Kawai announces the ES8 digital piano

The new Kawai ES8 is an 88-key digital piano equipped with a Responsive Hammer III, weighted keybed, with keys that features three sensors and a Left-Off simulation that recreates the feel of a real grand piano when playing softly.

The ES8 reproduces, among other instruments, the sound of the Kawai SK-EX, SK-5 and EX grand pianos thanks to the Harmonic Imaging XL technology, which recreates all the nuances and dynamics of the original instruments.

A Virtual Technician features gives you the ability to adjust string resonance, damping, key noises, hammers and more.

You’ll also find in the ES8 sound library electric pianos, organs, strings, choir, bass and more, as well as backing tracks in different genres, 100 chord progressions and One Finger Ad-Lib phrases.

Specifications:

• 88-key Responsive Hammer III keyboard with Ivory Touch surface, 3 sensors and Left-Off simulation
• Built-in tones: Shigeru Kawai EX, Kawai EX, Shigeru Kawai SK-5, Jazz Clean, Warm Grand, Pop Grand, Upright Piano, Pop Grand 2, Modern Piano, Rock Piano, 4 electric pianos, 4 organs, 4 harpsichord/mallets, 8 strings/choir and 4 basses
• Polyphony: 256 notes max
• Virtual Technician control with sound control per key, string and damping resonance, Key-off effect, hammer delay, decay time, soft pedal depth, tuning, volume, noises and more
• Built-in reverb with Room, Lounge, Small Hall, Concert Hall, Live Hall and Cathedral options, each with depth and time controls
• Effect section with stereo/ping-pong/triple chorus, tremolo, auto pan, phaser, Leslie simulation and 4 combis ; controls for dry/wet, time, speed, feedback, depth, etc.
• Amp simulation with S.Case I, S.Case II, L.Cabinet options, each with drive, level and two-band EQ
• Dual and Split modes
• 100 backing rhythms with variations, Auto Fill-In, One Finger Ad-Lib phrases, chord progressions, Full Keyboard and One-Finger modes
• 27 demo modes
• 28 memory slots
• Transpose
• Metronome
• 16 × 2 character LCD display
• USB to Host and to Device ports
• MIDI in and out
• Stereo line in and out
• Pedal inputs
• 2 headphone outputs
• 2 15W Bass Reflex speakers
• Available in black and white

You can add the optional HM-4 stand and the F-301 triple pedal that integrates to the stand. Full details about the Kawai ES8 are available at www.kawai.co.uk.