Modern D enhancements

Mindbullets · 2025-07-16T21:54:31+00:00

Saw this on VI Control: Hello all. Some exciting news for Modern D owners and I'm here to pass it along on behalf of Vi Labs: We've been working on an update to the Modern D for several months now to fix the various issues that users reported on forums and by email, the official release will come later this Fall most likely. For now we're doing a soft roll-out to address specific issues, but also to release it before our Summer Sale to avoid customers that would buy it now at full price then be angry with us. Also there still could be some more fixes needed before the official release. We fixed the noise build up when playing a lot of notes and/or using extreme EQ or compression. We also enabled the extra Sympathetic Resonance with pedal down playing like we have in our Ravenscroft 275 and Modern U libraries. Plus there are numerous other bug fixes and general improvements, the full change log will be published with the official release this Fall. The new version is available right now in your VI Labs account, it’s the same link, so use our Installer app or the download page to get it. If you want to keep your old version, simply rename it beforehand by adding 'old' to the filename or such. The new version has the same file name, so any DAW projects will load as expected. Custom drawn Gain Curves will have to be made again since they will not load in the new version, but any other setting from your old presets will. *This update requires the latest version of UVI Workstation V4.0.1 or later, or Falcon 3.1.1 or later.

Jane

David Lai
He seems to be playing almost verbatim the "2B" version of the Nocturne as published in the Ekier Polish National Edition. https://www.amazon.com/Nocturnes-National-Published-Chopins-Lifetime/dp/1480390763/

From the notes on the text:
"The sources indicate that while both performing the Nocturne and working on it with pupils, Chopin was introducing more or less significant variants into the printed text of the piece. The following are three examples of sets of variants written into his pupils' copies..
...
The Nocturne featuring the most abundant authentic collection of variants constitutes the 2a version (p.22-25). In the 2b version (p. 26-29) all the hitherto authentic variants have been taken into consideration .... The final decision as to the choice and quantity of ornaments implemented must be left to the performer who should, however, remember that the natural inner simplicity of this Nocturne must not get lost in an excessive use of ornaments."

David Lai

Jane Yes, and I've never played this version before, and the only recording I've ever heard is from him.

HZPiano

David Lai

Much better.

Still, possibly my favorite performance of this piece is by Wibi Soerjadi, 1996, on a Bösendorfer (Imperial, I believe). (I may be partial, of course 🤭, because he was a student of my late uncle in-law.)

I do love the piece this way.

Cheers!

pianow

CyberGene I’m biased but to me there’s no better acoustic piano than CFX now.

+2 🙂

and for the record it was my idea to begin with 🙂 i love that with a cfx i can go incredibly bright and punchy, and i also can play really soft and it still has brightness alongside warmth and roundness, and all that from vilabs, that'll be the final boss of the sampled pianos 🙂

Pete14 +1

i'm not sure but i have a feeling that you might purchase the (let's call it) VILABS MODERN CFX when it comes, am i wrong?

David Lai If it's between Kawai and CFX, I'd choose the CFX any day!

david, i think if you tell them to do it they might take it more seriously, idk…. i said it directly to the guy who i was talking to about the hiss problem, and he was delighted about the idea of a cfx22, however i think if their circle of trust bring this idea up it'll be more serious 🙂 please do.

i also want it to have better sustain on the upper notes, modern d isn't bad by any means, but i personally prefer more ringing when it comes to top octaves (the ravenscroft does that perfectly)

pipAT

pianow

Maybe, VILabs could make something like bundle stuff many years late, you know, one stone gets two birds, Modern Gemini Pianos: The Japanese Dual, SK-EX and CFX. Or Modern D Dual with Bechstein D incorporated in later. Sounds like a something possible? LOL. I am not good at business rhetoric, leave it to professionals.

PASHKULI

CyberGene That’s very different than the modern piano performance which follows the score way too literally and strictly.

True. Also notating Music on a special paper (score paper) is (was) the main mean of recording Music till about the 1910s when the introduction of pianolas (player\recorder pianos) happen, which takes us to…
↓ ↓ ↓

OlivierW Good find for those grumpy minds who think playing the piano is like being a MIDI file.

