Kawai VPC1 5-stars Reviews

Great, great, great stuff

I suspect that this will be my keyboard for many years to come, because I have difficulty imagining what more to ask for. Super piano action, slightly on the heavier side, gorgeous finish and workmanship all over. This is a keeper.

Tip: I got the combo with the Roadworks Z stand. I fitted small wheels under the legs and can now move the piano out of the way, when it is not in use. It is not difficult to do and makes all the difference. Also, the Z stand is very sturdy, no wobbling whatsoever.

Probably the best midi keyboard that reflects dynamics, action and feeling of an acoustic instrument. In this price range you won’t find anything better that immitate the experience of playing grand piano.

Top notch.

First of all, it feels and weighs like a tank. It was a nightmare to get it up to my apartment.

The MIDI connectivity via the provided USB connection is great, with no perceived latency at around 6 ms. It is USB powered, so it consumes very little power.

The action of the keys is fantastic and pretty much the best you can get for the price, and even beats keyboards that cost twice its price in that regard. You're literally buying the action. Great product!

The excellence

Excellent product and excellent price for a great quality keyboard. I use it exclusively for composition, and sometimes for playing classical tunes just for fun.

its greatest quality is its touch, and the different nuances it allows to give to performance, as well as its manufacturing quality.

I have it since one year now, i produced several piano tracks for MusicScreen (royalty free music library), and some soundtracks for 3 short films. Most of the time, when i want a classical piano style, i use it with the ivory VST, specially with the Steinway D or the Bosendorfer. For jazz work i use the VPC with the Ravenscroft 275.

Inspiration is the most crucial element when it comes to composing and producing music, and after 20 years of making music, i realized how much the action of the piano keyboard can influence our creative process, and can help us capture inspiration when it's there.

This keyboard is really really very inspiring. when i unpacked it, i used the velocity curve provided for the ivory VST, and I was directly seduced.

I used few keyboards in the past: Korg ProX, Roland JV 90.. and the VPC1 is far above in terms of quality and fun.

very good

The keyboard is very good, keys are well weighted, nice action. I don't have regular access to a concert grand but I suspect that the response in an instrument with an authentic double escapement costing 30 times the price of this may be a little faster for playing the repeated notes in Ravel's Alborada. The Kawai certainly plays well enough for the likes of Chopin etudes, Bach 48, etc., standard reperoire, and with a good virtual piano software it's an excellent combination for recording and daily practice. If you're taking it on the road you'll need two people to move it, carefully; it would be a shame to mess up the nice black powder coat.

Keys for pianists

I bought the VPC1 for one specific reason only: the touch. As a classical pianist (hobbyist) I really need something that is close enough to a real piano that you can actually play the instrument the same way. Hammering a plastic synth probably just harms your technique. I've been happy playing and practicing classical piano for two years now with my VPC1.

Pros:

- The touch. Probably the best you can get (until Kawai comes up with improved version) and probably one of the only keyboards that comes even close to being helpful for practicing serious piano repertoire.

- price-feature-ratio. No "fancy extra features". Though somewhat expensive, you're only paying for the keys and with this product that's what you should be looking for anyway.

Cons:

- Weight. It weights a lot and a isn't really an option if you have to bring your own intrument to gigs.

- Lack of (midi) features. There's only the power button and since you have to connect it with a computer and a software instrument anyway, I would have expected even some buttons to control the software instruments (why settle for imitating regular piano experience when you could have more?). Some subtle buttons wouldn't even have harmed the "classical look".

- The curved top surface. This really annoys me since I like hoard sheet music and other stuff on grand pianos etc. and the curved surface really prevents this. Now you just have to find another solution for your laptop and extra stuff.

Conclusion: For pianists who really care for the touch only. You can get a cheap synth for the other stuff anyway.

Feels like a real thing

This keyboard is great. I can play fast and complex piano lines without any problems.

not a real piano... but close

I have a Yamaha u1 that's great for what it does..and I believe it's still realistically difficult to replicate the feeling of an acoustic one.. but this comes close... it feels close to a concert piano, the let offs and hammer sensation are very interesting, and allows you to practice without thinking all the time " this keyboard sucks"!

with Pianoteq or even better -ivory ii (the bosendorfer and the Yamaha are acceptable) the steinway is out of this world - it's so amazing, that I feel I'm listening to bill Evans, but the sound it's coming off my fingers!

If you don't mind using it with a computer, way better in my opinion than a lot of more expensive keyboards.

The future of the piano

I tried many keyboards, and played many real pianos, grands and such.

Most of the keyboards I tried, such as Yamaha semi weighted, Korg the same, or Studiologic hammer action, none of them has such a detailed control over what you do. The Key sensibility and its curve has a crucial impact on the sound. It is all matter of taste but the VPC 1 gives you enough control to find your own sound.

If you combine it with the Pianoteq pianos that I found incomparably the best piano emulator, actually mostly way better than the real untuned non balanced pianos you mostly likely meet.

Sure you need a good pair of speakers that cost about the same prices as this keyboard but, with such setup you'll have a incomparable piano with stable strong sound of your choice with controllability you would hardly find under this budget even on real piano.

Very good piano controller

The best keyboard action that I've played and a good controller too. It is a bit heavy, but the quality is great.

Perfect controller

I love the VPC1.

The action is incredible and it looks rad.