My Desert Island Piano VST - VI Labs Modern D

Someone else asked about resizing the UI and I also replied how to do it, maybe even in this discussion. Not to be nagging but there might be some truth about how there are too many threads about Modern D with too much noise over signal 😉

Regarding half-pedaling bugs and VI Labs. As I mentioned, I discovered one such bug since the very beginning and reported it to them. Their response is not exactly what I expected. To be honest, Garritan CFX is better in how it responds to re-pedaling combined with half-pedaling.

Here's how to reproduce it:
play a short (staccato) note in the bass. Shortly after you release it, press the sustain pedal in order to catch it (re-pedaling). Then slowly release the pedal, going gradually through the half-pedaled region.

Result: there's a sudden boost in the volume.

Expected: the note should only decay, even faster, instead of increasing volume.

To me it appears that on half-pedaling they don't restart the sample from the same point as re-pedaling but earlier. They just need to make consistent maps between both. Better yet, no need to have separate notion of re-pedaling. Re-pedaling is the same functionality as half-pedaling where the pedal is fully pressed.

I reported it to VI Labs and they said they couldn't reproduce it and requested files, so I also demoed it:
modern-d-half-pedal-bug.mp3

Here's their response:

This behavior is related to the repedal and half-pedal features working simultaneously,
When half pedal is used, the repedal gets a bit more sensitive to allow note-catching to go a bit longer. In a full playing context, this should all blend together more, but an individual note like this may stick out. On a real piano, you should be able to 'catch' whatever the damper does not fully clear, and some of the note sustain will come back.
The repedal and half pedal features of Modern D is very similar to the ones in Ravenscroft 275 and Modern U, and it seems to work for most cases. We'll look into this though and see if an adjustment can be made, if it the case it will be included in the next update. In the meantime you can also experiment with lowering the Release Xfade value (click the up/down arrow button next to Release Volume to switch).

Their response doesn't make much sense but I hope they can indeed fix it. And experimenting with Xfade is of no help either.

This is not the end of the world for me but I was expecting more from VI Labs to be frank.

David B
thanks man🤍

CyberGene there might be some truth about how there are too many threads about Modern D with too much noise over signal

yea this thread reminds me of some whatsapp music production groups, of course it's ok to me.

CyberGene To be honest, Garritan CFX is better in how it responds to re-pedaling combined with half-pedaling

nothing has changed about the fact that the garritan cfx is still one of the biggest players,
if vilabs would release a cfx or an imperial or a d282
i would buy it immediately
of course i have the modern u and I'm 90 percent ready to get the D as well

the good thing about vilabs is that they don't release new stuff every six month like some other brands and you can really enjoy what they've released for a while until they com up with something new

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2kGMGxhV-g

CyberGene "On a real piano, you should be able to 'catch' whatever the damper does not fully clear, and some of the note sustain will come back."

And they are just trying to reproduce it virtually with samples, which is very difficult! That said, in my professor's studio, I've heard damper ringing as I slowly release the pedal. And interestingly, that also has a crescendo effect. But, surprise surprise, it's not how a normal piano behaves! 🙂

That said, this bug isn't the end of the world for me either, so if they plan to fix it, fine, but if not, it's alright. It won't effect Modern D being my practice and performance piano VST of choice for home.

OlivierW I saw this yesterday. That was some great first impressions, I must say.

24 hours to decide if I buy it now or wait for the next offer 🤯 (I guess this year the Black Friday one won't be better than the intro price, it is too close, so that would mean perhaps a year or so from now to get a similar or, perhaps, slightly better deal)

My inner question is: do I really need another piano VST?. The answer is obviously NO. But… would it help me to enjoy playing more and, perhaps, get me back to practice?… I would say YES to that.

So… well, still 24h to go 😅!

Jose

Jose EB5AGV I can certainly say that Modern D has made me enjoy the playing experience a lot more, especially when knowing that the Steinway I play at school has a close cousin at home. 🙂 It's helping me to prepare my performances better. What's more, it sounds great! So If I was in your situation, I'd buy it without hesitation, considering it's a deal.

