Product: Kawai XS-1
Price Paid: US $75.00 used
Submitted
12/18/1996
at
10:26am
by
Serge Mailli
Ease of Use
:
4
The XS-1 is a 16 bit 1/2 rack mount synth module. It is 4 part multi timbral + 1 drum part. The drums are mapped like the Roland MT32.So, all the drum sequences from that machine will work on the XS-1. All the editing and data entry is done with a 2 digit LED display. It Takes some time to get used to it but it's worth the trouble because most of the presets sound alike. The presets sound a lot like the Kawai K1. It has 72 presets that are fully editable. It has a variety of piano and strings sounds and that is the machine's strongest point. The sounds are based on 128 "waves" . You can edit the modulation, frequency, attack, sustain and the initial volume.
Features
:
7
I think that it's 28 note polyphonic but much less on usage. There are no built in-effects You can't add anything to it. It responds very good to all the usual MIDI parameters such as velocity. No onboard sequencers. Just the sounds.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
8
The Pianos sound very good in certain ranges. You have to experiment a bit to find out where it sounds good. There are about 20 different accoustic and electric pianos. The organs are above average for a module like that. The Bass sounds are the best and I did lots of songs using them.all the sounds are very clear. some of them just need little effects and EQ to be perfect.
Reliability
:
6
It's been very reliable and I've had it for two years. It has a wall wart power supply.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never dealt with Kawai.
Overall Rating
:
8
Overall it's a very good dedicated module that you can use to make 1 or 2 different sounds. In my home setup, the XS-1 always play the Bass and string sounds. I wish it had a better display. That's really my only complaint about the machine.
