Finally Got my PA5x and Sx900 connected via midi.

[rikkisbears]

Hi ,
Finally got my 2 keyboards hooked up together. Unfortunately with the Paas speaker system on the Korg, it made it too difficult to stack the sx900 on top, so I've place it on the side ( upside down L configuration).
I no longer use the sx900 keys, I play it via the PA5x. With the sx900's brilliant registration system, the setup really works well. Great part is I can use the Korg for melody voices or the sx900, I could probably even layer both together.
The sound from the sx900 goes thru the Line in of the PA5x, so I can play it through Korg Paas speaker system or my new JBL monitors.  ( or both )Amazing how good isx900 sounds thru either system.
It's ended up being a great combination. Really enjoying the PA5x bugs and all. Haha.

I was a tiny bit hesitant about selling my Kawai es920 piano, I was using it as a controller for the sx900 and sx stacked very well over the top it,button pushing was a breeze , so was the midi setup. With the Korg the set up is more complex,  but I think I have finally come up with a workable solution, and my piano got sold yesterday.

[BogdanH]

hi Rikki,
Thank you for sharing your experience and solution(s) about Sx900/Pa5X combo -I'm sure you have a lot of fun right now. And if you think I envy you, then.. you're right 
I'm sure remaining bugs on Pa5X will be found and soon terminated 

Bogdan

[Strideplayer]

Great idea. I could possibly run a SX900 through my old P-90 that way. Since I am still a big fan of honky-tonk and ragtime piano I used a little trick in the past with my P-90 and a Kurzweil micropiano rack. I would tweak the micropiano about 3 cents or so, add some reverb, and combine the sounds of both the Kurzweil and the P-90. Gave a barrelhouse upright out-of-tune sound that would have won prizes in old Storyville in New Orleans.

Strideplayer

[ton37]

Thanx Rikki for your feedback: that's an combination I'v mentioned some time ago, glad you like it. Only I opt for the 61-korg. Have fun ...

[rikkisbears]

Hi Bogdan and Ton,
Yes it's a lot fun having both. Just happy I did manage to sell my piano's I also had a p121 which I just hadn't gotten round to selling , plus the es920 piano , so ended up with wall to wall keyboards and pianos , couldn't move haha. I finally have space again and the JBL monitors I bought have worked out perfectly being able to use them for both PA5x/sx900  at the same time .
With prior es920 setup I was going to have to decide whether to use them for the PA5x or for the sx900, not possible for both because of placement of monitors in ratio to keyboard.

Hi ton, I was in initially only going to buy the 61 not PA5x also, but the 88 note version was the only one they had in stock and it was going to be quite some time before they received the others. For my own situation it worked out perfectly as I no longer needed the pianos.  Gone from 4 down to 2 keyboards.

[BogdanH]

...Gone from 4 down to 2 keyboards.

...a man has only two hands, right? 

[rikkisbears]

Great idea. I could possibly run a SX900 through my old P-90 that way. Since I am still a big fan of honky-tonk and ragtime piano I used a little trick in the past with my P-90 and a Kurzweil micropiano rack. I would tweak the micropiano about 3 cents or so, add some reverb, and combine the sounds of both the Kurzweil and the P-90. Gave a barrelhouse upright out-of-tune sound that would have won prizes in old Storyville in New Orleans.

Strideplayer

Hi Strideplayer, you should give it a go. Only reason I hooked mine up together is because I prefer playing fully weighted keys to synth action.  Suppose it's what you get used too.  The es920/sx900 was the better set up,I was able to stack the sx900 very neatly on top of es920, looked like a double manual organ and the buttons etc were easy to see and press, but , with current L shape setup , I'll just make far more use of registrations and the registration sequencer on the sx900. ( something I wish PA5x had, listening Korg haha)

[rikkisbears]

...a man has only two hands, right? 

Or lady in my case. Haha. Yes it was rather ridiculous,  in a tiny 10ft by 12ft bedroom, also had a single bed in there . I was just so happy they both sold.

[Linson]

Hi Rikki, Thanks for sharing. Are you able to use both keyboards at same time?
I mean play lower left side of PA5x ( split) and right side of sx900 for melodies. I tried the combination of  Korg pa1000 and sx900 and was not quite successful especially when I transposed keys on the sx900 side .The Chord information received by Korg left side was inaccurate.May be I need to do some tweaking on the midi channels.I am not sure. Experts suggestions are welcome.
Best Regards

[rikkisbears]

Hi Linson,
might be misunderstanding what you're asking  but with my setup  I have to play everything on the PA5x keys, ( play chords on PA5x to trigger styles on sx900 and do chord the changes ( left hand) , then I play right hand melody on PA5x and I use sx900 voices. if I had been able to stack sx900 above PA5x , I would be able to play right hand melody on the sx900, and chords on the PA5x.

In my case I'm using Korg as controller keyboard, we're you actually trying to use sx900?

It took me a bit of figuring out how to get it to work again, 2 arrangers is not as simple as the prior piano/arranger setup I had. My Korg was sending out sys ex messages that were interfering  with the sx900 , it was changing voices and volumes, and I was starting to wonder, what in the heck have I gotten myself into, might need to keep piano. Fortunately it seems to be working , and since it's only for home use, odd glitch won't matter. Just be happy when they get a few more of the bugs sorted in PA5x, because it's a bit difficult to tell if it's me doing something wrong or if it's a bug causing the problem.

I used to have my old pa800 /psr1500 midi connected via midi  and from memory used to work really well.

So what are you actually trying to do? Your Korg I think would make the better controller of the 2.

[mikf]

What is the point of using the Korg to play if you only use sounds from the Yamaha? If you just prefer the feel of a better keyboards. You could do this better, easier and a cheaper with a quality controller keyboard. Or digital piano. Then you would also have access to much better piano voice. And you could easily stack them.
If you set it up properly it is possible to access the sounds from both keyboards.
Mike

[rikkisbears]

Hi Mike, I actually had my sx900 stacked on a Kawai Es920 piano and it  worked really well.  Lovely piano and deep down I was sad to see it go.
Lack of space in a small guest  bedroom/music room  setup  meant I couldn't fit 2 88 note keyboards, short of getting rid of the bed. Haha . The 61 note sx900 fits in an L configuration.
Having primarily been a Korg user for many years , the PA5X  with 88 fully weighted keys  ( and aftertouch) is more important to me than a digital piano.
I'm still working on my setup. Xmas has taken up a lot of my time in the last couple of weeks, guests have left , now I'll have some ME time again.
The registrations on the sx900 are going to help me achieve what I want to do as far as sx900 goes, now I have to work out what setup will work on the korg.
I basically just want to use it as an arranger module . Using styles from PA5x or sx900  and r/h melody from either PA5x  or sx900 .  Currently I can achieve it by pressing buttons and manually choosing sounds, muting sounds on one or the other,  but I want to be able to do it as a Songbook + setup when Korg eventually gets its internal Songbook function working correctly. My New Year resolution challenge. Haha

[Dnj]

Rikki good luck with your new gear I am sure you will make beautiful music with it.

[rikkisbears]

Thank you Donny.