Pianoteq 8 is out

[Tusker]

1 hour ago, Steve Nathan said:

Perhaps someone can school me on some of the differences between the versions.

 

The picture that AnotherScott posted is excellent! 👍 👍

 

1 hour ago, Steve Nathan said:

Since I'm in trial mode still, I might be seeing parameter controls that are not available in all three versions.  So, what exactly is Piano model tweaking and what can or can't you do re: Microphones in Stage?

 

You are asking a very detailed question here but in summary, if you like the basic sound of Pianoteq, the Stage version is what you want. If you want to customize the sound by adjusting microphones, or (on a per note basis) the detune, volume or attack, as well as some of the timbral characteristics, Pianoteq Standard is right for you. If you want to create prepared pianos, or fine tune the model on a per note basis with about 30 (!) additional parameters,  then you want the Pro version. As to the differences in microphones. the Stage version allows you to choose between general microphone arrangements such as stereo, mono, sound recording and binaural. The microphone setting in Standard and Pro additionally allows you to select particular microphones (U87, etc.) and place them in a 3-d space around the piano. In all versions, the presets will include some of this variability, selected by Modartt. Lastly, Standard and Pro allow you to layer or morph between instruments. 

 

Below is some of the "piano model tweaking" in Standard and Pro. Personally, I find the "hammer hardness" setting to be important to the timbral character and realism. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

[Steve Nathan]

1 hour ago, Tusker said:

 

The picture that AnotherScott posted is excellent! 👍 👍

 

 

You are asking a very detailed question here but in summary, if you like the basic sound of Pianoteq, the Stage version is what you want. If you want to customize the sound by adjusting microphones, or (on a per note basis) the detune, volume or attack, as well as some of the timbral characteristics, Pianoteq Standard is right for you. If you want to create prepared pianos, or fine tune the model on a per note basis with about 30 (!) additional parameters,  then you want the Pro version. As to the differences in microphones. the Stage version allows you to choose between general microphone arrangements such as stereo, mono, sound recording and binaural. The microphone setting in Standard and Pro additionally allows you to select particular microphones (U87, etc.) and place them in a 3-d space around the piano. In all versions, the presets will include some of this variability, selected by Modartt. Lastly, Standard and Pro allow you to layer or morph between instruments. 

 

Below is some of the "piano model tweaking" in Standard and Pro. Personally, I find the "hammer hardness" setting to be important to the timbral character and realism. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

Now that's what I call an answer!  😍  Thx Tusker!

[Delaware Dave]

On 11/16/2022 at 2:50 PM, tfort said:

Pianoteq 8 is out

 

I guess 7 wasn't enough....

[musicbysterling]

20 hours ago, EscapeRocks said:

Yes.  I made use of it when I still had the basic PTeq.

It definitely adds character that brings in what I call  realism or 'humanise' as EB5AGV says above

I was considering the Stage level, I’m getting the impression that these tweaks which I definitely take advantage of are not available. Am I correct in this assumption?

[ElmerJFudd]

Note - there is always an upgrade path from tiers of Pianoteq.  Investment is not lost if you decide to move to the more fully featured versions.  

[Tusker]

1 hour ago, musicbysterling said:

I was considering the Stage level, I’m getting the impression that these tweaks which I definitely take advantage of are not available. Am I correct in this assumption?

 

The Condition Parameter which EB5AGV mentioned (and Escape Rocks referenced) is below:

 

 

It's available on all three levels Stage, Standard and Pro. As EB5AGV and Escape Rocks pointed it can add character or human feel. This parameter works independently of the "Piano model tweaking" parameters Steven Nathan inquired about which are more about adjusting the underlying timbre of a PT piano before consideration of the condition of the piano. Those parameters (see the screen shot in my preceding post) are available in the Standard and the Pro versions. If you like the default timbre of the PT pianos. (shiny, woody, metallic, warm, cold, etc.), then those parameters aren't really necessary for you. Hope this helps. 

