Casio Privia PX-560 - Understanding and Creating Hex Layers

Casio's Privia PX-560 Digital Piano has incredible sound design capabilities, including the incredible Hex Layer technology first seen in the PX-5S and XW-series instruments. Here, Rich Formidoni shows you how to explore the powerful and expressive Hex Layers that are preset, and how to customize your own. Please subscribe, and visit www.casiomusicgear.com for the latest updates on the PX-560 and other Casio instruments.

[@regmason2329]

I bought my PX in July of 2017. I play every day and gig with it, as a solo act. This is an awesome solo stage piano, allowing quick sound changes on the fly, the touch screen is just fantastic! I have had ZERO problems with this instrument! In my opinion NOTHING in it's price range even comes close! Yes it does have a few things I would change or improve- BUT overall this is one fantastic digital piano!

[@32NinerBravo]

There is absolutely nothing that can even come close to this awesome musical weapon in this price range. Casio blew everyone out of the water with this. Getting ready to order mine.

[@nielshusum]

I just bought one for professional gospel piano use and used it a lot the last 3 weeks. I can really recommend it. The feel and sonic behavior is excellent for live use. And it seems very solid and robust when I got past my old stocked 'if it's heavy, it's good quality' attitude. It's easily transported by a single person. A great feature in real life. 😊

[@michaelskywalker3089]

A keyboard ahead of it's time.

[@BlisterHiker]

Thanks for tutorial! PX-560 is a *fantastic instrument!* 🙂

[@fabriziodamato7351]

Rich Formidoni very professional and brilliant tutorial

[@malelonewolf80]

Just got a px-560 and are still learning how it functions. Canˋt wait to start experimenting with creating my own sounds.

[@brahadeeshsuresh500]

Jens Petter IkkeOppført what are your review on it ,piano sounds,key action I'm planning to buy it

[@malelonewolf80]

Brahadeesh Suresh Not an expert myself and since it is my first piano style instrument, excluding various keyboards, I am not really a good judge of the px-560. But so far I am quite happy. Feels like a proper piano (tried one years ago), has quite a few good sounds and it is quite easy to use. The only complaints, if one could call them that, is that the speakers sound a bit weak compared to the px-560 videoes I have seen. But in most videoes they use external monitors which I think may have given the px-560 a better sound in the videoes. And I would like an easier way to change between time signatures rather than through the menu system (perhaps an easier way already exist that I have not figured out yet). Also the number of functions that one could assign to tye knobs surprised me a bit because I thought there would be more. But in the menu there are a lot of blank spaces between the knob-functions one can select. Though there are quite a few bit of functions that can be selected, but there are room for more (perhaps we get more in an future firmware update). But I am still quite new to this instrument and have not learned everything yet. You have to figure out some things yourself with this instrument if you are new to it as the documentation is a bit lacking. But the menu system on the instrument makes it reasonably simple. You just have to try out different things and see how they works. I have already figured out how to set different sounds to different velocity ranges and that was quite fun, having a soft sound on a soft touch and a rough drum (timpani?) sound on harder / faster touches. In short I think it is a very good instrument and a good step up from your average 3-4 year old keyboard. Is it a Korg Kronos 2? No, but then I bought it primarily for its piano sound / to learn to play piano on, and for that purpose it is excellent. And the synth / hex-functions is quite fun, as are the other sounds. From what I have seen of youtube reviews of this instrument it is quite on par, or close to, more expensive instruments. For the price I think it was well worth the buy and if you do not have need for the more advanced features of the Korg Kronos 2, or the richer piano sounds of more expensive stage pianoes, then this stage piano is probably the instrument that gives you the greatest value / most features, for you money.

[@throughtheturnstiles196]

A phenomenal instrument. Casio are just awesome.

[@redstrat1234]

Fantastic, Exactly what I needed. Thank you

[@keepingitrealandtruthful.5081]

redstrat1234 I got mine today. I say it's recommended.

[@mkaali]

Okay, okay. Knock it off already! I have to buy this

[@leapest]

WOW!

Como faço pra colocar mais timbres nele? aceita samplers? ?

[@junfujioka]

May I ask one thing? Do you think all the synths and leads from XWP1 are included in PX560? Or at least most of them? Thanks and greetings from Brazil

[@casiomusicgear]

The PX-560 has a much better HexLayer synth engine based on what is in the XW-P1. It does not have the monophonic lead engine from the XW.

[@jonathan_roe]

7:23 How do you know where the voice you're looking for is? For example, how do I know that there's an Oboe on page 31 or a GM Oboe on page 57?

