Physical Modeling and the Physis Piano

Italy is known for doing a great many things well – desserts, spaghetti, fine art, pizza, sports cars – but digital pianos don’t exactly come to mind, at first.

That’s something that Physis Pianos is trying to change. Physis Pianos are 100 percent designed and manufactured in Italy, one of the things that sets them apart from anything else on the market today. “There are three key elements which set Physis apart,” explains Gary Girouard, director (North America) of Physis. “The first is the user interface – Physis uses a multi-touch glass panel with no buttons. Much like tablet computing, it’s extremely visual and tactile. Secondly, each instrument is made with passion in Italy – From the powerful master controller to the elegant ‘hybrid’ style contemporary upright piano, the Physis piano lineup is 100 percent designed and produced in Italy. And lastly, the technology – physical modeling allows for full polyphony, full pedaling, unlimited sound models (patches), and unlimited expression. The platform allows you to create your own custom models and share with others.”

Girouard indulged us with a “physical modeling for dummies” explanation of the technology behind each Physis instrument. “Uh-oh, you asked for it,” Girouard begins. “Basically physical modeling means a mathematical representation of real phenomena. For example the Principle of Inertia discovered by Galileo, which describes body movement, is a physical model. Nowadays physical models represent more and more complex situations. If you’ve used Google Maps (or self-driving cars), watched the latest “Pixar” movie, or even depended on your local weather forecast, you’ve already enjoyed the benefits of physical modeling. These predictive models take into account a variety of characteristics, analyze them in real time using powerful computers, and create a real-life result. For example: Maps will take into account real-time traffic and alternate routes (and can now direct a self-driving car!); Pixar is able to make ‘water’ or ‘light’ look entirely realistic even though it’s an animation; and the local weather relies on predictive models to help you decide if it’s necessary to bring an umbrella to work. The Physis Piano is equipped with sophisticated modeling for each of the piano’s components and is able, by means of extremely powerful computer processing, to calculate the corresponding mathematical algorithms in real time. The result is a realistic reproduction of how a piano (with varying physical characteristics) will respond as you play it. We’ve also included Electric (“Rhodes” style) Piano Model, “Wurly” Piano Model, “Clavi” Piano Model, and “Mallet” Model – all of which use a similar process to recreate their respective sound/performance.”

Others before Physis had tried physical modeling to no avail, notably Stanford and Yamaha had a go in the early 90s. Over time, computer processors became more powerful and Viscount, the maker of Physis, saw an opportunity to revisit the concept.  “It was important to start with a ‘simpler’ instrument sound – and being a pipe-organ expert, Viscount started with a single speaking pipe,” says Girouard. “It took almost seven years of research – with the assistance of three Italian universities – before Viscount introduced Physis technology in a pipe organ. Once Viscount achieved physical modeling of speaking pipes, it became a much more attainable goal to physically model an acoustic piano. Physis Piano was introduced in 2014.”

In 2015, Physis now produces a variety of instruments. The “K” series are a group of master keyboard controllers (with aftertouch), which feature 27 fully assignable real-time controllers, 256 independent MIDI channels (8 zones), 4 USB host ports. 8 pedal inputs, and tons of programmable scenes. The “H” series are a group of stage and studio pianos. These are available in 73-key and 88-key versions with a variety of key-action and accessory configurations. The “V100” is a hybrid-style contemporary upright piano, which has a wooden-key action and “ivory touch” key tops. There’s a “slow close” key cover and the handcrafted cabinet is available in five colors: Sky Blue, Flame Red, Moon White, Black Sound, and Sunrise Gold. Viscount, Physis’ parent company, also produces a full line of Viscount church organs  (30 models total), ‘Voice Systems’ sound reinforcement, ‘Galileo’ entry-level digital pianos, and OEM solutions for other instrument manufacturers.

As a pianist himself, Girouard finds the Physis to be more expressive than any other “digital” piano he’s seen on the market today. “The ability to add nuance and color while playing is unmatched,” he explains. “This is the result of complicated mathematical algorithms, which are reproducing (in real time) over 100 various physical elements found in an acoustic piano. It gets technical, but for me it all comes down to the “feel” – the ability to get emotion and expression is the most important element.”