It's tough to sit on a secret for months. We first got to play the new CP-1 stage piano when shooting our AvantGrand videos at the Village studios. We then shot the video below of the CP-1 at the AES convention in New York City in October 2009. Yamaha swore us to secrecy, but now they're ready to let the cat out of the bag. In fact, there's a whole new series of CP stage pianos, but the CP-1 is the flagship from which their next generation of sampling-meets-modeling piano reproduction technology, Spectrum Component Modeling, was developed. This is the basis for some incredible new acoustic piano sounds, including CF-IIIS nine-foot concert grand and S6B.
Yamaha's official press release follows. Trouble seeing the video window below? Click here to open it in its own window.
ANAHEIM,
Calif.—Yamaha will introduce a completely redesigned lineup of CP
Series Stage Pianos at Winter NAMM 2010, which let keyboard players
fully express their passion for playing. Yamaha has a history of
creating epoch-making stage pianos that have revolutionized the way
professional keyboardists play, including the launch of the CP70 and
CP80 in the 1970’s, and the DX7 in the 1980’s. With the new CP series,
which includes the CP1, CP5 and CP50, Yamaha has again redefined the
expectations of what the ultimate stage piano should be.
“Our
new Spectral Component Modeling process in the CP lineup reproduces the
sound and expressiveness of acoustic and vintage electronic pianos
better than any technology has ever done,” said Athan Billias, Director
of Marketing for Yamaha’s Pro Audio and Combo Division. “For
professional players on stage, the new CP series sets a new standard
and we invite any one to compare these against any other stage piano on
the market, regardless of price.”
Beneath
the hood of the flagship CP1, which features new NW-STAGE weighted
wooden keys, Spectral Component Modeling tone generation technology
faithfully recreates the sounds and nuances of 17 Yamaha acoustic and
vintage electronic pianos, including the CFIIIS, S6B, the CP80, Rd1, Rd
II, Wr and the DX7.
This
new Spectrum Component Modeling system replicates the instrument’s
physical components for ultra-realistic tone generation, including the
hardness of the hammers, resonance of the sound board and the striking
position of the hammers. It also relies on granular parametric data
that translates every nuance of the player’s touch into an expressive
tone. The new CP models also use Virtual Circuit Modeling to replicate
the effect units, amplifiers, compressors, EQ and other equipment that
were so essential in creating many of those legendary vintage sounds.
The
CP1 also includes enough effects to make a guitarist jealous, including
VCM emulations of several historical pedals including phasers,
flangers, wah wahs and choruses. All of the CP series feature high
quality Yamaha reverbs along with many of the effect algorithms from
the Motif XS line of workstations for added sound flexibility.
The
CP5 includes the core sounds of the Spectral Component Modeling
technology, 12 acoustic and vintage electric piano sounds and 305
additional sounds and effects. The model also comes with NW-STAGE
weighted keys, a customize function, recording and playback options for
MIDI and audio, 100 rhythm patters and a convenient Master Keyboard
function.
The
CP50 also offers the core sounds of the Spectrum Component Modeling
feature and includes six acoustic and electric piano sounds. It is also
equipped with 215 additional sounds and effects and the keyboard
consists of Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Action keys, along with a customize
function, recording and playback options for MIDI and audio, 100 rhythm
patterns and a convenient Master Keyboard function.
All
of the CP models feature rugged construction, 88 keys, great retro
looks, 128-note polyphony and USB-to-Host and USB-to-Device
connectivity.