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I own Pianoteq 4.5 now for 2 months and I can tell you
that the demos only show 20% of it's capabilities.

Changing the mics positions does improve the sound a lot.
You have to use it, tweak it and play it a lot and you will smile more
and more each day....

To set up the velocity curve I used the calibration procedure built into pianoteq.

It would be good if anybody can add any of their own demo's of pianoteq or Ivory and share their set ups .

Reading through this thread, I was surprised no one mentioned the Bluethner add-on for Pianotek. Most of the classical players I've seen purchase Pianotek in the last several months usually mention that they also got this add on at a cost of about 50% more than what Pianotek alone would cost. Must make a big difference. For a sample of what it sounds like in a few different styles, click here:

http://www.pianoteq.com/bluethner

so, let me get this straight: the guys develop a software that produces sound by simulating the actual physical model of the strings, materials and soundboards, a flexible software which can produce sounds quite faithful to real pianos by simply tweaking a few parameters here and there, like string and soundboard material, string size, mic position etc.

then to use a preset made out from one such tweak by the name Blüthner, you should pay a larger extra fee?

Not quite.

Think of Pianoteq as the 'host' software, that allows modelled instruments (such as a Blüthner) to be loaded into it.

Kind regards,

James
x

or at least, that's what they want you to think.

those "models" are not gigabyte-sized samples. what are they? they are really more akin to equations and parameters fed into the main software engine, which is what produces the sound. I'd say the real difference in pricing in the case of the Blüthner, besides the darker overtones pianoteq produce given the proper material and string size settings, are related to the name itself more than any hidden parameters not found in the software itself already...

I don't think you can make your own Blüthner (or any other) add-on from regular Pianoteq just by tweaking parameters. I guess it involves some kind of more complex programming.

No, it's a new model.

The filesize is irrelevant - the fact is that individuals have invested countless hours programming this new piano model, and are therefore entitled to be paid for their work.

James
x

regular users sure can't. or else, how'd they make a business around it?





what I'm paying for when I buy a pianoteq license, then?

all those countless hours were really into the pianoteq physical-based simulator. the models in addons are really pretty much programmer-level parameters and tweaks...

ok, perhaps I'm overstating it. Perhaps pianoteq is like Pixar's Renderman (a photorealistic renderer) and the addon models are like Pixar movies, while the ones included in the package are Pixar shorts...

I really don't believe it, but to each his own...

To use your nice analogy, Pianoteq is like Renderman, and the add-on models are like...well, the 3D models used to create rendered scenes.

Cheers,
James
x

I think pianoteq has hundreds of parameters, and users are allowed to modify only some of them.
That's why they can sell the Blüthner add on, and users can't spend countless hours programming to get some sound they would like...

That is what I believe also.

As an aside ... I used to fuss with the various parameters with the belief that my "perfect" piano sound was just a few tweaks away.

That belief has faded and I now rarely modify any parameters. I just pick one of the many presets and go.

That gives me more time to actually learn to play a piano instead of spending my time trying to create one.