Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Speaking of the VPC1

Kawai took a fairly big risk introducing the VPC1, a first-of-its-kind high-end piano controller. As a Mac user myself, I would like to see the editor ported to OS X as soon as possible, but I understand why they chose not to invest in developing it for launch. It's an easy thing to follow up with once they've gotten a sense for the market's response to their product. Kawai James has said they're working on it. I don't blame them for hedging their bet a little.

You have got it, fizikisto, I also think VPC with a MAC SW version can be presented as a big selling point on the summer NAMM.

It's a little bit of the hyperbole for which Apple fans like me are justly (in)famous.

The best estimates of OS X market penetration (Gartner, etc.) suggest that OS X holds at most between 7% and 10% market share in the U.S., and quite a bit less than that worldwide.

There's no doubt that OS X is over-represented in the media and creative market segments, but even there it's a minority player in absolute terms.

Hi, MacMacMac, good sharp point as often from You, again wishful or otherwise lazy thinking of us others...

I don't buy this argument. If you wanted to limit your number of customers to match limited production, the best way to do that is to raise the price (and make more profit per unit). Then if your production capacity increases or you get a reduction in demand, you can drop the price and pick up the rest of your customers. I don't think there's any reason to doubt how fast Kawai can make these things - they are probably just testing the market. These sorts of products have never been big sellers, but hopefully they will become more common with the increasing number of software pianos.

Doh! And I saw the promotional video! Doh! Can I get away with saying that playing with the music stand down is all Kawai's fault?


Just walk into a university music school and start looking around and asking students what they use at home. Especially when it comes to composing. At one time, Mac was the only game in town. ms wasn't even considered. If Kawai could sell a VPC to one percent of the computer users out there...they would be in hog heaven. The VPC would be the biggest seller in the DP market. Kawai is addressing the MacIntosh people...not the MacDonald's people.

Lets face it people (and Kawai). A whole lot of those PC's at home are being used for not much else but internet and games.

But let me ask you what it is that you feel you'd NEED to edit that would justify not buying an incredible controller? Would you sit down at a Yamaha and get out your files, pins, and wrenches and start attacking it so it feels a little more like the piano you wish it felt like? Would you change the weights on the action of a Steinway so that the lower registers would play louder according to your personal touch? No.

I think you'd adapt. I think you'd adapt to the piano in front of you and just make music with it. You'd overcome and forget all about those really tiny things that you thought had bothered you about it and just play it and make music. Every acoustic piano is different - even those from the same maker will vary a bit from unit to unit.

The function and purpose of the VPC1 is to control a software piano; be it a sample library, or a modeler. Every one of these software packages has tools within them to make whatever tweaks to touch curves and the like. If one NEEDS to tweak, why can't it just be done there?

I guess I don't understand all of this complaining about what is DOESN'T have from people that haven't even touched it. I don't know. I haven't even downloaded an editor and I doubt I'll ever want to. I just wanna play....

Curt

That is your preference to "just play it and make music" also to never download an editor, I like to tweak my software until I find sounds I'm ultimately happy with because the option's to do so are available. I haven't the knowledge to adjust an acoustic piano but if I weren't happy with it I would pay a technician to adjust it accordingly.

It's not a complaint of not having the editor for Mac because if I were seriously considering purchasing one soon I would do so regardless, I suppose some of us are curious as to Kawai's intent on Mac release.

I totally do NOT get the point of this discussion. It's rather boring to be honest and now we also seem to get lost into an even more dull Mac vs PC discussion. Perhaps we should we start an iPhone vs Galaxy S debate as well , to get more distracted ? There are for sure a few musical Apps that work ONLY on the iOS OR Android. Always very 'interesting' threads to follow...

To summarize and hopefully finalize - so we can go back to the experiences of the first VPC buyers and how they rate the instrument:

1) Right from the moment the VPC was released, some people requested a Mac version of the touch-curve editor. (That's ALL it is; only a utility to tweak some touch curves, apart from the default ones already included - nothing real fancy; the VPC will still work fine without it).

2) Right away Kawai acknowledged this request was noticed and a Mac version is either seriously considered or much more likely, already being developed.