[EscapeRocks]

@Tusker

best explanation of it I’ve heard. 
spot on🍻

[mcgoo]

I downloaded the demo today & have been playing it off & on for a good part of the day. I'm pretty blown away, especially by the Steinway D. I'm going to get it. The only things I haven't decided is whether to go for the Standard or Stage (will probably do Standard) and which sound packs to get (Steinway D+???). The thing I'm most blown away by are the few nay-sayers. To each his/her own, but I can't seem to tell what's not to like.

[Steve Nathan]

2 hours ago, mcgoo said:

I downloaded the demo today & have been playing it off & on for a good part of the day. I'm pretty blown away, especially by the Steinway D. I'm going to get it. The only things I haven't decided is whether to go for the Standard or Stage (will probably do Standard) and which sound packs to get (Steinway D+???). The thing I'm most blown away by are the few nay-sayers. To each his/her own, but I can't seem to tell what's not to like.

I'm thinking the Steinway D, The Bechstein and the Bleuthner.  Your mileage may vary.

[Mills Dude]

2 hours ago, mcgoo said:

I downloaded the demo today & have been playing it off & on for a good part of the day. I'm pretty blown away, especially by the Steinway D. I'm going to get it. The only things I haven't decided is whether to go for the Standard or Stage (will probably do Standard) and which sound packs to get (Steinway D+???). The thing I'm most blown away by are the few nay-sayers. To each his/her own, but I can't seem to tell what's not to like.

I'm still running version 6 Pro.  I'm one of those that really sync up well with PianoTeq.  I just love the voice clarity.  Perhaps its a bit too pristine for some and I will admit it still falls short of a well voiced/regulated grand but I love it.   The generated waves are still quite a bit off but I'd much rather play a PianoTeq piano compared to any of the sampled pianos I've tried.

 

I'm running version 6 on my old 2009 vintage Macbook Pro and it works great.  Never really goes past the 50% cpu mark and usually lower than 20% usage while playing.  I do plan on upgrading to version 8 and retiring the old Macbook for something else.

 

I play the D a lot.  I have purchased the Model B.  I also have the Steingraeber which I think is fantastic.  It has a lot of body and richness.  Deciding on either the Bechstein or the K2 as my next model.

 

I do like the Rhodes models and play them often but there are much better ones out there.  For me playing solo in the house, they're fine.   The free CP80 model is pretty good also.  Drench it with some chorus and its the 80s all over again.

[Moonglow]

I've always had an affinity for modeled pianos (GEM Pro 2) and piano modules (Kurzweil 1000 PX, GEM Realpiano Expander, GEM RPX), so an iOS version of Pianoteq is appealing.

 

Question: Which of the pianos in Pianoteq is best for rock?

[David Emm]

19 minutes ago, Moonglow said:

Question: Which of the pianos in Pianoteq is best for rock?

 

Depends on the kind of rock and the band size. Kenny Loggins or Spinal Tap?

(Never set up near Spinal Tap's drummers. They go up like kindling.) 💥

 

Yamaha is often the first such piano that comes to mind, but I decided to "live with" their base Steinway Model D and take on the Petrof as my second choice. Their Yamaha lacked a certain bite to MY ear, which seemed odd. That's subjective, BTW, as its TONE is quite good.

 

My solution has been to gently EQ and chorus/flange the Steinway until it hit that rock mark. PM is so clean to begin with that it seems to accept sculpting by effects more graciously. The piano retains its strength throughout. Give that a try. Should cut through the guitars.

[Tusker]

5 hours ago, mcgoo said:

The only things I haven't decided is whether to go for the Standard or Stage (will probably do Standard) and which sound packs to get (Steinway D+???).

 

It's really personal preference. I like the Steinways for strong classical and jazz sounds. The YC5 (Yamaha) is the most directly familiar rock sound but like David I like the Steinways. For warmth, I like the Petrofs. The upright K4 is an intimate sound for singer-songwriter. Some of that territory is also in the K2 which is Modartt's own recipe. All of these pianos have a range of presets ranging from bright to dark and from dry to atmospheric. Nearly all of them now have felt versions too. You don't have to decide right away. If you have the app, you can audio the pianos yourself.

 

Some of the older keyboards can be interesting. My dad had a recording of the Hary Janos Suite and the Sherlock Holmes soundtrack has Cimbalom all over it. So the Cimbalom is always trying to sneak into something I am doing as an accent color.

