UPDATED REVIEW – July 18, 2015 – KAWAI MP6 – RECOMMENDED – I originally reviewed the Kawai MP6 when it came out in 2011 but it is now discontinued. Kawai came out with a vastly upgraded version of the MP6 and it’s called the MP7SE ($1799 internet discount price), which I highly recommend over the MP6. Go to the following link to read my review of the new MP7SE: Kawai MP7 Review.
Continue to read here for my previous MP6 review – The Kawai MP6 (now discontinued) was ahead of its time when it first came out. At $1349 internet discount price, it has what I consider to be one of the best acoustic piano reproduction & key action movement with the most flexibility in a portable digital piano for under $1500 on the market. and I have played them all. It is not only a solid portable digital piano for realistic piano hammer weighted key action and acoustic piano sound, but I like this piano better than many higher priced portable & furniture cabinet pianos (with the exception of the new MP7) because the MP6 control panel allows for more flexibility in creating your own custom individual piano & instrument sounds, layers, splits, and effects possibilities that are not available on the other types of digital pianos. In other words, you probably won’t grow out of the MP6 anytime soon:)
In simple terms, the MP6 is like having 4 different individual pianos in one (more is almost always better than less:). This is because you can use 4 independent acoustic piano and/or instrument sounds one at a time or all together (or in any combination) while being able to control them independently of each other. This would be like having four brands or models of acoustic grand pianos sitting side by side and being able to play them one after another (or even together) and controlling the individual volume, octave, pitch, resonance, sustain, etc. Pretty amazing stuff and simple to do. Now it is true that most people only need or want one acoustic piano but because there are so many varieties out there, the Kawai MP6 pretty much takes care of whatever acoustic piano sound you may like and allows you to move from one to the other in easy fashion.
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| Kawai international headquarters |
The Kawai piano company is well known throughout the world for producing excellent home and professional upright & grand pianos and their international corporate headquarters is (coincidentally) in the same city as Yamaha Corporate headquarters, which is Hamamatsu, Japan. Kawai was also chosen by the famous Steinway piano company of New York to build their “Boston” line of grand & upright pianos in their Japanese piano factory. The ‘Boston’ Grand Pianos sell for approx $20,000 and more and are used by respected universities, homes, churches, and many other venues all over the world (I have played many of them). If Steinway regards Kawai that highly to ask them to build acoustic pianos under the Steinway name, then as far as I’m concerned, that is a big compliment and shows that Kawai builds some very nice instruments if it can meet Steinway piano standards.
If you’re looking for a convincing acoustic grand piano sound and key action in a user friendly model at a lower price under $1500, in my opinion the MP6 would fit the needs of most people because it feels and sounds natural (check out my MP6 song recordings at the bottom of this review). I would consider the key action movement on this piano to be slightly firm (as opposed to light) which gives the player good control and dynamics, although some people may feel the touch is a bit stiff. However, the Kawai MP6 also includes 5 touch velocity control settings to change the way the keys respond to your touch including heavy key touch to extra light, so there is something you can do to change the perception of the slightly stiffer key weight.
You should be aware that some Kawai & general internet dealers suggest certain stands, benches, and other accessories that are not necessarily good for this particular instrument. This is because they have may not have thoroughly played this instrument themselves as I have, or they just want to create a cheaper “package deal.” I can tell you the proper MP6 piano stand, speakers, bench, and headphones, etc to buy (if you don’t have those already) and tell you how to get them at low discount prices.
