Piano V

How it works

The acoustic piano

When a key is pressed, a lever action throws a felt-covered hammer against the strings; the hammer rebounds immediately (escapement) and the string is left free to vibrate until the damper falls back on key release (or until the sustain pedal keeps all the dampers raised). In the bass there is one string per note, in the midrange two, in the treble three: the strings of the same key are tuned almost in unison, and the tiny differences produce the typical slow beating that makes the sound alive.

Inharmonicity and stretch tuning

Steel strings are stiff, so their harmonics are slightly sharper than the whole-number multiples of the fundamental (inharmonicity), especially in short strings. For this reason tuners 'stretch' the octaves (stretch tuning): the highs are tuned slightly sharp and the basses slightly flat.

Soundboard, lid and resonances

The vibration passes through the bridge to the soundboard, which radiates the sound; the lid open or closed changes the direction and the brightness. With the pedal down, all the strings resonate sympathetically; even the unplayed portions of string (duplex scale) add a subtle halo.

Physical modeling

Piano V does not play back samples: it calculates in real time, with physical equations, the impact of the hammer (hardness, position), the vibration of the strings (tuning, detune between strings, stretch, age), the resonances (soundboard, sympathetic, duplex), the mechanical noises and the microphone pickup. For this reason every parameter can be pushed beyond real-world limits, up to impossible instruments such as Glass Grand or Metal Grand.

Character and tone

A complete piano, with the whole range from 27.5 Hz (A0) to 4186 Hz (C8) of fundamentals and harmonics well beyond 10 kHz: it is one of the 'widest' instruments in the spectrum, and for this reason it often needs to be slimmed down in the mix. The tone changes enormously with dynamics (soft = dark and mellow, loud = bright and metallic) and with register (basses rich in inharmonicity, highs crystalline and short). Grand pianos have long sustain, deep bass and less inharmonicity; uprights are more intimate, woody and direct, with a more pronounced midrange. Strengths of physical modeling: dynamic continuity with no 'steps' between sample layers, real sympathetic and pedal resonances, the ability to modify hammers, strings, lid and microphones in ways impossible on a real piano, minimal memory use. Limitations: compared with the big sampled libraries some models sound slightly more 'synthetic' at fortissimo, and quality depends heavily on the calibration of the MIDI keyboard. Compared with electric pianos (Stage-73, Wurli) it is much wider in frequency and less 'colored'.

Architecture

Original (modern acoustic piano)

• 88 keys (A0–C8), double-escapement action on grand pianos, upright action on vertical pianos.
• Strings: single in the bass (wound), double and triple in the mid-treble; cast-iron frame, spruce soundboard.
• Dampers over almost the entire keyboard (the last high notes, about an octave and a half, have no damper).
• Pedals: una corda/soft (shifts the action or moves the hammers closer), tonal/sostenuto (holds only the notes already pressed), resonance/sustain.
• Acoustic path: key → hammer → strings → bridge → soundboard → lid and room → microphones.

Arturia Piano V3

• 12 models: American Grand, German Grand, Japanese Grand, Pop Grand, Classical Upright, Jazz Upright, Pop Upright, Piano-bar Upright, Plucked Grand, Tack Upright, Glass Grand, Metal Grand.
• Main panel with 6 quick controls (Brightness, Timbre, Dynamics, Stereo Width, Reverb, Volume) and Limiter.
• Model panel: Action (Hammer Hardness, Hammer Position, Dynamics, Release Time), Strings (Tuning 400–480 Hz, Unison Detune, Stretch Tuning, Age), Acoustics (Lid Position in 3 positions, Soundboard, Sympathetic and Duplex Scale Resonance), Noises (Hammer, Key Release, Sustain Pedal), Mics (Classical/Home/Pop/Mono setups for the grands and Classical/Jazz/Mono for the uprights, Stereo Width, Ambient Mics), Keyboard (Velocity Curve up to 16 points and guided calibration).
• Effects panel: Pultec-inspired 3-band parametric EQ, Compressor, Preamp (Harmonics, Overdrive Gain), convolution Reverb with 13 rooms.
• Clickable Soft, Sostenuto and Sustain pedals, 4 macros, MTS-ESP microtuning support, MIDI Learn.

