Yamaha C3X SH PE Silent Demo/Showroom-model

Yamaha Silent Piano™ features a range of unique technologies that allow them to offer a touch that is astonishingly close to that of an acoustic grand piano even when in "Silent" mode.

Under each of the 88 keys is a Yamaha-unique continuous-detection grey-scale shutter key sensor. These sensors detect the movement of the keys continually, allowing natural musical expression even when the piano is in "Silent" mode. Since they do not come into contact with the keys, these sensors do not affect the feel of the keyboard in any way.

Yamaha’s Silent Piano™ are fitted with hammer sensors that allow even slow keystrokes or rapid trills that would be difficult for key sensors to detect to be read accurately. To ensure that they do not affect the feel of the keyboard in any way, Yamaha uses non-contact sensors.

Silent Piano™ features a quick escape system that allows the sound muting mechanism to be fitted to a grand piano without sacrificing any of the playability or musical expression demanded of such instruments in an acoustic performance. This system allows optimal separation to be obtained between the hammers and strings by adjusting the distance between the hammers and strings, ensuring that the feel of the keyboard stays in the best possible condition whether playing acoustically or with the sound muted.

- For the first time ever the Silent Piano™ offers sound sampled from the Yamaha CFX full concert grand piano, supporting the beauty of its clear, vivid tones with the power of this renowned instrument. - Yamaha’s first model with binaural sampling system, enabling reproduction of natural and three-dimensional sound.
[ Binaural sampling system ] A recording system in which microphones are installed in the ears of a dummy (see diagram) so that the sound can be reproduced the way it is heard by the player. - When playing in "Silent" mode, the player feels as though the CFX sounds are coming directly from the piano.

The maximum simultaneous polyphony on the SH type is 256 notes. With the increase in maximum simultaneous polyphony CFX sampling and piano effects can be utilized more effectively for enhanced precision in sound reproduction.

This increase in memory capacity enables the SH type to reproduce even the subtle difference in nuances brought by key touch and thus significantly increases the expressivity of performance.

- String resonance: Reproduces the expressive tonal colors that are created as strings hit by hammers resonate with other strings. - Key-off sampling: Reproduces the subtle changes of sound that occur when the damper touches the strings. - Sustain sampling: Records the rich sounds that are generated as the player depresses a pedal during performance. - Damper resonance: Reproduces the deep and expansive resonance that is generated when the player depresses a pedal. Subtle changes in nuance that occur during the performance can be reproduced faithfully.

The SH type has a built-in metronome that can be used in "Silent" mode so that players can listen to precise rhythm through headphones while they play.

19 voices, including harpsichord, pipe organ strings, celesta and jazz organ provide a wide range of musical expression.

- The performance can be recorded in two different ways. It can be recorded either directly to the built-in recorder of a piano, or to a USB audio recorder, in which case the data stored in USB flash memory in WAV format can be played on a PC as well. - Using a built-in recorder is more convenient if the players wish to listen to the recorded piece right away. It allows them to listen to the entire performance of a music piece or to go back and listen to a particular section of the piece. - Since performances are saved in WAV format with a USB audio recorder, they can be recorded onto CDs or played on portable music players.

While conventional grand Silent Piano™ require lever operation for switching to "Silent" mode, SH type Silent Piano™ do it all via motor activation with a single press of a button.

Blue-lit control buttons on the front panel are easy to identify and provide superb operability. Moreover custom-made white pianos come with white control units.

- The headphones that come exclusively with SH type pianos are designed in a way that minimizes the strain on users after long hours of playing. - This newly employed headphones contribute to the improvement of sound quality as well as to the reduction of fatigue during performance.

- AUX and MIDI terminals allow the sound to be output to a variety of external devices (e.g. stereo components, IC recorders, speakers with built-in amplifiers, stereo systems). - Connecting SH type pianos to external devices such as sound source modules and music players (CD players etc.) via AUX IN terminals allows players to listen to the sound from these external devices on the headphones while they play the piano. - Connecting MIDI devices such as synthesizers to SH type pianos via MIDI OUTPUT terminals allows players to transmit performance information to external devices for playback. - Connecting music sequencers to SH type pianos via MIDI IN terminals allows the players to receive and play back the performance information provided by the sequencers using the sound source of SH type pianos.

- Speaker output terminals have been newly added to the GM unit installed at the bottom of the tenor section of SH type pianos. By connecting speakers equipped with built-in amplifiers to these output terminals, the performance conducted in "Silent" mode can be output through the speakers. - Speaker output terminals also support TRS phone jacks, which are highly noise-resistant and thus suitable for use in music performances, such as those on stages, that require long cables.

