Backing tracks with Pianoteq in a live setting... anybody doing that?

Have been using Pianoteq in live gigs for a while. Absolutely LOVE the sound of it and do not want to go back to just my keyboard's onboard sounds. They're OK, I just REALLY like Pianoteq!

I've been playing it with an iPad Air, which seems to handle it quite easily. I'm not a big fan of Apple products but it seems to work well, at least when it's all by itself.

The drummer in my band died a little less than a year ago and I've been solo since. Other band try-outs just really have been less than great. So I've been trying to figure out how to add some things to my live gigs and still remain solo.

I tried Quartet, multiple people talked about how great it is. Meh. It's OK. But I really don't care for how it would present as a live performance. I like the interface with the visuals showing what it is doing. Sound quality is really good. Arrangements leave a lot to be desired and they are locked in, not really customizable. Also, it does not play well with the iPad if you want to run Pianoteq at the same time, and no, AUM doesn't work for that, either. (I'm $20 poorer to find that out.)

I looked at SessionBand thinking maybe I could use that to build out my own arrangements. Once again, it doesn't play well with the iPad if I wanna use Pianoteq. iReal Pro, same. UUGGHHH!!!!

I'm curious, are any of you using backing tracks of some kind WITH Pianoteq in live performance on a single iPad? (Yeah, I could get another iPad or iPhone even and run different devices. Really don't want to do that.)

I could also create audio files from Quartet or another app, or even make my own backing tracks (a lot of work but possible). Those I can run on the iPad along with Pianoteq through AUM, which I now have on the iPad. But I would lose the visual reference I'd get from Quartet or others. More to remember, but then again, if I have to build each one from scratch, I'm more likely to remember it. I could also make some notes that I could use as a reminder on a setlist. (I don't use music live, it's all from memory. That's a lot of memory for a 3 or 4 hour gig. Not saying I couldn't.)

I'm getting frustrated and feel like I'm grasping at straws. Would love to have some live players to join me but that just doesn't seem to be happening in this area. And I would love to fill out my sound a little more. I can already add some bass and strings pretty easily on my keyboard, more subtle than any live player would be, but noticeable. I just want more.

Anybody already doing something like this, solo with Pianoteq AND some tracks, too? If so, I'd be really interested in your setup and the programs / apps / hardware you're using to get you there. I don't mind spending a little $ but I'd rather it not be thrown away on stuff I don't need, won't work, or can't use.

Thanks!

Beco wrote:

[

Bellyman,

Since 1995 I played some concerts with my digital piano and computer (I used to write all the notes and expression in my cakewalk software to play back my orchestration - usually the whole piano concerto without a piano)
At that time I needed to transport a huge desktop computer, amplifier and, of course, the heavy digital piano.
Nowadays, it is much simpler.

The digital piano is light and I use Reaper to play a list of the concert movements, all that triggle the audios with my left piano pedal (or an usb pedal) which send a midi signal to my notebook (old one). I have the Pianoteq installed, and the waves files inside in Reaper. It is very easy to accomplish (I use a song switcher patch inside of Reaper - it is free add on, and I can take the music in different parts of Brazil for people that will never could listen a piano concerto.
Another software (I am using linux - debian 13) it is Linux Show Player (free software), I did the same kind of presentation with friends and worked wonderfully too.

As you can see, the only paid software are Pianoteq and Reaper
You can use Pianoteq and Linux Show Player. However you can not do that with your ipad.

I am not more a professional pianist, just a hobbyist who love to play piano.

Today I did not digitalized an orchestra or build one from scratch.
Today I use (https://mvsep.com/en/home), it is gorgeous and free. I can take a recording from any piano concerto and subtract only the piano...so I can play with an orchestra and enjoy with friends. I believed you can use some recording and subtract the piano (you just need to check about the royalty about that).

Hope this could help you in some way.

Hi Beco, thank you for your reply!

I see lots have viewed the post but it might be that not too many people are trying to use Pianoteq the same way I (we) might. Not upset, just kinda threw it out there to see.

It sounds like you are using a DAW in live performance, am I reading that right? I suspect you are doing much more complex music than I am since I'm only thinking of adding bass, drums, and perhaps just a few more nuances at times while you are adding an entire orchestra!

I've not tried to set up a DAW to use live even though I've been using Reaper for some time in a studio setting. While different than the kinds of visuals I'd see on Quartet, iReal, or similar programs, markers are certainly possible on the Reaper timeline. I'll have to give that some thought. (I also have no idea whether Reaper runs on iOS, haven't even checked. But I'm sure there are other possibilities for hardware.)

Again, thank you for your reply! I appreciate it!

carro wrote:

Don't do gigs but if I dare suggest trying iReal Pro, it runs on iPad. Insert structure with chords and you get drums and bass etc. Maybe it is not for live gigs but at least makes practicing more fun. Has vast library of jazz standards etc.

EDIT: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ireal-pro/id298206806

EDIT2: The backing can be exported as midi and thereafter improved on some other program.

Unless something has changed or I'm completely wrong about it, iReal Pro will run just fine on the iPad, as will numerous other similar apps. The problem has been that once iReal Pro grabs the audio output of the iPad, it refuses to share it with any other app, including Pianoteq. So what happens is... iReal Pro (or Quartet or SessonBand, etc) will work great. OR Pianoteq will work great. Try to use them together, and they just won't play at the same time. AUM will play Pianoteq but it can't find Quartet... which cost me $20 to find out. Exporting the audio tracks is 100% possible but I would lose the visual aspect of whatever program it is. So actual audio tracks, the iPad does just fine. IReal, Quartet, SessionBand, those all have a visual part of them I just don't wanna give up if I'm gonna use them. (It would be like me suggesting you buy a TV... but you are 100% blind. Sure, you can listen to the audio. The visual part, though? Nope.)

Oh, the fun we have...

I had thought of using a very small computer and a screen about the size of my music stand as being another option for Pianoteq and other software for live use. Me and Windows got a divorce so I crossed that one off. A Mac is quite a bit more capable and a Linux setup is possible as well on numerous hardware convigurations. That's not the direction I went when I bought the iPad, though, and I don't plan to get rid of the iPad just yet.

Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it!

I reread your posts and tried to recreate what you described happening on your iPad but could not both iReal and PTQ8 run and work simultaneously quite happily with no hiccups. Mine is a 9th gen 10" ipad from 2020 with latest iOS 26. In mac mini m4 which I use these days instead of iPad there are no such problems as yours either.