Pianoteq 8 is out

[jejefunkyman]

The demo works only for 20mn before shutting down. So yes it’s actually timed out 🤷‍♂️ 
But 20mn should be enough to test it though 😁

[Redknife]

Here is a Pianoteq 8 hack if you want to utilize the Pianoteq sympathetic resonance while using a different plug-in’s sampled piano sound. Some of the key steps:

• in this case Keyscape is the source tone and Pianoteq is limited to resonance
• route the MIDI
• turn velocity curve on Pianoteq to all “0”
• use an effects plugin that ensures no overlapping resonating frequencies 

 watch video for any details. Sounds great

 

[AnotherScott]

1 hour ago, Redknife said:

Here is a Pianoteq 8 hack if you want to utilize the Pianoteq sympathetic resonance while using a different plug-in’s sampled piano sound.

 

That's a really great example of how resonances really improve the quality of sampled pianos. I'm surprised that the renowned--and high-priced--Keyscape doesn't include them. I guess the real appeal of Keyscape is in the other sounds, i.e. EPs...?

[CHarrell]

Heads up, 8.2 is out! I love the parameters and interface of Pianoteq, but I'm still in the camp that can't get on with the sound. I'm convinced that they will gradually march on to become better and better, and hopefully the recent update is another benchmark of that progress!

 

Changelog:

 

8.2.0 (1/14/2024)

Revoicing of all 11 modern grand pianos.

Fret buzz sound added to the Classical Guitar instrument.

Two new tunings for the guitar: EADF#BE and DADGAD.

MIDI sequence transposition added in the sequence context menu.

New midimapping for changing the tuning root key.

[D. Gauss]

11 minutes ago, CHarrell said:

 Changelog:

 

8.2.0 (1/14/2024)

Revoicing of all 11 modern grand pianos.

 

 

This kind of thing really annoys me, unless the previous version can live alongside the new one (which AFAIK it can't), as it essentially breaks any current projects you may have that use the old sounds/voicing.  i.e. Currently mixing albums for 3 different clients and all use Pianoteq 8  in some capacity.  Installing the new update on my DAW computer (which obviously i won't be doing now) will effectively change any mixes that use Pianoteq.  Please be thoughtful like Reaper and include "old version behavior" as an option when things change that can break past behavior. Rant over.  

 

[CHarrell]

Just now, D. Gauss said:

 

This kind of thing really annoys me, unless the previous version can live alongside the new one (which AFAIK it can't), as it essentially breaks any current projects you may have that use the old sounds/voicing.  i.e. Currently mixing albums for 3 different clients and all use Pianoteq 8  in some capacity.  Installing the new update on my DAW computer (which obviously i won't be doing now) will effectively change any mixes that use Pianoteq.  Please be thoughtful like Reaper and include "old version behavior" as an option when things change that can break past behavior. Rant over.  

 

 

I haven't had a chance to check this out, I don't know if PTeq overwrites each version with an update, or if you download a separate instance of the updated plugin, like Kontakt for example.

[Jose EB5AGV]

3 hours ago, CHarrell said:

 

I haven't had a chance to check this out, I don't know if PTeq overwrites each version with an update, or if you download a separate instance of the updated plugin, like Kontakt for example.

 

For large changes (i.e. from 7 to 8), yes, you can have both versions. In fact I have a PC with 6, 7 and 8, so I can compare. But for smaller changes, like 8.1 to 8.2, you just have one version

[TWB121234]

I have only played 8.2 briefly, but I thought the Rhodes were noticeably better (a little funkier?). I have been playing their software since version 2. I get the criticisms, but it is amazing software and plays so nicely. I have way too many sample based pianos. Oh that all these choices were available when I was a full time musician, but happy with the continuing improvements. Thanks Modart and all the developers.

[drawback]

I thought 8.2 (at least the default Steinway D Classical) sounded quite good, but they really need to pay some attention to the Rhodes – which still sounds nothing like one IMO. They almost had me with this update! 

[Fleer]

8.2 has more wood. I’m serious. These piano models come alive. Well done, Modartt. 

