Topic by jefff

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Topic: Newbie Question on Output Quality

Hi, I am considering buying a Pianoteq product (Pianoteq 5 Stage, probably), but I have questions about how it works....

The question: Should I expect the output signal from the headphone jack of my MacBook Pro to be high quality, or do I have to do something else to hear really good sound?

According to my understanding, the MIDI signal reaches the Pianoteq app running on my computer, in this case probably a MacBook Pro.
The Pianoteq app converts the MIDI signal into something that sounds as if it is being played on a wonderful piano (or other instrument), which I then hear through the headphone jack on my Macintosh.

Is the Pianoteq app outputting an analog or digital signal? If digital, where is the D-to-A converter? Is it is Mac hardware, or is it Mac software?

Would I do significantly better on a desktop machine with a fancy sound card to output the sound?

Many thanks.

Reply by stamkorg

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

jefff wrote:

Hi, I am considering buying a Pianoteq product (Pianoteq 5 Stage, probably), but I have questions about how it works....

The question: Should I expect the output signal from the headphone jack of my MacBook Pro to be high quality, or do I have to do something else to hear really good sound?

According to my understanding, the MIDI signal reaches the Pianoteq app running on my computer, in this case probably a MacBook Pro.
The Pianoteq app converts the MIDI signal into something that sounds as if it is being played on a wonderful piano (or other instrument), which I then hear through the headphone jack on my Macintosh.

Is the Pianoteq app outputting an analog or digital signal? If digital, where is the D-to-A converter? Is it is Mac hardware, or is it Mac software?

Would I do significantly better on a desktop machine with a fancy sound card to output the sound?

Many thanks.


The MacBook Pro are good machines, the sound coming out should be of high quality. The problem with these internal audio shipsets is sometimes some electrical parasit noise. A good external sound card will always sound better, but you can begin with your MacBook Pro an hear...

The signal coming from Pianoteq is digital and is converted on the audio chipset or the external audio card. The process is probably a mix of hardware and software tech.

Laptop or desktop: it is the same. The only thing you can expect from a desktop is more flexibility and more power. I suggest to stay with your MacBook and add an external audio device if needed. If you have thunderbolt ports, use it for the better performance latency wise.

SK

Last edited by stamkorg (20-08-2017 09:16)

Reply by jefff

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

Thanks!
So I gather from this that:

1. PianoTeq puts out a digital signal
2. I could hook up an external audio interface via USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, etc.
3. It is unclear to me whether D-to-A conversion would then be handled by the external audio interface or on the Mac. I presume that the external interface and their drivers know how to feed the digital signal to the external interface.

I appreciate the help!

Jeff

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

Your audio interface is doing the conversion from digital to analog.

Hard work and guts!

Reply by Amen Ptah Ra

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

As an owner of a still working PowerBook G4 with a copy of Pianoteq 4 installed on it, I may vouch for a sufficient Apple headphone jack.  A new MacBook Pro is efficient enough to output 192 kHz (high quality) digital audio through its headphone port.

Digital to analog conversion happens inside the MacBook, until you connect and use an external audio interface.  Upgrades are always possible as you become familiar with your setup over time.

Presently, included within mine are an iMac, Focusrite interface, Yamaha digital piano, and M-Audio studio grade monitors.  I've grown into my own home studio.

Last edited by Amen Ptah Ra (21-08-2017 05:40)
Pianoteq 8 Studio Bundle, Pearl malletSTATION EM1, Roland (DRUM SOUND MODULE TD-30, HandSonic 10, AX-1), Akai EWI USB, Yamaha DIGITAL PIANO P-95, M-Audio STUDIOPHILE BX5, Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP.

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

Amen Ptah Ra wrote:

A new MacBook Pro is efficient enough to output 192 kHz (high quality) digital audio through its headphone port.

192 kHz is pretty much useless in practice (especially for piano sounds, which don't have much spectral energy above 10 kHz! Also, setting Pianoteq Pro to 192 doesn't magically improve the modeling quality or sound, at all. Tried and tested.), and a spectacular waste of CPU power. 44.1/48k is still perfectly sufficient for any real day-to-day work.

Last edited by EvilDragon (20-08-2017 20:45)
Hard work and guts!

Reply by dklein

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Re: Newbie Question on Output Quality

What about your experiences with buffering?  How much is useful to avoid stutters at that 44.1, vs how much is likely overkill?

- David