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PX-5S acoustic piano sounds


stuarth25

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Stuart--You're not crazy.  I have found the exact same thing on my Px.  The bell sound is driving me crazy. When I listen through the headphones it sounds better and--get this--when  I recorded it from my speakers and played it back through the speakers it also sounded fine???!!!  I tried adjusting all of the eq's and the touch adjustment-- but the bellsound is still there.  If I can't get rid of it, I will look for another stage piano--which I don't want to do cuz I love the other sounds and have become perettu adept in making my own stage settings. HELP BRAD or anyone else.  Glenn (Rocknrolldentist)   I posted about this problem before!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/9/2016 at 8:00 AM, stuarth25 said:

I'm arranging to go to a Casio retail store (nearest is about 50 miles away) and take my AKG phones and listen to another PX5-S and see if it sounds the same as mine. I will then know if it is the Casio or my ears, where the problem lies. I want to use my time enjoying my music, not sorting out problems. If anyone else can hear the "glass bell like" sound around middle C, to be more specific B to E, on all the acoustic pianos please let me know.

Mine has the bell sound on the d note after middle c and a couple more !

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Hi Guys (Rocknrolldentist, Bobby Smith and tagama). Nice to know that I’m not alone hearing that bell sound. If Casio could do a keyboard workaround, so that the left hand half of the keyboard notes were the same tonal sound as the right hand notes, I would be a very happy man. The right hand side sounds brilliant from F4 upwards. I am working on a rock piano stage setting that has NO “bell like” sound in the middle. This is because the Hex Layer, Hex P: 020 Mf Piano, does not have the “bell like” sound.

So - Zone 1: C- to Ab3 is Rock Piano P 01.  Zone 2: A3 to E4 is Hex Mf Piano Hex P 020.  Zone 3: F4 to G9 is Rock Piano P 01.  The problem I have, is getting balances right, as there is a lot more expression on the Hex Piano and I don’t know how it can be changed.  The other pianos seem to be set to max expression. If I set the volume balances, it will work for hammering, but not good for expressive play.

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Hi  Rocknrolldentist. Please also see the reply I placed on PX-5S Acoustic Piano Sounds today. I hope that someone from Casio reads these posts, which I’m sure they do. I would like to say that it would be nice if somehow a special “firmware” update could be provided for people like us, which I would be quite willing to pay for. The firmware would be for some acoustic pianos to have the same sample tone quality from the right half of the keyboard and let it continue down past F4 (either all the way down to C-, or at least down as far as A3. Casio know there is a change in tone from E4 downwards on Acoustic Pianos (and from Eb4 downwards on Hex P: 020 Mf Piano) and a visible waveform change. OK Casio, can it be done and how much will it cost me?

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Can someone use the USB recorder and show us the bell sound.

 

BTW: Casio would have sampled the piano directly so whatever you guys are hearing is present on the real piano. It costs a LOT to sample and loop an entire piano. I assume that part of why you purchased a PX-5S was the price, so I really doubt it would be worth your while to have CASIO resample another piano. If they extended the loops downward it would sound terrible.  

 

Just get another keyboard that can replace the piano samples. Korg Kronos, Nord Stage, Yamaha XF etc....

 

Playing the piano sound with just the middle part of the amplitude range played louder and softer does not seem natural or ideal to me in any way. In any case, good luck with your HEX layer but you are still using the same piano samples - just using the less "bell like" samples. Honestly I have no idea what bell like sounds you are hearing. Would be nice to actually hear what you guys are talking about. Maybe you guys just don't like the sound of a Steinway or whatever piano they sampled?

 

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Very interesting--thank you so much for all of your input.  I really appreciate these forum discussions. The sound of the keyboard always sounds different via a recording vs. in  alive room.  I've captured this anamoly by listening to the keyboard, then recording it through the speakers it plays through and then listening to the recording.  Very different sounds--I know it sounds crazy, but unless you do it to see for yourself its hard to imagine and appreciate. Anyway, thanks again.

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I do understand not liking the sound of a keyboard. I sold my Roland keyboard because it couldn't make a decent electric piano sound. I tried programming, everything - it was just not able to do it for me, so I sold it. I got a Kurzweil PC361 which was awesome, but injury prone. At first, I hated the piano - I couldn't stand that dark sound - like having a blanket over the piano. But over time, I started liking it and I started playing with it a lot. That was a really great keyboard.

For me, the PX-5S mid-lower piano is a little muddy through the systems I play through - I've been working with the EQ on this. I think I have also made the high end a little too bright. But overall, I really like the sound live - the high end punches right through and the low end is amazing.

To be honest, I like 1 of the electric pianos on the PX-5S and it sounds good, but the main - dyno type piano is not responsive enough - compared to my Kronos. So I am dealing with that. The problem with the PX-5S is that what you hear in the headphones is radically different from what I hear through speakers. So I program everything through speakers - the strings are this way as well.

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16 hours ago, aron said:

 

 

To be honest, I like 1 of the electric pianos on the PX-5S and it sounds good, but the main - dyno type piano is not responsive enough - compared to my Kronos. So I am dealing with that. The problem with the PX-5S is that what you hear in the headphones is radically different from what I hear through speakers. So I program everything through speakers - the strings are this way as well.

 

This is the Ep sound I would be really happy with. :)

012 Tine Elec Piano.mp3

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Hi All--looks like a lot of people are hearing that clanky, bell-like sound on the piano section.  I downloaded many of the piano sounds from the website, and could not remove the bell like sound (The PA concert grand comes the closest). Since so many people in this community don't hear the tones Stuart and I are talking about, I ordered a new Px-5s.  I'll let you all know if a new one has a different sound.....  

