If you are a KAWAI CA93/CA63 owner and would like to talk about your favourite settings, you can do it here (in case you have already shared some relevant info before somewhere else and/or at this forum, please make a reference or briefly repeat it here).

Happy to hear your experiences while exploring the full potential of your CA93/CA63!

By the way, here you can find an in-depth review of the KAWAI CA93:
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1492875.html#Post1493614

I'd like to perform the kick-off of this thread with my newly developed dual voice preset with tone colours mainly suitable for smooth but expressive pop music soloing (not for cutting through a heavy mix), with thanks to wower for testdriving:


SHIMMERING PIANO

Dual Voice: Concert Grand, volume 6 + Modern Piano, volume 4

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +1, mid -2, high -4

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 10
2 - 5 Touch: light

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 8

Reverb: Stage

Optional, for a love or hate spacey experience you could add:
Effects: Delay 2, time 1, depth 5



UPDATE: below you can find a direct link to the list generated by ripe_md containing all of my dual voice presets:
Kawai CA93/CA63 Custom Dual Voice Mode Presets Lists

My Ca-63 will be delivered to me in the next few days so I will be very happy if other people share their settings too I will contribute as well. I will really appreciate settings favoring Chopin piano music - mellow and woody tone.

I will see what I can do (or maybe somebody else will beat me to the punch). Anyway, listening to some vintage Chopin recordings could give the necessary inspiration

Most of the time I just use it on the default settings, Concert grand 1, volume about 3 quarters. With or without headphones.

That's one of the best recommendations for the Kawai I have heard yet.

My CA63 has arrived today and I am about to write a post with my first impressions but what I immediately realized was that the keyboard response was somehow too sensitive and fortissimos could be obtained way too easily. I was a little bit disappointed but I opened the manual and changed the touch response to "Heavy" and voila! It's so sweet and so realistic at "Heavy"! I have tried few times to switch back to "Normal" thinking it could be my touch is too rude but no, it's not working that way.

So far that's my hot recommendation - use "Heavy" touch!

I think the sound of piano it is a question of taste, but this thread is a very good idea to share the experience of the CA63 owners.

I have my DP only 1 month ago and I have not spent too much time to reach the sound that I like. I have also tried the demo of Pianoteq: it's another very good tool to ajust the sound, effects, and playability of the piano.

here are my settings, but I will search more combination to find what I really like:

with headphones (I'm using AKG K701 - few hours of utilisation):
----------------------------------------------------------------

Concert Grand 1

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +3, mid +1, high 0
1 - 5 Phones volume: high

Master Volume set to 2/3.

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: normal
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 8
2 - 3 String resonance: 8
2 - 4 Key off effect: 7
2 - 5 Touch: normal

Reverb: Room 2


with speakers:
--------------

Concert Grand 1

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +1, mid +3, high +1
1 - 4 Speakers volume: high

Master Volume set to 2/3.

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: normal
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 9
2 - 3 String resonance: 8
2 - 4 Key off effect: 8
2 - 5 Touch: normal

Reverb: stage

Sorry, the english is not my best...

Okay CyberGene, then try these ones: (and tweak the tone control to your own taste/speaker-system/headphones)


TWO CHOPIN PIANO's

Single Voice: Concert Grand or Concert Grand 2

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +2, mid -4, high -6

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: mellow 2
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 10
2 - 5 Touch: heavy / heavy+ (in case of Concert Grand 2)

Reverb: Hall 1

Howdy folks, this one is really a lot of fun because of it's lively dynamics and not so subtle imperfections:


WESTERN SALOON (CA93 only)

Dual Voice: Rock Piano, volume 5 + Honky Tonk, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +2, mid -3, high 0

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 8
2 - 3 String resonance: 5
2 - 4 Key off effect: 5
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 10

Reverb: Room2

Effects: Chorus, time 1, depth 1

+2

Since the volume on the piano is represented by 10 sections with lines from 0 to 10, 3/4 would correspond to 7.5 which in my opinion is too loud I also use it with the default settings, Concert Grand 1, but with heavy touch and volume at 6. I played yesterday a little and realized something was quite unrealistic about the piano. Then I discovered it was the volume slider which was mistakenly put at 6.5 instead of 6. Even a degree of 0.5 makes such a difference to me! This should depend on the room acoustics as well. But you should really spend time determining the right volume with a great precision because that can be determinative factor for realism.

