Secondary volume and secondary equalizer.

Interesting, but...

There is standalone territory vs. more advanced VST implementation. For standalone there are many functions useful for quite a lot of people that are totally not necessary for others. Like MIDI recording and recently added layers. To me your request looks like a nice option potentially useful for a very few people. On the other side it is more suitable for a DAW host solution where you can easily split channels and apply whatever processing to any of them, combine with the other stuff, etc., which is more or less exactly what the DAWs are made for.

I like this idea. Like AKM wrote, all of this can easily be realized in a DAW. I once tried to use Pianoteq in a DAW and the performance loss was too large to use it that way, so I wouldn't mind if as much functionality as possible goes into the standalone version.
Another point for having this within Pianoteq is, that the settings would then be stored together with the presets.

But I would suggest a little different approach instead of left/right. Each microphone should get its own EQ, which ideally would have more than three bands available. That way we could use more than two microphones much more efficiently in standalone. I guess by sayining "equalizer" you are referring more to the EQ3 because different main EQ settings for different channels/mics wouldn't make much sense.

BTW the proposed volume feature can be achieved today with the microphone mix matrix.

Interesting idea Beto. Want to give it some advocacy and alternatives.

My vote would be for 2 "Tone balance" sliders in combo in Stereophonic (maybe also binaural) output pane(s). Achieving the same thing in those contexts seems where it fits.

For example, if loading a piano preset, and choosing "Stereophonic" output, in the sound design pane, there are 2 tools, "Stereo width" and "Sound speed".

I'd think adding "centered at zero" left to right "Bass weight" and "Treble weight" sliders would give a top-level simple way for users to do what Beto suggests with some finesse.

For example, move bass slider left a little or a lot, to hear more bass pushed to that channel. Give it better 'definition' by countering with the treble slider.. that's more control but hopefully doing what's suggested with some extra control.

I'd not really want to find that kind of top-down control placed over "Sound Recording" mode though, for various reasons - but if it's doable in future I'd trust Modartt to get it to work well.

Nice food for thought Beto.. hope this is an interesting read, rather than taken to seem like criticism which it isn't You got me thinking.. typing as I think and will add some ideas for ways to achieve similar effect with what we already have in the tools in case it helps or even becomes known to others..

Remembering in "Sound Recording" output mode, as it stands, all the mics and their own levels (even without mic EQ) does give a huge range of realistic creative choices as to how bass-heavy or treble-heavy either channel can be.

I do like the idea of EQ for individual mics but TBH, the mic is enough already a part of the recording.. EQ doesn't specifically "need" to come into it at mic level - the mic choices already have character enough to push in any way we need in a DAW, from adding tone/textures/grit etc. - I don't think Pianoteq needs to spend time and resources on this at present. The piano in general is what the mic picks up and then, again we're talking about something complex production-wise in the DAW to work further on that kind of thing - for the many things I love to see inside Pianoteq now, there are certain things we need to go to our production tools to accomplish (makes sense to those used to EQing mixing projects professionally for sure - I know too well new audio users take time to realize this though).

Added mic EQ seems like other extras for mics - more things for normal users to avoid because of the complexity. If at all, this kind of thing may take another version or 2, for any VST. But, like always in the past, we see users hoping Pianoteq makes good use of time/resources for pianos, instead of too much audio trickery. I think the balances has been great - and maybe I'd be happy either way - since it's proven it's possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. But.. I'm thinking there will now be pent up demand for more piano models before extra mic tricks.

I do share those concerns with AKM, about it being perhaps a more relevant job for a DAW specific production line for good reason (where the mix is beyond piano alone - I usually would handle all stereo specifics of each track in more complex ways with many tools - along with multi-band compression etc., rather than blunt EQ L/R - again, not saying I don't like the idea though at VST level - if deliverable in future).

My main concern would be that EQing separate channels on any VST is not a normal thing to do outside of the context of mixing (plugins do this kind of thing to any track) - and Pianoteq presets do already show more bass and treble on different sides, within ranges of realism. (Player preset and A/B & B/A mics). Sorry going in circles about it - but it's a good thing to think about - but I still come back to a tone balance slider instead of adding entire EQ shaping per channel, as more suitable tool for users looking for the easiest possible way to shift the weight of tones on either side.

Maybe a '360 deg. wheel' instead of a '2d slider'? *likely this kind of thing is more for future though.. I could see that being 'curly' to implement (with more wizardry to do with spatial processing maybe - but again plugins and tools do this kind of thing already in a DAW and can be complex for teams of devs).

If a user's dpiano speakers are not designed for outboard inputs like from Pianoteq (different speaker sizes L & R, different internal EQs they respond to etc.), it might be a very nice solution to have a simple control to place the "center" of the tones more left or right.

Some existing alternatives - which do essentially the same:

Already one simple way to 'push' for Beto's suggested effect, would be with 2 mics..

Aiming one at bass area of pianos and giving more mic volume to the side we want and doing the opposite with a 2nd mic achieves this. That stays within the piano's natural sounds, rather than artificially boosting tones either side.. balance to taste is as simple as L/R volumes in the 2 mics. It's actually one of the top meta-reasons for all mic arrays.

