Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Well, I haven't had much chance to play it yet, but it seems as if Pianoteq has propelled itself into a Super League all of its own. For curiosity I listen to demos of other virtual pianos, and have yet to find one that comes even close (IMHO).

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Agreed!

Last edited by Stephen_Doonan (09-09-2017 15:43)
--
Linux, Pianoteq Pro, Organteq

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I just wanted to join the choir of praise.

Pianoteq 6 is great. I just did a fairly detailed comparison with the Garritan CFX. Pianoteq is in many ways better, and certainly a lot more versatile. The CFX has a really beautiful tone, but nothing that Pianoteq 6 can't match. Any differences in timbre are now a function of a difference in kind of piano, not quality. And Pianoteq's overall sound is much more organic and integrated, with much more sonic bloom, far superior sympathetic resonance et cetera.

The biggest surprise for me was the YC5, which I always found largely unusable, but which sounds great now. Both the Steinway D and B are great and significantly improved. I'm really taken with the Grotrian Under Lid preset: a really weighty, visceral sound.

I've probably reached the point where I'll now longer use any sampled pianos. I'm glad I first bought Pianoteq more than 10 years ago, when its potential was already obvious, though it still had many shortcomings. My faith in Pianoteq and in the Modartt team has been more than justified.

Pianoteq is now a technological marvel: elegant, incredibly versatile, super playable and realistic-sounding, and made by a team of supersmart people. Compared to this, sampling is just so cumbersome, unwieldy, unsophisticated, and just plain dumb.

In short: congratulations to Modartt, and to the community of (virtual) piano-players!

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

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dazric wrote:

Well, I haven't had much chance to play it yet, but it seems as if Pianoteq has propelled itself into a Super League all of its own.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

The new Pianoteq 6 Steinway Model D plays back my EMPS compositions in the most beautiful acoustic sound to date.

I'll be reproducing/producing my current/new EMPS compositions with this VST piano instrument.

Congratulations on making virtual pianos sound realistically acoustic better and better.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Pianoteq 6 is really very good ! I love it. My favorite piano stays the Gotrian Royal concert.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Pianophile wrote:

The biggest surprise for me was the YC5, which I always found largely unusable, but which sounds great now.

I thought the same. The previous version had a sort of steel pan colouring in the sound, but its now gone and this has a nice clean sound.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

DonSmith wrote:

I thought the same. The previous version had a sort of steel pan colouring in the sound, but its now gone and this has a nice clean sound.

Agreed. The Yamaha model C5 sounds wonderful now. Very enjoyable to play.

--
Linux, Pianoteq Pro, Organteq

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

yes. it is a must buy for me.
thank you for your comment Stephen.
most appreciative of all your comments here, and at Piano World.
I am still trying to decide if it would be worth it for me to upgrade to Pro.
I really don't know how much I would use the Note Editor.
I wish the demo was for Pro, so I could try it out.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Any chance to Yamaha authorize the use their name for pianoteq model, like Steinway did for this last update?

What you found about the update in U4 model?

Last edited by Beto-Music (10-09-2017 16:56)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I do not know.
and I have not tried the U4 yet.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Love the update!  I am suffering some nerve damage in my right hand but I am still very much enjoying all of the freshened piano models.  A quick Blüthner test here.   https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/pianoteq-6-test  Fun!
  -Perry-

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Studiocat wrote:

Love the update!  I am suffering some nerve damage in my right hand but I am still very much enjoying all of the freshened piano models.  A quick Blüthner test here.   https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/pianoteq-6-test  Fun!
  -Perry-

Very Nice and Woody!

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Try to treat you nerve problem as soon as you can and the better you can. Do not trust the poor medical science to treat a case of worsened problem, in case it get serious, wainting treatments as great. They are far from great, indeed most are still mediocre.

We are in 21 century but using mostly  the same sh... stuff treatments of decades ago.


Studiocat wrote:

Love the update!  I am suffering some nerve damage in my right hand but I am still very much enjoying all of the freshened piano models.  A quick Blüthner test here.   https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/pianoteq-6-test  Fun!
  -Perry-

Last edited by Beto-Music (11-09-2017 14:15)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Studiocat wrote:

Love the update!  I am suffering some nerve damage in my right hand but I am still very much enjoying all of the freshened piano models.  A quick Blüthner test here.   https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/pianoteq-6-test  Fun!
  -Perry-

Was that "a whole new world" from Aladdin I heard at 0:45? 

