Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Just tried Pianoteq (OMG)

The midi recorder and the infinitely adjustable velocity curve are really strong features. I wish the sampled instruments I use had these two features.

I've been very happy with Pianoteq4.5 Stage w/ Blüthner add-on.

The final straw was trying to record one of my compositions with Ivory 2 Italian Grand. The piece in question relies on very subtle dynamic changes, and the brutal velocity-switching I kept getting was driving me mental.

Since switching to Pianoteq, I honestly haven't even bothered reinstalling the Italian Grand.

Some examples of what I've used it for:

http://soundcloud.com/ben-crosland/the-moon-the-pearl (Blüthner)

http://youtu.be/Mujb7pSKBJE (Blüthner)

http://youtu.be/MUEqtAVQr64 (D4 vintage blues)

Yes, the engine and all of the instruments have been updated, and the sound has changed. As far as I know, updates are free.

This is the best Pianoteq Bluthner tone I have heard yet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWIhTY_UxWQ but I haven't been doing lots of auditioning. Kind of reminds me a bit of the V-Piano sound a bit.

(Ben - yours sounds too mellow for my taste, which is typical for Pianoteq though)

Greg.

Thanks, Jake. Got my VPC1 today, so will be emailing PT tonight about it. I'm hoping it will work better with Windows 8 computers.

By any chance, does anyone use Sennheiser HD598 with Pianoteq ?

The new "Daily Practice" preset is popular. (And there are more presets now.)

I use it on Windows 8, and it works fine. Had to update my audio card drive, if I recall correctly. Are you on Windows 7?

Why would you need to call them? Just download it on their site and their forum is very informative.

And this is what the FAQs say:

"What software do I need to get started?
PIANOTEQ works in Windows XP/Vista/7/8, MacOS X 10.5 or higher and Linux (x86) with Jack and ALSA backends. It is provided both as a 32-bit and a 64-bit version (the latter is suitable for those working with a 64-bit operating system). Besides a standalone version, PIANOTEQ is also provided as a VST (PC/Mac), Audio Units (Mac) and RTAS plugin..."



@rnaple: In Pianoteq take out the limiter and lower the volume a little. And then turn up your speakers a bit. This opens up the dynamic range somewhat.

Limiter.... Limiter? I've discovered many adjustments. But I ain't found no Limiter?
Seriously...Would still like to keep giving it a try. I would like a good old fashioned upright piano sound. So far. Still Ivory has a better sound. If I could get pianoteq to my liking. I'd go for it. Cost the same as the Upright Ivory.
Gotta admit....on Ragtime...my Bosendorfer Jazz Piano I'm liking a bunch.

The Limiter can be turned off/on by clicking the "L" on the right in the level-display.

Have you tried the U4 upright piano yet? It's very nice and can be set to your likes.

The change was positive. I'll have to see when I have more time to play with it.
Just off the top of my head. I'm not hearing a good decay. It seems too clean. My Ivory simply copied what the piano does. So it sounds very real. The sympathetic resonance in the decay. Can hear it moving around the piano strings as it naturally does.
Yes, I have played with the U4 a bunch. Different ones there. Played with everything.
I still have a positive attitude toward pianoteq. Want to play with the demo more.

At times I've gotten tired of fooling with software pianos. Just go to my Ivory and use it. Good enough. Like right now I'm pretty happy with what my Jazz Bosendorfer does on Ragtime.
At times I think there is no way any software piano is going to do what a real one does....completely.
I have to be happy with what I can do on a digital. I can't have an acoustic.

I for one usually turn off the reverb on all of the presets in Pianoteq, since I prefer a close-up sound. I particularly like the Intimate and Daily Practice without the reverb.

Well, I've played around with Pianoteq 4.5 stage over the past few weeks. I think I have a better sense of its strengths and limitations. For me, it is a completely different instrument depending on whether you are playing it versus listening to it. It's a paradox in that it sounds the least like a piano compared to the major options out there, but it plays the most like a piano. It provides a really satisfying playing connection. I have played around with trying to make it sound a bit less synthetic. Below is a link to a couple of audio examples on SoundCloud if anyone is interested. Basically I turned everything off in program – – compression, limiter, reverb. I had to set the volume at -7 before I could get a maximum volume below zero dB on the bounce. I then used some outboard processors in the same way I would with a raw track recording of an acoustic piano. This is kind of a work in progress. I think I can get a better sound, but it will take a little bit more trial and error. So far it's been interesting to play around with. Comments on the plus and minus of the sound are appreciated. I have some ideas of some other things to try when I get a little bit more time.

www.soundcloud.com/7notemode

That's an interesting comment. It suggests that

(a) the underlying simulation is pretty close to generating "acoustic piano" sound., and that

(b) Pianoteq's choice of default "effects" was messing that sound up.

Rather like a beautiful woman, covered in dirt and dressed in ugly clothes.

. Charles

effects are usually geared toward complexity (better sound all things being equal) or low latency. Pianoteq's seem more geared toward low latency for playability.

Wow. Thanks for sharing your "pianos". It would be really nice to hear "What Kind of Fool am I" with Pianoteq compared to the others you already posted.

Cheers.

Now now. Assuming the ID is the same person you can check out 7notemode playing on YT.

+1 on the What Kind of Fool am I with Pianoteq. Spannishbudha, are you implying it is already on YT?

Yes, I looked for the WKOFAI midi file but it is on another hard drive somewhere -- to be located. I plan to put it up w/Pianoteq, but wanted to work on the Pianoteq sound first.

@7notemode
Thanks for posting those demos. Surprisingly great sound out of Pianoteq. Can you provide more details on how you set up Pianoteq on A Night in Tunesia (Pianoteq preset, adjustments thereto, post processing)? Also, what were your Galaxy Vintage D settings? Your demos tempt me to wipe Ivory off my SSD and just stick with Pianoteq and Galaxy Vintage D.