A new piano in town

[stereomax]

Thanks for your kind words, George. I'm sure that you've put a lot of effort into Truepianos over years and I can imagine that it hurts when someone like me - definitely not an accomplished musician and no piano expert - after only a couple of minutes playing says "well, I don't like it, it sounds thin etc. pp.". I'm glad that you're not offended because I didn't mean to offend anyone. And I see, of course, that Truepianos can be a valuable addition to one's VSTi arsenal especially considering the modest price.

For me the point was comparing Pianoteq and Truepianos. Both of them claim to use physical modelling (Pianoteq perhaps to a greater extend than Truepianos), and I'm a fan of physical modelling. Since I've realised only recently that piano sounds will play a bigger role in my electronic music in the near future I've considered already buying Pianoteq but, after seeing your announcement, was curious how Truepianos sound. Several factors - my classical background, for example, and my already mentioned fondness of physical modelling - had an effect on my assessment of the sounds in the previous post that are not equally important to other people. So I wish you luck with your product - and be sure that I'll monitor the development of Truepianos

[living sounds]

In my opinion TruePianos smokes Pianoteq in terms of balance, playability, sound, CPU usage, price. Here are two sound files using the same midi-file, one is played back by PianoTeq, the other by Truepianos. I recorded it with PianoTeq - it doesn't matter, it still sounds great via TruePianos. Try that the other way around...


http://scherer.de/Download/PianoTeq.OGG
http://scherer.de/Download/TruePianos.OGG

[pethu]

In my opinion TruePianos smokes Pianoteq in terms of balance, playability, sound, CPU usage, price. Here are two sound files using the same midi-file, one is played back by PianoTeq, the other by Truepianos. I recorded it with PianoTeq - it doesn't matter, it still sounds great via TruePianos. Try that the other way around...


http://scherer.de/Download/PianoTeq.OGG
http://scherer.de/Download/TruePianos.OGG

In my opinion, the Pianoteq definitely has the edge.

This covers two of the three possible opinions. Now we just need one to state they are exactly the same, and we can close the argumentation.

(Or, much more likely, cue the endless debate... )

[Roel de Witt]

Hi,

Diamond is just the first module of TruePianos. The full version includes another module called Emerald and several others are already in production which will become part of the product and are to be released as downloadable updates. The test-version is not much more than a play test version.

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Roel / 4Front Technologies

In my opinion TruePianos smokes Pianoteq in terms of balance, playability, sound, CPU usage, price. Here are two sound files using the same midi-file, one is played back by PianoTeq, the other by Truepianos. I recorded it with PianoTeq - it doesn't matter, it still sounds great via TruePianos. Try that the other way around...


http://scherer.de/Download/PianoTeq.OGG
http://scherer.de/Download/TruePianos.OGG

[james0tucson]

I just did some quick comparisons (on headphones and monitor speakers):

- Pianoteq feels responsive. It's the only of the three that covers several characteristics of real pianos (for example: if you silently press down a chord, hold it, play a loud bass note and release this bass note you'll hear the "vibrations" of the strings of the chord).


I actually directed that this technique be used in some compositions I did at uni.

One reason I like to have a real piano in the room, is that it can easily be used to amplify
flute and voice. Just having the lid open is sufficient to dramatically color the sound. This effect,
of course, is completely lost in the world of VSTi's and plastic controllers.

[sb.net]

It sounds so real. Some one that you showed it to would think it's real.

[onexeno]

I just did some quick comparisons (on headphones and monitor speakers):

- Pianoteq feels responsive. It's the only of the three that covers several characteristics of real pianos (for example: if you silently press down a chord, hold it, play a loud bass note and release this bass note you'll hear the "vibrations" of the strings of the chord).


I actually directed that this technique be used in some compositions I did at uni.

One reason I like to have a real piano in the room, is that it can easily be used to amplify
flute and voice. Just having the lid open is sufficient to dramatically color the sound. This effect,
of course, is completely lost in the world of VSTi's and plastic controllers.

I agree with the above, but when I play Truepianos and Pianoteq, there is an indefinable something in the sound and response of Truepianos that inspires my playing in ways that Pianoteq just doesn't do for me.

[james0tucson]

I agree with the above, but when I play Truepianos and Pianoteq, there is an indefinable something in the sound and response of Truepianos that inspires my playing in ways that Pianoteq just doesn't do for me.

There definitely is something subtle. I've said often that TruePianos is particularly good for serious piano practice when it's more important for the player to have the subtle, subconscious cues that indicate he is playing a piano, than, say, an instrument that "sits in a mix" or even "records nicely."

I've been very disappointed in this area in the past, from pianos that are supposed to be really good.

Not everyone agrees with me, of course.

[IvoryTickler]

Still to have a play ...

In the oggs above (on Grado 125s) the Pianoteq upper notes ring like bells. Truepianos sound much better. Huge amount of reverb there which doesn't help the comparisons.

However, it's expressiveness that I'm looking for ...

[Jake Jackson]

stereomax:

TruePianos is capable of a much wider range of dynamics than you may at first
realize. Adjust the dynamics response\velocity sensitivity, setting it so you have a deeper intial curve to the right. You can get soft strikes to sound very different with just a few seconds of experimenting. (You may also want to experiment with your midi keyboard's velocity response, until you find the right mix.) I'd be very surprise if you don't find a setting that gives you a very expressive piano with a wide range of timbres from low velocities to high velocites.

[GeneralFuzz]

This is one AMAZING plug-in. I'm blown away. The best VST piano I've ever played.

Might have to buy it as reward for finishing my new album. . .

[kingswood6]

Roel, I apologize for my negative, impatient comments a while back in this thread.

I love TruePianos, and have purchased the first-year subscription. It *was indeed* worth the wait.

My congratulations to you and all involved in this project.

Thanks and regards,

Will

[Roel de Witt]

--ignore--

[Watto]

Receptor? I'd buy this in a flash (well, within a year, considering my financial situation) if it worked with Receptor.

[Roel de Witt]

Hi,

The demo and full version of TruePianos downloads at http://www.truepianos.com/ have been updated.

VSTi host compatibility has been improved and the "Protection Error: 196" (Ableton Live/Brainspawn Forte) that have been reported by some is a thing of the past.

If you've had problems with TruePianos in specific VST Hosts please grab the latest version from the website.

To stay up-to-date on updates and new add-on modules please subscribe to the mailinglist at the bottom the first page seen when visiting http://www.truepianos.com/

If you should still have problems, please use the contact us form in the support section of the website.

Note: Renoise currently seems to be incompatible with TruePianos, otherwise no incompatibility issues are known.

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Roel / 4Front Technologies