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I think not far off is the time when Mikhail Pletnyov and Nikolai Lugansky leave enthusiastic reviews about the synthesis of the pianoforte. But it is worthwhile to work hard to satisfy their demanding hearing and feeling.

Last edited by scherbakov.al (10-09-2017 21:19)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

kbrasee wrote:
Studiocat wrote:

Love the update!  I am suffering some nerve damage in my right hand but I am still very much enjoying all of the freshened piano models.  A quick Blüthner test here.   https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/pianoteq-6-test  Fun!
  -Perry-

Was that "a whole new world" from Aladdin I heard at 0:45? 

  Ha!  Yes, I think it was. 

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I like the upgrade so far (with little testing tbh). I was taken aback at first because I was just loading my usual v5 presets in the v6 and the sound was a bit "difficult" (ie not really usable, too much grain, unrealistic dynamics and resonances, ...)

Now starting from the official presets again I get convincing pianos with a better attack (esp stein D, B and Grotrian) and better mid-high frequencies sustain.
Did anyone else notice the need to rebuild their presets in v6?

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

The presets are not the same, but not necessarily 'bad' - just different. Favorite ones do need tweaking.

- David

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

As AKM I doesn't heard a big improvement with this new version, for me Pianoteq became "6" because the Steinway are authorized now.
But for 29€ I'm really happy with the YC5 it's a new piano now and is really good, if Pianoteq is better than v5 for 5% (it's my opinion as AKM) YC5 is better for 60%.

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I've got quite lot of experience with Pianoteq 5 trying to tweak the sound but with limited results. Haven't tried 6 yet, but listened to people's recordings so far for few hours. I had almost given up hope, but this is definitely a step to the right direction even if it's a small step, and the pros Pianoteq has always had are starting to seriously outweigh the cons of the sound.

Changes I noticed:

Unclear mess of parts of sound that are not working together --> clearer, simpler sound, less clutter.
Metallic attack --> now more woody attack with more character
Metallic and messy --> got rid of metallic attack, replaced with "real", defined attack it didn't have before.
Dead sound --> has now more character for different pianos, sounds more interesting and pleasing.
Hollow sound --> slightly more meaty sound, maybe more bass, but also because of sound character improvements.

Though, those issues are not definitely gone. Most of them are still present but less noticeably, and I think it's improved in almost every one of them. But I wonder if they are able to get it any better. Depends on whether they realized some new things or just adjusted existing things to mask the issues. Especially the attack still sounds like Pianoteq.

One issue might be the mic placement in the presets. I'm amazed by Nathan's recordings, especially the improvisation, which doesn't have as much of the Pianoteq attack like most other Pianoteq recordings. I don't think a sampled piano would be up for a chaotic recording like that.

Last edited by skinkken (14-09-2017 19:42)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

SSSSHHHHHHHHH guys. Don't give them *TOO* much props, they might grow complacent or increase price!! ;p

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Dear all, and Modartt,

There's so much to appreciate with the new Pianoteq version 6!

Essentially I wish to echo all of the well deserved praise here from both established and new users.

This software remains at the very top of my 'best ever' list for good reason.

Pianoteq is a rare and exotic blend of exceptional work on every front - almost entirely unique to software in any market these days.

Again and sincerely, thank you Modartt, #6 is truly fantastic!

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I disagree with the user who said this is a 5% improvement.  I don't know quite how to rate the improvement, but to me it's significant.  I find it rather remarkable, actually.  I've only used it for a few minutes, and mostly the D and B, but my first impression is that this is the first version of Pianoteq I've ever heard that did not sound synthesized.  I'm glad Steinway held out, I think that pressure probably helped boost the Modartt team, and I can hear why they felt like this was the time.

I would find it difficult to measure the difference in a percentage because it feels like a qualitative leap forward for the whole project to me.  I can understand it being considered subtle, but to me the subtle change is quite profound - I don't have words to explain it, really, but I was just playing it and I was like "Yep, there it is" - almost like they hit a sweet spot.

Big congratulations!

Last edited by jconl (22-09-2017 23:04)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Amazing job! Finally knighted by Steinway - well deserved. Congratulations!

Round tone with clear treble - that's it!

I was complaining about the Noises a lot which in my opinion were not on par with the rest so far. Well, complaints heard - Noises improved:

* Nice fat keybed kick (contained in hammer noise) exciting the piano body properly
* Sustian pedal now "thumps" properly

Furthermore the W1 has moulted to a serious Wurlitzer simulation. Great!

