Press Release: With Pianoteq 4, a new milestone is reached in the piano world, bringing you the best and latest technology of virtual piano software. A thoroughly refined acoustic model is represented by the new astonishing grand piano instrument D4, designed with extreme care, each note being adjusted and voiced up to perfection. Thanks to its extraordinary playability and sonic authenticity, it meets the high demands from live musicians and recording studios.
From Pianoteq 3 to 4, three years of research were necessary to refine the physical model that describes the hammers, the strings, the soundboard and their interaction. A grand piano Steinway D from Hamburg has served as reference. Its main characteristics have been used for feeding the physical model from which the new grand piano D4 is born.
The secret of its sound quality lies in the refinement of the soundboard model and its acoustic radiation field computed via a structural analysis model coupled to integral equations. Moreover, each note has been carefully adjusted in its finest detail, just like in a real factory.
A new and exciting convolution reverb unit simulates acoustic surroundings ranging from Studio up to very long reverbs like Cathedral and Taj Mahal. It includes other types of reverbs as for example Plate, Spring, Broceliande, and you can also load reverb impulses to set your own environment. In conjunction with these reverbs, the new D4 offers a sound quality that is comparable to a real recording of an acoustic piano with the best audio equipment.
Pianoteq 4 in short:
- Improved sound with the new grand piano D4
- Improved physical model
New effects:
- Convolution reverb
- Delay, Chorus, Flanger
- Amp, Compressor
- Mallet bounce
New effects that benefit the electric pianos but also other Pianoteq instrument are included, such as delay, chorus, flanger, amplifier and compressor. Also included is a mallet bounce effect, especially adapted for the chromatic percussion add-on instruments (vibes, xylophone, marimba, cimbalom etc). The Pianoteq 4 interface is also now resizable, making it comfortable to work with on everything from 9” netbooks to 30” cinema displays.
The grand D4 comes with a wide selection of presets, from a perfectly tuned piano for classical or jazz music to a completely ruined piano, not forgetting Honky Tonk and prepared pianos. Moreover, its flexibility allows the user to modify many piano characteristics such as:
Tuning: pitch and temperament, unison width,
Voicing: hammer hardness, hammer noise, overtones adjustment,
Design: soundboard properties, string length, sympathetic resonances, but also the position of the microphones as well as their number, level and relative delay.
With these many faces, Pianoteq can match very different styles as illustrated in the “D4 in action” page that we invite you to discover on our web site. There you will find audio demos showcasing Pianoteq in various music styles or focusing on some particular aspect of the piano sound, a comparison of D4 presets in different musical context that can help you to find the sound you like, and workshops where you will learn how to approach the sound of famous recordings such as “Goldberg variations”, “Who Can I Turn To” or “Let It Be”.
Listen to “D4 in action” and download the trial version at www.pianoteq.com. The upgrade from Pianoteq 3 to 4 is priced at €29 ($39) and is free to all Pianoteq customers who registered or purchased a product or product upgrade after 1 January 2011.
