Hey Green Hornet. I too, used to play Cordovox at one time, having at first one of the single cabinet/amp/power supply/tone generator units. That one was a CAG1, and I acquired a Cordovox Leslie for that all- important rotary organ sound. In '76 I got into a newer model made by Farfisa that had some excellent string tabs and a built in rhythm unit. Both of those were monsters to carry around, but I did really like the newer one as it had musette tuning with a tone chambers. I gave all that up in
'99 when I got a Piermaria Stage 1 digital accordion. My neighbor, John Gabbanelli, ordered that one for me when I had mentioned that the other "boys" where just too big for me to be lugging around!
The sounds that are available on the Stage 1 are excellent for the technology of the time, with the unit being able to transmit and receive 10 midi channels; 4 for the right hand and 3 for the left, with the built in arranger/accompaniment "speaking" in the other 2 channels. Control info is reserved for the remaining channels. The thing I really like about this accordion is that the reeds themselves are very nice, and the built in mics do a fair amount of justice for the acoustics end of the deal.
I have since upgraded the electronics to add the latest sounds utilizing an add-on module from Orla, and now have a very wide selection of pianos, organs, (Love the rotary effects! Wind-down and spool up is very "vintage" sounding!) in addition to the original electronic sounds.
So, enough about that! Your questions are pretty much those of many others who are just as curious about the latest and greatest boxes. First and foremost, there are a few different types of "hybrid" accordions out there. Hybrid meaning that the instrument is both a traditional accordion, and has electronic sound capability. All instruments made today use "sampled sounds" to get the electronics end of the accordion working. In the past, these units used a variety of generation techniques to get their electronic sounds, but the cost of computer memory coming down, as well as the musician's desire to get the most authentic sounds, has resulted in this new technology being applied as a general rule.
The types of "sensing" of the keys and buttons ranges from good 'ol mechanical switches, to magnetic devices, to even optics to detect the actual movement of the accordion's valves.
Then there are the "reedless" accordions. These are played as an accordion, but with no actual reeds inside, their sound output is governed by the "on-board" sounds available. These are expandable to use other sound engines, and are lighter than their acoustic brethren, but must have "juice" to work.
The latest reedless units, known as "virtual accordions' have a bevy of different accordion sounds to work with as well as a complement of orchestral sounds and effects. Fully self-contained models are now available, with battery pack, sounds, amps and speakers all in the instrument, and still weighing less than the acoustic equivalent. All of these require "sound reinforcement" to cover a large area.
Hopefully this answers some of the many questions that crop up...Cheers
