cpcohen

Not off-topic at all! Please report back if you find something interesting. I'm going to try using a "MIDI Solutions" pedal controller on the PX-350 as a foot-operated volume control, for "fading out" with both hands on the keyboard. We should have a law: . . . If you build a digital keyboard, you _must_ include pitch wheel, mod wheel, sustain pedal input, and expression pedal input. Life would be simpler that way! . Charles

It's interesting that the AKG K240 heaphones still make people happy. I don't know when they were introduced, but it was a _long_ time ago. <<< . . . Didn't need another full workstation anyway, needed a decent lightweight piano with a reasonable piano feel to get my chops back, . . . <<< I think you've got what you came for! Have fun -- . Charles

Check YouTube for videos on the PX-350 by "PianoManChuck". One of them is a tutorial on the multi-track MIDI recorder. I don't know about controlling the "effects" settings, but you _can_ use MIDI messages to get different levels of "half-pedal". You'll have to delve into the "MIDI Implementation" manual yourself, I think, for the "effects" stuff. I just got a microKorg XL+ to play with. Now, _that_ beast has all the sonic toys one could want. But the "piano" sounds (IMHO) are really awful. . Charles

And, when using it as a piano, I find I _like_ a little reverb. "Stadium" is a bit much, but the others are usable. . Charles

The reverb settings are controlled by the [fcn]+[bank] key -- not through the main "Function" menu. There are (I think) 5 settings -- Off, Room, Small Hall, Large Hall, Stadium -- or something like that. There's only _one_ -- "depth" and "time constant" are not independently adjustable.. . . . It's _not_ a full-blown synth. I suspect the PX-5S is a lot more flexible. Next to the "Bank" key is an unlabelled key. That key (pressed along with the [Fcn] key) lets you control the amount of Chorus effect. I think there are 5 settings for that one, too. . Charles PS -- all this is in the manual, which is not easy reading.

Unfortunately, you need the _full_ Kontakt (not the "free Kontakt player") to use that library. Add $400. . . . Ouch!

>>> The PX-350 has a harmonium tone: group number 042 under the "VARIOUS" group name. <<< Yes. there is a tone with that name. Two problems -- one really serious: 1. A _real_ harmonium doesn't decay. It keeps sounding continuously, at the same volume, as long as you hold down the key and pump the bellows. . . . the PX-350 tone decays, like a piano! That (IMHO) was a design error. The "Reed Organ" patch behaves properly -- hold down a key, the note stays on forever. 2. A _real_ harmonium sounds a lot richer than the tone on the PX-350. Listen here for examples: http://www.cryptocipher.in/?wpsc-product=bollywood-harmoniums And that's a sample library -- not the "real thing". [it's a pretty good sample library, though . . . ] . Charles PS -- Actually, the sample library is good, and cheap. Using it (and lugging my laptop, and using up another mixer input, and risking "high-tech shunning") might be a good way to skin this cat. I hadn't found it until I needed an example of what the "Harmonium" voice _should_ sound like. So, thank you!

I'm playing with a chant group. We used to have a harmonium player, and I'm trying to figure out a good substitute. For those benighted souls who say "What's that?": . . . a harmonium is a small, one-hand-pumped reed organ. It's common in Indian music. I tried the GM "Reed Organ" tone on the PX-350, but it's lacking in three areas: 1. It's not "reedy" enough; 2. It doesn't have the "breathing" -- caused by variations in air pressure -- of a real harmonium. 3. I can't fade it out gradually, without lifting a hand from the keyboard. It sounds a lot like a reed-based, perfectly-pedal-pumped church organ -- close, but no cigar. I am solving number 3 -- I have a "MIDI Solutions" pedal adapter on order. That will let me use a standard synth "expression pedal" on the PX-350. [i _think_ it will, anyway . . . ] I'm stuck on numbers 1 and 2. Perhaps another MIDI feed for a very slight, slowly-changing pitch-bend and velocity variation? Any ideas will be welcome. The answer may be to put my Korg X5D back into service, and tweak one of its patches. Thanks -- . Charles

I have a PX-350. I'd like to control the overall volume (when playing organ and other non-touch-sensitive voices) with a foot-pedal. There are two ways to go: 1. A low-impedance "volume" foot pedal at the LINE OUT connections (the volume pedal is an audio device), or 2. A MIDI-sending "expression" or "volume" pedal into the MIDI IN jack (the pedal is a MIDI digital device). (1) is sure to work. My question: . . . Will the PX-350 respond to MIDI signals coming . . . in over MIDI IN, and use them to control its own . . . internally-generated sounds? . . . What, _exactly_, do I have to do to make this happen? Thanks -- . Charles

I tried those tones (in the "Various" group, not the "GM" group). At the low end of the keyboard (A0 / A#0 / B0 ), they gave me sounds that sounded like drum-kit samples. I couldn't get anything like a "strum". If I were betting: . . . After the manual was written, somebody "fixed" the software. . Charles

You have to "register" the non-standard values as a "tone". See the manual, pg E-33, "Registering Tone and Rhythm Setups". . Charles

Richard -- Yes, it helps! Thank you. . . . What a cockamamie software design! I suppose Casio's thinking was: . . . . We don't want a user to _accidentally_ change his default settings when he turns off . . . the piano -- so we'll put in an extra, not-intuitive step. Thanks again -- . Charles

Yes -- the ZXA1 works really well. It's completely relaxed, nicely balanced, and reasonably compact. It's about 3' away from my head, so it's not being stressed at all. I'm happy with the mono sound (I couldn't afford 2 of them). And there's no problem with bass volume or tone (not to my ears, anyway )-- no subwoofer needed. But there was an unforeseen side-effect -- see here: http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2126053/PX-350%20+%20EV%20ZXA1%20Monitor%20--%20No.html I think the same thing would happen with studio monitors, if you run them at "live-acoustic-piano" sound levels. . Charles PS -- I bought the ZXA1 used, from Guitar Center. They shipped it from New York to Washington State, and I drove across the border to pick it up. No problems at all.

