Nord User Forum

Mr_-G- wrote:Mike, can you enlighten us about the sound engine? Samples? Oscillators? What?
Thanks!

The sound engine is sample driven. There are essentially 2 different sound engines in the PX-5S. There are Tones and there are Hex Layers.

Tones: Roughly 350 Preset Tones, from which you can edit Amp Envelope, Filter / Filter Envelope, Pitch Envelope, Portamento and Insert effects. The envelopes in this section are basically standard ADSRs with additional control over the "Initial Attack Level". You can't get to the sample level of a Tone. Basically all of the edits in this section function function as offsets of the factory preset.

Hex Layers: A single sound with up to 6 layers. Each layer has 7 Stage Envelopes for Filter and Amp and independent Filter choices for each layer. Each layer here can be split, velocity switched or simply layered on top of each other. Each layer has its own Effects Mix to the System effects and can either use the insert effect or not. You can choose from over 400 samples sets. Tons of control over key-scaling for amp or filter and much much more.

On the PX-5S have 4 zones available. Only Zones 1 and 2 can use Hex Layer tones. Your configuration of the 4 zones, their sounds, effects, key ranges...etc are store in what Casio calls a Stage Setting. There are 100 User Stage Settings. Any edits to the sounds within a Stage Setting can be stored within the Stage Setting, so you don't have to save them separately. Each zone can be an internal sound, external MIDI device or both simultaneously.

The Stage Setting also determines the function of all physical controllers (Knobs / Sliders / Pedals)

Hi Mike,

I would like to thank you for your tireless work in answering questions for us, and not just on here, I have also seen your posts on other keyboard forums, and various YouTube clips. I don’t know how much Casio pay you, but I hope you’re in line for a pay rise, or at the very least, a large bonus. Or maybe you’re one of those sickening people who only need three or four hours sleep a night ;-

So, to the PX-5S. I’m very, very tempted, really I am. The Hex layers, the polyphony, the way you can dial in the exact amount of distortion, on the fly. However, on the other side of the coin, I would have liked a larger screen, maybe similar to the Korg Chrome, and I genuinely believe that Casio missed a trick in not giving us provision for an expression pedal. Also, the procedure for setting the parameters seems fairly complex – although I accept that this will get easier as you get used to it.

Now, the fly in the ointment. Casio need to sort out their pricing policy. Assuming the keyboards are made in Japan or China, I can’t see U.S. import duties and taxes being any less punitive than those in the U.K. However, the U.S. price (Kraft, Sweetwater, Amazon) is $999, this equates to around £650. The U.K. price (via Thomann) is £900. This is a nearly a 40% mark up. I feel that the potential U.K. purchaser (i.e. me) is being ripped off to the tune of £250. And this may just turn out to be a deal breaker.

Thanks again for all your efforts on our behalf, I, for one really appreciate it.

Can you share what upgrades have been done over the previous model ?
Thanks,

I have a NS 2 73 over my PX-5S, playing through a Traynor K-4. To me, it's a pretty precise and compact rig, and I can get lots and lots of sounds out of it. I also have a pair of EV ELX112P's with an Allen & Heath ZED-10FX mixer that I sometimes use. I am very happy with it all.

Now, just for more woodshedding.

ps......my Privia PX-3 is for sale, and it is in excellent condition.

h8hoos wrote:I have a NS 2 73 over my PX-5S, playing through a Traynor K-4. To me, it's a pretty precise and compact rig, and I can get lots and lots of sounds out of it. I also have a pair of EV ELX112P's with an Allen & Heath ZED-10FX mixer that I sometimes use. I am very happy with it all.

Now, just for more woodshedding.

ps......my Privia PX-3 is for sale, and it is in excellent condition.

Do you feel the PX-5S complements the NS2 73 soundwise? What sounds do you use from each? Or do you only use the PX5S as a controller?

Just out of curiosity, as I may eventually get one myself to compliment my NS2 73

Saludos,
Gustavo

I do not have them midi'd together at this time. I'm using each for what it is, basically the Stage 2 73 for organ, and the PX-5S for piano. Mostly because of the action. I'm learning to use them both for the EPs. and I'm just getting started on the synth stuff of both/either of them. Lots of fun in a small package.

h8hoos wrote:I do not have them midi'd together at this time. I'm using each for what it is, basically the Stage 2 73 for organ, and the PX-5S for piano.

In that combo, I would also use the PX-5S to play the acoustic piano sounds in the Stage 2.

I use a PX-5S MIDI'd to an NE4 SW73. Great combo IMO. The ability to use the weighted board of the PX-5S to play the piano and EP sounds on the NE4 is a real pleasure. Then when I want to play the organ, I can hop up to the NE4 SW73 keyboard. For songs like Smooth or Jessica, I use both boards simultaneously...the NE4 for organ and PX-5S for piano. The PX-5S has good acoustic and electric piano sounds that sound different than the NE4 and a killer synth section with the ability to create up to fourteen layer sounds. The PX-5s is a very flexible controller with six flexibly assignable sliders and four flexibly assignable knobs but one minor shortcoming it has with the Nord is that the PX-5S can't broadcast MIDI to any CC with a value 100 or greater. For some reason, Nord didn't use conventional value assignments with some of its controllers as some are over 100.