Modartt Pianoteq PLAY Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazing sounding and performing pianos. I chose to buy it on Amazon as it was $10 less than then manufacturer's site. I downloaded the demo before buying (time limit and some keys are disabled), but I knew instantly that this was a great set of virtual pianos. There's great nuance captured in these settings and they haven't let me down. I use them as VST plug-ins for Logic Pro 9 and the easily mix well and don't use much processing power at all. One feature I really enjoy is the ability to set your polyphony. If you wanted, you could have 256 notes at your disposal. No complaints! Works super well on Mac OS X 10.6.5. Recommended for people looking for realistic piano sounds with great performance features. Please note, you need a decent sound card (w/ ASIO drivers) and a MIDI controller of some sort.

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GenieSoft Score Writer 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)Score writer 4 is an awesome computer sheet music program! I was throughly suprised just how easy and fun it was. In the first evening that I got it, I picked it up completely. Before, I was sketching out my music by hand and playing each note out on my piano to see how it sounded. It took long hours and was very tedious. Then, I'd have to get the ruler out and try my best note by note to rewrite my messy sketch. Now at the touch of a button you can add notes, groups, articulations, expressions, and so much more. You can also set up your score on a variety of instruments. It also plays your composition back for you perfectly. And it comes out as high quality professional sheet music!! I was never really good at the specifics of writing pieces before thats why this has really helped me. I didn't have the kind of money to purchase those high expensive programs like Overture, but once I saw this I thought I'd give it a try. I was so pleased by it that I'd rather spend my time and money on this easy program, than have to spend hours reading a manual learning how to use a higher program. It really has everything you need to put in a composition. If you have any worries about it I guarantee the minute you try it they will all disappear! I would highly recommend it to anyone who just wants to throw the cd in and be jump started on their way to making a masterpiece.

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Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Professional Version - C Review

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(More customer reviews)(Note: I wrote this about the Pro Version in the Basic product review but I noticed there is the Pro version on Amazon, so I am going to repeat it with slight editing.)
I noticed this product last year. I recently purchased the Pro version and it is a real hoot! I remember being frustrated last year as it was announced and months later there was still no release. I then really forgot about it.
It came to my attention recently and found it was available so I purchased this full version that has the 24 bit samples. I have ran both 24 bit and the Pro version "high quality" 16 bit versions and I am not sure after listening the short amount that I have it IF there is any material difference. BOTH are quite impressive.
I was going to buy a 10,000 RPM hard drive for my Icy Dock Sata, Firewire 800 enclosure (these are VERY sweet because they, different hard drives, just slide and snap-in, taking seconds and you just buy accessary trays that you can use as many hard drives you have as long as they are compatible like SATA) but I found my 7200 external quite nice and effective, a Western Digital, for the 24 bit samples going USBII into my 2.2GHz, Macbook Pro.
Earlier, I changed my Macbook Pro (laptop) hard drive to one of those Momentus 7200 RPM drives so the minimum requirements of the Garritan Steinway to run on a 7200 RPM are there actually, *inside* the laptop without an external.
So I tried it. I ran the laptop having the samples on the *internal* using a Firewire 800 connection to an RME Fireface 800 rack acting as my sound-card. Worked GREAT! right from my laptop!!! (with no external drive). HOWEVER, after playing for about an hour or so, the program crashed. (not the laptop, obviously it's a MAC!!). I suspect that it was system file interference, OR one would have to disconnect Airport temporarily to run the Steinway samples direct from the Macbook Pro. I will play with that later, while in the meantime, I am running the 24 bit samples from the Icy Dock with no issues.
The first thing I noticed with playing the Garritan Steinway is the 'singing' capability of the 'instrument'. I am currently using a Yamaha graded action (P80). I should add that the touch of 'hard' 'soft' etc work on the actual P80 and surely other digital pianos to the Garritan for different players' choices since it is adjusting the midi-out velocities though obviously, this can be controlled via the software. Singing notes of the strings or selected tones that are struck harder just stand out with it's dynamic range, something I only perceived at this level by playing a actual acoustic grand. The tone is sweet and not artificial. It is warm and addicting to play and if you intend to play for only a few minutes you will likely get up an hour later.
This software will get you back practicing. You will not tire of the quality like another version of your hardware, digital piano comes out 3 to 6 months later that you wish you waited to buy. The instrument if you look up on the forums is worked on profusely for upgrades by the developer(s). It IS a sampled piano but offers the versatility of having some DSP programming to add and tweak to your desired sound the peripheral tones of the instrument. Hammond actually did this with organ to bring out a new B3. They combined samples with modeling as a hybrid to get just about the EXACT sound in the recent model vintages but tweakable. This was called VASEIII though surely not on the same model parameters as the Garritan but the concept is the same.
The Pro version has 5 perspectives. You need to try them all to find out which one is 'you', having the ability to change to another perspective (mic positions with 5 sets of samples) for a change-up or for a targeting sound for a certain tune or location where you are playing.
For *loud* bands that want to use this: the dynamic range may be a problem for cut. The solution has been to use on the 'loud band' stage a compressor, it would seem. The best compressor methods, imo, have been the upward compression available with some compression software that does not effect the attack or the envelope of the struck string. Using compression, the tone with a lower dynamic range can hang longer, cut through the mix, before it decays (not as realistic but can improve the piano-cut with loud music, as I said, where you really cannot hear the fine nuances of an accurate emulation and sympathetic sounds).
For my playing, I see no need for this. Can't see that compression would be necessary for moderate band volumes either.
This software is really a great gift to the digital piano world, in my view. Garritan should be congratulated as I suspect this has been and still is, quite a 'life event' struggle to get this right from start to finish. These Garritan Authorized Steinway packages are a phenomenal deal to get the REAL sound to those of us who cannot affort the real-deal. Does it replace the real Model D Steinway? No. But it is sure fun to play something this close.

