Topic by Pboy

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Topic: Is there a Remedy for Loudness Differences

Hi guys and dolls,

i run PTeq on a notebook, which is connected via a Behringer UCA222 to my Roland HP605.

I find it higly annoying that there is a big difference in loudness between PTeq's internal Preset Midi demos itself when played over the speakers my HP605, but also between a PTeq Preset Midi demo and playing the Preset on the piano.

Mostly the demo is way louder than the Preset sound of notes payed on the piano.
(Pteq Preset Sounds played on the piano are also way quieter than the HP605 inbuild pianos)

Therefore i almost always need to tweak volume / settings when switching presets.

And when i want to hear the preset playing live on the same level than the HP605 inbuild pianos, i need to raise the Piano's speaker volume very high, which produces a buzzing sound (imho caused by the connected notebook)

1. Am i the only one experiencing such issues?

2. Is this perhaps a Roland specific problem?

3. Is there perhaps a way to fix the loudness on an acceptable level (without buzzing)?

As always, thank you in advance for your valued thoughts and suggestions ...

Music was my first love. And it will be my last. Music of the future. And music of the past (John Miles)

Reply by brundlefly

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Re: Is there a Remedy for Loudness Differences

I'm not sure about the loudness difference between demos and your own playing but would expect that's mostly due to velocity differences. As for the difference between Pianoteq and the HP605's internal sounds, I would guess that's mostly due to the limitations of this spec from Roland:

     Input jacks: Stereo miniature phone type

And this spec for the Behringer:

     Line Out Connectors: RCA, Unbalanced

Presumably you're either using  a Y-plug to get the two mono outputs from the Behringer into the stereo mini jack or you're using an 1/8" phone cable from the Behinger's headphone out. Either way, my guess is the Behringer's output level is weak and/or impedance mismatching between the unbalanced ouputs and inputs is probably contributing to a less-than-ideal input signal level.

There isn't a lot you can do about that other than making sure Pianoteq's level control is maxed without clipping the Behringer's DAC. And if you're using the headphone out, try getting a Y connector/cables to use the RCA ouputs which may work better.

Going forward, you might want to consider setting up a conventional stereo monitoring system - possibly with a small mixer to handle signals from the Behringer, the Roland, and your notebook's onboard sound - rather than using the Roland's speakers. And next time, look for gear that has +10dBu balanced I/O.

Reply by Luc Henrion

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Re: Is there a Remedy for Loudness Differences

The Behringer output IS weak, I just gave mine to a friend. Useless.

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Reply by Pboy

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Re: Is there a Remedy for Loudness Differences

Thanks for your feedback guys.

I found a (partial) solution ...

It has nothing to do with the Behringer UCA222, which is perfectly fine for my setup.

The key was brundledfly's hint to "velocity differences".

While i had set my Velocity Curve in Pteq, i didn't pay much attention to some other parameters of my HP605 until now.

I "discovered" that adjusting the "Input Vol" parameter helped adjusting the output vol from my notebook to match the "loudness" of the inbuild piano sounds.

Secondly - and more crucial - was adjusting the HP605's "Key Touch" parameter, which i had set and forgot shortly after i had received the piano. By lowering this value, i was able to get the same "loudness" from my own playing, than the Pteq demos.

While i'm quite happy with this solution, it is imho only a partial one.

Because the loudness of PTeq's internal Preset Midi demos still differs greatly between some Instruments / Presets.

Thus i'd wish there was a way to kind of "normalize" the output volume of this demos in PTeq.
Perhaps there is?

As always, thank you in advance for your valued thoughts and suggestions ...

Last edited by Pboy (03-05-2024 08:46)
Music was my first love. And it will be my last. Music of the future. And music of the past (John Miles)