kybdsammer

@Gr3yWolf Just throwing another test option, have you tried operating with AA batteries to see if the same issues exist? Be sure to use good, fresh alkaline batteries.

@Gr3yWolfThe quality of your headphones can make a huge difference in the perceived sound quality of the keyboard. Have you tried using another pair? The sounds should not sound muffled or like it is in another room, and you should not hear a loud hiss through the headphone jacks. I do not hear practically any hiss when using my headphones, and the piano sound quality is amazing. I can get totally immersed for hours playing with my headphones. For a normally working keyboard, I can assure you that the sound quality that you've heard on YouTube is accurate and true. Regarding your recording, the volume is very low so I had to normalize it to hear it better. The piano recording seems normal to me. They sound very similar but that may be due to the volume you are playing while recording it. If you play a dynamic and expressive song with each tone, you should hear a difference. i can with mine. You may also want to try adjusting the touch response to a lighter setting to see if your playing style matches that better (everyone is different). I find for my playing style, a lighter touch setting allows me to be much more expressive. If you are still hearing loud hissing through your headphone jacks, you may want to check your cables and connections to the keyboard to see if something else may be inducing the noise. Otherwise, if you just bought it, you may want to see if you can swap it for another. In my opinion, it is well worth the effort.

I use a 32GB flash drive and have almost a GB of wav, midi, and registration files (over 100). For my flash drive, It takes roughly 30 seconds. I think it does take longer to load when you have a lot of files on it, but it shouldn't be 2-4 minutes if you only have 48kb.

The key mechanism design on the PX-S3000 is definitely different from the PX-3. Since I have a mechanical engineering background, I am always fascinated by the inner workings of a piano and digital keyboard. I think Casio put in a lot of thought behind it. I see several connection points to the key, but since I can't see everything, it is difficult to guess the cause of the issue. As I said earlier, I hope there is a warranty fix that will prevent it from happening again. I prefer to bring it in for repair, but sadly, both of the authorized Casio repair shops nearest to me are not open and one or both may go out of business because of the pandemic.

@PJG, Wow thanks!. It seems that video hit the nail on the head. That is exactly the sound that I am hearing and the apparent cause seems to make sense. Although the PX-S3000 is a new action, I wonder if the cause is due to a design issue in the same area. If so, I hope there is a warranty fix that will last long term and not just replacing parts that could develop the same issue again in the future.

Thanks Jokeyman and Brad. I have every intention of doing whatever I can to keep and fix this great keyboard. Thankfully I still have my PX-560 too, so I can manage for now. Although I like taking things apart to see how things work and fixing things, I will exercise restraint. Since I am still under warranty for a couple more years, I can wait it out a bit. I agree warranty service would be best. I am hoping Casio will take note of this issue and make some improvements. In the meantime, I am still in another world playing with headphones. =)

I purchased my PX-S3000 about a year ago and have used it quite extensively almost every day. The piano sound is exceptional, and I have really enjoyed using it in a variety of different settings. I am running into a problem that seems to be getting more and more pronounced over time. When I first got the keyboard, the keys were quiet and smooth. Now the keys seem more loose and noisier. There is a noticeable clicking/clacking sound on certain black keys especially on keys that I play most often. This was not the case when I first got the keyboard. I've attached a video. I am curious if any other users have had a similar experience. I know the keyboard is still under warranty, but due to the COVID-19 situation, I have so far not been able to find a local authorized Casio repair shop that is open to check and fix it. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Key Noise.mp4

What is shown on the keyboard display is not always what you will hear when playing a MIDI recording from Reaper. It depends on how you set it up. When you record to Reaper (assuming just a USB connection from keyboard to computer), you are recording MIDI data to Reaper (probably through MIDI Channel 1 unless changed) and not audio or a particular sound. Then when you click play on Reaper, it sends MIDI data back to your keyboard and triggers the default piano sound unless you record or set up a Bank/Program change in the track as Brad mentioned. As a side note, Casio's website has a PX-S3000 Sonar .ini patch script file that has all the sound names and is compatible and can be loaded into Reaper and allows you to select and assign different sounds to different tracks (you can create an orchestra of sounds if you want). The great thing is you can then play the multi-track recording from Reaper and at the same time play a totally different sound from the keyboard interface. So for example, you can record sounds like drums on track 1, electric guitar on track 2, bass on track 3, etc. and then choose a piano sound on the keyboard and play along with the recorded tracks. If you do this, be sure to send MIDI data via different MIDI channels for each sound or else you could get strange results. I am not sure if I am describing this correctly, but in essence the keyboard has two sets of sound generating engines (one can play MIDI from a DAW while at the same time you can play different keyboard sounds). This is very cool and opens up a load of creative possibilities especially if you have VSTs and other plugins that you can load into Reaper. It can take time to learn how to do things, but there are a lot of Reaper tutorials out there that can help.

