Next Generation Privia (Casio PX-S1000 & PX-S3000)

[AlenK]

4 hours ago, Brad Saucier said:

PX-S1000 has a 2 track recorder and PX-S3000 has a 3 track MIDI recorder.  This according to the specs I'm reading.  These models have a 16 part multi timbrel sound engine.   

 

Indeed, some of the specs for the PX-S3000 have now been corrected and that is one of them. But others have not (e.g., it stills says it has 18 built-in tones instead of 700).

 

Brad, you are careful to make the distinction between MIDI recorder and simply "recorder" here. That does follow the respective specifications as they appear on Casio's web site now. The S3000 specifications state the maximum number of notes for the recorder, which of course implies MIDI (while not actually saying it is MIDI), whereas the S1000 specifications do not say that. However, the description in the main body of the text on the S1000 web page DOES actually reference a MIDI recorder: "Change instrument settings, control the MIDI recorder, and learn your favorite MIDI songs...)"  The S3000's web page makes a similar statement, likewise not in the specifications section.

 

So the S1000's two-track recorder is almost certainly a MIDI recorder and the fact that the S1000 specifications do not state the maximum number of notes that it can record is simply another error (or rather omission).

 

Finally, with the MIDI recorder in the S3000 having only three tracks, this is not an exact replacement for, say, a PX-360, which is what I was saying earlier before that part of the specification was corrected. It's a sideways-grade rather than a pure upgrade, meaning that some things are better (in some cases MUCH better) and some things are not. That said, the things that are better are the really important things, like the built-in tones, the styles, assertedly the action and last, but in many people's opinion not the least, the industrial design (appearance). To get 16-track recorder functionality for those who absolutely need more than three tracks (and how many people will that be?) you can easily hook up an iPad. Casio knows their chosen market well. 

[oscar1]

9 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

 

Similar but not identical to the PX-870. The PX-S1000/3000 are running on entirely new engine as well so there is definitely a difference to the sound. 

Thanks!. Now that makes it even more confusing as what is then the top sounding product. (if we are not talking about Grand Hybrid), so then the PX-870 won't be the top sound engine anymore and I assume we will see some console PX-S soon?
It is awesome that casio is heavily now into the digital pianos but they need to make the whole system now a bit more "readable". Say I really love casio and want to get the top sounding model, I really can't decipher that from the web site which model that could be. It is definitely not by price.

[Brad Saucier]

2 hours ago, AlenK said:

Brad, you are careful to make the distinction between MIDI recorder and simply "recorder" here.

 

Actually it's the opposite.  I was more careless than careful here.  For both models, I meant MIDI recorder.  Sorry about that.  It has a 10,000 note capacity on the PX-S1000 and 1 song storage limit.  

 

On another note, unless I'm wrong, and I think I'm not....the PX-S3000 is not replacing the PX-360.  It's replacing the PX-350.  Yes, it's still in production alongside the PX-360.  My guess, it is because the PX-5S is based on the PX-350 and no one wants to see the PX-5S go away.  If anyone wants to compare current events to history, what's replacing the PX-350 could be considered a clue to other goodies coming down the road.  ☺️

[Jokeyman123]

But the PX350 has a 17-track midi recorder, an audio recorder and can save songs a a .mid file or Casio song file with a thumb drive. If I were looking to replace my PX350, I wouldn't replace it with these. I'd go the PX360. Still nice instruments in their own way-I buffed out the finish on my old SY77 to a high gloss finish, and it looks 2x better than the original dull black. I also refinished my PX350 end panels with high gloss and the 575-there is definitely something appealing about that showroom black IMO! 

[Brad Saucier]

The differences might be why the PX-360 is sticking  around.  PX-S3000 does indeed have the audio recorder.  PX-360 has the color touch screen and full MIDI recorder.  That may be important to some players but others may like the new improved sounds and other features only found in the PX-S3000.  It's definitely a comparison shopping decision.   

[Brad Saucier]

These product pages cover more info ....

