Timing/PX-5S - when playing live?

[aron]

For the people that just got your PX-5S.... are you having a harder time playing faster in time? For some reason I find the PX-5S harder to play in time - live with the band. I'm not sure what it is. I played a Motif XF8 recently and it was flying and was easy to play in time - (Jazz, fast tempos). 

It may be that there is more key travel on the PX???? Not sure. Playing slower is fine etc....

I have adjusted the hammer response from 2 to 1 so will try that. Maybe I should make it zero?

This is with the piano sound. 

[Display Name]

Yes try the hammer response at zero if "1" isn't working for you. Also realize there is a brief period of adjustment for any new type of keyboard action. Your "muscle memory" is strongly locked to whatever it gets accustomed to. The good news is, the transition happens quickly - and the the more you play, the faster you adjust. So just keep on keepin' on! 

[aron]

Well the weird part is that I am fine practicing in time. Been playing the PX-5S every day, fast tempos. Yes, I find the key action a little slower than my S90ES but mostly on the repeats of the keys. Will fool around with it more - it's also possible it could be the drummer I played with (hehehehe).

You could be right though - I have been practicing on my Yamaha S90ES and Yamaha P80 for all of these years so I am very familiar with the action.

 

[aron]

So.... while hammer response makes a difference in playing, I was going through old threads and this came up:

(Tone->Amp->Velocity)

 

It makes a HUGE difference. Decreasing the value from 64 to 45-55 etc... changes the feel of the instrument. Need to work on it, but this is big. Try it.

[Brad Saucier]

Basically, hammer response adjust latency.  The time it takes for sound to occur once the key is pressed.  0 is the shortest time.  

Reducing Amp velocity sense reduces the dynamic range of the sound.  Less volume difference based on the speed of key travel.  

Another thing to adjust is system setting>general>touch>to light, normal or heavy depending on the type of player you are.   

 

[aron]

Yes, I tried light etc... nothing affected the perceived feel like the velocity setting. Glad it was found!

[Edwardo]

I agree, I played a P-80 for years and the Casio is different. Waiting for my "muscle memory' to kick in.  Also will try the velocity setting.

[aron]

Thanks Edwardo, please try the velocity setting, you will like it. Please report back - also set hammer response to 1 or 0.

Please let me know.

[Choppin]

aron,

 

The "speed" of playing on the PX-5s has always been one the biggest challenges for me.  I always looked at it as just slow action (the keys not rising fast enough to reset the sound or velocity) but I will now try messing with velocity sense for general playing.  The only time I've ever played with that setting is for effect.  If my memory serves me, you can set it so that the lighter you play, the louder or higher the perceived velocity, or vice versa.

[raymb1]

"Reducing Amp velocity sense reduces the dynamic range of the sound."

 

The above is why I wouldn't mess with the velocity setting.  Reducing the velocity brings the keyboard closer to an organ keyboard.

 

 

[aron]

>Reducing the velocity brings the keyboard closer to an organ keyboard

 

Yes, but if you don't overdo it, it makes it closer to all the other keyboards on the market, like the S90ES.

This adjustment is for people that play rapid passages and are used to playing keyboards like the S90/Motif/Korg etc...

 

The whole point is that the PX-5S does not play like most keyboards on the market. Now, not all sounds are extreme in dynamic range like the pianos, but most are. The parameter is there to be changed, otherwise, why have it?

[aron]

>If my memory serves me, you can set it so that the lighter you play, the louder or higher the perceived velocity

 

I think it just scales the velocity range - but I am not sure because some parameters in this keyboard do not work like I expect.

[raymb1]

I've been playing for many years.  Playing fast on the 5s is the same to me as playing fast on a Steinway.  You play enough different keyboards you can play fast on all of them.

[aron]

I have no doubt you can play fast on the 5s. That is awesome. These changes are for people like me that need help from playing those other inferior keyboards.

The problem was not so much playing fast, the problem was playing in time.

Yeah, I've played on quite a few keyboards too - we don't have to go there. I'm pretty darn old.

 

Sorry, if I brought up editing a keyboard - I'm a programmer so it's in my nature. I know some people don't like to alter anything, but not everyone gets it right - including the original programmers.

[raymb1]

I read this forum regularly.  I glean tips from everyone.  Anything that helps me get a better sound from the 5s is greatly appreciated.   Part of my practice routine is playing tunes with Band-in-a-Box or iReal Pro.   

[aron]

Yes, good one! Also playing with the metronome on 2 and 4! 

[Choppin]

Hello aron,

 

I played with the Velocity sense and to me it made no real difference in terms of feel.  It does scale the way the velocity responds - the higher the value  the faster the key has to go down to produce a perceived high velocity response; the lower the value the lighter the touch necessary or the slower the speed of the key going down to produce a perceived high velocity response.   And I say perceived because it does not change the actual velocity.  If the key goes down at a velocity of 127, the velocity transmitted will be 127 regardless of how the velocity sense is set.  

 

[aron]

Interesting. For me, it reduced the amount of "speed" necessary to sound a note. Since you don't have to press as fast to sound the note, the note sounds more consistently. In addition, with the hammer 0, the touch feels much faster. Yes, it's all perceived.

[aron]

Happy to say that the fast timing of notes is great now after all the tweaks! Played music last night and notes were flying :-)