Not so fast. I think you meant a MIDI file exported directly from a score notation. Because you can record a MIDI file in a similar fashion as pianola pianos could 100 years ago and replay it as recorded. Yes, midi files should get 'humanized' if exported directly from the terrible music notation we use since medieval time but that is another topic.

Jane The following are three examples of sets of variants written into his pupils' copies.

Indeed, to expect Chopin would play it the same way as written by him every time would be disappointing. Also, he did it as a challenge or provocation at creativity in performance or as Jimi Hendrix said 'a well exercised improvisation'.

HZPiano by Wibi Soerjadi, 1996, on a Bösendorfer…

Not quite my tempo. A bit stiff.

Pete14

pianow i'm not sure but i have a feeling that you might purchase the (let's call it) VILABS MODERN CFX when it comes, am i wrong?

🤔

David Lai

Pete14 If they do it, I'd be willing to get my fingers on it first-hand! 🙂

David Lai

Hi everyone,

I just recorded 2 new short pieces for Modern D. I wanted to show off the rich pedal resonances it has, as well as its dynamic range (and country of origin, you might say?). Hope you like them!

Gershwin Preludes

Resonances

Jay Lane

David Lai How do you play with such ferocity yet not damage your Hands?

David Lai

Jay Lane Haha, The secret is warm weight. The actually finger movement isn't too much. That said, a quick strike at the keyboard will produce a loud sound, that's physics.

RIP

Trying to play your "Resonances" sends me to a big screen with a text that says This track was not found. Maybe it has been removed and instead plays Ben Lewis Pianoteq 8 Pro - demonstration.

David Lai

RIP LOL.

So, we actually have an issue with this track. I asked them to take it down, and they did. After I pass my orals, I'll record something different.

Jay Lane

David Lai Warm weight? What on earth is that? I've recently been working on my arm and finger teqnique to reduce strain. When I played in several bands I was either the guitarist or Synth player.

Old habits of hammering the keyboard die hard. On guitar now my PRS is so well set up I barely have to press to fret a note. I can now play with expression and a light touch.

Piano is a work in progress. My piano playing has really improved my guitar playing. I seem to have a better grasp of harmony, scales, chord shapes and patterns. I felt like I was more intuitive on guitar from piano playing. I was off guitar for a year or so solely playing piano. Its so weird how the brain works despite guitar being so different in form.

David Lai

Jay Lane Did my phone get it wrong? I'm sorry! It's meant to be arm weight!!!

QuasiUnaFantasia

I'd like to just send a friendly nod to "warm weight"; my hands tend to be rather cold these days (winter is a-coming), and warm hands play better than cold ones.

tonyminas

QuasiUnaFantasia yes but the silver lining is that your hands are ideal for making butter based pastry dough. Your future as a master Konditor is bright. 👨‍🍳

FIBIGRUS

Just downlaoded and installed the 1.1. update. Whats the best settings to get the pedal work as much as possible like on a real grand piano? What I mean is if I have the sustain pedal down and play for example diminished 7th chords in higher registers chromatically down, on a real piano after 2 chords I would already have caused a cluster sound, after 3 chords it's a complete mess. But on Modern D I can play it in both hands and all the way down with pedal pressed down and it will still be sounding fine, meaning I can clearly hear every single chord that I play with not much of a cluster. But I want to emulate how it would sound on a real piano. I have already put Symp. Resonance to 6db, Symp. Polyphony to 40, Pedal resonance to 6db.

ignaz

FIBIGRUS I have not been able to get around the issue you're talking about (too forgiving when playing with the pedal down) and I've accepted it as a limitation of most VSTs and digital pianos. There are acoustics that have clean sound with the pedal down too.

However, to make things feel realistic overall, it helped me to dial in the "half pedal" settings. I have the range set to 18-48, this feels good to me and it prevents me from "cheating" by halfway lifting the pedal to clear it. Maybe try playing with that.

FIBIGRUS

ignaz It's indeed something that piano libraries seem to struggle the most with (or maybe don't put any priority into?) But pianoteq has so many things that can be adjusted, is that one also not able to reproduce it somewhat accurately? I read that many people have used pianoteq in combination with the modern D but then stopped doing that after the modern D update came out

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