The future belongs to the digital piano

Pete14 · 2023-11-18T12:29:31+00:00

The future-now belongs to the digital, and I ask, have I not been saying this for a while? https://youtu.be/1fXlg8LKQS8?si=_sWGF35m-usrCUtc The numbers don...

QuasiUnaFantasia

What I hope won't happen, but which might very well happen if things continue along the path currently in political vogue, is that the innocent child, sitting at an acoustic piano, instead asks: "What was the world like when there was electricity?"

Pete14

Come on, Quasi, the ‘electricity’ card? Really?

Yes, I get it, the acoustic necessitates no electricity; well, neither does the typewriter, the icebox, the hand-cranked washing machine, the wooden vibrator; which guess what? it didn’t even vibrate till the battery came along…

QuasiUnaFantasia

Pete14 The reason I bring electricty up is that my job involves forecasting electricity production and consumption, and so I follow the developments in that sector rather minutely. And things are not so good as they once were ...

Pete14

Please, don’t tell me you’re turning into the prophet of doom (KFB)?

I’m not sure what data you’re being provided, but I see electricity well into our distant future; heck even wireless electricity, as first proposed by your idol, Tesla (I assume you’re a Tesla fan, and not an Edison one).

QuasiUnaFantasia

Pete14 I was probably predicting doom before KFB was born. 😄

To be clear, I am only following the situation in Europe, so the USA may be a completely different scenario. But here in Europe the risk of power outages, as well as overload, is MUCH higher than it was 20 years ago, and we are headed towards even greater risk of the same (basically: the stable and reliable means of producing electricity are being phased out and replaced by highly irregular sources of electricity). We may well be in for situations were the EU decides who get electricity, and who don't. Already last year this topic surfaced in Germany (probably the epicenter of electrical doom for Europe).

Pete14

Okay, I propose a hand-cranked digital for the occasional power outage!

Ten minutes of yanking will provide you with 1 hour of power for your digital; which is a win-win, for you get your exercise and piano practice all in one.

Note: the above recommendation is only intended for Quasi’s apocalyptic Europe; we should be fine ‘round here!😆

QuasiUnaFantasia

Pete14 Actually, such exercise might even lead to muscles large enough to allow playing on a Yamaha digital. 😁

SouthPark

Pete14 Okay, I propose a hand-cranked digital for the occasional power outage!

That's going to be 'old school'! The pedal-bike dynamo system (with special foot pedal for sustain) is coming out in 2024!!!!!

Pete14

Touché!😁

Johnstaf

Pete14 I just noticed a bunch of “acoustic-lovers” (elsewhere) complaining about ‘the state of the acoustic,’ and the lack of innovation afflicting it.

I wonder why any "acoustic-lovers" bemoan a lack of innovation, but you get all sorts online. What do they want to change?

SouthPark

If they can make all acoustic grand piano designs with mechanisms that don't have the clunking, thumping for the pedals, and design improved tuning system, instead of the stone-age friction-jamming tap-turn system, where even 'pros' can bust things up, and better system to fully eliminate bass string 'zings' that drive some people nuts, and ....... put wish list here.
Apparently they at least make sound boards that address pitch change due to humidity etc.

Johnstaf

SouthPark If they can make all acoustic grand piano designs with mechanisms that don't have the clunking, thumping for the pedals, and design improved tuning system, instead of the stone-age friction-jamming tap-turn system, where even 'pros' can bust things up, and better system to fully eliminate bass string 'zings' that drive some people nuts, and ....... put wish list here.

A properly regulated piano shouldn't have thumping pedals or weird noises. I don't know of any workable solution to make tuning easier. There have been some, such as passing current through the strings to heat them.

Johnstaf

SouthPark Apparently they at least make sound boards that address pitch change due to humidity etc.

I'd be a bit wary of a carbon fibre soundboard. I don't know what they'll be like after a few decades. Luckily for me, the humidity doesn't change much from one season to the next.

SouthPark

Johnstaf A properly regulated piano shouldn't have thumping pedals or weird noises. I don't know of any workable solution to make tuning easier. There have been some, such as passing current through the strings to heat them.

The bass string 'zing' is one of those situations that can hound people for a while, until they finally do some trial/error (including possibly string replacement). It seems to be one of those nagging and/or pesky issues that people can get stuck with. But hopefully and eventually gets sorted -- in the end.

The string temperature control method is a nice attempt at tuning. I know that many people know that the system needs to remain on all the time, and what temperature range it can handle for very comfortably maintaining the correct pitch of every string -- and workable for the various regions around the world. Credit to the person that was/is working on that one though. At least it provides ideas, and helps to see what is possible, and what are the foreseen and unforeseen issues -- as in advantages/disadvantages.

SouthPark

Johnstaf I'd be a bit wary of a carbon fibre soundboard. I don't know what they'll be like after a few decades. Luckily for me, the humidity doesn't change much from one season to the next.

This is where guinea pig testing is going to help. After a long enough time, enough information will be available to see if it is good or not. Or what can be done to build/improve on the idea - in order to achieve the desired result.

SouthPark

Delaminating and/or cracked soundboards don't help as well - as in the wood stuff, with glue etc.

MHirsch

Wow, it's getting emotional here!

I'm not so certain that the acoustics will be gone so completely, no matter how passionate some folks here would wish so 🙂

I can compare an acoustic to a digital any time I want. And I dare to say that they are quite different.

In the evening I'm playing the digital, for very obvious reasons. But otherwise I'll always prefer the acoustic.

SouthPark

Pete14 I’ll give one thing to the acoustic (re: innovation): the short stick!

From the long stick, evolved the short stick ..... in the form of the master stroke folded 'action' .... aka folded key mechanism. Short pivot length, compact and yet very controllable, and has not even finished evolving. Skeletonics and exeskel technology for the future ..... aka 'power steering'.

Will also be interesting to see evolution in the audio-energy coupling transducer mechanism, to see where they can eventually get to with that.

MacMacMac

The thread's title says The future belongs to the digital piano.

If so, then why is it that I have a digital piano in the present?

Indeed, I also had one in the past.

(Chew on that, Pete.) 😜

MHirsch

MacMacMac Hmmm…

that

pianow

CyberGene the "it sounds like crap" got me on the floor🤣

but i agree of course idk why so many people love it cause it's always a simple click away from being shitty - you reach the higher velocities? sounds like shit - you go down to the low notes? sounds like shit

i mean the only thing that i think is any good about modeling is cohesiveness (where sampled pianos have a great deal to improve)

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