The Kawai MP6 can be used for many applications including home, stage, church, school, recording studio, gigs, etc. But overall this piano is being purchased by individuals and families for recreational home use, followed by churches, piano teachers, and professionals. When it comes to the acoustic piano sound, you can duplicate a variety of them as well as cathedral pipe organs and beautiful symphonic orchestras. The MP6 also does a good job in reproducing the famous classic electric pianos from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s such as the Wurlitzers, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP70/80, and Yamaha DX7’s. It’s like you’re almost playing the real thing including the nuances of those electric pianos. The Hammond tonewheel B3 organ sounds are fairly convincing too with virtual adjustable drawbars along with a large variety of B3 tone combinations and effects which can be edited and easily saved into user memories. I have played actual Hammond B3’s and know what they sound and play like. The MP6 even has a great Leslie rotary speaker reproduction with a fast/slow rotary speed control. There is also an array of good quality solo instruments including sax’s, trumpets, acoustic & electric guitars, flutes, harps, harpsichords, synths, bells, bass, percussion, and more. But don’t let all these features & buttons fool you into thinking this instrument is complex to use, because is really isn’t.
Here’s a quick example of the power and flexibility of the Kawai MP6 piano. Let’s say you’d like to combine a big concert grand piano sound, a Fender Rhodes electric piano (very popular), a full string orchestra, and maybe some subtle choir voices as well, and then play them all together while being able to adjust volume, reverb, sustain, and other parameters on each tone independently in ‘real time’ while you’re playing… you can do that and it’s very easy to do. It comes out perfect when you have that much control over those individual features and then can easily be saved as a memory preset. Then you can recall that setting the next time you want it at the touch of a couple of buttons. By the way, the word “zone” on the Kawai is also another name for instrument when layering or splitting sounds.
The big 192-note polyphonic memory will generally be plenty even for complex passages or multiple layering or splitting of instrument tones. The MP6 key action (pic above left, click on pic for larger view) seems to be very well designed and also has key let-off/escapement which is a physical movement that happens when you press down a key on an acoustic grand piano. It allows you to get more authentic grand piano “feel” and the keyboard action itself is quiet when the keys move up and down as compared to many other new digital pianos I’ve recently played, especially at lower volumes. The keys & keybed (underneath the keys) seem to be very solid and even, with the key movement being very quiet with little ambient noise. I’m usually not that excited about a digital piano because I’ve played so many, but this one has definitely caught my attention.
The MP6 does some other very cool things like playing or recording your performance as a MIDI file as well as MP3 or WAV audio file directly on the piano and saving or loading from a USB flashdrive. That means you can take your favorite song from iTunes or any other MP3 song file and play along with it directly on the MP6. And if you want to record yourself, the MP6 recording will sound exactly as you played it and heard it with exceptional digital sound quality. This instrument is 192-note polyphonic and has 256 instrument sounds with 4 zones for layering and splitting (that means putting 4 separate instrument sounds together at one time for layering and/or splitting keyboard areas with individual editing and relative volume controls). It even has 30 pro sounding drum patterns so you can play along with your own drummer if you like, which is great for rhythm training and timing, plus it’s fun.
When it comes to actual acoustic piano tone, the MP6 piano has intuitive editing features that allow you to control many of the aspects of an acoustic piano sound by adjusting and editing things like piano damper resonance, string resonance, key off effect, voicing, dynamics, cutoff, attack time, decay time, and release time. It will even analyze your finger touch and strength as you play the keys and automatically and set up a customized touch sensitivity curve for you with potentially unlimited touch settings. For those people looking to get even more than the easy to use 256 preset instruments on the Kawai MP6, using your editing features gives you thousands more possibilities.
The MP6 also has educational features for learning to play piano and specific songs because of its ability to play General MIDI song files over 16 separate tracks. This allows piano students to hear and play along with popular piano lesson accompaniments from their piano lesson books (Faber, Alfred, and others) as well as learn to play specific songs using tempo control to slow down the song as well as mute any of the 16 playback tracks for “music minus one” play-along. Not only do General MIDI songs sound great when your listening to them, but they make learning and playing the piano more fun. I use this method in my piano studio for students and it is an effective educational tool that I highly recommend.
I have never been a big fan of Kawai digital pianos in past years and always thought of Yamaha & Roland as offering more superior instruments for low prices and recommended them as such. But this time I believe everything has changed and the Kawai company has hit a “home run” with the MP6. Oh and one more thing, the Kawai MP6 does comes with the single damper/sustain pedal (which supports graduated half damper control) , but is also set up to use an additional & optional dual pedal unit for traditional piano functions incl soft, sostenuto, and damper/sustain. One of the pedals is even programmable to access a few of the keyboard functions for “hands free” sound selections.
