Yamaha - Jon Regen

Yamaha
Yamaha's CP designation first launched in the'70s, on electronic stage
pianos but more famously on the electro-acoustic CP60, CP70, and CP80'
which used real strings and hammers but pickups in place of a soundboard. Though hea'ry by today's standards, these transportable instruments became the industry standard for getting real piano sound onstage
when you couldnt tour with an acoustic piano. Some three decades later,
Yamaha's new CP series aims to be the new standard. Does
it succeed?
Keyboard Feel
CPI and CP5. Yamaha's flagship CPl and lower priced (but sonically
more diverse) CP5 feature a newly designed wood and imitation ivory
action, the NW-Stage.
Interestingly, Yamaha went with a uniform weight across the keyboard, as opposed to the graded weight (with more resistance towards
the bass notes and less towards the treble) that conventional wisdom says
you put in a high-end stage piano. Though it qualifies as fully weighted'
the NW-Stage keyboard is definitely on the lighter side, and to my own
or CP5, though, the more you see just how well the action's nuances serve
the dynamic and harmonic variations il the new acoustic and electric
piano sounds.
CP50. The supposed baby of the CP family is no slouch. Featuring a more
traditional graded GH action, the CP50 feels familiar, having been used
in other Yamaha digitals in the past. There's no wood or simulated ivory
here, just an eminently playable weighted keyboard' Considering that the
CP50 is less than a third of the price of the CPl and nearly $1,000 less
than the CP5, that's cause for celebration. I like the throw of the CP50's
keys; it feels deeper and more-for lack of a better word-classic, to me.
Acoustic Piano Sounds
CP1. Unlike its siblings, the CP1 is dedicated solelyto acoustic and elec-
tric pianos. How do these sound? In a word, spectacular' I was lucky
enough to audition the CP1 at Hal Winert BiCoastal Music recording
studio in Ossining, New York, hearing it through a megabuck monitor
system that pulls no punches when
it
comes to revealing sonic flaws.
fingers, the key dip feels shallower than other digital pianos I ve played.
Yamaha has really captured the three-dimensional sound that large con-
This serves the spectrum of acoustic and electric pianos well, though:
cert pianos emit: the rumble of long bass strings, the "air" that surrounds
sustained notes, and the bell tones of the mid to upper registers' On the
Rhodes and Wurly actions are almost always lighter than those on weighted
digital stage pianos, as are the actions on many acoustic grands that have
seen years of use. However if your expectations have been shaped by
more traditional weighted actions-Such as the Yamaha P250, CP300, or
Motif 8 series-it takes some getting used to. The more you play the CPl
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CPl, you choose between two vaunted Yamaha pianos: the nine-foot
CFIIIS concert grand, and the seven-foot 568 grand. Both emulations are
extremely detailed. The 568 is a welcome addition' with its woody, retrojazz qrality-think of engineer Rudy Van Geldert '60s-era Blue Note
CP5 (Xey Buy winner)
cPs0
recordings, with their characteristicaily round piano sound.
Each of these two pianos is available in versions with either a twoband or a three-band EQ. Initially, learning to play these monster sounds
with the new NW-Stage action was
a bit of a challenge, as it really is a
new breed of weighted action. But the more I played the Cp 1, the richer
the experience became. I have yet to hear a hardware digital piano on
thatt as convincing as the CP1. Many digital instruments
"sound like" a piano, but the CPI really soundslike one-I can think of
no better way to put it. More than a few professional session and touring keyboardists have told me that the CPI sounds so great when
recorded that they've considered selling their acoustic pianos. How's
that for an evaluation?
CP5. Like the CPl, the CP5 gives you the choice of CFIIIS or 568 concert grand Voices. Uniike the CP1, the Cp5 offers just one version of
a recording
each, but youd be hard pressed to
find a situation in which these presets
wouldnt work. The basic piano sounds are crisp and detailed, and while
they lack some of the jaw-dropping detail of those in the Cpl, they're
lush and expressive nonetheless.
