The Experience - Fazioli F308

dore_m I'm just frustrated that after months of work, with feedback and help from other 'Clackers, that it was featured with what is basically Chopsticks. I can respect that the guy might not have pianist skills, but wow - I'm going to attach a midi file next time.

That's the point with free stuff: they take a life of their own. Even more so with software, which may become used for things that you did not anticipate and you don't like (think of anything in the current geopolitical situation, and imagine some open source software written by us run by "the others").

Bottom line? It's bad, but it could have been worse. Does this make it better? 'Course not, but…

Ralphiano Don't fight it; just roll with it.

Adopt a marketing program around "Listen to how good it sounds with just two fingers. Imagine what you can do with ten fingers!"

:point_up: (grrr, that does not work)

It's all good. Gamma1734's playing calmed me down.

Reminds me that the audience over there at Pianobook aren't all pianists, and probably mostly not. The libraries now can be sorted by piano, and playability rating. It's peculiar because the Fazioli library is ranked 10th, and it's probably the most playable (by a pianist) out of all of them, IMHO. I think non-pianists are confusing playability with textural inspiration, maybe because they aren't able to control such an instrument. Or am I just being indignant?

dore_m Remember the american saying: There's no such thing as bad advertising. Who knows, the next thing may be that Stu Harrison does a 20-minute video on it. 🙂

Yes, you are over sensitive by 50% because the "reviewer" was clearly using 3 fingers and not 2 as you claim! Your comment was insulting to him 😀

@dore_m As you may know, I spearheaded the Piano VI database at PianoWorld. There isn't much public user data on piano VI user types & use cases but I would guess the lion's share are NOT piano players. I would venture to guess well over 95% are not proficient piano players.

So don't get too frustrated with a positive review.

@dore_m @porco_rosso @navindra you may be interested in looking at the thread below, which is related with this one I am responding to. In short, for tl;dr; people: somebody found a way to let Pianoteq do what you have done with head tracking. I plan to test it, one of these days….

If any of you does too, please report back what you find.

https://forum.modartt.com/viewtopic.php?pid=983508#p983508

@RIP you can point them to my Fazioli and Yamaha S6 libraries, where there are links to the various eye/headtracking softwares that can be used. The common protocol is OSC (Open sound control), which is more flexible than MIDI and can be used with the free tools that I showed in one or two of the videos.

Pianoteq could also be used within a DAW with the OSC head tracking tools as I have done, but the result would not be as good as my libraries, in which the mics are placed in specific directions relative to the player and piano. However, Pianoteq could indeed be more effective if the developers directly opened up their rendering engine to the OSC control, which would be more direct than my "virtual speaker placement" method which converts source microphones into binaural using HRTF (Head related transfer functions) - a simulation of a binaural microphone setup - primarily the Neumann Binaural head.

Anyway, I'm not a part of that forum, and don't plan to contribute. You can forward my thoughts if you like.

Thanks, I posted some of these thoughts there.

Of course if there is a direct OSC interface that would be ideal, however I think PTQ could already achieve at last what you have done and perhaps more. This is the reason for pointing the thread to you.

Why could Pianoteq do more?

1. Pianoteq has a binaural mic placement in which you can decide head size and position in space
2. Recently its developer introduced a JSON interface with which you can programmatically change any setting that normally would be point-and-click.
3. = 2. + 1. Or in other words make the head tracker trigger the mic placement. It'd work immediately. The only possible problem being if there is any click or interruption of sound when the mic placement is triggered
4. Somebody tested such possible problem by using a fader to change the mic placement, and it worked well, so it appears Pianoteq developers don't need to do anything

As such, a small script between the head tracker and the JSON Pianoteq interface could be all that is needed, without anything additional.

I just opened up the PTQ demo to see the binaural placement, and yes, I can see that the controls are there, but not standard roll/pitch/yaw. The standard controls are yaw (head rotation left/right), head position (front to back), and head position (side along keyboard). That means you could realistically move your head toward the piano and from side to side, and turn your head. My implementation is roll/pitch/yaw, which are rotations from a single point - turn head left/right, look up/down, and turn your head sideways (one ear closer to ground).

There are arguable pros/cons for both implementations, And certainly using the PTQ binaural rendering engine would be better and more direct, but connecting the OSC or headtracking software has always been the biggest challenge to me, and really is beyond my coding capabilities….

Over the years, there were some threads on Pianoteq head tracking. A few "insiders" noted that real-time head-tracking would require a serious rethink of the software.

https://gitlab.com/hberntsen/pianoteq-head-tracking

I wanted to personally thank you for releasing this software. And for free to top it off. Where I live we have little to no access to grand pianos, mustless a Fazioli.

Just played your software Fazioli for the first time. I loved it. You made my day.

Instantly thought of the words from the the book "the Name of the Wind" and how the main character described his instrument. I'll find the quote and post it but it was beautiful.

Keep up the good work. Piano is an experience that we should all be so lucky to have access to and you my friend is making this a reality

Cheers.

Here is the quote describing his Lute that was very dear to him:

"It had flaws, but what does that matter when it comes to matters of the heart? We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That's as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect.”

That's how A lot of folks feel about their piano.

Maybe one day I'd be lucky enough to have the resources, time,space and energy to immortalise my 88 year old Danemann upright and post it up for everyone to enjoy.

And the Kayserburg UH132 Royal Grand as well.

Cheers.

Thanks for this

Thanks for the kind words. I've got more in the works.

Besides the tips, there a few simple ways to encourage me:

Post a video or audio of some music played on it - that's the main reason I share.

Write a review on Pianobook so it remains in the top rated list (need to actually write some words).

Mta88 Maybe one day I'd be lucky enough to have the resources, time,space and energy to immortalise my 88 year old Danemann upright and post it up for everyone to enjoy.

If you record your piano as I suggested (I'd have to find the PW/PC post), I can make the instrument for you.

I will most definitely write a review to keep it on the list.

And when time Permits, I will make some recordings and share it on YouTube or this website . (My day off maybe 🙂 )

Presently I've a baby , two kids and wifey alongside a rather demanding job among other things lol..

I don't have the mics to record properly but when I do we will chat. Will have to find that post and read up on how to record etc.

Just left a review. Again Keep up the good work.. I had a shitty day. Your software made that better lol.

dore_m

Very possible This be the case.

Real pianos, particularly the ones we have locally a.k.a really old English pianos that were left to experience the elements over the past two generations are rather difficult to play but once you get the hang of them the music they can produce is like creating Divine Air.

Just Posted this on Soundcloud.

Recorded it using my Korg B2 with built in speakers

Had to rush it to not wake anyone lol so forgive any mistakes the volume was very low.

Cheers Guys hope you all enjoy

@Mta88 thanks for sharing. Submit the demo on the pianobook website when you get a chance because that also increases my ranking. Enjoy!

Mta88 sounds really nice and makes me want to try any of the dore_m 's libraries (and I've promised him...) but recently I barely find 10 minutes in the evenings to just turn on my N1X and play a bit of Scriabin with the onboard sound...