Pianoteq

Pianoteq is a proprietary, award-winning virtual instrument capable of recreating the sound of a wide range of acoustic & electro-acoustic instruments. Zynthian software includes a limited demo version that can be upgraded to the licensed version.

What makes Pianoteq superior to other virtual instruments is that the instruments are physically modelled and thus can simulate the playability and complex behaviour of real acoustic instruments. By omitting usage of samples, the file size is just a tiny fraction of that offered by other virtual instruments, perfect for use on any modern laptop.

Steinway & Sons have approved the sound and playability of the Pianoteq virtual instruments Steinway Model D and Steinway Model B, which have gained from the refined physical model. These magnificent virtual grand pianos will appeal to all musicians in search of the most famous piano sound signature.

Vivid: The piano creates the sound in real time while you are playing and takes into account all the complex factors that makes the piano a truly vivid instrument, such as the interaction between strings, the use of pedals, the cabinet resonance and the position of the hammers. It will feel like you have a real piano in front of you... as if you could just lean over and touch the strings!

Versatile: Pianoteq introduces new methods to adjust the piano sound to just the way you like it! Changes that until now could only be made by piano tuners are now possible directly from the interface. Within seconds you can adjust the sound to a particular type of music or playing style. The many choices can be saved as a customized setting which you can share with other Pianoteq users.

Expressive: All the detailed variations of the timbre are there, from the weakest pianissimo to the strongest fortissimo! What you express on your keyboard will also be what you actually hear. The sound of even the weakest pianissimo is absolutely pure without any audible quantization noise.

Features

• Unique adjustable physical parameters, such as unison width, octave stretching, hammer hardness, soundboard, string length, sympathetic resonance, duplex scale resonance.
• Progressive variation of the timbre (uses all the 127 MIDI velocities)
• Control of the dynamics in timbre and volume
• Polyphonic Aftertouch (particularly interesting for the clavichord)
• Realistic sympathetic resonances, including duplex scale
• Microtuning, supports Scala format
• Adjustable mechanical noises (sampled or modelled)
• Built-in graphic equalizer
• Built-in graphic curve for key velocity, note-off and pedal
• Keyboard calibration assistant
• Ten types of pedals: Sustain, Soft, Harmonic, Sostenuto, Super Sostenuto, Rattle, Buff Stop, Celeste, Pinch Harmonic, Glissando
• Progressive sustain pedal, allowing partial-pedal effects
• Convolution reverberations
• Effects: Tremolo, Wah, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Fuzz, Delay, Amp, Compressor, Mini-eq.
• Mallet bounce (note repetition)
• Instrument condition (mint to worn)
• Variable lid position
• Five adjustable microphones
• Multi channel - up to 5 channels
• No quantization noise (32-bit internal computation)
• Renders high resolution MIDI formats CC#88 and Disklavier XP.
• Installs and loads in seconds
• Extremely small file size (less than 50 MB)
• Extended key range (105 keys = 8+2/3 octaves) for the grand pianos Steinway D and K2
• Mac OS X 10.7 or later, Windows 7 or later, Linux (x86 and ARM)
  
  

Instruments

Steinway Model D grand piano

Authorized by Steinway & Sons. The Hamburg Steinway Model D grand piano is famous for its exquisite musical expression and is featured in numerous prominent recording studios and concert halls worldwide.

Steinway Model B grand piano

The instrument that served as reference is a Steinway B from Hamburg that belongs to the Martha Argerich Edition, a set of 25 grand pianos selected and signed in 2014 by the prestigious pianist for their musicality. Subtle refinements of the physical model were made, resulting in a noticeably clear tone and astounding dynamics.

C. Bechstein DG grand piano

This physical model of C. Bechstein Digital Grand is originally derived from a C. Bechstein D 282 concert grand piano, captured by the acclaimed Teldex Recording studio in Berlin. Authorized by Bechstein, the Pianoteq model reproduces the outstandingly brilliant and powerful sound of the C. Bechstein D 282 with its singing, richly coloured voice, suitable for many different music genres.

Ant. Petrof 275 grand piano

Ant. Petrof 275 Concert Grand Piano is the Petrof company flagship, bringing the authority required for concert halls. It maintains the colourful, romantic and rounded tone which the Petrof instruments are praised for, thanks to first class materials.

Steingraeber E-272 grand piano

Steingraeber E-272 Concert Grand Piano is praised by many pianists as being one of the most distinctive and outstanding instruments on the market today. This physically modelled virtual instrument for Pianoteq 6 captures the characteristic Steingraeber sound with a range of presets offering different colours suitable for various types of music.

