Joe Felice (Homewood, USA)

« May I tell you, Sir, that Pianoteq has exceeded my wildest expectations in terms of sheer musicality! With all sincerity, you must be made aware that, since having acquired Pianoteq 3 and now 3.5, I have completely deleted all 290GB of a sampled piano library from my computer's hard drives. Compared to the "visceral" feeling I perceive when using Pianoteq 3.5, those beautifully sampled pianos simply do not give me the enjoyment of playing a "real" musical instrument. Congratulations to all of the engineers and designers at Modartt. As a pianist of over 50 years, the recurring thought that comes to mind about Pianoteq 3.5 is "musicality". »

(Chelles, France)

« Je suis musicien pianiste et guitariste depuis maintenant une cinquantaine d'année. Je pense qu'en matière de synthétiseur, j'ai pratiquement tout eu sur scène avec différents orchestres de variétés. Vous vous en doutez bien, que de galères pour trouver un son de piano correct... même avec les échantillonneurs... Vous avez pour votre part, complètement innové, et comme vous le dites si bien, le piano, ce n'est pas que trois cordes par note, mais une mécanique, des marteaux, une table d'harmonie... et le must.... la pédale, et la résonance par sympathie, cela n'a plus rien à voir... c'est purement gigantesque... Je viens de passer à la version pro, et là, c'est la perfection dans le détail. J'avais des problèmes d'équilibre sonore sur mon clavier Akai MX1000 hélas vieillissant, et la nouvelle fonction "note edit" m'a permis de rééquilibrer le volume général des notes du piano en un balayage de souris. »

Ulisse Garnerone (Milano, Italy)

« I am a young piano tuner and repairer (son of a tuner...) and I compose music and record it on computer. I tried every famous, huge gigabyte eater virtual piano, and they had all the same problem: the tuning! There are some upper notes really bad just in certain velocities, they have well tuned the piano at the beginning, but after days of sampling tuning was impossible to keep, even re-tuning the piano. Then I tried Pianoteq 3, the Demo (on wich I play a lot) and I was amazed: perfect tuning, under every proof! The Equal Temperament is just the tuning my father taught me, with the thirds growing by going up, without any doubt a fantastic, realistic tuning. »

« And then the sound. Finally every aspect of pedals and harmonics and sympathetic sounds is recreated! It's like the software is a little God, creating the sound in real time. Virtually not a single note is repeated ever, every one is brand new from the soundboard! The sound of Pianoteq is absolutely the most accurate reproduction of a piano I've ever heard and tried. No sampling can cover all the phenomenons that occur when you play a piano, your attempt is far away from the others, in beauty. »

Curt Allen (Medina, NY, USA)

« Over the past year I have been scaling EVERYTHING back in my studio including a migration over to a notebook PC (an extremely awesome notebook PC!). When I first became aware of Pianoteq (v2) and how it totally abandoned the need for a huge fast dedicated hard drive, I felt that I had finally found the perfect solution for my new compact needs. Unfortunately, the sound of the instrument was still a little 'digital' and sterile for me. »

« Well all of that has changed now!! I think the main reason for this is the new C3 model and the mic placement feature. No longer does it sound like the note is being produced and "heard" directly from a very hard soundboard. I can back the "microphones" off a bit, place them exactly where I want them to be, and get that soft, warm, deep tone that I love from a Steinway D. I'm absolutely amazed and inspired by this technology and this wonderful instrument you have created. »

Leon Bemmelmans (Amersfoort, Netherlands)

« For daylight-use I own a Steinway upright piano ( V25 ). For evening and night playing up to now I have been using sampling instruments ( Roland RD600, Yamaha PSR-1500, Yamaha S90-ES ). I really hate them because they do not interact the way I want, there is no interaction between single notes, there is no instrument resonance, no useful sympathic resonance, and they are always "in tune" ( dull ). So when I read about pianoteq, at first I was a bit sceptic about modeling techniques ( as in guitar-amplifier-modeling techniques, they are mediocre at this moment ). »

« But I must say: Pianoteq blew me away. I can play with the parameters side by side to my Steinway and reproduce the most important characteristics of the instrument ( and more ). So I reduce size, increase resonance and sympathetic resonance, change the unison a bit to simulate the all-day-behaviour of a "not perfect" instrument, and voila: my own Steinway upright. And the most important part: after 1 hour tweaking you'll be attracted to the sound and really believe you are playing an instrument, and all at a sudden you are playing music again. This is by far - did some comparison with high-end-sampled piano's on the internet - the most musical software piano. Thanks. »

Henk Baetsen (Nederweert, Netherlands)

« I've searched and tried many digital pianos over the years but you've beaten them all. At first I was searching for a cp80 plugin. That's how I came to your website a month ago. Downloaded your trial and thought it was a good cp80, but expensive for just that. I did not realize at the moment the power of the grands included. Friday I searched for a new grand-plugin. Thought it had to be massive (at least 60gB). Again I googled your website. I thought: "already heard that one", but had a closer look at the trial I already installed a month ago. I was speechless... 15 mB download, hahaha, splendid, great, superb.... And that for only 250 Euros. »

