Embedding morphings into layers

With the Flatten option it is possible create morphed instruments, flatten them, and include them in a layer. I used this flexibility in an attempt to emulate the very nice and warm Sweedish 1894 Malmsjö grand piano that is available in samples only.

See http://www.artvista.net/malmsjo.html

For this, I was contacted by forum user teacue who wanted to use my PtqSpecProf software (that is not accessible on the Google site anymore) to try to emulate with Pianoteq this fine instrument that he uses as samples. We collaborated on it and finally I came up with an fxp that also uses my empty hall layer to try to emulate the built-in reverb of the samples that is part of its charm, as much as possible.

Not perfectly of course, because the warm room sound incorporated in the samples is cut short with them, having no tail and is impossible to get from Pianoteq that generates the equivalent of an anechoïc room recording, to which some reverb must be added.

The Malmsjö to my ears sounded close to the 1926 Pleyel so I morphed it with the Blüthner to expand the sound a bit, did some editing and applied my Spectrum software to the Malsjmö samples, flattened the result and layered three copies with the « empty hall » template I have posted about previously.

The floating sound of the samples is obtained by unison width settings and the mellow attack by reducing the velocity in the unflattened morph. This makes for what is probably the largest fxp file yet at 121 KB and needs Standard or Pro for correct result, as indicated in the Modartt site.

To hear the piano without the reverb, simply select the first instrument in the layer as Solo (S) or use the corresponding sliders.

Layer fxp: https://forum.modartt.com/file/86q7a267

Unflattened component of the layer: https://forum.modartt.com/file/7mzw5igt

I rendered Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie so a direct comparison can be made with the demo on the ArtVista site.

https://forum.modartt.com/uploads.php?f...loutie.mp3

The emulation is of course far from perfect but is a tribute to the flexibility of Pianoteq’s toolkit.

Comments are welcome of course!