Below are just some of the specs on this piano.
- – Progressive Harmonic Imaging™ (PHI) (reproduces grand resonance). You can hear the nuances of real piano strings
- – Responsive Ivory Feel Hammer action with Let-off (reproduces grand piano touch)
- – USB Audio – MP3 and WAV files – play/record – load and save with flashdrive
- – 16 separate MIDI instrument tracks for General MIDI song playback
- – New Concert Grand and EP sounds along with all new symphonic instruments
- – 256 Instrument sounds total includes 22 pianos incl Concert Grands, 10 string symphonies, 10 pipe organs, 20 authentic vintage electric pianos, 32 authentic Hammond B3 organ tones, choirs, classical nylon & steel string guitars with overtones, choirs, vintage synths, bass guitars, and more
- – 100 pro drum patterns for rhythm backup or music education
- – 192 note Polyphony to reproduce the most complex music passages and tone layers
- – 256 User Memory Setups to store all your custom settings
- – 4 Internal/External Keyboard Zones for layering & splitting
- – Special effects incl an array of reverbs, EQ’s, chorus, analog editing, and more
- – Customizable piano sound and setups (to easily “create” the ultimate piano YOU like)
- – Custom Hammond organ drawbar with digital Leslie speaker and slow/fast control operated by a touch of a button
- – Intuitive LCD display screen
- – Tilted/sloped control panel for easier use & viewing of buttons and LCD
- – Mahogany wood sides
Concert Grand Classical Piano Solo (Steinway Grand piano reproduction)
Fly’n (Jazz Piano Solo – Based on the famous Yamaha Jazz Grand Piano Sound)
Lovin You More & More (A fun tune I wrote using piano, organ, drums, synth bass,
Celtic Harp Angels (harp & choir angel sounds from the MP6)
Rivers of Life (Grand Pianos, Digital Piano, Concert Strings)
Spanish Guitar Dreams (Classical Guitar, Air Choir, Strings)
As The Deer (Electric Pianos, Flute, Synth Strings, Choir)
Jazzoogie (Jazz Grand, Jazz Drums, Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Vocal Group)
Animated Movie Themes (grand piano, electric piano, synth strings, etc)
Desert Rains (Drums, Electric Pianos, Synth, Bells, Synth Choir)
* I recommend eMedia educational software. If you decide to make a purchase after clicking on link below, I have arranged a big discount for you direct with eMedia for their educational software and that discount price is displayed through this link only! I want to see everyone learn to play and enjoy piano!
HI Tim, I am deciding btw Kawai mp10 and a Yamaha YDP or CLP. It is for a 6 year old boy who is starting piano lessons and likes the keyboard better than a piano. can you help on this issue.
Hi Ali,
I would be glad to give you some piano advice but for this question you ask, it would be best to contact me directly by email or phone. Email would be tim@azpianowholesale.com. Phone number is at bottom of this blog review.
Thank you,
Tim
The Casio Privia PX-330 sounds just as good as the Kawai in my opinion, if you listen through the ear phones, or without the ear phones you can use an amp to power the on board speakers. What a difference! And the Casio only costs less than half the price and has tons more features including accompaniment, 16 track sequencer and 250 other instrument sounds. Wow! That's why I decided to buy it over the Kawai, and save so much money.
I completely agree that if a person cannot tell the difference between a cheaper priced product and a higher priced model of product, then they should definitely purchase the one for less money. If someone can be satisfied with a regular hamburger instead of a filet mignon, then they should be eating the hamburger, and also because the filet usually doesn't come with the lettuce and tomato (the extra stuff) the hamburger has, and the filet is a lot more money. That is the difference between the Casio and the Kawai. The Kawai can only be appreciated by those who understand and can taste the difference and then are willing to spend the extra money:)
Hi Tim, We are almost 100% sold on the MP6, after doing extensive research and comparisons. It's mainly for our 6 yr old daughter, and we figure if she continues to show promise, we can always get a real piano down the line. Thanks for the great review.