That's an interestiong perception and explains the findings of spanishbuddha for the CN33 in this post. And perhaps this is the reason, why Andree did not like the CA63 first in the shop (see Impressions of the Kawai CA63) but is enthusiastic at home after he bought the piano (see Impressions "nr 2" of the Kawai CA63).

If someone is shy to play the piano in the shop at adequate volume, it may not sound good.

I can't recognize any differences in sound representation regardless of what volume I play. I use it with loudspeaker on from 2 to about 5, depending on daytime, with headphones it's steadily at about 4 (with Beyerdynamic DT770pro).

Hi Mucci,

If I recall correctly, you are interested in spicing up the standard E-piano sounds. Maybe you've already found some great settings. Anyway, here's a resonant example (hit some bass notes and maybe the furniture will 'sing' along):


INVOLVING E-PIANO

Dual Voice: Classic E-piano, volume 5 + Modern E-piano 2, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: loudness

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 5 Touch: light

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 10

Reverb: Stage

Effect: Chorus, rate 4, depth 5

Recently, I was listening to an acoustic piano recording @ Classic FM radio and with this big and dynamic sounding patch I was able to blend in my live playing surprisingly well.

So, according to my ears, here's a candidate for really blowing the factory standard user memory out of the water (i.e. the settings when you switch on your CA93/CA63, which can be changed). Any feedback or suggestions are welcome, after testdriving I mean.


BRILLIANT CLASSICAL PIANO R1.0

Dual Voice: Concert Grand, volume 5 + Studio Grand, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +4, mid 0, high 0

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 8
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 9

Reverb: Stage / Hall 1

Effect: Delay 2, time 3, depth 2


// see below for updated version(s)

I tried this, but I prefer Normal. But then, I have no experience with playing 'real' pianos and so I don't have a piano to compare it to. However, when I had a play on my folks' upright Bluthner I had no problems switching.



I do feel the keys vibrating if the volume is quite loud, which is a nice feeling. Whether it is realistic or not, I don't know :o).

Andy T

Yes, that's indeed realistic. I like it very much too. It's not a different sound though.

Let's do something else: why not mix a grand with an E-piano? Kind of tricky to 'pull it off' (string wise), but this combination seems to morph just fine...


DREAMY TREMOLO HYBRID

Dual Voice: Studio Grand, volume 5 + Modern E-piano, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +3, mid 0, high +3

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 10
2 - 4 Key off effect: 10
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 9

Reverb: Stage

Effect: Tremolo, rate 6, depth 6

TADutchman, thanks a lot for providing us with your custom settings! I like all of them very much, and have saved them as a patch. Keep up the excellent work!

BTW, the sound I play almost all the time is a blend of CA63 (simple Concert Grand with hall 2) and Pianoteq Player using my Netbook. This sounds so realistic and sweet with all the resonances, and with a realistic basic sound signature (unlike the native Pianoteq basic sound signature which is quite thin). That way the best of two worlds (great sounding piano sample from CA63 and superb piano resonances from Pianoteq) combines to a unique piano sound experience on a DP.

Thanks for your feedback, mucci.

Just wondering, are you mainly playing your CA63 with headphones? I'm guessing because combining a piano patch with the long (RT60) Hall 2 reverb doesn't normally yield the most direct 'acoustic like' experience over loudspeakers from a player's perspective...

I'm playing mostly through headphones (I'm an "afterwork evening player"). But even through loudspeakers the setting is fine, I then just turn off the reverb completely on the CA63, the Pianoteq reverb is sufficient then.

This patch could be quite comfortable for quick live demonstrations, because matching timbre variations are possible by simply changing the layered voice.


EASY GRAND SLAM

Dual Voice: Concert Grand, volume 5 + Concert Grand 2 / Mellow Grand / Studio Grand / Pop Piano / Modern Piano / Rock Piano

1. Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +2, mid -3, high -5

2. Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 10
2 - 3 String resonance: 5
2 - 4 Key off effect: 5
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

Reverb: Hall 1 / Stage

About improving the factory user memory settings:
Thanks a lot for your on/off-line feedback and suggestions on the 'BRILLIANT CLASSICAL PIANO R1.0' patch, guys!

After some further finetuning, my wife also had a close listen. That could be considered an essential quality assurance step, with her very critical ear for anything classical.
@KAWAI James: the only issue found is that there's some nasty phasing going on at the lowest note A (not hitting that one frequently though). Another remark is that damper and string resonance seem to be weaker at setting 10 than at setting 9 when using dual voice. Some minor firmware tweaking could probably solve that (or is it just perception? Please verify).


