Kawai K-300 Aures and Pianoteq 7 assistance appreciated.

Hello my friends,

I am very happy you are willing to assist me. I appreciate it and I thank you very much.

I guess I have been quite carefully read the Kawai Aures user manual. Anyhow, I din't find there any cue how to proceed in such a specific case. The Kawai Aures features the interface as follows: USB-A, USB-B (Host), MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, LINE IN, LINE OU, Headphones jacks, Turn on.

It's described on the page 10:

http://www.kawai-global.com/data/manual...RES_EN.pdf

I would be quite happy to make that connection functional. Anyhow, if possible I would prefer to avoid external bulky staff on that piano top.

In fact, I am a musician, an organist (maybe in future I'd like to purchase the Organteq to my home Allen pipeless organ. But I as well love piano and the Kawai K-300 Aures is a great practising instrument both in its "analog and digital modes". I would even say the digital sounds (spread via the transducers on the real piano soundboard) is better since Kawai uses their grand piano flagship the Shigeru-Kawai digitized sounds.

Anyhow, after this Spring purchase of the Kawai (by the Thomann, Germany) I have discovered the Modartt and the Pianoteq, which music specimen are fabulous (inclusive the first class pianists both the classical and jazz ones).

Maybe with your kindest assistance it will work, who knows:-)

Then, I will be pleased to send you some video etc.

Let me kindly know.

Thank you very much.

Very truly yours,

Petr Plany

It would be very nice, after you manage set the all systems, if you could play some nice music and post on Youtune, for piano and organ.

I bet pianoteq connected to K300 would fool much people into thinking it was produced by a real acoustic upright piano.
And I'm curious to hear organteq sounding by a real spruce soundboard :-)

If the pianoteq keyboard on screen reacts when you play the wooden keayboard of your hybrid piano (with no latency issues), this is ok, no need new USB or new MIDI cables.

You must connect the OUT audio of your laptop soundcard to the IN audio of you hybrid piano. I believe you will need to buy a split cable to allow a stereo output split into two inputs (left and right channel).

But the connection, the left and right audio in jacks in your K300 are p1 and not P2. Most split cable for sale are made of a p1 stereo male plug,split into two mono (left  and right plug) but in P2 size.

Look in the piano box, the bags, if there is a cabel you forgot to grab.

The 1/8 jacks it's rare for split cable. On web I only see split cables with 1/4 jacks for the mono left/right channel  jacks, despite some have 1/8 for only the stereo jack.
Maybe Kawai made it that way to sell a exclusive cable of their own.

You can buy just the jacks for 1/8 and a cable (wire) with no connectors, and ask someone to solder the jacks in the cable.

It looks like you probably just need a 1/8" stereo jack to 1/8" stereo jack if you are only using the audio output from your laptop. Ideally you want to be connecting it to an audio interface to get the best quality sound and low latency playback. But for now a straight forward 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo to 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo cable ought to do it. You can pick these up on Amazon pretty cheaply:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0071MAR4O/...&psc=1

The stereo cable I posted above should work - have a look to see if this looks like the one you are using. - You may also need to check that Pianoteq has the audio output port selected as the output in the settings.

Hope you get it working - I'd love a Kawai K300 Aures, so I'm eager to know how it sounds!!

EDITED: the information I originaly posted in the text bellow was wrong !!!

Sorry, but he need a split cable from one 3,5mm stereo splitting to two 3,5mm mono (one left and one right).
But there is no cable for sale like that, but just split cables from a 3,5mm stereo to two 6,5mm mono (left right), or from one 6,5mm stereo to two 6,5mm mono.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gold-Plated-Au...mp;sr=1-17

Why Kawai do something people can't find cables for???
And why keep the jacks conncetion in the front, to mess with pianist space area?
After all the phylosophy of hybrid, of a digital piano in a real piano body, it's to get rid off cable or digital "stuff devices" as much as possible of visible area and performer's area.
If I was the designer, I woul let area with no visible cable (option to connect on back or a lower portion of the side, and add a area or suport to fit a laptop.
Clean space phylosophy, to avoid digital "stuff-fobia". ;-)

It would require a adapter like that (link bellon) and two mono (or two stereo) 3,5mm cable, to connect with this adapter and then connect to the Kaway sound in jack:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-h...mp;sr=1-18

Hi folks,

Thank you very much for your input to solve the problem.

