krakli Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Hi I've just ordered an MZ X500 from dv247 (Open box item). I chose this over the CTX5000 (similar price) as the Youtube videos that I saw of both seemed to suggest that the MZ was a more capable instrument and the CTX seemed too full of Styles that were like current pop songs ... Good for demos but probably impractical to use in the real world.. So have I made the right decision?? Also I already have a PX5s and was wondering if it worked well as a master keyboard to use with the MZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherscott Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Yes, you can use a PX5S to play sounds from the MZ. Whether it works "well" depends on what you're trying to do. But at least the MZ has a standard 5-pin DIN MIDI In jack so you can directly connect it, the CT-X5000 doesn't even have that. I don't know much about the CT-X5000, but the MZ-X500 is usually more than twice the price so it sounds like you got quite a bargain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 2 hours ago, anotherscott said: ...so it sounds like you got quite a bargain! Perhaps I need to wait to see if its in good order before I declare a bargain 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 2 hours ago, anotherscott said: Whether it works "well" depends on what you're trying to do. I was sort of hoping that it could act as a replacement for the MZ x500 keyboard directly, meaning that I get a wider range on the upper and lower tones by utilising the 88 keys of the PX5S.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherscott Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 That should work. I don't think there's a way to simply plug in the PX5S and have it duplicate/extend the MZ-X500's own splits and layers, but by default, the MZ-X500's 4 split-and-layerable sounds end up on MIDI channels 1 through 4 and you can create 4-zone PX5S setups that will play the sounds on channels 1 through 4 in whatever arrangement you'd like... actually with more flexibility than you could do on the MZ-X500 itself, i.e. you could have three split ponts instead of one, so that each of the four sounds could have its own independently assigned range. (You still also have hexlayers available, which allow 6 way splits of their component sounds within a single MIDI channel.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sslyutov Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Get two MIDI cables. Use direct-reversed connection, so you can control from each keyboard the other one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherscott Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I'm not sure I see much benefit to going the other way (controlling the PX5S from the MZ-X500). Unlike the PX-5S, the MZ has pretty minimal MIDI controller functionality, and I think you can get most of the PX5S sounds right on the MZ anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sslyutov Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 You are right. Why do you need then PX5S? just kidding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Hi I thought that you might be interested in an update on this purchase. I ordered the item from DV247 via their website, having previously spoken to an assistant in the Romford shop i had it explained to me that it was a 'returned item' and would be shipped directly from Germany. In actual fact the item arrived within 5 days and was really securely packed. I would describe it as Open-box. It was obvious that the box had been resealed but the keyboard still had its transport packing attached so i don't believe that the instrument had been played on at all. The mains lead was not a UK style but as it is a common figure of 8 cable, and I had spares, that was not a problem. I am blown away by the instrument. It sounds amazing and it is so deep. Considering that it cost me £350 with free postage I could not be more pleased. I have noticed that it does not seem possible to stop it responding to patch changes which I can work around. As someone mentioned above the MIDI spec is not as flexible as it could be but you cant have everything. The other thing I have noticed is with the drawbar organs; namely I cannot see a way to turn off the Rotary speaker setting, only able to switch between fast and slow. Also, If i go to a patch that has the Rotary turned off then I can turn it on (Fast or Slow) but cannot seem to turn it off.?? I have upgraded to the 1.6 firmware last night though so I will see if that 'feature' has disappeared. I understand that the MZ -X500 may be a discontinued product (is it?) but as I said above I could not be more pleased and excited by what i may discover as I delve deeper into the instrument 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Saucier Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 55 minutes ago, krakli said: I cannot see a way to turn off the Rotary speaker setting, only able to switch between fast and slow. Also, If i go to a patch that has the Rotary turned off then I can turn it on (Fast or Slow) but cannot seem to turn it off.?? What do you mean by "turn it off"? Do you want to remove the rotary speaker effect entirely? Or, do you want to stop the effect speaker from rotating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Quote What do you mean by "turn it off"? When i am in the edit screen for the Drawbar organ I can click on the Rotary option and it will switch between Fast and Slow, but there is no third state (off). I'm guessing that there is an option to turn the effect off elsewhere but I could not find it when looking through the various screens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Saucier Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 25 minutes ago, krakli said: When i am in the edit screen for the Drawbar organ I can click on the Rotary option and it will switch between Fast and Slow, but there is no third state (off) Change "brake" from "rotate" to "stop" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Thanks I'll give that a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherscott Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 If you want to bypass the rotary effect completely, from the Tone screen, click the Edit function for the sound, click Effect, and change the effect algorithm from Rotary to ether some other effect you want, or to "through" if you want no effect at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Saucier Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 Or, go to the effect screen and enable bypass for DSP 1 to temporarily disable it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakli Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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