Hear hear!

So...it's now almost 23-09. On 08-09 the MP's were released. Since then : zero new info; only a custom pic with a slightly enhanced resolution of the controls. No manual, no sound examples, no news whatsoever. I therefore repeat my question: when can we expect more useful details (price , realistic delivery dates, pre-ordering info). "Beginning next month" , "next week" or "over at least three months" are indications I'm looking for to base my decisions on. Now there's just silence from the direction of Kawai Co. No offense and I know I'm repeating myself, but it's useful for planning time and investments to know just a little bit more. I can imagine getting the new CA-13, CN23/33 to market takes up a lot of time, but nevertheless...

Thanks , J

JFP,



No, on 08-09 the new models were announced - and for the Japanese market only I might add.



The Kawai Japan website has seen new content added on an almost daily basis. Sure, it's in Japanese, but please remember that these new instruments have yet to be formally announced outside of Japan.



Most likely when these instruments are formally announced outside of Japan.



As you have already been informed by Kawai Europe, the pricing of these new instruments has yet to be fixed. However, once the MP10 and MP6 are formally announced, I would anticipate that they will be priced at approximately the same level as the previous generation models they are intended to replace.



How about this:



That sounds like pretty good advice to me.



None taken.

The new MP instruments are clearly highly anticipated, and rightly so. However, I urge you to remain patient and to wait until formal announcements are made by Kawai's overseas subsidiaries.

Kind regards,
James
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James,

Would you have a go at answering a very subjective question? Since you must have played/heard the PHI and UPHI engines many times, can you paint a picture of the differences? How does the responsiveness vary? What kind of subtleties do you hear with UPHI that you don't with PHI? How does the overall experience differ?

I know it's a tall order to answer such subjective questions of nuance, but it would be really helpful to someone like me who may have to make a purchasing decision without the luxury of being able to play/hear these instruments prior to plonking down the cash.

Oh, and could you also summarize the differences between the MP6's EPs and the MP10's?

Hi James, thanks and sorry - I already said I was repeating myself and I agree that I'm bit too impatient.

So..question about the the MP10 ; it seems to have an audio input. I wonder if it was specifically added to enable people to connect the audio output from additional sound sources (like a laptop with plug-ins) and be able to control balance/volume and perhaps some additional parameters from the control surface of the MP10 and use the XLR's of the M10 as the main output to PA/monitors ?

The PX3-BK from Casio has an input and design that was developed for that purpose. Would be a great feature...

J

voxpops, I am reluctant to answer such subjective questions.

Would you be satisfied if I told you that the MP6 acoustic piano and EP sounds are very, very good, and that the MP10 acoustic piano and EP sounds are very, very, very good?

I am obviously delighted to hear that you are seriously considering these new instruments. However, as with any DP - regardless of brand - I strongly recommend play-testing the models thoroughly before you decide to purchase.

Cheers,
James
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Correct.

When used in combination with the built-in USB audio functionality, this allows you to make WAV/MP3 recordings of both the MP10's audio and whatever audio is connected to the LINE IN jacks.

Cheers,
James
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Well, James, while you're in an answering mood, maybe I can satisfy my impatience to know about the MP-10's keyboard action. Say, compared to the K-series or the RX-series, or even the present MP8?

The one area in which I could find no model that was really satisfying, was the action. After all, the rest you can add on (though it's a good move to have more recording and sequencing functionality onboard).

Oh well, it will be November before we know it--- and the next November. One interesting effect of slowing down personally is that time seems to fly by. So why rush to meet it; it will get here soon enough.

Not really. But hey, I didn't really expect you'd want to step into that minefield - worth a try though.

As for the comment about trying them out first - yes that's what I'd love to be able to do, but finding a Kawai stage piano to play in Oregon is like shaking hands with the crew of the Marie Celeste...

Just a suggestion: you could answer in more objective terms. How much sample memory is devoted to the main AP patch? Any stretching? How many layers?

I know, I know, the safety of the free world hinges on you not answering these things.

Somehow I have a feeling poor James is not enjoying being the meat in the sandwich of Kawai's "old fashioned" marketing and non conforming "subsidiaries".
The MP's will arrive (or not) and they will be good (or not) and the world will still turn and nobody save the piano players will be able to tell the difference.
I get to play them both next Friday BTW I will (or won't) let you all know

Dr Popper, you da man (or not)

...no pun intended

Hello everyone,
I am a bit concerned about covering keys(ivory touch ).
If it is true that absorbs sweat, will also be true that easily absorbs dirt.

What do you think?
My hands sweat a lot and I don't want to be with a keyboard difficult to clean.
I easily clean the keyboard of my MP5 with a synthetic leather moistened.

How can you clean this surface ( ivory touch )?....

JAMES ...Does Kawai recommends how to handle this?

IMOLA, Kawai's Ivory Touch key surfaces are designed to absorb finger moisture without dirt permeating into the key itself.



A dampened soft towel should be sufficient.

Kind regards,
James
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Out of curiosity James, do you know if the ivory touch material is the same that is used on Kawai acoustic pianos?

