Nord User Forum

[Darren]

Sounds incredibly usable. The clav beats the one included in my £2.5k stage 2 which is a bit embarrassing!

I can't help but wonder if more pros/semi-pros would buy it if it just said Privia on the back?

[Johannes]

Indeed impressive sounds! Also UI/constrolwise a huge upgrade from the PX3-S.
I am still happy with my PX-330, but the control possibilities look interesting and start to go beyon the classical menu+button approach, nice!
Also agreed Darren, the Clav is impressive! The effects are a good match, and I particularly like the key-off sounds! Hope to see those picked up by other brands as well.
Also mute samples would be nice to have, been asked for for quite a while, not sure about the PX-5S.
As for the name, it is a bit puzzling to me from a marketing perspective. IIRC, the x10/x30 series was branded (in the sense of what is visible to the audience!) under "Privia" without Casio on the back, The x50 now has only "Casio", the PX-5S uses both.
Anyways, a great instrumentat a very interesting price tag. I would like to see an all-black version, but that's personal preference.

[mjbrands]

I wonder how the action feels. It is only a fraction heavier than the Electro 4 HP (based on the specs on the Casio and Nord sites), so I doubt they were able to use a traditional hammer action keyboard implemented with counter-weights. Even the keys themselves (including weights) in my Roland A-80 weigh almost 7 kg.

I thought I saw mention of an editor that allowed editing beyond what the front-panel allows (which might be interesting, since the sound engine seems quite capable), but I don't see anything on the Casio site about that.

[Gustavo]

I wonder how the action feels. It is only a fraction heavier than the Electro 4 HP (based on the specs on the Casio and Nord sites), so I doubt they were able to use a traditional hammer action keyboard implemented with counter-weights. Even the keys themselves (including weights) in my Roland A-80 weigh almost 7 kg.

I thought I saw mention of an editor that allowed editing beyond what the front-panel allows (which might be interesting, since the sound engine seems quite capable), but I don't see anything on the Casio site about that.

I think the action is around the same point as previous privias. Which is to say its the best bang for the buck, Keyboard Mag went ballistic for it, they gave it a KeyBuy Award of 2012. So I think its safe to assume its more than decent.

About the editor, in the NAMM 2013 videos, you see Mike Martin with an iPad though it looks more like a librarian utility rather than an editor. But Mike would know best, hope he comes by.

Personally, I've been really tempted to upgrade my M50 to a Krome (improved EPs and Drums), but now I am totally reconsidering that since I would buy it around October. If the Privia proves to have a good drum engine, I might get that instead of a Krome.


@Mike Martin if you do show up, how many notes does a phrase have? How do Phrases work? Lately I've been doing covers of progressive rock classics and for Close to the Edge I need a 24 step-arpeggiator for the intro, the thing is I need to make it an octave lower and to make it shut up for 2 beats every now and then. Can the PX 5S do such a thing?

Saludos,
Gustavo

[Gustavo]

Also, check out this video:

Watch on youtube.com

[anotherscott]

I wonder how the action feels. It is only a fraction heavier than the Electro 4 HP

It uses the action from the PX-350, which I think is excellent. Much better than the previous generation Casios. Also better than the Fatar TP100 that is used in the Nord HPs. (I haven't played the HP itself, though I've played other boards that use the TP100.)

Personally, rather than buy an Electro 4HP, I'd much rather buy the 4D for $500 less, and put the other $500 toward a Casio 88 to drive the Nord pianos from. You'd get a better piano action, a better organ action, real drawbars, a slew of additional sounds (potentially better EPs/clavs in the PX-5S), split and layer functions...

I thought I saw mention of an editor that allowed editing beyond what the front-panel allows (which might be interesting, since the sound engine seems quite capable), but I don't see anything on the Casio site about that.

From what Mike has posted elsewhere, the editor will allow you to do things more easily, but it doesn't go beyond what the front panel allows. The front panel already allows you to edit all the parameters that are supported for editing.

About the editor, in the NAMM 2013 videos, you see Mike Martin with an iPad though it looks more like a librarian utility rather than an editor.

Right, that wasn't the editor. He was sending patch changes to the piano via an app called Set List Maker, if I remember correctly.

[Mike Martin]

@Mike Martin if you do show up, how many notes does a phrase have? How do Phrases work? Lately I've been doing covers of progressive rock classics and for Close to the Edge I need a 24 step-arpeggiator for the intro, the thing is I need to make it an octave lower and to make it shut up for 2 beats every now and then. Can the PX 5S do such a thing?

Saludos,
Gustavo

Approximately 1,600 notes per phrase. You can import .MID files and convert them into phrases using the editor. Phrases can run at any tempo and transpose similar to an arpeggiator.

[Mr_-G-]

Mike, can you enlighten us about the sound engine? Samples? Oscillators? What?
Thanks!

[Gustavo]

Approximately 1,600 notes per phrase. You can import .MID files and convert them into phrases using the editor. Phrases can run at any tempo and transpose similar to an arpeggiator.

So a phrase is like a custom arpeggio pattern? What is the difference between arpeggio and phrases? Is there a phrase per hex layer or how many can you have at at time?

You should mention more about patterns on your website!

[Gustavo]

Approximately 1,600 notes per phrase. You can import .MID files and convert them into phrases using the editor. Phrases can run at any tempo and transpose similar to an arpeggiator.

So a phrase is like a custom arpeggio pattern? What is the difference between arpeggio and phrases? Is there a phrase per hex layer or how many can you have at at time?

You should mention more about patterns on your website!

An arpeggio is 16 steps and can consist of notes and controller data on each of those 16 steps (such as panning or filter). While an arpeggio can have ties, the arpeggio's 16 steps are tied to a particular note value such as 16th notes or 8th notes and so on. The Arpeggio can also be polyphonic, repeating a chord or whatever notes you're holding down to the particular pattern. You're in control of an arpeggio, it is only going to play based on the note or notes that you play.

A phrase is a MIDI recording. It could be a drum pattern, a bass line, or 16 measure of chord changes for a particular song. You can assign a phrase to a range of keys and the phrase will transpose across those keys....but you can't play more than one note for that phrase at time. So from the keyboard you can start or stop a phrase and transpose it. BTW: A phrase could also be controller other MIDI data.

Each zone can choose EITHER a phrase or an arpeggio. There are 4 zones on the PX-5S.