 

Completely agree with Mills Dude about the CP70 being surprisingly useful. That monster nearly broke my back in 80s. With a touch of chorus, and a bit of high frequency roll-off, you can go quickly back to Duke era Genesis and Security/So era Peter Gabriel. 

[Doerfler]

1 hour ago, Moonglow said:

 

 

Question: Which of the pianos in Pianoteq is best for rock?

what Jerry said in the above post. 

[Steve Nathan]

I've come to the conclusion I will want the flexibility of the editing available in Standard, at least.  Thanks again Tusker for pointing me to explore more, especially Hammer Hardness and it's significance.   I'm still set on the Steinway D and the Bechstein. Today I've been playing around with the upright and though I don't get a lot of call for them, I do still occasionally work with singer/songwriters who've grown up with that Tori/Fiona/Vanessa influence. So I'm leaning Upright over Bleuthner for now. 😄  I also like their Rhodes group a lot (though I'm not at all impressed with the Wurlies). But since I have so many decent Rhodes libraries, I think I'll skip that one for now.  

[mcgoo]

53 minutes ago, Steve Nathan said:

I've come to the conclusion I will want the flexibility of the editing available in Standard, at least.  Thanks again Tusker for pointing me to explore more, especially Hammer Hardness and it's significance.   I'm still set on the Steinway D and the Bechstein. Today I've been playing around with the upright and though I don't get a lot of call for them, I do still occasionally work with singer/songwriters who've grown up with that Tori/Fiona/Vanessa influence. So I'm leaning Upright over Bleuthner for now. 😄  I also like their Rhodes group a lot (though I'm not at all impressed with the Wurlies). But since I have so many decent Rhodes libraries, I think I'll skip that one for now.  

I also went with the Standard for the same reason.... Except that the decision maker for me was playing with string length and sympathetic resonance and creating some very cool sounding pads. 

 

I went with both Steinways (D & B) and one of the historic groups (Karsten, I think). I wanted to go for the upright, but it was a little too big and clean sounding for me... Too close to a grand. I probably should have spent more time tweaking it to make it a little smaller sounding and a little dirtier. Oh well, next sale. Lol

[Steve Nathan]

Bought the Stage today w/Steinway D, the Bechstein and the Upright.  May add more as time goes on. I do like it!

[Steve Nathan]

I'm going to be redundant here because this morning, Modartt asked me if I'd like to endorse their product.  I haven't said yes yet, but I probably will, and I want to be clear (for the odd stickler around here) that:

1. I paid for my copy

2. I will absolutely use these pianos because I think they nailed it with version 8.  They have a richness, a depth of realism that I find both satisfying and inspiring.  

[16251]

13 minutes ago, Steve Nathan said:

I'm going to be redundant here because this morning, Modartt asked me if I'd like to endorse their product.  I haven't said yes yet, but I probably will, and I want to be clear (for the odd stickler around here) that:

1. I paid for my copy

2. I will absolutely use these pianos because I think they nailed it with version 8.  They have a richness, a depth of realism that I find both satisfying and inspiring.  

I hope you will compare Pianotec to a real grand aside from the metallic sound of a modeled piano. Since I only play sample-based sounds, I miss out on the interactions of all the parts of a real grand. I am curious if it fills in the gaps when owning an acoustic is not possible.

 

I have read some ppl mix a sample based sound with a modeled piano. I am wondering how that sounds/feels.

[tfort]

3 hours ago, Steve Nathan said:

I'm going to be redundant here because this morning, Modartt asked me if I'd like to endorse their product.  I haven't said yes yet, but I probably will, and I want to be clear (for the odd stickler around here) that:

1. I paid for my copy

2. I will absolutely use these pianos because I think they nailed it with version 8.  They have a richness, a depth of realism that I find both satisfying and inspiring.  

That’s great, Steve. Will they upgrade you to the Pro Studio for your endorsement? Maybe they’ll ask you to use Organteq on some sessions…

[JB Sherry]

2 hours ago, tfort said:

Maybe they’ll ask you to use Organteq on some sessions…

I believe Organteq only models pipe organs and not tonewheel or combo organs. So it’s probably not as useful for pop music. Unless you’re doing prog. Love the pipe organ on Yes’s Going For The One album.