BRILLIANT CLASSICAL PIANO R2.0 - optimized for live playing (EQ and reverb can be adjusted for use with specific headphones)

Dual Voice: Concert Grand, volume 5 + Studio Grand, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +3, mid 0, high +6

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 9
2 - 3 String resonance: 9
2 - 4 Key off effect: 8
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 9

Reverb: Stage

Effect: Delay 2, time 3, depth 2


Now, I'm even more convinced of the classical qualities of this second release: Piano resonances are more pronounced and dynamic timbre changes are just incredible.
@Mucci: personal preferences left aside (e.g. huge reverb), I would be really surprised if you could approach this level of timbre and sheer sound quality with a combination of the standard factory user memory and pianoteq (but please prove me wrong in a side by side comparison). By the way, I've tested pianoteq a while ago, so I know quite well what it sounds like separate from a DP

TADutchman, thanks for the new release! I'll check it when I'm back home! I would love to prove you're right that this is even better than V1.0! It'll then get a special place on my register! Maybe this can even improve the Pianoteq layer sound, let's try...

I tested the new release 2.0 of your custom setting Yesterday - well it's not that much different to the first one, but still it's great and provides lots of variations in your playing. I'll keep it!

Expanding dynamic range + richer variation of tone colours is what I was looking for, so thanks for the compliment, mucci.

General note: so far, I could not check any tonal differences with a CA63 myself. Live experiences may vary between CA63 and CA93, because of technical differences in the speaker-system, sample signature is identical though. Using similar headphones (excellent Sennheiser HD595 in my case) should at least yield a similar soundstage. Nevertheless, a CA93 sounds superior live compared to any pair of headphones I have auditioned until now (would be nice to try an HD800 though).

I still think the main piano sound is the most realistic approach to a real grand piano (if you have to use only the CA63 and not external software). Maybe it depends on what people are looking for and whether they have played extensively on acoustic pianos. I find most of the combinations here interesting and a fun to play for few minutes but whenever I need to just enjoy playing Chopin, Debussy (even Bach whose music is not that demanding in regards to the sound) I prefer the main Concert Grand with no tweaks at all, except for heavy touch (and Hall 2 reverb if on headphones).

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what you've done TADutchman Congratulations on the good work!

Thanks for your comments, CyberGene.
Indeed, it's all about people's preferences and past experiences. Some of the combinations here are even geared towards what some latest generation Yamaha or Roland owners may find very attractive in a piano sound signature, and in some cases may even exceed that. This is possible because of the exceptional tweakability of the CA93/CA63, but most of us did buy a Kawai for the excellent acoustic like action and involving Concert Grand sound signature, right?

Oh yeah, give me that big fat funky bass, mamma!


FUNKY GROWL SOLOING

Dual Voice: Classic E-piano, volume 5 + Clavi, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +6, mid +6, high 0

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 5 Touch: light+

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 9

Reverb: Room 2

Effect: Chorus, rate 1, depth 10

Here's a slight tone control tweak to my previous user memory setting BRILLIANT CLASSICAL PIANO R2.0. By the way, some people only familiar with AP's were visiting yesterday and they were checking whether there really are no real strings inside my CA93, which was quite a funny experience (they needed quite some time to understand and figure it out, still being surprised by the full sound):

1. The settings below are for playing live and for using headphones (HD595 in my case) with the same standard user setting, which is quite comfortable in practice! You'd better choose upfront which type of reverb you prefer and store that with the rest of the custom user settings: either the direct player's approach with Stage or the more ambient Hall 2.

2. With this user memory setting, I don't need to make any changes to the Master Volume when switching between playing live and headphones anymore, which again makes life easier. Don't know if this works out the same for the CA63 though and it also depends on your headphones' response of course.

3. For the finishing touch, I moved my CA93 a tiny one inch further away from the wall. This has the noticable positive effect of a surround sound equalizer (in lack of a better word). Reminds me of the expression that photographers tend to use: the difference between a good and a bad picture is just one inch (the effect is less dramatic here though).


BRILLIANT CLASSICAL PIANO R2.1

Dual Voice: Concert Grand, volume 5 + Studio Grand, volume 5

1 Basic Settings
1 - 3 Tone control: low +3, mid +1, high +3

2 Virtual Technician
2 - 1 Voicing: dynamic
2 - 2 Damper resonance: 9
2 - 3 String resonance: 9
2 - 4 Key off effect: 8
2 - 5 Touch: heavy

3 Key Settings
3 - 4 Layer dynamics: 9

Reverb: Stage / Hall 2

Effect: Delay 2, time 3, depth 2