[drawback]

9 hours ago, D. Gauss said:

 

This kind of thing really annoys me, unless the previous version can live alongside the new one (which AFAIK it can't), as it essentially breaks any current projects you may have that use the old sounds/voicing.  i.e. Currently mixing albums for 3 different clients and all use Pianoteq 8  in some capacity.  Installing the new update on my DAW computer (which obviously i won't be doing now) will effectively change any mixes that use Pianoteq.  Please be thoughtful like Reaper and include "old version behavior" as an option when things change that can break past behavior. Rant over.  

 

Even with new voicings, will an update still retain saved edit points from the previous edition? 

[TomKittel]

14 hours ago, D. Gauss said:

 

This kind of thing really annoys me, unless the previous version can live alongside the new one (which AFAIK it can't), as it essentially breaks any current projects you may have that use the old sounds/voicing.  i.e. Currently mixing albums for 3 different clients and all use Pianoteq 8  in some capacity.  Installing the new update on my DAW computer (which obviously i won't be doing now) will effectively change any mixes that use Pianoteq.  Please be thoughtful like Reaper and include "old version behavior" as an option when things change that can break past behavior. Rant over.  

 

 

There is no reason for annoyance. Those who can read have an advantage 😉 Quote from the Pianoteq download page: "Previous versions are still available, in case you encounter any problem with the latest version, click here."

[TomKittel]

6 hours ago, Fleer said:

8.2 has more wood. I’m serious. These piano models come alive. Well done, Modartt. 

 

I agree. The Steinway B sounds spectacular. Together with the wooden keys of my Numa SL88 Grand the playing feel is incredibly authentic. Especially when I close my eyes. A real enrichment of my life, because I could never afford a real Steinway grand piano of this quality. Thank you Pianoteq people!

[ewall08530]

I don’t see the 8.2 update on iOS App Store.  Is it only the desktop version out so far?

[Legatoboy]

Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't.  It tends to be 'snippy and has a swallow the note type of effect along with the snip' in the upper registers for lack of better terms..... Responds well though in terms of other things that is true and enjoyable often but the metallic/plasticness of it and the above does get to me.

I've had it since version 5 or 6 I think! I still upgrade every time... I have the Stage edition....no need to upgrade to the larger versions.     

[D. Gauss]

3 hours ago, TomKittel said:

 

There is no reason for annoyance. Those who can read have an advantage 😉 Quote from the Pianoteq download page: "Previous versions are still available, in case you encounter any problem with the latest version, click here."

 

Advantage? Yes, my reading must be really, really bad, 'cause  i see no option to download V8.1 (see below).  Besides, I already have it, as you have to have downloaded it to install it.  However, I'd prefer not to have to go back and forth via installation/uninstallation ping-pong every time i open different DAW projects (8.1. vs 8.2).  Since this is a modeled, not sampled app that's only 55M in size, keeping all the 8.1 sounds as presets in 8.2 for backwards compatibility would have been most helpful, smart, and welcome. Or... perhaps letting the two versions co-exist side by side like 6, 7, and 8 can as pointed out by someone else (Jose) above.

 

<<

Previous versions

Windows, v7.5.4, 64-bitmacOS, v7.5.4, Intel/Apple Silicon universal binaryLinux, v7.5.4, 64-bit Intel, 32 & 64-bit ARM

Windows, v6.7.3, 32-bit/64-bitmacOS, v6.7.3, 64-bit IntelLinux, v6.7.3, 64-bit Intel

Windows, v6.0.3, 32-bit/64-bitmacOS, v6.0.3, 64-bit IntelLinux, v6.0.3, 64-bit Intel>>

[CHarrell]

45 minutes ago, Legatoboy said:

Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't.  It tends to be 'snippy and has a swollow the note type of effect along with the snip' in the upper registers for lack of better terms..... Responds well though in terms of other things that is true and enjoyable often but the metallic/plasticness of it and the above does get to me.

I've had it since version 5 or 6 I think! I still upgrade every time... I have the Stage edition....no need to upgrade to the larger versions.     

 

I don't know what snippy and swollow mean, yet somehow I agree with every word you wrote.

[mrk7421]

I tried the Pianoteq 8 demo and it didn't work out too well for me. Am I doing something wrong? I would love to have software work out for acoustic and electric piano. Besides Pianoteq what are some other good options? Can current software for digital piano compete with hardware? I am sick of looking at $ 2K plus for the latest and greatest keyboard......

[TomKittel]

3 hours ago, D. Gauss said:

 

Advantage? Yes, my reading must be really, really bad...

