Recommendations wanted on virtual pianos

I'm in the process of buying a Virtual Piano. 
The choice I'm considering at the moment is whether to go for TruePianos, 
which comes with a SPlat discount ... or PianoTeq (Standard Ed). 
I will mainly be using it with my Roland A-500, but have ambitions of at some point in the future to get a real hammer action type of keyboard (recommendations appreciated) ... other than that I will be using it with other light Roland Keybeds ... like D10, S10, S50 ... and my DX7-II ... the latter which maybe will give a better piano feel to the playing ... as the key bed is somewhat more heavy. OK. I digress. 
 
What I'm wondering about is, which of these is the smartest choice ? I like both of them ... though PianoTeq seems somewhat more complex and sophisticated. I like it's wizard for adapting itself to the nature of your existing keyboards bed. Truepianos, seem a bit more crude and simple in this way. Like the sound of both.
 
I was hoping for some feedback on this before I decide, I see there are other options as well ... but haven't evaluated those.
- Sven
 
[Edit] I forgot to mention, it's preferable if it's usable in Win XP as well as have a 32-bit VST option. 

msmcleod
The Addictive Keys piano is good, as are the 3 Kontakt pianos that come with NI Komplete (The Grandeur, Maverick & Gentleman). An of course if you do end up with Kontakt, there's loads of additional pianos you can get like the Yamaha C7 Grand, Alicia's Keys (which is a Yamaha C3) etc.
 
I'm not a big fan of True Pianos, it sounds pretty lo-fi to me, but maybe that's just the Cakewalk/Sonar edition.
 
I use AIR Music Tech's Mini Grand quite a lot, as it's pretty light on memory but still sounds pretty good in the mix and has a good fit for most styles. I wouldn't use it "exposed" in the mix though.
 
If I had spare cash for it (and the extra space on my SSD drive to put it on), I'd go for the Ravenscroft 275 from VI Labs. IMHO this is the best sounding piano I've ever heard. It's got the mellow sound without the muddiness, and can cut through without sounding harsh.
 
 
M.

Addictive Keys looks nice, even comes in a free version ... unfortunately it doesn't support XP. AIR Music Tech's Mini Grand same story. As well as the Ravenscroft 275. 
 
If it might be of interest to you to know that the latter model is now on offer for $99 for about 1 more week. 
 
Thanks for the tip about Kontakt and NI, I forgot I had that. Might check it out, but long term plan is to get rid of it. I dislike how they hijacked my system, but at least it sitting there quietly in the background. 
 
Thank you very much for your reply, lot of options I didn't even consider ... that Ravenscroft 275 looks real nice ... but I think I will go for the PianoTeq. Seems more versatile. I'm also using a lot of XP based computer systems.

Daibhidh
If you're wanting it for playing classical piano. Pianoteq all the way.

They're the only one officially licensed by Steinway & Sons.

Garritan used to be, but Steinway pulled out.
I suspect because their software protection got cracked.

Thanks for the tip, that's the main thing I'm looking for ... and the ability to configure it for expressive play on different midi keyboards. 

Checked out Addictive Keys ... massive project just to get it installed ... definitely not addicted. 

iRelevant

Fleer
Essentially, you've got three choices. TruePianos, Pianoteq and the one from Arturia
I'd opt for Pianoteq all the way. Incredibly detailed, wonderfully playable and choices galore.
You'll have to pick a bundle first. I got the Electric plus Hohner. Then added the Steinway and Blüthner.
Love the Blüthner most of all. Sweet and subdued. Mighty fine.
But you can start with Steinway bundle too, if you prefer.
Anyway, best to buy Standard instead of Stage.
But you can upgrade whenever you want.

I'm leaning most towards Pianoteq of all those ... thinking of starting with the Stage and the Steinway bundle. I'm very satisfied so far with the playability I get with this. Is there any major reason to go for the Standard edition ? I see I will be missing Piano model tweaking ... but to me this sounds more like minor stuff as long as I like the sound I have. Arturia is off the list, minimum requirement is XP compatibility and 32-bit functionality. Truepianos have it, but has an really annoying AI way of presuming what I wan't, where as Pianoteq installer is a dream ... you get to select and configure everything as you want. 
 
What would you say is the main thing I'm missing out on by not going for the Standard edition now ? 
 
Thank you very much for your feedback, by the way :)

You’re quite welcome.
The mic positions, as Michael wrote, are quite interesting. And the FXP presets: “Pianoteq Stage will load only the settings that are available in the Pianoteq Stage interface. If you want to enjoy the many creative presets in the FXP corner, you need the Standard or Pro version” (Pianoteq FAQ).
People develop their own presets for specific kinds of music, often in the Pro version, but you can load them all in Standard.

Michael A.D.
PianoTeq would be my suggestion.
 
