{"slug": "pianoteq", "name": "Pianoteq", "category": "media", "category_name": "Media and creative", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 2.943, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2026-05-06", "latest": "2026-09-10", "why": "look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 0, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "modartt.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Pianoteq"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 794402560, "item_id": 49650160, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49650160", "by": "waffletower", "date": "2026-09-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Very high quality and affordable software modeled piano.", "excerpt": "https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq_overview :) Very high quality and affordable software modeled piano. It is rather easy to tune via Scala KBD formatted files.", "context": "", "use_case": "modeled piano sound", "switched_from": "", "story": "Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom"}, {"id": 768629856, "item_id": 48039366, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48039366", "by": "vunderba", "date": "2026-05-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Pianoteq has mostly replaced my old Kontakt libraries in my DAW", "excerpt": "Pianoteq has mostly replaced my old Kontakt libraries in my DAW outside of course, miking my actual piano. Also SWAM has been in the business of creating physically modeled virtual instruments, including the violin, for a while now as well. https://audiomodeling.com/products/swam-violin", "context": "", "use_case": "Virtual instrument", "switched_from": "", "story": "Virtual violin produces realistic sounds"}, {"id": 768629200, "item_id": 48039325, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48039325", "by": "yboris", "date": "2026-05-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos", "excerpt": "For piano, look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos, letting you adjust and fine-tune numerous parameters (lid position, microphone placement, etc), no sound-banks used! https://www.modartt.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "Virtual piano simulation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Virtual violin produces realistic sounds"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["modeled piano sound", "physical modelling synth", "virtual instrument", "virtual piano simulation"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47996668", "title": "Virtual violin produces realistic sounds", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49647134", "title": "Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48991945", "title": "PartialString \u2013 A finite-difference time-domain physical modelling synthesiser", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"compare": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "quotes": [{"id": 794402560, "item_id": 49650160, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49650160", "by": "waffletower", "date": "2026-09-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Very high quality and affordable software modeled piano.", "excerpt": "https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq_overview :) Very high quality and affordable software modeled piano. It is rather easy to tune via Scala KBD formatted files.", "context": "", "use_case": "modeled piano sound", "switched_from": "", "story": "Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom"}, {"id": 784788432, "item_id": 49049277, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49049277", "by": "lagrange77", "date": "2026-07-25", "version": null, "stance": "compare", "quote": "I'm wondering if Pianoteq [0] works similarly.", "excerpt": "I'm wondering if Pianoteq [0] works similarly. [0] https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq_overview Awesome LaTeX-inspired webdesign btw.!", "context": "", "use_case": "Physical modelling synth", "switched_from": "", "story": "PartialString \u2013 A finite-difference time-domain physical modelling synthesiser"}, {"id": 768629856, "item_id": 48039366, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48039366", "by": "vunderba", "date": "2026-05-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Pianoteq has mostly replaced my old Kontakt libraries in my DAW", "excerpt": "Pianoteq has mostly replaced my old Kontakt libraries in my DAW outside of course, miking my actual piano. Also SWAM has been in the business of creating physically modeled virtual instruments, including the violin, for a while now as well. https://audiomodeling.com/products/swam-violin", "context": "", "use_case": "Virtual instrument", "switched_from": "", "story": "Virtual violin produces realistic sounds"}, {"id": 768629200, "item_id": 48039325, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48039325", "by": "yboris", "date": "2026-05-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos", "excerpt": "For piano, look at Pianoteq - 50MB of math code that simulates $100k+ pianos, letting you adjust and fine-tune numerous parameters (lid position, microphone placement, etc), no sound-banks used! https://www.modartt.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "Virtual piano simulation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Virtual violin produces realistic sounds"}]}