OB-E vs Pianoteq
OB-E
gforcesoftware.com
Pianoteq
modartt.comSide by side
| Figure | OB-E | Pianoteq |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Virtual Instruments | 7.7 (#11) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Product | OB-E is GForce’s software instrument based on the Oberheim 8-Voice, with an eight-voice SEM-based architecture. | Pianoteq is a virtual piano and instrument suite that generates sound through physical modelling. |
| Support | Free technical support is available only to registered users. | The maker says contact messages will receive a reply within 24 hours and provides user manuals and a support page. |
| System requirements | The page lists macOS 10.13 or later, an Intel or M1 Mac, and 100 MB of disk space; Windows requirements are Windows 10 or later, a 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, and 100 MB of disk space. | The manual lists 512 MB RAM, a recent CPU, Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, or Linux x86/ARM; Windows users need ASIO-compatible audio drivers for low latency. |
| Trial limits | The free demo is limited to six hours of use or seven days, whichever is longer, and patch access is restricted to Alpha Patches. | The Pianoteq 9.2.5 evaluation version is full-featured, but eight notes are silent and it must be restarted every 20 minutes. |
Plans
Pianoteq
- Pianoteq 9 Stage$139, paid once
- Pianoteq 9 Standard$269, paid once
- Pianoteq 9 PRO$399, paid once
- Pianoteq Studio Bundle$929, paid once
In their own words
Pianoteq
Pianoteq is a virtual piano and instrument suite that generates sound through physical modelling rather than built-in samples. It creates notes in real time, and the maker describes it as about 50 MB. More than 20 instrument packs cover electric pianos, plucked strings and historical keyboards. The software models sympathetic resonances and exposes physical parameters for adjusting tone. Pianoteq 9 can position and mix up to eight microphones to stereo or multichannel output. Desktop editions run standalone or in VST3, Audio Units and AAX hosts; NKS compatibility is also listed. It is available on iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. There is no free plan, but the Pianoteq 9.2.5 evaluation version is full-featured with eight silent notes and a restart required every 20 minutes. Stage costs $139, paid once and includes two instrument packs; Standard costs $269, paid once with three packs, while PRO costs $399, paid once with four. The Studio Bundle is $929, paid once and includes PRO plus all current instrument packs.