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Steinberg The Grand 3 VST Instrument Software - Education Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I loaded up Grand 3 and was surprised that I was not given the option of storing the samples on my external media drive. The good news is that the samples seem take up a relatively small amount of space but I'm not sure the performance is adequate when the OS, application and samples are all on the same drive. There's probably a way to remedy this however and it did not seem to affect the sound. I use a Macbook Pro with an extra LCD screen for displaying the DAW timeline so performance optimization is important. I have an external firewire 800 drive for storing samples and I'm thinking my next purchase will be a solid state drive to replace my CDROM which would give me more options for optimizing features/performance.
So what about the sound? It was clean and bright (Yamaha grand) but not outstanding to my ear. I would not buy it for $400 but for $100 I would consider adding it to my collection if I didn't already own Synthogy's Ivory collection (Ivory II Grand Pianos and The Italian Grand). The Ivory pianos are so much better to my ear. The test for me is if you sit down and when you play the first note it brings a big smile to your face and then you blow away 2-3 hours before you look up.
Also, when I compared the Ivory Yamaha grand with the Steinberg Yamaha grand I definitely liked the Ivory sound better. Of course Ivory is now more expensive than the Steinberg pianos but as they say, you get what you pay for. The Yamaha P155 digital piano that I have seems every bit as good as Steinbergs Grand 3 samples so there would be no point wasting computer processing power and memory on the samples, save it for the DAW (I use Cubase 6). Ivory on the other hand has perfected Ivory II to the extent that I no longer use the built-in P155 sound unless I'm on the road. Ivory piano recordings sound incredible to my ears. I'm glad I sent the Steinberg product back and purchased Ivory although Cubase 6 contains a trial version of Grand 3 which is a full version that is licensed for two months. A good idea by Steinberg.

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Music Games (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)A colorful, fun program for beginning students, especially for piano students. Includes activities to practice your existing knowledge of names of the piano keys, note names on the treble and bass staff, C major and G major scales, melodic intervals, musical terms, and counting in 4/4 or 3/4 time. No music theory instruction is given - just practice what you already know. The packaging I saw recommended for ages 7+, which seems about right; students using this software will need to be able to read (the directions are not spoken). Very affordable!

