Further uncalled for, probably unwanted, questions and thoughts on this subject:
1. Is there a relationship between the relative amplitude of partial frequencies and distance, so that the mix of partials changes as you move closer or further away from the piano? My (non-mathematical) thought is that the closer you sit to the piano, the louder the low and middle partials will be in relation to the upper partials, since you are sitting close to the strings, while the further back you move, the more the upper partials will stand out and the more the midrange partials will die. (Not a simple equation, I imagine: Higher partials, we know, die out faster than midrange and low partials, but the relative amplitude of the partials at any given point in time will vary with distance in differing ratios on different ranges on the piano. Will also depend on the resistance of the soundboard and the cabinet.)
2. Regardless, is time a factor in the mixture of harmonics? (And thus in the perceived timbre of a note?) Will faster moving (higher frequency) partials, reflected faster off the soundboard, reach the ear slightly earlier than middle and low frequencies, some of which oscillate the sound board\cabinet, etc, as one way of being heard, which takes time? (These lower frequencies are of course heard from two sources: as the string is struck and again in the soundboard resonance.) And is this slight delay increased as you move further back from a piano? Would a fragment of a millisecond make a huge difference in timbre if some partials reach the ears sequentially instead of simultaneously? (I know that a fragment of a millisecond makes a big difference when creating an attack envelope, or in other sound manipulation, but I've never experimented with or read much about slight variations in harmonic timing as affecting the perceived timbre.)
3. In addition, would the same result be found in the harmonic spectrum of the notes (considered as single units instead of sets of partials, so we are back to speaking of notes as just notes in a basic way) when playing, for example two notes at once or a chord? In other words, if a pianist hits a middle C and a E6 at the same time, with velocities that the pianist hears as creating the same amplitude, will a listener at a distance perceive the amplitude of the middle C as lower, the further he sits back in the hall? (Notice I say that the pianist hits with velocities she perceives to create the same amplitude, not with the same velocity.) Would the distant listener register the upper note very slightly before the lower note, as well as the upper partials of each note?
Would all of these combine, along with overall amplitude in relation to velocity, hammer amplitude, etc to create a sense of distance or closeness? What are the other factors to consider?
(Sorry to put forward this notion, Philippe, when you've just provided the excellent new presets, but many people like a close perspective. And I'm not sure I've seen a full, precise study on the relationship between harmonic spectra and physical distance from multiple nonlinear interactive parallel and serial oscillators. (Does that describe a piano?). Are there graduate students who need an idea for a thesis and have occasion to sample and compare close and middle distance notes to determine the ratio (nonlinear?) of relative spectral amplitude and timing to distance?
(Of course another question, here, is the filtering that mics introduce...Particularly when the factor of distance is included. )
But consider the possibilities:
1. The range of timbres, and uses, for Pianoteq would be almost infinite.
1. Users could choose their distance from the piano easily. Thus there would be fewer worries about there not being enough wood, etc. (Users could still add or subtract wood, or anything else, by using the usual sliders.)
2. You could add Pianoteq to almost any existing mix by choosing a distance similar to that of the other players and then panning it left or right so it was out of the way of the other instruments, or more in the forefront as a solo instrument. In other words, you could place the piano anywhere on a sound stage.
3. I would stop posting long, bothersome messages such as this one.
Faithfully
GJ