Digital Pianos FAQ Page

But despite its simple appearance, I hope it contains all the necessary information that you will need to make a concious and intelligent decision in your quest for your perfect digital piano! Happy hunting!

You are guest number to this page since January 7, 1997.

CONTENTS:

[Q1]

[Q2]

[Q2.5]

[Q3]

[Q4]

[Q5]

[Q6]

[Q7]

[Q8]

[Q9]

[Q10]

[Q11]

[Q12]

[Q1]
What are the differences between "acoustic", "digital", "electric" and "electronic" pianos?

A "digital" piano is an instrument which does its best to duplicate the sound and feel of playing an acoustic piano. It typically uses digitally sampled (recorded) sounds or use physical modeled sound generators (more on this in a separate section), amplifiers and speakers instead of strings and hammers to produce the piano-like sound. They have weighted key action to imitate the action of an acoustic piano.

An "electric" piano is an electro-acoustic instrument analogous to an electric guitar. It has a real action, some sort of metal tine or string which vibrates, and pickups to detect the audio signal for subsequent amplification.

An "electronic" piano, better referred to as an "electronic keyboard" is an instrument with a keyboard, but usually without the weighted key action or velocity sensitivity, and the sound is usually generated through synthesizers (computer-generated); however, some may have sampled sounds. You see these often for children's toy keyboards and other uses that do not require "simulate piano" sound.

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q2]
Okay, now that I know the difference between acoustic and digital pianos, tell me more about digital pianos.

Most digital pianos also offer other than piano sounds (such as pipe organ, harpsichord, etc.), plus miscellaneous digital technology "gadgets". Since all the sounds are stored in electronic form, you can listen to the piano through headphones instead of speakers, thereby allowing you to play the piano without anyone else hearing it.

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q2.5]
What is this "virtual" or "physical modeled" digital piano sound synthesis I hear about?

Some manufacturers have come up with a different way to generate the piano sound that does not depend on recording (sampling) the notes--by allowing the computer calculate how all the strings and the wood resonates with each other, based on how each component behaves under a certain condition or a "mathematical model", and generate the sound based on such models. The common terminology used to describe this method of generating piano sound is "virtual" or "physical modeled" sound synthesis. As of 2010, Pianoteq and Roland V-Pianos are two of such digital pianos (Roland V-Piano is a physical instrument, while Pianoteq is a software you run on your computer) that use physical modeled sound generation technique.

Analogy to this physical modeling synthesized sound is using computers to generate movie special visual effects, instead of using stop-motion animation, robotics, drawings, etc. to generate the effects. So instead of taking a series of snap shots of a flag flapping in the wind and using it to create a motion picture of a flag moving in a specific way, you tell the computer what the flag looks like and let the computer calculate and generate the motion of the flag flapping in the wind based on series of rules you tell the computer how the flag behaves when a wind hits it in a certain way. If your model is very accurate, you can get a video of a very realistic flag flapping in the wind in a very realistic manner. Physical modeled sound generation is a similar concept, except you are using a computer to generate sound based on how the wood resonates with the strings, and how the strings resonates with each other.

This technique is inherently much more difficult to do than simply recording each note and replaying it. But the computer/computational technology has reached to a point where such things are now possible.

If you want to know more about this, do a search on Wikipedia (or your other favorite encyclopedia) on "physical modeling synthesis".

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q3]
What are the advantages of buying a digital piano as opposed to an acoustic one?

1. Relative portability. Most digital pianos weigh less than 200 lbs., as opposed to 450--500 lbs. for a typical upright and much more for grand pianos. You have the luxury of disassembling the major parts of the digital piano, stash it in your hatchback, and drive away with it.

2. Does not need tuning. If you have a piano, you will usually have to tune it once or twice a year. The sounds for a digital piano are recorded and stored "digitally" within the hardware, so it does not go out of tune.

3. Option to play silently. By using headphones, you can play a digital piano as loud as you want whenever you want without producing any sound which others can hear (well, except for your fingers hitting the keys and some low-level noise from the keys moving). If you live in close-quarters or in an apartment with poor sound insulation, this silencing ability is very useful.

4. Relatively low maintenance. Beyond the usual practices of keeping liquids away, keeping it out of direct sunlight, and occasional dusting, etc., digital pianos are virtually maintenance-free.

5. Electronic interface. Many digital piano models have a MIDI interface capability, which allows you to connect the piano to your favorite computer or other MIDI hardware and enjoy the benefits of digital technology. As you pay more, the built-in recording and playback capability available will become more elaborate.

6. Many voices. Most digital pianos come with several different types of piano sounds, plus the sounds of other instruments. For example, with a press of a button you can make it sound like a harpsichord, a pipe organ or something else. The variety of sounds you get differs among models, but generally as you pay more, you get more voices. Some models come with a full orchestra sound, allowing you to compose a symphony right on your piano!

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q4]
What are the drawbacks?

1. Sound quality. No matter how well the piano sound is sampled, you can never truly get away from the "amplified", "digital" sound quality. As digital sampling technology improves, the gap between the acoustic and digital sound may diminish, but digital sound will never equal or be superior to those of an acoustic.

2. Inability to produce a "color" to the tone. In an acoustic instrument, by using various playing techniques, you can produce almost infinite kinds of "color" to the tone. Digital pianos can only produce sounds that were originally sampled (recorded), and thus very limited in terms of variety in the sound produced. For a very accomplished pianist, the limited sound produced by the digital piano can be disturbing.