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The perfect way for aspiring musicians ages 7 & up to learn music theory! Note names, rhythms, intervals, music terms and more are covered in an entertaining, interactive software environment. For Windows and Macintosh.

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My Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)I had very high hopes for this software. My almost 7 year old daughter is very excited about learning to play piano. But I guess she doesn't watch enough cartoons because she and I both find the talking piano character a little ridiculous. But that's not the problem. The problem is that the volume for the narration cannot be adjusted separately from the midi keyboard output through the computer speakers. Our keyboard does not have internal amplification. (MIDI only) so there is no option to adjust keyboard output. This makes the software all but unusable for us. We had high hopes but it looks like we'll have to look for another solution.

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Piano for Kids (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a first-stage beginner's program with an excellent presentation. The cute characters provide a very good education about piano basics and how to play the piano. For the software version, screen animations provide a level of interest for kids. Recommended for age 6+, but I believe it could start younger for those that can read a little. The software version features printable sheet music, tempo adjustments, puzzles, games, and an option to download other free MIDI songs (but on Windows Vista with a broadband (cable internet) connection, this option did not work). SelectSoft/ArcMedia's website also did not produce a listing for free MIDI music downloads. If the download MIDI songs function works for you, this would be an excellent choice for long-term teaching. Piano for Kids (Jewel Case) Piano for Kids

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Acoustica Pianissimo Virtual Grand Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are in need of a Virtual Grand Piano which can be used in live performance, I believe this is your best bet. I have tried many software pianos. Most of the free ones just don't have enough depth or expressiveness. And the Gigapianos are totally impracticle. Large sampled piano libraries that have to be constantly streamed from the hard drive can be far too CPU intensive and therefore too risky to be dependable for a live gig. The newest generation of virtual pianos has addressed this by combining sampling, modeling and morphing technology. The libraries are smaller in size and the marraige of these technologies has really trimmed the demand on the CPU. Best of all it has produced a richer more natural feeling, sounding and playing experience. The three top contenders in this category are Acoustica Pianissimo, 4 Front Truepianos, and Modartt Pianoteq. I have tried them all. And though they are all quality instruments, I feel that Pianissimo is the clear winner on sound and playability, alone. The fact that it is by far and away the most inexpensive is just a wonderful bonus. Try the demo versions of these pianos for yourself. I think you'll agree.

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Piano Wizard Premier Software Review

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(More customer reviews)Full Disclosure here, I am the CEO and founder of Music Wizard, creator of Piano Wizard, responding to the product reviewed above as being "like Guitar Hero".
Sigh. There is a customer comment on that review that points out that there are other levels that take the player to reading sheet music. Maybe some people clicked through, wondering how this could be so different from most reviews of the product, and bravo for those people who took the time to click through and see that there may be more to the program than what he said.
I normally don't comment, but I feel like this guy so completely missed the boat that I need to speak up.
Here are some of the top ways that this product is different from "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band"
A) It uses a real instrument. Any digital keyboard will work with the game.
B) It uses real music. Any MIDI file, (thousands and thousands online, 1000 years of music literature) can be plugged into the game and learned.
C) Because you will learn real music on a real instrument, you may even get a real girlfriend, as opposed to posing as a musician with Guitar Hero.
D) The game has extensive help for you to explore to reveal these simple facts and their implications. Because I am visual, so are most of the help resources. There is a set up poster, a set up video, Flash demo movies of every feature (hours and hours of it), in game Help in graphical format, online videos, online FAQs, an automatic reply within the game to email tech support that reads your operating system so that you don't need to tell us what video driver you have, our tech can help you without you knowing much about your own computer, online live chat with tech support, email tech support, live phone tech support, and a game that will work on most Windows and Macs dating from 98SE. None of which seems to have been looked at by the reviewer above.
E) There is a full "music teaching system in a box" version of the software called Piano Wizard Academy, that includes 50 video lessons, the sheet music, a 100 song piano curriculum called Easy Mode (included in your Premier version) that has spectacular results, including an amazing story of a profoundly retarded 8 year old boy who has gone through almost 70 songs, that is reviewed right here on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Premier-Silver-M-Audio-Keyboard/product-reviews/B001ARGZEC). This boy's mother however found all this value in the same version "reviewed" above, just by reading the instructions.
Finally, my challenge to anyone wanting to do their do diligence on this product is to type in "Piano Wizard" or "Piano Wizard Academy" into any search engine and look at the reviews and customer testimonials and videos ([...]) and make your own educated decision. We also offer a 30 day unconditional guarantee at our website. With our Academy, we guarantee that you will learn at least 5 songs in 5 days or your money back if you follow our system. We have had kids learn as many as 20 songs in that time.
Having something as amazing and authentic as this, and having to look at a post like the one above, is very disheartening, and I could not let it pass unanswered.
There is a another review above complaining about the interface, what they are objecting to is the screen resolution. We are working on an update that will resolve that soon, possibly by summer, but it is not a problem for gameplay or children, it is more an aesthetic issue with all the high resolution screens available now.
So, I am not even sure this kind of response from the company is allowed on Amazon, but I felt that to be fair a response was needed. My suggestion to all of you is to do more due diligence before you buy, and make as educated a decision as possible with all the facts.
Thanks
Chris Salter
CEO and Founder
Music Wizard

