Topic by AKM

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Topic: Harpsichords dynamics

To my understanding, the common view regarding the harpsichords is that they don't react to the playing velocity, partly because of their mechanics construction. However, while being significantly less responsive than pianos, they still have somewhat noticeable difference for playing with different velocities. I base it on my occasional quite limited experience of playing the real ones and also on some comments from the harpsichord players I've heard in the past. Pianoteq harpsichords have a minimal 1 dB dynamics difference and 3 'plucking brightness' sliders in the Voicing panel also set to similar settings for all velocity variations (after closer inspection there are some extremely minimal variations happen to be present for some, 0.01 difference). The practical fix here is very obvious, just to make some conservative adjustments to the controls mentioned, it's what I do. It makes the playing experience a bit more alive. What do you think, is it a valid observation or not, can it be adjusted for the stock preset settings to most closely mimic the real ones, or they are fine and realistic already as they are, or should we just make these adjustments 'to taste' if required? Maybe there are some more in-depth corrections could be made to address the matter?

Andrei Kuznetsov
https://www.youtube.com/pianopictures

AKM's Website

Reply by sandalholme

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

While it's a long time since I played an acoustic harpsichord, I did own/play a copy of the 1969 Taskin for 20 years. There is a very slight increase in volume if the key is depressed very quickly, but the quilll is so close to the string it is extremely subtle. My guess is that the Pianoteq harpsichords are configured for that miniscule effect. For all practical purposes, harpsichords have no dynamic range except for extremely skillful players, whose results are probably not noticed by others. (Don't forget that there are other ways of simulating accents etc so what appears to be an increase in volume isn't so, physically)

it is perfectly valid to alter parameters to change an instrument, but for me, making a harpsichord produce easily demonstrable changes in volume turns it into a slightly different - or radically different - instrument and not a representation of an original instrument. Each to his own taste!

Reply by ZnarF

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

Andrei, you're right: on the harpsichord, the strum by the plectrum and the sound of the string is totally independant of the velocity (there are very very subtle variations that are not controled by the player: some randomness due to small variations of the sautereau's move within the holes constraigning it - but that is very anecdotic). What the velocity changes (in the real world) is a low noise: depression of the key and contact between the sautereau and the wooden felted transversal bar that limits his movement. While in most classical pieces, this effect/sound is quite discrete, in some particular pieces it is a bit present (where raw power is involved, comes in mind Pancrace Royer - Le Vertigo).

Reply by AKM

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

@sandalholme
@ZnarF
Interesting, thank you.

Last edited by AKM (22-11-2020 10:28)
Andrei Kuznetsov
https://www.youtube.com/pianopictures

AKM's Website

Reply by Philippe Guillaume

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

ZnarF wrote:

Andrei, you're right: on the harpsichord, the strum by the plectrum and the sound of the string is totally independant of the velocity (there are very very subtle variations that are not controled by the player: some randomness due to small variations of the sautereau's move within the holes constraigning it - but that is very anecdotic). What the velocity changes (in the real world) is a low noise: depression of the key and contact between the sautereau and the wooden felted transversal bar that limits his movement. While in most classical pieces, this effect/sound is quite discrete, in some particular pieces it is a bit present (where raw power is involved, comes in mind Pancrace Royer - Le Vertigo).

Absolutely right. The increase of the low freq noise with velocity is present in Pianoteq harpsichords too, there's more or less 12 dB increase from ppp to fff (with default dynamics), depending on which harpsichord.

Philippe Guillaume's Website

Reply by AKM

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

Did not notice it by myself, I clearly hear it now.

Philippe Guillaume wrote:

Absolutely right. The increase of the low freq noise with velocity is present in Pianoteq harpsichords too, there's more or less 12 dB increase from ppp to fff (with default dynamics), depending on which harpsichord.

Andrei Kuznetsov
https://www.youtube.com/pianopictures

AKM's Website

Reply by Beto-Music

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Re: Harpsichords dynamics

A suggestion to a mp3.

Morph two harpsichords, one with stadandart dynamics as a real one, and other adjusted to get dynamics close to a piano.
Then gradually change from one to another while playing.

I will sound like a harpsichord in evolution process.