Pianoteq on the US$100 Odroid N2+

[Groove On]

I'm getting really good Pianoteq performance from the Odroid N2+, a US$100 small-board computer with 6-cores. It makes a very nice standalone Pianoteq sound module. The short of it - I was able to assign 4-cores to Pianoteq and leave 2-cores for the OS (Ubuntu-MATE), giving Pianoteq a lot of CPU cycles to work with.

 

- If anyone's interested in the gory technical/linux details. I made a long thread about it on the Pianoteq forums.

- There's also a

where I threw some challenging classic pieces at it to see where it broke.

 

Here's an example

MUSICAL STRESS TEST #5

Computer System: Odroid N2+ 4GB, using onboard sound system and 3.5mm jack.

Pianoteq Preset: 'NY Steinway D Classical Recording'

Pianoteq Settings: Maximum (first 5 seconds of video show the settings)

Test Results:

03:44 - minor event (2 red lines)

04:04 - minor event (2 red lines)

05:27 - minor event (5 red lines)

 

Performer: Scott Meek

MIDI File: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor , Op. 27, No. 2, 'Sonata quasi una fantasia' by Ludwig Beethoven.

https://www.yamahaden.com/midi-files/category/beethoven_ludwig_pianosonatano_14inc_sharpminor_op_27_no_2_1683551850

 

Set Youtube playback resolution to 720p or higher to see the audio load graph more clearly. I used my iPhone to record the LCD monitor and it looks awful at low resolutions. Audio was routed from the 3.5mm jack through an audio interface (SSL2) to iPhone.

[Doerfler]

Myself, I have Pianoteq on a Windows platform computer. I have alway thought it was excellent that Modartt had Pianoteq running on Linux, though.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

My guess is that they develop on Linux. But that is very slick!

[David Emm]

I especially appreciate this appearing now, as Pianoteq 7 is on my Next Buy list. I look forward to leaving my more static instruments behind. I'm happy to see a physical modeling piano of such quality, as the other options are usually CPU-hungry, streaming beasts. This will feel like a very pure match for Strum, a PM-based guitar that's been my go-to since I first picked it up. My hands are a bit decrepit, so I can't bring out 100% of the expressiveness of either, but they offer outstanding compensation.

 

Its a mini-shame that I'm well-covered with VA synths. I'm curious as to how gritty the AAS Ultra Analog can get when PM is the epitome of "clean."

[Dr Mike Metlay]

I've never gotten much "grit" from Ultra Analog, but I must admit I'm not the deepest-diving user...

[David Emm]

I've never gotten much "grit" from Ultra Analog, but I must admit I'm not the deepest-diving user...

 

As I plumb Chromaphone 3, I'm increasingly clear on where PM works best. You can tweeze and effect things outside their usual roles easily now, so its intriguing to layer a VA & PM synth playing their version of string ensemble. The basics are so clear that I'm spending as much time blending strengths as I am sculpting a sound with a single synth. 400 sounds are fun to review, but its the key 40 that are giving me the best central voices with PM. Its like the cello: a singular sound, but covering both ends of its range beautifully.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

I've never gotten much "grit" from Ultra Analog, but I must admit I'm not the deepest-diving user...

 

As I plumb Chromaphone 3, I'm increasingly clear on where PM works best. You can tweeze and effect things outside their usual roles easily now, so its intriguing to layer a VA & PM synth playing their version of string ensemble. The basics are so clear that I'm spending as much time blending strengths as I am sculpting a sound with a single synth. 400 sounds are fun to review, but its the key 40 that are giving me the best central voices with PM. Its like the cello: a singular sound, but covering both ends of its range beautifully.

I have a lot more experience with Chromaphone than I do with the other AAS applications. For me, this is in fact the best usage of physical modeling other than Pianoteq. I really like some of the sounds I can get out of it.

 

However, to be honest, I haven"t done much with it in a while. That"s not its fault; I haven"t been using plug-ins at all recently, having focused a lot of my energy on working in iOS. There are only a few virtual instruments on the Mac that I consider indispensable at this point. On the other hand, now that Ableton Live 11 supports MPE, I am a lot more likely to be trying it out and seeing what it can do for me.

[Groove On]

This is a version 1.0 "garage build" to sort out the case design. I like the idea of using wood, since it's supposed to be a "piano sound module". Will probably angle the top and add an eye-catching wood finish (like a cool guitar finish). The back and front covers will be 50's retro-style speaker grill/cloth. Touchscreen makes its very user-friendly, though if I ever upgrade this, I'll probably get a bigger screen. I can also see building something with more powerful x86 hardware and Windows if I wanted to run more VSTs. Though I will probably add the U-He synths since they support Linux ARM - just missing a decent Hammond organ VST on Linux ARM .

 

Otherwise - functionally, this pianoteq sound module works great - just turn it on and start playing. Everything is off-the-shelf, nothing fancy going on here. After adding the touchscreen, total cost is under US$200 (minus my sweat and effort).

 

Touchscreen with Pianoteq

 

Overview

 

FRONT (eventually covered with speaker grill/cloth) - that is the Odroid N2+ sitting inside.

 

BACK (eventually covered with speaker grill/cloth) - currently 3 cables: power, USB MIDI, and 3.5mm audio out

 

TOP - touchscreen (perhaps a sunburst guitar-style finish?)

 

Touchscreen