Simulated Soft Pedal

dore_m

I was thinking about how to simulate the soft pedal by filtering or other means. I know that there are sampled pianos out there that don't use samples for una corda.

Does anyone out there know how it's done? Kontakt has a factory script that simply set the volume to 70-80% when the soft pedal is engaged. Does that sound consistent with your VST's?

Joannchr

dore_m Here is an example with Noire, the same can work with other VSTs. I use Noire within Logic Pro and to emulate una corda pedal on Noire I wrote a little script in Logic Pro to emulate it using the Color Knob in Noire. The Color knob has an effect close to the Una Corda , given both the colour and the volume of the note change similarly to the soft pedal .

(1) Use automation to map CC 67 to the Color Knob in Kontakt , within the automation panel.

(2) Following script in Logic Pro to control the soft pedal. When I press the Pedal ,the knob button is turned anti clock wise . Pedal up : color knob = 64, Pedal Down : color knob = 35 . You can change the values depending on taste, I adjusted the values trying to match the acoustic I play . The script can be written directly in Kontack , but I tend to develop all my scripts in Logic as I run my VST within this DAW.

Logic Pro Script

function HandleMIDI(event) {

if (event instanceof ControlChange && event.number == 67) { PedalValue =35+((127-event.value)/4.38); event.value=PedalValue;
event.send;

}

David Lai

I know that Production Voices has a simulated soft pedal, but I'm not sure how it's done or how it sounds.

dore_m

I tuned my piano today and recorded with and without una corda to see if I could see a difference. I think I can see the difference, but thought I'd ask here on the forum if anyone can describe. Unfortunately the difference that I see can't be simulated (AFAIK)

David Lai

dore_m There is a difference in the tone quality of the instrument that you can hear, but yes, it's interesting… The violin can simulate the mutes, but not the piano. Really strange.

dore_m

QuasiUnaFantasia Pianoteq ought to simulate the effect well. Maybe you could study frequency spectra from different levels of Una Corda with Pianoteq?

why didn't I think of that?

Joannchr to emulate it using the Color Knob in Noire. The Color knob has an effect close to the Una Corda , given both the colour and the volume of the note change similarly to the soft pedal .

Thanks for that. Since I have control over my instruments, I was considering just doing a velocity curve shift for una corda as that would take care of lowering the brightness and loudness. I think I need to study the spectra more closely. At first I thought (but am not sure) that the harmonics decayed more uniformly with una corda because less strings are struck. This still makes logical sense to me since more strings would create more chaotic interactions with the harmonics (?) Said another way:

Striking 3 strings: Attack puts an impulse into all three strings and it takes time for them to settle into a steady state decay. (I think) this interaction between the strings causes a much more complex harmonic decay until steady state.
Striking 1 string: Attack puts impulse into one string, and that string sympathetically resonates the other two. Because there is no "chaotic settling", the harmonics decay pretty uniformly.

Still staring at my recordings - maybe its true and maybe it's not. But this is why I think a really good simulation of una corda from samples isn't possible.

QuasiUnaFantasia

The Una Corda must yield different consequences depending on how hard it is pushed. One situation would be that the hammers are shifted exactly one string, so that simply one string less is heard. The other scenario is that the shifting is not quite as far, and then a rarely used part of the hammers will touch the strings, with a softer sound as a result.

Pianoteq ought to simulate the effect well. Maybe you could study frequency spectra from different levels of Una Corda with Pianoteq?

Joannchr

QuasiUnaFantasia 👌 absolutely correct

Colour of the note change because : the softer indeed comes from the rarely used part of the hammer with an unworn felt .

Volume decreases because : only 2 strings ( or 1 string in period pianos) are struck instead of 3.

Joannchr

dore_m in the majority of modern grands 2 strings are hit when the keyboard is shifted which is different from period instruments . But at the end the day the fact of matter is that you can only emulate Una corda with scripts but not reproduce it perfectly . The reference point for me has always been Garritan Grand CFX una corda samples which are truly stunning.