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Instant Play Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want to learn to play the piano, this product is a great way to start. You can go at your own pace, and review as often as you need. The instruction is easy to understand, and within the first few lessons, you'll already be making noticable music.

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SmartScore X Piano Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased SmartScore X Piano Edition to transpose church orchestra clarinet/french horn/oboe sheet music so that it could be played on an alto saxophone. The scan feature worked reasonably well on one piece of original sheet music with a high contrast - there were only a few errors that were readily correctible. The transposition and printing worked well. But SmartScore X did not acceptably scan a copy of sheet music that apparently had less contrast - there were so many errors that it was not really correctible.

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Piano Wizard PREMIER Piano Instruction Software - USB/MIDI Review

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(More customer reviews)Mine had an M-Audio Uno interface [...], which is a known dud. But I got my money back and moved on with a different one.
And the graphics are a bit back to the 80's. Very low resolution.
Otherwise not too bad - as a game. Although, I agree with other reviewers that it is only a game. It is no substitute for proper teaching, requires some guidance to learn something other than hacking around on the keyboard, and is not a sophisticated piano method.
But I found it a good way to get the kids practicing the piano in a playful way, without me always needing to be there.

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ALFRED Teach Yourself to Play Piano CD-ROM: Deluxe Edition (Windows/Macintosh) Review

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(More customer reviews)I guess they misrepresented the product listed for the price listed. However, they rapidly credited my purchase so no harm no foul. The only reason I state one star is because I had to pick one. Since I didn't receive anything I couldn't really rate it.

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Soft Way to Mozart piano teaching software Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the delux software for my 2 1/2 year old after researching on all other available options and felt the need to leave a feedback. I am a music teacher for 20+ years. For American kids who don't get forced to practice and for younger children ( age 6 and under), the most difficult of my job is to teach them how to read music --most parents pay piano teachers to teach reading music. I wish I can teach them "music" instead of how to read notes repeatedly. Given that, doremifasoft is the best method I've seen in terms of teaching reading music an easy/fun/efficient way. I like it that the software has left/right/both hands and students can get on playing real song with real staff music notes right away. My 2 year 8 month toddler was able to play hot cross buns (right hand) on her own in a few minutes -- that's how easy to get started. The softare offers lots of games which i think beating around bushes -- I would just start with playing real songs. There are problems too 1. The software can not replace a teacher to teach rhythm. .2 Sample songs are too fast to be used as a demo --- they should have a slower version and a normal speed version. 3. Setting up the software was so much pain for me and there is not much tech support from doremifasoft nor from Casio nor the midi wire connection manufacture. Before u buy it, I definitely recommend that you download doremifasoft free demo and make it work consistanly. The software may not work with your computer or keyboard. Make sure the midi connection is compatible to ur computer operating system. So far my software and piano sometimes have a delayed response--annoying when you are in a middle of a song. 4. Deluxe version is probably a waste of money because by the time you learned to play the standard versions songs, you've known how to play any songs. 5. It's a great software but like all other music software, it can not replace a teacher/parent. As a parent, you definitely still need to support your child's pracice. A teacher is crucial so the kids are hitting keys with the right way and eventually playing "music" beautifully instead of hitting video-game notes. Hope this helps those who are considering buying it.