I purchased my PX-S3000 in May 2019 and haven't had any problems with muted tones like you mentioned. For the most part, it has been great. I have noticed some keys are a bit looser and noisier now compared to when I first purchased it. I do use it quite often and give it a good key workout almost every day. =) I normally use headphones because the sound quality is so good through them.

This is great. I was just going to ask about it. Thank you very much Rich!

I posted this v1.16 firmware change response to my inquiry to Casio in the thread that Brad mentioned. Copied here for convenience. "We improved the drum sounds in the ver.1.16. There was unnatural shaking of this sound when it's recorded as MIDI." The thread has more details.

Great keyboard choice 😀 and posts Chris. Thanks!

Thanks for all of your comments. James posted a follow up on his review and used weights to prove his point. I did a similar test (due to my inate curiosity) on my keyboard and confirmed his findings. I stacked coins to simulate his test since I don't have precision weights. I then weighed them on my kitchen scale. The result from my keyboard was roughly 50g (10 nickels) to move the black keys and about 10g more to move the white keys. I can respect his observations and opinion based on his experience and preference for piano-like action. At the same time, online reviews (positive or negative) are opinions and only part of the process of doing your due diligence to determine if a product is right for you. What may not be recommended by one person may be highly recommended by another, and each opinion may be totally appropriate depending on what is important to the individual. For me, the slight difference in action does not bother me (I hadn't even noticed that much prior to watching the video). Yes, there is room for improvement like everything else, but the PX-S3000 is still an excellent product and checks off a lot of what I value in a keyboard including a really outstanding piano sound, portability, compactness, and a blast to play.

Here is his full review of the PX-S3000. I wish I could say it is a mostly positive review, but I think it is important to have open and honest discussions about the keyboard even if we may not agree on some things. He spends a lot of time talking about how the black keys on his keyboard have a noticeably lighter weight or action than the white keys. I am curious to know what other PX-S3000 owners think about this and what your thoughts are about your keyboard action. Is this a noticeable issue on your keyboard? Is there any possibility of a defective unit that he reviewed? As a PX-S3000 owner myself, I have not noticed this disparity between the black and white keys on my keyboard. I've played a variety of pianos and keyboards (weighted and non-weighted) for over 40 years. I do notice the heavier feel on the PX-S3000 as you play farther back on all the keys in general, but I always knew it would be different from a real piano where the feel is more balanced from the front to back of the keys. Due to the keyboard's compact design (which I really appreciate), I've accepted this and have adapted quickly to it to the point where it doesn't bother me at all for the type of music I play. If you have other comments about his review, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Here is ThePianoforever PX-S3000 discussion and brief review at NAMM 2020. He does a brief demo of the piano by playing Beethoven's 3rd movement of the Moonlight Sonata. In addition to the speakers in the back, there are two slotted ports in the front just above the keybed. They are more subtle and located on the left and right side, but they are there and project some sound toward the user. He plans to do a more extensive review within the next 10 days or so.

Great to hear the firmware update fixed the issue. I haven't had a chance to update mine yet but hope to do so soon. Here is the reply I received from Casio America that goes beyond the "Improving certain operation" description. It confirms what we expected. Thanks to Mike and the Casio team for being so responsive. -------------------- We improved the drum sounds in the ver.1.16. There was unnatural shaking of this sound when it's recorded as MIDI. --------------------

Yes, thank you Brad. Similar bluetooth capabilities as the PX-S3000.

Here is another unboxing, demo, and review of the PX-S1000. He has some good video shots about the key travel and pivot point compared to a real piano. I appreciate his honest comments about the sound quality, keyboard action, design, build quality construction, features, user interface, speakers, and connections.

I really enjoy using the built-in sounds on my PX-S3000, but there are times when I want to use it as a MIDI controller too. I'd like to have the flexibility to play only built-in sounds, only external sounds (VSTs), or a combination of the two. I thought about maybe saving some registrations with different MIDI setups so I can quickly change. Are the MIDI settings on the keyboard global or can different MIDI setups be saved with each registration? Also, is there any way to turn off MIDI out on the keyboard? Thanks.

That's great news. Thanks Mike!

Jokeyman, I downloaded your .ZDR files and loaded. I did not tweak anything and just selected your tones and recorded to wav and to the midi recorder. Recording to wav had no issues. However, when using midi recorder, I encountered a very noticeable warbling sound on first 3 none on the last (mp3 attached - not a great recording but just to give you an idea). Definitely not expected. The warbling sound is especially noticeable on the crash. Is this similar to what you are experiencing? Sequence in mp3: Jazz JOE1, Jazz JOE2, Standardjoe1, and then Rock Joe 20191119 Edited drums midi recorded.mp3

I am able to get Reaper to change the PX-S3000 tone over MIDI, but I haven't figured out how to change a registration. You can load the Sonar .ins file as a patch script for Reaper (available on the Casio website as a download). https://support.casio.com/en/support/download.php?cid=008&pid=2368

Can't help myself. Here's another one. Casio Music Italia puts out some great demos. Too many other great videos to post so here is the link to Casio Music Italia videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAMW6qmfT87aVeHw31ZbSng/videos