I don't think I'd like to recommend new users experiment with harsh per chanel EQ unless they really understand why they would want to try this (DAW users will have their own tools for this) - and I worry users would certainly over-do it and it may appeal immediately as a good way to make left more bassy and right more treble in the stereo field, but may mostly only result in poor results for most new users. "I thought this tool is supposed to make my dpiano speakers sound better but it just sounds too boomy now and off balance" type 'help me' posts.

For anyone really keen to grapple with the new Layer tool, I'd like to share a way to do very similar (seems hard but becomes easy when stepping through it)..

We can use Layers to achieve what Beto describes, with more realism from the 2 combined Pianoteq engines though..

Give this a try, stepping through..

Begin by selecting the piano and preset you want to work with. (Maybe a default which is a "Player" preset, so the left being more bassy and right being more treble makes most obvious sense in a real space).

Next click the "Morph / layers" button. Choose "Layers" button.

Use the same piano of choice, for both layers 1 and 2.

Think of this final part as "we're now going to make layer 1 bassier on left, and give layer 2 more treble tones on right" just like Beto suggests.

It will work with more realism than a hard EQ split (due to the radiating model - more generated stereo realism remains without 'confusing' the ear with artificially forced different speaker EQ settings could will confuse many).

This is my current preferred "split keyboard" (much time spent making all kinds - but this I like most so far - have shared it with a friend - and happy to share here - feel free to use it in your presets - tell 'em Qexl sent you)..

Layer 1 - all notes on left of keyboard, bass..

Paste this into layer one's "Note edit" "Volume" pane..

Volume = [0, -1, -2, +1, 0, +1, +1, 0, -1, 0, +1, 0, +1, +2, +1, +1, 0, 0, 0, +1, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, -1, +1, +2, 0, -1, -1, -2, -1, -3, +1, 0, +4, +1, +1, +2, +1, -2, 0, 0, +2, +1, +2, +2, +3, 0, -4, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23]

And do likewise with this for layer two.. all notes on right of keyboard, trebles..

Volume = [-23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -23, -4, +1, 0, 0, -1, -1, 0, -1, +1, +1, +2, 0, +1, +2, +2, 0, -2, -1, +2, -2, -2, +2, +2, +1, 0, -3, +1, +2, +1, 0, +1, +1, 0, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, +1, -1, -2, 0, 0, +1, 0, 0, +2, +1]

Now, you have 1 piano out of 2 layers.. with no overlapping of volumes.. (except one center key - which is compensated for) so far, this sounds seamless and more realistic than trying to use sloping mixes of volumes on both layers. (which can lead to it sounding like 2 pianos in layers of course, which is the intent with many layered presets no doubt, but I show with this split key arrangement, a split anyone can use to escape "compounding" the 2 layers - avoiding any effects akin to 12 string guitar-like doubled up notes singing etc.).

But of course there are some final steps..

In Layers pane, click "Edit" layer 1 - like Beto's idea mentions, add extra bass in the "EQ3" tool in "Effects" (optionally lowering trebles).

Back in Layers pane again, click "Edit" layer 2 - as above, except add trebles (and optionally remove some bass).

In either layer, you could lower or raise whatever controls you want.. the radiating model handles keeping the result sounding more like a cohesive instrument.

Just adding bass to one side and treble to the other is a more blunt thing to do - and TBH I would always prefer to do something more realistic with piano (except in some modern music mixing).

If just boosting bass or treble purely on separate channel signals, the results would be different, perhaps extreme - whereas doing the above keeps it more 'realistic' while still giving ability to enhance Left or Right channels in any way we want, not just EQ.

The main audio issue I envisage from allowing users to shift bass to the left is that it may help in specific situations (like dpiano speakers) but be a blunt tool in normal monitoring etc.

None of this is to say "bad idea" - I LOVE Beto's and the ideas of others - just trying to give responses from my perspective and offering what is to me fine and hopefully much enjoyed existing Pianoteq specific ways to do the same thing and more with the exquisite existing new Layer tool.

By working completely from ground up on both Left and Right layered instruments, we can also certainly leave reality behind too though, if we want to.

On the left layer, think of removing all 'right channel' levels on any mics.. vice versa and you're getting into "post-Beatles" production territory!

Hope this gives some ideas to others thinking of ways to create new sounds with layers - and hopefully you like this yourself Beto!

I know, a long read.. but I honestly can't trim these down any more than I do - and still feel like "I think I got all of it across".

Cheers to all!

Hah, LOL - love that

[Edit to add below]

Just noticed your dpiano fix-up job - I'm sure it goes well - you have enough on your plate without all that data

Cheers!

Thanks for opine
But it's too much work and more CPU use.

Volume splitting acts on volume, but symphatetic ressonance will be computated and it affects other strings, depite the volume of the silenced string be zero.

I presume all DP which have only one kind of speaker on each side, instead of speakers for bass, middle and trebble, on each side, used some trick to make the left sound deeper and powerfll, while the right sound striking. Had you oppened your Kaway to look the speakers insider?

I suspect everyone who owns a DP like that can get frustrated when tried a digital piano software, sampled or modelled, for just a matter of speakers. If the person it's not very informed he will think : "Why will buy a license for this piano software if the onboard sounds of my old DP are more powerful?"

My idea it's to atract these consumers, to avoid such misunderstanding situation, and gave a sound filter to make the software sound as powerfull as the old DP with single left/right speakers. Such people usually  have no patience or skills to run elaborated alternative, and have not great fast CPU to use multiple layers to try to solve the speakers issue.