3) In the meantime people with Mac's can use a Parallels PC , or similar solution if they really want to use the Windows version of the editor. That is if you're not happy with the default curves, which is a big "if" and if you really can't hold out till the Mac version is released. By the way , many Mac users already have a VMware or Parallels-like solution for other non-OSX software they might use and it is really quite common and accepted, so I don't see a totally insurmountable problem there.

4) Again, James stated several times that Kawai has heard you and the others and that they are working on it. So give it some time. Making this point over and over again , doesn't change anything.

By the way I'm a loyal Mac user for over 25 years, but still am very unpretentious in what Apple means in the big world of computers and users, which is far far less than they are trying to make you believe. So a little modesty as a Mac user would do no harm. I've seen too much bragging by Apple worshippers and the company itself throughout the years and the same pose almost killed them in the past. If they pursue the current " we're the best and ...the rest" attitude that they picked up (again) the last few years, the same decline for Apple will set in as the last time they decided to live in their arrogant Ivory tower. So a little modesty as Mac user would help; we're not as widespread and important as you might believe. For me I'm grateful if someone develops a good OSX app - but also fully understand it when a company decides ( by real market penetration numbers not imaginary self-importance) that the return on investment is not worth it.

Now back to the VPC reviews and how it actually plays , looks, feels and more. If nothing more interesting show up at Musik Messe , I'll buy one too for sure, regardless of the availability of the Mac editor. It's the keys that count and if I really have to run a utility to use the PC editor so be it. Just my thoughts...

@JFP

"Now back to the VPC reviews and how it actually plays , looks, feels and more."

THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!

Precisely ...Much ado about little.

Well, I am trying to figure out what the attraction is to this product.

I have the ES7 and I cannot find anything that stands out as special about the VPC1 that isn't already there in the ES7 and the ES7 doesn't have to drag around a notebook computer to generate sound and a bunch of electronic equipment in order to get that sound out into the air.

So, enlighten me ... what is it ?

The velocity curve hype ? All that piano software stuff has it built in.

In fairness, I have only been using piano software with Kawai dps so maybe I have been spoiled ... but I have never used a velocity curve for anything other than making sure I can play very ppp volume if I need to. It is pretty simple. Just make it very concave and done.

Now, if the sound I will get from it will be great then my ears perk up but I think I will get the exact same sound I get when I connect my ES7 to my computer and run piano software. So, I cannot find any reason for a purchase.

Any enlightenment is welcomed.

The attraction is that it's cheaper and has a slightly better action than the ES7.

It's what many players have been requesting for quite some time: a professional-class virtual piano controller with the best keyboard action in the business.



The ES7 is an excellent instrument, however the keyboard action of the VPC1 is superior.



Which I believe is testament to the quality of the ES7.
Please continue to enjoy this excellent instrument.

Cheers,
James
x

It's simple ...

Most digital pianos can only sound reasonable when played through a computer-based piano library. So why pay for the piano's built-in crappy sound? Get the VPC ... keyboard only ... and attach it to a computer. It's money well spent on a keyboard, and none wasted on a lame tone generator. It's a great idea.

Well, I guess if I had a software piano sound that I thought was really great, I would feel that way. The problem is that I don't. The sound I get using the software products have always been "not quite" good enough for me. I always seem to have to blend in the sound of my DP for a little crisper attack. So, I would be reluctant to rely on the software sound by itself. But, if that is the draw, I understand. I just do not personally value that as much.

Well, it must be pretty good because the ES7 action is just great.



It truly is. It has cured me of GAS. I am trying to find a reason to buy something but I just am unable to do so. Disappointing !

As the OP its funny to see where this thread has come and gone.

MacMacMac hit the nail on the head. Why spend the extra thousands of dollars for a built-in sound that I'm just going to bypass anyways with piano software?

Well, you would not exactly spending extra thousands of dollars by purchasing a dp which has its own sound. As I expressed, the ES7 is very similar in key action quality and it has a very nice sound and the cost would be approximately the same, maybe a couple hundred dollars difference.

To me, the hassle of having to "connect" to a computer to get a sound and then having to also attach to some external speakers to hear the sound, is just not something I would be comfortable with.

dmd: You've missed the point. Someone (the OP) has made the decision to use a piano library. The hassle of connection must have already been considered and accepted.

As such, any extra spend beyond a keyboard controller is wasted money. That's precisely the target market for the VPC.