14 DAY TRIAL // Technology has opened new horizons, that's a fact. Every field of activity has been improved considerably in the last hundred of years and with the growing popularity of computers, progress has made giant steps and we reached to achieve goals that were unimaginable some time ago.
Music has also been affected by technology and progress. Take the guitar for example. From the plain and simple one your grandfather used in order to woo his loved one (possibly your grandmother) to the electric one used in concerts in order to please the hoard of fans. Do you remember the beginning of MJ's Black or White video? That's what I'm talking about.
Milder instruments have also kept the pace and now everything is computer-assisted: from drums to violins and even flutes. Pianos are no different for this matter and although electronic keyboards were a hit some time ago, the true sound of a piano has been sought in virtual devices plugged into the computer.
With the right software, you can create your own band, replacing all the members of the musical group. Up until recently, playing live with virtual music instruments required the high-end technology an emerging star could not afford. But 4Front Technologies have released a $180 software able to use low computer resources (compared to everything else on the market) and provide the true tonality of an acoustic piano.
Digital pianos are known for their low maintenance costs, not to mention they are highly ergonomic and the fidelity is extraordinary combined with the right audio devices. There was only one flaw: polyphony was not supported. Note stealing is an extreme issue among the "advanced users" of this instrument and limited their creativity in a way the acoustic piano wouldn't.
With Truepianos, things are simple: there is no note dropping or stealing and the accuracy of the sound is just amazing. It does not come with the plethora of preset sounds like other similar applications (drum, guitar, organ etc.) do, but it can render amazing piano sounds. These are not accurate 100% but are extremely close.
Before continuing the review, I must warn you that without a MIDI controller of some kind there isn't much you can do with the application. Unlike similar softwares, TruePianos does not get along well at all with a regular keyboard and out of the lack of a MIDI controller you will be able to play the sounds only by means of the mouse (and it feels like you are playing a song with only one finger).
The interface is nice and cozy and, as expected, the main image will be that of a piano. The brand in front is not Wurlitzer, Steinway & Sons or Yamaha or who knows what other manufacturer, but TruePianos.
As soon as you deploy the application, it'll detect any MIDI device connected to the computer. If there is none, just press OK and proceed to Audio/MIDI Preferences dialog. Here you can make the settings for the sound driver, set the sample rate of the sound or keyboard latency. Configuring your audio card is a snap and you can do this from Windows also, but I am sure a shortcut from the program will ease it for you.
At a first glance, it may not seem too reliable as the number of settings is limited and except configuring the audio card and starting and stopping the engine it seems that there is nothing else to do. However, if you take a look at the lower part of the screen, you will see the links to the advanced interface, the preset sounds it comes with and the Options menu.
The advanced interface can be invoked from almost anywhere as long as the keys are not touched. The options available in this part of the software are quite a few and include preset piano sounds (Jazz, Rock, Classical, Blues, bright, Cloudy, Vanilla, Warm, Pop, Ballet and Foggy). These are available due to the Diamond piano type used as it is suitable for more than one musical style. Unfortunately, the trial version is not equipped with the additional modules (Emerald is one of them), limiting the number of sound presets available, but still managing to make a good impression.
In the right part of the screen there are the sliders that control the individual parameters of the sound. Thus, you can set the keyboard sensitivity (for MIDI controller), dynamic response of the piano, release time of the notes, pitch control and the output level. No matter the modifications you make here, the piano sound is preserved.
Checking the software's options, you will find that there isn't too much about it. All you can do here is enforce the increased polyphony, enable the multi-CPU engine and the sympathetic resonance (a note will start resonating in sympathy with another, without any external stimuli).
The great thing about the application is that it allows you to save the settings you have made and load them at a future moment. So you can use a different configuration of the piano with each song you play. This kind of flexibility is highly appreciated by the piano connoisseurs and a real time-saver.
The bottom part of the application interface is dominated by details like the set sample rate, latency value, number of sound channels and the CPU usage. You will notice that in "stand-by", the application does not require more than 5% of your processor and only when you touch the keys will it rise. A dual core CPU is recommended for great sounds and I guarantee you it will not choke on you (in my case it reached about 55% and the sound was smoothly flowing).
The Good
Great handling with a MIDI controller and extremely easy to configure. Saving the settings on your computer adds a whole lot to the value of the application.
As it does not rely on disk streaming, the application can be successfully used for live performances without running the risk of a choke.
Instead of adjusting the controller to the application, it is exactly the other way around, giving you flexibility and providing playability.
Polyphony mode and multi-CPU support are available for those that are more than piano enthusiasts.
The Bad
I will have to argue on the price here, as the trial version does not justify in any way $180. Plus, there are only two modules included (Diamond and Emerald gathering 16 presets) and a promise of more to come.
If you want to process the sound, you will have to go for external processors as TruePianos is not even equipped with an equalizer (although the presets may as well function as one).
The Truth
I have to admit that I have absolutely no skills for playing piano, but even so the sounds that came out sounded like music to me. Leaving my pianistic competences aside, you should know that the application is highly reliable and for the beginning of the road, the result is amazing.
The memory footprint is low and the piano modules are also slim-sized (Diamond is under 100MB, 68.5 to be more exact) and that is a great thing.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
