Chopin and Circuitry
Written: Apr 22 '01 (Updated Jul 30 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredibly flexible - can be an acoustic piano, digital piano or a symphony orchestra!
Cons: The cost may well deter some.
The Bottom Line: An fantastic piece of equipment that can be an acoustic or digital piano as well as a full synthesiser. Better start saving up now, though!
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| kate_fleet's Full Review: Yamaha Dc7pro - 7' 6" Disklavier Grand Pro Series |
An electronic equivalent will never be quite the same as a ‘real’ piano with hammers, strings and pedals. This is hard to dispute, but what if you could have both? Yamaha’s Disklavier model is in essence a standard grand or upright with a multitude of exciting digital enhancements.
As the pianola of the early twentieth century could record and playback a performance by punching holes in a roll of paper, the Disklavier, by sensing every movement of every hammer or pedal, punches digital ‘holes’ in its 16MB hard disk (there is a discrete computer module underneath the keyboard). Not only is this method extremely precise – the optical sensors register the timing, velocity, duration and release characteristics of every note to a degree of accuracy more precise than that of human capability, but as the sensors work by light alone, there is no extra mechanical weight on the action of the piano. In playback mode, equally sensitive solenoids (current carrying coils of wire that can induce a force) reproduce exactly the movements of the original performance. However, playback can be modified slightly, in that it is possible to play only the right or left hands, to adjust the tempo, or even to transpose the piece.
Not only does this technology give great pianists access to your living room, but in it’s guise as a synthesizer, the Disklavier has over 450 instrument voices in it’s repertoire, and switching from acoustic to digital sound, the user can happily practice with a pair of headphones so as not to disturb the rest of the house! The Disklavier’s Personal Computer Interface enables the user to link the piano to their PC, whether it be to add music to a website, to transcribe into a music notation program, or whatever other technical wizardry strikes their fancy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kate_fleet
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Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 6 members
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