Roland shows off revolutionary new V-Piano [NAMM09]
January 28, 2009
Roland claims that its latest digital piano pushes the boundaries of realism far beyond that of existing sample-based digital pianos thanks to new “from scratch” technology that can be easily and creatively adjusted in real time to suit a pianist’s needs.
Rather than simply sampling real acoustic pianos, Roland created piano sounds from scratch. This means that, while sample-based pianos are effectively limited to what was initially sampled (with some effect variation), the V-Piano is far less restricted.
The V-Piano is able to emulate the characteristics of various pianos (American and European, for example), can handle detuning and variations in string construction, resonance and more, as well as only affecting a predefined “sweet spot” across the keyboard if desired, thus affording the player a great amount of flexibility.
Specs wise, there are 264 tone-producing virtual strings, 128 notes of polyphony, 24 preset tones and 100 user-definable tones, a whole host of editing parameters including Unison Tune, Hammer Hardness, Cross Resonance, Tone Color, String Resonance, Damper Resonance, Soundboard Resonance, Key off resonance, Damping Time, and Damping Noise Level, and three pedal inputs.
Take a look at the following four demo videos, produced by Roland, which give a much better demonstration of the product (Quicktime required):
Pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Roland intros Prelude music keyboard [NAMM09]
January 28, 2009
Roland has announced its Prelude home music keyboard that features a range of top-notch sounds lifted from Roland’s other sound modules plus a range of software and decent amplification.
This velocity-sensitive 61-note keyboard offers a very respectable 128 notes of polyphony with which to play the myriad of tones (896 plus 256 GM2-compatibles) and 41 rhythm sets.
Other features include 78 multi-effect types plus a range of reverb and chorus effects, the ability to load up and play a backing track encoded as MP3, WAV or AIFF, USB memory playback, 11W stereo amplification and speakers, D BEAM and pitch bend/modulation controllers, sustain and control pedal inputs, MIDI and USB MIDI.
The Prelude also comes with playlist editor and style converter software on CD.
Exact pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Roland intros the AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer [NAMM09]
January 20, 2009
Roland unveiled a huge array of new musical instruments and accessories at this year’s Winter NAMM, including this: the AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer.
Harking back to the glorious days of the 1980s when this kind of instrument was all the rage, it frees the keyboard player up to move about, while still having full control over playing.
Features include 49 note velocity-sensitive keyboard, whopping 128 notes of polyphony, 256 tones and eight special (SuperNATURAL) tones, a D-Beam, Ribbon Touch, Modulation Bar, Volume Knob Controller, Aftertouch Knob Controller, Portamento On/Off, Hold button On/Off, and choice of Bender Mode (Normal/Catch+Last).
It has a wealth of connectors too, including 2x 1/4″ audio jacks, headphones, foot pedal, USB connector, MIDI IN/OUT, and AC connector. It runs from eight Ni-MH rechargeable batteries which give around six hours of operation per charge.
What do you think? Can you see yourself rocking out on stage with this?
Pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Yamaha to replace P140 with 128-note polyphonic P155 [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Buy the Yamaha P155 digital piano at zZounds
Get Yamaha P155 full specifications.
It seems that the Yamaha P140 digital piano, which many believe was inferior in all but the quality of the keyboard touch to the P120, is about to be phased out in favour of the P155.
Showing off at NAMM09, Yamaha will introduce the P155 “slab piano” that is aimed at both gigging musicians and those with limited space at home who want a decent digital piano feel and sound.
Perhaps Yamaha has listened to some of the complaints, for not only has it doubled the polyphony to 128 notes (the P120 and P140 both had 64 note polyphony) but it’s replaced the output jacks with 1/4-inch line-level outputs with variable volume control.
Other features include the Graded Hammer Effect key action, four-layer piano sample with damper resonance effect, greater amplification and USB song storage.
Computer-compatible features include a songwriting tool for jotting down quick piano recordings and quickly importing them into a computer via USB input, which makes it a snap to transfer song files to a PC or Mac. It also works in the reverse: play any Standard MIDI file using the P155′s incredible piano voices.
It will be available in three colours — black with mahogany trim, silver with cherry trim, and black with ebony trim — from around April this year.
Will it be a vast improvement over the P140? Will it acknowledge the P120′s popularity but with better build quality? Time will tell.
Yamaha | Buy the Yamaha P155 digital piano at zZounds | Buy Yamaha Digital Pianos
Yamaha intros PSR-S550B arranger workstation keyboard [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Yamaha will show off one of its latest arranger workstation keyboards in the PSR range at Winter NAMM, offering a sleek look and advanced features at a decent price point.
The 61-key PSR-S550B features 774 instrument voices and 22 drum kits including ethnic instruments, 176 song and genre styles which are expandable, 64 note polyphony, 16 track recording, XG compatibility, various dance styles, full DSP effects, style control and USB MIDI.
It features a sleek black finish with white cone speakers, retails for $999.99, and is available now.
Yamaha intros Disklavier E3 entry-level digital piano [NAMM09]
January 15, 2009
Yamaha will show off its latest Disklavier E3 series at Winter NAMM. The three “E”s stand for easy, enjoyment, and elegance, and encapsulates what this more entry-level digital piano is all about.
