AlexS wrote:In general, all negative critique may be summarized like this: "Pianoteq is unchallenged when it comes to playability and feel/response, but in terms of tone and authenticity it still leaves a lot to be desired, often sounding synthetic, though he definitely gets better and closer, with each release"
I grossly agree with this summary (except ...a lot to be desired.. which I would replace with ... room for improvement...), but less with some comments on the Pianoworld forum.
Reading comments on Pianoworld reminds me of these two grumpy old men in the Muppet Show.
I guess that there are those who will never like Pianoteq, even if PTQ was perfect. Well, they better spend their time to touch the piano keys and start enjoying music! If they can't, go fishing and enjoy quietness. Speaking is silver, silence is golden...
Yes, there are always aspects to improve and I am certain that the PTQ team are working hard on that. I started with PTQ3, experienced all the improvements and can only say that for me, PTQ6 is near perfect. Version 5 (and before) was sometimes frustrating because of a sort of 'worn felt with grooves' attack noise in the mid range. 6 is so much better.
What many do realise less, is that the sound depends on many variables, with the sound system as being one of the prominent ones. Just play a bit with the equaliser for example, to realise how much influence it has on the sound. I have different settings for my KEF 104/2's (aren't they nice, are they?) and AKG headset, for example.
It is also very important to realise that when one plays, you adjust to the feedback from the instrument. For me, this has gone unnoticed until I started playing digital instruments about 25 years ago. Playing a MIDI file without adjusting velocity curves, for example, can produce results that are far from what the original player heard. Not to talk about the instrument chosen, which has its own character.
In my opinion, many comparisons and reviews are flawed by these aspects.
In the past, I had upright pianos (did not have the money and room for grands). Yes, they were okay, but far from what PTQ6 offers. Not only was the sound of the uprights much worse, but they had their habits too. Noisy hammers, detuned after a morning of fortissimo playing, just to name a few. Luckily, I learned myself to tune and repair, but the "player to technician ratio" was pretty miserable.
When I am playing PTQ (using a Yamaha digital piano as master keyboard), it does not take long for me to start getting this warm feeling inside and there are moments when I sort of wake up and suddenly realise that I am not playing a grand. I thought music is about something like this...
I would also like to thank PTQ for the Grotrian (added not too long ago) which has become my favourite.
Finally let us be honest. PTQ is a giveway in terms of money. I have PTQ Pro and for that investment, the reward is tremendous. I can definitely recommend Pro, because it adds to realism when you carefully adjust the instrument. And no, I will not trade it for a grand. Even if I had the money and room. Why? You cannot replace it with a different one in a second... and I ENJOY playing PTQ, so why change?
Musical regards, Henk
Last edited by Wave (24-11-2017 09:46)