Beto-Music has been right. It’s a problem of selection the right settings.

The cables are OK, the virtual keyboard visually reacts to the keys of the Kawai, and as a proof the notebook audio output connected to the Kawai Line-In via the stereo cable works well, it transmitts youtube music from my Acer notebook to the Kawai. The sound is splendid, the idea of transducers sticked to the piano sound board is great.

Anyhow, in the Audio Device Type is chosen Asio, the Device is Asio4all v2. But in the Active Output Channels it is written: Not Connected 1, Not Connected 2.

It seems it’s the root of the problem. But the DEMO version of the Pianoteq 7 doesn’t show me how to change this setting, better said how to make active those 1st and 2nd channels.

BTW, I have set channels 1, 2 of the Kawai Aures, no reaction.

Can you see, my dear friends, a light in the end of tunnel? I hope so

If it transmits from youtube it will transmit from the pianoteq MP3 demo page and organteq page:

https://www.modartt.com/modeld

https://www.modartt.com/organteq#sound

To get a idea of how pianoteq will be great in your soundboard.

Can you take a print screen of  the setting window your refered?
Use PrtScn button, Opern Paint (In Windows), apply control-V to the screen vapture appears, save the image in a file.

Go to : https://pt-br.imgbb.com/
Call the file of the image you saved and post it. Post the address of the image in this thread.

Hi folks,

Thank you very much for your input. Especially the Beto-Music's one was the most helpful. Yes, you were right. it's necessary to active the left sided + button (unrecognizable on my 13,5" screen), then it starts to work. I would like to say BINGO, but while at last I have listened to the PTQ sounds through the Kawai soundboard (great) the notes were a quint, five notes lower. It means instead C sounds F. In the meantime I was changing the PTQ  different settings by a trial/error way owful hissing came from piano/notebook. By my poor technical knowledge such a buzz disappears within a short time. Anyhow, I was near to quit my PTQ adventure not to damage the piano/laptop. Now, in the morning (in Olomouc) I think I should already buy the full version of the PTQ (Pro). The Demo version settings (as transposing notes) are mostly idle and I guess in the full PTQ I might leave the settings as default (and the most important ones I know thanks to you) in order not to dabble the audio technicians job. And in a most extreme situation I can buy an external sound card (a small one) to smooth the work although I certainly prefer to avoid it.

What's your opinion guys please?

I'd like to toast to your health but currently I take antibiotics (borreliosis) so will happily do it within two weeks.

Thank you so much for your great assistance.

Cheers,

Petr

Petr, look this:

https://www.modartt.com/faq?category=pianoteq_working

"How can I transpose in Pianoteq?
In Options-Midi there is a notes transposition value. You can set this value to anything between -36 and +36."

In the botton of the window, see there:

Note Channel  Notes Transposition MIDI tunning.

Look if Notes Transposition it's on zero or if it's set with other number.

If it's not zero and you never set anything there before, it may be a bug. What Windows version are you using?

If it's on zero, it may be a problem of Kawai K-300 transposition for controller function be set to 5 notes and you didn't noticed. This if Kawai-300 allows trasposition separated for MIDI controller function, and separated for internal K-300 soundbanks.

Hello Beto-Music,

Thank you for your information.

I have changed the PTQ transposition value to 5 and the C key matches with the C note. Anyhow, after turn off/on the PTQ the value goes again to 0 and a horrible hiss appears. After change of the value to 5 the hiss disappears.

BTW the Kawai transposer is still in the 0 position and while playing on Kawai the C matches the C.

It is also interesting the PTQ screen shows the 8000 kHz sampling rate only. When changed to higher values the hiss appears again.

The latency is still too much high for a real playing the piano. Any attempt to change its value to smaller ones doesn’t function

So thus, if the PTQ transposer is in the value 5, it matches the tune and doesn’t hiss. If the sampling rate is (automatically) set to the 8000 kHz it doesn’t hiss and play the PTQ instruments. Anyhow, the sound quality isn’t too much high since the sampling rate is so small.