Many of the Disklavier functions are present, such as recording and playback and whisper soft playing, 450 built-in songs and Internet connectivity. This connects the user to DisklavierRadio and DisklavierMusicStore.
“A host of leading-edge capabilities, coupled with a competitive price point, are sure to make the E3 Series a very popular system in the line,” said Disklavier’s marketing manager Jim Levesque. “The E3 offers the ideal solution for budget-minded customers seeking the performance quality of the Disklavier.”
Yamaha shows off new Clavinova CVP409GP digital piano [NAMM09]
January 14, 2009
Yamaha’s latest Clavinova, the CVP409GP, will be on show at this year’s Winter NAMM exhibition.
Claiming it to be the world’s most innovative and technologically advanced digital piano line, the CVP409GP offers a luxurious mini-grand piano style cabinet option.
The ebony polished cabinet, synthetic ivory keytops and natural wood keyboard mean both look and feel are more authentic, while Yamaha’s Graded Hammer 3 technology accurately reproduces the genuine acoustic piano playing feel.
Yamaha has used its Instrumental Active Field Control (iAFC) technology which uses built-in microphones and speakers to reproduce complex sonic textures, rich resonance and an unparalleled sound.
Performances, including vocals, can be saved digitally to a USB device and then turned into iTunes or Windows Media Player files and audio CDs.
Other features include a built-in Ethernet port for connecting the Clavinova directly to the Internet or home network, auto accompaniment, style and sampled instrument voices for authentic backing parts, and vocal harmony effects. It also has an extra large full colour LCD screen which can be used to view musical scores downloaded from the Internet.
Yamaha debuts new acoustic grand pianos: GC2, GB1K, GC1 [NAMM09]
January 14, 2009
Despite the advances in digital pianos, not least from Yamaha, there’s still nothing like a real acoustic grand piano.
Yamaha will be showing off three of them at Winter NAMM this year, including the new GC2 and updated GB1K and GC1 grand pianos.
The new 5’8″ GC2 grand piano has the same size, tone and touch of Yamaha’s C2 but is more affordable. It comes in polished ebony and features a simply-styled cabinet, straight leg design, and traditional synthetic key tops.
The 4’11″ GB1K replaces the GB1 and is well-suited to smaller homes. It features a soft-close fallboard and will be available this month.
Finally, the GC1 5’3″ grand piano is of simple style, featuring a new sostenuto pedal and soft-close fallboard.
More information on these pianos will be available once the show opens.
Yamaha shows off white MODUS R01 and H11 digital pianos [NAMM09]
January 13, 2009
Yamaha will use the Winter NAMM exhibition to show off one of its latest digital pianos – the white version of its MODUS R01 digital piano.
Also on show will be the H11 Contemporary Grand digital piano.
All of Yamaha’s MODUS digital pianos feature AWM Stereo Sampling technology and at least 30 sample banks (50 on the H11) for the keyboard sounds, all fully responsive to the player’s touch on the keyboard, and thus offering very realistic sound. Samples include stereo sustain and key-off samples which recreate string resonance, soundboard, and dampers touching strings as keys are released.
The H01 has 64 note polyphony while the H11 doubles that to 128 notes. There’s also Dual Voice and reverb functions plus 20 instrument voices and 50 onboard preset piano songs.
Both digital pianos have a 40 watt amplification system and can be accessorised with matching white piano bench.
Available from the second quarter of 2009.
Yamaha Presents Junior Original Concert Series [NAMM09]
January 13, 2009
Talented Yamaha Music Students Gather to Showcase Performance and Composition Skills
The Yamaha Music Education System will host its popular Junior Original Concert (JOC) Series on Friday, January 16 and Saturday, January 17, 2009 at Winter NAMM 2009. Held at 11am each day in the Yamaha Keyboard Division exhibit area in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel’s Marquis Ballroom, all NAMM attendees are invited to enjoy these free events, which will feature three exceptional Yamaha Music School students performing their own original compositions.
Valerie Narumi, age 9, a student at Harmony Music World Yamaha Music Academy in Fullerton, California, will perform “My Magic Door” with co-performers Julian Hallmark on the SV-200 Silent Violin and Xiao-Dan on the SVC-210 Silent Cello. Narumi has been a Yamaha student since she was three years old and is a graduate of the Yamaha Junior Advanced Course. She performed at the National Junior Original Concerts in San Diego in 2005, Washington, D.C. in 2006, and La Mirada, California in 2008.
Christian Nguyen, age 12, a student at the East Valley Yamaha Music School in Chandler, Arizona, will perform “Dragon Keeper”. Nguyen took his first music lesson at the age of four at East Valley Yamaha Music School and is currently enrolled in the Junior Special Advanced Course. He was selected to perform “Dragon Keeper” at the 2008 National JOC in La Mirada, California.
Gabriel Dotson, age 15, is also a student at East Valley Yamaha Music School, and will perform his creative composition, “Feelin’ Old School”, with co-performers Christian Nguyen on a MODUS H01 digital piano and Gary Matsuura on clarinet. Dotson began studying piano at age six in the Yamaha Music Education System and was one of 13 young composers chosen to perform at the 35th international JOC at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo in 2006. Since age ten, he has performed his original compositions for audiences around the globe.
