[sdiy] MIDI isn't musical : Flame bait?

[Glen]

At 06:47 AM 1/16/02 , Stefano Costa wrote:

>Returning on a musical subject, there are several real pianos: the Steinway is
>just one. There are vertical pianos pretty popular (think old Bosendorfer). 
>Think
>of pianos for ragtime, think about prepared pianos used in contemporary music
>(with bells and metal sheets inside the harmonic box). They are all *real* and
>*good* in their field of application.
>
>Stefano

What I didn't mention in my earlier story was that I actually tried several
more acoustic pianos than I bothered to tell about. The Steinway was my
personal favorite, and I mentioned it in particular, because it is a brand that
most people would agree upon as a good example of a piano. It might not be
everyone's favorite piano for every occasion and application, but it widely
agreed upon to be a "good piano" nonetheless.

For the record, I tried grand pianos of different lengths and brands including,
but not limited to, Steinway, Kawai, Kimball, and Young Chang. I also tried
various models of vertical pianos, including some "institutional" models. There
were even a couple old, used pianos, which probably needed some work done to
them. I tried them as well. There were also some used pianos that seemed to be
in good shape, of course I tried them as well.

I think at that point, I had a pretty fresh and fairly accurate perception of
what a "real" (acoustic) piano sounded like.

My personal favorite was the full-length Steinway grand, but I also kept the
sounds of the others in mind, as I tried the various models and brands of
digital pianos on the sales floor. When I finally picked my personal winner for
"most accurate simulation of an acoustic piano's sound" - it wasn't simply the
digital piano that sounded more like the long Steinway grand. It was a digital
piano that sounded more like an acoustic piano - period.

I've already had one person ask me what the most accurate digital piano was.
Truth is, it's been a few years, and I've forgotten by now. At any rate, it was
a model that is no longer being made, because enough time has past for newer
technologies and newer models to come along. I suppose the whole test would
have to be redone with current models, if you want an answer. One thing I can
tell you, is that none of them were a perfect sonic imitation of an acoustic
piano. In fact, most were pretty noticeably off the mark. I would hope that the
quality of the current digital pianos to be an improvement, but then again, I
haven't tested them lately.


Later,
Glen