Kawai MP7

If you look on the web you will find many reviews with technical info so i wont be adding to those. I will say that as a pro piano player owning a few top end stage pianos that the MP7 is underrated in my view, prehaps it is due to the extreemly reasonable price and that it is not yet as well known as the major brands.
It easily competes with the most expensive brands such as Nord with a far better action,I find it hard to choose between my Roland Rd700nx and this piano.
There is one technical point I wish to add and that is about the EQ. I have not found a stage piano that does a better job at shaping the sound just by adjusting the EQ as this one. One is able to get the most nuanced spot on variation in sound with this four band EQ.
So for me this has been an exellent purchase and I can highly reccomend that you try this out for yourself if you are considering a new stage piano.

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USE

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SOUNDS

Close your eyes ... you play on a Kawai grand piano with beautiful reverb.

Everything is there, the little nuances, sustain pedal noises.
Even when the key is released slowly ... no noise, faster means the hammer into place. And all these tricks do not sound gadget and do not pollute your game.

A great keyboard that I do not regret having purchased pre-order.

NOTICE GLOBAL

The Roland, Korg and other Yam made me dream ... although these brands have great qualities, I think they cautioned under the foot to be able to simulate the changes they are already able to produce.

On this keyboard, we feel that the Kawai brand really does what it did best and I hope that others will take the seed. For a sound little to 3GB, it will be crazy. What we want is to put the headphone on, play and enjoy the game.

For specifications, see other reviews, but hey, that's basically:

- Stage Piano, heavy feel, 88 notes
- 256 sounds, up to 4 simultaneous games (Main, Sub 1/2/3), each with their button-switch & volume fader
- Global to all 4 parts Reverb, but individual titration of its depth
- Main part has 2 more additional (from 129) and an amp simulator
- The Sub parts 1/2/3 have an additional effect only (of 22)
- Sounds of Piano, Electric Piano, Clavinet, Hammond organ sounds and general
- Drawbars mode for Hammond organs
- Complete master keyboard functions
- 4 inputs for pedals, one expression pedal
- Trio of MIDI connectors, USB to Host
- USB port on the front to: update firmware, read / write or SMF (mp3 WAV /) Audio files
- Headphone Jack
- A stereo line input with volume fader front
- Stereo output

UTILIZATION

Touch is perfect in the category Piano Scene, Kawai oblige, and I would add "MP series" forces.
Not too heavy, very reactive, it is even possible to set it so that the sound goes off early in the race, such as the Hammond organ, and analog synths.

The manual is very well written and thorough at a time, with a very slight damper on a part that particularly interested me (receiving MIDI messages, not always hyper detail), I had to dig with the help bracket Kawai, ultra-responsive, and the solution to my problem was immediately found.

The device is incredibly ergonomic, no complaints from this point of view, it seems to cover all the expectations you can have a keyboard like this, without the limitations found in one or other of its competitors. Impressive on this point.

Everything is very well thought out. In truth, it replaces my previous Nord Stage 2, and I was afraid to feed regret, thinking that the price difference (the MP7 costing half as much as the NS2) justify weaknesses deci beyond.

Well no, it's certainly in his way, as well as NS2 or better sometimes:

- You can preconfigure 4 simultaneous internal sounds while flying via MIDI and / or USB jacks as many external areas (expanders). Each sound (Main, Sub 1/2/3) is freely configurable (layer / split) on the area of ​​low and high keys of their choice (which is not the case of NS2, which offers areas splits between points factory presets). More preferably, it is possible to assign to each portion, a trigger zone located above or below a point of velocity also definable. What do stacks of layers depending on the velocity ...

- 4 pedals are taken as freely configurable and can be assigned to the damper / leslie / phrase / change +/- Setup (= memory configuration MP7), etc ... I would add here that not only saves the Setup sounds configured by the user, but also the entire configuration of MP7. Oh by the way: no mute when switching from one setup to the next.

- The method used drawbars 4 volume sliders of the 4 parts to manage 4 zippers at once. Must juggle 4 buttons to select the group to operate zippers. But it is possible to define an external controller with multiple sliders to control simultaneously via MIDI all 9 drawbars. The buttons for controlling the "Percussion" of the organ are also scheduled.

- Speaking of MIDI, my Nord Stage 2 allowed me (and I usais) to manage its internal sounds from an external master keyboard. Again, it is possible to define a MIDI receive channel for each of the four parts (Main, Sub 1/2/3) and thus control an external keyboard 4 preset sounds in a setup, regardless of whether they are active / splitted or not the keyboard MP7. This is simultaneous and independent of both. Just imagine adding a Mainstage this configuration, and you get a station scene literally very very bad!