My question is, does the MP6 not function without powered speakers? If so, don't we need to be picky about the speakers we purchase to accompany the MP6? I was thinking maybe a Bose Sounddock with line in capability (small, yet powerful and quality sound). Your thoughts would be much appreciated 🙂
Hi Vee,
Thank you for your comments. Please email me directly at tim@azpianowholesale.com and I will be happy to give you further advice on your questions as well as give you more useful info on the best way to actually purchase this instrument should you decide to do so.
Thx, Tim
Hi Tim. Ah man what a gorgeous sound this has. It was a pleasure talking to you earlier 4/21/11 in the pm hours. The guitar sounds are just fabulous. The piano was totally dreamy Mp-6 is just grand.
Ben
in El Paso Tx
gracias por estos hermosos demos,mil gracias ya me compre mi mp6 esta en camino
gracias por sus comentarios. El MP6 Kawai es hermoso. ¿Dónde vives?
Hi,I don't know If to write in english, or spanish! I didn't know that you speak (or write) in spanish too!
I 've baught my Kawai MP6 one week ago…I can't believe how good it is. The keys, the feeling, the sound, and most of all, the quality of construction!! Like in the 90's!! Good that kawai it is a survivor of the MADE IN CHINA!
Tim, I would like ask you something…The wood panels, the Mahogany wood sides, are they real? I'm asking this because when I saw it at kawai web I thaught It was plastic made, but now, having at home, it feels so real!!
Regards!
ps: this is definetly the BEST review of the MP6 en todo internet! ja
Tiene usted razón, el MP6 Kawai es un bello instrumento. Yo vivo en Arizona, donde el Gran Cañón está ubicado.
ya ayer me llego mi mp6,estoy emocionadisisisismo con la calidad y la hermosura de piano,simplemente no puedo dejar de tocarlo.,ahi me la paso toooddoo el dia
Fantastico,¡felicidades!
Hi Tim:
I'm looking for a piano that looks like a console when closed. So I purchased the Suzuki DP-1000 from Costco. What a disappointment. The chair broke and the speakers distort when I turn the volume up to the level of a normal acoustical piano. Do you have any recommendations. The Roland Super (something) is out of my price range but something in the $1500 to $2000 range is fine. But I would really like to have a piano that looks like a sofa table when closed.
Thanks,
I would be happy to give you some advice on what would work well for you if you email me directly
Tim, thanks for your detailed review of MP6 and your demos. I own MP6 and now that I have it, I agree 100% with your review.
Chuck P
I took a chance on this and ordered from Germany when it was just on the market with only the company review/ spec available to me. It seemed like just what i was looking for! I researched many after using a technics for stage, but wanted a the most authentic piano sound and feel available that was a reasonable weight for gigs and great for recording, etc. Lots of musicians I know (and don't know) are raving on about Yamaha and the new Roland FP series but they clearing haven't tried this baby! Yes, you really have to try this piano to appreciate it! It's an all round smashing piano! 🙂
Hi, may I be so bold and ask you how did you arrange and overdub the pieces you presented at the end? Your review was really helpful and nicely presented, I'm the proud owner of an MP6 now. I play on backing tracks, but I can't seem to both play the track and record at the same time on the instrument. I wondered about either a zoom or an USB audio card…
Thanks in advance!
Paul
Thanks for the review Tim, I`m planing on buying the MP6. I`ll definitely start reading your blog regularily.
