Greg.

I'd never heard of MokaFix Audio. I couldn't give a toss about bass & guitar, but their Wurly sounds amazingly good.

Greg.

Perhaps you already play bass or guitar? If that is the case, then I'll put one thing forward - I have a history of bad nerve damage in some of my fingers which, effectively, stop me from playing a guitar properly. Even a bass is tough to play with these damaged hands. I used to do a lot of boxing in my younger years and I'm starting to regret it.

Anyway, many people couldn't care about guitar or bass because they can simply play them. For the rest of us, Mokafix Audio has a desperately needed solution. The real question is...it's already taken a hell of a long time, so, how much longer? 3 months? 6 months? Another year? 2 years? There is only one (or perhaps very few) person who knows the answer to that one, and they ain't telling.

Well, it will get here when it does (or perhaps to put it poignantly, IF it does). But I'll be clear on one thing, I'm not holding my breath.

Ben

EDIT: That was after playing single notes. Now that I've played it properly, I'm downgrading it to "very good". 
As an instrument, not in the same class as Pianoteq IMHO. I'm still glad to have discovered a new player in this field though.

Greg.

With orchestral ensembles for instance, where the focus isn't on each individual instrument, I think sampling CAN work quite well (I'm not saying that it always does). For one example, I find Sonic Implants String Ensembles absolutely gorgeous.

But now that I've addressed the pianos and woodwinds/brass/sax, some other quite very painful shortcomings have come into view.

Guitars...and basses too, of course. There is no, and I really mean absolutely NO product out there that will give me the sound I want. And it has absolutely nothing to do with tone, if you know what I mean. It has everything to do with expression and how a guitar is meant to sound as it is played in real life.

Some may say, just get a real guitar, but I'm going to point out that there is a better alternative - Mokafix Audio. There is no current guitar/bass instruments at the moment, but that may change hopefully soon. If you listen to the clips on the website, you will hear just how realistic the playing sounds. It's as if it's a real guitar or bass that is being played, when in fact it is a very detailed and accurate physical model that is producing the sound.

Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for this one. I can assure you it will change the face of the virtual instrument world when (and of course, if) it comes to fruition. I still have my own personal doubts as to whether it will be released - the reason I don't have a whole lot of trust is because I've been through a lot of trauma in my life and it has changed the way I think about things especially considering many good things that have been brutally taken away from me. Things that, while taken for granted by most everyone else, were just too good to be true for me.

Money things, legal things, etc, could very well destroy this revolutionary string modeling. To avoid bitter disappointment and heartbreak I am going to assume that they will never be released.

But I can tell you now if they are released - there will be a whole new world of rock/pop/folk music being truly opened up. Let's face it, nobody wants to invest in a useless waste of money and time for samples of guitars and basses that will ultimately disappoint. Any guitars and basses done by Mokafix Audio will NOT disappoint, let me assure you. Guitars and basses are the spine and the guts of most music, and if Mokafix Audio releases these much needed instruments they will indeed fill a very deep void in the virtual instrument world.

I wake up every morning longing for the day when everyone is only using samples for percussion/drums and PROPER virtual instruments for everything else - proper, I mean by, something that either uses sophisticated physical modeling or in the case of Samplemodeling, sophisticated behavioral modeling. They have done an amazing job on their trumpet and other instruments, and if they release the violin family then people will be able to finally write convincing orchestral pieces.

Ordinary sampled strings are not going to cut it, never have, never will. We all welcome a groundbreaking revolution. We're all tired of sample libraries, after 20+ years, we really are just sick and tired of them.

Ben

Yeah, slow movements sure do highlight the shortcomings of sample libraries. Small wonder most of the manufacturer demos are fast with lots of notes. One thing I can thank these companies for- they made me look harder, and eventually find Pianoteq.

Glenn, isn't it cool that they used a piece called 'pathetic' to show that off then?

Hans:

Thanks for the laugh - it made my morning (it's 9:32 am here).

It sounds like you've heard it too.  By the way, I have a pretty good midi file of it by a young pianist, which I usually use to listen to (from the Minnesota e-Piano Competitions 2009).  I use M3 Recording with the mics completely re-arranged from default.

Glenn

Edit:  used creart's first name (from user profiles).

I have yet to find a piano sample library that doesn't have tonal or attack inconsistencies in one or more registers that are distracting and annoying .

Regards,
Michael

Thanks for putting into words what I have found.  In fact I have never heard a convincing demo on anyone's site.

The individual sounds may be true to the original, but when they are put together, I inevitably hear something that screams at my ears.

The "best" sample demos seem to be not too bad on very quick compositions that don't use the damper pedal, but when it gets slow and the damper comes into play, it all falls apart.

I listened to a sample demo of Beethoven's Pathetique (cantabile movement) and it actually made me laugh out loud.  It sounded like a beginner student on the damper pedal.

Glenn

The main thing for me is that Pianoteq doesn't get in the way, or distract me from making music. Because of it's consistency from note to note I can forget about the software and get on with playing, being creative.
I have yet to find a piano sample library that doesn't have tonal or attack inconsistencies in one or more registers that are distracting and annoying . That's assuming that the library sounds basically good and realistic in the first place. I have too many piano sample libraries, like many of you, where the online demos sounded good, but the software turned out to be a major disappointment and a waste of time and money.

So, I'm glad that Pianoteq exists, and that it's always improving and getting better.  I plan to enjoy this excellent software and be an active member of this forum.

And I'd like to express my appreciation to the developers for providing a demo version that allows someone to fully evaluate Pianoteq before purchasing. Being able to work with Pianoteq for a few weeks first, made purchasing the software a 'no brainer' for me.

Regards,
Michael