- The supplied accessories reassure the sustain pedal is a true progressive sustain pedal, no switch here, and if it is too sensitive under your feet, it can also be set! The desk, unlike the competition (when it provides it) is robust and full metal. No risk of breaking during transport in case too lightly.

SOUNDS

The sounds of piano, electric piano, Hammond organ are to die for! Touch is perfect for all the sounds of piano / E. PIANO, maybe a little less for the organs, but they are still quite playable so.

The rest of the sound range is quite wide and very well made.

The sensation "Ivory Feel" is very very nice indeed!

Small realistic detail when softly attack a key with a piano sound, it puts a bit more time to hit the rope, and that little time is also configurable. As the resonance of the soundboard, noise damper is activated when the sustain pedal, the sound of hammers, the degree of opening of the cover of the grand piano (or equally right) etc ... All that particular via the "Virtual Technician" which allows access to all the details of the pianos / e.pianos and Hammond organs.

The pianos are beautiful, the Rhodes Wurli, Clavinet so are. The amps are a real good job of modeling when we want to adapt the grain of sound. Organs idem, it's big, it's bold, it's snore at will, and once again, everything is customizable at the Leslie.

OVERALL OPINION

In the same price range I had in my possession the Korg SV1: in absolute terms it works pretty well, but if you are looking for a stage piano with a little bit of access to settings and opening outside functions via keyboard controller, forget the SV1 (it is not the target), it bears no comparison with the MP7, which is far, far ahead on all fronts: configuration, external MIDI and especially the sounds!

Twice the price of the MP7, I also owned the Nord Stage 2: no regrets, too, the MP7 has everything, nothing has been omitted, it has virtually no weakness, except maybe. .. missing one or two additional pairs of audio outputs, but it would be the only complaint I have it.

For the rest, nothing to say, this keyboard is a real massacre, especially at the price where it is located: less expensive than all of the competition in the same product line, much more simple and sharp in both the configuration and sound level is also very high fly.

The only fear I could have was to order it without trying. However, all opinions deci read beyond the "reviews" found in Anglo-Saxon webzines few reviews "Live" gleaned from youtube, simplicity demos piano heard on the dedicated website (www.kawaimp.com) allowed me to really hear the sound quality, I've always found above the lot, when compared with the demos of other brands.

Still not sure?

The brand site will give you all the details ...
In summary, there is a keyboard "scene" type, that is to say without embedded audio system with 88 keys, 256 sounds.

The finishes are impeccable. Both in terms of hardware as software.
At a time when the plastic is generally used everywhere, including keyboards in this price range, the MP7 is made of metal, wood (mahogany flanks). It is simple, beautiful and it oozes seriously. Buttons, pots are reassuring for their progressiveness and firmness.
The keyboard is frankly good feeling "ivory touch" credible.
Software side, all the possibilities, functions satisfy a simple logic, the small screen is enough. It is readable.

UTILIZATION

The manual is well reflected light. I did not need to open for 80% of the functions.
Hit the keyboard should delight demanding pianists.
The opportunity to dedicate a control external midi flight is well designed. In this area, it is far from exhaustive control as a keyboard controller dedicated to this, but what is available is very satisfying to drive plug-ins on main functions. In addition, the logic of the software allows you to configure a lot of "set-up" very easily (up to 256 recordable set-up).
Section internal sounds and effects have the same ergonomics. The parameters are easily adjustable. ditto for the system settings.
Audio "recorder player /" midi section / is also available, flexible and easy to use via USB storage. MIDI files can be read and edit 16 tracks is available for basic settings (vol. pan. Etc.).

SOUNDS

The best audio engine in Kawai is installed in the keyboard (HI-XL, 256-note polyphony) ... it sounds very, very good. 256 sounds and effects are all of excellent quality. Only some guitars and winds are a notch below. As for keyboards, they are terrible. Choice, realism, dynamic ... really good. Lovers drawbars, organs and electric pianos of all kinds will be served. I'm not talking about acoustic pianos Kawai ... oblige.
The keyboard of the MP7 is masterfully sound banks. Its parameters can be adjusted according to the received sound (velocity, release by pressing the button etc..).

OVERALL OPINION

Well ... if you read the previous chapters, you understand ... I find it almost perfect keyboard. The quality / price ratio is adjusted by line, Kawai does not "pretend" and it has invested all its know-how. Quality at all stages!
Unequivocally an instrument for professional services.
Defects? I do not see ... one, maybe ... No XLR outputs, the latter being reserved for the top model (MP11), but is it unacceptable? Far without need.
An investment that does not disappoint, the MP7 is a success.