Did you add any effects to your recordings of the MP6. The sound is *really* nice, I think I can hear a touch of reverb in the demos (and in the Kawai web site demos). I presume this is from the keyboard and not added afterwards. I have to say that the 1st demo on the Kawai site is so beautiful, it's enough to sell it on its own. Now… just have to find the money to buy one! I haven't tried one out as yet but this weekend tried various Yamahas and was not too impressed until I got to the CLP440 which I thought was excellent. If as you say this is better (and its less expensive) then wow, must be good. Thanks for your very helpful reviews and info. Aidan
hola Tim estoy buscando un teclado con muy buen tacto para aprender y con buenos sonidos para hacer otras cosillas estoy entre un Kurzweil SP3x, Yamaha CP33, Yamaha P155 y este Kawai Mp6, me dan miedo comentarios acerca de chasquidos en las teclas despues de algun tiempo sera posible que estoy ya se haya corregido?? y donde vivo la unica manera de tener un teclado como estos es atraves de envio, cual teclado me recomiendas por su tacto y prestaciones, prengunta … todos los sonidos q estan mas abajo estan incluidos en el Mp6?? Depronto tiene algunos sonidos de Leads de Sinte?? mil gracias por tu tiempo y a la espera de tu respuesta
DAvid…
All effects used in those songs were directly from the MP6 including reverb, EQ, etc.
Yo recomiendo el Kawai MP6 en los pianos digitales que usted ha mencionado otros. Sí, todos los sonidos de mi MP6 grabaciones son del piano MP6.
I want to tell everyone interested in digital pianos about Tim Praskins. I wanted to trade in my old Yamaha clavinova digital for a digital piano with more features and better sound.
Being an uniformed buyer, I went to the Internet to learn, and came across Tim's reviews. I found this information regarding the quality of sound of the various digital pianos interesting and informative.
I called him several times to elicit his opinion on different digitals I had seen. He always had time to talk on the phone with no vested interest at all.
He steered me away from lesser quality digital pianos and encouraged me to appreciate the better quality digital pianos.
I am so appreciative of Tim's unbiased knowledge and encourage anyone searching for digital pianos to contact him.
Evelyn
Evelyn Aimis Fine Art
Miami, FL 33180
eaimis@aol.com
evelynaimisfineart.com
I tried many digital pianos (including Roland, korg, Casio) and chose MP6.
I think MP6 has the most realistic "feel" of the keyboard, and great build quality. Keys have weight, but light to touch, no springy feel, no clicking noise , no side key movements. When I touched it for the first time, I absolutely beloved the keyboard, this is THE piano I'd love to practice every day.
As for the sound, there isn't much difference b/w digital pianos of different manufacturers, they all sound like record of the real piano coming from the speakers (and actually it is ). So my point is, when you shop for the digital piano, keyboard is the most important thing; you can always change sound to some computer-based products (Pianoteq, Ivory, etc) if you don't like internal piano
Tim, Thanks so much for your reviews. I purchased the MP6 for my 13 year old daughter. She has been playing piano and violin for 8 years and was ready to step up to a semi-pro/pro keyboard that was portable. What sold me on the MP6 was the construction and great sound. We were looking for great grand piano sound. I couldn't find great sample sounds on many of the other keyboards out there. I figured if Kawai was a piano maker producing a keyboard, then I couldn't go wrong. Thanks once again.
What is your recommendation for a proper stand and bench for the MP6 or MP10? Thanks.
I can give you a few different recommendations depending on various factors but you would need to email me for that info. My email address is on this blog.
Hi I really think that this is the digital piano I am looking for. I have mailed you but also wanted to inform you here since I'm sure I am not the only one seeking advice. I'm a pianist and will mostly be using it's "piano functions" But I also want to start using some kind of a sequencer (fl studio) and the "non-piano" functions of the kawai mp6 will then also have an opportunity to shine. I live in Denmark and I can't find a store who sells mp6. So I'll have to do what goes against a rule of mine. Buying a digital piano without trying it. It's purpose will be to serve as my one and only piano, controller and workstation. I somewhat like the action on the cp33 and roland f110 (mostly the f110). Does the action remind of that or is it all different? Will it be worth the extra 500$ than the cp33 and f110? and what about speakers and other accessories?
Can you help me find it cheaper in Europe?
And lastly. A thing I really should be concerned about is the warranty. Kawai isn't big in Denmark and therefore there probably isn't any kind of service in here. So when/if it needs a small or big repair it will be a pain in the *** to ship it out of the country for month before receiving it again. And I might also end up paying for shipping.
