Pianoteq?

[didymos]

Does anyone have experience with pianoteq software? It claims to be the "fourth generation" piano, i.e. it goes beyond sampling of acoustic instruments and generates tones on the fly that are purported to be more realistic. It also allows for much greater gradation of touch sensitivity: 127 to 10, they claim. You can tweak things ad infinitum, such as the harmonies between the three strings of the same tone.

You must disable the software in your electronic instrument to use it, though. Has anyone had any problems returning to the original configuration? I'd like to know before I plunge in with the tryout version.

It reproduces a Steinway, btw, and has apps for dozens of other instruments, many of them historical, such as the Pleyel, which Chopin preferred.

[quantum]

I haven't tried Pianoteq, but it appears to interface like any other MIDI instrument, or VSTi.  You just select the audio output from the software, as opposed to that of your keyboard.  To mute the keyboards internal sounds, you could just turn the volume to 0.

A signal chain may look like this:

MIDI: keyboard > computer sound interface > Pianoteq

Audio: Pianoteq > computer sound interface > headphones or speakers

Note to get the software sounds you are listening to the computers sound output, not that of your keyboard. 

[ajspiano]

when I play my digital I use pianoteq.

the sound is significantly superior to my digital - Roland FantomX8
the sound is not superior to extensive sample based vsts like ivory

however, on my PC / DP pianoteq is also significantly more playable than every sample based piano i've tried. I feel this may be more about my PC than anything else tjough. A full detail sampled piano is very taxing on my rather modest system specs.

[didymos]

Thanks, Quantum and Ajspiano.

[ajspiano]

It reproduces a Steinway

I would add that this claim is a bit much - the sound may be modelled on a steinway, but I hardly feel that it sounds like one. The playability is what gets there for me, because it respond with no latency whatsoever, and the pedal modelling is good, makes it feel like a piano rather than a poor representation of one.

The pedal was really significant for me, because pedal from my digital is rubbish, so much so that I refuse to play it. Likewise, the pedal on sampled vsts is what burned my PC to the ground. It just could not cope with it..

..and the newer (better i hope) sample libaries can be HUGE, for example - take a look at this library, which is 55GB for a single piano.

https://www.imperfectsamples.com/website/samples/steinwayconcertgrand/steinway_extreme.php

[didymos]

55 gb vs 20mb! You're right, it's huge.

What's impressed me most about the claims made by pianoteq, and demonstrated as much as that's possible in a demo, is the sensitivity of the piano-pianissimo range. 8-10 samples vs the 127 they claim for their software. I have trouble getting that kind of dynamics on my P-85. The ability to tweak the instrument, vary the harmonies of individual strings, impresses me not. I also like the wide assortment of period instruments they have available as plug-ins. The differences there are palpable even in a Youtube video.

I realize there's no substitute for the real thing, but for us apartment dwellers who simply can't use an acoustic instrument without facing an eviction notice (with good reason), a good electronic instrument is a godsend.

Thanks very much for your comments, ajspiano.