The controls, one by one

Piano model (main panel)

Model selector

Arrows or menu to choose among the 12 models (indicative characters): American Grand (full and balanced), German Grand (round and deep), Japanese Grand (clear and bright, excellent for jazz and pop), Pop Grand (very bright and 'mix-ready'), Classical Upright, Jazz Upright, Pop Upright, Piano-bar Upright (uprights that are progressively more direct and rough), Plucked Grand (plucked strings), Tack Upright (hammers with metal tacks, honky-tonk), Glass Grand and Metal Grand (impossible models with altered materials).

Quick Edit Controls

Brightness

Acts on the hardness of the hammer felt and therefore on overall brightness: toward the left warm and intimate, toward the right ringing.

Timbre

Macro on age, tuning and mechanical noises: turning it clockwise makes the piano 'age' and deteriorate (useful for lo-fi and vintage colors).

Dynamics

Dynamic range relative to velocity: low = almost constant volume (useful in dense mixes), high = full expressiveness (pair with the Limiter).

Stereo Width

From a narrow, focused image to a wide, enveloping stereo.

Reverb

Amount of convolution reverb (corresponds to the Dry/Wet of the effects panel).

Volume

Output level.

Limiter (L)

Safety limiter against peaks and clipping: at normal settings it does not affect the sound.

Pedals (bottom bar)

Soft

Una corda pedal: softer, darker sound, also useful for varying the color in pianissimo passages.

Sostenuto

Holds up only the dampers of the notes pressed at the moment of engagement: sustained basses while the right hand plays staccato.

Sustain

Resonance pedal: raises all the dampers and activates sympathetic resonance.

Advanced — Model: Action

Hammer Hardness

Condition of the felt: soft = few harmonics at piano; hard = harmonics even when playing softly, typical of old pianos or pop pianos.

Hammer Position

Strike point: low values (near the end of the string) brighter, high values (toward the center) darker and hollower.

Dynamics

Same control as on the main panel: breadth of the dynamic response.

Release Time

At 12 o'clock it is realistic; to the left an abrupt release, to the right a very long release (almost as if the pedal were always down). It does not affect the last octave and a half, which has no dampers.

Advanced — Model: Strings

Tuning

Overall tuning from 400 to 480 Hz (reference A4 = 440 Hz).

Unison Detune

Detuning between the strings of the same note (does not affect single-string notes): a little = warmth and natural chorus; a lot = honky-tonk.

Stretch Tuning

How much the highs are tuned sharp relative to the basses, as a tuner does to compensate for inharmonicity; higher = more 'upright'.

Age

Ages the instrument: loss of tuning, brightness and stability; useful for standing out in a mix.

Advanced — Model: Acoustics

Lid Position

Lid closed, half-open or open: closed = darker and more contained, open = brighter and more projected.

Soundboard Resonance

Soundboard resonance: higher = longer sustain.

Sympathetic Resonance

Resonance of the unplayed strings (especially octaves) when the dampers are raised: gives depth and a 'halo'.

Duplex Scale Resonance

Volume of the resonance of the unplayed portions of string (between the pins and the frame, between the bridge and the frame): from added brightness to a lo-fi metallic halo.

Advanced — Model: Noises

Hammer

Hammer impact noise ('thunk'), more evident in the highs.

Key Release

Noise of the hammers returning on release.

Sustain Pedal

Noise and resonance of the dampers lifting with the pedal.

Advanced — Model: Mics

Mic Setup

Grand: Classical (distant, natural pair), Home (home recording), Pop (close microphones inside the piano, very defined), Mono. Upright: Classical, Jazz, Mono.

Stereo width

From mono to wide stereo: in dense mixes better near the center or slightly narrow.

Ambient Mics

Blend of the room microphones placed a few meters away: adds room and realism without using reverb.

Advanced — Model: Keyboard

Velocity Curve

Editor with up to 16 points (minimum 2): the first and last points move only vertically; factory curves and saving of your own.

