Generalmusic RP-X - Manual (Page 22)

Page 18
owners manual
rp-x
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Type Piano sound expander (acoustic, vintage)
Polyphony 72 Notes max.
Sounds 50 stereo/mono pcm, physical modelling sounds
Display 3 digit LED Display
Performance Mode 99 Performances
Multi Mode 4 - Parts
Output 1 x Stereo out (Left + Right Jack)
Input 1 x Stereo in (Left + Right RCA)
Midi In/ Out / Thru
Pedals 1 x Continuos control (optional Expression)
1 x Single switch or multipedal (optional)
Headphones 2 x headphones
Mastervolume Master Volume knob
Edit-Mode Part (ch), Sound, Volume, Velocity, Transpose, Reverb, EFX, Tune
Effects 6 Reverb (Room: small, medium, large; Hall: Large, Medium; Stage)
4 Send Effects: Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo, Stereo Delay
2 Insert Effect: Wah-Wah, Compressor
4 band full parametric programmable Equalizer
DSP technology D.R.A.K.E. by Generalmusic
memory size Flash Ram 64 MB
Extra info Midi Velocity Fix IN / PC editor, "easy to use" interface
USB USB
PC- Software rp-x PC editor
Weight 2,5 Kg./5,5 lbs
Dimensions 218 x 44 x 198 mm/ 8,5 x 1,7 x 7,8 inch
Physical Modeling is a method of sound synthesis based upon a mathematical model which de scribes the physical construction of the instrument being simulated.
Unlike sampling technology, in which an existing sound is simply recorded at a particular moment in time, (to remain essentially the same for ev er), the sounds
produced by a Physical Model continuously react and respond to the player’s input, maintaining all the little nuances and im per fec tions which provide the most
reliable subconscious as sur ance that the in stru ment being played is the real thing. A sampled sound can be likened to a “snapshot” of a particular mo ment in
time during which an instrument is being played. It’s like taking a photograph. The goal of Phys i cal Mod el ing is this: Instead of simply recording the fi nal audible
product of a in stru ment like an electric piano, we replicate all the elements which are incorporated into its con struc tion. If the physical model is constructed care-
fully and accurately with meticulous attention to detail, the re sult ing sound should be ex act ly like the real thing and, more importantly, the experience of playing
and interacting with the in stru ment should be similarly convincing. In the rp-x, all the acoustic piano sounds are created by combining sample playback with
Generalmusic’s Natural String Resonance, Damper Phys i cal Model, Ad vanced Re lease and FADE tech nol o gies, (described below). Other instruments such as
RHODES, WURLI and CLAVINET are created using pure Physical Modeling.
TECHNOLOGY
The rp-x is powered by Generalmusic’s break-through technology DRAKE. DRAKE (Dsp-Risc-Advanced-Keyboard-Engine) is the ultimate DSP: probably
the most advanced piece of musical hardware in the world. Its 32-bit and 50-MIPS internal structure and its totally programmable software architecture
make this processor so fast and powerful that any kind of algorithm, from Wavetable to Physical Modeling, can be implemented in real time, either
in generation or in post-processing. Using the Physical Modelling power offered by DRAKE, Generalmusic has created and patented a number of
new algorithms which replicate some of the world’s most famous vintage instruments like Rhodes™, Wurlitzer™ and Clavinet™. DRAKE has found
unanimous, enthusiastic appraisal from experts in these fi elds.
Reproduction of the complex harmonic and dynamic changes which take place as you increase or de crease the velocity of a key-strike on a piano have always
presented a serious problem for traditional sam ple-playback tech nol o gy. The only practical way to re pli ca te these changes has been to select three or four
distinctly dif fer ent levels and switch between these according to the velocity with which the key is struck. This produces the unnatural effect of having clearly
audible steps between different velocity levels, further diminishing the authenticity of the sound reproduction. Unlike the velocity-switching meth ods used in
other elec tron ic pianos, Generalmusic’s unique FADE technology utilizes only one specially confi gured sound source per note. At the heart of the FADE engine
is a extensive database which can be used to look up the precise harmonic content of any note played at any velocity level. Whenever a note is played, the
FADE engine analyzes the velocity of the key-strike and constructs, in real-time, a model of the nec es sary har mon ic con tent for that particular note played at
that velocity. The note’s sound source is pro cessed by the FADE engine with appropriate harmonic content being added or subtracted ac cord ing ly. In practice,
FADE tech nol o gy provides seamless transition from pianissimo all the way through to for tis si mo for each note without any audible switching.
The particular sound of a piano string being stopped by a damper while in motion is replicated by Generalmusic’s unique Ad vanced Release Technology. Sample
based electronic pi anos traditionally use a en ve lope generator to control What happens when a key is released. This simply allows the sample loop to continue
playing for a set period of time until its amplitude is fi nally reduced to zero by the envelope generator. In an acoustic piano, vibrating strings are silenced when
a felt damper comes into contact with the moving string. When this happens, depending on how hard the key was struck and the length of the string itself,
certain frequencies are damped earlier than others while some other frequencies are even accentuated, (anyone who ever studied how to produce harmonics
on a guitar will recognize this principle). This produces a distinctive harmonic “ring” as the different fre quen cies in the string’s tone dis si pa te through out the
piano soundboard. This Advanced Release Tech nol o gy in the rp-x series simulates these phe nom e na with complete accuracy throughout the 88 note range.
Another technology patented by Generalmusic is Damper Physical Model. Whenever the damper pedal is depressed, the damper physical model simulates the
effect of sym pa thet ic resonance being produced by the strings which the action of the pedal has now left free to res o nate. Use the damper pedal to hear the effect
of the Damper Phys i cal Model by comparing the sounds of notes played in the highest octave of the in stru ment with and with out the damper pedal de pressed.
This physical modeling technology, patented by Generalmusic as Natural String Resonance, allows all of the complex harmonics normally produced by a
piano’s soundboard to be faithfully re pro duced. This means that a note’s individual sound will always be slightly different depending upon which other notes
are currently being held, (and consequently which strings are un-damped and free to resonate in sym pa thy with the note played). If you hold down a low C and
let the note decay, the strings for that note are still un-damped for as long as the key remains depressed. If you now strike another C higher up the keyboard,
(stac ca to), you will hear the sympathetic resonance of the low C strings in response to the new note played. This natural effect replicates exactly what hap pens
inside a grand piano. If you experiment with different combinations of notes you will hear harmonic colors particular to each. Because this effect is produced
by physical modeling and not by samples or DSP effects, the result is a musically and technically ac cu ra te simulation of a piano’s soundboard and virtually
infi nite combinations of har mon ics can be produced.
Physical Modeling
Natural String Resonance
Advanced Release Technology
Damper Physical Model
FADE - Filter Algorithm Dynamic Emulation
Technical specifi
cations are subject to change