How to make a keyboard SOUND like a REAL piano

Hi awesome piano players

I have a good yamaha midi keyboard and have just found out about "modules and plugins" that make the keyboard sound like a sampled real grand piano!

I would greatly appreciate any advice at all or were to learn how I go about setting this up. I don't know any good modules that are commonly used or plugins and no idea what sort of laptop would be able to handle live gigs without freezing like all computer I own do haha

I hope you can help me.
Thankyou

Ahh... the infamous search for THE sound.

As you may already know - sound is very subjective, and something one person likes - the other may not.

I hate Korg pianos - even the brand new ones, and some people love them.

Anyway... if you want a cheap, small, low requirements piano VST that sounds
great - take a look at Pianoteq.

Keep in mind those are NOT samples - it's actually a simulation of a grand piano
and it really sounds amazing!

The program is less then 100mb (afaik)

http://www.modartt.com/discover_pian...538808b4e73020

I'm a Truepianos owner and used it for just over a hundred gigs on a laptop. Great piece of software. Truepianos and Pianoteq both have usuable demos. Both run ok without a top of the range computer.

What model is your Yamaha keyboard?

Good hardware piano modules (all discontinued):
GEM made one that would be top of my list - RP-X
Kurzweil - they had a dedicated piano module and one with extra sounds called the ME-1 (great sounds if you can find one)
Roland - anything thing that takes their SRX-11 card (or a Sonic Cell which has a good piano sound if it's the same as the one in the Juno Stage). Their older JV-1010 can be picked up quite cheaply and has perfectly giggable piano sounds.

Korg Yamaha and Alesis all produced usable piano modules.

Oberheim produced a good one (according to the US Keyboard magazine).

Go for a module rather than a laptop if it's for live use. Easy to set up - no problems in MONO (not all the modelled ones are great if you don't use them in stereo).

Years ago I gigged with a Roland digital piano called an RD-350S - it came out not long after the RD1000. It sounded great through a PA. The module version is called an MKS -20. Only 16 notes polyphony but go for it (for live use) if you find one that's not a silly price.

Thanks skip! I really appreciate your advice!!! I'll definatly check it out!!!
Thankyou so much

Thanyou!!! Gee this is amazing I have been able to get such great advice from you genius's!!!!

Were is the best place to get modules from? And also my keyboard is a yamaha p-80 so if I brought a Roland module- how do I know if it's compadible with mine as I don't have a owners manual for my keyboard

Thanks again. Your help and advice is greatly appreciated

Check out the italian grand at sythology.com

Ok, cool thanks!
Money wise does it work out better using a MacBook pro with plugins compared to a module??

I alway prefer dedicated hardware over VSTs and computers.

+1 for live playing

Also (to the OP) what's wrong with the piano sound in the P80 that you have?

Cool thanks guys
Does anyone know of a good module for live playing?? Also does 1 fit all cause it's midi? Or if you have a yamaha keyboard do I need a yamaha module meaning "Can you mix the brands?"
And what's a commonly used one? Because I have a Yamaha P-80


Thanks heaps everyone