Bechstein

Uh Uh Uh… What a great (unofficial) news...

am i the only one puzzled by this?

"capture", to my meager understanding, confusingly evokes notions of sampling, but surely this isn't the case with our dearly beloved program, so how then does "capture" feed into the modelling process?  some clarification on this would be much appreciated and 'would love to learn how "physical modelling" relates to recording studio "capture"...

cheers,
dj

[edit: change log now updated]

It seems to be based on Bechsteins 2016 Kontakt library.
The Bechstein team spent 3 weeks recording the instrument in the Teldex Recording Studios.
You can find more info about the original library on bechstein.com

https://www.bechstein.com/en/the-world-...nstrument/

> i'm not sure i'd really qualify Philippe's explanation as "detailed"... wink
This is a maximum information that we have in the official zone for now

> but so does this mean then that all the instruments in the Pianoteq stable...
Pianoteq has a pianos that is build in from scratch (modeled without using sampling technique). For example:
The K2 Grand Piano is developed especially for Pianoteq 6. It is not based on any specific model but created from scratch by the Modartt virtual piano factory, combining the best elements of several source pianos.
https://www.pianoteq.com/k2

I guess this makes it clearer that Pianoteq is, in some form "sampled based", meaning that the modelization process is based on recordings, samples of the physical instrument.
For a while I thought that the process was more based on acoustic measurements...but then again, how can you measure a sound without using some kind of microphone or transducer?  Maybe the process evolved from the beginning, to move towards using recordings (for Petrof) and actual pre-existing samples (Beckstein)?

I can already hear hardcore sampling afficionados saying that Pianoteq is indeed "one step removed" from sampled pianos! Don't get me wrong, this doesn't take anything away from the outstanding quality of Pianoteq's models, and the tremendous advantages of low cpu and memory requirements remains a key advantage of PT. In fact most recent sampled pianos use so form of modellization in the final product.

It just seems that the lines are more blurred then I thought between sampling and modellization. OK, gotta go download 6.4 and try the Beckstein now

Pianos are very idiosyncratic. Nearly every note and every range has qualities distinct from those adjacent to it, due to numerous factors. That’s why most modern sampled virtual pianos rely upon samples of each and every note at multiple velocities (while, unless I am mistaken, older piano-sample libraries sometimes sampled only every 4, 5, 7 or other interval of semitones, omitting the notes between and altering the tonal frequencies of the sampled notes to emulate the omissions).

Likewise, in order to faithfully reproduce a piano in modeled form, and give it the distinctive characteristics of the manufacturer’s particular piano including the note-to-note idiosyncracies and differences, every single note would need to be carefully recreated in the virtual model (the relative volume of each note and balance between overtones/harmonics for example) from reference material, which in this case would be pristine recordings using the best equipment and environment possible, of each and every note of the piano being modelled.

To use a rather poor analogy, an artist would find it very difficult to paint a portrait without being able to examine in great detail the physical characteristics of his or her subject, aside from a knowledge of that subject’s general character.

Pianoteq's C. Bechstein Digital Grand is just so inspiring to play. I can certainly lose myself in its charms. This is such a thing of beauty.

Thank you all at Modartt, again, for what is another truly stunning, vital and realistic piano.

It's such a large piano (the biggest in Pianoteq?) but is so nimble to play (and details are profoundly amazing to me) - can be made to sound so seraphic or tremendously heroic - in any case very sumptuous.

Playing on Pianoteq's C. Bechstein Digital Grand is a real pleasure. After a short time of adaptation, as with any acoustic instrument, it is possible to take advantage of it in a great way.
Pianoteq instruments are much better when played than when you listen (without rebalancing) a demonstration from a midi file that has been played on another keyboard and with another instrument. In the latter case, the pianist's feedback is still lacking, adapting to the specificity of the instrument. (Imagine the energy on the keyboard of a young virtuoso to bring out the upper treble 3 octaves on a piano of the 19th century, applied "mechanically" to a recent Kawai piano, all agraved by a recording with microphones at the same location for both pianos!). You really have to play this wonderful new instrument.
Congratulations to the entire Modartt team for this great new development of Pianoteq, once again in great progress.

Dear Modartt team,

Thank you so much for your hard work in creating the new Bechstein. It is absolutely beautiful. And thank you for the offer which enabled me to buy another instrument at half price.

Thanks again,

Warmest Regards,

Chris

Thank you Chris and all for your kind words. I need to mention that we have a fantastic beta team, whose contribution to the final result has been top notch.

The new Bechstein is indeed beautiful, and I must add my thanks to the Modartt team for their superb work. And I'm delighted with the revoiced Steinways! The 50% offers are encouraging me to re-evaluate instruments that I had previously overlooked. U4 is one that I had resisted for a long time, but I ran through the demo just now and can resist no longer!

Just for fun, I Googled the price of a real C. Bechstein D 282. Don't forget that you'd really need to budget for a nice big hall with great acoustics as well...

I originally bought one of the Kremsegg volumes for the old Bechstein when I bought Pianoteq. This new Bechstein is a nice surprise, and it's lovely to play. I got the Steinway B for half price, as I've always preferred the sound of it to the Pianoteq Steinway D.

I hope the Kremsegg Bechstein continues to be updated, as I see myself using both of these for a long time.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Combining the two doesn't really add anything. The two are sufficiently different that when you add them together it doesn't sound like a Bechstein anymore. It sounds rounder and fatter.

Not yet tried the Bechstein; been too busy enjoying the updated other stuff.  Petrof is much better, so is D4.  6.4 went on my old windows Vista seamlessly with the help of Firefox and a memory stick.  Well done!

The Pianoteq C. Bechstein DG is a wonderful piano, very well balanced across the entire range with clear articulation. And for an alternate sound, the "C. Bechstein DG Sweet" preset lends to it quite a lot of the rich, sonorous character of a Boesendorfer. Extremely pleased and impressed.

I had been traveling, so I hadn't been able to try the Bechstein on my good speakers and computer setup at home until yesterday.

Thank you so much Pianoteq team for this great piano model.

The Pianoteq team has modeled so many outstanding pianos to choose from, and everyone has personal preferences in general or for different types of music or moods. To me the C. Bechstein DG seems so close to ideal in every respect I can think of, that I find myself hoping that the Pianoteq team will not substantially change the model in future releases or do more than minor revoicing, which hardly seems necessary.

Yep, they nailed it with this Bechstein.

Maybe you need to Update your License inside the Program:
"In Pianoteq, update your licence activation by clicking on "Help", "About" and "Update licence" (don't use the instrument serial, just keep your current Pianoteq serial)."