Pianoteq 3

The Pianoteq technology


Characteristics of PIANOTEQ

  • The piano sound is constructed in real time, responding to how the pianist strikes the keys and interacts with the pedals
  • It includes the entire complexity of a real piano (hammers, strings, duplex scale, pedals, cabinet)
  • Continuous velocity from pianissimo to fortissimo, with progressive variation of the timbre: that makes exactly 127 velocities! A sample-based software program would in theory require hundreds of gigabytes for all these velocities
  • Complex resonances that only a model can reproduce in all its richness:
    • “Harp” resonance of all strings, both without and with sustain pedal
    • Duplex scale (the undamped string parts which come into resonance)
    • Sympathetic resonances between strings
    • Damper position effect when key is released (variable overtones damping)
    • Other special effects like staccato and sound continuation when pressing down the sustain pedal a short time after key release (re-pedalling)
  • Timbre modification of repeated notes, due to the hammer striking strings which are already in motion instead of being still
  • Release velocity
  • Four pedals:
    • Progressive sustain pedal, allowing the so-called “half pedal”, but also quarter or tenth’s pedals if you want!
    • Sostenuto pedal, allowing you to hold some notes after release without pressing down the sustain pedal
    • Harmonic pedal, allowing you to play staccato while maintaining the sustain pedal resonance
    • Una corda pedal, also called soft pedal, modifying the sound quality or timbre by shifting the piano action to the right (on grand pianos)
  • Variable lid position
  • Natural instrument noises including:
    • Action key release noise
    • Damper noise at key release (for bass note dampers)
    • Sustain pedal noise: pedal velocity dependant “whoosh” produced by the dampers rising altogether from the strings or falling down
  • Choice of microphone position and multichannel mixing (up to 5 mics, 5 channels)
  • Microtuning and scala format files import
  • Various effects including equalizer, keyboard velocity setting, volume, sound dynamics which controls the loudness levels between pianissimo and fortissimo, reverberation with control of reverberation weight, duration and room size, limiter, tremolo.

Why a sampled piano is insufficient

The very best sampled pianos of today are the result of many hours of careful recordings associated with complex solutions designed to provide a valuable piano sound. We respect the work of these high class competitors who manage to develop sampled based pianos of this quality. However, it is since long well known that the sampling technology as such has some inherent disadvantages.

To give you an understanding of the reasons why we chose to develop PIANOTEQ we find it necessary to describe the shortcomings of using samples to create a digital piano:

  1. The sampled piano contains static recordings of each note, how it sounded during a particular moment in time. It does not take into account the influence of other strings vibrating, cabinet resonance, pedal interaction and hammer position.
  2. The sampled piano can not alter the existing piano samples when it comes to parameters such as hammer hardness, unison tuning, cabinet size, overtones spectrum etc.
  3. The sampled piano has several technical limitations such as audible quantization noise and uneven variation of the timbre (from ppp to fff).

Despite many recent attempts to enhance the sampled piano sound by adding convolution reverb and other post processing effects, the technology as such has too many limitations when it comes to achieving a truly vivid and convincing piano sound.

PIANOTEQ interface

The many adjustable parameters make it possible to not only adapt the existing adapted piano model but also to create new piano sounds. This is one of the advantages of a truly modelled piano — it opens up new possibilities for the creative musician.

PIANOTEQ gives you all the possibilities to do several tuning improvements which are usually done only by piano tuners. Example: diapason (414-467 Hz), different kinds of temperaments (from equal to well tempered), microtuning, unison tuning (for changing the timbre or colour of the sound), octave stretching and direct sound duration.

Screenshot of the PIANOTEQ upper panel

Another task for a professional piano tuner is to "shape" the piano sound according to the pianist's taste. By adjusting hammer hardness it is possible to adapt the piano sound from mellow to bright in great detail. There is not just one adjustment, mellow to bright, but a very detailed slider for each major velocity: pianissimo, mezzoforte and fortissimo.

The next feature is something that not even a piano tuner can do — changing the soundboard impedance. You will get a total control of overtones. This makes it even possible to change the size of the piano, from A size to D size, even up to a 10 meter (33 feet) grand!


Overview of the available parameters:

Available parameters

To provide you with more possibilities in one package there is also a graphical equalizer and a reverb unit. Of course you can bypass any of these if you prefer other effects plug-ins.

You can also in detail adjust the velocity curve for your particular keyboard to insure that you get the expression that suits you the best.

Sreenshot of the PIANOTEQ lower panel

It can be used as a stand-alone player and with any VST or Audio Units host such as Cubase, Logic, Nuendo... It can also be used as an RTAS plugin with Pro Tools version 7.3 and higher. Please refer to the FAQ page for more details.