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I don't know if this is just me being a negative grouchy old fart, but I have started deeply disliking such articles. I get so excited about something, only to

I don't know if this is just me being a negative grouchy old fart, but I have started deeply disliking such articles. I get so excited about something, only to learn it's somebody's random CAD sketch, probably without much in the way of practical engineering considerations, and will never ever see the light of day. Good on people for playing, imagining, considering, wondering, but I wish there were a tag or some way for me to avoid them, or just a more upfront admission of what it is. They always start so serious, full of world problem solving proclamations in present tense ("this solves / this will replace / enabling " etc) and only by mid way do you realize there's nothing there there :-/

BaseballPhysics 3y ago
> They always start so serious, full of world problem solving proclamations in present tense ("this solves / this will replace / enabling " etc) and only by mid way do you realize there's nothing there there :-/ For a second there I thought you were talking about the SV startup scene. "We're making the world a better place by..."
- Waterluvian 3y ago
  > …somebody's random CAD sketch, probably without much in the way of practical engineering considerations, and will never ever see the light of day. I would say, yes. This is, in a way, about SV startups.
- coldtea 3y ago
  At least in the case of such designs it's just empty air. SV startups on the other hand, actively make the world a worse place...
jackvalentine 3y ago
Wake me up when they’ve made a physical proof of concept right?
- labster 3y ago
  But think how amazing it would sound in the metaverse.
yieldcrv 3y ago
for me its even worse to imagine someone actually did this instead of prompting Midjourney like if you’re going to waste everyone’s time, don’t waste your own too just embarrasing
- stefncb 3y ago
  Even worse is implying that we should replace all creative processes with AI. I honestly don't understand what world you'd like to live in. One where humans do almost nothing interesting and instead ask computers to do it? That sounds depressing.
  - NikolaNovak 3y ago
    Not the op, but perhaps to put more charitable interpretation: - if you're going to try to solve an actual challenge, improve on something, truly consider the design and purpose and limits and compromises and propose a different approach, brilliant - but if all you're going to do is make a random somewhat pretty twist on existing thing, without actually considering the use, the purpose, the engineering, the what's and how's and why's, then... I'm kinda with him. What value did you add,that prompt to midjourney "create a spiral piano" wouldn't have?
    - stefncb 3y ago
      I do understand the sentiment. I personally see value in human creation but I sort of get why others wouldn't. I'm somewhat shocked by this overwhelmingly positive reaction to AI replacing human creativity so I may be overreacting? It just doesn't sit right with me — trading human subtlety for raw efficiency — but to each their own.
      - yieldcrv 3y ago
        It doesn’t replace it, humans can always do art for self enrichment and fulfillment, just like the vast majority of artists were doing before image AI hit the scene, including the vast majority that thought they could exchange time for food and shelter this way and did not. Creativity has nothing to do with professional aspiration and entertaining the humans for transactions.
wjnc 3y ago
Did you notice the part where the designer is said to be celebrating his own legacy! Aren’t we all, aren’t we all. I do think it’s a beautiful design and would do great on stage. You need something to look at in the concert hall and machinery beats looking at a sole pianists hair and hand movement. It’s what I like about orchestras - so much skill to look at.
fxtentacle 3y ago
Me, too. The article is effectively an advertisement for WDL = Whipsaw Design Lab. The designer they talk about is the WDL CEO. All quotes are by himself. It's on the WDL homepage. I'm not surprised that it's heavy on marketing keywords and light on results.
bambax 3y ago
Yes and also, the images seem wrong, because the strings are arranged short to long left to right, whereas the pitch goes the other way. (Low pitch (requiring long strings) is to the left of the keyboard, to high pitch to the right). So the thing that is shown would need to have hammer commands crossed to work as advertised. If done mechanically, it would add considerable complexity to the design.
- pygy_ 3y ago
  The first image shows the back of the thing. In the second one, you can see the keyboard, and the pointy end is on the bass side.
- ZiiS 3y ago
  It acknologes the hammers would have to be driven by solenoids.
  - ilyt 3y ago
    Which pianists would probably hate as that all the feedback from keys gone
    - dxdm 3y ago
      Not saying this design has anything like that, but it could: high-end digital pianos come with mechanical key action that's very close to what upright or even grand pianos use - except the hammer strikes a sensor instead of a string at the end.
      - seabass-labrax 3y ago
        The sound in those high-end digital pianos is produced entirely electronically. For the sound to be produced by physical strings, you'd essentially be making a digitally-controlled 'player piano' mechanism: the keys strike a sensor, then the electronics control a solenoid to reproduce that strike on the real string. I feel that the latency of this setup would be quite noticeable compared to a fully mechanical action.
footlose_3815 3y ago
I thought there was going to be some actual innovation. Maybe somebody rearranging the keys, turning it into a different pattern or something. It's just somebody's art project.
- jacquesm 3y ago
  If that interests you: Janko keyboard.
analog31 3y ago
This seems like an outgrowth of design students being taught marketing.
- TheOtherHobbes 3y ago
  It's certainly not designed by anyone who has the first clue about piano engineering. The rich sound of a real piano is created by acoustic chorusing, direct acoustic coupling between the various strings, and also by indirect coupling between the bridge, metal frame, and sound board. This works best when the strings are parallel and fairly close together, with some overlap in the bass. The entire assembly is tuned acoustically to highlight some notes more than others - for example Steinways have a powerful bass but a relatively controlled mid-range which brings out the details of the playing. Other brands make other choices. The design of the action - the playing feel - is not at all trivial. And good luck designing practical damper pedals for a spiral piano.

