Setting up Px-5S as DAW controller

[Dan Selby]

Hi,

 

Apologies if this has already been discussed before but I couldn't find the answer. I don't have a PX-5s but am thinking about buying one. It needs to fulfil two different uses for me:

 

1. A DAW controller keyboard in my studio with no internal sounds, so controlling VST instrument tracks in Cubase/Nuendo. It would be nice to be able to assign the small sliders and knobs to CCs of my choice, but that's not a deal breaker as I have a midi fader box and an Alphatrack already.

 

2. A piano that I can practice on with headphones without booting up all the studio computers and loading Cubase or Kontakt etc.

 

...and I want to be able to switch between the two uses very easily, ideally a single button press. I know, as a stage piano, the PX-5s will do number 2 easily but I haven't been able to figure out what is the best way to achieve number 1. I know you can turn off local control through the system menu but I am wondering is the best (or possible?) way to save a Stage Setting (named, 'DAW', say) with all the zones turned off and the sliders and knobs set up to my needs. Then I could switch between piano and DAW controller use just by switching between the two Stage Settings.

 

Am I thinking along the right lines?

 

Thanks!

[Joe Muscara]

I would say yes. I have a Stage Setting in my PX-5S that I set up to be the lower manual for my Nord Electro. Of course, I wanted it to make no sound, and to transmit the sliders over MIDI to be some of the lower manual drawbars. It was so easy and I did it so long ago I don't recall exactly how I did it!

[Dan Selby]

Thanks, Joe! 

[winip]

Just wondering Joe, if the PX-5S transmits the Mod Wheel? The pitch wheel and sliders transmit, but for some reason I can't get the mod wheel to transmit.

Thank you,

paul

[Display Name]

9 minutes ago, winip said:

Just wondering Joe, if the PX-5S transmits the Mod Wheel? The pitch wheel and sliders transmit, but for some reason I can't get the mod wheel to transmit.

Thank you,

paul

 

Look in the controllers section and make sure the mod wheel is activated.

[Choppin]

Dan Selby,

 

Joe has already responded but I'll add a little bit:

 

For number 1,  the PX-5s lends itself to be a controller and all of the knobs and dials are designed to be programmable and can be transmitted via MIDI.  Though there isn't a "one button press" per se, more like a three button press, there is a midi control to turn local control off under the onboard system settings menu.  Turning  the local control off suppresses all of the internal sounds.

 

2. Of course - there are two headphone jacks in the back of the unit

 

 

[winip]

Thank you for the reply. I haven't found any way of getting into a controllers section. How do I see it?

Thank you

[Dan Selby]

Thanks, Choppin. Yes I saw about the local off. It looks like creating a stage setting with all four zones turned off would be the most elegant and easily accessible option. 

[Choppin]

That's true.  You could set the 4 zones so that they don't sound and just switch between stage settings with a single button.  The advantage is you could setup one stage setting with sound, and mirror the exact same one without sound in case you wanted to hear the stage setting.

 

The advantage of the local off is, you could use any one the stage settings and keyboard configurations to change the settings of your daw without having to preprogram the sound being off for that particular stage setting.  Keep in mind, Each stage setting can have it's own grouping of what midi channels are controlled, what the patch settings are, what ccs the pedals are set to, etc.

 

Once the local off is set, it remains set until you turn it back on.

[winip]

OK, sorry about that - don't want to hijack the post for sure.