Acoustic and electric offeringsĪs someone who has gigged for the past decade with, generally, hardware-based digital pianos (typically offering only a handful of presets), Pianoteq 6 is a veritable cornucopia of pianistic possibilities - from Steinway B and D grands (approved by the instrument manufacturer, itself ) to more esoteric models by Grotrian, Steingraeber and others. This mission control-style GUI helps the user navigate the myriad of customizable parameters quite well, and I found myself diving into different sounds and tone-shaping options right away. Next, you are taken to Pianoteq’s main screen, which displays the current keyboard preset, as well as options for instrument tuning, voicing and design. It can be used in standalone mode or as a plug-in (AAX, AU, VST2 and VST 3) and it supports the Native Instruments NKS format.Īfter installation and authorization, you select and calibrate your MIDI controller and audio output interface.
PIANOTEQ 5 REVIEW MAC OS X
Pianoteq 6 works under Mac OS X 10.7 or Windows 7 or later, as well as Linux (x86 and ARM). But your answer will also depend on just how deep you want to get into sound shaping and editing. Although my review copy was the Studio bundle and contained just about every conceivable option under the sun, I am quite sure, as a gigging pianist, that even the Stage version would have worked for me. How much Pianoteq do you need? Only you can answer that question. At the very top is the Studio bundle ($899), which includes everything in the Pro package along with free instrument updates and upgrades for one year. The Pro version ($519), which includes even more instruments, supports audio resolutions up to 192 kHz and provides a wide array of adjustable parameters such as overtones, reverb and note-by-note editing.