Sammy James reports

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SammyJames
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Sammy James reports

Post by SammyJames »

Hey guys:

Well, I downloaded both the Pianoteq and Synful programs. Hee is my verdict...

PIANOTEQ

The basic piano that you start with sounded like it did in the demos. No big surprise there; you get the full, nice, round sound that this plug-in has become known for. However, Artemio was right in his assertion that it lacks power. By "Power" I don't mean that it doesn't sparkle. In fact, it has this really nice, ringing tone that I found to be very pleasing to the ear. The problem is that it lacks punch.

"Punch" is a subjective term, but no amount of equalization would bring out the kind of "in your face" sound needed for a lot of today's music.

I'm going to hold out some hope that the developers will address it in future updates. Right now, if you are doing classical or jazz music, then you might want to give this one a whirl. It will not disappoint anyone who needs a more intimate-sounding, smaller grand sound.

SYNFUL

Now, this one did disappoint me a little bit. Although the mp3 demos on the internet site sound really good, I wasn't too surprised to find that the individual instruments are a bit lacking.

I did get the right idea, but what I think needs to happen is that the "thickness" of the ensemble patches, in particular, need some thinning out. The problem is that the section knob introduces some weird-sounding artifacts into the patches. It isn't that big of a deal, and frankly, I was impressed at how the knobs let you do a lot more than just dial in 12 violins. (My version let you put a total of 15 -- enough for a Wagnerian overture, or a Beethoven symphony. Or several at once.)

And I was trying, as I will mention again below, to create havoc. I was seeing what the limits were of the technology. The limits are obvious -- you can't expect for a typical computer to deal with big, two-handed chords, and certainly can't deal with very fast playing.

The computer that I was using, my Spectral, should have been able to reproduce the sound FAIRLY easily. My sound card is an M-Audio Audiophile Delta 192; even at 128 buffers and 44.1 kHz, there were some noticeable glitches in the runs up and down the keyboard. (I WAS trying to "break" it, so-to-speak, so I imagine that under normal use, it might be okay.) But anyone trying to beta-test a program like this needs to know that it is possible to overclock your processor and cause aforementioned glitchiness.

The 256 buffer setting worked better, but I hate playing with 6 ms of latency. So, for me, I am wating for either a better processor (something that I'll be saving up for) or a better use of resources on the part of the software manufacturer (something that I won't be holding my breath on...)

:)

But I loved the way that the violins and flutes PLAYED. (The violas and basses seemed a bit weird... almost too mushy, for my playing tastes. But again -- this is totally subjective.)

I was also watching the Cubase monitor (accessed by pressing F12) and it showed that, indeed, the processor was being overtaxed. I understand that I may have been asking too much of the computer by running the sound card so hot, but let's face it -- the web site claims that "even a notebook PC" can run this software without problems. I'd like to know more about their own in-house testing on the product before passing judgement.

However, the FLUTES and the Saxophone (I think that there is a sax in there!!!) sound GREAT. At any rate, it seems to me as though the reed and wind instruments are a cut above. If you are looking for a good replacement for your sampled trumpets and brass as well, you could do a lot worse than by going with Synful.

All in all, it was an instructive and fun afternoon. If I were reporting on these products for a magazine, I would have been tougher. As it was, I was evaluating them for my own personal use. In that spirit, I'm still unsure of whether I would buy them. I think that the answer is: Only if I had the spare cash, and right now, I don't.

I plan to buy products that I KNOW I'm going to absolutely love, and these aren't it. But again -- I plan to keep my eye on the two web sites to see if they get better at the sound. At the point at which they tip the scales with the technology, I might have to take out the second credit card...

- Sammy James

The Pianoteq can be found at http://www.pianoteq.com and Synful can be found at http://www.synful.com

Good night, and good luck.
http://www.sammyjames.com
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SammyJames
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by SammyJames »

Oh, and I almost forgot -- pricing for each product is below:

Pianoteq -- 249 euro (converted to USD, I think is about 280 bucks or thereabouts...)

Synful -- $479 USD.

Each of these programs is still way-too expensive for this computer music user. I'm hoping that the prices will come down to something reasonable, and that eventually I'll be able to buy each on CD at a local music store.

- Sammy

Good night, and good luck.
http://www.sammyjames.com

P.S. And in Ukrainian Hyrvnia, Pianoteq costs 1,641.8618 UAH. Meaning that Artemio will probably want to stick with his Roland Fantom.

:)
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Artemiy
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by Artemiy »

KAPITALISM!!!
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SammyJames
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by SammyJames »

YEAH!!!

By the way, Pianoteq doesn't sparkle. I prefer the sampled sound of real sampled pianos. I hate to say it, but now I'm convinced of that.

I don't deal in reality anyway. I manufacture dreams.

- Sammy

Good night, and good luck.
http://www.sammyjames.com
stevie
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by stevie »

Ok, what currency is UAH?? - sorry Art, have to ask.

Had a brief listen to Pianoteq and would like to try it out, but I haven't got anything that'll host it - so have it in mind that I've only listened to some of the MP3s of shitty 'puter speakers.

My overall impression is that I liked what I heard, has a nice pleasing tone, but getting straight to the 'problems' - even though you can hear resonance, the piano sounds too pure and the decay ends up as sounding 'sine wavey' (copyright stevie ;¬)). I suppose you can end up analysing this in a mathematical model, but I don't want to get in a too technical argument. These are just my opinions, not facts;

If sound is a 'collection' of sine waves interfering with each other constructively and destructively, creating a very different output, then in a piano mathematical model, you could precisly control which frequencies and hence harmonics would be excited depending on what key you play. This is why I think it sounds toooooo pure. The excitation is rigid. I'd guess that what happens in a real piano is LOADS of other variables change the output - i.e materials, homogeneity of materials, structure (stiffness), manufacturing tolerances (or lack of) and I could go on and on and on....

All these variables would come together interfering with the tone produed by the soundboard changing the sound which maybe for the better - it's a bit like the digital versus analogue recording argument - some analogue imperfections sound great to human ears. Digital sounds too clean etc. etc.

I also didn't really hear any sort of percussive 'click' when the hammers hit the strings and the dampers are put back on afterwards - the notes just sort of started and stopped without a 'framework'. Would still like to try this out this software though and get a much better understanding. I think 250 euros is pretty reasonable - that's the same cost as an SRX card. I'm sure the software is WAY more flexible.

I see a hybrid solution of samples and mathematical model to be a good solution, best of both worlds - throw in some unpredictatability into the maths and mess that pure sound up a bit more.

Steve
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by stevie »

I didn't hear any really loud pieces in my sellection of MP3s - so I don't know what this sounds like on fff - to judge 'power' etc. It was all pretty softly softly stuff - need some Rachmaninov or something in there with some oomph.
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Artemiy
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by Artemiy »

Sammy wrote:

"I'll let you know when I've bought the product, maybe later this week. "

Don't make your conclusions this quickly ;-)
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Re: Sammy James reports

Post by SammyJames »

Yeah, don't worry. I didn't buy it anyway. I DID, however, download the demo, and it feels nice. But "nice" and "I GOTTA HAVE IT!!!" are miles apart.

I'm still waiting to be blown out of my skin.

- S

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
http://www.sammyjames.com
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