The Electromagnetically Sustained Rhodes Piano

The Electromagnetically Sustained Rhodes Piano is an augmentation of the original instrument with additional control over the amplitude envelope of individual notes. This includes slow attacks and infinite sustain while preserving the familiar spectral qualities of this classic electromechanical piano. These additional parameters are controlled with aftertouch on the existing keyboard, extending standard piano technique. Two sustain methods were investigated, driving the actuator first with a pure sine wave, and second with the output signal of the sensor. A special isolation method effectively decouples the sensors from the actuators and tames unruly feedback in the high-gain signal path.