🎹What is Polyphony on a Digital Piano?🎹

[@marshallfischer3667]

I got turned onto this channel starting to do research picking out a digital piano for my son, now it's one of my favorite channels...

[@naanda-tteme]

This channel is really underrated...

[@MerriamPianos]

We're getting there :)

[@darrickkeels6387]

Indeed it is!

[@shemardavis8735]

Highly underrated!!!

[@plektosgaming]

One thing to note is that every function is another number added. This applies to stereo as well. So a stereo sound is 2 notes per key, or basically for 128 note polypony in stereo, that's 64 notes. 64 notes sounds like a lot but consider: You mix the piano sound with another sound. This is common layering, be it reverb, a Leslie organ effect for electric organ, chorus, or a simple blend, like adding in orchestra/strings. That nets you 32 notes with a layered sound at once. Suddenly that's running into a potential problem with some pieces. 192 is better, but 256 would be the minimum for a worksation, imo.

[@shura1972mar]

Not agree. The samples usually in stereo already, and one voice of polyphony is also producing stereo. Reverb, chorus, etc is not using polyphony voices, as it is postproduction processing. The effects processing uses the dedicated computing resource. Layering - yes, when we need to play piano and strings simultaneously in one note, then it is using two voices. But I agree with fact, that the complexity of contemporary piano synthesys may require several samples per note, especially in simulating resonances and overtones, which enrich the sound and bring it closer to natural. But this fact is significantly moves the meaning of the concept of polyphony itself. When we want to play 90 notes at the same time (open pedal), and the first of them suddenly die out in an instrument with 192-voice polyphony, it should not be called 192-voice polyphony. This is already kind of a marketing term than real polyphony. With the same success, manufacturers can write the number of transistors in the processor. More is better, but the actual polyphony is unknown. They should call it like "192 synthesys channels" that provides "up to 192-simple-voice polyphony", but the best and complex voices will get "around 60-voice polyphony", for example. It would be fair.

[@KaziMamun]

Very informative and on-point explanation. Thank you very much.

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Thanks for tuning in! :)

[@HedgehogStudios1]

I already knew what polyphony was, but I still learned new stuff from this video.

[@ramonrivera7888]

Tremendous explanation!! Thanks!! 👍👍

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Thanks for tuning in! :)

[@KnuckleheadStuey]

Wow, i just learned something new. Explanation was very easy to understand. Thanks.

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! We're glad you found the video informative. :)

[@bedoinuk]

Do I understand correctly that for playing a piano alone 96 or even 64 notes polyphony should be fine and if the keyboard offers Bluetooth MIDI compatibility and you run out of the (built-in) polyphony, you can just "offload it" to a computer?

[@vanialopes170]

Please keep posting these videos they are really helpful

[@romanoholeguy9785]

Thanks a lot from Uruguay. I'm a piano teacher and this video is really good as a way to learn about polyphony.

[@edraven7511]

That was an amazing description. I am going to be buying a keyboard in the next day or 2 and am considering the Yamaha P-125 vs. the Williams Rhapsody. I played the accordion as a child and took some piano lessons about 20 years ago, but honestly forgot everything that I learned. I am now 64 years old. I believe the Rhapsody has a polyphony of 64 and the Yamaha 128. The Rhapsody comes with the stand and bench and is about $100 cheaper. I was leaning that way until watching your video. I was wondering if you could share your opinion with me on the 2 of these digital pianos? Thank you so much and have a great day. Ed

[@yourmeowness7514]

have a nice musical journey with the keyboard

[@thiagofacful]

Nice explanation. Thx a lot!

[@anthonyfoden9382]

Thankyou very much for your extemely clear explanation.

[@martyhenderson1995]

Very well explained now I get a better understanding of polyphony

[@MerriamPianos]

We are very happy to hear that! Thanks for watching! :)

[@holygremlin7007]

Didn't understand a lick of what you were trying to convey but the tutorial was so good I just watched the whole thing anyway.

