Modartt Pianoteq is a physical modeling instrument. All acoustic properties are generated synthetically, eliminating the need for gigabyte-heavy libraries. This offers significant advantages over conventional software pianos – especially in terms of flexibility, sonic variety, articulation and expressiveness.
Some skeptical piano purists still associate the word “synthetic” with a cold sound, or consider sampling sounds to be much more authentic. While the first versions of Pianoteq rightly deserved that criticism, that’s all water under the bridge by now. Instead, the current Pianoteq models impress with their excellent sound quality.
A superb reproduction of a Steinway D concert grand leads the way with plenty of brilliance and depth. However, the almost lyrical sound of the B model is also very impressive. The Blüthner grand piano is a further step in this direction, while the 1896 Bechstein demonstrates the developmental leap to today’s concert grands. All wonderful sounds with a lot of character, suitable for a wide variety of musical genres.
With the Pianoteq 8 program version, the actual piano manufacturers have approved the respective digital piano models available in Pianoteq. This is an important update, as the names of the pianos refer to the instruments by name instead of implying anything, e.g. Steinway D. Also models of the grand pianos Bösendorfer and Kawai are available.
Modartt provides Pianoteq users with a constant stream of new piano models, including historical instruments. A unique example is the Kremsegg Collection of the Austrian Kremsegg Castle Museum, a collection of rare historical pianos from the 18th and late 19th centuries. The KIViR project is particularly outstanding: It is a virtual restoration of historical piano predecessors, including the clavichord, harpsichord, cembalo, and pianoforte.
There’s also plenty for those more interested in instruments for classical, rock, jazz, and pop music. Yamaha’s CP-80 electric grand piano, for example, has been re-created with great attention to detail and technical accuracy. Through optional modules, you can add other piano-related instruments to Pianoteq. These include vintage electric pianos, clavinets, celesta and toy pianos, percussion instruments, as well as harpsichords and harps, steel drums, and handpans. You can purchase these modules individually or as part of the Studio Bundle, which includes all module licenses.
One of the special features of physical modeling is the possibility to design sounds in great detail. This discipline is the downfall of almost every sampling piano. A large number of presets available for each piano model is a testament to the flexibility available with physical modeling. A simple version for daily practice, a concert or studio recording version, edited with effects or with different voicings: The presets are an impressive demonstration of how much you can change the sound and playability of your piano.
The Pro version of Modartt Pianoteq allows the voicing of each individual note in terms of dynamic behavior, string vibrations, string chorus, overtones, hammer attack, resonances, ambient noise such as damper noise or fallback noise, key-off effect, sound characteristics, etc. Pianoteq surpasses all other software pianos when it comes to piano sounds with an individual touch. Nothing against sampling-based software pianos – no question, there are great-sounding instruments out there. But if you want to “tweak” a note here and there, conventional software instruments simply won’t do.
If you want to create sounds with a certain charm and individual characteristics yourself, Modartt Pianoteq offers the perfect editing options for you. You can influence the basic sound, the tuning, and the sound behavior in detail. You can compare it to a grand piano often played in a jazz club: It may sound balanced and, if you are lucky, even be reasonably well-tuned, but you will always discover features that make the sound special and unique. Pianoteq lets you reproduce all of these subtleties with ease.
Pianoteq is a complete piano recording studio. In addition to modeling the piano itself, the software instrument maps the entire recording process – including microphone modeling, virtual room miking, and effects. The latter include standards such as chorus, flanger, delay, EQ, and compressor. Moreover, a convolution reverb brings authentic reverb from the concert hall into the recording studio and allows WAV import.
The Sound Recording menu opens a virtual recording room in which the instrument and up to five microphones can be freely positioned and aligned. You can switch even the directional aspects of the microphone capsules. An option for binaural headphone playback creates the spatial sound of a dummy head recording. Recording with a real piano and real microphones is another matter, of course, but for media and music producers this is an absolutely exciting tool for virtually any recording situation.
Modartt Pianoteq is an exceptional software piano instrument with unique features. A technical highlight among the mostly sampling-based software pianos. The software for MacOS, iOS, Windows, and Linux, which can be run as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in, covers the mechanical sound generation of acoustic and electronic pianos as well as their recording process. With great attention to detail, the options extend up to virtual miking.
Modartt Pianoteq will also appeal to piano lovers interested in historical music. In general, all pianists who want to play authentic and dynamically realistic acoustic pianos with their music computer will find Pianoteq to be an unrivaled software instrument in terms of its nuanced expressiveness. If you want to create your own piano sounds, you can use the Pro version, which offers maximum editing possibilities.
Concept: Physical Modeling Software Piano Instrument
System Requirements: Mac OS 10.7, Windows 7 and above, Linux (x86 and ARM)
Platform: Audio Units / VST / AAX / NKS compatible / Standalone
Key Features: Extensive editing options, simulation of historical instruments and electric pianos, etc.
Manufacturer: Modartt*
British pianist and music producer Phil Best has been using Pianoteq for quite some time. In this video he shows new and improved grand piano models in the Pianoteq 6 version, focusing not only on the sound but also on the expressive possibilities – remarkable!
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