You should definitely give the demo a try, especially if you’re a beginner.
It’s worth noting that Pianoteq has a robust trial mode that only disables a few of the black keys and briefly interrupts playback after 20 minutes. Better yet, as a modeled piano, Pianoteq gets more realistic with every update. And one feature I really appreciate is the ability to calibrate the virtual piano’s response to your digital keyboards characteristics. The more expensive, customizable Pianoteq versions come with more instruments, and you can always buy more instrument packs down the road. Bechstein, etc) as well as several extras like historical instruments.Įach piano model comes with a variety of presets. There are 10 modern piano models currently available (Steinway, Bluethner, C. You get to pick two piano models upon purchase with the cheapest version of Pianoteq, which should be good enough for most users. It also supports a bazillion piano sounds.
Here’s a good demo of the latest version of Pianoteq in action:
It’s also a cinch to install and is overall the most painless desktop VST I’ve tried. I find it to be the most responsive virtual piano I’ve tried, it only takes up a few MB of space, it loads instantly, and it runs smoothly even on old hardware.
VSTs generally range from free to a few hundred dollars, but I’m not including free VSTs because most of the ones I’ve tried are not that much better than what you’d find on a modern digital, or they require expensive software to run. That said, VSTs vary significantly in price, functionality, and system requirements, and I haven’t used them all, so I’m recommending a few based on my own experience. You should look for a VST that makes you think “I want to play that!” Most VSTs have a few demos on their website, not to mention countless others on YouTube. The goal here is to help you find a piano tone that inspires you to keep playing. Whichever sounds best to you that you can afford. What VST should I get, and how much do they cost? Usually, the premium you pay to access better sound quality is more than a great VST will cost you. Oftentimes digital piano companies will use the same keybed throughout their product range, but will save the best sound quality for their priciest models. It also means that, if piano playing is your primary goal, you can opt for keyboards based on their keybed quality rather than the built-in sounds.
While there’s more to a good digital piano than just its sound - serious learners will want something with a - using a VST means you can start off with a cheap old keyboard with plasticky keys from the thrift shop if you wanted to and later upgrade to something with higher quality. The advantage of using a VST is that it enables you to get the same high-quality sound out of pretty much any digital keyboard with a midi output (and that’s almost all of them). Besides, I’ve been listening to music all my life and know what a real piano is supposed to sound like. I’m no pro, but I still love to mess around with the keys and see what comes out.ĭigital pianos just keep getting better, but the built-in sounds are rarely the best you can get. Notes feel more authentic, and your playing feels more expressive. With a good VST, like on a real piano, you can just hold down a few notes and your piano’s sustain pedal (if your piano doesn’t have one… you should get one) and hear how the resonances interact with each other. My initial motivation in researching VSTs was to more closely replicate the sound of my teacher’s grand piano. In fact, part of the beauty of having a good piano sound is that you’ll likely be more motivated to practice and make music. I’m just barely past a beginner myself! That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy better sound quality. Both methods have their pros and cons, with modeled pianos often being more a bit more responsive and customizable, and sampled pianos often sounding more authentic but requiring more system resources (multiple GBs of storage, for instance).