Topic: How to make Pianoteq sound just like playing a physical piano?
I've been hugely impressed with Pianoteq, and currently have it hooked up to my Casio PX-3 and M-Audio BX8a studio monitors, positioned as specified, in a room with acceptable acoustic behaviour.
I'm half-way comfortable with the sound (way better than your average sample-based MIDI setup), but I'm having real trouble getting it to sound anything like the piano is *right there in front of me*. It sounds electronic/"midi" in a way that I can't put my finger on.
Some observations/questions:
1. My first guess would be the frequency curve of my speakers is suspect. However, my BX8a speakers are reasonably high-end studio monitors, and should have quite a flat response. So, I should leave the EQ setting in Pianoteq untouched for the most realistic results, right? If the precision-engineering of Pianoteq is anything to go by, the designers would have designed it to sound most realistic on a set of flat-response monitors with no EQ adjustment, right?
2. For comparison, I previously used a set of *much lower-end* 4-inch M-Audio AV40s, and they actually sounded better (more like a real piano in the same room), except they couldn't produce the volume of a real piano without distorting. So, given Pianoteq must be designed for the best (=flattest) monitors, why would lower-end monitors with a more limited response sound more real?
3. In theory, my room should be out of the equation -- while it's not a perfect room, it's reasonably good, and I know what a physical piano sounds like in that room. So I should at least be able to get it sounding like a physical piano in the same room, right?
4. With the recent Pianoteq 5 upgrade, there was a bit of concern from some quarters about the new D4 sounding *worse* than the old D4v4. I had this same experience -- the new version sounds more tinny, more electronic, more like an old-school midi piano than a real piano sitting in front of me. This is not just my taste -- I *know* the difference between a piano I do & don't like, and it's a completely different thing than the electronic-y sound I absolutely loathe. But the new D4 is supposed to better-modelled, more like the real thing. It has me worried that what should sound worse actually sounds better on my system. What am I missing?
5. In order to create the best feeling of a piano that's right in front of me, I have turned off all effects, particularly reverb -- I like reverb, but I want my practice piano to sound like a piano in the room with me, not in some other acoustic environment. Am I on the right track with this?
6. Is there a set of recommended studio monitors (or other speaker style) to use with Pianoteq? Anybody else with experience/suggestions regarding BX8a, AV40, or other?
7. I use Pianoteq Stage, so I don't have access to the microphone etc controls. I set my Pianoteq Stage to "Stereophonic" output. Is this the best for my desired setup? Have the Pianoteq designers set Stage to sensible defaults for a real-piano-in-front-of-me studio monitor scenario, or would I get significantly more realistic results from tweaking the microphone setup? How?
8. All the pianos apart from the D4v4 sound unacceptably tinny and "midi"-like on my setup. The uprights are by far the worst -- they sound synthesized (gasp!). I grew up playing & loving a number of different uprights, so I know what they should sound like, and it's not this. Why?
In short, what's the recommended path to getting Pianoteq to sound exactly like I'm playing a real, quality, piano in the same room as me? How should I focus my efforts in these areas:
- Speakers? (Monitor recommendations, anyone?)
- Speaker positioning?
- EQ adjustments?
- Dynamic range adjustments?
- Volume?
- Keyboard touch? (I'm happy with what I've got, but is it possible my ears are being fooled by an unrealistic feel?)
- Microphone adjustments?
Recommendations would be super helpful. Even more helpful would be anyone who can provide me with a broader understanding of this area. Can the Pianoteq designers help me?