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Why did you order another? Whatever you are hearing is in the sample. The new one will be exactly the same. This is a digital instrument - the only way it would sound radically different is if somehow your master settings etc... were screwed up, but since you only hear these problems in the piano sample, it will be there in your new PX.

I don't know if a LOT of people are hearing this sound. I don't even know what the "bell" sound is. I am still waiting for someone to post a sample. It's easy enough to do with a USB stick.

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Over 3 years and 2,600 members in the PX-5S Facebook group and not one mention of "the bell". My guess is people who are "hearing" it are used to Yamaha digitals which, of course, sample a Yamaha grand. Very different sound from a Steinway.  The Steinway sound may not be to everyone's liking, but it is what it is. Personally, it's my favorite piano out there.  

Now, Casio has branched out and added 2 new piano brands to their samples on the Celviano Grand Hybrids and Celviano AP-700. So they have the Steinway and 2 other samples. Hopefully, these will make their way into the next gen Privia Pros so people can choose what they like. 

I don't speak for Casio, but as far as a firmware update to add new samples: I don't see that happening. 

As far as trying different PX-5S' to see if they are different: They aren't. They all have the same sound. 

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I have been playing Yamaha all my life and I still don't hear the "bell sound". I cannot help but think it's a speaker resonance problem. I hear ringing when playing a Motif through speakers like the Roland keyboard amps or other speakers with too much midrange.  

I do think the PX is slightly heavy in the low mids (below middle C), but that's it. I do not hear anything different in the tone of the piano above middle C. 

 

This statement just gets me as well, I don't understand this:

 

?when  I recorded it from my speakers and played it back through the speakers it also sounded fine?

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So you guys are right. My new privia sounds just like the old one....With all of the (heated) responses, I guess it's an auditory preference--that I love the keyboard overall but do not like the sound of the piano section. I will check out what else is out there and see what works best for me. Thanks for all of your input--Stuart, I'll keep you updated.

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1 hour ago, Rocknrolldentist said:

So you guys are right. My new privia sounds just like the old one....With all of the (heated) responses, I guess it's an auditory preference--that I love the keyboard overall but do not like the sound of the piano section. I will check out what else is out there and see what works best for me. Thanks for all of your input--Stuart, I'll keep you updated.

 

Not heated (at least from me) - just scratching my head. You've had the PX-5S for almost a year now and you are just noticing this? I also would assume you would have listened to the many demos out there before buying.  Color me confused... 

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I think there's only one other lightweight controller out there that is low cost and that is the Kross. IMO the piano is not as good but is useable. I have one and I have fun playing it. You might like it since the piano is bright in timbre.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi guys,

 

I distinctly hear a strange "glass" timbre of several notes, especially B-4 and C-5, too . And it afflicts me.

I like to play slow music with a melody in the right hand. And these notes strongly spoil a melody an unnatural "glass" timbre. But in fast dynamic music the "glass" timbre is almost imperceptible.

TAKE05.WAV - gamma from C-4 to C-6 with repetition of problem notes of B-4 and C-5.
TAKE06.WAV - an example of sounding (a tonality C major, therefore the first note - problem C-5). Listen on good acoustics or in earphones. Then difference of notes of B-4 and C-5 from other lower and high is well heard.
I have tried the different Privia models with the built-in speakers - from PX-150 to PX-750 and A-800, and also PX-5S in shops. On the majority of models of a note of B-4 and C-5 sound similar as my PX-5S.

This "glass" sounding of notes is inherent in all timbres of an "acoustic" piano in PX-5s. Is a little less noticeable on Mellow piano and Mono piano, but all the same is available. Settings of an equalizer it is possible to hide a little a "glass", but then the sound of a grand piano becomes unnatural. I tried to change all settings of a sound through Data Editor for PX-5S (Version 1.0.1), but it is a timbre of problem notes haven't improved.
I think that in PX-5S only one grand piano is sampled, and other timbres of grand pianos by means of program processing from this basic sample .
And sampling was made not on each note separately. Because it is difficult to make samples from 88 notes and there will be large  weight of basic sample. Therefore samples of several notes and their resampling for the others became. And "extension" of samples on the next notes became noticeable in octaves 4 and 5. Therefore notes of B4 and C5 have timbre suffered from such stretched resampling. And I am sure that Casio won't be able and won't solve this defect further neither programmatically, nor hardware. I so think that the basic grand piano sample is written down in a chip at production, and it is impossible to change him.

(More than a year Casio doesn't do new versions of firmware. And Data editor was never updated, though at the program the interface is inconvenient.Therefore I have no hope from Casio to wait further for the improved basic sample of a grand piano.)

 

I two times addressed to the service center of Casio with this problem of "glass" sounding of some notes. In reply there were only apologies and a reminder that PX-5S is only the electronic simulator of the real grand piano and it is impossible to demand from him sound of the real grand piano.

 

excuse for my bad English.

TAKE02.WAV

TAKE09.WAV

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For this thread and the other one on this subject: The Casio pianos sound exactly like the piano they sampled.  There is no flaw.  Resampling is not at fault.  It is intentional.  Once you hear the piano they sampled, you realize its accurate to the type of piano and how is was mic'ed.  There are thousands of different pianos and even more ways to mic one and process the audio.  Each will sound different.   Anyone analyzing the sound of the piano to this degree should not be purchasing a value priced instrument and then expect fixes.  Many purchasers of real acoustic pianos audition dozens of them before settling on a sound and feel they like.  The Casio pianos have their sound and this is how it is. Maybe future models will include different sounds but as far as the ones out now, they are what they are.  We have offered help and suggestions.  That's all we can do for now.

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