The question is if it is a matter of the Trial version of the PTQ I have and if it would be OK with the full PTQ Pro version.

In the mean time I have been contemplating the external sound card – the Scarlett 2i2 (see the today’s Obiwan’s thread please). Who knows, it might work better and much safely. But I wouldn’t like to have a bulky staff on the piano top).

I would appreciate very much your opinion please.

Cheers,

Petr

Petr, it's probably a bug. Quite normal since V7 was released recently. Don't worry, Modartt fixes bugs quite fast, and you just will need to download the fixed trial version.
You will need to give details about your system, to help then fix it, if it's really a bug.

I noticed that in Windows-8 the function of MIDI record from Recently Played on The Keyboard, it's not working for things I played last days. My digital piano it's not connected, as it's on cleaning & repair process, but thing  Iplayed with mouse last days, testing functions, are not appearing in the Recently Played on Keyboard. Maybe it's a bug...

About latency, it's a mess sometimes. I had a PC with onboard soundcard that worked with better latency than some cheap offboard soundcard in a faster PC, both running Asio4all. And Asio4all not always works well too.
I bet many people with a digital piano and a laptop or even desktop, download pianoteq, to test, but quit to buy due latency issues. Or some even change the on board for a offboard soundcard, and still have some issues about latency.

Sometimes the latency number on pianoteq window can be ok, loike 6ms, but the latency of the soundcard, the latency that do not appears as a number on any screen, but latency of the soundboard circuits itself, it's somewhat high, despite the software latency be low. And some people are more sensitive to latency than others.

Not everyone are dispose to pay for a costy soundcard or costy exterior sondcard or a even more pricy audio interface. I suggest that we (Forum people and Modartt) should have a list of affordable soundcards that works fine with pianoteq for latency issues, if we want more people to buy pianoteq.We could start with a list of low cost soundcards with native ASIO drivers, or perhaps even a list of low cost souncards, even without native ASIO, but that works fine once Asio4all it's installed.

The Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen, should work equally well for your use case. It only has a single mic pre-amp, but as you are only interested in playing audio out of it rather than recording audio in to it, this should fulfil your needs. As it does not have MIDI/IN out ports on the back you will need to connect up your Kawai via USB like you have described to carry the MIDI information between your piano and laptop.

For now though, as others have suggested I would attempt to resolve the technical problems you have experienced when connecting direct to your laptop with the full version of PianoTeq, before shedding out extra for an audio interface. You can always do this at a later date if you wish to upgrade, or are not satisfied with the sound/latency when connected direct to your laptop.  I used PianoTeq very satisfactorily direct to my laptop for many years before I eventually decided to upgrade to using an audio interface.  I use both the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre and the Scarlett 2i4 with PianoTeq and can testify they both work very well.

The cheapest soundcard with ASIO???

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Dj-AD-IO-Chan...amp;sr=8-4

Is native ASIO, in a soundcard, a sure indicator of acceptable latency by using pianoteq???

And I don't refer just about the latency number on screen, but the latency of the soundboard circuit itself, not presented on screen.

I think we really need to creat a list of affordable soundcards that works with fine latency on pianoteq, or even soundcards that works fine once we install ASIO4ALL.

On web there are some latency checkers for systems. Is it realiable?

Thanks Nick.

But it's strange.  I remamber years ago I had a slow computer, with onboard sound cart, and didn't felt any latency problems. After upgrade to a whole new & faster computer and add a simple a 5.1 offboard soundcard, I started to feel latency issues. Both PCs in this case was when I still used a MIDI cable with joystick connection.

My CA98 is connected to my desktop with RME DAC, and I added another two pairs of speakers working together with CA98. PtqV7 sounds nice and Im satisfied for this system.
CA98(USB-MIDI)->Desktop(USB) ->ADI2 DAC(2Line Out RCA/XLR) ->1 Tube pre-AMP ->CA98 (mainly use its soundboard)
                                                ->2 Tube AMP+Tannoy CPA5 ->ART RM5 monitors
Of course, if you want to simplify, just connect a qualified auido interface or DAC (eg. RME Babyface pro for win7/10 or Apogee Duet3 for Mac.....) to your laptop and CA99 line in port, turn off Local control on CA99. Ptq will be well running, and enjoy it :-)