So do you really think that the Kawai would be a great choice?
The Kawai MP6 would be a great choice if you are looking for higher quality acoustic piano realism and key movement (it is unlike any other brand), better dynamics & response, higher quality instrument sounds, and better expression ability. Also, the MP6 is a true complete piano controller unlike a Yamaha CP33. If you do not require that level of quality and can be satisfied with the very basic Roland F110 piano or basic Yamaha CP33 piano controller that you mentioned, then you should buy one of those. I would recommend you read the factory specs of those choices again as it appears you are not fully aware of the differences, otherwise you would probably not be asking the product questions that you are asking and whether the MP6 is worth the difference. As far as reliability of these brands, any digital piano can have a problem just like any vehicle, cell phone, TV, etc, etc. There are no perfect products by the better brands such as Roland, Casio, Kawai, and Yamaha based on my experience over the years. But unlike the off-brands, the better brands I just mentioned have few service issues considering the 1000's of pianos each one sells worldwide in any given model. You should purchase whatever you feel comfortable with, although hundreds of MP6 owners throughout the US and the world that I personally know about love the Kawai MP6 and many have told me that.
Great review. I’ve got an MP6 too and love it. I love the Steinway Grand and Yamaha Jazz Grand Piano sounds. Would you be able to share the settings you used for both? They sounded great, and I’m pretty bad at customizing the sounds myself. Thanks
Please email me directly and then I would be glad to help
It would be nice if you did a public column on these important extras. Will that be possible?
I have a Yamaha P80 and a secondary one, a Casio Priva PX and you're absolutely right about filet mignon and a hamburger but the Casio is my kitchen piano. (Yes, you read that right — it keeps me in the kitchen so I can tell if something might be burning 🙂 )
I'm a little concerned about the tubbiness of the bass in the Chopin Nocturne track. But I haven'et heard the MP10 audio yet. The Yamaha P80 touch is relatively heavy so that when I went to Steinway B Hamburgs twice, they seemed light to me, which is nice rather than the opposite.
I did NOT like the Yamaha p90 at all. I don't know what they did to it but it wasn't very good.
Your writing and reasoning are a real pleasure to read. Two of us are looking for something better than the quite expressive P80 no longer made, so I'm interested in what you say about the Mp6 and 10.
I had wondered about the Roland FPF7. At any rate, I will be here often until I find a good 2nd digital piano (and will sell the Casio or give it to a friend).
I took delivery of this piano a week and a half ago, and in that time it has continued to impress me. Thanks for helping me make up my mind.
Tim,
I've practiced classical piano for 14 years. To give a rough idea of my skill level, I've played with the Philadelphia Orchestra as a soloist. I am also currently playing Chopin's Ballad in F minor. And most importantly, I LOVE the MP6. I don't have a lot of space in my apt, so this keyboard first perfectly. The great thing is, when I go to play on a real acoustic, I have no problems with the transition– and often times, I would prefer the MP6 at home. Thank you for this informative review. I wish you well.
Renember the software update from v.1.01 to v1.11. http://www.kawai.co.jp/worldwide/support/updates.html
Thanks for great review. I just bought the MP-6 instead of Korg SV-1. Better keys and the sounds is great + pithbend and modulation for Propellerhead Reason use.
My update work on the USB drive with FAT32. Not just with FAT formatting. KVS/Denmark
Tim,
For me, the fact that I can program global 'stretch' tuning is key. Is there anyone else that finds most electronic keyboards to sound out of tune in the upper register especially? (I understand that's why Donald Fagen uses a real Fender Rhodes: You can tune each note exactly as you want to hear it.) BTW, I just did the update using Kawai's detailed instructions. With a thumb drive it went smoothly and quickly. I've owned the MP5 and now the MP6. For gigging (with lh basses programmed) and recording it is the perfect keyboard! (Thanks for your great price, too!)
