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Description
Unleash your creativity with the Yamaha KX5, an iconic MIDI keyboard controller that seamlessly blends into any modern musician's toolkit. Designed for expressive control and live performance, the KX5 is a nod to classic keytar designs, offering both portability and dynamic musical capabilities. Featuring a 37-key velocity-sensitive keyboard, it allows for nuanced playing, whether you're crafting beats in the studio or rocking a live stage.
The Yamaha KX5 stands out with its ergonomic design and lightweight construction, making it a favorite among performing artists who need freedom on stage. The onboard control panel is straightforward yet powerful, providing quick access to essential functions to keep your performance fluid and engaging. With MIDI connectivity, it integrates effortlessly with your existing setup, whether you're using it to control software instruments or hardware synthesizers.
Ideal for musicians who value both style and substance, the KX5 supports creative exploration with a range of expressive controls including pitch bend and modulation wheels, ensuring that your performance is as dynamic as your musical ideas. With its blend of classic design and modern functionality, the Yamaha KX5 remains a beloved choice for keyboardists seeking both innovation and tradition in a single instrument.
Key Features:
- 37-key velocity-sensitive keyboard
- Lightweight, ergonomic design for stage performance
- MIDI connectivity for integrating with software and hardware
- Onboard control panel with essential functions
- Pitch bend and modulation wheels for expressive control
Videos
Dan Clarke
Yamaha KX5
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha KX5.
Features and functionality
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The Yamaha KX5 does not store presets; all programming is done from the connected audio source.
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The KX5 requires a MIDI cable for connectivity, though some users recall seeing remote capabilities.
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Some CME WIDI Master units can operate with power from MIDI out alone, given that the KX5 provides sufficient power.
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Setup and maintenance
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Stuck notes are a common issue with older MIDI equipment, often requiring a full power cycle to resolve.
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Use cases and applications
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The KX5 can select MIDI patches using "Voice" and "Bank" buttons to match desired patches on the target synth.
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Software and compatibility
Mods and upgrades
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The M-Vave Ms1 MIDI Wireless System Interface is a recommended solution for wireless MIDI, with a recent firmware update resolving previous SysEx dump issues.
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4.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 5 Ratings
Artist usage
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According to Reverb, Mike Shinoda used the Yamaha KX5, which is highlighted as part of Linkin Park's gear history.
"The remote keyboard was actually a transformation of the Yamaha KX5, but customised for my own needs - the visual, and the ability to send program change data to the Fairlight and the Emulator. The other one - the big round one - was actually a prototype of what I'm developing now. It's a kind of audio visual instrument that can interface between the musician, synthesisers and lighting effects. In other words, when you are pressing keys you are not actually playing music like on a chromatic keyboard, but you can actually switch on musical effects and synchronise them with the lighting. At each key you have a MIDI signal, along with other digital and analogue signals, to control other things."
A.R. Rahman utilized the Yamaha KX5 during his 1990s music concerts and film compositions, as showcased in images on Videosinspire.
In this photo circa 1987 you can see him playing a KX5 while Michael Brecker is playing a saxophone
Gabriel can be seen on the back cover of this bootleg album playing a Yamaha KX5.
"There are three sound sources", he explains. "There's an Akai S900 which has samples transferred from the Fairlight Series III, a Roland Super Jupiter and a Roland MKS20 piano module. All of those go into an Akai MIDI mixer and through two effects: a Yamaha SPX90 and an Alesis Midifex. They're all mapped by a Cooper Electronics MIDI Link, and I play them from a KX5 slung round my neck and a couple of Yamaha pedals. They put out program numbers to the MIDI link and that sends out separate program numbers to everything else. In other words I'll build up an entire patch with sound sources, a mix, effects and a stereo output, and store it. Then, when I send one program number into it from either the keyboard or from the pedal, it'll send the appropriate numbers out."
On the right side of Howard Jones, you can see that customised keytar
http://www.matrixsynth.com/2005/11/howard-jones-20th-anniversary-concert.html
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Yamaha KX5, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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