CP50. Cieariy aimed at the gigging musician on a budget, the Cp50 is
the baby brother with an overachiever complex. It's packed with most of
the CP5t sounds and features, but costs almost $1,000 less. The Cp50
offers only one acoustic piano, the CFIIIS grand. Compared side-by-side
with the CPI and CP5, this doesnt have
as much detail and resolution.
Taken on its own, though, it's completely convincing for stage work in a
band, and I reallylike the fingers-to-sound connection ofthe GH action.
To me, this is a classic representation of a stage piano in a lean, mean
package. At 46 pounds, the CP50 strikes a good balance between stabil-
ity on the keyboard stand (ultra-light stage pianos can move around
unnervingly when I lay into them) and portability.
Electric Piano Sounds
The vintage electric piano sounds simply shine. Tine- and reed-based
simulations (called "Rd" and "Wr" respectively-guess what those mean)
make use of SCM across all three CP models, and are top notch. They
sing, bark, and bite just like on your favorite recordings ofthe real deal.
Doing justice to the letters "CPl' electric grand sounds are present in all
Spectral Gomponent i/loeleling
Yamaha developed an entirely new sound engine for the CP family, one they call Spectral Component Modeling (SCM).
ln SCM,
the core samples are manipulated along with a vast array of modeled sound aspects, from the hardness of a piano's hammers
to
sympathetic resonance to the spot where hammer hits tine on the electric piano patches. Though you can adjust these settings,
the
CP philosophy isn't about tweaking tons of parameters (contrast: Roland V-Piano or Modartt plnoteq). Rather, it's about the player
not having to think too much about such things. One of the benefits is inaudible transition between whatever different sample
set"
are involved, another is absolutely realistic ha=rmonic generation in response to your t"Vi""J Ovr"ri*.
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VIEW
FR()M THE GTG
THE
hitters the keyboard world put the three CP pianos
Three
heavy
in
through their paces. Here's what they had to say:
$col{ Healy on the GPI
Conan on TBS I bluedogmusic.com
Controls:
Everything is right there in front of
you. Changing patches and banks is a snap,
and saving presets is painless. The screen is
bright, and on the CP1 you have some really
Michael Ghegan on the CPSO
Justin Timberlake, Pat McGhee Band, Cirque
du Soleil I michaelghegan.com
Controls: I like the sensible navigation of
controls, and the general ease of patch navigation, effects, and editing on the fly.
Keyboard feel: This keyboard is a tank.
lonathan Hamby on the CP5
useful parameters, such as hammer hardness,
Carrie Underwood, Amy Grant, Peter Cetera
I keytracks.net
which lfind myself using the most.
Keyboard feel: The weighting feels natural, not too heavy, like a light to medium
Yamaha grand. lt is, I believe, the most realistic feel of all the digital pianos I've played.
Gontrols:
I like that each voice and effect
has
section
a button to toggle it on and off
instantly-great for changing on the fly.
Keyboard feel: lt's a bit different than other
digital pianos I've used, but I really like it.
The parts I play on this piano are more like
what I would play on a real piano than any
other digital piano I've tried.
It's solid under the fingers and has a bit of
Acoustic pianos: They're well done from
a hard touch, but it's great for the meat-and-
top to bottom. On the CFlllS, each register has its own character without getting
potatoes rock gig.
Acoustic pianos: They cut through a mix
very well. I like to EO them a little to get the
midrange right.
Electric pianos: I love the Rhodes-like
pianos. They have the per{ect amount of bell
tone and attack, and are warm with very
nice imaging. The Wurly is also a very good
sound, but needs a bit of EO.
Sumi"ty,
The CP50 is a very good keyboard for the weekend warrior, rehearsal
space, and home studio. I found it to be a
very strong all-around 'board for a working
bluesirock player. The tonal palette is diverse
and covers a lot of ground. The key action
has heft and will withstand a good hand ham-
mering. lt's nice to see a quality instrument
that can take a beating and keep on rolling!
me in live situations.
that this happened.
and CP50, DX pianos are sample-based.
