Hollow Sun Definitive CP70 KONTAKT

The quest for a portable piano has been around since the invention of the Fender Rhodes and the Wurlitzer. Of course, neither of these actually sound like pianos… they have a pleasant sound that is 'piano-like' but in no way are they a substitute for the real thing.

Several companies tried all sorts of things (including some fairly horrible electronic things) but it wasn't until Yamaha released their CP70 'Electric Grand Piano' in the mid-'70s that we had something approaching a 'real' piano that could be toured around and amplified easily without any difficult mic techniques.

There were three models in the product's lifetime… the original CP70 (73-note keyboard) which was superceded by the CP70B (with balanced outputs) and the CP80 (a full 88-note keyboard version). There was also a MIDI version allowing the thing to be used as a monster master controller. These were comparatively rare however. All of them featured true grand piano action keyboards which, if you were a real piano player, were a delight to play.

In their brochures, Yamaha claimed their electric grand pianos were "compact" and "portable". I am not convinced! They measured at least 57 inches wide by 45 inches deep (front to back) and weighed as much as 313lbs! I guess that at a time when bands were going out with Hammond organs, Leslies, CS80s, multiple MiniMoogs, Mellotrons and so on, the CP piano was comparatively 'portable'.

Each instrument now features a complete control panel so that you can create your own unique sounds pretty much like using 'the real thing'. There are three panels - MASTER, CONTROL PANEL and EFFECTS. In MASTER, you can set 'global' functions such as velocity sensitivity and curve, note range, pitch bend range and master tuning and transpose.

In CONTROL PANEL, you can modify the tone of the instrument using the 3-band EQ as found on the original CP70. You can also add tremolo (again, like the original) with variable speed and depth. In EFFECTS, you can add a phase shifter effect with variable amount and speed and you can add (or remove) chorus and reverb. Any settings you make can, of course, be saved for future recall and it is also possible for a knobby hardware controller to 'learn' these controls for an even more hands-on experience.