Totentanzz

Great job, Marco ... very professional (and cool) looking.

I own the Kawai MP11, which features a similar but improved keyboard to the Kawai VPC1.

 

I've now owned the Casio PX5S long enough to make the following comparison:

 

The Kawai is like butter.  It's landing is softer.  It's touchweight is slightly lighter.  It's key length and pivot is much longer.  Thus playing on the inside of the keys is easier.  There is more throw in the Kawai.  The Kawai weight almost three times as much as the Casio.  The Kawai feels more like an actual piano.  The Kawai has a much simpler interface and is easy to use.  It only has 40 sounds and really fulfills a different function.

 

The VPC1 has touch curves that are germane to the individual VST instruments.  The MP11 does not.

 

I think the Kawai MP11 is about as realistic a piano keybed as is available for less than 10 grand or so.  The Casio is probably 90 percent of the Kawai.  I'm glad I own both.

Well ... the Kawai MP11 costs almost 3X the Casio PX-5S price, so if the Casio performs 90% as well as the Kawai, then that's quite impressive. Keep in mind also that the Casio has 3X the labor warranty (with online registration) as the Kawai.

I agree that the MP11 is a more "realistic" acoustic piano feel.

The bottom line is (even considering we are speaking about a less then 900 euros product) the PX-5S is a great keyboard controller for all that application where weighted keybed is a must.

A related question that's piqued my curiosity is whether, when used as a virtual piano controller, the Casio PX-5S can perform comparably to the Kawai VPC1, with both using identical virtual software.

I assume that the Kawai VPC1 is significantly superior, given that it costs twice as much and has none of the "extras" that the PX-5S has.

Of course everyone has different tastes, but in an objective A/B of the PX-5S vs. Ravenscroft I couldn't tell which was which.. and the Raven is a 35 gig insturment!!!!! 

There's a comparison video @ this thread ... and the PX-5S sounds as good as the Ravenscroft, for the most part.

I would not rule out the PX-5s's own Concert Grand engine.  It's one of the best out there. 

^^ This ^^^ -- I have A/Bd the PX-5S to a lot of software pianos and the PX-5S performs as well as the best of them. Just sculpt the EQ to your liking!

I guess that's the ultimate question, namely, whether the PX-5S Concert Grand engine, when tweaked to its full potential, equals or exceeds the expensive virtual piano software?  Apparently, the answer is "yes" ... which is very cool ... !

The real question is, what virtual piano do you prefer, and can your computer/interface system handle that piano with acceptable latency? If so, you should be all set with whatever VI you choose.

Yep, that's the next question ... and I have very little to guide me, apart from some Youtube comparisons and online reviews.

But I think I've narrowed down the three top contenders to be: Ravenscroft 275, Garritan CFX Concert Grand, and PianoTeq 5.

In all cases it's a great controller for most virtual instruments, except perhaps those that should be played with an unweighted controller such as organs. That's a matter of taste. But for pianos and electric pianos, it's great.

That's great news, Joe. My threshold question really should have been stated as: "Assuming that you have an optimal computer system, and that you've found your ideal software, how effectively does a PX-5S function as a VPC?"

And you've answered that question in a very positive way, which is what I was hoping for.

Perhaps your question is more about the feel of the hammer action? 

The hammer action of VPC's is probably the most important aspect, but I didn't mean to limit my inquiry to that single attribute.

The PX-5s will work with those virtual pianos as well as it does for it's own internal sounds. 

Thanks for confirming that, Brad.

So now I'm wondering whether anyone's tried using the PX-5S as a virtual piano and achieved positive results?

Has anyone had success using their Casio Privia Pro PX-5S as a "virtual piano controller" ("VPC")?

What I mean is, has anyone connected their PX-5S to virtual piano software ("VST") so as to allow the PX-5S to function as a VPC, much like the Kawai VPC 1 (which sells for $1849, or about twice the price as the Casio)? I know that the Kawai MP7 and MP11 can function as VPC's, so I assume that the PX-5S can as well.

In this way, the PX-5S can import the capabilities of such VPC software as VI Labs' Ravenscroft 275, Garritan CFX Concert Grand, PianoTeq 5, ProductionGrand, etc.

I guess the obvious questions would be:

1. How well does the Casio function as a VPC?

2. Is there any software that's really great on the Casio?

3. Can anyone testify as to a particular brand?

Hey,

 

Before I drop the bread on a new PX5S (which I'm about ready to do), does anybody know if Casio is ready to unleash its successor anytime soon?  Like at Summer NAMM?

 

Mike Martin, can you even utter such a thing?

 

Thanks,

 

- Jeff

Jeff, go buy it.

We're about to conclude Musikmesse 2015 without any fanfare, and if you wait until Summer NAMM, by then you'll want to wait for NAMM 2016 in January ... and by then, you'll want to wait until Musikmesse 2016 ... and then you'll want to wait until Summer NAMM 2016 ... and with all that inertia in waiting, you might as well wait for NAMM 2017 ... and then 2018 ... and why not wait for a new decade in 2020?

You will find that Touch sense, string resonance, reverb preset types (hall, room) and damper resonance cannot be put on a slider. 

Thanks, Brad.

When I'm using the default "Concert Grand" stage setting (0-0), what is the most efficient/effective way to tweak such parameters as:

Brightness/brilliance

Touch sense

String resonance and damper resonance

Are there other adjustments that pianists typically make to maximize the "Concert Grand" experience? So far, I've only adjusted the "Lid Simulator" to full open.

I appreciate your assistance!

I'm endeavoring to maximize the potential of the "Concert Grand" stage setting (or to create a new "Ultimate Concert Grand" stage setting) ... and what I'm thinking of doing is assigning the six most important piano-oriented parameters to the six sliders. I assume that the 4 knobs would remain the same (i.e., they would remain 4 equalizer settings).

As an example of six possible parameters for the six sliders:

The first slider could be "brightness"/"brilliance" (or the Casio equivalent of this concept);

The second slider could be "reverb"/"concert hall" (e.g., room vs. concert hall);

The third slider could be "resonance"/"string resonance"/"damper resonance";

The fourth slider could be some sort of "ambiance" setting;

The fifth slider could be "touch sensitivity" (light, heavy);

The sixth could be ______ [surprise!] _______.

These are just examples, and there might be more vital parameters that I'm missing; also, my ordering of the six is random and has not been thought-out.

First, is there a video that shows how to do this? Second, is there a pre-existing stage setting that has similar parameters that I can download?

If not, can someone explain how I would do this (in explaining, please note that I'm new to this and do not yet understand how to generate my own "stage settings" ... also, if your explanation can avoid the concept of "hex layers" for now, that would be great ...).

If there's a way to do this, I would think it would be extremely valuable to a concert pianist.

No, the All File at the beginning of this thread is not what you have that came with the PX-5S nor the firmware update. You need to install the All File separately.

Thanks for clearing that up, Joe ... I've now installed the file(s) successfully.

Now I need to browse other essential downloads.

Greetings. I just purchased a new PX-5S (which I adore), and I've installed the Firmware Update 1.13 (dated 01 Oct. 2014).

I'm wondering if the "ALL FILE" download, which was generated in Sept. 2014, is already part of the most recent Firmware Update 1.13, or if I need to install BOTH the firmware update AND the "ALL FILE" download?

Also, is there a plan for a release of a new 2015 version of an ALL FILE download?