Ron Eddo (Altamonte Springs, USA)

« Your product has made it possible for me to really work on becoming a better pianist. I hadn't realized what I was up against with all those sampled pianos. I kept thinking that it had to be a lack of technique, when I would keep trying for expression, and fail to reach it. I don't have the means or space for a real piano, and while that's always been a goal of mine, your product is having a strange effect on those aspirations. As I think about what kind of piano would compare favorably to Pianoteq, that ideal piano keeps getting more and more expensive! =) Your product continues to be a HUGE benefit to me. Thank you again, and keep up the good work. »

Ted Perlman (Beverly Hills, USA)

« The best sounding and FEELING acoustic piano plugin I have ever used or heard! I replaced the acoustic piano on a mix we are working on just now, and the difference was instantly noticeable. The low notes thundered, the high notes glistened, and the middle register did what middle registers should do - they enhanced the middle! It sits PERFECTLY in the mix. I'm using the M1 Jazz for a pop mid tempo track. Just great - congratulations! And the CPU hit is almost negligible in Nuendo. »

Arne Eickenberg (Berlin, Germany)

« Thanks for the latest update (v2.2). The C2 Chamber preset came at the right moment, only hours before delivery deadline on my last project. It added just the right touch that the recording needed. I've been using Pianoteq on almost every project since I bought the plug-in, and I was already delighted by the quality, when there were still a few glitches with the first version. Now it's simply and only great. Period! ;-) Keep up the good work. »

Fredrik Muskos (Göteborg, Sweden)

« I work as a music producer, remixer and composer and have tried a lot of different pianos through the years. When I first heard a sample of what Pianoteq was capable of, I couldn't believe my ears! That such a small application can host such a realistic and varied sound was simply amazing. It's easy to work with and I've never seen (heard) a piano that can be so controlled, even in details I was completely unaware of, even though I have played the piano for over 30 years. If you learn to handle Pianoteq, no-one can hear that it's not a real piano. Nowadays, whenever I need a piano, my first choice is Pianoteq, no doubt about that. »

Graham Sanders (State College, USA)

« I am a professional opera singer and I am always being asked to supply audition CD's. Well, doing it the traditional way, by going into the studio is very expensive. My solution was to buy Logic Pro, Roland FA-66 audio capture and MLX mic. The problem was the piano. After much testing and debate, I chose Pianoteq, and I have been blown away with it. Also, the people I have played my tests for, not one of them has questioned if the piano and pianist is live. »

Tom Hunt (Oklahoma City, USA)

« Here at Minimum Blue Studios, we're still trying to figure out why we used to think that our sampled pianos (which we've spent thousands of dollars on, over the years) played so well and sounded so good. Pianoteq simply blows even the very best of them away -- it isn't even fair to compare them side-by-side, it's apples and oranges, and Pianoteq has become our go-to instrument -- we thank you for it. »

Rodney Jones (Caledon, Canada)

« I believe that this is the finest, most expressive and realistic digital piano instrument that I've ever encountered. I'm sure that this will be the instrument I use for playing, practicing, and sequencing moving forward. I really can't say enough in praise of the technology. The dynamics are extremely convincing and much better than any sample library or ROMpler in my collection. Pianoteq even beats my Clavinova which I was convinced had the best dynamics until now. I especially enjoyed the ability of Pianoteq to catch a staccato note with an immediate press of the sustain pedal. This isn't something I was able to replicate with any other sample library. »

Christophe Jodon (Le Plessis-Luzarches, France)

« Taking into account Pianoteq's mechanics possibilities, it places it on a pedestal compared to competing sampled pianos. It requires much less CPU and much less disk space, the sound is very vivid thanks to its irreproachable mechanics which allows a very high expressiveness, and provides a substantial playing pleasure because it behaves like an acoustic piano. »

Brian D. Schum (Port Arkansas, USA)

« The interface is simple and logical in design. It is intuitive, and the inclusion of pop-up help is an especially bold stroke, since it not only reveals the function, but what the function affects. The technology is unbelievably innovative and revolutionary (and I don't use this term lightly). In the end however, it is the sound that counts. As amazing as the technology behind this piano is, it is remarkably overshadowed by its superb sound. The Pianoteq piano is by far more "vivid" than my favorite sampled piano. »

Brian McKinlay (Toronto, Canada)

« Pianoteq is far more vivid than static samples. It invites the muse, and chords sound like chords (ensemble) as they interact. The massive harp (sympathetics) ringing on a full-compass glissando with pedal is truly staggering! It sounds just like a gliss while listening right over an open piano lid. »

Ole Jeppesen (Copenhagen, Denmark)

« You will discover what Pianoteq can really do after having played around with the different settings/parameters. I'm doing a song right now where I replaced the sampled piano with Pianoteq. No doubt I did the right thing buying this beast. After having increased the hammer sound and adjusted hammer hardness to get some more overtones from the attack, the piano is blending great in the song. Try to do that with a sampled piano! It's a true joy to be able to fine tune the instrument this way. »