Casio AIX sound engine vs Casio AIR sound engine

[Brad Saucier]

I'm sorry for your loss Charlie.  

[vbdx66]

Hi Charlie,

 

I cannot even imagine what you’re going through right now. My thoughts are with you.

 

Vinciane

[Shad0wfax]

I think that in this case the off-topic is totally adequate. My most sincere condolences.

[RickyLee]

Charlie! I once heard a saying that went something like this: "I once complained because I had no shoes until I saw a man that had no feet." I think many of us have no idea what it is like to have experienced what life has dealt you. As a typical devout musician, you don't give up. You keep hoping and trying..until somehow you manage to make your dreams happen. I am like that also. My hands are troubled as well. I was an accomplished guitar player for many years and now I can't even play a chord on one with my left hand. I can use my right a little more. Rather than give up, I learned to play an arranger keyboard to facilitate the music I wanted to share with others. I have to play the chords with one finger but I make it happen. God bless, brother, keep trying!! You'll make it happen and you will see your sister again some day.

 

[Joe Muscara]

You didn't waste our time at all, Charlie. I'm very sorry for your loss.

[Jokeyman123]

You have a compassionate support system right here. What doesn't kill us us makes us stronger. Easy to say, not so easy to believe sometimes. I appreciate your honesty and openness-you are one of the good ones as a friend used to say.

[methodman3000]

The CT-X5000 is getting rave reviews.  But it's a 61 key board, which I find too small; and it's not MIDI, which kills connection of the instruments via MIDI.

 

I had midi instruments also, but most of the well established synthesizers have been digitized into VST models , Arturia, Kontakt and Reaktor, Komplete, Omnisphere, Syntronik, Reason, ReasonBanks  all have produced VST's that replace actual hardware synthesizers and samplers.  I find that route much easier to take.  I use the CT-x 3000 to control my VST's and it does fine with it so far.  I've only had the x3000 for a week but it is a nice keyboard and I love the sounds and the effects.  I am also donating my WK 3000 to the mental health clinic.  Theya re trying to do a musical therapy class to help the mental community.  And they really need a good teaching keyboard and other than the fact there isn't a metronome proper.  It is a good teaching Keyboard.  

[Majek Skateboards]

On 7/31/2018 at 9:49 AM, CharlieWorton said:

Brad, that would be really helpful!  Thanks for any clarity you can provide.  I appreciate it.  If you've played both the CT-X5000 and the PX-5S, I'd certainly appreciate your subjective feelings about the two instruments, who their intended market is, and what they're best at.

>Charlie

 

One guy, Damon McMahon, from Facebook’s Casio CTK and WK Society group, uses a P5 and CTX-5000 as his working rig.

 

I couldn’t think of anyone better to ask. 
 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/610067202424842?tsid=0.8944164099595857&source=result

[Denodan]

On 8/1/2018 at 3:26 AM, CharlieWorton said:

 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Denodan

[Denodan]

It is midi. Its usb midi

[pquenin]

Hello, the WK-7600 seems to be a very capable keyboard, but how is the AHL engine compared to the AIX one  ? 

[vbdx66]

The WK-7600 is a bit outdated but okay. If I were you I’d wait for the announcement of the new Casiotones, though. The CT-S400 will be a revamped CT-X800 with a better UI. There will be more models to come during the year... maybe a revamped CT-X5000, too.

[CharlieWorton]

I own a WK7600, and I do not find the samples convincing or satisfying; and if the sound doesn't make you feel good, none of the rest of the instrument matters.  It's also 76 keys, instead of 88.  If you can throw a few more dollars into the pot - purchase price around $700 CAD - check out the Casio CDP-S350.  It's 88 keys, and has the same realistic samples and performance as the AiX sound engine found in the CT-X5000.  The only drawback is the relatively low 64 polyphony count.  And for about $1,000 CAD you might consider the PX-S3000, which raises the polyphony count to 192.  The WK7600 was a good value in its time, but technology has improved and there are better keyboards available for not much more money.

[sslyutov]

On 7/31/2018 at 8:47 AM, CharlieWorton said:

Thanks, Sslyutov.  I went to the links you provided, and you're entirely correct.  And this is confusing, because the thing that everyone is raving about on the AiX sound engine is the realism of the Pianos!  Bizarre.  Perhaps what they're talking about, is the realism of the pianos in an instrument of the given price category?  Yet, that isn't what they're saying.  The general consensus is "Wow - best piano ever'.  Wish I could do an A:B comparison, but the nearest music store that carries Casio is about 1,000 miles away.  Sigh.

 

>Charlie

Searching for the perfect piano voice is a never ending story

I realized at some point that each person has it own perfect piano sound.

it is also obvious to me that people get used to certain voice and may react on a different timbre negatively  even if it is closer to a certain big name model of GP.

 

 

 

 

[Jokeyman123]

I agree completely SS...I've done a huge amount of research on this recently-came across a giant table of specs for over 2 dozen piano action digitals, and several Steinway Grands the tester used for his results. Surprisingly-there were several major brand digitals that actually had a heavier response than the Steinway! He measured key "throw"-resistance when the key is in motion-depth-from key bottoming to return position, and a few other factors-length of key from pivot point and how much weight it took to get the key hit bottom-not quite the same as motion travel resistance. The results were all over the place-from cheapest to most expensive-there was so little consistency across specs, no wonder everyone has different opinions. One person's gold is another's garbage I suppose. Watch the old-school masters, and the new-each will have a different favorite-a Bechstein for some, a Yamaha Grand, a Bosendorfer, a Steinway are all superb. And I recall the Steinways at least-don't have as "trebly" a sound as the digitals I've played-but the acoustic resonance and large-scale size-the sheer mass producing this resonance-this is what must be torture to sound designers and sampling artists who are trying to capture that essential huge sound. My Casios sound wonderful through good cans, but when I play live through my sound systems-now I am confronted with the same acoustic space problems as if I had a grand sitting in my living room. And unless I have a sound system that can match the sheer massiveness of an 8-foot or larger grand, which I don't but close-4 3-way 12" cabinets I designed through my 200 watt RMS old lafayette amp-how can I expect it to sound like one? Then again my family room is not Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie or elsewhere!

 

For me-I look for an action that is comfortable to play as realistically as I can for classical primarily which is a real test for dynamic control-and how smoothly and evenly the keys respond across the octaves-first rule in classical training-I had to learn to play in a completely balanced way (still have to practive like this every time), not easy even on the best regulated grand since your thumb will always present a different motion than your other fingers. I bet some of you, if you've never played one-will probably complain about your grand piano-that its too noisy, the keys don't feel right, its out of tune to your ears, its too muffled or to bright...but then if you spend 50-200,000 on one, I guess you've earned your right to complain-but good luck getting it fine-tuned the way you want it!!!! makes me wonder why liberace was always smiling-guess he found an action he liked-and he was making a cart-load of money every time he played his classical version of "Way Down Upon the Swanee River".....sorry that was Ed Norton.