Thanks Mike, its a pet peeve of mine with my PX-330 the labels are unreadable in a dark room / stage.
This looks like the top labels will be easily readable.

Normally I'd agree with you but style people are on a rampage lately. They take perfectly designed and functional items like garden shears, toothbrushes, sneakers, etc. and make them look like they came from mars while often removing essential features.

Can anybody explain the differences between a regular sequencer, and the 8 track/1000 phrase jobbie that this one has?

Marvin,
While the Phrase sequencer on the PX-5S could be used to built entire songs, the PX-5S isn't really a workstation. Phrases on the PX-5S can be triggered LIVE from the keyboard. It could be riff or pattern of any kind that you can assign a key or range of keys. The phrase will transpose within the specified range as well.

I'll be adding sounds to the list here:

https://soundcloud.com/casiomusicgear/sets/privia-pro-px-5s

Note that we had the key-release sound on the rhodes sound turned up really high for demo purposes, but it is too loud in this recording. You'll be able to adjust this yourself.

Thanks for the quick reply, Mike.

Btw, that clav-wah sound is deadly! Wow!

Mike,
Does the PX-5S have synth sounds like the XW-P1 or is the synth sound strictly limited to the Hex layer?

It does not have the monophonic solo synth. The hex layer mode is similar in name only. Is a completely different animal on the PX-5S. There is also dramatic control over any of the regular tones, much more so than XW.

Scrap the two tone plastic toy look ....

The color isn't going to change at this point.

Mike,
Does that mean that it has synth patches like the PX-350. Can you load new sounds into it or are you only able to edit the onboard sounds? Will there be firmware updates that will enhance this product?

A suggestion, can you make the LCD bigger? seems like the LCD is small (it won't even display "grand piano concert" fully). see how the LCD has giant bezel around it, it could stand the LCD could use some biggining, perhaps on the PX-6S?

It has individual synth patches with full editing and insert effects. You change the sound of everything. Each category of sound has user banks. Firmware updates are possible but not guaranteed.

As long as we're talking about fundamental design changes for a future model, I'd like to get away from those thin rectangular buttons. Or at the very least, create more empty space between them. When two buttons practically butt up against each other, it makes it much harder to do things by feel, and much easier to accidentally hit an adjacent button. The buttons on older models like the PX-310 were much nicer to use.

Mike,

Does this mean that you will not be able to load new sounds or share user sounds? Watching you in one of the videos I thought you described that you would be able to load new sounds and that Casio would have sound libraries at some point. (It is all a blur, reading comments and watching videos, so I could be confused. It would take a lot of time to study everything I have read to find references to post ).

Yes you'll be able to load and share custom patches.

You don't need a larger display to fit a title. You only need one if the content is illegible. The name is not as important as familiarity with its sound. They could use shorter names like Piano1, Piano2, and so on. They could make a chart for the manual defining what each name is: Piano1 = Grand Piano Concert

The display size might become less of an issue given that some of the NAMM videos showed the PX5S can have its patches controlled via an ipad. One assumes that there could be more detail on the ipad screen about the various patches and settings.

Then fire the nutcases responsible and move onto the PX-6

It's possible that you are too attached to the piano motif. The PX5S is not a digital piano. It is breed of synthesizer with weighted keys. Look at the diversity of models in synthesizers past and present, including Casio, Oberhiem, E-mu systems, Moog, Farfisa, Arp, Korg, Sequential Circuits, Roland, Kurzweil, Alesis, Yamaha, etc. in the world of synthesizers the PX5S is beautiful. I suspect that you are mesmerized by UDS, ugly duckling syndrome. The PX5S is not a duck. It is a swan.

It's ugly. Period.

And it's absolute great in terms of features and control.

If it has professional aspirations as a killer board , why not give it a professional look instead of a toy exterior. It will help generating even more sales and acceptation among demanding customers.

I'm not attached to pianos at all ... I own far more synth's including nearly all the brands you have listed the most beautiful keyboard I own is my Yamaha DX1. As a Synth ..the PX-5S is ugly... as a stage piano its horrendous. My main point is who on earth approves these things ? Do they not question the styling ?

This is my point exactly ...there was no need to give it the silly colour scheme. It just makes it look cheap and not a professional instrument. Yamaha's PSR's and Tyros's are amazingly boards with great features yet no professional would be caught dead on stage playing one for years because of they way they look. Last year Yamaha brings out a black pro looking Tyros and presto ...a few have appeared on stages now.

Yamaha's PSR's and Tyros's are amazingly boards with great features yet no professional would be caught dead on stage playing one for years because of they way they look. Last year Yamaha brings out a black pro looking Tyros and presto ...a few have appeared on stages now.

Really?? That makes professionals look petty, superficially minded and monstrously conservative if this is the real reason they would not use those keyboards.

Maybe but it's a fact ... Image is important often more important then the music ... It's how you get Keisha

I actually like the looks of the PX5S. Black on Black is too damn hard to see. Of course appearance is subjective but the PX5S also looks to be quite functional as well.

I think the point is made about the looks of the new PX5S - now let them (Casio) chew on it. Perhaps Mike can bring over the remarks without being fired ;-) And congratulate them simultaneously on bringing out such a great piece of equipment ! It seems to be really good, it's just....you know...

I think the black bit on the end looks sort of alluring, like a woman wearing one of those black and white gowns:



Greg.

Yes, fair enough - it's true. But what do you mean by Keisha? Wiki lists these possibilities:


Keisha Buchanan, a singer-songwriter
Keisha Castle-Hughes, a film actress
Keisha Jackson, an R&B singer
Heather Keisha Hunter, major porn star, minor rap artist
Keisha Kane, a porn star
Keisha White, an R&B singer
Keisha-Dean Soffe, a weightlifter
Keisha (Raquel Rene Rios), a porn star