Dynamic range test for you controller

The irony of light-, medium- and heavy touch in an electronic keyboard controller ... has nothing to do with the stiffness of the action, as what happens in real acoustic pianos.  No, the true difference is the responsiveness of how hard or fast you press the electronic keyboard's notes and how the 'board responds with a corresponding midi note-on message.  Roland, Yamaha, Korg and other keyboard manufacturers have been using this trick to fool the buying public for decades with this stunt.  That's because the physical springiness of an electronic keyboard's notes is fixed by the manufacturer, who relies on the placebo effect of the end user.  "If you think the touch is supposed to be 'heavier', it will feel heavier."

Cheers,

Joe

I'm wondering if changing the velocity curve on the controller vs. in Pianoteq gives the better resolution in velocity values, which is what should matter in the end. Also where a better resolution is more important, in the ppp or the ff range.

Yes of course.
I use a Roland HP-507 that has the advantage to have a continuous keyboard velocity setting from 0 to 100.
The factory value is 50. But I generally use it at 45 (lighter) because at 50 I find it too difficult to reach the velocity 127.

There is an important distinction to make between the shape of a velocity response curve and the limits its endpoints define. I suspect most response curve variations are simply altering the midrange; the most commonly hit values to change the bias toward piano/forte. I just went through this with my newish SL88 and determined that full 127 values were being sent with a firm but not exactly pounding strike, leaving no headroom for a fortississimo. I would up using the calibration tool to lower the overall sensitivity of every key by 5% or so. THEN I went back and modified the response curve so the middle of the range seems to respond correctly.

I have had a growing suspicion that the 127 MIDI value is slightly abused. I would think it should almost never never be reached, being reserved for accent above an already full-strength run...and since making a point to adjust my gear and play accordingly, I have been much happier with the sound of most of my VIs.

The question really is if
1. the controller moves the electrically measured speed of the key to a higher value to produce a "fff" or
2. just uses a different curve where the end point "highest speed = fff" stays the same, but you need a speedier key press to reach middle velocity values.

If the second possibility is true, in my humble understanding it shouldn't make a difference to set the curve on the keyboard or in Pianoteq, or?