Hi all,
I never got anything satisfactory from on-board speakers.
At the beginning of my use of Pianoteq I used an old Korg concert C46 digital piano of which only the electronics of the keyboard and the amplifier (2x50w) of the onboard speakers (2 ways) worked. Despite any attempt to equalize the sound downstream of Pianoteq by x way with multi-band equalizers, the result was still very disappointing compared to what was possible to hear with even cheap headphones. More recently, I tried again to use Pianoteq on loudspeaker (in fact mainly to test Organteq), but even putting up to 4 pairs of loudspeakers already of good quality, a pair of slave subs and 1 sub complementary, with 4 hi-fi amplifiers (excluding subs amps) and up to 3 multi-channel equalizers, whatever the combination, yet x times re-balanced with measurement with a pair of microphones at the location of the keyboardist, the headphones were always far more realistic.
My feedback on these various attempts to use Pianoteq with loudspeakers is as follows today.
(1) Since a piano needs a huge reserve of power so that the sound is not too distorted during attacks, the best results have been obtained with speakers never more than two feet from the pianist; Without the powerful professional sound equipment of a concert hall, it seems very difficult to achieve decent sound at greater distances from the speakers, in my case with already over 1500w of power from the amplifiers. (beyond this distance of 60 cm or so, it is just possible to make a little more noise, not to produce a quality sound),
(2) most of the power brought into play is to try to reproduce [without too much distortion] the last 2 octaves (bass and case resonance). For this it is ideally necessary to have loudspeakers not only of quality but of large diameter (at least 25 cm in diameter), and in boxes of sufficient size. It actually improves realism in surprising ways!
(3) taking into account the interaction of the loudspeakers [especially of large size] with the room, it is necessary to very precisely equalize [sometimes Hz by Hz] the rendering of the loudspeakers between 15hz and 400hz - well below of the lowest note of 27hz (A-1) because the resonances of the piano fret are sensitive well below and for many other notes.
Most equalizers do not have enough frequency settings and especially effective filtering method for a frequency (for a note) given. In addition, the settings generally integrated on the subs are largely insufficient (allowing too much low midrange or artificial bass to pass on certain notes). For computers, there is a free open-source equalizer: (APO Equalizer) which can offer an almost infinite number of settings and a wide variety of filters that can be very effective. However, its use must be done with great caution, because a bad setting or excessive over-amplification can easily break speakers (even on a laptop ...). In addition, it is not always necessary to force the reproduction level of certain notes too weakened because the loudspeakers not designed [or badly arranged] for these notes then generate a distortion which counterbalances the advantage of the rebalancing carried out, distortion which one does not can prevent that by reducing the overall sound level which, even by bringing the speakers closer together, can end up becoming generally insufficient ...
(4) there is also a compromise to be found between a more realistic spatial diffusion of sound, with several speakers judiciously spaced, and the phase shifts of sound obtained by the interactions between these more numerous speakers, unpleasant interactions than equalizers. cannot always correct and which are often localized sometimes on very small spaces, in which the keyboardist is accidentally placed, sometimes only by slightly turning the head ... [bp of standing waves]
(5) beware of parasitic vibrations, which are more frequent than you might think, (it suffices for this to generate with software such as Audacity tones on all frequencies of the audible notes to be quickly convinced). placing piles of books (or ideally blocks of stone) on the loudspeaker boxes makes it possible to limit these vibrations, except for the lowest frequencies for which at high level objects further away can also vibrate. (hence the need to renounce too high a sound level)
Unfortunately, whatever the compromises on the arrangement of the speakers, and their balance, as well as the price engaged to have better quality speakers, the piano is a cruel instrument which betrayed very quickly by an artificial sound the inevitable. "compromise" on the material that we initially imagined "acceptable" ...
In conclusion, a completely natural sound on loudspeakers remains in my opinion elusive, and in any case much lower than that which is possible to obtain with even inexpensive headphones.
In the best case, there will always be at least a "reduction" of the soundscape: Sometimes one will have the impression of contemplating a landscape through a painting, but never a window,
which is basically not so serious since the perceived sound is fortunately very largely imagined by the listener, and all the more easily since it was written and played with talent ...
Bruno
Last edited by bm (26-09-2020 19:14)
