Setting up Pianoteq

Hi JH. Before you dismiss Pianoteq - I assume you have been trying the demo version - it may be worth persevering.  I went into digital pianos nearly 3 years' ago, having played acoustics for over 60 years.  My guess is that we are not that many years' different in age ........ My view is that no DP is likely to provide good enough results from the internal sounds. (I have a relatively recent Kawai ES7, my last grand was a Kawai RX2) I tried PT4 with an old Windows laptop and didn't like it, but no latency problems with ASIO4All.  I bought a Macbook Pro - 2nd hand - with a SSD and bought sampled pianos: VILabs Steinway, Bluthner, Fazioli, because latency can be a problem with large sampled pianos.  Got better sounds than the Kawai's own, but then tried PT5 when it came out.  Suddenly it felt like playing a piano again.  Bought the Standard version with the D4, K2 and Bluthner.  Yes, it takes time to coax the sound you are looking for out of any software piano, but the differences between in-built sounds and PT5 are enormous.  That time is elongated if, as I do, you only play through speakers -  I have added monitors - and therefore need to tweak to suit the room, but the satisfaction of arriving at the sound you like should not be underestimated.  Without tweaking, I believe no software piano will give its best sound, but it's easier and cheaper than getting a technician to tweak an acustic.

There is a wealth of help available on the forum.  if you give details of your Technics and your pc, I am sure people here can advise what is possible and how to do it.  For me, apart from adding the speakers and a small DAC - both optional extras, I am also a hi-fi, to use the old term, enthusiast - it consists of 2 cables: usb midi into the laptop and audio out to the speakers.  Having sent emails etc sitting on my settee, I can move the laptop to the ES7 and be playing within a minute or so.

Hi Sandalholme.  I am particularly worried about any delay there may be between the moment the key is pressed and the sound is produced. Ok for organists but not me!  I read somewhere on the forum that this can happen.  That aside, my Technics PX150 has a fine bass and middle register, but the treble is on the bright and 'tinny' side    The keyboard however is a delight to play, so if i can sort out the sound quality i shall be more than happy.

Also i am hesitant about buying the Pianotech system as i might not be able to install it properlly.  I am sure the downloading to my laptop would be  pretty straightforward. It is just what i do after that regarding hooking it up to the piano! Finally i don't know if my 5 yer old piano would be compatible with Pianotech.

Hoping all is well with you SH wherever you may be!  Thanks and regards. JH

Hahaha you really are splitting hairs there ED!!  Anyway you know what i mean and i thank you for your kind help and advice.  Incidentally i made a mistake, it is a Technics 105.  Regards. JH

JH, one of PT's great features is the trial version.  If I remember correctly it lasts for 20 minutes before needing to be restarted and a few notes do not sound.  So, given a midi cable to the computer and an audio back to the DP's speakers, you can try it for as longs as you wish and experiment with the sounds it produces with your DP.  Assuming you are on Windows, don't forget the Asio4All free software - this itself will probably provide a better audio signal than you built-in sound card. Latency - delay between pressing a key and hearing it - can be reduced, if initially it is too long, by changing the sample rate, buffer size and polyphony.  Start with high sample rate, low buffer size and high polyphony and experiment with them to reduce latency in your particuar setup.

Sorry for ending there - urgent business calls, but for the cost of 2 cables, you can experiment as long as you wish before deciding if PT works at all, then you have all the other adjustments to create the sound you wish for.