Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Kawai ES7 user thread

I use a Bose L1 system (the full one, with one bass module, not the compact) with a Kawai ES4, and I find it works great. When I was looking, I was able to set up my keyboard between the Bose Compact and the full L1 at a Guitar Center, and toggle back and forth... and I really liked the sound of the larger one better, though the compact system was quite decent. You're going to hear stereo from the piano's speakers no matter what. I use one 1/4 cord from the L/Mono output to go to the Bose, and the Kawai combines the two channels for stereo. You can also run stereo to the Bose, and it will combine them there; but the Bose is a mono source (which is really more appropriate for any venue larger than a small room anyway).

The larger ones can often be found used for around $1000. And you have four channels (two line level, two with mic preamps), so I've often run vocals and a fiddle through the same unit as well for St Pat's Day gigs and square dances.

Good luck!

On page 26, under effects, the ES7 manual states "Pressing the ^ and v VALUE buttons simultaneously alternates the speed of the rotary simulation between "Slow" and "Fast" effect modes."

I found that doing that changes the sound from whatever you're playing to Concert Grand.

After experimenting, it turns out that to alternate the rotary effect speed, you need to press both ^ and v MENU buttons, not VALUE buttons.

Anyway, if anyone else runs into this problem, that may be the solution.

Thank you ColoRodney.

This was an error in the original version of the ES7 owner's manual, but fixed in subsequent versions.



The latest version of the ES7 owner's manual PDF can be downloaded from the Kawai Japan support pages below:

http://www.kawai.co.jp/worldwide/support/manuals.html

Kind regards,
James
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Oh! Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, when I searched for "Kawai ES7 Manual" on Google, it took me to this manual, which has the same mistake:

http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/digital/ES7/OM/ES7_EN_20120308.pdf

Maybe the revised manual should be put on the kawaius.com site as well as the main Japan site.

I agree. I'll send another request to the folks at Kawai America on Monday.

Cheers,
James
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It seems this thread has been quiet for a little while, so I just wanted to say 'Hello' as a new ES7 user. I've only had mine for a week, so 'we' are still getting acquainted.

Six years ago (at age 55) I decided it was time to pursue my dream of learning the piano. I have never regretted taking the plunge. I started with a Kimball console, then upgraded to a Yamaha U3 last year. However, occasionally I practice early in the morning or later in the evening...so a DP comes in handy.

I look forward to reading the earlier posts and learning how to get the most out of the ES7.

The comparison between your es7 and the ysg 635 would be interesting. I use Yamaha's Dgx650 (had the 630) and the es7 was a contender at the time. But in the shop, you never really get to hear these at their best.. . Also the DP and acoustic comparison! Maybe well get to hear you over at Adult Beginners. . .Have fun!

Peterws, the first differences were more realistic key weight, the ivory touch of the Kawai, and speaker strength. I'm just beginning to tweak the piano tones, but even out of the box I was impressed with the ES7. The YPG 635 has plenty of capabilities of its own and more voices than the Kawai, but I didn't find many of them to be useful to me. It was a good choice for a first DP and has served me well-but as my skills developed, I wanted my DP practice to more closely resemble the sessions on my acoustic.

As for the U3, it was a tough decision between this particular piano and a reconditioned Kawai professional upright. I would have been happy with either. This U3 just happened to have the mellow tone that I favor.

Well, it's almost 2 years since I bought my ES7. Next 12/27 the warranty will expire.
So I thought it was an ideal moment to come back to weird tones and such things, just in case...
I've recorded a couple of tracks where I just play black keys in the fifth octave (above c5). My goal was to demonstrate that g#5 has a weird decay, shorter than adjacent notes, plus a strange noise, some electronic thing, toy-like.
To my surprise, I've discovered that when I record them...well, I guess it's better not to describe it. Judge it by yourselves:
(Clarification: Sounds are in default mode, reverb off, +3 gain and then amplified up to -2,5 db using Audacity, usb recording exported into flac)

Studio Grand 1
https://soundcloud.com/mabraman/wudio-001

Concert Grand 1
https://soundcloud.com/mabraman/weird-001


A lemon?

Well, the things you have mentioned can all be the result of a number of different ways the user is striking / holding the keys, etc ...

I would just ask you ... Are you bothered by these "imperfections" as you play ?

If so, explain it to the seller and/or the manufacturer and see what they will do for you ?

If not, forget it and enjoy playing it.

Thanks for the listening, Don. Obviously, this affects my enjoyment.
Does your ES7 make the same sound? Could you please record those same notes for me to compare?

I must say that keys where played smoothly, in the piano or mezzopiano dynamic.
When you play them stronger, the weird decay is not noticeable, but the sound is not the same than in the rest of the instrument, it seems a toy.

Nothing to do with the player, nor the settings.

Don't you hear it buzzing? Do you really believe this is a characteristic of its sound? Really? Hard to believe.

I beg other users to record something similar. Black notes from c#5 on. Smooth and then normal, in order to compare.
Thanks in advance.

I share the files here, maybe someone could show the waveforms or something.I'm trying to make them big enough with no success.
I really didn't expect that buzzing when I made the recording. But listening to the test via the piano sound system (so before I amplified it) it was already there.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2amIeYfwGQsZEVYWGxJZmdiaFU/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2amIeYfwGQsb3Zid3VJYllxQmc/view?usp=sharing

I am not really set-up to record stuff like that.

Besides that, nothing we do or say here will have any affect on your enjoyment of your sound.

