Uploaded edited Baldwin.fxp -- feedback please?

Hi Hans,

Probably the community here is still a little bit small compared to other more established forums ! I suggest that you put the link to the uploaded files in your posts, so that it is easier for the reader to download and test them. For example, your latest fxp can be linked that way:

Baldwin_Grand_09.fxp

Posting a brief mp3 that uses the preset may help, too: we can listen to an mp3 quickly. Copying a preset to the Pianoteq folder, opening Pianoteq, and loading the preset may take just enough longer to make people hesitate.

There is also the possibility to drag and drop the link into the pianoteq interface, which will then automatically download and load the fxp file !

Just downloaded and played the Baldwin. Nice preset. I particularly like the octave below  middle C.

Mind if I ask how you made your choices for eq'ing? Did you go entirely by ear, or did you do an analysis of notes from the clip you mentioned and then raise and lower the amplitude of the various frequencies?

I'd seen advice about raising the area around 1 khz, but not the 200 and 2k settings, which sound really good. These settings bring out the body sound well.

Which book on mixing were you using?

Hi Abi

The sustain noise is exactly good with me but that's because I use the CME GPP sustain-controller.. that's a continuous sustain controller instead of the on/off normal pedals...
The guys from Pianoteq have programmed their software so that when you use such a continuous controller, the sustain-noise is also softer when you use a gradual sustain...

@Jake
I think it was an original Dutch book on recording - I'll look it up later and see if there's more interesting information in there on piano-recording, if so I can translate it and put it up here...

cheers
Hans

Hi Abi

here's a link to the pedal on the CME site
http://www.cme-pro.com/products-list/product-gpp.html

Here on the forum there's also some info on it..
http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=91

I like it a lot - it surely adds to a piano-feeling or at least it expands the normal possibilities by use of the 3 pedals

Hi Luke

good to have a fellow Dutchman here
Well I - found a video-clip on the Baldwin site from which I tried to recreate the sound..
and it's well possible that I'm not even close but I like the sound anyway

As to trying to edit sounds....
Start with one of the pianomodels that comes close a bit.

Try and find a sample that has enough length in the sound from which you can try to make settings for the soundboard and overall 'design' settings in Pianoteq.

Then you start changing the brightness of the sound by changing the hammer hardness for the 3 levels accordingly in the 'voicing' settings... so if you listen to loud passages and they sound brighter than the current settings, raise the forte hammer harness a bit...
the hammer noise is also one that really adds to the realism of the sound....

And don't forget the 'reverberation' settings ofcourse...

And finally it depends on what you need it for; if you just want to play it solo then any stting will do..
If you want to use it in a mix it depends on other instruments as well... it might have to be a lot brighter that you'd normally expect.
I tried to get a Bruce Hornsby pianosound (the Way it is) and needed to really raise the hardness of the hammers to get that bright a sound...
But that way it does indeed work better in a rockmix - otherwise it's just too 'muddy' and starts interfering with bassguitar for instance....

Anyway - I hope that helps a bit - good luck!

cheers
Hans

Well, it's a good set of EQ's to make, regardless. Your vanishing source made me seek out mine for boosting around 1K, and I couldn't find it, either. I did hunt down another source I've used, though. And it suggests entirely different settings that do have an interesting effect on the sound:

http://www.allfreeessays.net/student/Pr...Piano.html

Do we reach a point at which we just say it's all subjective, or are there actually a fairly limited set of frequencies, such as the ones you use, the 1k boost, and those listed in the article I just linked to?

Have other people found other frequencies that they like to boost or cut, or that they consider "standard" EQ settings for pianos?

+1 for a list of preset EQs.

For solo playing, I use an EQ which flattens the combined room/loudspeaker response. But for using  in a mix, the EQ is likely to depend on the combination of instruments. It seems we modern listeners like the instruments to fill out the  frequency space nicely (whatever that means).

One tip (common in jazz) is to write the piano left hand part so it does not overlap with a double bass part, to avoid beating tones which may be audible, i.e. close voicings of chords. That assumes you are not dealing with something written by someone else.