In a message dated 11/7/1999 9:29:01 AM Central Standard Time, JIMRPT@AOL.COM writes: << The best EP sounds are the sampled sounds but that is also the problem, in my opinion. In that the sampled sounded is a constant and does not change...in other words it is always the same "sound" it may be softer or louder or it may be attacked strongly or moderately...it makes no difference it is still the same 'sound'... >> Actually, these days, with memory having become much less expensive, the best digital pianos do resample each note several times across the dynamic spectrum and use a mathematic table to smooth out the transitions that occur in between those samples within the 128 levels of velocity which MIDI allows. Each time a note on a (good, current) digital piano is struck, the processor reads the vecocity of that key strike as a number between 0 and 127 (including zero gives 128), recalling a volume level and an appropriate sample to send to the speakers. Responding to another digestee, issues such as the percussive sound of the hammer striking the notes in the upper register and sympathetic vibrations are also considered and incorporated into the sample. In some models, if you press the damper pedal really hard, without even striking a string, you'll hear the reverse "hushing" sound of the dampers leaving the strings. Standard disclaimer: I'm not endorsing nor condoning anything here. I'm just alerting the list to the fact that those digital piano manufacturers truly in search of the best way to attempt to reproduce a piano are considering everything they can, including issues such as those addresses here. John Cordogan Cordogan's Pianoland and Cordogan's Piano Gallery Illinois' Largest Piano Store "More pianos than you can shake a leveling stick at" Chicagoland's Kawai, Sauter, Estonia and Kemble dealer
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