How does pianoteq compares to embedded digital pianos?

If the VPC1 is the one without knobs, I'd say forget it.  Roland has a Modeled Grand that sells for over $20,000.00.  I'm waiting for a light weight keyboard with Pianoteq Pro built in.

I bought an ES7 nearly 2 years' ago.  The ES7 has a good solid inbuilt piano sound, but it lacks the resonance of an acoustic or good software piano.  (I have been known to forget to switch off the ES7 sound and it takes a few bars to realise what's wrong.) I have tried a number of software pianos. bought 3, and have finally settled on Pianoteq.  It's not the best sound out there, but it feels (as an acoustic piano player of over 60 years) like an acoustic to play and the sound is very much more than acceptable.  I recently compared recordings I made with PT5 and VIlabs Italian grand - more "different" than one better than the other.

Starting over again I would buy the VPC1 for its better action and PT5.  No question.

Well your ideas are certainly different from mine.  To me music is best performed when NOT twiddling knobs.  You mentioned a Chopin Ballade.   Just what knob twiddling do you envisage when playing this?

Not many knobs on  Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin's Grand piano 

Ian

Hi,

I have an ES7. I doubt I'll ever see the amount of money I spent on it again, so I won't be upgrading to a VPC-1 or anything else in the foreseeable future. I like it. Actually, a key went out not too long ago. I called support, and guess what? A day later the key was back and working again. They said to call back if it happens again. Hmm! I have less than a year left on my warranty, so I'm hoping that, if it decides to poop out for good, it does so within the next few months.

I like the simplicity of having onboard speakers, since I'm not much of a gear nut, and I can't afford expensive monitors anyway. That said, don't try running Pianoteq through the onboard speakers. You can, but I never got it to sound halfway decent through them.

It works fine as a controller for Pianoteq. Really, my only concern is whether or not a better instrument will help me become a better player. Will the differences in the action between the VPC-1 and the ES7 make me a better player in the long run? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Let me know if I can help with any other questions!

Edit: I should add that I use the onboard speakers with the Kawai piano sound about 50% of the time, and headphones with Pianoteq the other 50%. Both sound good enough to me, but I'm no professional.

The mentioned modeled grand piano from roland is the Roland V-Piano Grand.  But unless you are rich I do not recomend, since it costs a fortune.

Pianoteq in last version is as good in sound and probably even richer in playablility than V-Piano Grand.

Kawai it's a good decent brand, with very good key touch feeling, but lacks some "living feeling true piano sound", having quite a typical sampler feeling.

If you have a good digital piano store in your city, with kind nice sellers, maybe they allow you to connect a laptop (with pianoteq demo version instaled) and test in some digital piano or controllers.

I'm have a Casio and find it plays as a piano just fine.  Apparently Joe Sample plays a Casio 350, and Eric Gunnison who is on the DU faculty and plays with the Dizzy Gillespie All-star band. plays some sort of  Casio, I think maybe the synth controller with knobs.  You aren't going to find better jazz pianists than these two guys.   To  me it all boils down to an instrument that's easy to carry and sets up quickly.  Built in speakers are a must.  Extra gear is a total no-no, and I've got to have some knobs that are easy to get to on the front panel for quick adjustments to the sound.  You don't have a "controller" if there is no way to control it.  What I do see in the future is a touch screen tablet that plugs into the music desk slot which has all your music, and which can control the sound banks.  The instrument of the future is still going to need some assignable knobs,  sliders and buttons for what ever functions you want. Nothing sounds better than a Pianoteq.  It just doesn't cut it in the transportability department.  In that sense Modartt is still on Generation I.  Who knows before long it's possible that the entire Pianoteq Pro can be on a USB stick or SD card that plugs into your piano which has every thing you need buit right in, perhaps even with battery back up.  After all, full Linux distributions along with much of the software are on bootable USB sticks.

Yet another idea:  An SSD HD that pops into a top slot on the keyboard which contains 1000's of MIDI files. Right now Modartt is just a great sounding piano, but there is no reason a great sounding synth bank could not be developed too.  Nobody on this forum is talking about it much, but what is essential in a good controller is velocity cross fade and after touch. with sliders that can easily control the sound levels of splits and layers.   If you want to fatten up a piano sound, good analog strings like on the Super JX-10 can provide the right color wash, but they have to be very subtle and can't be a buzz saw with no adjustments as is the case with Casio.  In that sense Casio is a total failure.   Most of their sounds are horrible. and the control over splits and layers is abominable.  I'm talking about the PX-150 here.  I don't know about their top of the line Synth.

Well you would have to agree that an instrument similar to the Casio PX-150 with Pianoteq-Pro built in would be much better than it is now.  Please don't be a nay sayer and look towards the future.  Yes, right now the all purpose laptop exists, and by the way at a very reasonable price.  What is needed is a great all purpose portable keyboard, again at an affordable price point.

This all reminds me of the days when desktop computers were hugely massive, and built like tanks.  Laptops which did not exist were in the form of sewing machines.   Well now we have smart phones that are far more functional than the original computers.  I know that what I'm talking about will come to fruition.  It's just a question of when and by who.  To me Modartt is in the driver's seat, because they have without question the best sound.  And guess what,  they didn't do it with sampling.  It was the developed with a vision of the future.

At one time Commodore 64 was on top of the pile, yet they were pushing the VIC-16 about the same time the original IBM open architecture computers came out.  You don't hear about Commodore any more.  Technology is a fast moving business.  You have to be able to adapt to the future.  Keeping things just as they are now is predictably a loosing strategy.

That's great news Andrei, thanks for the heads up.

GRB would be referring to this:

http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/...-computer/

I worked for Zenith Electronics who first supplied the crt screen and then built the whole computer in Ireland before Compaq opened their Scottish factory.   It did of course have a keyboard but not a sustain pedal

Significantly the world's largest sewing machine factory making 13,000 machines a week and which had the world's largest electric four faced clock was based in Clydebank, Scotland.  When from 1973 I made one of my many visits there I saw that their machines did have a pedal which was able to alter the speed of the tune

One of the great things about the Modart product is that anyone with a computer and any midi/usb keyboards is able to use it or just demo it.   

With regard his comment about having to lug around a laptop.   I use my laptop for more than hosting Pianoteq.   It has a 12.1" 16:10 (not 16:9) multi-touch screen and I use  MusicReader on my keyboard music stand as a database for portrait mode live playing of any of my hundreds of full piano scores.  I have Airturn Bluetooth footpedals for forward and backward page turning.   

It would not be reasonably feasible to fit a 12.1" screen into a keyboard but I do not complain about that.

Ian

...just thought, no, it will never happen to Casio. Just imagined my mothers pupils parents call me saying "Andrei, that new Casio you advised us to buy, we are going to return it, the sound is too dull and plastic, we are exchanging it for the Yamaha which our daughter enjoy so much more"

To judge the sound of PTQ5 vs other digital piano's: Use your own ears.
To judge the playability of these other digital pianos vs PTQ+VPC1: Play them yourselves.

I personally like my Yamaha stagepiano. But I also like the sound of PTQ5.
Recently I had a chance to play on someone's VPC-1. Very good keyboard action, much better than my Yamaha.

But playing with your own hands and listening with your own ears should always be rule #1 when making a decision. Especially if it costs you money. Nice and helpful people here, but don't trust the PTQ forum too much :-)

GRB, with the greatest respect, if you believe the VPC1 should have had a load of knobs, faders, and buttons, you're probably not the target audience for this particular controller.

Kind regards,
James
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