 

Indeed. Out of curiosity I just installed 8.2 next to 8.05 on my notebook. Works! Both versions next to each other are working as they should. So what is the problem?

[Stokely]

2 hours ago, mrk7421 said:

I tried the Pianoteq 8 demo and it didn't work out too well for me. Am I doing something wrong? I would love to have software work out for acoustic and electric piano. Besides Pianoteq what are some other good options? Can current software for digital piano compete with hardware? I am sick of looking at $ 2K plus for the latest and greatest keyboard......

Unless by "hardware" you mean an actual electric or acoustic piano, I reckon software has already been better (in some ways at least) than keyboards for a while now.   My acoustic piano libraries (sampled, not modeled like Pianoteq) have more layers and take more space than any keyboardS I've tried (not that this is the complete story) but the main point is that they sound great.  Same with the Rhodes library I use most, Scarbee ep88s.

That doesn't mean they are better to play necessarily, some people prefer the immediacy of a keyboard when it comes to having controls on knobs etc.  You may need to tweak velocity curves with each plugin also--though I've felt the need to do this on keyboards as well!    And if you have any latency in your software connection that is awful, but that can be overcome.

Perhaps "competitive" or "comparable" is a better word than "better"!

There is a wide range of plugins and I've gone through a progression of sorts with sampled pianos.   There are some very inexpensive ones out there, some require Kontakt though so be careful buying (if you don't have Kontakt, or if you have an older non-upgraded version).

[D. Gauss]

12 minutes ago, TomKittel said:

 

Indeed. Out of curiosity I just installed 8.2 next to 8.05 on my notebook. Works! Both versions next to each other are working as they should. So what is the problem?

 

very cool. was mentioned earlier that you could only have whole number versions simultaneously, so i did not even attempt as i didn't want to disturb what i had. 

[zephonic]

I bought Pianoteq 8 Stage around Thanksgiving on the strength of the recommendations here (and elsewhere), but so far it’s not doing it for me. I love the customizability, though, and the UI is great.

I’m not writing it off yet, and fire it up once in a while to see if anything has changed.

 

After some wandering, I keep coming back to Keyscape. It’s not the easiest to play (from my D1 controller), you have to kind of adjust your playing to it, but in terms of sound quality I find it bigger and warmer than anything else.

 

[Reezekeys]

2 hours ago, mrk7421 said:

Can current software for digital piano compete with hardware? I am sick of looking at $ 2K plus for the latest and greatest keyboard......

 

I sure think so - since I've been playing the same software piano for 18 years. There's a bunch of them out there, but being software you normally can't try before you buy, and demos are sometimes limited or nonexistant (Pianoteq at least gives you a good demo). A sw piano user will tell you what sampled piano they use - what good does that do you? My piano of choice is the Native Instrument New York, long discontinued and actually not well liked according to posts on some other forums. I could care less. All you can really do is listen to youtube demos - which won't really help with evaluating finger-to-ear connection. And as far as that connection - many of these plugins require you to spend time with their settings to get a piano that responds the way you like. Not to mention having a controller that feels good to you and, most importantly, sends the full 1-127 range of velocities concurrent with your dynamics - what you interpret as ppp to fff in your playing force. Without a controller that puts out the "correct" velocities, it's likely no software piano (or hardware for that matter) will feel good to you.

 

As far as your question about software competing with hardware – absolutely. When software pianos first came out they were imo much better than what you could get in hardware, simply due to the detail you could get with them. Multiple mic positions. Release samples. Pedal and soundboard resonance. How about full-length unlooped samples? Separate per-note samples with multiple velocity layers? I profess ignorance with what hardware pianos bring to the table today but I'll guess they incorporate some, most or maybe even all of these features. The question is, how many of those features do we need? E.g., my usage is 99% playing jazz & funk gigs - I don't need a 9ft Steinway sampled with concert hall ambience. I put a version of my Native Instruments piano on my iPad and iPhone - it's cut down a lot: sampled every minor third instead of each semitone, one less velocity layer, and no resonance or key-up samples. Would I make a record with this piano? No. Do I miss those things on a gig? I have to admit - no, I don't!

[TomKittel]

38 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

 

very cool. was mentioned earlier that you could only have whole number versions simultaneously, so i did not even attempt as i didn't want to disturb what i had. 

