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Data Editor for PX-560M?


SimoneCarini

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If you've ever used a PX-5S, and then tried the PX-560, you'd understand that there's really no need for a data editor on the PX-560. 

 

With its color graphic display touchscreen (where you can see an actual envelope graph as you edit it) among other things, there's no need for an editor.

 

On the PX-5S however, that's a different story (small, b&w non-touch screen heavily menu-driven).

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(With apologies to Monty Python)

 

"Who'd a thought thirty years ago we'd all be usin' fancy touchscreens on our keyboards?"

 

"Aye. In them days, we were glad to have a one-line LCD."

 

"A SMALL one-line LCD."

 

"Without backlighting."

 

"Or even characters."

 

"Under a filthy, cracked window."

 

"That would have been nice. The best WE could manage was a row of little LEDs."

 

"You had it easy. We used to play a keyboard with broken keys we found in a dumpster."

 

"Keys? You were lucky to have keys! Our 'keyboard' had some buttons for keys. And half of them were missing!"

 

"You were lucky to have buttons! *We* used to have to short the wires ourselves to make a sound!"

 

"Ohhhh we used to DREAM of shorting wires! We used to have to press the circuit board directly to make a sound."

 

"A circuit board? Looxery. We used to have to hold the transistors in our hands in just the right way to make a sound."

 

"But you try and tell the young people today that... and they won't believe ya'."

 

"Nope, nope."

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42 minutes ago, AlenK said:

(With apologies to Monty Python)

 

"Who'd a thought thirty years ago we'd all be usin' fancy touchscreens on our keyboards?"

 

"Aye. In them days, we'd a' been glad to have a one-line LCD."

 

Actually, 30 years ago you had the Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 and the Korg M1 to name a few.  They all had LCD's.  Korg M1 even had a sequencer!

 

Korg was using touchscreens more than 20 years ago (ie: Korg Trinity).

 

So if you think about it, nothing is really new today.... just newer, better, faster, more polyphony, color, etc.

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Really? Criticizing the line "thirty years ago" in something most people would recognize was intended strictly as humor?

 

(BTW, I'm probably as old as you so I know what was around thirty years ago. I still have a keyboard I bought new nearly that long ago.) 

 

PS. For the benefit of retentive's I have revised the post. Forty years ago I was also aware of what was out there, when synths and keyboards in general definitely didn't include LCD displays. I rented my first synthesizer (a Roland SH-5) in 1976. As a high-school student at the time I couldn't afford to buy one! No display of any kind, of course, apart from a few red LED indicators but it DID have one knob or slider per function. If people want to complain about too few controls on keyboards then I am somewhat more receptive (although the PX-560's three rotary encoders are probably perfectly adequate for a stage piano).

 

PPS. Changed it back. Principle of the thing, you know? :P

 

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Actually I chose the PX-560M rather than the PX-5S just because of its color graphic touchscreen display (yeah you can even see the envelope graph as you edit it) + speakers,  even though with 3 knobs + 1 expression pedal rather than 4 knobs + 6 sliders for real time control

I am learning to edit the PX-560M for registrations, new tones and hex-layers
As far as I understood from Mike's video clinics, the PX-5S already comes with programmed controls for the hex-layers in the stage settings, you have to assign the controls to the hex-layers on the PX-560M and store the settings in the registrations

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For PX-560 owners who want more real-time controls (ie knobs and/or sliders) there are control surfaces that you can connect via MIDI. You assign the controls via the external device's software to correlate with proper PX-560 function, so set-up is pretty easy as most come with a PC/MAC editor. 

Just be careful when buying: You need to make sure the control surface had 5 pin MIDI DIN out. If it has USB only you can still use it with the PX-560, but you will need to use a computer or "host box" as an intermediary.  The Arturia Beat Step is a good option and it also has a pretty nice step sequencer if you want to do some old-school synthy stuff. Behringer also makes one with MIDI DIN out - sure there are others too - you just need to search around..  :2thu:

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I like the potential of the Behringer BCR2000, which Chas brought up In a recent thread in the XW General Discussion forum. The BCF2000 also looks nice. The former has 32 rotary encoders while the latter has eight rotary encoders and eight motorized faders. Either would make a pretty sweet control and editing surface for any synth/keyboard (potential build-quality issues aside). And, of course, you can share it among several different instruments. (Review here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/behringercontrollers.htm.)

 

The only wrinkle is that Casio hasn't yet released a detailed MIDI document for the PX-560. There may be similarities with the PX-5S but there will certainly be significant differences as well. You can modify the standard MIDI control change parameters without such a document but it will be needed for any detailed editing achieved through NRPN or Sysex.  

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I just grabbed an old Korg Microkontrol keyboard for grunts and whistles-one of the few mini-keyboards I could find with midi DIN ports in and out and touch sensitivity, cost alot less than the CZ-101s I've seen on eBooger. I have been using a tiny Reveal keyboard for table-top/desktop messing around with old midi modules.

 

Back to the editor thing-I had asked Casio about this in the past year or so for the PX350, and tried to see if I could design one which might have worked with other Privias as well but I don't have the level of expertise required to design this kind of software. I tie my PX350 to a small tablet computer running Windows 7 for multi-track midi arrangements but I see the PX560 and even 360 have now implemented most of the sequencer/dsp features that were lacking in the PX350. This is much better and obviously Casio has been paying attention to our user requests. If i could afford to i would go for the 560 or 360 but I've heavily modified my PX350 keybed to make it quieter and don't feel ready to sell it-it took a ton of work to do this.

 

For new users-the new touchscreen is a fantastic idea, much rather have that than a computer tied to my PX350. Just a few thoughts. And old-timers-remember how we had to fix the old tine-pianos? The tines would break off and required soldering or welding to repair-now we're talking. And for lugging to gigs-real wooden keys made ofr some pretty nice back-aches.(punch-line...Good thing we didn't mention the Hammond B-3/leslies!)....from the "Restaurant Sketch" Monty Python.

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I'd just like to be able to send a midi signal to my 560 to change the registration. like the Bank/Number for a registration.

I can select performances on my XW-P1 just fine, and tones.  Can select Tones on 560... but not registrations.

 

Any ideas?

 

When I look at the midi out stream when I select a registration, it's a giant stream of data, oh my.....

 

Thanks,

rg

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  • 2 years later...

Didn't even remember this post until now-see my updated post about the microKontrol with the PX560-very nice! Will check today to see if my variations in resonance, filter, pan and/or volume are recorded in the midi recorder-there is no overdub function with the recorder, but even recording with sliders and pots to change tones in real time-in addtion to the 3 rotary PX controls would definitely add functionality. And on the system track in a single pass-Im guessing I can control each midi channel's settings all at once since the sytem track records mixer (header information) settings. I'm also going to test the Yamaha RM1X rotary controls which send out midi to see if that works for various cc messages since the RM1X does some pretty interesting things with its rotary controls. Midiox good. Available free time-bad.

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