Why can't they use a simple zip compression, or rpm?

It's been a few weeks so I assume you figured out your installation issues, but I wanted to jump in with an answer to this question.  This is something I asked Modartt support a while back, and the answer was surprisingly straightforward: file size.

$ 7z a -mx=9 pt5.7z "Pianoteq 5"
=> 27M

$ zip -9 pt5.zip "Pianoteq 5"
=> 143M

$ GZIP=-9 tar zcf pt5.tar.gz "Pianoteq 5"
=> 143M

$ BZIP2=-9 tar jcf pt5.tar.bz2 "Pianoteq 5"
=> 142M

$ XZ_OPT=-9 tar Jcf pt5.tar.xz "Pianoteq 5"
=> 29M

The only other format that comes close is ".tar.xz" at maximum compression level (-9).  Since it is more widely used than .7z, maybe Modartt could consider making it available as a download option?

Fedora 22, 64 bit system.

cd <Install path>
I'm not familiar with .7z file.
http://linux.die.net/man/1/7za indicates x option creates required subdirectories.
Installing as root shows as below.
The executables are there, the program runs, but I've no documentation?

Suggestions please.

[root@localhost pianoteq]# 7za x pianoteq_stage_linux_v530.7z

That works fine on my Fedora 22 system. B.T.W: There should be no need to unpack as root. If the package is broken let the Modartt people know.

Sigh. 35 years working with Linux / computers and they still amaze me.

A message from future.

I ran the same command you did with no errors:

[root@maemae pianoteq]# pwd
/usr/local/src/pianoteq
[root@maemae pianoteq]# 7za x pianoteq_linux_trial_v530.7z 

7-Zip (A) 9.20  Copyright (c) 1999-2010 Igor Pavlov  2010-11-18
p7zip Version 9.20 (locale=en_US.UTF-8,Utf16=on,HugeFiles=on,2 CPUs)

Processing archive: pianoteq_linux_trial_v530.7z

Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/README_LINUX.txt
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Licence.rtf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation/pianoteq-english.pdf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation/pianoteq-francais.pdf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/manifest.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/manifest.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5_(5_channels).ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5_(5_channels).ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64
Extracting  Pianoteq 5

Everything is Ok

Folders: 6
Files: 16
Size:       207122736
Compressed: 28147303

Sigh. 35 years working with Linux / computers and they still amaze me.

Tried again, as above. Worked. Including the documentation directory

Sorry to waste bandwidth

So you either downloaded a corrupted archive or you are in a directory where you can't write files (no permissions, out of disk space, corrupted FS).

Double-checked my stage version, ../Documentation/.. directory has PDF files in them.

yum install p7zip-plugins (as root).

cd into /tmp and try extracting using the e option (i.e. without paths) to make sure your 7z installation is (now) able to handle the archive and the files inside it.

If all this works, cd back into the directory where you actually want the pianoteq folder to go and extract with the x option there. If this still fails, there is most likely a permissions problem with your target directory.

Hope this helps,
Dan

It's strange to see a Linux user who can't unpack an archive file.

pe2dave, even with random try-error method and google help you can unpack 7z much more faster than posting a question on the forum and waiting feedback.

The app is installed, it does unpack it. Therein, something goes wrong.

[root@maemae pianoteq]# pwd
/usr/local/src/pianoteq
[root@maemae pianoteq]# 7za x pianoteq_linux_trial_v530.7z 

7-Zip (A) 9.20  Copyright (c) 1999-2010 Igor Pavlov  2010-11-18
p7zip Version 9.20 (locale=en_US.UTF-8,Utf16=on,HugeFiles=on,2 CPUs)

Processing archive: pianoteq_linux_trial_v530.7z

Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/README_LINUX.txt
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Licence.rtf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation/pianoteq-english.pdf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation/pianoteq-francais.pdf
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.so
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/manifest.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/manifest.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5.ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5_(5_channels).ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2/Pianoteq_5_(5_channels).ttl
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386/Pianoteq 5.lv2
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/i386
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/Documentation
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64/Pianoteq 5.lv2
Extracting  Pianoteq 5/amd64
Extracting  Pianoteq 5

Everything is Ok

Folders: 6
Files: 16
Size:       207122736
Compressed: 28147303

So you either downloaded a corrupted archive or you are in a directory where you can't write files (no permissions, out of disk space, corrupted FS).

Double-checked my stage version, ../Documentation/.. directory has PDF files in them.

pe2dave, even with random try-error method and google help you can unpack 7z much more faster than posting a question on the forum and waiting feedback.

The command "7z" that comes with the p7zip package works nicely too. On ubuntu based distributions and derivatives, just run:
sudo apt-get install p7zip-full

Then, say the 7z archive is in my Downloads dir (as username "user") and i want to extract it to /usr/pianoteq i'd do (as root):

mkdir /usr/pianoteq (if it doesn't exist)
cd /usr/pianoteq
7z x ~user/Downloads/pianoteq_(version,etc,just hit tab).7z

On Fedora it's a different app (or at least name).
Why can't they use a simple zip compression, or rpm?
Fails miserably  - or the app is broken

it's 7za on Fedora. but installed in a directory /user/libexec/p7zip.

Then, say the 7z archive is in my Downloads dir (as username "user") and i want to extract it to /usr/pianoteq i'd do (as root):

mkdir /usr/pianoteq (if it doesn't exist)
cd /usr/pianoteq
7z x ~user/Downloads/pianoteq_(version,etc,just hit tab).7z

Stage Version is missing the documentation in the app.  You have to read the .pdf found inside the folder.  Standard Version works as it should.  This appears to be an error in the Stage Version software.

Thanks. I thought it was the installer.

$ p7zip -d pianoteq_linux_trial_v530.7z

That's it. Hope it helps.

Try set output directory directly via -o option.

But the x option specifies 'with full paths'?
I'm assuming that means paths specified in the archive?