Jose EB5AGV

😄.

Let me be your sponsor in the VPA*): I didn't, and won't in the foreseeable future, buy it either.

Wishing you strength,

😋

HZ

*) Virtual Pianos Anonymous

HZPiano Wow, you are certainly holding it very well, HZ! Good for you in resisting from being tempted, driven, or whatever the word is, even by professional pianists around here. 🙂

Jane I confirm you that this behavior is caused by the fact that the Half-Pedal feature is enabled in your instrument.

So, they’re saying that you simply disable half-pedaling?

I suppose that’s an indication as to whether they’ll ever “fix” the resonances……

“Hello, VI-Labs, the top 8 keys have gone mute (no sound when I play them); is there anything you could do about that?”

“We strongly recommend you only use the remaining 80 keys; the truth is that 88 is already overkill!”

If I were Jane, I’d send it back……oh wait! 😁

Pete14 "Hello, the top keys have gone mute."

"Some pianos only have a limited playing range…." 🙂

In all seriousness, though, hope Jane can experiment with turning off the samples but keep the half pedaling featur on. Like I said, it's a rare thing, she's the first person to report this. I haven't seen this using my VPC 1.

David Lai she's the first person to report this. I haven't seen this using my VPC 1.

Also, she's using an N3. Gene is using an N1X and doesn't have the same problem with undampened resonances.

After experimenting some more, I think I've found my ideal settings sound-wise: an combination of the Player, Close, and Hammer mics at equal levels with a touch of the "Pink Concert Room" reverb set at Dry: 100 Wet: 16, and the tone knob turned to -1.0.

I prefer a dryer sound, and to me this has a good sense of closeness and presence without feeling airless or claustrophobic.

I recorded a quick Bach prelude with these settings this evening:

bach-prelude-modern-d.wav

David B You can try adjusting the continuous pedal values on the Modern D. The min/max is set at 54/74 by default. you can try adjusting that parameter either narrowing or lowering. Hopefully, you'll get it resolved.

Thanks for that, David. I can definitely improve the situation by changing those parameters. Enough so that it only occasionally bites me. But even then the unexpected sound sometimes startles me, so I'm thinking my best solution is to disable half-pedal altogether - that definitely fixes my issue. (Or I could get rid of my N3 and try to buy another controller to work better with this VST.... no, my lunacy has some boundaries...)

With my original settings (half-pedal limits at defaults), when I stopped playing something loud and got that long after BOING I tried quickly pressing the sustain pedal a couple of times to see if that would reset it... but not.

I got another useless reply from VI Labs -

Hi Jane,
THanks for your update,
It is maybe due to the fact that you are using two close mic positions in your example, or simply because the Steinway Model D has longer natural resonance in the lower register compared to the other pianos.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Best regards,
VI Labs, LLC Support team

I'm sure they're nice and are trying to be helpful... 🙄

Jane Again, Jane, it sounds like you are the only person I've heard that has this problem. Not sure how your pedal values are on your N3. But I guess, if push comes to shove, turning off half pedaling is perhaps the only way.

Thanks for letting me know that you can't turn the feature on without loading samples. I thought it can be done…

jdg78 Sounds great! It's like sitting in front of the piano, in a very realistic way. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

David Lai Jane, it sounds like you are the only person I've heard that has this problem. Not sure how your pedal values are on your N3. But I guess, if push comes to shove, turning off half pedaling is perhaps the only way.

I'm special, David!
I seem to recall a movie where Gene Wilder was at a train station and there were hundreds of people dressed just like him and he yelled, "I am UNIQUE!"
(Or maybe just my senile confabulation?)

But if I'm the only person who has this problem, I can bask in happiness for the rest of the world 🙂

Jane Haha, I love the way you put it! 🙂

Yeah, indeed your problem is a puzzler… Kept me studying for a while. Well, at least you can still enjoy the piano… or somewhat… I guess… 🙂