[@sky-icebeats8997]

I swear god i v watched about 11 video bdefor i trust yours and absolutly you are the only one that got me 🙏❤

[@tekchambedamala4709]

Thnk q... It's such a nice detail explaination

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@liamtb4947]

Is the break at @5:30 from a song ?? I loved that lol

[@liamtb4947]

@5:20 *

[@MerriamPianos]

I am not sure to be honest! I would have to ask Stu! It may very well be improvised as well. ;)

[@albertelazar4069]

Piano Polyphony is it like sort of a shot buffer on a digital camera?

[@MerriamPianos]

Yes, that's a good way to think of it. In the broadest sense, polyphony is the 'bandwidth' that the processor has to produce individual simultaneous events. In many ways it's becoming an out-dated way of measuring tone though, because of how often sounds are multi-timbral (meaning that each sound is actually made up of component sounds). Piano A uses only a sample (single tonal component) with a polyphony of 256. Piano B uses a 4-part multitimbral synthesized tone and has a polyphony of 64. By one perspective, both engines are doing the same thing. By another, the 64 looks woefully inadequate (even though it's a far more complex tone).

[@melelasike123]

thank you for helping me to understand Polyphony!! Choosing a digital and wondered what the heck does that big P.. word mean. Simplified and understandable! Thanx

[@MerriamPianos]

We're happy we could help! Thanks for watching -LP

[@mupbelchen010701]

Hi, Stu. Very well and understandable! Thank you.

[@KIsaac-wp5dq]

What would be the polyphony of midi controller? Can we increase polyphony of midi controller ?

[@lapa88]

This is so helpful! Thank you!

[@JS45678]

Thank you so much for the BEST instructional video on Polyphony, I actually understand it now! 📝🤓🤚

[@meals24u]

Ok so what about buying an older Digital Piano like a Kawai CN21 from like 2007, that has only 98 polyphony? Would you still consider that a good option to buy or would age alone steer you away as a nice beginner piano?

[@KIsaac-wp5dq]

Please help me which one should I buy roland fp30 or roland a88 mk2 ? Which one has more polyphony ? Thank you .

[@geoffboyd2895]

My yamaha p255 has 256, ill never get close to using all of them but its nice to know i can play anything without drop outs

[@MerriamPianos]

For sure! Ample headroom is a handy thing to have when it comes to max polyphony. :)

[@jan-jelleras5602]

Thanks for explaining this subject!

[@kanan5467]

So I have two questions. Can you add more polyphonies using daws, like for example digital piano that has 64-note polyphony. Can daw change it into 120+? If so what kind of software or softwares are able to do that?

[@odealianaffairs9001]

Same question here, did you figure it out?

[@kanan5467]

@@odealianaffairs9001 Still haven't, although I think DAWs generally have more polyphony/power. I think the only limit to using a daw is how powerful is your pc to handle it rather than having limited polyphony. But, I still don't know the program he used in the video that can control how many polyphonys the midi controller/digital piano can play.

[@havenofear7033]

NICE JOB!

[@MerriamPianos]

Thanks so much! :)

[@PiyanistKeremBey]

Roland RP302 maximum polyphony 128. Yamaha and Kawai's max. polyphony 192. Accordingly should I not take roland? KAWAİ CN17 ROLAND RP302 YAMAHA YDP 164

[@xiongbarai4957]

thank You for your explanation about it.

[@danielpeter8351]

Thank you for the review! I turned myself down from the yamaha p45 and bought an alesis retical pro bc of the polyphones. I was like, OK first learn how to play it, then save money for a higher price piano/digital piano.

[@infonet3349]

Great lesson, thx;) I need to buy piano, what do you thing: casio pxs1000 (192 polyphony) or yamaha clavinova clp320 with 128 poliphony will be sounds better?

[@befrankpls]

Thanks very very informative

[@mrehanelshehawy8422]

Do we have a video explaining this line ? Add a third layer, or have the scalar patterns played throughout the whole range of the instrument with the sustain pedal down, and you might even start to test the 128 polyphony limit.