If you are unhappy with it, bring that to the attention of the seller or manufacturer. In the end, they are the ones you are going to have to convince that you have a "Lemon".

OR ... sell it and buy something else.

Those are pretty much your options.

Good Luck

I'm not trying to convince anyone about anything, but asking for another ears to listen to the tracks. Besides, I thought that maybe some other users of this same equipment would be kind enough so as to make some comparison. Perhaps it's not just my unit, who knows.
I see you won't.
I've been paying attention to my studies more than to any noise or strange tone, last year. But now warranty is about to expire, so I retake this issue.
Well, I'll post any news after I get it checked.

That definitely sounds a bit weird in your clip of the Studio Grand. It's not just on G# but I can hear the kind of metallic scraping sound like a violin playing in all the decays in your sound clip. You said you didn't notice it on the other notes while playing, so I wonder if it's an artifact that has crept in somehow (adding gain, converting to MP3...)? Do you hear it direct from the piano when you listen carefully? I assume you recorded and uploaded to Soundclound in WAV format, though I think the playback over the web is compressed.

I tried it on my CA95 and I don't get those scraping noises, but G#5 on the Studio Grand does have a weird buzzy decay, which I'm going to chalk up to string resonance (on the acoustic, not the digital after-effect) and inconsistent sampling. Here, I uploaded it to Soundcloud.

One funny thing I noticed was that a lot of the keys for the Studio Grand in the upper register use the Concert Grand sample from a semitone below. Try G5 on Concert Grand and it should be the same as your problematic G#5 on the Studio Grand. Another clear example is A6 on the Studio Grand, which lacks the percussive resonance in the attack that you have on the Concert Grand A6, but play A#6 on the Studio Grand and it's there, because it's the same sample as A6 from the Concert.

Honestly you're opening a can of worms if you listen too closely to the notes. I just noticed a whole bunch of weirdnesses about those upper notes (particularly around string resonance in the samples, and abrupt cutoffs in the decay). The samples aren't the best if you are a stickler for detail, but I think the overall effect when you play is OK.

BINGO !

These sounds come from sampling sounds from acoustic pianos. By their very nature they will not all have identical characteristics. They take samples in hopes of getting some sort of an average sound for a specific type of keypress. If they re-did the sampling process they would have similar but different results. So, I do not think we can hold them to some sort of ear test of perfection. They do the best they can and it is what it is.

To be fair I think what mambraman was asking was whether there is something wrong with his unit specifically, which is a very valid concern.

Thanks Lolatu. It's clear now that one basic sample is common to every Kawai, from CN series to CS. Nothing new.
Don, let me say that you are one of those you ask for potatoes and gives you onions. Are you reading the posts you answer to? Lolatu got it at first sight.
The problem with that awful decay is less evident when you play, BUT IT'S DEFINETLY THERE, all the time, as a wave of tiny electronic buzzings, rings and the like. It's not a characteristic, it's a mistake. If this was not just my unit,I would say one of the characteristics of Kawai sample is that it's horrible in the fifth octave.You can hear it when you play, and it will ruin any recording.
When you record it (wav) is even more noticeable. I linked Audacity files in order to anyone could see the waveforms and how stereo channels work (I'm not familiar with such things, but one channel is clearly different to the other during the decay, and there is something abrupt happening).
With regards to obssessive listening of single notes...well, when you play and try to make a note sing, you need to listen carefully to it. Those who advice not to do this...are really trying to make music? I understand, now, how delighted you are with your ES7.

I have listened to these recordings and can certainly hear 'something' in the decay of the note. However, I wonder how much this is influenced by the gain +3 control, in addition to the amplification in Audacity, then exporting, then uploading to SoundCloud where the file is re-encoded to 128 kbit MP3.

I made a quick recording of the Concert Grand playing the same notes - I have not used the gain setting or amplified the volume, etc. - do you still hear the same characteristic? If not, I would also suggest you try recording and listening to the note without any additional adjustments, to see if any of the processing stages you are performing are introducing noises and adversely affecting the sound.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cftftncub6z3o0d/Concert%20Grand_ES7.wav?dl=0

I also tried downloading the other files you provided, but these appear to be Audacity Project files (small XML/text files) and do not include any wave data.

If you have any concerns, my recommendation would be to raise them with your dealer and/or local distributor.

Kind regards,
James
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Thanks for your attention James. I thought .au files would content some audio, now I know they only save one project's parametres. Anyway, the audio files could be downloaded from Soundcloud and run into Audacity, if anyone is interested.
The buzzing weird decay on g#5 is always present, it's independent from any setting or recording procedure, though I agree it's the first time I've heard such a buzzy decay in the wole scale. I'll give it another go today if I can.
With regards to the gain, should I remember you that in the last software update the gain was set by default at higher values? Mine is lower than default, now.
I guess if your technicians set a higher gain level they must have tested it.
Amplification is to -2,5 db. Low enough so as to avoid any distortion (well, so I thought).
Yours sound better and cleaner to my ears, nothing to complain about.
Mine does sound worse at any time. It's not a matter of settings, though some settings may mask the deffective sounds.
By the way, I remark that it's in the pp to mp range where it shows more. If you play with decision, from mf on, is less evident, the harder you play.
In this case, the rocording is quite fidel to what I hear through headphones. It's also audible via speakers.
May I ask you how are you able to record so clearly without using the gain setting. Didn't you amplify the track after playing it, at all? I can't believe such volume in a non-amplified ES7 recording.