Kaduk: Reengineering the Pianist’s Position
Kaduk Instrument Design Labratories
A Strategic Spin-Off of ION-T
Kaduk is more than a piano manufacturer—it’s an innovation lab dedicated to rethinking how musicians interact with their instruments.
From developing completely reengineered concert grands (Tendens) to precision-optimized acoustic components (monocoque keys, active soundboards, advanced actions), Kaduk is at the forefront of next-generation piano design.
Our approach isn’t about tweaking old designs—it’s about redefining the instrument itself. We engineer for enhanced control, expressive range, and ergonomics, ensuring that musicians can push their artistry further than ever before
The Birth of Tendens: A Historic First Playthrough
Every great instrument has a beginning. What you’re watching is not just a performance—it’s the very first moment that Tendens came to life.
This was no controlled studio demo. This was a live concert, an audience waiting, and an instrument that had never played a single note before. No safety net, no prior testing—just pure, unfiltered innovation in real time.
The sound you hear is the raw, unrefined voice of a piano that would go on to redefine what a concert grand could be. This was not just a performance—it was the first step toward a revolution in piano design
Redesigning the Instrument, Rethinking the Musician’s Role
Kaduk is not just a musical instrument company—it is an intervention in the structure of the piano industry itself. At ION-T, we don’t develop technology in isolation; we rethink entire systems of interaction, accessibility, and performance.
For centuries, pianists have been locked into a rigid system where they do not own or control their primary instrument. They are forced to perform on whatever is available, regardless of whether it suits their repertoire, hand size, or technique. This lack of control has stifled artistry, damaged careers, and ensured that piano manufacturers continue to serve institutions instead of musicians.
To break this cycle, we created Tendens—the first truly portable concert instrument, built to outperform traditional grand pianos in every aspect. It is not just a new instrument—it is a structural shift that rewrites the relationship between pianists and their tools.
How Tendens Breaks the Cycle
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 Pianists regain control over their instrument.• With true portability, pianists are no longer restricted to institutions that own grand pianos. • This means freedom of choice, artistic control, and a stronger financial position for musicians. |  The first modular concert grand piano.• A pianist only needs to transport what is uniquely theirs—a custom keyboard and action, designed for their hands and technique. • The soundboard and other modular elements can be adapted to different settings or borrowed as needed. |
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 A revolutionary sound projection system.• Traditional grand pianos lose their openness in large spaces—they become compressed and lack projection. • The Tendens Active Soundboard System prevents this, keeping the sound expansive, detailed, and powerful in any venue—even outdoors. |  The first fully decoupled concert instrument.• In traditional pianos, the action and acoustics are locked together—any change in action affects the sound. • Tendens decouples these factors, allowing for independent optimization of both playability and projection. |
 This isn’t just a product—it’s a strategic shift in the industry.• When musicians have a choice, institutions must adapt. • When superior technology is available, other manufacturers must follow. • Once pianists experience true portability, there is no going back. |
Tendens is not just an instrument. It is a disruption that forces the industry to evolve.
How Hardcore Experimental Innovation Made This Possible
At ION-T, changing the system requires engineering solutions that didn’t exist before. In order for Tendens to be a true alternative to concert grands, it had to surpass them in every performance metric. That required a breakthrough in nearly every aspect of piano design.
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 A fully programmable action system (Respons Platform).• Unlike traditional pianos where the action is fixed, Tendens features an active action that can be adjusted in software. • Pianists can instantly configure weight, balance, and feel, adapting to their preferences and repertoire without mechanical limitations. |  Extreme real-time sensing—beyond aerospace precision.• The sensor resolution in Tendens is far more advanced than the control systems in hypersonic rockets. • Every microscopic movement of a pianist’s touch is captured, allowing for a depth of expression that no acoustic piano can match. |
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 Ultra-low latency drive technology.• The key response time operates in the nanosecond range, meaning the pianist’s intention is transmitted with absolute immediacy. • The system can develop its full dynamic force within microseconds, allowing for an unprecedented level of control and articulation. |  The first fully active soundboard system.• Traditional soundboards are passive, meaning their resonance is dictated entirely by mechanical properties. • Tendens’ Active Soundboard System controls wave motion through electric fields, giving direct, real-time control over the entire sound projection. • This ensures perfect sound propagation in any space, from small studios to vast concert halls—or even outdoors. |
 Limitless configurability—because control matters.• The combination of these technologies makes Tendens infinitely adaptable. • Any pianist can configure the action, keyboard size, touch sensitivity, and sound characteristics to perfectly match their needs. |
This level of technological depth was necessary because pianists won’t switch to an alternative unless it offers something undeniably better. ION-T’s work on Tendens is not just an industrial design challenge—it is an example of how hardcore experimental engineering is the foundation for systemic change.
Kaduk: The Experimental Design Lab for Musical Instruments
Tendens is only one example of Kaduk’s systemic approach to innovation. Every project is designed to solve an industry-wide bottleneck, not just improve an isolated product.
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Fairkey → The first truly ergonomic piano keyboard, making professional ergonomic instruments accessible to musicians.
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KIPI (Kaduk Improved Piano Interfaces) → High-performance composite keys and next-generation piano mechanisms for ultra-high-end acoustic pianos, including Monocoque Keys, which eliminate traditional weaknesses in acoustic piano construction.
At ION-T, we don’t just design instruments—we engineer new possibilities for musicians. Kaduk is proof of what a Strategic Experimental Innovation Lab can do: not just invent, but reshape entire industries.
Key Technologies
 Keyboards for acoustic instruments designed and produced by automatized computer technology. After years of measuring, simulating, testing, improving, we created a system to automatically design and produce the best keyboards for acoustic instruments. This makes it realistc to make well playing ergonomic keyboards in any instrument. |  Advanced keys for the best playability in acoustic instruments, regardless of the keyboard size. A key needs to stay in its path, restrict all of-axis movement and should not introduce more inertia or any other bending motions. A key should be light and stiff and it should have high internal damping characteristics and resonant frequencies fitting to the corresponding tone. Our monocoque keys are the best possible solution in terms of playability and sound in acoustic instruments. |
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 Our improved action for acoustic grand pianos. This is the summum that we can create in a mechanical instrument. Internal ratios and approaching angles and inertial characteristics are highly optimized as is the life time of the action axles. We cannot provide more control and smooth playability in any acoustic instrument than this action can provide us. |  Ballistic active piano actions. A piano is a ballistic instrument. One throws masses at the strings. A piano action is there to help to do this in a controlled manner for human beings. A piano is not a velocity instrument such as many people believe. The average velocity of the key is not closely correlated to the output of the instrument. WIth our active action we can physically adjust the feeling of the key and the interaction with the instrument. |
A soundboard is something fundamentally different from a loudspeaker, hence the natural open sound. We now invented an active soundboard where we directly control de wavemotion inside without the use of any resonator. This gives unprecedented possibilities in tone shaping and in transportability of the instruments containing such board. |