 

https://www.casio-intl.com/asia/en/emi/products/pxs1000/

 

https://www.casio-intl.com/asia/en/emi/products/pxs3000/

 

 

[AlenK]

10 hours ago, Brad Saucier said:

These product pages cover more info ....

 

https://www.casio-intl.com/asia/en/emi/products/pxs1000/

https://www.casio-intl.com/asia/en/emi/products/pxs3000/

 

Arghhh. Here we go again, with different Casio web sites in different regions and under different control - here, International (Asia) versus US site - containing different information. I had complained about this a while back and the situation has evidently not improved. It looks like the Asia site contains complete information for these two products and should be considered definitive. 

[mike71]

I could understand if one is a localized site, so has to be translated -but if the site is in English, why?

 

By the way I hope that the px-5 successor will not use the new action. From the drawings looks that has an even shorter fulcrum compared to the current hammer action II. 

A shorter fulcum will make people with log and tiny fingers accustomed to an actual grand piano to complain loudly because they tend to put the finger near the fall board. 

I know a woman that has a grand that used for 40 years and has the fall board scratched like there was a cat playing every time.

 

I still think that a chopped Ap-30 or something like the Kawai MP11 could be a good pro stage piano.

 

On the other hand a small, lightweight and battery powered  digital piano is competition even for guitars from the point of view of kid wans to learn an instrument and for the shops.

 

 

[Joe Muscara]

5 hours ago, mike71 said:

By the way I hope that the px-5 successor will not use the new action. From the drawings looks that has an even shorter fulcrum compared to the current hammer action II. 

A shorter fulcum will make people with log and tiny fingers accustomed to an actual grand piano to complain loudly because they tend to put the finger near the fall board. 

I know a woman that has a grand that used for 40 years and has the fall board scratched like there was a cat playing every time.

a) You haven't tried it and so you don't know if that's really a problem, 2) I doubt a different action can fit in the Slim chassis. 

[funkycornwall]

Yes it is quite annoying when people who have not tried a new instrument make all kinds of bold statements about what is wrong with the new action. You need to be patient and test it out for yourself. A few people who have tried it have been full of praise. I am sure Casio would only wish to improve on the previous generation action which was already pretty good. I am sure these new models will be selling like hot cakes once they are available. I am also hoping that they will make a PX-5S successor. It they can get that right and at the correct price point it would also sell really well.

[vbdx66]

Hi guys, would somebody be as kind as to point out to me the similarities and differences between the CDP-S350 and the PX-S3000, as both keyboards seems to be sleek, highly portable hype piano with tons of cool sounds, rhythms and sophisticated functions? At which users are both digital pianos aimed? Which of both is the best home digital piano?

 

Thanks,

 

Vinciane

[Jokeyman123]

Very good-Asian website answered several of my questions 8 watts per side-192 note polyphony-3 track midi sewquencer and full audio recorder, very good. Still would like to know the key throw length and there is no way to comment on the action-this is such a personal preference and unless I can play one, no way to say anything. I don't know that there is much room for improvement already with PX560, 350, 5s action being pretty impressive already-except for quieting the action which might be part of the improvement. If the price is right-sigh, looks like I'll have to get a bigger house. The other PX's are so playable, I can't stand to let any pf them go, even my older 575 still amazes me-I jusy tried it with my u[loaded rhythms I converted for the PX560 and it sounds fantastic. What format will these new Privias use for rhythms-if additional user rhythms can be added, I can't tell from the specs, maybe the manuals will be available to download soon?  I'm guessing .ac7? And if not will it be able to trigger software auto-accompaniment programs or external devices, possibly through the split keyboard function? alot of questions.....and the expression pedal options are pretty thorough, surprising in a digital piano, leads me to believe there is alot more control available with external software.

[Brad Saucier]

48 minutes ago, vbdx66 said:

Hi guys, would somebody be as kind as to point out to me the similarities and differences between the CDP-S350 and the PX-S3000, 

 

I'm not sure where you are located, but in the US the CDP-S350 will sell for $499 and the PX-S3000 will be $799.   That the first big difference, price.  Other differences are pretty big as well.  I'd have to take time to make a detailed comparison. 