[@MerriamPianos]

Max polyphony means the total number of notes that a digital piano is capable of creating at a single time. Because you are able to layer/stack instrument tones/voices (for instance a piano, choir, and strings), each tone/voice would take up 3 notes of max polyphony. Therefore, if you were holding the sustain pedal down and playing all 88 notes of the piano with those three sounds layered, your max polyphony output would be 88 x 3 = 264. This would lead to notes cutting out because of the tone engine's inability to produce that many notes simultaneously.

[@susanramen1615]

Awesome video

[@MerriamPianos]

Thanks so much! We're glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@JitinMisra]

Love this video!! I want to know what are your thoughts on vst? I feel like no matter what , the onboard sounds are more well integrated and though you can’t here latency, you can feel the difference , no? Or is it not noticeable for you with the right setup?

[@KainniaK]

The latency between hitting a key on a real piano and hearing the sound back is about 80 ms. If you want to play a VST like keyscape on a good midi controller and get the feel like you are playing a real piano, the less latency the better but in general anything under 25 to 30 ms is playable. Once you go to down below 10 or 5 ms you won't be able to notice it anymore. latency through a computer system is 100% based on CPU power, the more you have the faster your can process and the lower your latency. Even a 2010 laptop with a build in sound card running ASIO4all can achieve under 5 ms of latency on a VST like keyscape.

[@mehdiamirzadeh4097]

Thanks for the explanation. What do you think about 64 polyphony on a device like Yamaha P145? Is it enough for a kid to go from 8 years old to 18?

[@MerriamPianos]

It will be sufficient for most beginner and early intermediate playing, but there may eventually be some limitations with it depending on the repertoire that is being played.

[@notofimportance]

Polyphony lesson aside, your phrasing, attack, and tone are exceptional.

[@YoDJJC]

Why do you remind me of Ben from Parks and Rec? Lol thank you for the explanation though!

[@FreshAirRules]

If you are running your digital output via MIDI or USB to your computer, does the keyboard still control the polyphony or is it controlled by the interface or samples chosen?

[@donbelisario8811]

Can a VST override (increase) the digital piano polyphony?

[@justinlinden4689]

Do you recommended any piano/keyboard for under $200

[@J4ve]

Casio CT-X700

[@foreverseethe]

'Monophonic' or what you called 'monophony' is useful if a player usually does fast soloing. uphony.

[@MerriamPianos]

Absolutely! A lot of early synths and synth lead playing utilized monophony effectively! Bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer come to mind! :)

[@amitsonik35]

Really helpful indeed.....

[@ozsen4056]

i hava a piano with 91 polifony . is it good ?

[@mohamadmotamed7511]

Thank you ❤️

[@raygreenfield5814]

I love your videos. That said, I have a question. As best I can find, the brand new Roland FP-30X has a new chip & 256 polyphony, but the relatively new Roland RD-88 has little to no information on its chip or polyphony. The little I could find said 128, but that wasn't all that convincing an article. Can you elaborate on this topic ? It seems like the RD-88 would need more processing power and polyphony to work through all those scenes on-board. Thank you for your time & also the great videos.

[@MrPhpass]

Do you have e review of a Kawai CN 24 (discontinued) ?

[@TengchakRMarak]

What about the polyphony of Roland rd88? Cannot find it..

[@MerriamPianos]

That's because there isn't an adequate way to represent it in a single number. There are three separate tone engines, each with different polyphony, and in certain combinations the polyphony changes wildly. So they could give a range, but it prob wouldn't be helpful. And not every tone engine processes the multi-timbral sounds the same either...in some cases they're samples, some cases it's not. In most settings it seems like it ranges between 128 - 192, with certain combo sounds dipping below 128, and certain solo sounds prob being in the 256 range.

[@TengchakRMarak]

@@MerriamPianos thank you very much for the reply.. I had no idea how things worked..

[@pisderata]

is 48 enough?

[@thiagoandrade1825]

If you are using your digital piano plugged into the midi with a VST plugin, who is responsible for generating this polophony is the computer or the piano?

[@MerriamPianos]

Hi there! It would be the VST plugin itself, not the piano. :)

[@thiagoandrade1825]

@@MerriamPianos Thanks!

