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.

pc-king

David Lai Yes, it didn't bother me when I was recording either. Then you focus on the musicality, a different perception. Of course, there's no difference between the software's audio output in these two cases. Yes, timbre and tone are both 0, of course.

Pete14

David Lai Yeah. The reason why the NU1X felt uncomfortable is, I can either play soft towards MF, but can't go any louder, or the exact opposite. So, I had to compromise a bit.

I wonder, did you feel/perceive that the NU1XA improved on this matter, and, perhaps overall compared to the NU1X?

David Lai

Pete14 Thanks for quoting my message, Pete! Because I just heard that I made a serious mistake!!!

Sorry for getting the model names wrong. What I have at home here is the NU1, (NO X).

Slap slap slap.

So what I said above applies to the NU1, not the NU1X.

David Lai

pc-king Thanks for explaining your settings, and also confirming that was your recorded capture.

Yeah, and I usually use Modern D to prepare and practice, I haven't really sat down before and heard it as a listener, not as often as I play it, I mean. So there's that.

David Lai

Pete14 So let me answer your question in regards to the NU1XA VS the NU1.

Short answer, yes, on the Nu1XA, I can get the entire dynamic range, both using the built-in sounds and with an external VST. I can play as soft as I can, and also play as loud as I want, and the sound responds accordingly.

pc-king

David Lai All right. My listeners (including myself), and I'm recording for them, will hear a distortion that's not present in excellent classical recordings. Of course, I don't want that, and that's why I've contacted VILabs. Also, so that in the future, with one click for the gain response curve, you can get a copy of the MIDI response curve, which is probably the unadulterated setting, and you can better adjust the curve with flashing bars for the notes currently being played and fixed points, which is a matter of millimeters.

David Lai

pc-king Though you make a good point, I 'm struggling to remember recordings I heard where the piano was spotless and without random noises or resonances. So, as a listener, I don't care about these ringings that you're speaking of, and it doesn't make the product, in this case, Modern D, unusable.

pc-king

David Lai BTW I said unusable FOR ME.

David Lai

pc-king Fair, though I do have to say, you have a special case. But I'm glad you had reached out to them.

Pete14

David Lai Short answer, yes, on the Nu1XA, I can get the entire dynamic range, both using the built-in sounds and with an external VST. I can play as soft as I can, and also play as loud as I want, and the sound responds accordingly.

Thanks, Sir David!

I must say that the “X” variant did improve significantly on the old; as I remember the N1X feeling alive compared to the N2, and this despite the latter having a more robust speaker system, but I’m not so sure how much the new “XA” improves on the “X”; other than the new sensors, which frankly we don’t really know if indeed they’re any better than the old-and-proven optical sensors….

As for the NU1XA, yes, it now has “two” sensors instead of one, so that should eliminate the “loud note” issue; but once again, Yamaha has been very vague as to how the new improves on the old……..🤔

David B

David Lai Does the clang effect the listening experience?

I don't hear no clang.

HZPiano

David Lai struggling to remember recordings I heard where the piano was spotless and without random noises or resonances

Indeed.

One of my all-time favorite CDs is "Soul of the Bass" by John Patitucci.

The majority of the tracks (solo double bass) on that album are recorded as dryly and closely as it gets.

You hear the wood of the bass creaking and sighing, everything that is going on with the strings, and even hear John literally breathing the music.

To me, this is music at its finest, so complete, honest, and authentic.

I love it ♥️ 🎶.

Pathbreaker

This is a great thread, thanks for all the contributions here. I haven't used this piano for about 6 months, based on my last uploaded recording. I was aware that they would eventually provide an update and I was just patiently waiting for that since I only use it when making a recording (and only sometimes then).

The debate about occasional fast note decay sounds exactly like what I posted about in version 1.0 regarding the sustained G# in Brahms Op 116-6. It sounds like maybe that could still happen but I will give it a try when I eventually get this update in the next few days. It's not a deal breaker for me but it was annoying in that piece. I'm much more interested in the improvements to resonance.

For reference: https://pianoclack.com/forum/d/1881-vi-labs-modern-d/23

nwu

I just bought the Modern D during the summer sale, first time using VI labs software. My UVI workstation looks like it is already 4.0.1. Is the update to Modern D already baked in for users currently downloading it or do I need to do any additional update somewhere?

nwu

My Modern D says it is v1.1 if that helps, is that the latest version with these update enhancements?

David Lai

nwu yes, congratulations, you got it!

David Lai

nwu you already got the latest.

David B

nwu My Modern D says it is v1.1 if that helps

That's the one you want 👍

Florian75

Hi All, I hope you are doing well.

Does someone have news about this update of Vi Labs? Which was supposed to be released in Autumn?

Thanks 🙂

Florian

David Lai

Florian75 well, all I can say is something is happening soon. I’m not going to say too much about it, but they’re getting there.

I hope they can maintain compatibility with different platforms. This would be a very tough thing to consolidate.

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