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Piano Suite Premier 2.6 Review

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(More customer reviews)This software does pretty much what it claims. It's neither clearly better nor clearly worse than the alternatives. Here are some specific notes which might be helpful to you:
* It's trapped in an un-resizeable DOS window. To get full-screen, you have to alter your monitor settings.
* You can use your QWERTY keyboard to play notes, but you have to reactivate a special window everytime you click elsewhere. Therefor, this feature is useful only for testing the software w/o a MIDI keyboard connected.
* There are about a dozen MIDI songs which you can upload to your MIDI keyboard (if your keyboard allows this). The rest of the songs are integrated into the program -- ie, not copyable.
* Contrary to the advertising, there are no REM songs. There is "Superman", which REM covered but did not write. (Good song though.)
* If you press "next" too early, you do not get credit for having viewed a lesson. This is good for a classroom, but annoying to me.
* I have gotten weird errors from the Music Recorder, but I didn't buy it for that anyway.I bought Piano Suite 1 & 2, which is much cheaper. It contains only 80 songs and lacks the Composer (which also prints sheet music). For me it is a much better value than the Premier edition. It has all the lessons, the games, and the same basic player.

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eMedia Piano & Keyboard Basics Review

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(More customer reviews)This is just the first one-third of their Piano and Keyboard Method package. It covers the basics of rhythm and reading music. If you're serious about really learning in this manner, you should probably just get the Piano and Keyboard Method version right away. If you're just dabbling and need some help learning to keep time and read music, this is a great place to start (you'll need a MIDI keyboard to get the most out of it). But if you already have a good sence of rhythm and know the basics of reading music, this wont offer too much.

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Casio PX-110 Privia Digital Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)As a kid I learned how to play on a real piano for 8 years. I bought this keyboard three months ago wanting to play more and have been very satisfied so far.
Pros:
1. The tri-element ZPI casio menions makes the keys pressure sensitive so that when you play softly or loud it will sound that way.
2. Metronome comes in handy
3. Easy-to-use record button lets you playback what you just played during practice
4. Comes with a practice pianobook with 59 pieces including 3-4 of the more popular Chopin, Schubert, Schumannn, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven pieces and some lighter ones like The Entertainer.
5. Overall great sound for this price range
Cons:
1. Having previously played mostly on a grand piano, the keys here don't feel completely weighted, but it isn't difficult to adjust.
2. 10 tones (2 grand pianos, 2 electric pianos, 1 harpsichord, 1 vibraphone, 1 pipe organ, 1 percussion organ, 1 strings/violin, 1 acoustic bass) may be limited amount for some

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CASIO PX110CS PRIVIA 88 KEY DIGITAL PIANO ZPI TRI-ELEMENT SOUND SOURCE;32-NOTE POLYPHONY; 88 REAL WEIGHTED HAMMER ACTION KEYS; 11 TONES, 20 RHYTHMS, 60 BUILT-IN TUNES,;8 DIGITAL EFFECTS, BRILLANCE, DSP and ACOUSTIC RESONANCE SYSTEM; LAYER and SPLIT, 1 SONG 2-TRACK 10,000 NOTE MEMORY;MIDI IN/OUT, BASS REFLEC SPEAKERS, DUAL HEADPHONE CONNECTIONS FOR TEACHER/STUDENT USE

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