Topic: L7 Natural (Dec 27 2025) FXP. TL;DR Research Wigmore Hall + Speed of c
Version: Dec 27 2025. Change Log
Base Preset: NY Steinway Model D (Note Edit)
https://forum.modartt.com/file/3yvg2b6d
Demo: Fragment "Fast Piano & Stuff" included for demonstration was created by Misaka to testing.
L7 Natural [Dec 27]
https://forum.modartt.com/uploads.php?f...Misaka.mp3
Stock Preset - NY Steinway Model D
https://forum.modartt.com/uploads.php?f...Misaka.mp3
Full Change Log vs. NY Steinway Model D: https://forum.modartt.com/viewtopic.php?id=12899
New:
Settings
Tuning
Unison Balance: +0.60
Action
Key Release Noise: +4 dB
Pedal Noise: +5 dB
Mics & Mix
Stereo Width: 1.00 (Default: 2.00) — Note: Kawai SK-EX and Bösendorfer use 1.00 as their base value
To capture more “Room” reverb move mics 7 & 8 to “Classical Recording” positions.
Sound Speed: 344 m/s (Default: 340)
Speed of Sound Reference for Piano Modeling
Steinway D presets use speeds ranging from 320 to 350 m/s.
Steinway & Sons recommendation: 20°C constant with 45–70% RH
Source: Steinway UK
Speed of sound: 343.92–344.23 m/sASHRAE concert venue standards: 21°C, ≤65% RH = 344.81 m/s
For Pianoteq (no decimal support): 344 m/s (based on 20°C at 45% RH = 343.92 m/s, rounded)
Complete Results Table — Speed of Sound (m/s)
Cramer 1993 Formula with Davis 1992 saturation vapor pressure | 1 atm (101,325 Pa) | CO₂: 400 ppm
Temp (°C) 45% RH 50% RH 55% RH 60% RH 65% RH 70% RH
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.0 343.9242 343.9869 344.0496 344.1123 344.1750 344.2376 Acoustic Effects in Piano Physical Modeling
1. Resonance Timing
At 340 m/s, resonances are approximately 1.18% slower
This makes the instrument sound slightly larger
2. Wavelength (at A4 = 440 Hz)
At 340 m/s: 77.27 cm
At 344 m/s: 78.18 cm
3. Perceived Tonal Differences
340 m/s (lower)
Slightly darker tone
Longer sustain / resonance decay
Bass feels "bigger" or "warmer"
Less brightness in upper harmonics
344 m/s (correct)
Brighter, more accurate tone
Proper harmonic relationships
More realistic attack transients
Better defined note separation
Effects
Settings inspired by venues like Wigmore Hall.
Bonus: Concert Hall Reverb Settings
Here are some effect settings inspired by venues like Wigmore Hall:
Delay (Early Reflections)
Parameter Value Rationale
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Mix 18% Maintains C80 Clarity Index of 0 to +2 dB (optimal
for piano). Higher values mask transient attack;
lower values lose spatial dimension.
Delay Time 17 ms Matches the Initial Time Delay Gap (ITDG) of
world-class piano halls (15–20 ms). Boston
Symphony Hall achieves ~15 ms. This timing creates
intimacy without coloring the direct sound.
Feedback 15% Generates 2–3 natural reflection clusters before
the reverb tail engages. Higher feedback causes
flutter echo; lower values sound artificially dry.
Tone 0 Neutral preserves the piano's full spectrum
(27.5 Hz–4,186 Hz) without artificial coloration.
Mode +/− Stereo mode simulates lateral wall reflections
arriving 25–90° off-axis—critical for spatial
envelopment. Ping-pong sounds artificial for
classical acoustics.Reverb (Tail) — Concert Hall
Parameter Value Rationale
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Mix −4.5 dB Keeps reverb subordinate to direct signal,
preserving piano's percussive attack. Concert
recordings typically use −6 to −3 dB wet signal.
Duration 1.60 s RT60 optimized specifically for solo piano.
Wigmore Hall measures ~1.5 s. Piano requires
0.3–0.6 s shorter RT60 than orchestral music
to maintain articulation in rapid passages.
Tone 0 Flat response respects the instrument's natural
timbre across all registers.
Low Cut 60 Hz Preserves musical bass (Bass Ratio 1.1–1.3) while
filtering sub-bass rumble. Piano's A0 = 27.5 Hz,
but fundamentals below 60 Hz add mud in reverb
tails without musical benefit.
Early Reflections −9 dB Reduced because external delay handles ER
simulation. Prevents comb filtering and phase
issues from doubled early reflections.
Room Size 28 m Corresponds to optimal hall length for 750 seats
(research indicates 25–32 m range). Sets correct
modal spacing and diffusion density for piano.
Pre-delay 0.035 s Creates 52 ms total gap from direct sound
(17 ms delay + 35 ms pre-delay), separating
the reverb tail from early reflections. This
preserves the Haas effect for localization
while adding depth.Design Notes:
These settings aim to recreate the intimate, clear, yet warm sound of world-class piano recital halls. The key technique is using a short delay before the reverb to simulate early reflections off walls.
Why This Combination Works
The delay→reverb chain mimics real concert hall physics: sound reaches your ears directly, then bounces off nearby walls (early reflections at 15–50 ms), and finally builds into diffuse reverberation. Most plugins combine these stages internally, but separating them gives precise control over the ITDG, the single most important factor distinguishing intimate halls from cavernous ones.
These values are derived from acoustic measurements of Wigmore Hall, Pierre Boulez Saal, and similar venues optimized for solo piano, not generic "large hall" presets designed for full orchestra.
Why these values?
Concert halls designed for piano feature shorter reverb times (1.4–1.8 s) compared to orchestral halls; excessive tail causes fast passages to become muddy.
The 17 ms delay mimics sound bouncing off side walls in a ~750-seat hall, providing spatial depth without sacrificing note definition.
A subtle reverb mix (−4.5 dB) ensures clarity over wash.
Genre Suggestions:
Genre Duration Mix
──────────────────────────────────────────
Baroque 1.3 s −6 dB (drier)
Romantic 1.8 s −3.5 dB (wetter)━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Try these settings on a Chopin Ballade, you'll hear the difference immediately.