[@alobpreis]

Unfortunately the only way is to know by memory (after more or less knowing the order of tones in the keyboard) or by checking the keyboard's appendix (Casio PX-560 APPEND-WL-1A_EN.pdf). I sometimes open it on my computer to search for a tone, rhythm, instrument or wave.

[@jonathan_roe]

@@alobpreis Thanks. I'll check that out.

[@ili626]

Can sounds from midi libraries be imported as layers?

[@hermayantoanden]

how to create hex layer on px 5s ?

[@allaneverett1470]

Hi Rich, I'm a student of Ernie Jackson qcc. Cuny. The three knobs can be assigned as volume controls for the layers?

[@richardformidoni2782]

Ernie's the best! Yes, you can assign the knobs to control individual layer volume, or overall Tone volume. Touch MENU, then select CONTROLLER, then you'll see the Knob1, Knob2, and Knob3 Edit options.

[@allaneverett1470]

Richard Formidoni thanks rich for the information. I still have your great qcc demos on the Kronos and ms-20. Rich, many gospel musicians prefer a keyboard with 76/88 notes, full size, real volume sliders at the minimum of four, a nice size display and of course very good Hammond organ sounds along with the great sounds of the px-5s. If Casio would cater to gospel musicians needs, that would be so awesome

[@vigilantezack]

I think I'm missing something. I tried to create a hex layer but it seems the selection of wave forms doesn't match the normal sounds when I select them. For example 009 is normally a mellow piano, but when I try to make a hex layer, 009 is not mellow piano, I can't actually find that piano anywhere, and the numbers don't line up to the normal number selection when not editing hex layers. What's going on? Can I not make a hex layer using any regular tones?

[@musicaldev5644]

I wish moving one of the 3 knobs will automatically assign them to selected parameter.

[@alobpreis]

Keep in mind that being able to make configuration changes TOO easily can also make you mis-configure your settings by mistake.

[@gotopcpanik]

What happend to the MZ-X500/300? The MZ-X Series was well equipped but was not for long on the market.

[@ALOISC1]

The MZ's are already obsolete at +4 years old. The new CT-X lines AIX chip sounds better. I'm guessing Casio is working on a new WK workstation model. It's top of the line 76 key WK-7600 is +7 years old.

[@gotopcpanik]

You can't compare a CT-X to an MZ-X. The CT-X is far from having the equipment and options of the MZ-X. Reducing yourself to just the sound chip makes no sense. A CT-X5000 has no hex-layer sounds, no touchscreen, no MIDI connections, cannot export to MDF or SMF, has no DAW options, no drawbars, no velocity-sensitive pads - you can't even begin to do that with the 4 phrase pads What is possible with an MZ-X500 - only 64 instead of 128 polyphony, no hex-layer sounds, the processing options are well below those of an MZ-X. The list can be expanded to include many more points. I owned both because I was hoping for a better sound from the CT-X, but a CT-X is clearly inferior to the MZ-X in all other respects, apart from some sounds from the AIX source. The operation, if you really want to immerse yourself in sound editing and sequencer recording, is a real torture on the CT-X. And in the end you can't even record your song directly into an iPad, as it doesn't offer an audio interface. As well as - and this is much worse - exporting to a standard MIDI file in order to use the work you had on another keyboard. This is really the biggest disadvantage. You spend hours and hours programming a song and ending up with a file that is not compatible with anything. Not even with the in-house MZ-X models. So there is really a need to update the MZ-X line.

[@dougie6897]

@@gotopcpanik The hex layer in the Mz -x500 is so rich powerful and versatile , Casio should have marketed it as a stand alone synth. All that was needed was a pro key bed No touch screen A few more dedicated knobs and sliders etc This would have been Serious competition to the Korg mod wave!!

[@luisalbertolatorre2343]

cuanto es su presio

[@abhinavshibu9645]

Can we Make Monophonic Sounds On this Instrument?!?

[@netcowboy]

Yes. He is just demonstrating hex layers. This is just one feature.

[@jaiminpatel7783]

Does the PX-360 have this Hex-Layer feature?

[@mushycn60]

Jaimin Patel No, it does not

[@MassimoSpazio]

The only negative is the aestethic. Blu is horrible and it’s not so stylish. A part that it’s an incredible piano bundled with lot of additional features

[@robertmichalscheck3072]

I agree,they should’ve made it black.

[@scivalesmusicbooks1977]

Io trovo che blu sia bellissima!