Brassy, metallic sound. How to remove it?

Try the mint-worn slider, also try reducing hammer hardness, and also timbral EQ.

Hello Rachel,

If you perceive a metallic i.e., ringing sound in the lower bass registers, you may wish to experiment with the "strike point" slider.  Upon opening the note editor in my own version of Pianoteq 5 PRO, I notice that the D4 Concert Recording AB preset shows the strike point to be approximately "9.3" from C above Middle C all the way down to the lowest A.  The term 9.3 means that the hammer strikes the virtual string at a point located about 1/9.3rd of the string's speaking length.  (Aside:  When you play a Steinway D, versus your L or and M, THAT's why the hammers are located so far away from the player, along the bass strings!)

I don't know if you are aware of this, but many earlier piano makers designed the strike point at approximately 1/7th of the string's speaking length.  This was done to cancel the 7th harmonic which is the least "musical" of the first 8 harmonics.

Regarding decay characteristics of dampened strings:
When you go back to your own Model L, take note (in the lowest half octave of individual notes) of how long it takes the damper to stop the sound of mezzoforte and louder notes.  It can take as long as one-half second in those thicker strings.  Why?  Because the heavily copper wound single strings are thicker and carry much more vibrational momentum when they are struck.

When I modify my own presets, I gradually increase the decay time in the lowest half octave to account for this physical action.

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Regarding the notes corresponding to the "grand staff", I tend to gradually (but slightly) increase all three hammer hardnesses, to simulate how the hammers get harder after normal playing.  Then I randomize them slightly so it's not quite as obvious as to what I am doing.

Food for thought.

Cheers,

Joe

A little to add here:

If your headphone has spikes in the treble of the freq response, it can overemphasize/reveal metallic formants in the piano sound, which are components of the base sound mirrored in the higher frequencies (part of what gives each instrument its signature sound)

http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/acoustics/..._track.gif

(can fix w/ EQ)

Rachel

Back again.  You might try a different mic set up.  I have revised the sound by experimenting with mic type and location.  Try one of the fig. 8 mics located under the piano.

Bill

This is exactly the area (two octaves down from middle C) which have bothered me for years. In fact I have had this feeling from my first encounter with PTQ which was at 2009. Something like "Upper registers sound beautiful but there's something wrong in that particular area..."

Good news is that PTQ has improved in that area: newest version (5) was a pleasant surprise to me. Piano is much more even and natural than it was before. Also I am quite sure that this particular area is somehow most difficult for modeling. Just few days ago I listened to Roland V-piano's demos. I heard same difficulties (artificial sound) in the same area. Maybe Viscount Physis has it too (just my guess).

In other thread I asked for more adjustment possibilities for velocity curve (like having heavier curve in the bottom). That might help at least a little. Anyway we are speaking about related problem here, I suppose. When I play PTQ I feel that I get Fortissimo too easily in that area. Of course, with Pro version, I can adjust hammer hardness note-by-note basis but maybe it would be better to have different velocity curve.

Sorry, no very constructive help here. I am very interested to check what Philippe and others have succeeded here...

I think we all search for little different piano sound... Anyway Philippe's new version is going to right direction also from my point of view.

Thx to all for experimenting and improving it!

Rachel: I'm enjoying your various presets, and the tweaks added by various others. It's great to have such a serious pianist / tweaker on the forum, geeking out with Pianoteq! As a further suggestion: different microphones can also affect the tone quite strongly. It's worth trying out the R84, modelled on the AEA R84 ribbon microphone. It's noticeably mellower in timbre, with more low-mid frequency info, than many of the other mic types. Even simply changing the mics to R84 on the classical recording preset has a cool effect.

Best from Jan