Convert an Acoustic Piano into an Electronic Bedroom Studio
Published on Thursday 31 October 2024
Busy making music on a computer in your living room or bedroom simply because there’s nowhere else you can do it? Why not make something that’s more in keeping with the interior design and build yourself a stylish production studio? Here, Guestblogger Michiel Buisman takes an old and battered upright acoustic piano, empties it out and adds some extreme mods to turn it into a fully equipped studio workstation.
The Plan: A Piano
The idea is that, from the outside, your studio looks like a normal upright piano to the point where, when you open the lid you can literally sit down and play. We also want the sound and feel of a real piano, but we definitely don’t want it to end there. Here’s the list of possible extras:
- A volume knob
- Two headphone outputs, both with separate volume control
- Different instrument sounds
- The ability to change the settings of an instrument sound
- split, layer and scale modes
- Synthesia Light Guide
- Three pedals
- An input for a guitar and/or microphone
- A looper
- And again, the look and playing feel of a normal acoustic piano
So how is all of this possible? Is it even possible? Below, I go over everything you need to consider (because I’ve already considered it… and done it) and hopefully, you’ll be inspired to start your own piano-home-studio project.
Find a (Hopefully Free) Acoustic Piano
As long as you’re willing to go and pick it up yourself, you should be able to find an acoustic piano available for free. I recommend having a look on Freecycle or Gumtree. Even if you can only find a piano that’s seen better days, that’s fine, because it’s only the cabinet that you’ll ultimately need. Just make sure that you have at least two strong sets of helping hands and a van you can use to pick it up, then remove as many of the parts that you’re not going to need before loading the (still pretty heavy) shell into the back of the van. If you can, even pull out the internal harp and drop it off at a scrap yard on the way. You can usually get around 25 pence per kilo and shed some weight at the same time. Basically, you want to remove any parts of the piano that you won’t need, including the interior of the soundboard and the keys. All you need to have left is anything that’s integral to the structure of the outer cabinet. Then, clean every inch before it’s time to measure everything up – especially the bit where the keyboard used to be.
The Keyboard
Unfortunately, it’s not actually reasonable to get hold of a set of separate electronic piano keys, unless you’re a manufacturer buying in bulk. As such, you need a kind of ready-made model that you can slot into the keyboard bay. The keyboard you choose will depend on what you need and on your budget. My advice? It’s best not to scrimp too much and invest in something that will really work. The keyboard is the second-to-hardest part to upgrade later (the piano cabinet is the hardest), so what are the essential features to look out for?
- The feel. How do the keys feel? In the very least, try out the playing feel alongside the sound source you plan on using (more on that later). It’s not an issue if it’s a really old model. Some of the keyboards that were made decades ago were built to last an eternity. Playing feel is also a really personal thing so there’s really nothing better you can do than trying models out. What I will say though, is that the keybed can make a real difference. So find out what kind of keybed the model has. Fatar keybeds are a biggie. Nord puts Fatar keybeds in all of their models but makes a few of their own tweaks. Then there’s names like Korg, Roland, Akai and Yamaha, all of whom make highly regarded keyboards.
- Construction: How many sensors do you want per key? Do you want a graded keyboard or do you want the lower bass keys to feel heavier than the higher treble keys? Do you want Aftertouch or hammer-action? What about the keystroke damping (since you might want to keep the noise down when you’re wearing headphones)? And what about the keyboard height (a detail you might be surprised by when it comes to installation or disassembly)?
- Features.
- Light guides or light-up keys are a great help if you’re still learning to play and you don’t plan on learning the notes. A light guide can also display splits and scales. It does limit your choices quite a bit though:
- The Komplete Kontrol series. Preferably the s88, but not the MK1 because the keys really aren’t that great.
- The Novation SL61 MKIII. But it only has sixty-one synth-style keys.
- A Komplete Smartpiano, or just the Hi-Lite.
- You could even build one yourself with the help of a design on this GitHub page.
- Having splits, layers and scales is great but you need to be able to control these functions. So it’s here where you need to start thinking about the controls (which we’ll go into detail about later). Do you want to just use the controller ‘organs’ that came inside your donor-keyboard or are you going to add a separate controller? And how would that work?
- Having a set of three pedals is really useful if you want to loop, since you could even assign your loop functions to the pedals.
- Studiologic/Fatar offer a really nice triple pedal that still has an acoustic piano look. But it’s only compatible with Studiologic (SL and Numa X) or Nord (Piano, Stage) models. You could mod the pedal so that it works with any model, but you need to be pretty savvy – like this smart button.
- Light guides or light-up keys are a great help if you’re still learning to play and you don’t plan on learning the notes. A light guide can also display splits and scales. It does limit your choices quite a bit though:
Your Audio Source
Where is the sound going to come from? The easiest solution is to just install a complete stage piano or keyboard, maybe even one that already features built-in speakers. With something like a Casio Priva, you get everything you need, but then, you would have to let go of many of the features listed above. Of course, you’d get the most versatility from the software on your computer combined with an interface and some speakers. Alternatively, you could opt for a separate sound module.