KEYBOARDMAG,COM
amazing. lt sounds great loud, and cuts
through the band. li sounds great soft-the
mid octaves are warm and rich. There's no
perceptible looping or cross-fading.
Electric pianos: The Rhodes sounds are
decent, a little quieter than I'd like, but the
is good, but the growl and bark sounds a
bit unnaiural to me, especially compared to
other keyboards out there, like the Nord.
Summary: I've used it onstage in front of
15,000 people, in clubs for '1 5 people, on
records, and in my studio. lt sounds great
through a stereo P.A. and through a good
amp in mono. I play it on the Conan show
on TBS, and for recording sessions. I also
just played the CP5 alajazz gig, as well as
onstage with Jack White. I think the CPs
are the best digital pianos out there, and
nine, and five, respectively), with the CPl adding authentic DX7-style
pianos created by a real FM tone generator. Adjustable settings for these
"DXEP" sounds include decay and release times, attack and release tonal
character, and oscillator detune. There's no operator programming, though,
so dont expect to find a full DX7 lurking under the hood. On the CP5
3A
many sampled keyboards. The pedaling is
realistic, and ihe imaging in headphones is
lost or overshadowing other ranges like on
some digital pianos. The 56 has its own
character as well, which is a nice alternative in certain situations.
Electric pianos; The Rhodes sounds are
really great, especially with the phaser and
chorus effects. Go start a Steely Dan cover
bandl The CPSO [electric grand] is also
really well done.
Summary: The CPS is probably better
suited to gigging than the CP1 because it
has a bigger sound set. lt also works well
as a writing or practice keyboard because
you can record performances for playback
as WAV files to a thumb drive, which is very
handy. The CP5 has worked really well for
their Peter Gabriel glory. My ears say they're a dead ringer for the original black beast with its unmistakable trapezoid-shaped harp.
The CPl, CP5, and CP50 all offer a good variety ofEP Voices (13,
Yamaha's SCM seems tailor made for
Acoustic pianos: The overtones don't build
up in an unnatural way as they do on so
killer EP simulations. Nearly
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onboard effects really add punch. The Wurly
I've played them all. I now endorse Yamaha,
but it was because I liked the CP1 so much
every pro I invited to play the CP series raved about the quality and real-
ism of the electric pianos. As with the acoustic piano sounds, there's a
slight loss in detail and dynamic range as you migrate from the CPl to
the CP5 to the CP50, but make no mistake-every one of these retro
patches will bring the utmost in vintage credibility to your gig.
Piano Details
Yamaha's goal of modeling the nearly
infinite array of variables that make
up a real piano's sound was met with flying colors here. On the CPl, six
knobs let you alter characteristics such as hammer hardness, damper
Both the eP'! and CP5 (e?tswn) feature balanced XLR outs
aNonsside the usual f /4" $nes. The ePS, thcugh, i* the only
member of the family with a rnic input.
different eras' instruments, and re-creating these on the fly was very
cool. The same goes for being able to shape the tone and timbre of the
acoustic pianos in different live situations. Every gig requires a different tonal toolkit-here you come armed and ready. I also employed
the "StrkPos" (strike position) parameter quite often to alter the sound
resonance, key-off noise, and hammer strike position. On the CP5 and
CP50, three knobs perform similar tasks. By default, they control param-
first sound in a layer, but you can quickly reassign any knob
to any setting for either layer.
Much iike a piano technician will voice and regulate an instrument
eters for the
of the EPs' virtual pickups.
to the player's needs, these parameters let you become your own piano
tech. Initialiy, control over this many options seemed daunting to me,
as I tend to be a plug-and-play kind of guy. But the more I delved in
to the settings, the more use I found for them. For example, take the
CP5's "Hammer" parameter for acoustic and electric piano sounds.
I've had numerous vintage Rhodes, Wurlies, and acoustic pianos over
the years. Hammer hardness is a huge part of the signature sound of
PROS
Gtlrer Seernds: CtF an€l CPSG
The new CP line diverges when it comes to non-piano sounds. While the
CPI does just two things-acoustic and electric pianos-extremely well,
the CP5 and CP50 devote more resources to being all-around gig machines.
