Topic: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

Hi guys,
I used v.5 Stage quite a while ago. Now I'm planning to upgrade to v.7 Standard. What happens to my old Instrument packs? I have the grand D4, Grand K2,K1,C3,M3. Do any of these get updated to newer versions?
I seem to get one additional pack. Does my Grand D4 become the NY Steinway Model D automatically?
Would the Bluethner be a good choice for JAzz and Blues?
Also, has anyone tried the Harpsichord pack? I fooled around with the free Kivir Blanchet and Grimaldi, but wasn't impressed and the Harpsichord demos in v.5 weren't that great either, at least in my novice opinion.
I would like to hear your take on my questions.

Thanks,
Belereon

Last edited by Belereon (27-11-2020 00:19)

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

The instruments you mentioned will all get upgraded free of charge.
The NY Steinway is also free of charge if you have the D4/K2 instrument pack.
The KIVIR harpsichords haven't changed too much except for some minor revoicing
to adjust to the new physical model improvements; I'd recommend the Hans Ruckers II
harpsichord or the Karsten collection for a realistic sounding harpsichord instead.

Last edited by lowendtheory (27-11-2020 00:17)

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

Sweet, that's awesome. So now I'm torn between the Bluethner and Harpsichords.

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

Belereon wrote:

Sweet, that's awesome. So now I'm torn between the Bluethner and Harpsichords.


Get either one.. you know eventually you will add the other...sale going on now

Last edited by Kramster1 (27-11-2020 00:56)
Pianoteq 8, most pianos, Studiologic 73 Piano, Casio Px-560M, PX-S 3000, PX-S 1100, PX-S 7000, Mac i27 and MacBook Pro M3, SS Logic SSL 2

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

In version 7 the models are now :

* grand D4  becomes a New York Steinway D and a Hamburg Steinway D each with their own presets.

* grand K2  is sill there.

Both the K2 and D models are improved in many ways over previous versions.

* K1,C3,M3

All of these models were depreciated before version 5 (IIRC) and while you can load them (from the legacy area of the user area downloads) they are simply not going to sound as well as current models (which doesn't stop you enjoying them if that works for you, I guess).

The KiViR models require a new version downloaded (but are still free) and have been improved.  The bells freebies did not change from 6.4 to 7, but a you're coming from 5 you will also need a fresh download of them for 7.

If you are thinking of a new pack, I'd suggest looking at the Kremsegg 2 pack which has four historical instruments.  One of them is a lovely Bechstein 1899 (actually a quite modern sound which I think everyone likes) and I have a personal preference for the Frenzel (which is a little modern with a little piano forte as well).  You could certainly use any of the modern pianos for Jazz and Blues, but the Bechstein 1899 also fits that well.  Some people like the U4 upright for this as well.  The Steinway B might be worth a look at for Jazz and Blues too as the base "bites" more to my ear.

Harpsichords - keep in mind that the extra features of 7 (like layers and morphing) and the adjustments possible in Standard (compared to Stage) mean you may be able to make the harpsichord sound you want from the KiViR instruments.  Have a bit of an experiment before spending - you can add them later.  That said the Karsten pack has a nice harpsichord (IMO) and the Ruckers sounds great.

Those same layer and morphing capabilities in v7 mean you can make far more sounds from the models you have that you may realize.

StephenG

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

Thank you so much, now I feel well prepared for upgrading.

Re: I'm going to upgrade - 5 Stage to 7 Standard - Which Packs?

Belereon wrote:

Sweet, that's awesome. So now I'm torn between the Bluethner and Harpsichords.

I have the harpsichord V6 but rarely play it.  Bluethner was the piano I used all the time previously, but I upgraded to V7 yesterday, and the Hamburg Steinway is incredibly mind blowing.  Much better than my original Bluethner.  The Hamburg is extremely expressive and very vibrant.  Hard to distinguish it from an actual acoustic Model D in terms of musical expression.

Pianoteq Pro 7.x - Kubuntu Linux 19.10 - Plasma Desktop - Hamburg Steinway