Casio Introduces New Cabinet-type Electronic Piano with Improved Musical Expression

Casio Introduces New Cabinet-type Electronic Piano with Improved Musical Expression Utilizes Triple Element AIF Sound Source, which Delivers the Sound Quality of a Grand Piano

AP-400 AP-400CY TOKYO, July 7, 2008 – Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today the release of a new electronic piano in its CELVIANO series, the AP-400. Even in this basic model, Casio has built in its original Triple Element AIF Sound Source, which greatly improves the piano’s fundamental capability and allows the user to enjoy its enhanced resonance and richly expressive performance characteristics. Casio's goal is to deliver electronic pianos that have the same sound quality and keyboard feel of grand pianos. To this end, it produces two different series of electronic pianos - the CELVIANO, with its piano-like cabinet design, and the Privia, with its sleek design. The pianos in both series have received great acclaim and enjoy widespread popularity. The new CELVIANO AP-400, despite being a basic model in the series, incorporates Casio‘s Triple Element AIF Sound Source, which is normally found in higher-end models. Using this technology, the tonal quality of a note that is played changes smoothly and naturally as the note decays, and the tonal quality also varies depending on how hard a key is struck. Effects such as these allow the piano to more closely reproduce the sound of a real grand piano. Furthermore, maximum polyphony has been increased to 128 notes, twice that of the previous model, the AP-45. This means that lingering sound can be maintained naturally even in performances where the damper pedal is used intensively. The AP-400 uses a Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard. The keyboard achieves a natural touch since it incorporates no springs, relying instead solely on the weight of the hammers - just like a grand piano, the lower the note, the heavier the key, and the higher the note, the lighter the key. The AP-400 also comes with Duet Mode, which splits the keyboard in the middle and lets two people play together in the same register. Parent and child, for example, can practice together, each listening to the other’s playing. This is a convenient way of using the instrument that can only be offered by an electronic piano. Users can also choose any tune from the 60 well-known piano compositions in the Music Library, and can silence either the left hand or right hand part of that tune so that someone can play that part in a lesson. In addition, they can record the performance to check the progress of practice. These and other functions that have been incorporated into the AP-400 permit much more effective piano practice. The cabinet-type unit features a highly elegant design with forward feet. The AP-400 is toned in a brown rosewood color, and the cherry-toned AP-400CY completes the lineup, allowing purchasers to choose a piano color that best complements their interior decor. * Triple Element AIF (Acoustic & Intelligent Filtering System) Sound Source Filter circuit (patent pending) uses precise sampling of concert grand piano sounds from low to high registers to achieve smooth sound decay across the entire frequency range, for a more natural sound tone reproduction. Triple-element system provides independent sampling of soft, medium, and hard key strokes, for a rich expression of musical dynamics. AP-400 / AP-400CY Specifications ( 13KB)

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