I play Bach Preludes and Fugues for architectural beauty. I have my students watch the velocity meter as they "- with" Pianoteq and listen carefully for the physical beauty.

They get it...

...as does OP

If you just want to mess around, I might also suggest that you also acquire some type of sequencing program that is available for little charge.  No need to go into details recommending anything specific, because I don't know your budget, computer, level of desire, time on your hands to play, etc.

Anvil Studio works great for this sort of thing.  Starter program is FREE, and works great.

With that said, you can either import midi files from the internet and play them in Pianoteq directly, or with a sequencer, you can mess around to your heart's content, and then "correct" any mistakes you may have made.  Surely, it's not a replacement for years of study and practice, but it's a boatload of fun -- something that you might even get your kids involved in.  You can even play hands separately, and then combine tracks, or you can "step enter" some notes and have a ball doing so ... making your own musical creations.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Joe

To cut it short, I wonder if there would be a market for an inexpensive, limited version of Pianoteq that's good for the unproficient to - around with.

That version already exists, it's the one you've been using for 20 minutes at a time. Hey, you could keep doing that...when you come across one of those dead notes just pretend you missed the key...with your left hand!

Or you could just buy the damn stage version.

"Tinker around," "dabble around," "fiddle with," "play around with," etc., are all lovely alternatives which, after the initial surprise of the curse word has been exhausted, would work well here to express the same general idea.

That said, I think the stage version is reasonably priced for what it offers. And if you purchase it, who knows, you might just get a little more serious about your music-making. But for only infrequent and informal tinkering around, you might be able to find some decent free VST alternatives.

I would have to say to you that Stage version removes most of the tweaking possible with Standard version. So I'm not sure if that really is what you want for just - around... For - around you need to have sliders, lots of them! Stage version doesn't have most of them!

The "Stage" version, with Bluthner add-on, is around 130 Euros (around $200 US).

That's quite reasonable, IMHO.  I'm a responsible adult too, and I don't use lots of the capabilities.  But the MIDI player is handy, and it's nice to play with the sound (insofar as "Stage" allows that).

The question is:

. . . How much can you "cripple" the software, before _nobody_ will buy the least-expensive version?

That's a marketing question, and I think PT has got it about right, now.

If you want to have lots of fun, you might get a "sale price" on Lounge Lizard.  It does EP's, and a bunch of other sounds, and does them really well.

.       Charles

Me, I just - around.

I can only play a few notes at once. Especially on the left hand. But I play them with gusto. For the time being, it works for me.

When I discovered Pianoteq, I was very excited about it. I had no idea the technology of simulating the physics of the instrument had progressed to the point that a lightweight consumer product can do it this perfectly. (I'm mad jealous of the developers who get to program that thing, too. It's like, "Guys, what if we made the exact sound of beauty with the power of our algorithms?" And bam, they do it, while the rest of us don't.)

So I grabbed the trial version, plugged in my keyboard, and boy, did I - around. For 20 minutes at a time.

And now I'm leering at the Stage version. It's barely glancing back at me. It knows I'm not worthy. "Does that guy even know what damper resonance is?", I can tell it's thinking. (I do. It was documented on the Pianoteq site. But I understand its misgivings.)

See, I really only just - around. My keyboard's native pianos are plenty good. The basses lack a little oomph and the upper range lacks a little warmth, but really, given my skill level, that's good enough for me. I don't need Pianoteq. Some have the ability to use it for beauty. In my hands it would only be a toy. Especially in my left hand.

I'm a responsible adult. They let me raise children. A responsible adult can't just throw 99 bucks at a toy that he doesn't really need.

But. Real-time and near perfect simulation of a beautiful instrument at the tip of your fingers.

That, and Pianoteq's Linux support is perfect -- if you're not one of us loonies you cannot know how much that means to us -- and I believe in giving money to companies that cater to me.

To cut it short, I wonder if there would be a market for an inexpensive, limited version of Pianoteq that's good for the unproficient to - around with.

No need for advanced effects, no need for the integrated MIDI player, tuning, transpose, and a good half of those pedals could probably go. Just a nice simple piano, for just a few dozen bucks.

I can't promise to play it well. But I can promise to play it with gusto.