Acoustic Piano. Digital Freedom.
At the heart of TwinTone is Schimmel’s approach to preserving the natural playing characteristics of the acoustic instrument. When Silent Mode is activated, a precision stop rail intercepts the hammers immediately before they strike the strings. Optical sensors positioned beneath the keys detect the pianist’s movements without mechanically interfering with normal keyboard operation.
The resulting performance data is sent to the TwinTone sound system and reproduced through headphones using sampled Schimmel piano sounds.
Schimmel has paid particular attention to maintaining the instrument's natural touch. On upright pianos, the highly stable stop rail requires only minimal changes to action regulation. For TwinTone-equipped grand pianos, Schimmel developed a modified action system in which the action geometry changes when TwinTone is activated, helping preserve the playing characteristics associated with a traditional grand piano action.
Authentic Schimmel Piano Sounds
TwinTone includes digital samples created from two instruments from Schimmel's Konzert Series:
Schimmel Konzert K 230 Grand Piano – A high-quality sample of Schimmel's 7'7" Konzert grand piano.
Schimmel Konzert K 122 Upright Piano – A high-quality sample of Schimmel's Konzert upright piano.
The samples were recorded in Schimmel's own concert hall in Braunschweig, Germany, providing the player with the distinctive tonal character of a Schimmel even when practicing privately through headphones.
More Than a Silent System
TwinTone expands the acoustic piano into an interactive musical instrument. In addition to the two primary Schimmel piano sounds, players can select electric pianos, harpsichord, organs, and string sounds. Strings can also be layered with the piano sound.
An integrated recording system allows performances to be recorded and stored on a microSD card, making TwinTone useful for practice, teaching, composition, and reviewing performances.
MIDI connectivity allows the piano keyboard to control compatible external devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, sound modules, and music-production or notation software.
Touchscreen Control
A discreet integrated touchscreen control panel is positioned underneath the keyboard. The unit can be pulled forward when needed and stored neatly beneath the keyboard when not in use.
From the touchscreen, players can select sounds, adjust volume and dynamics, operate the metronome, control effects, change tuning, record performances, and save individual configurations.
Four memory locations allow frequently used personal settings to be stored for quick recall.
Private Practice with Headphones
TwinTone includes Audio-Technica stereo headphones selected by Schimmel specifically for natural reproduction of acoustic piano sound. Two headphone connections allow two listeners—such as a student and teacher—to listen simultaneously.
The system also provides an adjustable maximum-volume limitation, particularly useful for controlling headphone listening levels for younger players.