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Great suggestion

I've suggested this before. I shared my SETUP for the Liquido - Narcotic synth sound as I'm in a cover band and it might help others:

Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JSXCfGWjqA
Recorded sample: https://soundcloud.com/zagny/mp7-narcotic-1/
KM6 download: https://app.box.com/s/vmj96ak2vh2k5flj6lq0
Instructions: for the fade-in/crescendo at the beginning, use an expression pedal from all the way up to all the way down.

Would be great to have an exchange website or something.

Thanks Lennert for the links. It's a great sound. Might be tricky wearing the MP7 around the neck though :-)

I note that Casio PX-5S owners have a thriving setup-file exchange hosted through their Casio forums. I wondered if Kawai might eventually have one of those.

Patrick

A presets exchange area on the MP website would be terrific, and is something we considered at the very beginning.

Kawai Japan is currently working on other web projects at the moment, but I hope we can return to kawaimp.com and implement more user-oriented feature in the future.

Cheers,
James
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Thanks James, look forward to it

I bought an MP7 a couple of weeks ago, largely due to the feedback from this thread, so thank you all for that!

I also bought the Gator Cases GK-88 SLIM case mentioned above, however I've had some issues with this case. When lifting the MP7 out of the case (only the second time it's been in it!), I found that a staple had pierced the padding on the bottom and scratched the wood on the bass end, much to my annoyance!

However, I believe this may be preventable. There are a two staples (maybe more) each end, underneath the padding on the short ends of the case, roughly in line with the plastic feet sticking out. You can feel them if you press the padding in. I would advise ensuring that all of these staples are pressed down firmly, because I believe it's just a loose one that caused the damage. I'm in the process of getting the case replaced, and hopefully the damaged piece replaced also.

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In other news, is anyone having trouble getting a MIDI signal out of their MP7?

I've tried USB-to-Host, with a new (and working) cable, and also the MIDI outputs with a Cakewalk UM-1G cable, which works perfectly on my Roland DP-990. I've played with the MIDI settings in the SYSTEM settings, and also the INT/MIDI on active layers, but my computer doesn't detect anything in either MIDI-OX or Synthesia. Is there something I've missed?

It doesn't sound like it - especially if you have set already set the ZONES to EXT/BOTH, and checked the SYSTEM menus.

For the USB-MIDI connection to your computer, are you using a Mac or PC, and if the latter, which OS and drivers are you using? If you've tried the Kawai USB-MIDI driver on Windows 8, try uninstalling and reverting back to the built-in Windows USB-MIDI driver.

As for the traditional MIDI IN/OUT jacks, this should obviously work without the need for additional drivers. Have you tried connecting the MIDI OUT from the MP7 to the MIDI IN of another instrument (or vice versea) to check if the MP7 is sending/receiving any data.

Have you tried contacting your Kawai Europe, Kawai America, or your Kawai distributor to seek technical support?

Best of luck

Kind regards,
James
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Ok, thank you James.

I'm using a PC, Windows 7 x64. I've tried both with and without the Kawai drivers from the support site, and also with and without the drivers for the other MIDI connector. Even if the driver were wrong, I'd still expect Windows to recognize there is some device there, but it doesn't appear to.

I don't have a MIDI-MIDI cable, so I can't try connecting two instruments together, all I can say is the USB-to-MIDI cable I have has lights on it that flash when there's traffic, but these don't flash when connected to the Kawai.

I called Kawai Europe last week, and they suggested I'd probably be best talking to my supplier as a first port of call, so I've left an email with him as he's on holiday. Will hopefully talk to him in the next couple of days. Thought there might be a simple answer, but unfortunately it doesn't seem so. The guy I talked to at Kawai hadn't heard of any problems with with MIDI, and I haven't seen anyone else, so I may just be unlucky.

Nevermind, thanks again. Hopefully will be able to get it resolved one way or another.

Kobrakai, it seems that MIDI is not functioning on your MP7.

My suggestion would be to contact your dealer, as you have done, and request that they take the necessary action to resolve the issue.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Kind regards,
James
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Hello all,

Any feedback on the new firmware (v 1.05)? Haven't fiddled too much yet, but the output level is significantly higher. Slide the volume down before you try this out!

Patrick.

Hi everyone,
I've been looking at pianos around this price point and have discover the mp7 the same price as the es7 in the UK, what a bargain!

I've demoed the es7 in person and liked the action and general sounds.

