Pianoteq 4.5.1 released

[David Polich]

For those of you who use Pianoteq and haven't checked for updates since
maybe February of this year (like me, I'm ashamed to admit), Pianoteq 4.5.1
is out now. The sound engine has been improved (noticeably, I might add) and
there is a new control called "Condition" which allows you to change the
state of the instrument from showroom new to completely old and worn-out.
You can also set the "Condition" slider to "random" to produce all manner of
broken and destroyed pianos and other instruments. Pretty cool and lots of
fun for sound design.

Also included is a new upright piano add-on, the "U4". It certainly gives
Ivory Uprights and NI's Upright piano a run for their money. And, unlike
sampled pianos, you can "build your own" instruments, thanks to Pianoteq's
modeling engine (it doesn't use samples).

The only Pianoteq instruments I find less than satisfactory are the electric
pianos. All other instruments in the Pianoteq collection (grands, harpsichords, bells, vibes, glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone, clavinet, and steel and pan drums) are, in my opinion, without peer.

More info:

http://www.pianoteq.com

[mhschmieder]

Yep; I did the update in mid-April when it was released, and just this past weekend re-tracked all of my piano tracks, noticing big improvements as well as when playing in real-time.

Funny you should mention the Clavinet, because it was my favourite until a few days ago when Soniccouture released their new library (so did Acousticsamples on the same day). I re-tracked all my Clavinet parts and spent a good deal of time playing it live and tweaking it. This will be my final Clavinet; the one I've been waiting for for years. I was almost ready to buy a real one, in spite of the maintenance issues and costs!

The Humanize feature which was added a couple of releases ago in Pianoteq was applied more broadly in one of the recent point releases, and I am finding it helps the Marimba and Vibraphone. Those are still my favourite chromatic percussion implementations in spite of having Soniccouture's Grand Marimba -- mostly because I tend to use Marimba in a folk, broadway, or jazz setting more often than not. It blends really well using Pianoteq as the dynamics are so realistic. I need more time with the Soniccouture library though as they followed classical/orchestral tradition by choosing specific mallets for each note range.

As for the pianos in the latest Pianoteq update, what I notice is more randomization than before, leading to a more organic feel. It also better handles note repetition, and the dynamic range has been extended (you may need to adjust your velocity curve as a result).

Speaking of velocity-matching to Pianoteq, Kawai has the new VPC-1 MIDI controller which is more or less based on their MP-series Digital Pianos but with way more detailed action that is specific to this model as it is dedicated to piano playing (though no sound ending). There is a Pianoteq velocity curve available as a preset; the editor itself so far is Windows-only, but it's good that it already has a compatible velocity curve for Pianoteq. I'll be trying a related model at a hidden piano store I didn't know about that is less than a mile from my office!

[mhschmieder]

The new U4 add-on is, as Dave says, the best upright on the market. I especially like the Tack Piano and am using that for Reggae. I had done my own presets for reggae but they won't load in this latest update and I didn't write my settings down on paper so am too lazy to recreate them from scratch (even though I more or less remember what I did). I had made a Korg M1 House Piano preset and a more general Dub/Reggae preset, designed for staccato playing (in Reggae, the piano is usually in unison with the Rhythm Guitar as part of what they call "The Bubble").

Modartt has also tweaked some of the older piano models; even the legacy ones and the historic models. The CP-80 is still completely unconvincing to me; I like GSi's the best but it isn't 64-bits yet. It strikes the best balance between the acoustic miked sound and the plugged in sound; the expensive Prominy library that I own strictly gives you the plugged in sound, which is kind of pointless -- I'd rather use a Hohner Pianet at that point (e.g. Scarbee's, though Sampletekk also now has an interesting one).

Back to GSi, they just came out with a hardware version of their Leslie effect, so I wouldn't be surprised if they start partnering/pairing with more hardware companies to embed their VI's and effects in a "hands-on" version. This seems to be an industry trend (hybrid instruments and effects -- Arturia also comes to mind).

[mhschmieder]

BTW I remain perplexed by Sound-On-Sound's review of Pianoteq a few months back, as their recommendations run diametrically opposed to my own.

They say make use of its internal reverb as it's "very good now that it's convolution-based". I would disagree strongly; it seems put there for convenience and to inspire based on mode or genre, which can of course be very useful during composition phase but not recording phase.

But they also say to switch off all the mics and record in stereo mode. Not quite sure how this translates to the current interface but I guess they mean use just two mics vs. four or five, and only two of the available outputs, as opposed to binaural mode. Or maybe they do mean switch to binaural mode from mic mode. But that would NOT be good for recording; just for headphone practice!

I get the impression that most reviewers don't think about recording when they review products; whereas that is almost ALL that I am concerned about, as I primarily compose in my head vs. needing inspiration. Once I start practicing and/or recording, I want to know what it's going to sound like in the mix as it affects my articulations and phrasing, so I pretty much go straight for the "Recording" presets in Pianoteq as a basis.

Interestingly, most of Pianoteq's "Recording" presets make MORE use of the multi-mic setups (most of which are far away as room mics) than the ones designed more for practicing and inspiration. You would think the opposite from the SOS review.

[David Polich]

Modartt has also tweaked some of the older piano models; even the legacy ones and the historic models. The CP-80 is still completely unconvincing to me;
.

Forgot about Pianoteq's CP-80 - yes, I agree with you, Mark. It can be "fixed"
to sound a little better by adjusting the release to make the release much shorter (a real CP-80 has very little release except in the undamped highest octave and the very lowest notes). But still not real great. I agree that GSi's CP is much better. I can't trust Prominy anymore on anything since getting burned on their lousy LPC guitar.

[mhschmieder]

Pianoteq 5 is now expected by end of May 2014.

Just saw this on their forum and it's an official announcement vs. a rumor.

In fact, it might be ready as early as next week, but I'm thinking Memorial Day.

Upgrade paths will be similar a before, along with grace period freebies for recent buyers ("recent" is liberally applied by Pianoteq; maybe even a year?).