Acoustic vs Digital Pianos: Which Is Right for You?

[@hwaldman6479]

Arguably one of the best and most cogent discussions on the subject so far. Too often there is a strong bias, usually against digital instruments, ignoring newer high end digital and hybrid instruments. There is no one size fits all piano and the choice of an instrument should be individualized to the specific needs of the pianist.

[@key-notes]

Thank you! For me, a realistic and responsive action is even more important than the sound when it comes to digital pianos, and the latest generation of hybrids especially are closing that gap. Recently I was introduced to the just-released Yamaha CLP-885 and was very impressed by its responsiveness. For the first time, it felt like I could just play expressively without thinking the whole time that I'm just playing a digital piano. The sound is still clearly digital, but the way it responds to touch now feels much closer to a well-regulated grand piano. I didn't get to specific recommendations in this video, but this model is definitely one I'd recommend on the high end.

[@hwaldman6479]

@@key-notes I appreciate the kind recommendation. I have been very impressed with the Yamaha CLP series and will have to take a look at the 885. I live near the ocean so acoustic pianos are a challenge with frequent tuning and rusting strings being a bigger issue. I felt a hybrid piano with a real piano action and digital sound production was the best solution. I completely agree that piano action is the most important consideration, but getting the best of both worlds with realistic sound was my goal. The best action seemed to be found in the hybrids as you noted. After trying a number of hybrids from different manufacturers I settled on the Kawai Novus 5S which has a real upright piano action and very accurate damper system. The Novus 10S has a real grand action with moving hammers and dampers similar to the 5S, but the tone wasn’t quite as realistic to my ears and at my level of skill the action difference wasn’t that big of an issue. I also liked the Yamaha Avant Grand models, but felt only the N3X could compete with the Novus series as far as action and sound were concerned. There are other hybrids from Roland, etc. that are quite good as well. The gap between digital and acoustic pianos continues to narrow. Thank you again.

[@Carolina-mw4po]

I've emulated an accoustic experience through some key aspects that digital piano developers won't consider as importants, but are the vital ones to bring a piano experience alive. First of all, I used superb samples such as the Fazioli by Imperfect Samples. Then I added the sympathetic ressonances present in an accoustic instrument. And there is where digital pianos stop their sound processing. Now, the most important part comes with the messy ressonances that occur when the sustain pedal is pressed. Those ressonances are coming from the full strings and those suspended sounds can reach up to 3500 notes polyphony or even more. After that, the dynamics are not only intensity and color by sample. There are more than that with the dynamics actually. When you gently press a key, the sound as a wave it is, affects only fhe near surrounding area making a clean note, but as soon as your intensity gets higher, the sound waves reach a larger area inside the piano, and start to bounce more and more as an echo chamber and that makes a really different sound. That's why I added a per note reverb calculation based on the velocity they've been individually touched, then treat all as a whole system of ressonance (besides the full strings ressonance, this reverb is another plus process) I named the messy ressonances "antipathetic ressonances" and are somparable to the dirt on the surfaces added in a 3d rendering textures to make the image alive, lifelike, realistic (otherwise clean and sterile, such as most 3d renderings) And here's where an extremely powerful computer is needed. Digital pianos are really lacking of all these important chaos generators, and that's why they feel simply sterile.

[@Workingman-u7s]

I don't know about your sterile pianos, but many digital pianos are fertile and able to produce a thousand piano babies every three months.

[@valerio51987]

Interesting video, I love yuor way to speak and explain! It makes the audience comfortable. For those like me who currently can't have an acoustic piano at home due to logistical limitations but have a teacher saying, "You need an acoustic now," would the Kawai VPC1 be a fair compromise for the second and third year of piano study? To give you the context, I should mention that I am an adult and practice for an hour and a half daily. I've been studying piano for one year now. My teacher says I am learning fast, and we are already working on pieces typically tackled after the second or third year. I'm unsure whether to continue practicing on my Roland FP-30X for another couple of years until I can get an acoustic piano, or to upgrade to a higher-end digital piano. The main reasons my teacher recommends an acoustic are the "touch" and the "sound propagation." I wonder if something like the Kawai VPC1 could at least satisfy the touch requirement. Do you have any suggestions for someone in my situation? Maybe there are other options that you can share with us?

[@key-notes]

The Kawai VPC1 is really a special-purpose keyboard. It’s just a controller keyboard, meaning it has no speakers and no sounds of its own; you have to connect it to a computer with a sample library to get any sound out of it. If that doesn’t bother you and you’re comfortable with using virtual instrument software, then it’s a good option, though you’ll have to factor in the price of a good sample library. I mostly use the Bösendorfer Imperial library from the Vienna Symphonic Library’s Synchron range. It sounds great with good headphones, and the touch is realistic (though it’s still a translation from an actual acoustic grand). Recently I discovered Yamaha’s new CLP-885. Several professional pianist colleagues have also raved about it. This is currently the digital piano I’d most recommend. The included sample libraries (Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial) are excellent, it responds very realistically, and you can actually work on nuances in your playing. Hope this helps!

[@valerio51987]

@@key-notes Thanks a lot for the useful suggestion! I didn't know about this model, I will give it a try.

[@johnb6723]

Don't forget 432Hz. Lol.

[@key-notes]

That’s right! How could I forget? 🙂

[@Workingman-u7s]

Casio GP510 and GP310 digital hybrid piano allow you to repeat the keys going up and down a thousand times a second and is just as fast as doing it on a grand piano, if not more so.

[@Workingman-u7s]

When you live in an apartment, you have no choice but to have a digital piano.

[@key-notes]

There are also acoustic pianos with a silent system: With it turned off, it’s a regular acoustic piano. When switched on, it becomes a digital piano that you can play with headphones. This is a great solution if you can make noise at least some of the time.