Two solutions: 1. Good headphones. I use Sennheiser HD-280 Pro headphones, which I really like. They're "closed-back", and block a lot of outside noise. They have large pads, and rest on the head, not on the ears -- so they're comfortable for extended sessions. Sony V6 or MDR-7506 headphones would be an alternative. For "open-back" headphones, any AKG or Sennheiser phones, at about the $100 price-point, should work fine. AKG K240's are an old stand-by, if you can find them. 2. Improved loudspeaker(s). I have an Electro-Voice ZXA1 powered PA loudspeaker on order, and will report back here. Other people have used "powered studio monitors" by Mackie, M-Audio, and so on. There have been extensive discussions on the "Digital Piano" forum at http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/6/1/Digital%20Pianos%20-%20Synths%20&%20.html if you want to learn more, and read more (many more!) opinions. . Charles

That's probably the (simulated) sound of the (simulated) dampers lifting off the (simulated) strings. Try it on an acoustic piano -- you'll get a similar sound. It's called "damper resonance", and it's a feature of the PX-150 (and related models). . Charles

Sorry -- I mis-understood the question. I _think_ the "auto-harmonize" only works when the "auto-accompaniment" is active. The piano needs to know what key the song (or the phrase, or the note) is in, in order to auto-harmonize with a melody in the right hand. Try turning on "rhythm", and auto-accompaniment, and auto-harmonize. Then play a "C" in the left hand (establishes a C-major tonality). Then try playing a melody, and see what happens. I was surprised to find that the auto-accompaniment only works right if you play a _detached_ bass pattern. If you play a legato bass line, only the first note is used to set the chord. . Charles

That follows the "KISS" (keep it simple, stupid !) principle. It should work fine. I suspect that any audio recording on the PX-350's USB drive suffers from this problem: . . . It must not distort at "velocity = 127". So, for _normal_ velocities, the recorded sound level will be quite low. That would account for the results from SoundForge -- a level of -20 dB. . Charles

To use auto-harmonize, you must have "Rhythm" turned on. . . . Is that the problem? There are several different methods of "telling" the keyboard what chord you want. Those are described in the manual. [i just discovered the "Full Range" option -- I'll have to look that one up!] . Charles

Volume controls, and sliders, cost money. Menu options are cheaper. One nice thing about the PX-5s "stage piano" is that it _does_ have a bunch of front-panel controls, and they can be configured to adjust lots of different things. . Charles

The problem is only partly with the User Manual. The Casio display and button interface is severely limited. What you _want_ is a display that can show you what files are on the USB drive, and let you select one for playing. But the display doesn't have enough characters, or enough lines, to make that practical. All I can say is: . . . I sympathize! . Charles PS -- I don't think there's a translation problem. It'll be just as confusing in Japanese!

And on the first question - - I found that if I saved the "state" of the piano in a Registration (see pg E-33 of the manual), just about everything (including Layer Balance) was saved. The list of saved settings _is_ in the manual for Registrations -- "Layer balance" and "touch response" are included. . Charles

The default for "stretch" should be "on". I believe that most piano tuners -- for acoustic pianos -- use "stretched' tuning in the upper octaves. I vaguely remember the reason -- it has to do with the harmonics of the high strings being detuned from 2f, 3f, etc. And the "stretch" tends to bring them back, at the cost of de-tuning the fundamental. The "PianoWorld.com" forums have a sub-forum for piano tuners -- you could ask there. . Charles

marylaf -- . . . What forum is that thread in, and what is its name ? I know it's here somewhere, but I can't find it. I've been experimenting, and here are my conclusions: 1. The "Song" volume level (in the Function menu) only affects the playback level of "User Songs". It doesn't affect the playback of "Song Recorder" songs, or of songs played back from a USB thumb drive, or of "Demo Songs". 2. A "User Song" is a very special thing. It is (I think!) a MIDI file (not an audio or ".WAV" file from Audacity). And it must be loaded into the PX-350 _from a computer_. I can't find anywhere in the User Manual that describes loading a "User Song" from anything inside the PX-350. 3. I'm going to work more on this tomorrow . . . Yuck, this is a real mess! And I used to be a computer programmer!<g> . Charles

>>> The grand piano sample is great through headphones but sounds a bit dull through the speakers. I need to see if there's a way to tweak the crispness of it without switching to a different voice. <<< Two suggestions: 1. Try the Function / Effects / Brilliance setting. The default is 0, the range is -3 to +3. 2. Run the Line Out (both of them, if you're using stereo) through a Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer, about $60. The mixer has a 3-band EQ, and the "Mid" knob gives a _huge_ range of "presence", from aggressive to very dull. . Charles

Other people have complained of this problem, on other forums. . . . There may be a wire inside the case, which is vibrating against the loudspeaker. Your choice: . . . Return the keyboard to the dealer, and get another one; . . . Take the keyboard apart, find the wire that vibrates, and use glue (silicone sealant) to hold it down. I do _not_ have this problem with my PX-350, and I can't tell you how to take it apart. . Charles