Calibrate

Guided procedure in which you play at various intensities: Piano V derives the curve suited to your keyboard and your touch. Do this first.

Advanced — Effects

Equalizer — Bass / Mid / High

Pultec-inspired analog EQ: Bass and High are shelving, Mid is a bell; On/Off for comparison.

Equalizer — Freq

Frequency of each band (with Hz readout); the points can also be dragged on the graph.

Equalizer — Width

Width (Q): to the left a wide band, to the right narrow for surgical work.

Compressor — Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Make Up

Compressor with bypass: threshold, ratio, attack and release speed, makeup gain.

Preamp — Harmonics

Adds harmonics (tape or tube type) to make the piano 'sit' in the mix.

Preamp — Overdrive Gain

More pronounced distortion, for rock or lo-fi pianos.

Reverb — Room selector

13 convolution rooms.

Reverb — Pre-Delay

Delay before the reverb: 20–40 ms keeps the attack clear.

Reverb — Size

Size of the space and therefore the length of the tail.

Reverb — Decay

How quickly the highs die out in the tail: at minimum a dark tail, at maximum bright for the whole duration.

Reverb — Dry/Wet

Mix; a good starting point is between 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock.

Sound design tips

• Calibrate first of all: with physical modeling velocity is crucial; run Calibrate and tweak the Velocity Curve until pianissimo and fortissimo are both reachable without effort.
• Physical brightness, not EQ: to change the character, use Hammer Hardness, Hammer Position and Lid Position first; EQ comes afterward, to fit the mix.
• Frequency zones in the mix: below 80–100 Hz the piano competes with bass and kick (gentle high-pass in pop tracks); 200–400 Hz is the 'boxy' zone to cut by 2–3 dB if the sound is muddy; 2–5 kHz gives definition to the attack; above 8–10 kHz is the air.
• Piano and vocal: with a lead vocal, narrow the Stereo Width, lower Dynamics and slightly cut 1–3 kHz; in a sparse piano-and-vocal arrangement, on the contrary, leave dynamics and stereo wide.
• Register and arrangement: in the left hand avoid thirds and close chords below C3 (they turn to mud); use octaves, fifths or single notes.
• Pedal: sympathetic resonance is beautiful but accumulates energy; in dense tracks reduce Sympathetic and Sustain Pedal noise or change pedal more often.
• Unison Detune and Stretch: a pinch of Unison Detune makes the piano warmer; too much creates the saloon effect. High Stretch helps the piano 'shine' in the highs but can clash with synths tuned in perfect equal temperament.
• Microphones: Pop setup for modern tracks (attack and definition), Classical for acoustic music; Ambient Mics instead of reverb for a drier realism.
• Compression: medium-slow attack (10–30 ms) so as not to squash the transients, ratio 2:1–3:1; for piano house a higher ratio and short release.
• Lo-fi: soft Age, Timbre and Hammer, closed lid and a low-pass around 5–7 kHz give the intimate 'felt piano'; add noise and saturation with the Preamp.
• Common mistakes: reverb too high, pushing the piano away from the mix; a very wide stereo image that 'smears' the piano under the vocal; forgetting the Limiter with Dynamics at maximum.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• Classical and contemporary: American or German Grand with Classical microphones, open lid and full dynamics.
• Jazz (trio, solo, bebop, modal): Japanese Grand or Jazz Upright, wide dynamics and moderate ambience.
• Pop, singer-songwriter and ballads: bright, compressed Pop Grand, narrow stereo to leave room for the vocal.
• Rock, piano rock and boogie: Pop Upright or Piano-bar Upright, hard attack.
• Gospel, soul, R&B and neo-soul: full chords, sustain pedal and sympathetic resonance.
• House, piano house and 1990s dance: bright, compressed Pop Grand with EQ on the highs for the stabs.
• Hip hop, lo-fi and chillhop: aged uprights, closed lid, soft hammers, high age.
• Honky-tonk, ragtime, country and saloon: Tack Upright with Unison Detune.
• Ambient, neoclassical, soundtracks: long resonances, big reverbs, Glass and Metal Grand for unreal colors.
• Latin music (salsa, montuno, bossa): bright, percussive piano.