The piano is to all intents and purposes a study instrument, so every pianist has the right to play his or her acoustic piano in his or her own flat without having to worry about neighbours. Obviously, there are specific time slots in which you can practice or play quietly, to protect the peace and quiet of others. But for those who do not have the possibility to play without disturbing others, there is the Silent system for acoustic pianos. This is a system that exploits the mechanics of an acoustic piano but deactivates the strings. The sounds are then produced by a digital system containing samples of the best acoustic pianos on the market, and can be heard through one or more headphones. It will be possible to play without any worries.
It is very important to distinguish this system from a digital piano. The latter, in fact, although the keyboard is designed to have a similar response to that of an acoustic piano, will never be able to reproduce it faithfully. The mechanics of an acoustic piano are composed of various parts, which have different movements and weights and therefore behave differently depending on the key pressure. A simple weighting is therefore not enough to recreate all these movements.
The Silent system, if fitted by experienced and qualified personnel, does not alter the characteristics of an acoustic piano. Optical/magnetic sensors, placed under the individual keys (or in some cases placed next to the hammer stems), detect the force and intensity of each keystroke, without creating any kind of friction, and therefore, completely imperceptible. A single stop bar intercepts the hammers before they come into contact with the strings, so they do not generate any vibration and therefore no sound. The pedals are also equipped with the corresponding sensors, so that every single function of the acoustic piano is reproduced completely faithfully.
A Silent system can also be used for other purposes such as recording the music played and then playing it back via the system or via stereo, sampling various sounds via the MIDI output or digitally composing new pieces. Multiple connections are available from MIDI to USB, from audio jack to stereo jack, with which a PC, stereo or other instruments can be connected.
Saccuman Snc specialises in fitting these systems to any piano, new or antique, whether upright or grand. In the showroom it is possible to try out this system directly, so as to choose the model that best suits your needs.