Have you played with the similar feature on the Nano Piano? I'm curious how the systems compare in ease and in their ability to really provide an improvement.

Yes, I have. They are both extremely easy to use, and if you don't like the result you can just try again. The Kawai gives you two user curve memories, the Numa just the one; but in the Numa you have the option to store any of the touch settings (including the user one) with each individual patch - in the Kawai it appears to be global.

I think the improvement was marginally greater in the Kawai, but for a definitive answer I'd have to play around with them quite a bit more. But, for me, there was definitely an improvement with both systems over the standard curves.

James, I'm a bit confused. What is the present status of the new firmware update for MP6? Is there a new version of the owner's manual, or will you be working on this new version for MP6 shortly? I hope you will be writing it. If so, I'll look forward to get a copy from you.

Also, my apology to make a little sidetrack announcement on this thread: I just bought my first digital piano, a MP6. As a piano newbie, I feel that I don't deserve a nice piano such as MP6. But learning to play piano is on my bucket list, so I took the liberty to splurge.

By reading the postings on this forum, I've learned a lot about digital piano; but just as importantly, I've come to know many of you well, and now I feel like I have friends from all over the world. And what wonderful friends you all are.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experience. It is through learning from you that I've developed the confidence to make this acquisition. Now it's time to learn how to play it; if only learning to play the piano is as easy as learning to buy one.

A few quick first impressions:

1. There had been concerns about the packaging of MP10. My MP6 arrived very well packaged. The box exterior was in good shape, and there was no visual damage for the content either. I haven't checked out everything yet. MP6 has enough capabilities and complexities that it will take me a while to learn it, and to check it out.

2. There were concerns about key gaps in earlier models of MP10. The keys on my MP6 are evenly spaced.

3. The MP6 is solidly built. It also sounds wonderful, to this newbie's ears anyway.

My only complaint is on the owner's manual. It's obvious that, whoever authored it, knows this piano well, and perhaps too well. It seems that the author had assumed everyone to be just as knowledgeable about digital piano as the author himself. Many terms are left unexplained. To avoid confusion, some of the wordings could be more precise. The absence of a glossary and an index does not help. I hope that whoever will be writing the owner's manual will be more sympathetic to users, experienced and inexperienced alike.

Voxpop, I may be wrong (James can correct me) but I think the first 5 banks of Drawbar are sampled, whereas the last 3 are the clonewheel engine. I find the engine more pleasing, but I'm really not an organ expert You should check out if you like the last 3 better.

Hi Talaf, I was only referring to the last three banks (the tonewheel section), not the first 5 sampled banks.

voxpops, thank you for your honest appraisal of the MP6.

I've always been a little disappointed with the Nord's Wurlitzer, and while I've not played the MP6 recently, I think I may actually prefer its Wurli patch to what's currently in my Electro 3. I should point out that I've never actually played the real thing, however despite much tweaking on my E3, I'm unable to get that warm, early 70's Donny Hathaway sound that I love so much.

Cheers,
James
x

YoungH, thank you for your sharing your initial impressions of the MP6 - congrats on your new stage piano!

To answer your queries:



To the best of my knowledge, the MP6 software update is effectively complete, however there are still a few bureaucratic boxes that must be ticked before the update files can be made publicly available. This is perhaps related to the number of fixes/changes made to the software in this update - all of which have to be checked, double-checked, and then officially approved.



I have already completed updating the existing MP6 owner's manual to include information and revised instructions for the new/changed features. However, I'm afraid there are no plans to undertake a full rewrite of the documentation...at least not unless voxpops' much-desired MP7 ever gets off the ground.

I recently completed owner's manuals for two new instruments - one being the KCP80 (predominantly for the East Asian market), the other for a model that has yet to be formally announced. From now, I will turn my attention to two more owner's manuals for new instruments.



I wholeheartedly agree, and I'm sure many other folks dotted around the globe share exactly the same feeling - that's what makes this place such a great forum.



