Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Modeling Piano Shootout with 27 MP3 Demos

Last Time we have tested Bosendorfer pianos on this forum
here is the link
https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb...dorfer%20Samples%20shoo.html#Post1665272
Thanks for a lot of members give their feedback. Now it has been hold for some devs are too busy and we have to wait for a bit longer.
So I decide to do modeling pianos first. But finally, it comes to be a 27 MP3 demos package which costs a lot of time to process.
I put all 27 files' downloading links in one page and here it is
http://www.vpiano.net/modeling%20pianos%20shootout.htm
Hope this time everything is fine, Hope no dead link, no wrong files, and hope someone can have some feedback as last time.

Funny that 4front is always classed with modeled pianos. Dewster's tests and research showed that it appears to be no more modeled than onboard digital piano sounds are. It's sampled, looped, and stretched.

That's why it sounds better than PianoTeq and other truly modeled pianos but worse than high quality sampled pianos.

Jimthepiano, thanks for the links to the comparisons. This is very interesting to hear modeled piano competitors side by side. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to post something like that, so I just wanted to say thanks! I thought the comparisons were very non-biased and fair to each company in terms of how they were represented.

I agree with gvfarns that TruePianos can't really be classified as modeled. For that matter, SupremePiano cannot either. It sounds like TruePianos and SupremePiano both have sampled real pianos and then modeled an algorithm for velocity smoothing between steps, and maybe sympathetic resonance (to varying degrees of success).

Now for my feedback:
TruePianos - my least favorite. No sympathetic resonance that I can hear, samples are way too short, and high notes die way too fast. Also some notes in the treble are dead, or clunkers, as we like to say.
SupremePiano - actually, in this test, they win for me. Although varying degrees of success on the sample quality between pianos, I can hear faint resonance (even too much on the 'Ruby' example) and the notes linger a little longer - still nowhere near an acoustic however. Their website needs a new designer - it is really hard to navigate, certain links don't work like you think, and I can't tell which sound demos I am listening to.
Pianoteq - to be fair, this is the only software that can say it is truly modeled. The M3 actually sounds decent (K1 and C3 are too tinny and metallic on the harder strikes). Pianoteq 4 is coming out soon according to Modartt, so I will be interested to see how Pianoteq fares at that point. Personally, I think they will blow everything else out of the water, and will come toe-to-toe with some sacred sampled libraries such as Vienna Imperial, Galaxy, and Ivory. The cool thing about Pianoteq Pro is, you can alter the harmonic content and really get an endless number of pianos. If they improve the hammer strike on 4.0, this will be THE software to beat.

I was wondering since we're on the subject of modeling and possibly hybrids, that you might include Roland's Vpiano and SuperNatural technology renderings of the midi files on this competition. VPiano and Pianoteq, to my knowledge, are the only true modeled products. The rest use samples mainly, then model algorithms for velocity smoothing and maybe resonance. At NAMM a while back was a startup company called Pianoid - a truly modeled piano. But it didn't sound that great and I think the project has since been abandoned. Too bad, I would like to see more modeled-only attempts at piano software and digital pianos. Or even more hybrids like Roland's SN, but software for your computer that sounds even better than their current SN sample set.

Again, thanks for the shootout, and best of luck with the rest of the comparison. Also, nice website! I will be checking out more of it.

-Erich

Yes, I would have loved to have seen the V-Piano in there as well. V-Piano vs PianoTeq is a very interesting comparison. It seems like not that many people play both (why would they?) so we don't get them compared directly as often as you might expect.

From the clips I've heard online it seems like the V-Piano has an edge in sound quality and realism, but it's so hard to tell anything from clips.

I agree - I think V-Piano is superior to PianoTeq in terms of tone.

is V-Piano $6500 better than Pianoteq? now that's not fair because you'd have to have a controller and a computer to use pianoteq vs the self contained V-Piano. but there is still a lot of bang for pianoteq's buck, and they usually get an update/new version out on a regular basis. I think they will one day crack the code.

another year slips by and the Roland team provides no update for the Vpiano. maybe the development team is too busy refining the v-kazoo.

No, it's not $6,500 better! Bruce, I agree with everything you've said. The modellers will crack it one day. And it's a shame that Roland is not refreshing the V-Piano. V-Kazoo - there's a job in Roland's product development department with your name on!

Bruce, hahaha the V-Kazoo...has a nice ring to it, pun intended. You'd think with the launch of the V-Piano Grand last year and the V-Piano now 3 years old, a major update would be available considering the nature of its design. Have you considered selling your V-Piano for an RD700NX and just using the NX as a controller for all your software? You could pocket some dough, keep the PHAIII action, and have the flexibility of using all the sounds of your software.

I have a feeling that once it's eventually released in an instrument, Yamaha's acoustic piano modelling algorithms will be superior to the V-Piano.

James
x

James, just curious, what modelling algorithm product are you referring to? I haven't heard any rumors about this. I mean, the CP1 uses some more modelling than other pianos in Yamaha's lineup I think, but I haven't heard of any forthcoming pure modelling product.

Yes James - out with it!

They have some sort of legal rights on the Digital Waveguide Synthesys

Sorry, I don't have any concrete info, however I know that there are Yamaha guys heavily researching the area of acoustic modelling, so it's surely only a matter of time before a product arrives with the technology onboard.

Dr. P, perhaps you can shed some light?

James
x

i have definitely thought about doing exactly that Zach... i just don't want to deal with ebay and trying to put it back in the box and ship it to Lord knows where. if i knew somebody who'd act as a wholesaler or consignment agent i'd probably sell it. I really do like the 700nx and although it isn't exactly light its more portable than the Abrams V-Tank. maybe someday. Actually, Steve wants to give me full retail for it because he knows he really deep down loves it!

Bruce, you are quite right. Deep down I really do love the V-Piano so let me pay you full retail + 10%. Please send the V-Piano to:

East of England Institute for the Hopelessly Insane.

Ta,

Steve

and with that we've managed to kill this thread....good day.