[Steve Nathan]

3 hours ago, tfort said:

That’s great, Steve. Will they upgrade you to the Pro Studio for your endorsement? Maybe they’ll ask you to use Organteq on some sessions…

Yeah, they will upgrade me to Pro, and what JB said.  Not much call for Pipe Organ in the kinds of music I usually cut.

[tfort]

I was joking re. Organteq. Hard to have that come across online, I know, but sometimes you've still gotta try...

 

[Radagast]

On 11/17/2022 at 6:37 PM, AnotherScott said:

I like the Grotrian at 9:19 in this video, though he happens to be playing this one gently and I'm curious as to how it plays more aggressively.

 

On 11/17/2022 at 6:37 PM, AnotherScott said:

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet anywhere is what exactly is coming on iOS. They say, "no compromise has been taken, the same software will be delivered." But there are 3 versions (Stage, Standard, Pro). I would not be surprised if iOS gets only the Stage version.

You’re probably right.  I’m still looking forward to getting it.

[jejefunkyman]

Hi All, I'm sorry to derail this thread a bit, but does someone know how to delete the demo version from a MacBook?

 

I've put all the files and folders I could find in the bin, but Pianoteq still appear in Logic's pro AU instruments menu as a choice. And when I open it, it works normally.

 

This is kind of annoying as I've tried the demo and decided not to buy it. So I'd really like to take out any trace of it from my computer.

 

Thanks a lot in advance for any help 🙏

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, jejefunkyman said:

Hi All, I'm sorry to derail this thread a bit, but does someone know how to delete the demo version from a MacBook?

 

I've put all the files and folders I could find in the bin, but Pianoteq still appear in Logic's pro AU instruments menu as a choice. And when I open it, it works normally.

 

This is kind of annoying as I've tried the demo and decided not to buy it. So I'd really like to take out any trace of it from my computer.

 

Thanks a lot in advance for any help 🙏

Try running AU validation again after your deletion. 
 

Also, there are both user and system Libraries in OSX.  Check the Component folder in both. 

[jejefunkyman]

ok thanks for the hints, it worked by using the plugin manager.

[Stokely]

So...anyone using PT in mono successfully?  My Modx has developed what I hope is not a permanent issue (some crackling in one side, in headphones and audio outs) but going mono is a necessary thing at many gigs anyway.   My buddy swears the Roland Fantom vpiano in mono is great, I haven't had a chance to try it.  I struggled on my Nord electro as well, I think one of the available grands worked better than others. 

My thought was that modelled pianos might be better than stereo recordings(samples).  I wouldn't go mono at home doing recordings and I'm happy with my current libraries, so my interest is mainly in the IOS version (when it comes out) for gigging.  I presume it should act the same as the computer version.   I'm eyeing the Fantom and a better piano (for live) is a big reason, but if PT or some other ios app could do the trick I might hold off.   Though this crackling issue might force my hand earlier than I'd like!

[ElmerJFudd]

11 minutes ago, Stokely said:

So...anyone using PT in mono successfully?  My Modx has developed what I hope is not a permanent issue (some crackling in one side, in headphones and audio outs) but going mono is a necessary thing at many gigs anyway.   My buddy swears the Roland Fantom vpiano in mono is great, I haven't had a chance to try it.  I struggled on my Nord electro as well, I think one of the available grands worked better than others. 

My thought was that modelled pianos might be better than stereo recordings(samples).  I wouldn't go mono at home doing recordings and I'm happy with my current libraries, so my interest is mainly in the IOS version (when it comes out) for gigging.  I presume it should act the same as the computer version.   I'm eyeing the Fantom and a better piano (for live) is a big reason, but if PT or some other ios app could do the trick I might hold off.   Though this crackling issue might force my hand earlier than I'd like!

Download their demo and give mono a try to see if you’re happy with it.  
 

https://www.modartt.com/try

[Stokely]

Ah forgot about the demo.  I've tried past versions, so we'll see if they let me try it again!    From what I recall, it didn't time out but had missing notes, which is just fine.