http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=1855

PS check also my fxp 'Etto-warm'. It's based on M3 so it could be a different starting point from yours (very good indeed)

Sorry, I was a little cryptic I intended to lower the 'Forte' value in hammer hardness settings.
Limiter: I hear a little squash on attacks when you play louder; the dynamic range seems too much 'controlled'.

Said that keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with your settings, as I said before I like the sound as it is. Unless you do big mistakes (and it's not the case) it is only a matter of personal taste; as long as you use limiting and compression like you did in your example there is nothing wrong with it.
I personally don't like limiters in acoustic recordings and I use them only to prevent clipping.

etto,

I have fixed my velocity curve and turned off the limiter. I have also experimented with turning off the internal PianoTeq compressor, which seems to eliminate (some) of the muddled sound I have. Can you recommend a specific external compressor, maybe even a given preset? Or would an option be to go completely compressor-free? Again, the sound I am going for is warm and mellow (pardon my lack of technical vocabulary!)

Have a good Sunday!

Said that keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with your settings, as I said before I like the sound as it is. Unless you do big mistakes (and it's not the case) it is only a matter of personal taste; as long as you use limiting and compression like you did in your example there is nothing wrong with it.
I personally don't like limiters in acoustic recordings and I use them only to prevent clipping.

nothingbutblues wrote:

etto:

Your piece "Tango" is very, very sweet. Love the composition, love the sound. Reminds me a bit of the music from Amelie from Montmartre.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/78948039/follow_me.m4a

Thanx!!  Not sure if I've mentioned but the piano in tango is M3
I like your recording and it seems warm enough to me; you could use a lower setting on high hammer only and a little more hammer sound. Less limiter and maybe an external compressor. Also try adding a mic under the piano..

ANd here is the MUller commercial; I put the piano as reference for the singer but the client listened to the piano version and liked so much that I had to keep it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwxCP2d3U8

Interesting composition Evil!

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, etto.

What do you mean by "use a lower setting on high hammer only"?

Out of curiosity; what is it in the sound that makes you think I should turn down the limiter? Not at all skeptical about your advice, just want to learn about stuff like this. (Maybe I should turn it off completely, and keep the compressor only?)

Would love to be able to put a microphone under the piano, but I am limited to PianoTeq Stage as of now!

Still listening to "Tango" over here.

etto:

Your piece "Tango" is very, very sweet. Love the composition, love the sound. Reminds me a bit of the music from Amelie from Montmartre.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/78948039/follow_me.m4a

Thanx!!  Not sure if I've mentioned but the piano in tango is M3
I like your recording and it seems warm enough to me; you could use a lower setting on high hammer only and a little more hammer sound. Less limiter and maybe an external compressor. Also try adding a mic under the piano..

ANd here is the MUller commercial; I put the piano as reference for the singer but the client listened to the piano version and liked so much that I had to keep it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwxCP2d3U8

Interesting composition Evil!

EvilDragon:

Beautiful piece. Makes me think both of Vangelis (sound-wise) and old video games (composition-wise). Did you edit the midi, or is your sense of time very good? Mind sharing any other D4 recordings? I can't seem to get the tweaking right, for whatever reason.

Thanks!

I edited a few manual mistakes I had (finger slips, you can't do without them, haha), and two or three timing errors, but other than that, I kept the spirit of the theme as it is. I guess I have a good sense of time in slower compositions, then? I will admit that I'm not nearly as precise when playing fast, though.

So far I don't have any other D4 recordings, but with time, I'll likely post some.

Your piece "Tango" is very, very sweet. Love the composition, love the sound. Reminds me a bit of the music from Amelie from Montmartre.

*

EvilDragon:

Beautiful piece. Makes me think both of Vangelis (sound-wise) and old video games (composition-wise). Did you edit the midi, or is your sense of time very good? Mind sharing any other D4 recordings? I can't seem to get the tweaking right, for whatever reason.

*

Here is a recording I made of "Follow Me" by Pat Metheny, using K1 solo recording preset in Pianoteq Stage. Reverb, compressor, limiter all turned on, with default settings. How could I tweak this to make it sound warmer and more mellow?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/78948039/follow_me.m4a

http://soundcloud.com/edc-4/tango