TransAcoustic - A new breed of piano

An acoustic piano with a volume control, or a digital piano with strings? Yamaha’s latest development stretches the imagination and opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

TransAcoustic is the name we have given to the technology that will power a new breed of piano. At its most basic level, it turns the soundboard into a “loudspeaker”. This means that any sound can be delivered through this naturally resonant piano component.

But there’s much more to TransAcoustic technology. Using a mechanism similar to that of the well-proven Silent Series, it is possible to prevent the hammers from striking the strings and, instead, to play back digital samples. Unlike the Silent instruments, however, there is no need for headphones or external amplification. The sound is played back though the soundboard. You can control the volume and select the sound - from a sampled CFX concert grand, or a choice of electric pianos to a marimba and harpsichord. And perhaps the most scintillating sounds are generated when you combine the acoustic and digital properties of the instrument - gentle orchestral strings under a natural piano, for example.

You can even play back pre-recorded accompaniment tracks as you perform.

Because the instrument is a real, fully strung and resonant piano, the natural, sympathetic vibrations of both the soundboard, case and, significantly, strings, add a completely new dimension to performance. The sampled sounds come to life with a brilliant realism no other instrument has approached.