I just saw this one too!

I'm liking the sound overall-- crisp, warm and bright. Shigeru's remind me of Bechstein concert series, where they have tons of color; bright and warm; and balanced (where no note sounds overly percussive or blended).

Also, it sounds like Pianoteq continues to improve its modeling. This new piano (which we currently assume is the SK) and the Bosendorfer 280VC sound much better, to me, than the other pianos. And I don't think it's necessarily my bias towards the respective acoustics (as I have an SK-2 and 280VC), but rather, they're the two newest in the lineup for Pianoteq, which inherently means it's employing the latest technology/software code.

Pianoteq is definitely putting out some pretty high end work. I've been more impressed by the past two pianos than I had thought I would be. Loved the Bosendorfer and now really appreciating the new Kawai videos I've seen.

Roland's Earth piano sounds pretty good to my ear, too.

My biggest complaint with external sounds is that they're... external. Now IF, for instance, I could just load whatever VST I wanted to onto my RD-2000 and it was now onboard, to me THAT would be something pretty incredible. For studio stuff, it's not important. For gigging, though, simpler is better.

It's official!

Modartt has announced a new virtual model for the flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX.

Modartt actually collaborated with Kawai on this one.

The SK-EX Concert Grand is the pinnacle of Shigeru Kawai pianos, meticulously handcrafted in Ryuyo, Japan, by extraordinarily skilled craftsmen, and prepared to perfection by KAWAI's Master Piano Artisans.

This PIANOTEQ virtual model of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX allows you to experience the magnificent tone of this prestigious masterpiece in your own recordings, live performances, and everyday practice, through a dedicated software or as a DAW plugin.

In collaboration with KAWAI, Modartt research engineers developed a faithful physical model of the unique sound of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX, capturing the commanding tone of its hand-wound temaki bass strings and the shimmering brilliance of its duplex scale. This meticulous attention to detail guarantees an authentic playing experience, all while preserving PIANOTEQ's lightweight design, quick loading times, and exclusive customization options.

Early reviews seem promising:

I'll give it a spin later tonight.

--
Beach L168, Wish, baCh, WOW Petrof, Fake Steinway, VS
TIME

Just wow! I played around with the trial a little and had a blast!

There are two pleasant surprises for me.

  1. Other than the usual presets, there's a new one called Ryuyo. Whatever it is, I love it! I found the description here:

It's an absolute blast.

  1. The second surprise is that there is a Shigeru Kawai SK-EX with Strings Pad! I have never seen that before in Pianoteq. It's very tastefully done and a ton of fun! Exactly what I would want from a Strings Pad... I've complained multiple times about not having a Strings layer in Pianoteq, so color me completely surprised to actually see this materialize!

The SK-EX is my new favorite and it finally displaces the NY Steinway D for me.

I've got a problem now... I've got some hard thinking to do about which instrument I'm going to pursue for the recital. What a nice problem to have! 😃

--
Beach L168, Wish, baCh, WOW Petrof, Fake Steinway, VS
TIME

    navindra new one called Ryuyo

    when reading the description of this preset (when in the "view all the presets of particular piano" view), the verbiage sounds the same as with the other pianos, whenever the piano is just called the piano. i.e, when you're on a Steinway B, and the preset is "Steinway Model B" then it's in the default preset, ie words like "pristine" original state and "original". I believe it means the starting point. Thus, "Ryuyo" would otherwise have been merely called "Shigeru Kawai SK-EX" (and no suffix).

    for example:

    navindra Strings Pad

    Yes, this was really cool - I ended up playing some Chariots of Fire and Jurassic Park with that. It's not comparable to a usual DP, with layers. But it was fun to play nonetheless. It'll be interesting to see if Pianoteq increases the usage, and improves on that. There's lots of promise on that.

        navindra I've got some hard thinking to do about which instrument I'm going to pursue for the recital.

        I'm salivating already what you will come up with. I hope it includes the hat as well 🤠😍

            Impossible 😄 You managed to give a stellar performance in a busy hotel on a paradise island... I'm ready to be impressed. No pressure or anything 🫠

            All jokes aside, I'm getting intrigued with PianoTeq. Definitely something I might be interested in someday... if I ever manage to figure out what it is exactly 😊

            navindra I do have a VPO - Virtual Pipe Organ - that I run organteq on. Two manuals, in the process of adding pedals. Its fun to fool with. I warm up every morning with a chorale or hymn.

                Sam Two manuals, in the process of adding pedals

                Oh nice! Does this mean you are building the organ yourself?

                I find organ music endlessly fascinating, in no small part due to the Toccata and Fugue this kid's show used to open with.

                The pedals are the best part!

                --
                Beach L168, Wish, baCh, WOW Petrof, Fake Steinway, VS
                TIME

                • Sam replied to this.

                    navindra Yes, I took two cheap 61 key midi keyboards, built a case and stacked them. There is no organ touch, like on a piano - you cannot control dynamics with the hands. So some resistance is good, and proper dimensions. Pedal dimensions are important too, but since I have never played pedals, I am not sure I would notice. I am in the process of constructing a set of 32 to the specs - or as close as I can get. Looks like this (so far):

                        I've been quite impressed with the sound of Modartt's last too pianos, the Bosendorfer and the Kawai. Some of the previous ones just really haven't appealed as much as I thought they might, even the D, but the last two really stepped it up a notch.

                        I have the demo downloaded and have messed with that, but kinda waiting for a sale. Black Friday is really close and I sure would like a discount. 🙂