Gracias a sus comentarios acabo de estrenar mi Kawai MP6 y no dejo de tocar, es increible su sonido y calidad por ese precio, gracias mil de nuevo, y mas adelante pueda publicar tips, setups pata este maravilloso piano.
Just ordered this based on your review. Thank you!
Hi Tim,thanks! this is a very infomative review but you forgot to mention ANY kind of counter part to it. Is it any feature, detail or anything remotly bad or at least NOT EXCELLENT about this piano? Its hard to believe there isnt, im just being honest.
Sorry I cannot be more negative about this model. It's a respected manufacturer of high quality acoustic grand and now has this model in a price range that is impossible to beat until another manufacturer figures out how to do better for the same money or less, but that has not happened yet. If you consider the weight being too heavy, that fact there are no internal speakers in it, or that there aren't any multitrack or general MIDI play or recording options, then that may be a negative. But other than that, I really don't have any other reasons to be negative. If you listen to my MP3 and wav audio recordings of the piano and don't like the sound you hear, then that would be a good reason not to get one. I hope you find what you want.
Hi Tim,
Could you please comment on Roland DP-90S? How about Roland DP990RFPEC? Is DP-90S a lot better than DP990RFPEC?
Thank you very much.
Isabel
Thanks to this great review, I purchased a MP6 recently and it's brilliant. Maybe one or two things to note though that aren't covered in the review.
Whilst the preset piano sounds are very good, they're not perfect. Thankfully, because you're able to do so much tweaking, it didn't take long before getting the sounds I wanted. While you are able to save your designed sounds, they are deleted once you turn off the piano. A little annoying as every time I turn on the piano, I have to spend 30secs adjusting the knobs.
Some of the interface is easy and quick to use (the EQ and preset sounds for example) but other buttons and settings are very unintuitive and requires a great deal of scrolling to get to what you want.
It really is a great DP and easily the best in it's price range but it's not a DP for those that want to plug in and play right out of the box. But if you like to tinker (like me) it's near perfect
Thank you for sharing your experiences with your new MP6. Actually, you can easily save your "tweaked sounds" and they will be stored even after you power down the instrument and turning back on again. Playing great sounds right out of the box is actually very nice and easy and putting your edited sounds into permanent memory is also easy. In fact there are 256 memories where you can save your custom sounds, layers, splits, and "tweaks." The piano is quite intuitive once you take time to understand it. To get a lot of great features requires a little time to use most or all of them. I know of few people who have not been able to master that instrument. If you don't know how to do that, you can email me.
Hello,
What stand would you recommand for the MP6 in order to have something as stable as possible and have the best "acoustic piano feeling" ?
I'm afraid to get a stand that would make the keyboard move.
Thanks for your help
Best,
Hello Tim,
Thank you so much for the outstanding advice you and your son gave my son, Eric, Jr., and I during our search for a digital piano. We received shipment of our new MP6 two Fridays ago (11/9/12) and all is well. Quick delivery absent of any visible signs of bumps, bruises or mis-handling. A special thanks to your son Eric for his patience in answering all of our questions while you were on holiday,… and we had lots of them, clear up until final delivery. He answered each and every one! Thanks Eric. This instrument IS as advertised… and so is the service and attention given to us by Tim & Eric. I would highly recommend purchasing this or any other Digital Piano from this duo in a heartbeat.
Our son, who is a 3th year Prep student at Peabody Conservatory actually studies the Tenor Saxophone. Late last year, he and his instructors began suggesting that having a piano or at least a keyboard at the house, would greatly aid and advance in his studies, especially when it came to things like voicing and chord construction and progressions. Some weeks ago, the gentle suggestions became agitated hounding, then finally urgent nagging. So the wife and I caved, found and contacted Tim, and finally purchased the MP6. Priceless!
