Topic by mrpillow

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  • mrpillow
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Topic: Pianoteq with Yamaha P250

Hello all,

I am looking to acquire Pianoteq to enjoy in my own music room. I play a Yamaha P250 which has fairly good built-in speakers. I was toying around with the Pianoteq demo to get a feel of how it interfaced with the P250 and have a couple of remarks. I am using a new Macbook Pro 15 if that matters -

1) Velocity curves seem easily enough to match up, and the playing experience seems pretty competent without any noticeable delays, disconnects, etc.

2) To use the built in speakers in the P250, I can run audio in to a two 1/4" jacks on the back of the keyboard, and crossfade the computer sound with the internal keyboard sounds via a convenient fader. In doing this, I noticed that the Pianoteq sounds were considerably flatter, less punchy, maybe even muffled, compared to the internal sounds. I was simply running a cable from the computer headphone jack to the 1/4" ins.

3) Would purchasing a quality audio interface result in better sound quality going back to the P250? Likewise, maybe it is just a matter of matching the Pianoteq EQ to mesh well with the Yamaha system? I get plenty of bass and volume for my in-home needs out of the P250, so I know it is capable, it just doesn't sound quite right so far.

Thanks for your input!

Cheers

Reply by SteveLy

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  • SteveLy
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Re: Pianoteq with Yamaha P250

It's likely that your P250's line input is not handled the same way as the internal sounds. Using the parametric equalizer in Pianoteq would be something worth trying (that is Effects -> Equ3, and not The "Equalizer" which is a modification of the physical model and not an ordinary audio signal equaliser).

Your Macbook Pro should have fairly decent audio output. Listen to both your P250 and Pianoteq through good headphones or through a good external amp and speakers. If you are happy with Pianoteq's sound in comparison with the P250 through the same equipment, then you don't need to bother with a more expensive audio interface.

It's most likely that it's the internal preamp/amp on your keyboard that is letting you down. Try listening to some music with it and see if it also sounds "flat". If so, then it's the keyboard input. Make sure you turn the internal sounds of the keyboard off. If there is a setting for using it as a MIDI controller then engage it. If the EQ does not help and the sound from external input is significantly quieter than what you'd get from the keyboard's internal sounds, then you should try a pre-amp between your computer and the keyboard. It might be convenient to get one with tone controls as well.

That's about all the options for no or very little money. If you're still not happy then there are other inexpensive options I could recommend but see how you go.

Last edited by SteveLy (09-02-2016 08:25)
3/2 = 5

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Reply by mrpillow

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Re: Pianoteq with Yamaha P250

Thanks for the input. After a lot more fiddling with the output/EQ and some other settings I have gotten it sounding much better on the P250. One thing I have noticed however , is that it seems like the top couple octaves of the standard piano scale are always rather piercing and bright. I suppose that can be adjusted to taste through the settings, but I haven't gotten there yet.

Reply by SteveLy

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Re: Pianoteq with Yamaha P250

Good to hear you've had some success with the P250. For taming the top two octaves, try the Equalizer (not the Effects -> Equ3 one, but the one that's got its own "EQUALIZER" button above the "EFFECTS" button). Just lower the highest frequencies to taste. (In the Pro version you could also change the hammer hardness gradually just for the top notes.)

You could also try dampers on the higher notes ("Last damper" setting); maybe that's what you don't like about them.

3/2 = 5

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