Topic: newbie question, bear with me...

Can someone please elaborate on what is required having in order to make pianoteq a worthwhile buy?
My DP is the Yamaha Clavinova CLP-280.. The speakers of the clp280 are pretty good so I shouldn't need to get separate speakers, right? Computerwise I have a 1.6 Ghz comp with 1 gig ram running Vista..
And what kind of cables would be needed?Do I need to have any other hardware than the DP and computer (is it enough with just DP,computer and some cable?)
any help is very much appreciated..and sorry if these basic questions have been asked already, but pianoteq just sounds so freakin exiting !

Re: newbie question, bear with me...

Does your Clavinova have inputs? If not, you won't be able to hear Pianoteq through its speakers. You'll instead need a good soundcard, with outputs, in your computer and either headphones or monitors (speakers) that connect to this soundcard. In other words, your keyboard will function as a midi controller.

To get it to function as a midi controller, you'll need either midi cables or a midi to USB cable. (Many people prefer the latter.) This cable runs from your midi out port to your computer or soundcard's midi in port or its usb port.

On the other hand, if your keyboard does have inputs, you'll need a good soundcard on your computer, with outputs, and standard cables (often RCA to 1/4" cables) that will run from these outputs to your keyboard, with the RCA end connected to your soundcard and the 1/4 jacks plugged into your keyboard.

Don't let the apparent complexity get you down. We've all had to go through this learning process at some point. Once you understand the basic way that things are connected, it will all seem much less confusing.

Regardless, you'll need a good soundcard (for a notebook computer, a good external sound card.) The standard requirements these days are a 24 bit, 96 Khz card. This is really the only thing that may cause you some delay in finding what you want--you'll need one with low latency. The M-Audio Audiophile 24\96 is good for most purposes, though some people prefer other, more expensive cards. It runs about $130-160 US. External cards for a notebook, which connect by either firewire or USB, will require more research. They are relatively new, and the interaction between the card and the computer vary greatly from brand to brand (of both card and the computer).

Re: newbie question, bear with me...

Hi

well, to begin with - it will not be your Clavinova that you use for sound....
you'd just be using its keyboard and midi-output to 'drive' Pianoteq.
That would run on your PC which then in turn needs an soundcard of some sort to output the Pianoteq sound.

So, unless the Clavinova has some audio-input that you can use to send the sound from your computer thru the Clavinova's speakers, you'll be needing either a headphone or some amplifier and speakers to actually hear Pianoteq.

I hope that helps!

good luck
Hans

Re: newbie question, bear with me...

Hi,

the CLP-280 has stereo audio line in, MIDI and USB below the keyboard. So you need a standard USB cable and an audio cable betweeen audio out from the sound card and line in. Simply look at the audio jacks to decide which type of cable you need. However, do not expect too much from this setup.

I have got a Yamaha P-250. It also has line in and built-in speakers, so first I tried it with notebook, USB and audio cable alone. It works, but I can tell you that built-in sound cards are almost always simply crap. Too much noise, no native ASIO driver to get low latency, often bad frequency response. So I bought an external USB sound card (Native Instruments Audio Kontrol 1. I know, it is not the cheapest one, but I really can recommed it. It gets power only via USB, has a built-in MIDI interface and up to 192 kHz sampling rate. Latency is very low as well).

However, first I have had another problem with the external sound card: I connected both P-250 and sound card via USB to my notebook, and sound card and P-250 with an audio cable. With this setup I heard the 50 Hz from the power line on the speakers. I solved this problem completely by replacing the USB cable between P-250 and notebook by a MIDI cable between P-250 and external sound card.

You also should be able to switch the sound engine off on your CLP-280. If you do not do this, you will hear CLP-280 and Pianoteq layered. There should be a setting called "local control" for this on your CLP-280, it should be described in the manual.

Re: newbie question, bear with me...

Hi baco80,

The CLP-280 is a fabulous instrument.  I have played quite a few Yamaha Clavs in my day, but the 280 is the best sounding one I've encountered yet - plus the natural wood keys and excellent graded hammer action are a tactile delight that I've not felt outside of a real piano.  Brilliant.

The 280 has some very nice samples, but what makes those samples kick some serious ass is the iAFC pumping them through a killer sound system.  The cabinet resonance iAFC offers is unbelievably real.

The performance experience is wonderful.

In my humble opinion, the 280 would be a near-perfect acoustic conduit for Pianoteq.

Drop your Pianoteq-armed laptop on top of the 280, send its output into the 280's aux inputs (best done through an external USB box - even a cheap M-AUDIO FastTrack will rock).  It's the best hotrod you can do to your 280.

BTW which finish did you get?  I thought the polished ebony would be my fave, but when I play the polished mahogany model it is true love.