Fallback Noise: A More Realistic Piano Sound

Fallback noise is one of the many details of the digitally reproduced acoustic piano sound. For added authenticity, fallback samples simulate the sound of the hammers falling back onto the felt after the piano keys are released.

Why Fallback Noise?

You don’t really want to hear the “thump” of the hammers on a grand piano. So why do software pianos in particular try so hard to reproduce that soft, muffled, woody-sounding noise? Well, this noise is as much a part of the piano sound as the key-off effect and string resonance. However, there is a reason why you need to adjust it separately in a digital piano sound, just like any other sound detail: Piano miking techniques, which can be simulated on a digital piano using the Piano Sound Editing function.

Fallback Noise on Digital Pianos

Kawai’s digital pianos take fallback noise into account. You can adjust the intensity in the Virtual Technician. As you experiment with this and other sound details, you will find that the golden rule applies here as well: less is more! Exaggerating the intensity of this noise does not always have a positive effect on the sound. In fact, it can even disrupt the flow of your performance.

Fallback Noise for Stage Pianos in Live Situations

When you’re playing a stage piano over a large PA during a live gig, you best turn down the fallback noise as much as possible or even remove it altogether. Otherwise, the FOH mixer may perceive it as an undefined noise from the low mids. Also, take special care when using a MIDI keyboard that does not transmit the release velocity to play a software piano. In this case, the usually dynamic fallback noise will sound absolutely static – the same goes for damper noise. Even if you want to enrich the interplay of all sound details, this will only be possible if the sustain pedal works dynamically.