From kurzweil pc3le8 to privia pro

[Medaglianis]

Hello everybody.i am even more than a newbie as i still dont own thw privia...i am doing an important research before buying it. my question is :in Kurzweil i have almost infinite memories called quick access, each one divided in banks of ten different patches that I can change VIA a pedal. I am playing with a singer and i have about 60/70 different songs we play, and for each song i need from only 1 to 8 about different sounds that i organsised so that i can go from one to the next with my pedal. Is it possible to organize the previa in the same way as the kurz? If you can confirm this i will go ahead and buy it!!!! Thank you from Italy!!

[Brad Saucier]

A song is performed with a stage setting on the PX-5s.  The PX-5s has memory for 100 stage settings.  If you have 70 songs, you could set up 70 stage settings for the gig in the order you need.  A pedal can advance the stage settings during performance.  Each stage setting has 4 zones.  2 zones can have "hex layer tones" (tones with full editing of up to 6 layers).  The other 2 zones use "melody" tones (tones with some editing but no layer access).    

[Medaglianis]

ciao Brad and first of all thank you for your answer. not sure I understood everything, though...correct me if I am wrong:

1) i have 100 possible stage settings. if I need more is there is a solution, like a usb drive or similar where I can store more settings? or can I upload quickly a brand new set of setlists into the keyboard?

2) there is a variety of maximum  4 patches for each setting. I don't know much about the hex layers nor I need to edit the sounds live....but I would need to have a wider choice than 4 sounds for song.... not possible, right?

3) with the pedal I can advance only from one stage setting to the other or also from one patch to the other within the same stage setting?

 

thank you for your help!!

[Brad Saucier]

1) A usb thumb drive can remain plugged into the PX-5s. "ALL DATA" files can be stored there. 100 more stage settings can be quickly installed by loading an ALL DATA file, overwriting the first 100.  

 

2) Could you give an example of needing more than 4 sounds in one song?   

 

3) A pedal cannot be used to advance tones within a stage setting, only stage settings themselves.  

[Dave Weiser]

Well you've got a good tool that has many strengths and a few shortcomings (the PX-5S), and a job to do (your songs).

 

The more complex the song/gig, the more preparation work that's required. On my Broadway shows we easily use 16 zones of splits/layers on a single patch and that one might only be played for a few bars before you're off to the next patch... with an average of about 500 patch changes per player per show. So we do a ton of preparation work ahead of time. I'm talking weeks or even months.

 

For a gig (rock/pop/GB) I can easily imagine cover songs where you'd want to have more than 4 sounds.

At least the PX-5S gives you two ways to tackle this:

1. Create a split within a hex tone. You're going to need to learn how to do this in order to get the most out of your board. Don't fret, it's easy.

And Casio has a TON of tutorials, videos, etc that are very helpful as you get up to speed.

2. You've got 70 songs and 100 slots for stage settings.... so for 20-30 songs, feel free to use two stage settings if you've got songs with sounds that only appear at the beginning or end.

 

Here's an example. I've heard from a few my own customers who are in top notch GB bands that cover Michael Jackson's Don't Stop.

Depending on the instrumentation in the band, the keys parts will vary. But usually it's some permuation of this:

1. Synth bass opening

2. Regular strings

3. Strings dive

4. Rhodes

5. Syn brass (bridge)

6. Lead (bridge)

(We'll assume they have a horn section, which was the case for the last cat that hired me for this one.)

How I would tackle it on a PX-5S:

I'd create two stage settings - one with items 1, 5 and 6, and another with 2, 3 and 4. Just toggle back forth between them.

If I were running short on stage setting ID slots, I'd combine items 2 and 3 in a hex tone (since you only need one note for the dive) and items 5 and 6 in another hex tone.

 

Songs with strings and horns + keys parts are always going to eat up zones as will prog stuff like Styx, Yes, etc.

 

While do I think it is reasonable to expect more than 4 zones in a board intended to be used by working pros... keep in mind the PX-5S's pricetag and all the amazing sounds/features you get for that nice price. It's *almost* a handicap for the PX that it's SO awesome for $999 that it invites comparison with more full-featured boards that cost 2 or 3 times as much.

 

Take advantage of the resources at your disposal, including this most excellent forum.

You got this!

[Medaglianis]

1) A usb thumb drive can remain plugged into the PX-5s. "ALL DATA" files can be stored there. 100 more stage settings can be quickly installed by loading an ALL DATA file, overwriting the first 100.  perfect, so in case I can do that!

 

2) Could you give an example of needing more than 4 sounds in one song?

for example in some songs I use electric piano, then organ, then strings, the a synth mono sound for a solo part, then I need to go back to the first sound etc 

 

3) A pedal cannot be used to advance tones within a stage setting, only stage settings themselves.  

 

at the moment I am putting all the sounds one after the other, as the kurz allows me to do  so, then I am moving from one to the next with my pedal, without releasing the hands from the keyboards. probably I could  get used to pressing buttons, in case there is no other solution.... 

[Medaglianis]

Ciao Dave and thank you for your long and complete answer. It seems like I will have to change a bit my way of playing, but the weight and sounds of the privia makes it worth the work! also, I might relax a little bit more changing sounds and making my life easier, which could be also a great thing.... I will have to study a little deeper the hex sounds and what the they are, as at the moment I am rather ingorant about it!!!

 

thanks again!!!