Just be careful not to install both versions in the same folder. I renamed the new install folder "Pianoteq 8.2" instead of "Pianoteq 8" where the previous version lives.

[TomKittel]

I can't shake off the impression that it must be down to individual hardware quality and/or settings (velocity, latency, audio interface) if someone finds Pianoteq 8 dreadful. Of course, tastes and preferences are different and there are plenty of great sampled piano options out there. But you can't describe the basic Pianoteq sound metallic or plasticky. By no means. Also, the main benefit of the newer Pteq versions should not be reduced to the superior playability of virtual modelling. By now the basic sound quality is at least on par with most sample pianos I have access to. If you get the settings right, it sounds right. JMTC

[Legatoboy]

6 hours ago, CHarrell said:

 

I don't know what snippy and swollow mean, yet somehow I agree with every word you wrote.

You know, when the 'swollows' come back to Capistrano ... nevermind....I corrected my spilling. 

 

[Legatoboy]

1 hour ago, TomKittel said:

I can't shake off the impression that it must be down to individual hardware quality and/or settings (velocity, latency, audio interface) if someone finds Pianoteq 8 dreadful. Of course, tastes and preferences are different and there are plenty of great sampled piano options out there. But you can't describe the basic Pianoteq sound metallic or plasticky. By no means. Also, the main benefit of the newer Pteq versions should not be reduced to the superior playability of virtual modelling. By now the basic sound quality is at least on par with most sample pianos I have access to. If you get the settings right, it sounds right. JMTC

 

"Pianoteq sound metallic or plasticky. By no means." 

 

I only find it that way on the top end .... I like the low end and middle a lot actually and it feels and sounds more natural in those ranges to me. Varies from patch to patch that way .... some patches are better than others in terms of my complaints 

[Stokely]

2 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

The question is, how many of those features do we need? 

This part of the post reminded me of a humorous incident.  Working on a project with a friend overseas, I sent him a piano track for a rock song and he wrote back...liked it a lot, but there was some odd thumping in the track that was bothering him.   Turned out it was the pedal noises    He had only worked with older piano libraries that didn't have that in it   I just turned off pedal noises and sent him another one   

Probably good to turn that kind of thing off live if I ever had something at a gig with this feature; pedal thumps coming out of a PA sub could get pretty obnoxious!  I currently don't use resonance with my Nord pianos either, though I doubt it would make much difference good or bad.

[Doerfler]

5 hours ago, zephonic said:

I bought Pianoteq 8 Stage around Thanksgiving on the strength of the recommendations here (and elsewhere), but so far it’s not doing it for me. I love the customizability, though, and the UI is great.

I’m not writing it off yet, and fire it up once in a while to see if anything has changed.

 

After some wandering, I keep coming back to Keyscape. It’s not the easiest to play (from my D1 controller), you have to kind of adjust your playing to it, but in terms of sound quality I find it bigger and warmer than anything else.

 

I certainly find sampled pianos "bigger and warmer" than modeling, Menno. I was just "A/B ing" Pianoteq with IK's Pianoverse last evening.

Certainly there will be times that Pianoteq sits better "in the mix", but for just solo playing at home for my own enjoyment I'm playing sampled pianos.

[CHarrell]

4 minutes ago, Doerfler said:

I certainly find sampled pianos "bigger and warmer" than modeling, Menno. I was just "A/B ing" Pianoteq with IK's Pianoverse last evening.

Certainly there will be times that Pianoteq sits better "in the mix", but for just solo playing at home for my own enjoyment I'm playing sampled pianos.

 

Yeah, I was testing out the new Steinway NY D last night and I was sad to note that it still sounds sharp, "boomy", and thin. For months and months I'll revisit it, trying mic placements, soundboard adjustments, hammer hardness, reverb, lid off, everything I can think of, and I still don't get a sound I enjoy. Ive even downloaded fxps from users in an attempt to find something.

 

Then I pop over to another library like Ravenscrof, Keyscape, or Garritan, and instantly I hear this body and presence. 

 

I don't appreciate it when sharing these difficulties, that PTeq users come up with a litany of the most convoluted, tangential potential solutions to these issues, when really, I think it's the fundamentals I can't get along with. 

 

I still really want Modartt to succeed, though, and eagerly check out every update they put out.