One of the most important factors in achieving a rich tone is the support provided within the instrument. When playing powerful fortissimo the force exerted on the instrument causes it to bend slightly, losing energy. The part of the piano that accepts this force and transforms it into deep reverberation is called the back frame, which could be likened to the skeleton in a human body. On the C3X for example, this back frame is approximately 20% thicker than on other pianos, providing significantly improved support, and reflecting the considerations on which the CX Series has been completely redesigned.

A violin is built around a beautiful body with three-dimensional swellings and a delicately curved shape, which is similar to the three dimensional concave design in a piano soundboard called the “crown.” The manufacture of this crown is pivotal to the crafting of any piano, and is thus of paramount importance to piano engineers in addressing the problem of how to transmit the vibrations of the strings from the soundboard into the surrounding air efficiently. Yamaha has taken experience accumulated through many years of crafting pianos and combined it with unsurpassed engineering ability to ensure that the soundboard always provides superb projection.
The resulting design capitalizes on physical phenomena unique to the craft of piano-making, to create a soundboard assembly with a structure that allows it to vibrate easily, something that would not have been possible without the deep understanding of the traditional art of piano crafting that goes hand-in-hand with Yamaha's experience and engineering know-how. The same techniques developed for gluing the soundboard, ribs, and bridge in the CFX are used for the C3X and above—models which require a great deal of projection—and the process of installing the resulting soundboard assembly into the piano body has been investigated carefully. This has resulted in dramatically improved projection and the unprecedented response that performers demand.

It is music wire that actually creates sound of a piano. While affected by its matching with the hammers, soundboard and body of the piano, music wire has a profound effect on the timbre and sustain of the instrument. The CX Series utilizes music wire that produces a rich sound with a full complexity of overtones in its middle and upper registers. Coupled with the support from a solid foundation, this gives CX Series pianos a rich, harmonic sound.

The frame in a modern piano must be able to withstand a total string tension in excess of twenty tons; not only does the frame work together with the wooden body to support the string tension, but it has a profound effect on the instrument’s sound. Yamaha makes its own frames, relying on a method of casting referred to as the “vacuum process,” developed over many years to create some of the best piano frames in the world. During this time we have built up a storehouse of knowledge on factors such as the manner in which controlling the temperature and composition of casting, and even the coating used on the frame itself, affects the acoustic characteristics of the piano. This is a major reason that Yamaha is able to ensure reliable quality when crafting our pianos.

Great hammers are essential to producing a beautifully expressive, malleable sound. Yamaha, unlike most other piano manufacturers, produces most of its own high-quality components, and is constantly looking for new ways to use the abilities developed through doing so to give our piano hammers tonality, resilience, and power. The CX Series has also benefitted from the results of this research and development, and utilizes the same felt as the CFX, adjusted to match the size of each instrument in the series. This ensures that all CX Series pianos possess a clear range of tonal colors and a nuanced, expressive sound.

Pianos offer pianists only a limited amount of freedom; indeed, apart from the pedals, the pianist’s scope for expression is limited to the 10 mm travel of each of the 88 keys on the keyboard. Even so, the combination of the pedals with the speed and velocity applied to the keys produces a range of tonal changes so broad that they cannot be reproduced with current digital technology. This is the true soul of an acoustic instrument, allowing the pianist to obtain an incredible amount of expression from just 10 mm of key travel.
That is precisely why Yamaha devotes so much time voicing their pianos so that the intentions of the pianist are conveyed to the strings. In regulation, a craftsman adjusts the movement of the action so that it accurately transmits every nuance of the pianist’s touch. In voicing, the hammers, which cause the strings to emit sound, are pricked with a pick to create a balanced tone that will respond beautifully when played. Even today, in an era when technology continues to evolve rapidly, these tasks remain the domain of skilled craftsmen who must ensure the high quality of these instruments, and are the main reason that Yamaha has remained one of the top piano makers in the world.

CX Series pianos feature a completely revamped design. Following in the footsteps of the CF Series concert grand, the CX Series design features simple, elegant lines, focusing on the characteristic legs of the piano in doing away with any excess ornamentation. This elegance is set off by a solid pedal box that allows performers to depress the pedals with as much power as they want, one aspect of a philosophy epitomizing "functional design" that allows pianists to become one with their instrument as they play. In order to provide the best playability possible, CX Series grand pianos offer white keys made of Ivorite™, which has a feel, color, and absorbency very similar to natural ivory, while natural ebony has been used for the black keys.

- The CX Series is equipped with a lid prop stopper to prevent your fingers from being caught when the piano lid closes unexpectedly. - The fallboard is fitted with a soft landing mechanism that means you no longer have to worry about the fallboard shutting on your fingers unexpectedly.