[Brad Saucier]

Excellent!  I had a feeling these would win an award.  

 

 

[vbdx66]

Hi Brad,

 

My main points of interest are 1) the quality of the piano sounds on both pianos 2) the quality of the keybed on both instruments 3)the quality and variety of the other sounds and 4) as far as rhythms are concerned, are they the same or very different on both pianos and in particular, have they some rhythms which were designed esp. for piano playing (or, for instance, has the CDP-S350 “only” a subset of rhythms from the CT-X line of keyboards)?

 

Also, apart from the price tag, I was wondering, which piano would be better suited for which home usage?

 

Thanks,

 

Vinciane

[Jokeyman123]

NAMM award, excellent. From this side view, looks like the keys have the same throw as the other newer PX's. Nice.

[Chandler Holloway]

2 hours ago, vbdx66 said:

Hi Brad,

 

My main points of interest are 1) the quality of the piano sounds on both pianos 2) the quality of the keybed on both instruments 3) the quality and variety of the other sounds and 4) as far as rhythms are concerned, are they the same or very different on both pianos and in particular, have they some rhythms which were designed esp. for piano playing (or, for instance, has the CDP-S350 “only” a subset of rhythms from the CT-X line of keyboards)?

 

Also, apart from the price tag, I was wondering, which piano would be better suited for which home usage?

 

1) The CDP-S350 uses the AiX sounds you'll find on the CT-X series. They don't officially label it as an AiX instrument as far as I can tell (not sure why), but in terms of tones, it's identical in quality and selection to CT-X700 with a few extra piano and e-piano tones you won't get on the CT-X boards. It shares other characteristics with the X700, like the 6-track recorder, 64-note polyphony, 10 User Rhythm slots and a limited selection of Reverb and Chorus effects with no proper mixer section to dial in effects sends or balance among the layers. Even the voice assignments in the appendices assignment are exactly identical the CT-X line.

 

The piano sounds on the S3000 are undoubtedly going to sound more realistic, as they are based on the AiR sound source like the rest of the Privias, but with new and improved samples and some acoustic simulation features taken from the Grand Hybrid series (damper noise, string resonance). The CDP-S pianos are based on the CT-X line, which is meant to handle a wide variety of tones because it's tailored to the arranger market. The Privias will always be superior in terms of the piano sounds because they're optimized for stage pianists, even if they have additional non-piano sounds that can still appeal to the arranger crowd.

 

2) Can't answer this question as I've yet to play one of the new Privias, but the CDP-S will not have the new scaled smart action on the Privias. You'll have to try them both out for yourself and compare.

 

3) Again, the CDP-S sounds will be comparable to what you've heard from the CT-X series. Haven't heard an extensive sound demo featuring all the non-piano tones on the new Privias so I can't give a definitive comparison. It's possible that the CDP-S350 will have the edge over the new Privias with regards to these other tones because the AiX sound source excels at reproducing the tonal characteristics of all kinds of acoustic instruments, whereas the AiR sound source is optimized for mainly piano sounds. Not enough info to say for sure though.

 

4) The CDP-S350 shares 99% of its Rhythms with the CT-X700. Because the voice assignment values are identical between the X700 and the S350, the Rhythm pack I released for the X700 is 100% compatible with the S350 and will be usable for S350 owners on day one. The S3000's appendices have yet to be released, so I can't really compare the Rhythm selection too accurately. Because they are based on different sound sound sources, I doubt my expansion pack would be 100% compatible with the new Privia voice assignments (although I would be willing to convert them again for Privia users if need be). I'll have to see if the Rhythm list matches up with previous Privias or if there are any reused Rhythms from previous models that have been preserved on the new ones.

 

Strictly for home use, I'd say go with the S350 based on price alone. You'd also be more familiar with the interface given that you already own a CT-X model; it's nearly identical, albeit without the lesson features.

[Brad Saucier]

Thanks Chandler.  We'll definitely be more helpful with questions once all of the manuals are released.