3. As with any electronic mechanisms, digital pianos can develop problems like damaged spring action on the keys, bad contact, bad amplifier, bad speaker, etc. Digital pianos in general are considered relatively robust, but there has been reports of key action break down, hissing and crackling speaker noise developing, and having difficulty in getting it fixed correctly.

4. As with any electronics, the technology used to create the current digital piano may (well, almost certainly will) become obsolete in the near future. Whereas, in an acoustic piano, one can assume if you buy a good piano and take good care of it, your grandchild or great- grandchild can still play it and will find someone who can maintain your piano. This is not necessarily the case with digital pianos. Digital pianos haven't been around long enough to really make a good case study of its longevity. One reason to purchase digital pianos from a reputable company.

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q5]
Should I buy a digital piano or an acoustic piano?

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q6]
What are the basic things I should look for in a digital piano?

Keep in mind that it is *you* who will be playing the digital piano, and not your friend or the salesperson. Buying digital piano is like buying a stereo system. You can spend almost infinite amount of money if you don't watch out. Get what you are satisfied with, not what others say that you will be satisfied with.

Here are some common concerns for picking a good digital piano, whatever your needs.

1. Action. Does it *feel* like a piano to you? Do the keys have the proper weight and do they move under your fingers the way you remember a good piano does? Is it easy to imagine that you are picking up and throwing a hammer forward at the end of each stroke? Some pianos offer many levels of velocity-response (i.e. how heavy you have to hit the keys before you get a sound out), so check those settings also.

2. Dynamic range. Does it respond to velocity properly? How loudly and how softly can it be played? Is it easy to play and maintain an even dynamic level? Does the timbre change properly with dynamic shifts?

3. Sound. Pick a note, play it loudly, hold it and listen carefully while it decays into silence. Does it sound natural? Does it take long enough? Does it last *too* long? (Time a note at similar loudness on a grand piano for comparison). Can you hear obvious, repeating patterns ("loops")? Repeat this test, playing a chord instead of a single note.

4. Realistic sound source. Play something moving up and down the keyboard (scales, arpeggios, etc.). Does the sound "move" realistically from side to side (do the bass notes seem to be coming from the left side of the cabinet while the treble notes come from the right)?

5. Polyphony. How many notes can you hear at once? Ones with less polyphony (12-16), you can run out of notes quickly if you start sustaining multiple notes or playing big chords, resulting in notes being abruptly "cut-off". A good test is to hold down the sustain pedal, play the two lowest C's, then play a glissando about five octaves or more long. Not-so-good models will prematurely and abruptly drop notes in a fashion that you can hear clearly; the worst models will drop one or both bass notes. The best models will chose notes that are acoustically masked by others.

6. Design. Is the control panel (and the manual) well laid-out and easy to understand? Some poorly designed panels have buttons which are too close to the keys, and while you play you may accidentally hit the control buttons and change the setting of the instrument.

7. Gadgets. Does it have many bells and whistles? Are the ones it does have useful for you? Is there a built-in key cover? If you need some non-piano voices, does it have the ones you want? Are they good enough for your purposes? Some models offer various levels of reverb, imitating the acoustic "echo" effect you hear when you play an instrument in different environment such as, room, concert hall, studio, etc.

8. Fine-tuning capability. What kind of hidden "effects" does the model have? Some digital pianos offer a few special purpose modes (like alternate tunings, variable harmonics, adjustable decay length, etc.). Alternate tunings are useful if you play in an ensemble often, because you will be allowed to tune your piano to the ensemble. Others are useful for those who like to fiddle with electronics to get the sound "just right."

9. Pedaling levels. Does the damper (or sustain) pedals have multi-level of pedaling response, or is it just on-off? In a piano, depending on how much you depress the pedal, you get different amounts of sustaining of the notes. A simple "on-off" pedaling may hamper pianists who are trained to use half-pedaling techniques in a piano.

10. How powerful is the amplifier/speaker system? Bigger amplifiers and multiple number of speakers generally give you a better sound. You may not necessarily ever use all that excess power, but having that excess power can give you more balanced sound when you play (doesn't sound as if the speakers are straining, etc.).

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q7]
Are there any magazine reviews on digital pianos?

The December 1993 issue of "Keyboard" had a review of many models, and the July/August 1994 issue of "Piano and Keyboard" had a similar review -- Obviously there are more recent versions available by the time you read this. I suggest that you check your local library or search the web and see if you can find them.

"Electronic Musician" publishes a yearly "Digital Piano Buyers Guide" (the last one came out around October 1994. Again, newer versions are probably available by the time you read this); you won't find any recommendations for specific models, but it gives a pretty comprehensive listing of *everything* on the market, and an easy overview of the current technology for people unfamiliar with it.

The December 1995 issue of the "Keyboard Magazine" is a hardware buyer's guide, and it seem to have specifications on most digital pianos and synthesizers. Check for newer issues that may have more recent listings.

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q8]
What's different between the different manufacturers and the different models?

1. how they sampled the sounds,
2. key action design,
3. sound output design,
4. overall appearance.

Usually, the main differences between various models within the *same maker* are in:

1. the weighted key action (how the keys feel),
2. amplifier power,
3. number and size of speakers,
4. number of voices (piano and non-piano sounds),
5. polyphony (how many notes you can play simultaneously),
6. the miscellaneous "gadgets" (like sequencing capabilities, metronome, etc.)

Go back to "CONTENTS"

[Q9]
What are the most popular brands?