Opinions on Yamaha CP-33

[Gravity Jim]

I'm thinking of replacing my aged but well-loved Korg 01/W ProX. I I haven't used it's sound engine in many years, but originally liked and had become very used to the keybed, so it's still served as a perfectly good master controller. And no matter what I played I didn't find anything that really made me want to replace it, until now.

Recently I had the chance to play a Yamaha MOX8 which has the same Graded Hammer action the CP-33 (or so I assume... Yamaha gives them both the same name, so I figure its the same keybed), and really liked the feel. Again, I have no use for the MOX's Motif-derived sound set, concentrating as it does in irritating ready-made hip hop beats... I just want the keybed.

So I'm thinking of buying a CP-33, but I might have to do it without playing one first. Does anyone here know... does it have the same feel as the MOX8 or S90XS? Anybody here own one? What do you like or not like?

[Dwetmaster]

A pianist friend of mine told me it was the best keyboard touch he played in quite a while...
The way the keybd action respond to the sound is quite realistic he says.

In my studio, I've settled for the now discontinued yamaha kx8.
Not the best but at 350$ I found it was a serious contender to keyboard twice the price. If you can find one anywhere, you might want to consider.

[kgdrum]

A pianist friend of mine told me it was the best keyboard touch he played in quite a while...
The way the keybd action respond to the sound is quite realistic he says.

In my studio, I've settled for the now discontinued yamaha kx8.
Not the best but at 350$ I found it was a serious contender to keyboard twice the price. If you can find one anywhere, you might want to consider.

+1 on the KX8
Great action for a budget oriented keyboard,it replaced a M-audio Keystation Pro-88 which had probably the worst feel of any keyboard I've ever had.The KX8 was a big improvement

[Dwetmaster]

I never understood why they discontinued it? Maybe they found it was too good to be true.

[jlaudon]

I use a CP33, and it's been very good overall, feel and touch wise. I also like having pitch and mod wheels, as opposed to a joystick.

I also have a Studiologic numa controller (also has piano sounds, etc), and I preferred the feel and touch when playing piano VIs, but it's so noisy (physical clunking) so if I'm playing something at a low volume level, it's just too noisy. I switched back to the Cp33, and use the Numa for live.

[Gravity Jim]

Agreed on the joystick... The one feature of the Korg I never got on with.

Thanks for the input, all. I've been doing some research and the CP33 actually goes one better than the MOX8 I played in the keyboard action department. The MOX8 has the GHS weighted action (already pretty good) while the CP33 has the GHE action (which is equally comfy but has a much faster repsonse). Yamaha released some videos a couple of years ago that show how they work.

So it looks like the CP33 would be the way to go.

[mikehalloran]

...it replaced a M-audio Keystation Pro-88 which had probably the worst feel of any keyboard I've ever had...

Worse feel than my Line 6 MobileKeys? Impossible! It's saving grace is that I never was much of a keyboard player.

My other keyboard is a Bösendorfer but my wife plays that one.

[Kurt Cowling]

Can the CP33 send all 128 patch changes from the front panel? ...hopefully independently of which internal sound is called up?

I'm looking for a lightweight controller to use in conjunction with MainStage for live performance. Good internal sounds (esp. piano) would be a plus, but not necessary. Mostly I need something that won't break my back and can call up any MainStage patch at random.

Seems like every new controller I check out has lots of knobs and sliders, but no patch change buttons...

Thanks for any advice,
--Kurt Cowling

[Gravity Jim]

I think you can. With the CP33 in "Master Mode," it send control change 0-127 and bank change messages to an external module.

If you Google "CP33 user guide" you'll find PDF's that show how it's done.

[Kurt Cowling]

I think you can. With the CP33 in "Master Mode," it send control change 0-127 and bank change messages to an external module.

If you Google "CP33 user guide" you'll find PDF's that show how it's done.

Thanks for your reply. I looked at the CP33 manual before posting, but the answer wasn't really clear, which is why I posted.

Are there multiple presets (memory locations) in Master Mode? Can I set up say 30 memorized setups where with a single switch it recall an internal sound (possibly with limited key and/or velocity range) and also send whatever patch change number I want? It didn't look like it to me.

I sometimes do shows where I need to call up as many as 8 setups (splits/layers/combis) within a single song. I want to just advance through them with the patch increment button.

I do this now with my S90-ES in performance mode, but that thing is so big and heavy...

Thanks again!
--Kurt

[Gravity Jim]

Haven't got a clue, Kurt. I haven't had my hands on one, and switching patches from the keyboard isn't something I need, so I haven't looked into it beyond a cursory look at the user's guide. All I know is that the Yamahas feel so nice I want to finally replace my Korg.

[Kurt Cowling]

Yeah, I really like the action on my S90-ES. Sounds like the CP33 action is just as good or better. Thanks for your replies. Hope you like it (if you end up getting it).

[Kurt Cowling]

Yeah, I really like the action on my S90-ES. Sounds like the CP33 action is just as good or better. Thanks for your replies. Hope you like it (if you end up getting it).

[Gravity Jim]

I'm going for the CP33. Well, to be honest, I'm letting the universe decide.

If I can sell my 01/W ProX (9.5 out of 10 condition, original manuals and discs, sustain pedal and all five expansion card sets) locally on Craigslist for a few hundred bucks, I'll go for it. But I don't want to end up with a 200-pound (okay, I know it's less but it feels like 200) spare keyboard taking up space in the tape room. So, as soon as I find a buyer for the beast, the deal is done. Thanks for all the feedback.

[toodamnhip]

A pianist friend of mine told me it was the best keyboard touch he played in quite a while...
The way the keybd action respond to the sound is quite realistic he says.

In my studio, I've settled for the now discontinued yamaha kx8.
Not the best but at 350$ I found it was a serious contender to keyboard twice the price. If you can find one anywhere, you might want to consider.

+1 on the KX8
Great action for a budget oriented keyboard,it replaced a M-audio Keystation Pro-88 which had probably the worst feel of any keyboard I've ever had.The KX8 was a big improvement

I hate the feel of my keystation 88 too.
Are the keyboards mentioned here just controllers or do they have sounds too?