In regards to pedals, I currently have the Yamaha FC3A which has the half-damper capability. Didn't look like the Casio PX160 would support this with the pedal jack so I found this online:
https://www.audiofront.net/MIDIExpression.php
Attaches your pedal as an independent MIDI device to your PC.
I'll post an update once I receive it and see how it works.
]]>Thanks for your input. According to this: http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2015/09/...Price.html
The half damping is possible with the PX160, but with the more expensive tri-pedals which only fit with the stand.
I have the triple pedals, and tied the bar across the bottom of my X-stand. It works fine with Pianoteq.
You get three levels of damping:
. . . dampers down;
. . . dampers up;
. . . an intermediate level of damping, which you can set in the PX-160 menu system.
At least, you can set it in the PX-350 menu system. You might want to check the PX-160 manual, and make sure it's adjustable.
Yes, the Casio action is better than Yamaha's GHS.
. Charles
]]>In the price range nothing beats the PX-160 IMHO. But pay a little more and you'll have a lot more options. Studiologic controller with Fatar wood keys eg (semi-wood really but very nice for the price). Or try the Roland FP-30. Cannot recommend Kawai ES100 at all. It feels dead, clunky and cheap to me. Kawai make great - if not the best - digital piano keyboards - but you have to pay more for them. Buying new, ES8 would be the cheapest I could recommend. But if it's for pianoteq onl get the VPC1. Otherwise you could get lucky buying used MP9000 or MP9500 in good nick e.g. still pull their weight (and their weight is heavy indeed). MP11 is fantastic but ~5x the price of a Casio PX-160 - not in the same league.
Buying second hand a PX-150 is a good cheap option. It's basically the same as a PX-160. Check out what a PX-150 with Pianoteq can do on Robert Dimbleby's channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpcmhD...wFzZi7F_OQ
Wow, your post was really helpful. Did you take any pictures of the inside?
No, but trust me, it's a lot of work to take it apart. From what I can tell people seem to like some Roland actions. I'm trying to find the Model number of a Synth / Piano that was discussed on this forum in another thread. It's more expensive, but I think a good synth makes a lot of sense to drive the Pianoteq voice. I have a rack mounted Roland Super JX-10 and D-50. The Super JX-10 which was a digitally controlled analog synthesizer can create amazing color washes that can really fatten up a piano sound if cross velocity is used to combine the two instruments. In other words, the harder or louder you play the piano the less you hear the strings. In contrast the softer you play the piano, the stronger the strings come out. It works great. Casio string sounds are horrible. Completely worthless from my perspective. In fact really good strings seem to be really difficult to synthesize. Many synths just produce as nasty buzz they claim to be strings. I have been suggesting that Pianoteq attempt to create orchestral strings, but so far there doesn't seem to be much interest in the idea. As for the piano voices themselves, I derive great pleasure from the Pianoteq voices. They can sound big at low volume levels which is great for practicing at home. Pianoteq is the most musical electronic voice I have ever experienced. Modartt has done an amazing job and I feel the voices represent great value. They really do virtualize the magnificence of very expensive grand pianos at a small fraction of the cost. Not to mention the fact that wooden pianos are expensive to maintain and are difficult to transport. As far as I can see traditional pianos are out of fashion except for institutions, concert halls, and the very wealthy. From a practical point of view, in the home, Pianoteq is the way to go. I have to go for my morning walk but I'll edit this post later when I find out what Roland keyboard piano / synth they were discussing. The action is considered to be good.
Edit:
The Roland Synth / Piano is the Juno DS-88
http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=4767
I can attest to the fact that certain of the keys begin to make kicking sounds over time and the key bed is somewhat noisy in general. I have successfully removed the click from specific keys, but disassembling and reassembling the Casio is fairly complex and takes a significant amount of time. Also I was never able to completely remove an individual key from the key bed
The noise can be stopped in some cases by lubricating the key with food grade silicone grease. The "weighted" action comes from a blanced steel bar under the shorter plastic key which is hinged at the very back. The very front of the plastic key acts upon the front of the steel bar. A thin coat of Dynaflex 230 caulk can be added to the inside of the tunnel of the front of the key to quiet it down.
Casio should have fitted each key with an actual rubber insert for each of the keys. This could easily be replaced if the rubber wore out over time. Also the back of the steel bar lands at rest on a felt strip at the very back of the comparatively narrow steel bar. This bar should have either be twisted at the back or have an added steel pad to increase the surface area of at the back of the steel bar where it contacts the felt strip. I don't have a solution for that, but perhaps someone who is clever enough could design a small metal clip that could be easily added to the back end of the steel bar.
The Casio plays pretty well, but I've always felt something could be better. If you are using Pianoteq you really don't need the internal sounds of the portable keyboard. I wrote to Casio asking them to design and offer a controller that would be specifically for Pianoteq. So far that hasn't happened. Instead they put their efforts into a more expensive particle board home piano with their own sounds.
]]>Until recently I was using a Yamaha P105 with Pianoteq. But I have recently changed it for the similar-priced Kawai ES100 because in my opinion the feel of the Kawai's keyboard is a lot better. The tactile feedback from the keyboard to your fingers is more like a real piano and that makes it much easier to play.
Both of these instruments allow you to connect a 'continuous' damper pedal (the ES100 comes with one) which means that you can use the half-pedalling capability of Pianoteq. Again, this makes it more like a piano. I believe (but am not certain) that the Casio PX-160 only accommodates an 'on-off' damper pedal.
Hope this helps.
PS: A small point: the Kawai has a MIDI out socket, while the Yamaha and Casio both provide MIDI out via USB. That means that you need a MIDI to USB adapter (widely available) to connect the Kawai to a computer.
Thanks for your input. According to this: http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2015/09/...Price.html
The half damping is possible with the PX160, but with the more expensive tri-pedals which only fit with the stand.
Both of these instruments allow you to connect a 'continuous' damper pedal (the ES100 comes with one) which means that you can use the half-pedalling capability of Pianoteq. Again, this makes it more like a piano. I believe (but am not certain) that the Casio PX-160 only accommodates an 'on-off' damper pedal.
Hope this helps.
PS: A small point: the Kawai has a MIDI out socket, while the Yamaha and Casio both provide MIDI out via USB. That means that you need a MIDI to USB adapter (widely available) to connect the Kawai to a computer.
]]>...and tested my keyboard to compare what I see with that Casio model, and I can say that if the PX160 performs even a lill bit worst on what is being tested there (compared to that Casio model in that video), then I will be more than satisfied. It will still be a night and day difference compared to what I already have. I can remember an acoustic piano's which performs worst (as there is a minimal length required for the hammer action on a real piano too to perform well).
]]>In DP world I will always go for better.
Good luck !
]]>slobajudge, both digital piano are 629$ (Canadian dollars) at my store, while the Roland fp30 is 999$ (and they don't sell the Kawai), it is considerably more expensive. If the Casio starts making noise I guess it might need grease of better quality in the moving parts. I'm not scared to open it, as there are considerable material on the internet to help me (on youtube for instance).
Regarding the three sensors vs two sensors? Would that make any differences in Pianoteq? If I record the playing on pianoteq and convert to wav... will the three sensors make it more expressive? Or is it only a plus for the sound produced directly from the Casio?
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