BaseballPhysics 3y ago

> They always start so serious, full of world problem solving proclamations in present tense ("this solves / this will replace / enabling " etc) and only by mid way do you realize there's nothing there there :-/ For a second there I thought you were talking about the SV startup scene. "We're making the world a better place by..."

Waterluvian 3y ago
> …somebody's random CAD sketch, probably without much in the way of practical engineering considerations, and will never ever see the light of day. I would say, yes. This is, in a way, about SV startups.
coldtea 3y ago
At least in the case of such designs it's just empty air. SV startups on the other hand, actively make the world a worse place...

jackvalentine 3y ago

Wake me up when they’ve made a physical proof of concept right?

labster 3y ago
But think how amazing it would sound in the metaverse.

yieldcrv 3y ago

for me its even worse to imagine someone actually did this instead of prompting Midjourney like if you’re going to waste everyone’s time, don’t waste your own too just embarrasing

stefncb 3y ago
Even worse is implying that we should replace all creative processes with AI. I honestly don't understand what world you'd like to live in. One where humans do almost nothing interesting and instead ask computers to do it? That sounds depressing.
- NikolaNovak 3y ago
  Not the op, but perhaps to put more charitable interpretation: - if you're going to try to solve an actual challenge, improve on something, truly consider the design and purpose and limits and compromises and propose a different approach, brilliant - but if all you're going to do is make a random somewhat pretty twist on existing thing, without actually considering the use, the purpose, the engineering, the what's and how's and why's, then... I'm kinda with him. What value did you add,that prompt to midjourney "create a spiral piano" wouldn't have?
  - stefncb 3y ago
    I do understand the sentiment. I personally see value in human creation but I sort of get why others wouldn't. I'm somewhat shocked by this overwhelmingly positive reaction to AI replacing human creativity so I may be overreacting? It just doesn't sit right with me — trading human subtlety for raw efficiency — but to each their own.
    - yieldcrv 3y ago
      It doesn’t replace it, humans can always do art for self enrichment and fulfillment, just like the vast majority of artists were doing before image AI hit the scene, including the vast majority that thought they could exchange time for food and shelter this way and did not. Creativity has nothing to do with professional aspiration and entertaining the humans for transactions.

wjnc 3y ago

Did you notice the part where the designer is said to be celebrating his own legacy! Aren’t we all, aren’t we all. I do think it’s a beautiful design and would do great on stage. You need something to look at in the concert hall and machinery beats looking at a sole pianists hair and hand movement. It’s what I like about orchestras - so much skill to look at.

fxtentacle 3y ago

Me, too. The article is effectively an advertisement for WDL = Whipsaw Design Lab. The designer they talk about is the WDL CEO. All quotes are by himself. It's on the WDL homepage. I'm not surprised that it's heavy on marketing keywords and light on results.

bambax 3y ago

Yes and also, the images seem wrong, because the strings are arranged short to long left to right, whereas the pitch goes the other way. (Low pitch (requiring long strings) is to the left of the keyboard, to high pitch to the right). So the thing that is shown would need to have hammer commands crossed to work as advertised. If done mechanically, it would add considerable complexity to the design.

pygy_ 3y ago
The first image shows the back of the thing. In the second one, you can see the keyboard, and the pointy end is on the bass side.
ZiiS 3y ago
It acknologes the hammers would have to be driven by solenoids.
- ilyt 3y ago
  Which pianists would probably hate as that all the feedback from keys gone
  - dxdm 3y ago
    Not saying this design has anything like that, but it could: high-end digital pianos come with mechanical key action that's very close to what upright or even grand pianos use - except the hammer strikes a sensor instead of a string at the end.
    - seabass-labrax 3y ago
      The sound in those high-end digital pianos is produced entirely electronically. For the sound to be produced by physical strings, you'd essentially be making a digitally-controlled 'player piano' mechanism: the keys strike a sensor, then the electronics control a solenoid to reproduce that strike on the real string. I feel that the latency of this setup would be quite noticeable compared to a fully mechanical action.

footlose_3815 3y ago

I thought there was going to be some actual innovation. Maybe somebody rearranging the keys, turning it into a different pattern or something. It's just somebody's art project.

jacquesm 3y ago
If that interests you: Janko keyboard.

analog31 3y ago

This seems like an outgrowth of design students being taught marketing.

TheOtherHobbes 3y ago
It's certainly not designed by anyone who has the first clue about piano engineering. The rich sound of a real piano is created by acoustic chorusing, direct acoustic coupling between the various strings, and also by indirect coupling between the bridge, metal frame, and sound board. This works best when the strings are parallel and fairly close together, with some overlap in the bass. The entire assembly is tuned acoustically to highlight some notes more than others - for example Steinways have a powerful bass but a relatively controlled mid-range which brings out the details of the playing. Other brands make other choices. The design of the action - the playing feel - is not at all trivial. And good luck designing practical damper pedals for a spiral piano.