I own the stage version and will eventually upgrade to the standard (which allows the positioning of multiple mics).
 
Before I got the PianoTeq I used the various NI pianos and also the XLN piano.  But the PianoTeq is SO much more responsive that I never bother with any other piano.

Thanks for the feedback. I share your impressions. There is nothing that comes close to PianoTeq in terms of responsiveness and expressibility when playing, TruePianos is also good but not as good in terms of adaptability to the nature of the keybed you are using as well as personal style of plaing. It's like a new world opening up here. I also like TruePianos, but I already have the cakewalk edition ... and can't defend forking out 120 € (-30% discount) for the standalone ed. XLN piano, although apparently made by sweet brother on the other side of the mountain (Norway vs Sweden ) have the worst installer I've seen in a while. It's in league with NI (and for that matter the CCC) ... but where talking a simple piano plug-in here ... not a major DAW host. 
 
I think I will start out with the Stage version ... and the Steinberg Package. Take it from there. Moneys's always tight, and then I will have the future option of adding packages as possible. I hope the Standard package only contains further options in terms of character of sound, and that there are no limitation in customization of expressiveness/playability. I'm a little nervous about what the "Preset (fxp) loading" limitation in Stage ed compared to Standard ed is about. Hopefully nothing of major importance.

Fleer

iRelevant

Fleer
Essentially, you've got three choices. TruePianos, Pianoteq and the one from Arturia
I'd opt for Pianoteq all the way. Incredibly detailed, wonderfully playable and choices galore.
You'll have to pick a bundle first. I got the Electric plus Hohner. Then added the Steinway and Blüthner.
Love the Blüthner most of all. Sweet and subdued. Mighty fine.
But you can start with Steinway bundle too, if you prefer.
Anyway, best to buy Standard instead of Stage.
But you can upgrade whenever you want.

I'm leaning most towards Pianoteq of all those ... thinking of starting with the Stage and the Steinway bundle. I'm very satisfied so far with the playability I get with this. Is there any major reason to go for the Standard edition ? I see I will be missing Piano model tweaking ... but to me this sounds more like minor stuff as long as I like the sound I have. Arturia is off the list, minimum requirement is XP compatibility and 32-bit functionality. Truepianos have it, but has an really annoying AI way of presuming what I wan't, where as Pianoteq installer is a dream ... you get to select and configure everything as you want. 
 
What would you say is the main thing I'm missing out on by not going for the Standard edition now ? 
 
Thank you very much for your feedback, by the way :)

You’re quite welcome.
The mic positions, as Michael wrote, are quite interesting. And the FXP presets: “Pianoteq Stage will load only the settings that are available in the Pianoteq Stage interface. If you want to enjoy the many creative presets in the FXP corner, you need the Standard or Pro version” (Pianoteq FAQ).
People develop their own presets for specific kinds of music, often in the Pro version, but you can load them all in Standard.

OK. I see. To me these features are at the moment minor, I guess the desire will creep in with time. At the moment I'm just trilled with the new found expressibility in my existing keyboard (A-500 Pro) and could possibly starve to death while playing :) It's like going from a 8-bit sound card to 16-bit for the first time. Almost unbelievable.
Thank you once more for your input, I will now be able to order with confidence.

BassDaddy
I would defer to the piano experts here but I have a question. Doesn't the 4 GB RAM of 32Bit restrict some sampled instruments? Are any of the ones being talked about modeled? Modeled wouldn't be a problem. If you weren't going to be doing any recording you should be OK but in a project there could easily not be enough room for sampled instruments with all the layers and velocities and articulations sampled.  

Good point your have there, didn't think of that. I guess this must be one of the main advantages modeled- vs sample-based have in a 32 bit environment. 

Didn’t know that. Must have changed between updates. Used to be pretty easy on cpu.

Enjoy!

abacab
The free Addictive Keys Studio Grand is limited to 4 octaves, and has limited microphone placements.
 
But that will fit perfectly well with any 49 key controller, such as the Roland A-500, and sounds great!  It would be an inexpensive way to get a good piano sound even if you opted for an upgrade to the full version.
 
I think that the AD Keys free version is the best sounding piano in my current rig.  I also have the True Pianos Amber, AIR Mini Grand, and the SONiVOX Eighty-Eight Ensemble to compare with.
 
But I would probably go with the Pianoteq if I had an 88 key controller, and was looking for realistic piano performance dynamics.

I tried it, but didn't find it had comparable expressiveness when playing. Sounded well though, with extensive possibility for finding the "right sound". 

Thank you. I'm on the lookout for a 88 keyboard, yes, preferably one with hammer action. Taking my time. 
Although it will make a difference with the "real deal" of course, the ability of Pianoteq to make a match between your existing keyboard and your playing style was real nice, and one of the main advantages it had over Truepianos. A velocity curve is made based on input from your style of playing soft, normal, or hard.