Recording - December 2010 - 16

and rectangles that only stop moving once the tuning is perfect. By zooming in you lose sight of the Noise Filter and Input Boost buttons, the sharp (#) and flat (b) with the respective up and down arrows that light up as you tune, and the bottom information panel where you find the “i” or information button that leads you to the Settings page (more on this later). When zooming in you are left with the moving display, the signal meter, the large note indicator and the cents reading, all you really need to determine accurate tuning. Tilting the iPhone horizontally will make iStroboSoft tilt as well, adding width to the display for those who find it more convenient. You can also select preset color combinations or customize the color combination that the display will show. The calibration function is found in the Settings menu and is most typically sought after by pros. It should be used to guarantee measurements within 1/10 of a cent. What’s actually going on when calibrating the app is a measurement of the device’s inefficiency in A/D conversion—unique and very cool. Running this feature adds a global bias to all incoming audio to autocompensate for A/D conversion inaccuracies, but the bias is less than what what other tuners would still consider ‘in tune’! The Noise Filter is a useful function added on the iPhone 4th Generation and newest iPod touch when using an ‘open air’ mic. It was designed to be used when tuning in a noisy environment, like a backstage area. Once you press the Noise Filter button it takes about 5 to 10 seconds to analyze the reading of the room ambient noise, and uses this to provide optimum response and accuracy when tuning in a noisy room. When this option is engaged, it runs a new profile every time the app is launched, so watch out for this as you may experience unexpected results. To overwrite the previous profile, just press the Noise Filter button twice (to disengage and reactivate it) or close and reopen the app. Optimal results, especially for electric instruments, are found by plugging in, with a product like the optional 1/4" to 1/8" TRRS adapter. The Input Boost function is fixed at +24 dB and is useful when tuning acoustic instruments using the mic or the built in electronics with passive pickups that provide a weak signal. A healthy signal will help iStroboSoft help you get a more accurate reading. There is an input meter where you can see if the signal is either too weak or too strong; overloading it can also cause poor results. iStrobosoft proved convenient, accurate and just plain useful. Its simple and user-friendly interface provides a fantastic tool in a device that you’re probably already carrying around, so it’s always there for you. Unless you really like the feel of a needle type tuner, which is the one thing that this does not provide, I highly recommend iStroboSoft for all your tuning needs.—FC Modartt Pianoteq PLAY and Add-Ons Pianoteq PLAY, 99 Euros; Add-ons, 29 Euros and up; www.pianoteq.com; dist. in North America by Music Marketing, www.musicmarketing.ca We wrote about Pianoteq, Modartt’s modeling piano plug-in, back in our December 2007 issue, and raved about its nuanced playability, immediately engaging timbre, and stunningly small computer footprint (under 70 MB for the entire program with all the trimmings!). Since then, Pianoteq has grown up a lot—the modeling, which was already grand (ahem), has now gotten simply stunning, with a variety of models under the hood besides the traditional piano, and a ton of new features have been developed... so many that Modartt was inspired to split Pianoteq out into three different programs.
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The original Pianoteq is now Modartt’s middleof-the-line offering, renamed Pianoteq Standard; it offers a fair bit of programmability over the modeling characteristics of the piano, such as its soundbard character, resonant properties, hammer hardness, and much more. Above that is Pianoteq PRO, which adds an entirely new level of complexity where each individual note across the keyboard can have multiple parameters adjusted. But for this Gift Guide, I want to call your attention to Pianoteq PLAY, the Pianoteq “for the rest of us.” Coming in at 99 Euros (roughly $139 as of press time), Pianoteq PLAY features the exact same modeling technology as its larger siblings, but with a simplified interface and fewer programmable features. You can select a preset (it comes with 25 of them, variants on three basic piano models), adjust its built-in effects like tremolo, wah-wah, reverb, and limiter, adjust velocity response for attack, release, and pedal velocity, choose mono, stereo, or binaural output, and tweak eq settings, saving the results as your own patches. For the vast majority of piano players, this will be all that’s needed, bringing Pianoteq within easy reach in terms of both affordability and ease of use. About the only complaint I have is the installation and authorization procedure, which involves creating a user account on Modartt’s website and can be confusing at first, but on the up side it stores information about computer systems you’re using and allows up to three computers to run a single license of the program.

You probably noticed I mentioned tremolo and wah-wah effects, and may be wondering what you’d ever want those for in a grand piano. Well, maybe you wouldn’t, but they’re necessities for an electric piano or clavi, right? And as of version 3, Pianoteq now supports a fantastic model for struck-metal instruments, and Modartt offers collections of Add-on sounds ranging from electric pianos (emulated Rhodes and Wurlitzer) and Clavinet (emulated Hohner D6) to xylophone, vibes, celeste, glockenspiel, and bass marimba. These models are already built into Pianoteq, and you can unlock them and access presets for them by buying them as Add-ons. Even if you stick with the piano modeling, there are a fair number of downloadable presets and sounds out there. In a very short search I found two great freebie add-ons that included historic pianoforte reconstructions, harpsichords, cimbalom, bells, and carillon. As we went to press, Modartt announced that its basic piano models now offer a 105-key range, over eight octaves! With these new sounds, the true breadth and potential of Pianoteq’s modeling technology for sounds beyond the traditional grand piano is finally being realized.

http://www.pianoteq.com http://www.musicmarketing.ca

Recording - December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2010