What parameters for Pianoteq need to re-create a historic instrument?

Very grateful for this David - outstanding - agreed with dazric, all counts.

There would be quite a few of us who originally discovered Pianoteq because of the era instrument collection and will always welcome and cherish additions to it, esp. instruments such as these. Commendable stuff!

Many thanks! Wishing the very best to this endeavour.

Thanks for posting these - always very interested in this kind of material.

All I know about the modelling system is what Modartt have made public, which is that while you can change the parameters of any single model (e.g. the Steinway D4) to alter the sound, you cannot completely change the sound as that requires the underlying model to be altered, and that's hard-coded into the application.  So while I suspect with Pro you could come close to these sounds using the existing models as a base, it sounds like you'd actually need Modartt to help you with the development and integration of completely new models.

If you look at the video of the recently released Petrof you can get a hint of how much high precision recording and background work is required to make a new model, but the details are unknown.

Thanks so much for so much positive energy in everyone's thoughts on this.

At Hammerwood I've been promoting concerts for some 36 years and tuning the pianos for the past 35, and so developed an ear listening for things that you hear particularly when tuning. And the last dozen years have been enlightened by unequal temperament and how to tune it successfully. In the beginning I wasn't always so successful.

The 1886 Bechstein is a really special instrument in my opinion but the existing Kremsegg 1899 is really good and from which I can recognise the essence of my instrument. So to devote energy to another instrument of the same period might be mere duplication. Three or four years ago we had the hammers re-felted by Abel with their Premium felt and now the hammers are bedded in it's very beautiful.
https://youtu.be/7O-guxH7Ggg
is how it sounds now and
https://youtu.be/4bsw2P4w4Bk
played by our Italian friend.

I've mentioned these instruments to Modartt and received a polite reply.

Perhaps if others would find value in their dissemination through Pianoteq writing to Niclas might give an idea of potential support.

For me the Stodart has something about it akin to the hammered dulcimer, and unlike anything currently modelled. The 1819 is a most brilliant example where Pianteq could demonstrate the hypothetical change to a thicker string gauge in the treble, whilst for me the 1859 Broadwood is a queen of English instruments of this period, the start of the modern instrument and yet the straight stringing of the former era.

A pianist came the other day preparing for a concert and I really wasn't so keen on his playing on the Bechstein but transferring to the Broadwood his technique came to life.

Of the Kremsegg existing sampled instruments in my opinion the Graff is one of the most interesting.

Best wishes

David P

Excellent idea, I will definitely be doing so. The chance to have these superb instruments modelled is too good an opportunity to miss IMO.

"What parameters does Pianoteq require for the analysis of an instrument and it's simulation for re-creation?"

I'm not from Modartt team, but once I asked this same question, years ago when I imagined if was possible to model a vintage piano that once belong to a brazilian emperror, now in a museum. Sadly the museum was a bit arrogant and did not return most my emails. But Philippe at the time gave me some tips about what was required back then (not sure if it's the very same today) :

-Recordings from each key. If a vintage piano have some keys broken it can be digitally compensated, guess the missing key sound by the sound of the keys near by, but it's always better to have all keys.
-To record with many velocities, about 4 or 5 at least, or more for each key.
-Quality professional recording, dry, free from environment noises and free from relevant room reverberations. The most pure the better I presume, given the fact that Petrof 275 was recorded in a anechic chamber.
-Recording with and without sustein pedal, for each note, until the sound fades. Other pedal effects can be of help, I presume.
-Also recordings from staccato.
-Detail measurements of the piano body, soundboard. Informations about features, duplex scale for example, and others.
-I guess that also some recordings from the noises of the actions, specially for the trebble where it's more relevant.
-The piano most be tunned, If I remamber well. I'm not sure if a piano with some cracks on sounboard is able to be recreeated digitally by modeling like if it could be fixed virtually if the location of the crack is knew.

This is the basic, I believe. But with a vintage piano on hands I'm sure they would analyze more things to try replicate as close as possible the vintage piano response into the digital model.

As far as I know Philippe really apreciate vintage pianos and would love to model all pianos of those videos. But it takes a lot of time and money. It's already a miracle that they did the KiVIR project with many free instruments. The Kremsegg collection was a way they found to try to get more vintage instruments possible, despite not be free as KiIVIR they sold 4 vintage pianos (for each of two collections) for the price of one.

People appreciated more the vintage C. Bechstein 1899 at the time Kremsegg collectionm was released, probably because it ressambled a lot a modern piano and had also a beautiful sound.
This is probably the best way to try get another pack of vintage instrument. A collection with 4 instruments or so to buy, with one not so old, similar to a modern grand and with some characteristic people have interest.

David, thanks for posting your video links. Since we are already in contact, I suggest that we
discuss this further via email.

It would be great to have some IR files from Hammerwood, if possible. I don't know about anybody else, but I have trouble finding high quality, piano-friendly IRs to load into Pianoteq, so I usually end up just using the reverb presets.