More....
On 1/5/2024 7:39 PM, Steven Norsworthy via Piano Technicians Guild wrote:
> In order to make 'sound' you have to 'move air' and so the string by itself moves very little air. The soundboard moves orders of magnitude more air.
>
Stipulated.
> Think of the piano as a mechanical-to-acoustic transducer. It transforms mechanical vibration into acoustic waves.
>
Ditto.
> Now think of a microphone as an acoustic-to-electrical transducer. It transforms acoustic waves into electrical signals.
>
Ditto.
> Now think of the PianoSens device. It BYPASSES THE ACOUSTIC DOMAIN. It DIRECTLY transforms mechanical movement (string movement) into electrical signals.
>
> Hence, there is no transformational loss. It is repeatable and accurate.
>
Yes. So, within certain, highly defined limits, it senses ("picks up")
certain aspects of a particular pitch from a particular string.
There are still variables which are not accounted for in this model.
One might be the feedback (to the string) from the soundboard and bridge
which the model otherwise seeks to eliminate. Such feedback, in
addition to other artifacts, would probably include whatever string
termination issues might be present, &c.
> Think that the soundboard has an infinite number of acoustic responses depending on the position of the mic or the listener. PianoSens removes all that uncertainty. It takes an infinite number of possible transfer functions down into only ONE transfer function.
This sounds like a solution in search of a problem. To be clear,
there's nothing wrong with that...at all. Rather, I find myself
wondering what the real-world use-model might be.
Further, I am mindful that most pianos are not designed to be listened
to in close proximity, certainly not closer than the bench on which the
player sits. Some "scales" have been designed with varying volumes and
shapes of space in mind. In the case of some of those scales, the
"tone" of the piano does not befin to actually "gel" aurally until the
"ears" of the mic/hearer are sometimes as much as fifteen to twenty feet
away. At whatever the "listening distance" might be, the "aural
presentation" (for lack of a better term) of a given piano is very
different from what it might be in close proximity (to the
strings/bridges/soundboard).
That "close micing" became (and remains) so popular has as much to do
with trying to recreate the sense of hearing the piano from the position
of the player as anything else. (A "Listener's Choice" selection of
major concerto recordings in which one hear
PIANO...<...(...and...orchestra...)...>...makes this point.) The
observation here is that, even at that relatively close proximity, the
"ear" of the microphone(s) employed in the recording (without regard to
type ,number, or placement) are still "hearing" the sound of the piano
with all of the intricacies of aural presentation which this system
appears to be working to eliminate.
I see that there is another post....more to follow....
Horace
Original Message:
Sent: 1/5/2024 10:39:00 PM
From: Steven Norsworthy
Subject: Piano As A Transducer (regarding acoustic vs string movement)
In order to make 'sound' you have to 'move air' and so the string by itself moves very little air. The soundboard moves orders of magnitude more air.
Think of the piano as a mechanical-to-acoustic transducer. It transforms mechanical vibration into acoustic waves.
Now think of a microphone as an acoustic-to-electrical transducer. It transforms acoustic waves into electrical signals.
Now think of the PianoSens device. It BYPASSES THE ACOUSTIC DOMAIN. It DIRECTLY transforms mechanical movement (string movement) into electrical signals.
Hence, there is no transformational loss. It is repeatable and accurate.
Think that the soundboard has an infinite number of acoustic responses depending on the position of the mic or the listener. PianoSens removes all that uncertainty. It takes an infinite number of possible transfer functions down into only ONE transfer function.
Try it and you will see. It is 'invariant' by design.
Steven Norsworthy
PianoSens.com
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Steven Norsworthy
Cardiff By The Sea CA
(619) 964-0101
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