easiest way to get a good virtual piano
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SeaGtGruff
Member
You've managed to squeeze in three questions for the price of one! 
From the title of your post: What's the easiest way to get a good virtual piano? Answer: If you don't already have one in a DAW, the fastest and easiest way to get one is to download it from the internet. You can start with a free one, move up to an inexpensive one later if the free one doesn't sound good enough to you, and move up to a more expensive one later if the inexpensive one doesn't have enough bells and whistles for you. Alternately, you can download a DAW that has a virtual piano plus numerous other instruments.
From the text of your post, before the comma: What's the easiest way to play a virtual piano? Answer: The easiest way to play a virtual piano is with a MIDI keyboard controller. If you don't have one, you'll need to either click on a keyboard display with your mouse, or use your computer keyboard, neither of which is well-suited for piano playing. If you decide to buy a MIDI keyboard controller, you might be tempted to get a small one (2 or 3 octaves, possibly with mini keys), but those aren't so good if you want to play the piano with both hands or play pieces that span more than 2 or 3 octaves. They are, however, great for toting with you if you want to write music while you're traveling. For piano playing it's probably better to get a MIDI keyboard controller than has a minimum of 4 octaves, and preferably 5 or more octaves. And if you'd like to use the MIDI keyboard controller for more than just piano playing, you'll probably want to get one that has plenty of wheels, buttons, knobs, sliders, and pads.
From the text of your post, implied by the part after the comma: What's the easiest way to use a virtual piano? This will depend somewhat on what you want to use it for. If you're using it for live playing then a stand-alone program will probably be easier to use since you're cutting out the "middle man" (i.e., the DAW), hence there's fewer menus, buttons, and clicks needed to get to the virtual piano. But if you're using it for composing and recording then a DAW would be the way to go. Note that virtual instruments are often designed to function either as a stand-alone program or as a plug-in for a DAW, depending on your needs.
From the title of your post: What's the easiest way to get a good virtual piano? Answer: If you don't already have one in a DAW, the fastest and easiest way to get one is to download it from the internet. You can start with a free one, move up to an inexpensive one later if the free one doesn't sound good enough to you, and move up to a more expensive one later if the inexpensive one doesn't have enough bells and whistles for you. Alternately, you can download a DAW that has a virtual piano plus numerous other instruments.
From the text of your post, before the comma: What's the easiest way to play a virtual piano? Answer: The easiest way to play a virtual piano is with a MIDI keyboard controller. If you don't have one, you'll need to either click on a keyboard display with your mouse, or use your computer keyboard, neither of which is well-suited for piano playing. If you decide to buy a MIDI keyboard controller, you might be tempted to get a small one (2 or 3 octaves, possibly with mini keys), but those aren't so good if you want to play the piano with both hands or play pieces that span more than 2 or 3 octaves. They are, however, great for toting with you if you want to write music while you're traveling. For piano playing it's probably better to get a MIDI keyboard controller than has a minimum of 4 octaves, and preferably 5 or more octaves. And if you'd like to use the MIDI keyboard controller for more than just piano playing, you'll probably want to get one that has plenty of wheels, buttons, knobs, sliders, and pads.
From the text of your post, implied by the part after the comma: What's the easiest way to use a virtual piano? This will depend somewhat on what you want to use it for. If you're using it for live playing then a stand-alone program will probably be easier to use since you're cutting out the "middle man" (i.e., the DAW), hence there's fewer menus, buttons, and clicks needed to get to the virtual piano. But if you're using it for composing and recording then a DAW would be the way to go. Note that virtual instruments are often designed to function either as a stand-alone program or as a plug-in for a DAW, depending on your needs.
thanks for your answers, yes my question is quite reducing,I got of course some virtual piano on logic, what I need is just a piano to play, to make my little daughter to start to deal with music and possibly to avoid to launch logic to do it, I have seen on web some virtual pianos that sound good too, but was wondering if there is something else around as stand alone, since have never managed virtual instruemnt and midi by myself and don't know really this environment.
rob aylestone
Moderator
Buy a cheap proper electric piano. There are tons on ebay now because they've been around for ages. Old Yamaha Clavinovas, and similar products - ideal for beginners because they have a proper weighted keyboard that feels like a real piano. At school she will be playing keyboards on cheap old Casios and Yamahas that have a synth style unweighted keyboard. They are very cheap secondhand on ebay.
A decent VSTi - as in a software sampler can run as a virtual instrument in Logic or Cubase etc, but most will run as standalone devices if you have a midi keyboard to drive it from. If you don't have the midi keyboard, then buying one may well cost you more than a second hand electric piano synth keyboard!
The cost of quality VSTi samplers can be from 50 quid to three or four hundred - so the second hand keyboard makes a lot more sense. They sound piano-like. Never going to convince anyone, but for a beginner, one power switch is so much better than starting up the PC, and pressing lots of buttons!
A decent VSTi - as in a software sampler can run as a virtual instrument in Logic or Cubase etc, but most will run as standalone devices if you have a midi keyboard to drive it from. If you don't have the midi keyboard, then buying one may well cost you more than a second hand electric piano synth keyboard!
The cost of quality VSTi samplers can be from 50 quid to three or four hundred - so the second hand keyboard makes a lot more sense. They sound piano-like. Never going to convince anyone, but for a beginner, one power switch is so much better than starting up the PC, and pressing lots of buttons!
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
This strikes me as being the cheapest and most practical way of doing it.
And if you want to be a bit smarter, you can get one with USB capability and use it as a keyboard for computer stuff
Steenamaroo
...
+1. I've a CLP-840 here that cost an arm and a leg way back when. You'd be lucky to get £100 for it now.
In terms of the mechanical action and basic piano sound, the modern equivalents don't really have that much on it!
Line out recording is surprisingly good, too. That's what I use when I need piano recordings.
USB would be handy. If not, even the basic models have midi.
YanKleber
Retired
I have a couple piano free VSTs (they are really easy to find) but to tell you the truth they are only 'meh' for me. What I mean is that they have an OK sound but there is for sure a lack of energy and punch of a real piano. The 'grand pianos' doesn't sound any grand for me.
I never listened to the expensive pianos such the Kontakt and similar ones though. Maybe they are better.
As a final note, I should mention that I grew up in a house with a real piano and I took piano classes myself when I was a kid. Seriously, the upright piano we had in our house sounded too much more powerful and fuller than those free VSTs out there.
I never listened to the expensive pianos such the Kontakt and similar ones though. Maybe they are better.
As a final note, I should mention that I grew up in a house with a real piano and I took piano classes myself when I was a kid. Seriously, the upright piano we had in our house sounded too much more powerful and fuller than those free VSTs out there.
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
Well, I expect it would. An upright is a huge wooden box with lots of metal and strings inside. It makes a big fat noise, compared to a VST coming through someone's computer speakers.
You would need to get a comparable means of sound reproduction to be able to compare them properly.
YanKleber
Retired
Armistice
Son of Yoda
The "easiest" way to get a good virtual piano is to buy a good virtual piano....
Someone had to say it. I have Pianoteq 5. Buy. Download. Put DLL file in folder. Point Reaper to it. Done. Simples..
But it did cost $400...
Someone had to say it. I have Pianoteq 5. Buy. Download. Put DLL file in folder. Point Reaper to it. Done. Simples..
But it did cost $400...