- The Software. This will determine (together with the controls) the requirements of your computer. Maybe you’re charmed by physical-modelling piano sounds, which are far more dynamic than sample-based sounds and could mean that you can do things that samples just can’t. Both Modartt Pianoteq and Arturia Piano V offer free demos so you can try them out. Pianoteq even runs on a Raspberry PI so virtually any computer will be able to handle it.
- The Computer. Depending on the requirements of your audio source and controls, you usually don’t need a computer that’s that powerful. A Mac or Windows is always recommended, because they’ll give you more software options. Also, get one that you can restart by unplugging it and plugging it back in and one where you can switch off any updates, notifications and similar functions while leaving the network running. My choice was an older Mac Mini.
- The Interface. If you want to be able to plug in two sets of headphones, a microphone and instrument, then the selection will shrink a little bit. An Evo 8 (by Audient) or an Audient iD14 will give you that. Of course, if you just want to send sound to some speakers and the built-in sound is good enough, or you have a set of USB speakers in mind, then you might not even need an interface.
- The Speakers. My tip: get a 2.1 set. You can install the subwoofer inside the body of the piano and voilà: the keys will resonate just like a real piano. Of course, a set of neutral studio monitors might be the more ideal choice, but they don’t exactly fit in with the living room decor. My first choice was a set of Harman Kardon Soundsticks 2. Version 4 is now difficult to find but there are some second hand models out there. I picked these speakers because they can sit undetected among a couple of glass vases and bottles and, if I need a more neutral audio image, then I just use my headphones.
One of the Harman Kardon Soundsticks 2 (on the left):
The Controls
Here you’ll also have a lot to choose from and each option will come with its own set of pros and cons. Generally speaking, you have four main possibilities:
- Minimal visual controls.
- This could be no physical controls at all. Maybe you just use a VNC or another form of remote access via a computer.
- One control. In my first build, I used a Griffin Technology Powermate. Using this all-in-one button and encoder, you can select presets and instruments, set the volume and reset parameters.
- You can pick up the control elements of models like a Studiologic SL88 separately and mount them onto the wooden panel next to the keyboard. It looks great and will give you a versatile control setup.
- More extensive hidden controls.
- You can also place a small MIDI controller beneath the keyboard so you can trigger and adjust things on feel. A MIDI controller like a Korg nanoKONTROL, or the Behringer X-Touch Mini will work. But you can also use gaming macro pads. It really depends on the software that you’re controlling.
- More extensive controls that you can hide away.
- You could also hide away useful controls that would otherwise look out of place behind a hatch or in a little drawer. You could even install the NKS compatible screen and controls of a Komplete Kontrol s88 MK2 somewhere. Another great option is to use something like a Loupedeck Live. With the right software and a bit of patience you can pretty much do whatever you want.
- Extensive visual controls
- I mean, if you have to have a little Eurorack in there somewhere, then that’s totally possible. The prospect is definitely cool, but they take up a lot of space and might end up looking a bit messy. But if you’re really up for getting creative, you could install a mini ultra-short-throw projector, an IR touch frame and an ES-8 (like the one beautifully demonstrated by Loopop) and build a sort of mixed reality modular VNC that can project a neutral colour onto the piano. This really steps into the realm of the experimental – however, there is the detail that you’ll always have an IR frame in view.
The Griffin Powermate:
The Costs (On a Budget)
- The piano: free, apart from the transport. Maybe you’ll even make back the cost of transport if you sell the piano harp for scrap.
- The computer: approx. £100 (for the oldest second-hand uni-body Mac Mini)
- The software: £100 (Pianoteq stage)
- The keyboard: approx. £100 (second-hand Viscount Viva X)
- The speakers: approx. £20 (second-hand HK Soundsticks 2 from someone who didn’t understand how a mute button works)
- The controls: £15 (a second-hand Griffin Powermate)
- All the work: around 40 hours
Want to build your own piano-come-home-studio unit? Let us know if you have any questions about the process or, if you’ve already gone for it, let us know how it went!
See also
» 500 Series Modules
» 500 Series Lunchbox Racks
» All Modular Systems
» All Studio Peripheral Gear
» All Studio & Recording Gear
» 10 Tips for Speeding Up Music Production
» How to Clean a Microphone
» DIY Music Equipment Repair
» Studio Subwoofers – The What & Why
» DAW Automation: What It Is And How It Works
» Should You Mix with Headphones?
» How to Record a Piano
» The Finer Points of Studio Monitor Placement
» How to Beat Latency When DAW Recording
While Michiel Buisman had to attend his piano lessons in 1980, what he was really interested in was electronic music. A few occasional gigs later, whether he was paid with money or beer, he considers himself a music hobbyist. A long time ago, he realised that modular synthesis wasn’t for him and now considers his collection complete – apart from one thing – an Osmose.
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