For those of you still on the fence about speakers/monitors options for the MP6,… do follow Tim's recommendations and go for the KRK Rokit RP6G2 Monitors. These are some very powerful little boxes. The clarity and bass that comes from these things is amazing and defy the size of the two monitors. We also purchased the QuikLok Z-726L 2 tier keyboard stand and the QuikLok BZ-7 keyboard bench to complete the package. All recommendations from Tim & Eric. Both are quality builds, easily adjustable and match the boy's needs perfectly,… just like the Praskins said. The 2nd tier on the keyboard stand can be adjusted to nicely accomodate a large 17" laptop without getting in the way. It can also be moved to the right OR left side of the keyboard's attached music stand. No need to purchase the optional laptop holder,… which is almost as expensive as the stand itself. LOL!
We initially considered the ES7, but after hearing the advantages and disadvantages explained when compared to the MP6, we stuck with the MP6. But before explaining the differences, Eric honestly told us it would be a few weeks before they would be able to procure the ES7, only because it was just released. For us, the main advantage of the ES7 over the MP6 were the accompaniment features built into the instrument. Problem easily solved by connecting the boy's laptop to the MP6 with a USB cable and a quick download of one of the many free music software programs floating around on the internet. There are also many paid software packages out there that offer even more features and capabilities,… we'll cross that bridge when we reach it.
For now, this mission has been declared 'Accomplished' thanks to Tim & Eric Praskins.
Thanks guys!!! – Eric, Sr.
Dear Tim,
Thanks to your great review of the Kawai MP6. Where I live it is impossible to touch and try a piano before a purchase. But your thorough and knowledgeable review gave me the info I needed. My Kawai is being shipped and should be under my fingers in a few weeks. It is exactly what I needed. A very good piano feeling digital platform for personal teaching and training and having fun making music with my daughter.
Thank you.
Tim,
I have a fellow christian that has bought one a few years ago and she still isn't quite sure what she can do with it. I've had a go for a few weeks but the manual is just too dawnting to begin to understand what I can and can't do. She told me that it can do anything that my Casio Privia PX330 can do but HOW? I can't seem to find Rhythm patterns or anything alike. I use the Privia for praise & worship in church but if this Kawai MP6 can do better, then I'll love to use it instead. Can you help us find these rhythm patterns please?
Thanks for your time,
Andrew.
PS:
You can email me at: bigandy@iprimus.com.au
Dear Tim, can I write you at your email account? I need tell you something. Please? 🙁
yes
hello Tim
The MP6 is an excellent tool, but the quality of the sound depends on your external speakers. Please recommend me some headphones to keep the sound of the MP6 orginal?
And in the case of the speakers must be two?, One for each channel? which do you recommend?
Thank you very much.
Omar.
hi tim
rivers of life, was that an original piece by you?
love it!
yes, original by me and much of it was made up as I played it live and recorded at the same time.
Kawai mp6 vs Privia sp-5x…opinions please?
Which one do u think has better sound and feel; Roland 300NX or Kawai MP6? Thanks for your help.
The Roland RD300NX does not come close to the Kawai MP6 in terms of acoustic piano sound and key action
How soon can we expect the replacement for the MP6? I want something to replace my Yamaha P90, but I think (hope)
Kawai has a replacement in the works.
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Digital piano manufacturers are always working on the next greatest digital piano replacement for what is currently out now. It is rare that a name brand piano manufacturer will divulge when they are coming out with something new or what it might be and so I would not have info on that and would not want to guess. The MP6 as it is now is really a great instrument for the money and can do the things that most people want in its price range. It is a huge upgrade from the Yamaha P90 which would be like going from riding a bicycle (P90) to riding in a Lexus (MP6). I hope this helps you and if you want more info incl what you should be able to purchase new digital pianos for at discounts below internet and where to get them, please email me.
Hi,
great review, and really nice sounds and recordings!
How many acoustic piano sounds are on board? Has each one been sampled for each of the 88 keys, or does this apply to only the Concert Grand (assuming this is the first piano on the list)?
47lbs
Hi Tim, which one do you think has better sound and feel; Roland RD700NX, RD800, Yamaha CP4, Casio Privia PX5S or Kawai MP6? Thanks for your help.
Which one do you think has better sound and feel; Roland RD700NX or Kawai MP6? Thanks for your help!!! God bless you a lot!!!