to own it in a few days.

James: Do you know approximately how long from the date of manufacture it takes a MP7 to reach the US? Thanks, Jeffrey

Not precisely, I'm afraid. However, I would estimate that an MP7 manufactured in May could be shipped to the US by June, and available in a store to purchase by July.

Please note that I'm not involved in the sales and distribution side of things, so my estimate may not be terribly accurate.

Kind regards,
James
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Any input on the following would be helpful please. My DP investment goal is to have something to compose, with and also to use to teach my kids piano. For myself, the advances in the MP7 are exciting and commendable in terms of sound and keybed. But portability is not an issue for me as I don't gig, and sharing the instrument as a family piece is important.

So, I'm now debating between the MP7 and the CE-220. MP7 has 'triple sensors'. How does this translate with the CE-220? Do the actual hammers on the 220 allow more graduated sensing? I can't find any like comparison info. Also, I haven't tested the AWA-2 action of the 220. Any opinions on it vs. the MP7 keybed?

The 220 has a usb to device. Could I then input a vst from my laptop into the device to layer with an onboard sound if desired, and record that out as audio and/or midi? I know this is doable with the 7 via this forum, but can't find info on that specifically for the 220.

The 220 seems to have the basics I could get by with as a good composing tool, midi controller, albeit no great bells and whistles but covering the basics, and double as a family player. Though the pedals seem entry level quality given the price point.

The sounds of the MP7 are indeed impressive, but ultimately I could achieve most if not all through software, and as I'm not at all dependent on this being a stage piano or transportable, might the 220 suffice?

But with the great advances in sound generation, virtual technician, etc. in the MP7 vs the 2012 220, what might I truly end up missing as a composer/midi controller using a 220 vs. an MP7.

Again, any thoughts much appreciated.

Hi again.
Just found good info on the CE-220 on THIS FORUM! Duh, I'm in such a habit of google for everything. Took some time to dawn on me to just search here directly.

So most questions answered. It's MP7 time all the way. I would say though, it could be a smart move for Kawai to add a simple user mode to something like the MP7, where Dad or Mom can access all the bells and whistles, or lock in a setting for the kids so the keyboard operates solely as a piano, to help enforce learning vs. fooling around. Worth considering?

Interesting suggestion.

It's perhaps worth noting that the MP7 starts-up with just the Concert Grand sound selected (this default behaviour can obviously be changed), allowing the instrument to be used as solely as a piano. If you then use the 'Panel Lock' feature, the instrument's buttons will also be disabled, preventing children from being distracted by other features.

Kind regards,
James
x

The MP7 is a professional stage piano - it's not suitable for young children to use unless you are there to supervise them fairly closely, which is probably a good idea anyway. I think for children, having an all in one piano with minimal buttons is a better idea. With the MP7 you have the additional complication of an external sound system. That's why these sorts of instruments don't come with child lock-out features - they aren't intended for children. It's a good idea for console type pianos though.

I agree, the MP7 is not really the intended for kids, but that is a great idea for a console type DP. For really young ones (less than 4 or 5 years), buying a toy keyboard is best because they are built a bit more rugged with big buttons and keys that are small and easy to press for little fingers.

Don't remember if I already thanked you, James. You are, as always, friendly and helpful.

My daugther(5y) coped quite well with the MP7, being told only to touch the master volume slider and the instrument/sound buttons.
- - -
two minor requests for enhancement

- the little LED lights under the mixer slider are quite bright in dark conditions, as opposed to the lights in the buttons directly underneath, which are so dimm, that I have to double check if they are on or not.

- infinite turning knobs next to the LCD. It is a bit cumbersome catching different values when walking through the menus.

Anyone been using the mp7 in a pop/rock band yet? How do you think it sounds in the band?

When I used it live on a very soft gig I think it worked good. Today we played more loud music and I'm not sure how it sounded. Need to play a little bit more to find out what AP sound is the best in that situation.

I don't know if this has been noted yet on this forum, but I have discovered that the "jumpy parameter" problem affects the MP11 as well as the MP7. I hadn't noticed it previously, but yesterday when attempting to edit the reverb parameters while playing a setup with an EP sound, the screen went crazy, self-selecting the pre-delay parameter no matter which parameter I selected, and constantly changing the value of the parameter, mostly alternating between two values. The problem seemed to be mainly triggered by the use of the damper (right) pedal of the three-pedal unit. The pedal function is assigned to damper, but depressing the pedal caused the parameter selection highlight to jump to the pre-delay parameter, and for the value to constantly change. Not using the pedal seemed to calm the screen down.

Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the only problem. When I visited another screen on the same setup, some parameter values had been changed. I did not observe any pattern to this, it seemed rather random.

The problem seems to be intermittent and may or may not be repeatable. I left the setup where I was experiencing the problem and then returned to it, and the problem was still there. Then I did the same thing again, and when returning to the setup this time the problem was no longer in evidence. This is all that I've observed so far.

I know that this problem has been reported with regard to the MP7. I think it is important for Kawai and for MP11 owners, or prospective owners, to know that the problem affects the MP11 also.

I know that Kawai is aware of the issue, at least with regard to the MP7. I hope they are addressing it and will release a fix soon. I do hope it is a problem that can be corrected in software. If it's a hardware problem, that will be much more serious and a much bigger hassle for everyone involved -- the company, the retailers, and the purchasers.

Perhaps people should consider holding off on buying a Kawai MP7 or MP11 until Kawai addresses the issue and lets us know whether it is hardware or software related, and when we can expect a fix. It is a serious problem and makes these otherwise-excellent instruments unreliable.

Savante, that is almost identical to the problems I experienced. Kawai and Sweetwater determined that it must be a faulty board, and so I am expecting my replacement later on today, whereupon I'll pack the original up and send it back. You can be sure I'll test the new board thoroughly, first.

My issues also seemed to go away after a while, but I was left with the feeling that they could return at any time. And with it manifesting as not just shifting on-screen parameters but also random sound changes, it was a real worry concerning pro use. If you're getting paid, your tools have to be rock solid.

So I'm really not sure if the issue is faulty hardware or software - or a combination of them both.

Savante, thank you for bringing this to our attention.

This is the second report of such behaviour, and we will continue to work with voxpops and now yourself to ensure the issue is fully resolved. If you have not done so already, may I please ask you to contact Kawai America to ensure that the matter can be investigated through the official channels.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Kind regards,
James
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I am in contact with Alan Palmer at Kawai America about the problem, but I think it should be discussed here as well so that users, and potential users, are aware of the issue, even if they have not as yet experienced it.

Besides voxpops and myself, Tritok, maxpiano, Lennert, and Alan Palmer have also reported experiencing the issue themselves. And Morodiene's recent post on the MP11 thread sounds like a version of the same problem. (See my comment there also.)

The notion that the TC Electronics expression pedal was causing the problem for some users is probably a false conclusion. I experienced the problem associated with pedal input also, but it was with the Kawai F-30 pedal. So one factor affecting the issue may the the instrument responding inappropriate to (perfectly fine) pedal input. Thus we see similar problems with different pedals, including the Kawai pedal.

Today I am not able to reproduce the problem, but that doesn't mean that it didn't happen nor that it is fixed. It indicates the likelihood of an intermittent problem, or one that requires a special set of (as yet undetermined) circumstances to occur. Voxpops also says the problem seems to have "gone away" but that he's concerned that it may re-occur unexpectedly at any time. This is a very wise concern, since the problem has already clearly manifested itself.

I played my MP11 a LOT for two weeks before noticing the problem. Many MP7 users haven't even had their instruments that long. With a problem that is intermittent, occurs only rarely, and can be hard to notice, especially with a new instrument that you're not familiar with, the number of reports so far suggests that this is likely a very pervasive issue that may well affect all MP7 and MP11 instruments. But most users haven't experienced it yet, or haven't noticed it, or assume it's user error, or haven't reported it, or don't participate in this forum. Nonetheless the problem is very real and I hope Kawai will find the cause and fix it. Replacing instruments may not get to the cause of the problem. After some weeks, or longer, the new instrument may exhibit the same problem. Thus the need to find the cause and fix it.

I believe Tritok, maxpiano, and Lennert reports were associated with the type of expression pedal used. I cannot speak for Alan Palmer at Kawai America. I've just read Morodiene's post, so will bring this to my colleagues' attention also.

Kind regards,
James
x

The good news is that Kawai is very responsive on this issue. Even though I've now received my new unit and returned the old one, Alan has said that he'll keep me up to date with developments. My new unit seems fine so far, but I haven't had time to sit with it yet. Interestingly, the "D" knob on the new board seems quite a bit stiffer than the others, but that doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't jitter! We'll see...

My DAW developer posted on his forum that Kawai will be happy to send him a loaner so that he can ad support for it MMC transport control, possibly in late June when they have the inventory.

That's Jeremy Sagan of Sagan Technology. Maker of Metro 7.