[AlenK]

7 hours ago, Chandler Holloway said:

The piano sounds on the S3000 are undoubtedly going to sound more realistic, as they are based on the AiR sound source like the rest of the Privias, but with new and improved samples and some acoustic simulation features taken from the Grand Hybrid series (damper noise, string resonance).

 

I'm pretty sure the PX-560 and PX-860 implement damper noise and string resonance (as well as damper resonance), so it seems odd to attribute the source of these specific features to the higher-end Grand Hybrid series, unless those features are implemented better in the Grand Hybrid series and the S3000 uses those particular implementations. Is that the case? 

[vbdx66]

Waow!

 

Thanks Chandler, this really makes things much clearer for me.

 

Actually I don’t have a CT-X keyboard at the time. I had the CT-X3000 for a couple of weeks, loved the sounds, rhythms and key action (for an arranger keyboard) but didn’t like the user interface at all (I found it very cimplicated and counter-intuitive as compared, let’s say, with the UI of the Yamaha PSR S670, which is comparable with the CT-X3000/5000 as far as the functionalities are concerned) so unfortunately I sent it back.

 

I am know looking for another board, maybe the CT-X800 because I need both the pitch bend wheel and the USB stick. The CDP-S350 might be a serious contender if its key action and speakers are better than those of my Yamaha DGX650, which are pretty decent.

 

Ideally, I’d like board with the AiX chip, 4-variation rhythms, arpegiator and phrase pads, but with a much friendlier user interface, for instance a much larger screen, more control knobs and buttons and less sub-menus for the mixer and the more sophisticated editing functionalities. Or else, the CT-X3000/5000 would at least need a fully-fledged PC editor to easily create new patches, registrations, rhythms and phrase pads because doing this on the keyboard itself is simply daunting.

 

It would be nice if the demonstrations of the new Privia’s would also include non-piano sounds. Or else, one may wonder why would the PX-S3000 include so many sounds and rhythms.

 

Thanks you for all the work you are putting into explaining the particularities of all new Casio keyboards and digital pianos and into converting rhythms from one keyboard model to others so that more users will be able to use them to improve the music they are making.

 

Regards,

 

Vinciane

[Chandler Holloway]

https://www.casiomusicgear.com/products/privia-series/px-s3000

 

Specs for the S3000 have been corrected on the US site, confirms the info from the Asia site. The MIDI recorder is not the 16+1 track sequencer found on the PX-350, 360 and 560. 5 User slots for 3-track recordings with the onboard recorder, but you can import full sixteen track MIDI compositions into one of 10 User song slots (plus extras via flash drive).

 

200 built in rhythms (2-variation), but no User Rhythm slots to load new Rhythms in. Guess I won't need to do any converting after all! Releasing Rhythms for compatibility with the X700 seems like the smartest move for me right now: it allows them to be used on the CT-X700/800 (and the X3000/X5000, albeit with two duplicate variations in the Var3 and Var4 slots) and the CDP-S350 without any issues, which is good because those three models lack the ability to edit rhythms on board. If MZ-X or PX-360/560 users want to use the new Rhythms, the voice assignments might not be totally compatible right off the bat in a select few cases, but they have onboard Rhythm editors with big touch screen displays that allow them to quickly adapt the voice assignments as necessary for their specific model. Better to program a wide variety of rhythms with the more limited models in mind and leave pro users the option to pick the specific styles they like and tweak them on a case by case basis, rather than take the time to re-convert the same Rhythms again for the pro models that can easily handle changing the occasional wonky voice assignment.

 

56 minutes ago, vbdx66 said:

Ideally, I’d like board with the AiX chip, 4-variation rhythms, arpegiator and phrase pads, but with a much friendlier user interface, for instance a much larger screen, more control knobs and buttons and less sub-menus for the mixer and the more sophisticated editing functionalities. 

 

I'd love to see an MZX successor using the new and improved AiX tones, but the Privias were due for an update so I imagine the pro arrangers have taken a back seat for now. You may wish to save up for a PX-560 if control knobs, a friendly interface, great sounds and an intuitive tone editor are very important to you.