Entirely absent on the CPl (given its price tag, some might say puzzlingly
cpl
ePsm
ep50
Stunningfy realistic acoustic and
eleetrie pianos. Tonal shaping to
a rare degree. DX7-type piano
Has same wooden key action as
CP1, but many more sounds. Most
splits and layers in CP |ine. Mic
Many CP5 features at a fraction of
the cost. Traditional GH weighted
action is more familiar to many
stage piano users.
sounds use actual FM tone
generator.
input. Best bang for buck of CP line.
coRs
Piano- and etrectric piano-only
format is linriting at this
price point.
As on all CP models, control panel
has a learning curve.
Less sonic detail than big
brothers on acoustic and
electric piano sounds.
KEYBOAR[}
Wooden NW-Stage keyboard
Wooden NW-Stage keyboard
with synthetic ivory. Weighted
Plastic-surface G H keyboard.
Weighted and graded.
with synthetic ivory. Weighted
and balanced.
28 notes
and bafanced.
28 notes
28 notes
PCTYPHONY
1
ACCI'STTC PIAHOS
4
2
1
ETECTRIC PIAT{OS
13
I
E
OTHERgO['!{DS
None.
305, including Cfavs, organs,
216-similar soundset to CP5.
1
1
guitars, strings, brass, synths, etc.
gPLlTS/L/AYERS
2
4
2
E]KTERI.IAL MIDI ZONES
4
4
4
WxDxH
54.5t'x16.5ttx6.8"
54.37" x 16" x 6.9"
54.37" x 13.1" x 6.5"
WEIG}IT
6O lbs.
55.5 lbs.
46 lbs,
LIST PRICE
$b,sss
$s,2se
$2,1ee
APPROX.
$E,ooo
$z,ooo
$r,zoo
SMEETPRICE
yamahasynth.com
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KFYBOARDMAG,COM
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so), the 305 additional patches on the CP5 and216 on the CP50 cover
just about every sound you might need. From surprisingly effective Clavs
and tonewheel organs to guitars, basses, brass, strings, pads, and lead
synths, the variety is more akin to a workstation than what I'm used to
from stage pianos. Though these sounds use samples rather than SCM,
there's nary a dog in the
lot-strings
are big and lush, analog synths
donl
sound brittle, and so on. If youve worked much with the Motif or Tyros
you'll find plenty of familiar friends here. Of course, you can split
or layer these sounds with the ScM-based acoustic or electric pianos to
create performance setups. The CP5 lets you play up to four sounds from
the keyboard at once: two layers in the left hand and two in the right. The
CP50 allows for either a simple dual layer or two-way split.
Also, the CP5 and CP50 feature 14 drum kits and 100 pre-programmed
series,
patterns. These are convincing grooves that come in 314 and 414 time
and cover all the stylistic bases. While you wont fire your drummer anytime soon (at least not for this reason), they do make decent backing
tracks for solo acts. Speaking ofbacking tracks, the CP5 and CP50 also
let you record your playing as a MIDI sequence, storing the data internally or on a USB stick. The CP5 lets you plug in a mic so you can sing
along with your keyboard parts. The CP5 and CP50 also record and play
letting you toggle either part, plus each ofits sound-altering Blocks, with
one button-press.
Effects
The CP family's effects capabilities are mind-numbingly powerful, and
include convincing vintage and modern chorus, delay, wah, amp simulators, compressors, rotary speaker with speed control (CP5 and CP50
only), and on and on. These use the same Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM)
that trickled from its birthplace in Yamaha's higher-end digital mixers to
the Motif XS and XF-itt just that given the CP series' comparatively
basic displays, you dont get the plug-in-like graphics. In a nutshell,
VCM models the components and circuit paths of classic stompboxes
and rackmount effects you may have hunted for on eBay. Using the
knobs to adjust the chorus and phaser took me back to when I lugged
a real Rhodes to gigs, and mixing and matching effects as I played
imparted a thoroughly vintage vibe to my plapng, especially with elec-
tric piano sounds.