Grotrian Concert Royal grand piano

The Concert Royal grand piano by Grotrian is rightly considered to be one of the best grand pianos in the world. Its tone, playing mechanism and construction meet the very highest standards in terms of quality, refinement and perfection – strengths which can be heard and felt all the way back to the last row in large halls and concert houses.

Blüthner Model 1 grand piano

Authorized by Blüthner, this is the world's first physical model of Blüthner's finest grand piano, widely celebrated for use on the concert stage. One of our most popular grand piano models.

K2 grand piano

The K2 grand piano was created for Pianoteq 5. Thanks to its 2.11m (6' 11”) cabinet, the sound quality is magnificent, bringing a perfect balance of warmth, brilliance and clarity. Enjoy its dark, woody character in a musical allround environment.

YC5 rock piano

The Rock piano is developed to meet requirements for a specific pop/rock piano, modelled from a well known Japanese grand piano, frequently seen on stages and very much appreciated by touring artists for its musical qualities and reliability.

U4 upright piano

The U4 upright piano emphasizes the characteristics of upright pianos, offering 21 exciting presets. Besides the beautiful timbre of well-built acoustic pianos, there are some increased “imperfections” in presets such as Blues, Vintage, Honky Tonk, Detuned, Ruined, Bierkeller, Tacky, Wavy, Weathered, Club...

Karsten collection

The Karsten Collection includes five historical instruments built between 1600 and 1858, provided by instrument collector Peter Karsten (Braunschweig, Germany). The virtual copy of the New York Steinway square piano (1858) is evaluated and authorized by Steinway & Sons.

Kremsegg historical collection #1

The Kremsegg museum collection #1 includes 4 historical pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries: Dohnal, Besendorfer, Erard, Streicher. Incomparable for rendering the music of the 19th century composers, but also for playing other music styles like Jazz.

Kremsegg historical collection #2

The Kremsegg museum collection #2 includes 4 historical pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries: Broadwood, Pleyel, Frenzel, Bechstein. Incomparable for rendering the music of the 19th century composers, but also for playing other music styles like Jazz.

Harpsichord instrument pack

Hans Ruckers II harpsichord for Pianoteq is a superb virtual instrument with authentic sound and response, and it is a joy to play. It is equipped with the three registers - lower 8', upper 8', and 4' - which can be combined in ways not even possible in the real world.

Harps

The Harp pack includes a Concert Harp and a Celtic Harp. The Concert Harp is physical modelled after a Salvi concert harp, used by many baroque and classical composers in the 18th and 19th century. The Celtic Harp is frequently heard in folk music as well as in earlier classical music and contemporary new-age. Both harps include foot-controlled pedals to change the pitches of the strings. They also add the ability to play harmonics (flageolets) and glissandos.

Electric pianos: MKI, MKII & W1

You surely already know these famous electro-acoustic pianos from the seventies. Three amazing instruments with a gorgeous sound, Vintage Tines MKI, Vintage Tines MKII and Vintage Reeds W1, are included. Each instrument comes with several variants and you can customize them to your own taste.

Hohner Collection

Tested and authorized by Hohner, this collection includes four famous Hohner keyboard instruments: Electra-piano, Pianet N, Pianet T and Clavinet D6. Manufactured by Hohner from the early sixties until the early eighties, they appeared in many hit records of that period. Hohner® is a registered trademark of Matth. Hohner GmbH.

Vibes: Vibraphones V-B & V-M

Two virtual vibraphones, V-M and V-B, reproduce faithfully the characteristic sound of two well-known vibraphone brands. The V-M is a virtual copy of a Musser vibraphone (USA) that belongs to the famous French vibraphonist Dany Doriz. The V-B is a virtual copy of a Bergerault vibraphone (France).

Celeste: Celesta, Glockenspiel, Toy Piano and Kalimba

This pack includes four instruments: Celesta, Glockenspiel, Toy Piano and Kalimba. By striking metal plates, the sounds have a bell-like quality that have fascinated composers throughout history and still today. The Toy Piano and Glockenspiel models have slightly extended octave ranges. The Kalimba, also known as Mbira, is a small handheld instrument, originally from Africa.

Xylo: Marimba bass + Xylophone

Xylophone and Bass Marimba are similar to the vibraphone but are using wooden bars instead of aluminium. Each bar, that vibrates when hit with mallets, is paired with a metallic resonator which is tuned to amplify the sound.

Steelpans: Steel drum + Hand pan + Tank drum + Spacedrum

This pack includes four instruments: Steel Drum, Spacedrum, Hand Pan, Tank Drum. Each instrument is provided with one preset faithful to the original instrument modelled and several variants.

Free instruments

In addition to the instruments above, Modartt offers to Pianoteq users a rich set of free instruments, including piano predecessors such as cimbalom, harpsichord and clavichord, an electro-acoustic piano CP-80, bells, tubular bells, etc.