 

The PX-S3000 has two dedicated control knobs that can be assigned to a lot of functions (effects, part balance, modulation etc), and both the CDP-S350 and PX-S3000 can connect to the free Chordana Play for Piano app, which includes a "remote control" function that maps all the important tone and effects parameters to convenient touch screen controls on your tablet for quicker access and easy fiddling. I'm glad to see Chordana start supporting a much wider range of Casio instruments. Considering the CDP-S350 and the CT-X700 share a lot of the same DNA in terms of system architecture, my fingers are crossed that the CT-X boards will be compatible with it soon. Having all the toggles and MIDI CC parameters at your fingertips really opens up the flexibility of these entry level boards that usually have very little in the way of onboard tone editing, but a lot of hidden features in the MIDI implementation that can create much more complex sounds.

[vbdx66]

No slot for user rhythms on the PX-S3000... 🙀 and the “lower-end” CT-X700/800 can accommodate them... this is a marketing decision I am quite unable to understand.

 

My Yamaha DGX650 can read styles (aka rhythms) straightaway from an USB stick, which is really very convenient because even with 200 rhythms onboard, you are always bound to need a tailored-made rhythm for a new hit from the charts, or a long-forgotten crooner melody from the Fifties...

 

I have the feeling that it is the new strategy of the electronic musical instruments industry (all brands) to segment the market more and more, i.e. taking away old features when adding new ones, which is kind of sad because we are not talking of “simple” consumer goods here but if musical instruments.

 

Just my 2 cents,

 

Vinciane

[Joe Muscara]

14 hours ago, Chandler Holloway said:

The piano sounds on the S3000 are undoubtedly going to sound more realistic, as they are based on the AiR sound source like the rest of the Privias, but with new and improved samples and some acoustic simulation features taken from the Grand Hybrid series (damper noise, string resonance). The CDP-S pianos are based on the CT-X line, which is meant to handle a wide variety of tones because it's tailored to the arranger market. The Privias will always be superior in terms of the piano sounds because they're optimized for stage pianists, even if they have additional non-piano sounds that can still appeal to the arranger crowd.

I want to comment on this. Maybe it's what Chandler meant, but I think it could be a little clearer. Some of that isn't Chandler's fault as Casio's use/non-use of AiR and AiX in the new models might be a little confusing.

 

Mike Martin stated on the Keyboard forum the following about AiR in the new Privias:

Quote

- AiR stuff. For all practical purposes this should be AiR2. Everything from the chips driving it to the software is new. Some of the nuance tech (string and damper resonance) is derived from what we've previously done in our Grand Hybrid pianos but it is not 100% identical. This also includes new DSP (reverbs, hall simulations) that is dramatically better than previous products. 

 

That being said, I think the CDP-S350 might be a great instrument for many users, including Vinciane.

[Brad Saucier]

Keyboard Magazine posted this about the PX-S1000.  It wins their key buy award.  

 

https://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/review-casio-privia-px-s1000

[Chandler Holloway]

5 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

Maybe it's what Chandler meant, but I think it could be a little clearer. Some of that isn't Chandler's fault as Casio's use/non-use of AiR and AiX in the new models might be a little confusing.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm waiting on a full manual before I can really start answering these questions in depth (as is everyone else right now, it seems).

 

I wonder why they're not listing the CDP-S350 as an AiX instrument; the CT-X boards are getting unilaterally praised for sound quality, so you'd think they'd be eager to market the new CDP-S models as of the same breed considering they share all the same tones. I'll have to confirm with Rich that it's really AiX under the hood, because even the manual's specs page isn't very clear about it. Same with the CDP-S100; does it have a (limited) selection of AiX tones, or is it just using the same "stereo sampling" as the CDP-135? I'll report back with more info, maybe whip up a 4-way comparison chart of all the entry-level/intermediate weighted key models coming out in the near future (CDP-S100, CDP-S350, PX-S1000, PX-S3000) for folks trying to decide which is best for their needs. There's a fair amount of overlap in functionality so I'm sure it would be helpful for interested users to have it all laid out for them.