Conclusions
From the three-dimensional sound of the flagship CPl, which to my ears
backWAV audio files.
sounds more like an acoustic piano than anything I've ever heard from
a digital keytoard, to the highly flexible CP5 and CP50, these are devas-
Panel Design
tatingly good digital pianos. I'd prefer the NW-Stage actions in the CPI
and CP5 to have more key travel and convey more of a sense of hammer
throw, but I was able to adjust my playing accordingly. Add dynamite EP
simulations and effects that rival dedicated plug-ins and hardware boxes,
then consider the extra sounds ofthe CP5 and CP50, and you have three
The redesigned front panel on all three CP pianos is a far cry from past
Yamaha digital pianos like the P250 or CP300, where you simply pressed
a preset, added an ef[ect, and hit the ground running. With the inclusion
of so many new sounds, effects, and modeling components, it does take
a player some time to get used to the layout. Some Yamaha naming conventions are unchanged: single sound patches are called Voices and
split/layer setups with associated effects are Performances. There's a new
kid on the block, though, and it's called . . . the Block. A Block is child to
the Performance's parent, and it's either a Voice (or multitimbral stack of
Voices) along with its associated parameters, or it's something that affects
the Voice along with lfs associated parameters.
In other words,
a Block is a station on the sonic assembly
line. For
stage pianos that cover nearly every conceivable sonic circumstance.
It has to be said: The CP5 hits the sweet spot. Above it is the CPlthe 'toncept car" for those who want absolute detail and realism in their
acoustic and electric piano sounds and have their Clavs, synths, and
organs covered by other equally enviable keyboards. Below the CP5 is
the CP50, which is the one to get ifyou're on a budget but still want Spec-
tral Component Modeling pianos and EPs that you wont find in a P-series
Yamaha piano, an S90XS, or even the latest
Motif. But it's the CP5 whose
example, the CPl has four blocks. In signal chain order, these are Piano,
Modulation Effects, Power Amp/Compressor, and Reverb. You engage
or bypass each Block using the identically-ordered row ofbuttons on the
acoustic and electric pianos sound almost as good as the CP1; likewise,
it's the CP5 that has the largest number of Motif-league sounds in other
left side ofthe panel, and since the CP1 can do ftvo layers, there are two
rows of buttons, except for reverb-it's global to both layers, so theret
way on the other two models. That makes the CP5 our Key Buy winnerOn all three models, the user interface can be tricky at times, but
one button. Though the manual says preamp simulation settings are
part
categories, not to mention four-way splits or layers as opposed to two-
so can regulating a concert grand piano, and both endeavors
leave you
turn parts I and 2 on or offby hitting their Piano buttons. The CP5 and
CP50 take the more intuitive route of having a dedicated Split button'
not to mention volume knobs for each part in the split or layer. At first,
it seemed weird that the CPl was different, but then it made sense: Unlike
its siblings, the CPl doesnt do basses, lead synths, or other sounds you'd
want to splif with your piano-but it does do electric pianos you'd want
tate for years to come.
to layer withthe acoustic pianos. Hence, the controls are layer-centric,
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ultimately
with sounds that inspire and invigorate. The new control
panel design is a marked departure from how a stage piano usually
ofthe Piano Block (not their own Block), each row also has a dedicated
button to engage or bypass preamP modeling, sensibly located between
the Piano and Modulation Effect buttons.
I get what Yamaha is going for with this 'tignal chain'panel design,
but it does require more getting acquainted than many stage piano users
are used to. The CP line also diverges when it comes to splitting the keyboard. On the CPl, you set your split point in the Common settings, and
works, but so was the CP70 when it was first introduced. Now, as then,
Yamaha seems to have thought from the desired resttlt back to what
would be necessary to achieve it, as opposed to, "How can we get the
desired result based on 'how it's done'?" In so doing, they ve changed
"how it's done" in a way that other brands are likely to study and imi-
E