[@منبلادالسهول]

Thank you.

[@ryukosaur9751]

Is 48 bad for a beginner or what is recommended?

[@JS45678]

Not bad at all and you’ll likely never come close to needing more than that in your first several years of piano.

[@manwell001]

Nice explanation 🙏... and lovely blue jeans anyway 🙈!!!

[@someguyfromarcticfreezer6854]

64 polyphony for 450 dollars isn't that bad and isn't that good, but it is good enough for solo playing, I have experienced that on Casio CDP-s350. I think under 500 dollar is entry level for practicing piano is acceptable, with Scaled hammer Keyboard II make big difference.

[@FranciscoRuiz500]

A couple weeks ago I ran a test on my very new CDP-S350: pedal down, dual layers, hit the low A and then all of the other keys (I use a 4-foot construction ruler). Result: the low A is still ringing, so the polyphony appears to be 2x88 = 176, not 64. How do they do that? I suspect the polyphony is actually way higher than claimed, or that they upped it with recent firmware, since the newly announced CDP-S360 has a (claimed) polyphony of 128, but uses the same sound engine as the S350.

[@Fabi_1987]

@@FranciscoRuiz500 Hey, i´m thinking about buying the CDP-S350...my only concern is that the 64 polyphony isn't enough...are you saying i don't need to worry about that? What do you think of the keyboard in general... are you satisfied?

[@FranciscoRuiz500]

@@Fabi_1987 After two months with it, very satisfied. Beautiful sounds, nice action. Speakers may be a bit weak, I think, but I only use it with headphones. I must add I got it on sale for $100 off. If it's not on sale you'll be better off with the CDP-S360, which replaces the S350 for essentially the same price, and has bluetooth and a claimed 128-note polyphony. The S360 was announced soon after I bought mine so I was thinking of returning it and wait for the better keyboard, and this is why I did this test. I could not manage to exhaust the polyphony of the S350 no matter how hard I tried.

[@Fabi_1987]

@@FranciscoRuiz500 ok, thank you very much

[@FranciscoRuiz500]

@@davidedmunds Sorry, but I don't have a S360. The S350 cannot do what you want.

[@marsfong28]

thanks!

[@MerriamPianos]

You're welcome! :)

[@Ankoasty]

Thanks!!!!

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)

[@katakuri7461]

It doesn't matter, we can still play Rondo Alla Turca with 10 polyphony.

[@haroldkindelan4513]

Wowwwww, thanks a lottttttttt.

[@divisionbreak]

5:20 👍🏼

[@kanan5467]

In complex pieces like Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement, are 64-notes enough?

[@pulgmaz4564]

Is 32 decent? (Yamaha PSS A-50)

[@pianohelper8873]

Yeah.

[@balladin9200]

Unless you’re pretty good and you’re playing a crazy piece you should be fine.

[@mokshamalhotra2332]

Good

[@shura1972mar]

Manufacturers have changed the meaning of the concept of polyphony. We have the real "88-voice polyphony" on 88-key acoustic piano. But on electronic piano with 192-voice "polyphony" we may find a limit of about 60 or 90 notes sounding simultaneously. So why call it polyphony, explaining this discrepancy by multi-layered synthesis? Call it "192 synthesis channels", providing up to 192 simple voices, and up to 60 (90) "most complex ones like piano". Marketing won't allow it...

[@MerriamPianos]

I understand your sentiments and points completely. It is a bit confusing and not something that is very explicitly defined or discussed by any manufacturer. If we have the opportunity to pass along the feedback to our suppliers, we certainly will. :)

[@Reckless_one]

Da =davinci resolve

[@shyamolisarkar]

👌

[@benjtheo414]

1:40 thank me later

[@andresvazquez09]

Really helpful thank you 🙏🏼

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! We're glad to hear that you found the video helpful. :)

[@kentGrey]

Thank you!

[@MerriamPianos]

You're very welcome! Thanks for tuning in! :)

[@mountainview-yj7bu]

Thank you!

[@MerriamPianos]

You're welcome!