I believe this is a fair criticism. With the exception of the MP10, the MP documentation has typically been prepared by members of the engineering team, with each successive generation of instruments updating the previous model's documentation.

It could be argued that the target audience of MP owners is perhaps a little more technology-oriented than that of traditional console type DPs, and would therefore appreciate the stripped-down presentation and concise writing style. However, I expect that a large number of other users, such as yourself, would appreciate clearer, more descriptive documentation.

Perhaps if my work schedule opens up later in the year, I can look into rewriting the English language MP6 owner's manual, however please understand that it may be difficult to justify such a project for an instrument that has already shipped and is selling well.

Kind regards,
James
x

Well, I have to confess, I was going on my (shaky) memory of the Nord! But it's funny, isn't it, that the Wurlitzer gets slightly short shrift on many boards, compared with the Rhodes emulation. I don't think I've come across one that doesn't make me wish I still had my EP200A (sold in 1983). There is a warmth and depth to the real thing that just gets lost in translation, and very few boards can recreate the full range of sweet to very nasty that the is the essence of the original.

As for today's patches, it'd be worth trying the Kurzweil Wurlitzer sounds - I think their Austin Wurly is among the best attempts. Also the GEM modeled Wurli is pretty darn good.

Perhaps we should lobby Clavia to release some decent-sized EPs, including a selection of Wurlis and an a proper multi-velocity Pianet!

Either that, or wait for Korg's SV-2...

Cheers,
James
x

Yes, I'm with you on that. I'm actually quite surprised that the Nord Wurli has taken a back seat for so long. I don't think it's really changed since the original Electro. Even their newer Rhodes samples are tiny.

There are a lot of hopes riding on that SV-2. Don't disappoint, Korg!

The classic corporate problem:

"It's not selling, so we don't want to put more resources into it."

"It's selling well, so we don't need to put more resources into it."

I like the Wurli patches on the Kurzweil. Not a fan of the Nord's.

You know, like Vintage Vibe and the revived Rhodes, I don't think it would be too difficult for an enterprising engineer to come up with a new "Pianet". They were compact and lightweight, and had a unique vibe. Any takers?

Yes, but James is keen on customer support (in all its forms), so things may change a little at Kawai.

Going by this link I found on the web today, the sample Flash (or whatever) is probably lurking on the back of the MP6 controller board. Any chance of a shot of that?

Sorry, dewster, it's all put back together and ready for action!

This is going to sound a trifle stupid. Up to now, I've been tweaking voicing parameters and other menu settings on the MP6, trying to dial out the harshness and short upper note decay. All I really ended up doing was making the sound more synthetic - the "mellow" voicing seems to compress the high end rather unnaturally, and adding decay time (anything more than +1) tends to create a synth-like decay pattern. All along, the solution (or at least a measurable proportion of it) lay literally at my fingertips, in the form of the EQ parameters.

I had wrongly assumed that messing with the EQ would simply upset the tonal balance - e.g. muffling the sound. However, by substantially reducing the highs (-5 or a little more) and just boosting the mids a little around 1000hz, it has dramatically improved the sound. The upper mids now sound smoother, with less of the brittle, hard edge; and because the highs are not so accentuated, their quick decay seems less pronounced. The mid boost adds a tad of richness to the overall sound. There is a small tradeoff in that the very top notes are less balanced - more thud, less ring - but that seems a small price to pay for a more playable instrument. And it is a good deal more enjoyable to play like this.

I feel dumb for not having tried this rather obvious solution earlier - especially since it's right there on the control panel. I will have to raise my star-rating to four out of five, now (I'd give it even more if there were a few more velocity layers)!

thanks voxpops for this simple tweak.

You're welcome, knotty. Let us know if you have any suggestions from your perspective.

Never underestimate the power of basic filtering.

Ah, if all DP issues could be dealt with via the front panel. It takes more than a filter to fix looping and too few velocity layers.