Got to thinking; the default setting we receive, velocity curve, etc, must be geared to A Particular Digital Piano, or Controller. any thoughts as to what this might be, or actually is?
Good question!
I'd put it this way, esp for readers who haven't yet though about their velocity curve, also do please correct anything if wrong or badly explained:
The default straight curve is an even straight line from bottom left up to top right in a box in the interface. It gives a baseline calibration for midi from lowest to highest velo without deviant characteristics.
If using basic midi, that's from 0 velocity, to 127 velocity - each spaced evenly across the line.
In a way, you could say that within the software, it's arguably 'arbitrary' (in fact the process of creating a piano would be based on physical measures but I'd guess mostly for each velocity in scale tied to this even velocity construct, that being, each recorded key strike would be at evenly spaced too, from 0 to max) but whatever way you describe it, it's a default which is used to base all other velocity measures.
So only after we load up the software and plug in our particular Digital Piano keyboard then comes our own calibration to this default curve which is where the real world physics (hitting the keys) enters the picture/sound. The curve is our gateway to tell the software how hard we're hitting the keys in normal play.
If really serious about it (like top teir pianist level) then it can be extremely important to utterly perfect it, so that every tiny inference in playing is understood by Pianoteq.
For those without such demands, a good curve can still help and it's never wrong to put time into this. A good start is at the link below.
It's each person's preference how to alter the curve (from even) to personal preferences. Some great curve suggestions are posted on the Pianoteq curves page.
It's related but not identical to 'editing a preset' to make a different piano. Altering soft/hard hammers and other things are what I'd recommend everyone with a digital piano look into to in regards to editing your presets.
Your curve can always be left alone, once you've found a good calibration.. because, it's about the physical - it means your physical key strikes are measured correctly by the software now. If you want a very soft piano, try softening the hammers first, for example and by leaving your curve alone, that newly softened piano should remain as playable as before
But, it's also not wrong to use different curves. Paradoxical? I just suggest it's a thing to understand more about before deciding "I'll just change my curve for a brighter sound". Like I say, it's not wrong - but it might not get to the perfect results - just a shame to miss out and hoping to give impetus for thought about it all.
I recommend to make it a day project to delve and consider why the curve is kind of special. In most cases, we will ONLY hear all the tones (and achieve something approaching best sounds possible) out of a VSTI if we take seriously the calibration of our curve.
Having said all that however, many people don't worry too much (and that's just fine) and the default curve works very well now I have to say - and I do sometimes forget to change to my current 'best' curve - so I think that over time, manufacturers and the software itself is improving the overall workings of it.
100%, a keyboard can benefit from 'something' altered in the velocity curve and it can't be said enough that working on your curve is a small pain for quite massive gain.
Many good points here.
The velocity curve is really a "Velocity RESPONSE Curve" - how the software responds to how quickly the pianist depresses each key. Although I understand that the current software of Pianoteq doesn't support more than one such curve, there are two basic reasons to alter a velocity response curves (and thus I wish that the Pianoteq program would host two velocity response curves in series):
1) The first one, along with a separate dynamics setting, could be called "Hardware Calibration", and used to match each user's keyboard characteristics and speaker/amplifier performance to produce a predictable response to playing the keys. This would be a "set and forget" setting which would not need changing unless the user changes the hardware.
2) The second one, along with its own separate dynamics setting, could be called "Creative Calibration." This second velocity response curve would be carried as a setting within each preset, to achieve a certain 'feel' for the instrument being emulated. For example, if you want an instrument to respond like an early electric organ, you would make the velocity response curve flat, so that the same output comes from any keypress of greater than zero velocity. At the other extreme is a vertical line at 127, so that only a maximal velocity keypress generates any response whatsoever (the flat response is commonly used, while the latter is not, but all sorts of convex and concave curves are found in use). There are many examples in between these extremes found amongst the presets, both fast and slow, to alter the sound of the instrument. Unfortunately, the way things are currently set with only one curve available, if you use it to adjust your hardware and then you 'lock it' with the Parameter Freeze controls, you won't get to hear the effects of any of the creative uses for velocity controls.
Anyway, adding a "Calibration Curve" is my suggestion, which I wish for publicly on the forum every now and then... ;-)
David
Extremely interesting idea David. On first considering it, I'm really imagining it would be good to use.
Thinking it through.. A hardware curve which is simply ensuring velocities are all being measured (per note?). Then the idea of the creative curves over this, is intriguing because it does suggest the ability to take our hardware measures beyond shading/bumping or "ignoring too light or too heavy velocity" readings when drawing our creative curves (technical issues such as some keyboards not reaching all 128 in the range is corrected by our curves etc and probably more) - to "compressing the entire range readable appropriately for a given preset" - but maybe there's more to it which I'm missing too.. but really like the idea.
When I make a preset, like for a soft piano, after softening hammers and all the other re-balancing I might try, the idea of also mimicking a spongy keyboard is more likely to work for others using the FXP, if such extra hardware control is exerted already to the other users' liking - so a curve for the preset is not redundant but instead informative.
That could genuinely become an element in the process, rather than a hardware caveat
It's probably arguable that the current curve (in most VSTIs) is sufficient - but in sharing presets we have made, FXPs, it would help us relay the intended experience (including fast or slow keyboard response) in the setting - without having to worry that the user has an already slow or fast keyboard which could compound it or erase it. That alone might make sharing FXPs with Stage/Standard users more effective.
Very cool David, I'm yet to think of an impossibility about it but I'm aware their may be.