Aaron

I wonder what the panic button is for.

Kawai James flies to the rescue?

Deffie, I'm afraid I don't know - please let me get back to you on that one.

octurn, The PANIC button returns all internal sounds to their default PowerOn setting, and sends the AllNoteOff and ResetAllController MIDI messages to any connect devices.

Cheers,
James
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I should have such a button on my forehead.

James,

No urgency or anything, just curiosity on my part It'd also probably make people feel a bit better about "ivory feel" if they knew it's the same material Kawai uses on their acoustic pianos.

Aaron

Just based on what I know about the prices for Kawai APs and their comparative feature sets, I'd guess 'No.' Neotex key covers seem to make the APs jump as much in price as much as some of the DPs cost for the whole instrument.

Maybe the price point is constructed artificially, maybe it's set to recover the cost of both manufacturing and R&D.

As may be, it has a very nice-feeling touch and very good durability in regular home use.

I have fairly oily skin, and the keys have sometimes felt somewhat oily to the touch. But they never look or feel dirty (as in 'grimy') and have stood up well to gentle cleaning. No wear at all.

Another question for you James,

Does the MP10 let you layer piano sounds to do something similar to what's being discussed in the ongoing CA63/CA93 Custom Settings thread?

Aaron

+1 ...at first sight the control layout seems to be optimised for other purposes, right?...

Wow now this is a surprise.. I had just saved enough money to go grab an MP5 when I discovered they were discontinued. Glad to see there is an MP6 on the horizon..

And for the record, since I dont see that these forums have a "for sale" section, I'd be interested in picking up someone's MP5 if they have one for sale...

Deffie, the Ivory Touch material used for Kawai's digital piano keyboards shares similar properties to that of the Neotex material used for Kawai's mid/high-end acoustic piano instruments.

Neotex is rather more expensive to develop, however, and as Jeff suggests above, it simply would not be cost-effective to use such material on a
digital piano.

Kind regards,
James
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The MP10 uses a new approach to organising sounds, with separate sections for acoustic pianos, electric pianos, subsidiary voices, and MIDI. While it's possible to layer two or more sections together (e.g. a piano sound from the PIANO section and a strings sound from the SUB section), it is not possible to layer sounds from within the same section.

So, to take the custom CA93/CA63 settings thread as an example, I'm afraid it would not be possible to layer two different piano sounds together to create a new sound. This is unfortunate (especially given TADutchman's excellent work developing a variety of new sounds), however it's arguably one of the sacrifices that had to be made in order to successfully implement the new, improved operation.

What I would say however, is that the MP10 (and MP6 - albeit to a slightly lesser extent) offers far greater control over the sounds produced, with additional piano sounds and effects that are not possible on even the latest CA93/CA63 models. So yes, while you do lose the ability to layer two piano sounds together, I honestly believe that you actually gain a considerable amount more in advanced features.

The CA93/CA63 are undeniably superb instruments for players who simply want the best keyboard action and an excellent piano sound in an attractive console piano package. However, the MP10 is definitely the model for folks who want to get stuck-in and really tweak the sound - as we say in the brochure - it's the stage piano for stage pianists.

Cheers,
James
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Sort of what I was expecting, thanks James.

Definitely looking forward to trying an MP10 now.

Aaron

Jeff, sorry for this delayed response.



How does the MP10's keyboard action compared to an acoustic? Gosh, that's a really tough one to answer.

Well, let's start by saying that it's definitely an improvement on the MP8/MP8II action. I know of folks who have traded-in their CA71 ('AWA Grand Pro II' action) for a CA63 ('RM3 Grand' action), and they definitely prefer the newer instrument - both in terms of how it sounds and how it feels.

Obviously comparisons with acoustic instruments are far more difficult to express with words, let alone judge objectively. The overall goal of the keyboard R&D chaps is undoubtedly to develop actions that feel as close to an acoustic as possible. As you'd no doubt expect me to say, 'RM3 Grand' is the best digital piano keyboard action Kawai has ever produced.

One of my colleagues in the US is lucky enough to have both an MP10 development board and an EX concert grand in his workshop. He can play one instrument for ten minutes, then swivel around in his chair to play the other for ten more. He swears that he often gets them mixed-up. Sure, the concert grand will undoubtedly sound a fair bit louder than the MP10 (although I guess that depends on how his amp is setup), but in terms of key touch, he says he doesn't need to make any adjustments to his playing technique.

Does that answer your question?

Cheers,
James
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Here's an abstract from the MP5 user manual:

4 ASSIGNABLE ZONES
The MP5 keyboard can be divided into 4 zones. Each zone can be set to INT, EXT or BOTH individually. INT (Internal) is to play any of the 256 internal sounds. EXT (External) is to play external MIDI devices. BOTH is to play internal sounds and external MIDI devices at the same time. Each zone can be played individually, or multiple zones can be freely split, layered and velocity switched to create stunning and personalized performances.

Does this still apply to the MP6?

Yes, the MP6 operation retains the same overall operation as the MP5.

Cheers,
James
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