Unfortunately I found a bit of a deal breaker with the es7, in that whilst using headphones (AT-m50 so good quality ones) that it was almost uncomfortable to listen whatever the volume, almost feeling as if the headphones were being 'overloaded' (not sure what the correct term is), almost a crackling/tinny sound as if i was using really cheap bad headphones at a very loud volume where they just couldn't resolve the sound.

Other users seem to have found the same thing on the ES7 user thread:

"However, I have also discovered a few (2 or 3)keys which tend to make an audible "tinny" sound when struck with anything other than a light toucvh. This sound also comes through the phones, so it is being generated by the sound engine. It is not a big deal and I can live with it but I do intend to contact Kawai and ask them about it."

"I have noticed from time to time that certain keys (middle E, and 1 octave up from middle E) seem to sound quite "tinny" when struck with more than light touch. It is not always real noticable and I have been able to EQ it out through my mixer somewhat, but it definitely is there. "

"I have noticed this 'tinny' or brilliant quality you speak of, which is kind of tiring and reminds of of tinnitus when using my heapdhones(pun unintended) – I accept this as a sampling characteristic/handicap"

Other users have helpfully suggested that changing the eq/touch sensitivity settings help however from the es7 thread it dosent seem like there is a perfect cure

Basically, has anyone noticed this issue with the mp7? I understand that the mp7 uses an updated 'Harmonic XL sampling' method compared to the es7's 'progressive harmonic imaging' so it would be fantastic if this is not an issue!

Its so frustrating that that the es7 is perfect for my requirements except for this issue which makes it almost unusable as 99% of the time I'll have to be using headphones

windowlicker, it seems that some users are more sensitive to characteristics in the Kawai sound that others. In addition, these characteristics can also be accentuated or attenuated depending on the speakers or headphones used.

My recommendation would be to play-test an MP7 for yourself, rather than relying on the opinions of others. You can also watch and listen to the various demos on Youtube and at KawaiMP.com.

Best of luck.

Kind regards,
James
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For what it's worth, I use headphones with my Kawai MP7 all the time, and have noticed no distortion or any other problems. However, my headphones are nothing special.

hello


I read the list of sounds of Mp7 (in manual written by James)
the first 8 Acoustic Piano sounds are

1-1-A/B/C/D and

1-2-A/B/C/D

I'd like to know if they are all new sounds (samples) or between these sounds, some are equal to the MP6

thanks

IMOL, all of the MP7's sounds are new (i.e. remade), due to changes to the tone generator and software. However, some sounds do utilise samples from the MP6. The 'Concert Grand2' sound (1-2-A) for example is based on the 'Concert Grand' sound from the MP8II, and included for users that still like playing these older samples.

Kind regards,
James
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James, thanks for your reply.
Summarizing, if I understand it in Mp7:

the Sounds/samples 1-2-A/B/C/D (Concert/Studio/Mellow/Jazz ...Grand2) are the same MP6
that originate from the MP8II / MP5.

the Sounds/samples 1-1-A/B/C/D are the same MP6 but remade with new generator HIXL vs PHI

While among the EP, what's new?

thanks

No, I don't believe these samples are the same as the MP6.



I'm sorry, I don't know. However, I gather they are the same as the MP11.

Kind regards,
James
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"I'm sorry I dont know"

James - are you feeling tired? That's a pathetic response for Mr Kawai ;-)

It seems to me that all four main Rhodes sounds are new - and improved over the MP6's main Rhodes offering and probably more usefull than those on the MP11 as you can layer them at will and amp/ effect them diferentely.

Also the MP7 has the only electric piano sample with Sympathetic Resonance in the kmown universe. Its under the AP button as New Age Piano 4 (1-7-D) and is great after some tweeking.(The bass end gets progressively less usefull though so I must find something to layer with it.)

Wurly sounds may be the same as MP6 but not 100% sure about that.

I would be surprised if Kawai went back into the studio to create new recordings of their acoustic grand and Rhodes/Wurlitzer for the latest sample sets. The samples in the MP7/MP11 may be freshly derived from the original recordings, but I doubt that they are from a different recording session (except for the older MP5/8II samples). The new DSP is so much more powerful and along with the longer HIXL implementation and enhanced action has significantly improved the sound and response of the MP7 when compared with the MP6. However, there are many similar characteristics to the AP/EP sounds when taken as a whole - although I would agree that the AP sound seems more markedly different than the EP sounds.

James please correct me if I'm wrong about the recordings from which the latest sample sets have been extracted.

Yes, I believe you're correct.

The AP samples are new, but utilise the existing recordings.

Cheers,
James
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