Pianoteq

A modelled piano that installs in tens of megabytes and loads instantly, paid for in CPU and close-mic realism.

Tool profile

Kind

instrument

Vendor

Modartt

Form

插件

Platforms

macOS · Windows · Linux

Price

买断

Jobs

编曲 · 现场演出 · 录音

Verified

2026-10-30

Related

PianoThe digital pianoVelocity

What it lets you finish

Replace or patch a classical piano recording without hunting for a sample library. Give a solo piano demo playing levels that can be judged. Add electric piano, harp or celesta models as orchestral colour. It also works as a practice and audition instrument, setting tempo and phrasing before a recording. Run a piano on a modest laptop without a sample drive. Use the standalone build as a light live piano.

How it works

Physical modelling: strings, hammers, soundboard and pedals are each a model, and sound is computed as keys are pressed rather than read from samples. The model calculates hammer position and velocity, so soft playing does not step between layers, and different piano models are the same engine with new parameters and impulse responses. Changes are saved with the preset. Hammer hardness, string length, resonance and microphone position are adjustable, and the pedal supports half-pedalling. Both standalone and plugin builds work, with fine MIDI response.

Limits and traps

CPU comes first: high polyphony with resonance and half-pedalling is expensive, and small buffers crackle. The tone is clean, and close detail differs from a studio sample piano, so a solo comparison reveals the model. There is no real hall in the box, so reverb must be added; ready-made close, mid and far microphones require Standard or Pro. Additional instruments are sold separately, and a full set is a large collection to manage. Licences are account-bound with restricted resale and transfer. Major upgrades are paid, and old project settings need re-dialling. Fast repeated notes and extreme fortissimos are less natural than a mature sample library. The standalone build manages sessions differently from a DAW, so live presets must be saved in advance.

Alternatives and pairings

For sample-piano texture, use a Kontakt piano library or Keyscape; for a stage electric piano, a Nord-style instrument; for a light setup, the Stage edition is enough. It pairs with reverb and EQ to add space and brightness.

First three things to learn

Learn microphone and hammer settings, half-pedalling, and CPU with buffer size. Then read the site's piano, digital piano, and velocity entries.

Sources

• 建模方式、版本分层与扩展乐器，依厂商公开页面核查，未抄文本
• 授权与系统要求，依厂商文档核查，未抄文本

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.