Thinking of getting a digital piano
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wrote on 10 Nov 2023, 18:08 last edited by
I have had a Yamaha P-250 for over 15 years. It weighs over 70 pounds and sits on a ProLine double brace keyboard X stand.
It is solid, never wiggles or moves at all, it is on a carpet.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 00:53 last edited by
Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:12 last edited by George K
There's no latency with a computer plugged into the digital. You don't need the interface box, IMO.
I have a 12 year old MacBook Air running PianoTeq connected to my Roland - no issues.
Get yourself a cheapo used laptop on eBay, dedicated to the piano, and put it on a cheapo stand next to the piano. That's all you'll need.
Also, you can use PianoTeq in "demo" mode to access all the other instruments. However, some keys will be disabled. Nevertheless, you have a good sampling to decide if you want/need more. I have the Steinway and Steingraeber packs. I'm happy with them.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:17 last edited by Horace
I got big latency when I connected without the box. It's easy to tell because the piano will still play through its speakers even as it sends the midi. So if you hear a double beat, once when the piano strikes and again when the pianoteq strikes, there's latency. The only way I got rid of that was to use the ASIO drivers through the box.
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I got big latency when I connected without the box. It's easy to tell because the piano will still play through its speakers even as it sends the midi. So if you hear a double beat, once when the piano strikes and again when the pianoteq strikes, there's latency. The only way I got rid of that was to use the ASIO drivers through the box.
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:23 last edited by George K@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
On my piano, there's a setting to disable "local control" - that's what causes the piano to play through it's own speakers rather than pushing to the Mac and THEN to the piano speakers. A noticeable difference.
If I select a harpsichord in PianoTeq and forget to turn off "local control," I get both playing from the piano's speakers - it's funky to say the least.
Lot to learn, but once you've got it, you'll enjoy.
I find myself just leaving Pianoteq set on Hamburg D. However, switching to something else produces a different experience - but you get used to that after about half an hour.
Perhaps @kluurs has more ideas.
How's the action, by the way?
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@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
On my piano, there's a setting to disable "local control" - that's what causes the piano to play through it's own speakers rather than pushing to the Mac and THEN to the piano speakers. A noticeable difference.
If I select a harpsichord in PianoTeq and forget to turn off "local control," I get both playing from the piano's speakers - it's funky to say the least.
Lot to learn, but once you've got it, you'll enjoy.
I find myself just leaving Pianoteq set on Hamburg D. However, switching to something else produces a different experience - but you get used to that after about half an hour.
Perhaps @kluurs has more ideas.
How's the action, by the way?
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:25 last edited by@George-K said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
It's probably the windows driver. There may be something I can do about it, but I'm happy with the box.
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@George-K said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I got big latency when I connected without the box
Interesting. I have zero latency. Perhaps there's a setting on the Roland that's causing that.
It's probably the windows driver. There may be something I can do about it, but I'm happy with the box.
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:32 last edited by George K@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
It's probably the windows driver.
Get a ...
Never mind.
Here's how mine's set up (pardon the blurry pic).
The hookup.
From left to right:
- Computer USB input from piano (I got a right-angle USB cable)
- Computer audio output to piano audio in
- Headphone jack
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:36 last edited by
Action is pretty good! This is the first thing I ever played on it. I didn't know pianoteq automatically recorded everything, but apparently I can just save anything I play to Mp3. A whole new universe of unwanted sharing awaits me. My fingers got stuck on the keys a couple times, but I'll get used to it.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 01:51 last edited by
PianoTeq is ALWAYS recording. You can save the most recent recording as a MIDI file.
Then, at a later time, you can load that MIDI, and output to MP3, choosing what instrument you want.
It's fun.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 02:10 last edited by
I have a slightly different setup in that I have the output going to a DAC/headphone amplifier which I use to listen to the piano. It's a a little overkill. At first, I didn't realize it was always recording, but I love it as if that one in thousand times I think "that was really good. No one would believe you played it" - is there for posterity. When I plan to make a recording, things don't always go as planned.
When I first started playing, I experimented a bit with different instruments, but as with George, I've settled into the Hamburg Steinway. For a while, nearly all of my practice was on the digital, but now I'm back to being balanced, playing the grand about 35% of the time and the Roland the rest. It's nice for real work where I want to play a couple of lines 1100 times until muscle memory is better. Playing the real piano keeps me honest - and sometimes brings out things I didn't catch on the digital.
I'm using a PC to store Pianoteq and also for Roon and streaming. I don't use it for anything else.
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I have a slightly different setup in that I have the output going to a DAC/headphone amplifier which I use to listen to the piano. It's a a little overkill. At first, I didn't realize it was always recording, but I love it as if that one in thousand times I think "that was really good. No one would believe you played it" - is there for posterity. When I plan to make a recording, things don't always go as planned.
When I first started playing, I experimented a bit with different instruments, but as with George, I've settled into the Hamburg Steinway. For a while, nearly all of my practice was on the digital, but now I'm back to being balanced, playing the grand about 35% of the time and the Roland the rest. It's nice for real work where I want to play a couple of lines 1100 times until muscle memory is better. Playing the real piano keeps me honest - and sometimes brings out things I didn't catch on the digital.
I'm using a PC to store Pianoteq and also for Roon and streaming. I don't use it for anything else.
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 03:25 last edited by@kluurs said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
I have a slightly different setup in that I have the output going to a DAC/headphone amplifier which I use to listen to the piano. It's a a little overkill.
But still you listen to the pianoteq sounds, right?
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 03:50 last edited by
The treble on the HB Steinway "classical" mode is beautiful.
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Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 04:10 last edited by@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
I have to admit your proximity to the bathroom door is quite inspirational. To be able to traverse between the ivory gods and the porcelain false gods is nothing short of brave.
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@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
I have to admit your proximity to the bathroom door is quite inspirational. To be able to traverse between the ivory gods and the porcelain false gods is nothing short of brave.
wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 04:14 last edited by@89th said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
@Horace said in Thinking of getting a digital piano:
Here we are. My Steinway Ds (one Hamburg and one NY) and my Bechstein 282. Why not 283? I don’t know. Maybe Bechstein is just lazy. I got the audio interface box just in case I had latency with windows audio. I did, and with the box there is none. So I won’t be returning it.
The Pianoteq license gave me two pianos, and I chose the Steinway package because there’s two of them, and I think Pianoteq spent the most development on them. The Bechstein is on honor of our dearly departed Larry. I will play a lot of classical music on it. His favorite.
I have to admit your proximity to the bathroom door is quite inspirational. To be able to traverse between the ivory gods and the porcelain false gods is nothing short of brave.
That's my office closet. I keep all my gay in there.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 14:36 last edited by
just noticed this morning a loud clicking noise coming from several of the black keys if they are released quickly. it's loud enough, and intermittent enough across the keyboard, that it can't be normal. I'll go to Costco today and buy another and swap the keyboards and return it as defective. Hopefully they are still in stock.
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just noticed this morning a loud clicking noise coming from several of the black keys if they are released quickly. it's loud enough, and intermittent enough across the keyboard, that it can't be normal. I'll go to Costco today and buy another and swap the keyboards and return it as defective. Hopefully they are still in stock.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 15:22 last edited by
I've decided it's less unethical to return the floor-bought piano as the online purchased piano, as long as the keyboard you're returning really is defective, and really is the one you got online.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 15:23 last edited by
Tell the Costco guy what you are doing.
He won't care.
Then you might feel better about it.
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wrote on 18 Nov 2023, 15:26 last edited by
Got someone who's pickup you can borrow?
