KAWAI MP11SE

Introduction

It is interesting to note that when Kawai was in the development stage of the MP series – they spoke with studio musicians and digital piano owners to find out what they really wanted in stage piano and the consensus was very clear:

“We don’t need 100s or 1000s of sounds, instead give us your best wooden key action and use the memory to give us high-quality pianos, EP’s, and a small selection of other high-quality sounds.”

The Kawai MP11SE digital piano is the continuation of this evolution and what impresses is how Kawai achieved this with the seamless feel of the action when moving across the piano – it plays like butter – and so quietly. Yet, this is so much more than just an amazing midi controller as it incorporates the new stunning SK-EX samples of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand, tremendous vintage electric piano sounds and a variety of effects and controls that gives the music professionals and hobbyist an instrument that just cannot be beaten.

Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) magazine announced the results of its 2018 ‘Dealer’s Choice Awards’, naming Kawai’s MP Series stage pianos as ‘Pro Digital Keyboard Line of the Year’.

Model Overview

The Kawai MP11SE is the musician’s dream, with a variety of beautiful concert, jazz, and pop grand pianos, and a full-bodied traditional upright – appropriately voiced and mic’d for a broad range of musical styles.

Organized into three independent sections: PIANO, E.PIANO, and SUB. Each sound section features a hardware volume fader, effects and reverb controls, and four distinctive voice categories, with tonal variations for each type.

With an incredibly powerful audio engine, the sound reproduction of each instrument is inspiring as it rises to another level.

With tons of setup memories, this beast stands out when compared to its rivals – the Roland RD-2000 or the Yamaha CP88.

There are not a ton of sounds here (40 in all) but what is evident is Kawai has really focused on making this ‘stage piano’ sound like no other. They have also added so many convenient easy-to-access controls such as ‘virtual technician’ with 22 parameters that are easily modified with the turn of a dial, 129 other effects, USB audio recording, and classic amp simulations.

Also, the MP11SE’s SETUP memories allow the entire instrument configuration, including selected sounds, section volume levels, parameter settings, and EQ adjustments, etc. to be stored and recalled immediately at the touch of a button. SETUPs are numbered 1~8, and arranged in 26 banks A~Z, allowing for a total of 208 individual memories.

They put all this technology in a sleek and sexy looking, sturdy metal chassis with black polish wooden side arms and you have the total package.

Action

Using Kawai’s renowned Grand Feel Action – the first thing you will notice is this wooden-key keyboard action truly responds like an acoustic piano.

Incorporating a series of counterweights, escapement feel, and the longest key stick of any stage piano, the MP11se also has the longest pivot length (the point at which the key ‘pivots’ up and down) matching the same length as the Kawai grand pianos.

With triple sensor detection, let off and Ivory Key surfaces, the MP11SE has the action that will meet and exceed the standards of even the most discerning musician.

The Sound Engine / Tone Generator

The MP11SE digital piano uses Harmonic Imaging HI XL to faithfully reproduce the incredible tone of the Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano, the Shigeru Kawai SK5 and the Kawai EX Concert Grand. Using 88 key stereo sampling, HI XL sampling adds up to 120% more sample time when recording each individual key, which captures the characteristic of each note more clearly.

If you are looking for a professional stage piano that gives you the most realistic feel and sound in the piano and vintage eps genre, the Kawai MP11se definitely checks all the boxes.

Connectivity

Output:

¼” LINE OUT [unbalanced] (L/MONO, R), XLR OUT [balanced] (L, R) with ground lift switch, Headphones

Input:

¼” LINE IN [unbalanced] (L/MONO, R)

MIDI & USB:

MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, MIDI THRU, USB to Host, USB to Device

Foot Control:

DAMPER/SOST, SOFT (for F-30), EXP (with type switch)

Power:

AC IN

Accessories

The Kawai MP11SE comes with the power cord, music rack, owner’s manual, and a very cool bonus – the Kawai GFP-3 triple pedal unit (with half-pedal support).

Shop more Kawai Digital Pianos HERE.

Kawai MP11SE Owner’s Manual

• [English] MP11SE Owner’s Manual

Kawai MP11SE Related Resources

• [VIDEO] Roland RD2000 vs Kawai MP11SE Digital Piano Comparison, Review & Demo
• [BLOG] Kawai Digital Pianos Series Overview