Finally, to those who complain about Pianoteq acoustic pianos sounding synthetic: I think the presets suffer from phasing issues indeed and that makes most of the deal. To get rid of this HARD pan the mics and instead change their positions to your liking to achieve a wider resp. narrower stereo width.

formerly known as Notyetconvinced

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Modellingoptimist wrote:

Amazing job! Finally knighted by Steinway - well deserved. Congratulations!

Round tone with clear treble - that's it!

I was complaining about the Noises a lot which in my opinion were not on par with the rest so far. Well, complaints heard - Noises improved:

* Nice fat keybed kick (contained in hammer noise) exciting the piano body properly
* Sustian pedal now "thumps" properly

Furthermore the W1 has moulted to a serious Wurlitzer simulation. Great!

Finally, to those who complain about Pianoteq acoustic pianos sounding synthetic: I think the presets suffer from phasing issues indeed and that makes most of the deal. To get rid of this HARD pan the mics and instead change their positions to your liking to achieve a wider resp. narrower stereo width.

Can you give us some examples demonstrating your use of hard panning to remove what you hear as phasing problems? Maybe a before and after snapshot just recording a note or a chord? I do hear and like the variation created if I just take the Steinway D Jazz preset and hard pan as you suggest, leaving Mic 5 with equal volume in both channels, since that mic is near the center of the piano. But I'm not sure that I hear a change that is caused by a reduction in phasing problems.

Maybe I should ask what phasing problems you hear. I usually think of phasing problems as meaning that freqs are cancelled out. Are you hearing something else? (By the way, are you leaving the Level and Delay settings turned on with these variations?)

Last edited by Jake Johnson (12-10-2017 15:53)

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Jake Johnson wrote:

Can you give us some examples demonstrating your use of hard panning to remove what you hear as phasing problems? Maybe a before and after snapshot just recording a note or a chord? I do hear and like the variation created if I just take the Steinway D Jazz preset and hard pan as you suggest, leaving Mic 5 with equal volume in both channels, since that mic is near the center of the piano. But I'm not sure that I hear a change that is caused by a reduction in phasing problems.

Maybe I should ask what phasing problems you hear. I usually think of phasing problems as meaning that freqs are cancelled out. Are you hearing something else? (By the way, are you leaving the Level and Delay settings turned on with these variations?)

The best way everybody can check this out is with the comparison function in the upper right side of the user interface. For demo purpose select an acoustic piano preset in which 2 mics are used, e.g. Steinway D Prelude and press the A button. Then press the B button, hard pan the mics and you can switch between A and B.

I hear phase cancellations in the original preset, especially with chords. Besides synthetic, people describe the sound as thin and flat, especially in the lower registers.

Hard panning gives a more powerful sound with a clear stereo direction.

formerly known as Notyetconvinced

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I bought Pianoteq 5 Studio and haven’t used it for almost a year because my clients were not feeling it. When I saw the recent email about version 6, I almost ignored it.  Fortunately I saw the link to audibly compare versions 5 and 6. I was impressed and upgraded immediately. Keep up the fascinating sciences!

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Jake Johnson wrote:

(By the way, are you leaving the Level and Delay settings turned on with these variations?)

Yes. But this doesn't matter.

I just tested Pianoteq v6 on the Quad ESL63 electrostatic loudspeakers, which for me are the best loudspeakers in the world, especially for acoustic music styles.

The whole audience instantly preferred the hard panned version of any preset I chose in a blind test, also the laypersons among them.

Last edited by Modellingoptimist (13-10-2017 12:21)
formerly known as Notyetconvinced

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

I want to add that I'm not a sound engineer but know something about sound.

I suggest always starting with just 2 mics for one single sound source like a piano and only add further mics if I really know which effect I want to achieve with this. Otherwise the risk of audible phase cancellations is very high.

formerly known as Notyetconvinced

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Hi AKM,

It's 22 months since you gave your impressions about the version 6.00 update. We are now on 6.5.3 and there have been some minor adjustments to the program and some of the pianos. Do you feel that there is now a greater improvement in sound over Version 5 ?
I'm new to the program after purchasing the Stage Version 6, but it alll sounds o.k. to me.
I do also have Ravenscroft 275 and I'm very happy with that. 

Chris

Re: Pianoteq 6 is AWESOME!!!

Download the test version and give it a whirl!

I think it has improved, since 6.0, a huge amount. It is getting very hard to tell the difference between PTQ and real AP's.

I always find myself, using my current computer setup, raising the first two hammer adjustments higher (Piano & Mezzo). For some reason my iMac/Sennheiser 650's sound a bit nasally and drab.  I am not using my interface (Focusrite) and it might be that. My headphones are plugged into the back of the iMac.