Modartt Pianoteq 9 piano plug-in: features and spec-based rating

Modartt’s Pianoteq 9 is software that makes piano sound in real time by physical modeling (calculating how the piano works) instead of samples. It has more than 20 instrument packs besides pianos, and the manufacturer explains that because the size is small, it loads quickly.

A piano instrument plug-in lets you play the sound of a piano on a computer.

In this article we compare Pianoteq 9 with 10 piano instrument plug-ins and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.

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Summary

Among the 10 piano instrument plug-ins, Pianoteq 9 is rank A. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and A is second from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.5.

Strengths

• Realism and depth (4 points): it aims for a realistic sound through large recordings and fine adjustment.
• Variety of pianos (5 points): you can switch between many kinds of pianos.

Things to keep in mind

• Help with composing (1 points): it has no feature that helps with composing.

Who it suits: people who want to adjust the resonance of a piano in detail while keeping the load light.

Main features of Pianoteq 9

A piano played by physical modeling

It calculates the movement of the strings and makes the sound on the spot each time you play. The manufacturer explains that it even recreates the resonance when the sustain pedal lifts all 88 dampers, the resonance between strings, and the ringing of the high register (the duplex scale).

More than 20 instrument packs

There are packs of grand pianos by Steinway, Kawai (Shigeru Kawai), Bösendorfer and others, as well as uprights, electric pianos, harp and vibraphone. The number of packs you can choose depends on the edition (2 in Stage, 3 in Standard and 4 in PRO).

Detailed adjustment and a trial

You can change the hardness of the hammers, the harmonics and the microphone positions (up to 8). Adjustment of each note is a feature of the PRO edition. There is a free trial with all the instruments (some keys cannot be used, and the sound drops out after a while).

Video: “Pianoteq 9 – Physically Modelled Pianos” (official Modartt YouTube channel; narration in English) Watch on YouTube

Where it is useful

• Adjusting the resonance of a grand piano to make a ballad accompaniment
• Moving the microphone positions to get a sound that suits the song
• Keeping the load on the computer light to run several piano tracks

Rating by criterion

Realism and depth: 4 / 5

We look at how extensively it was recorded and whether you can fine-tune things such as resonance and pedal sounds.

The sound is made by physical modeling instead of recordings, and you can adjust resonance, hammer hardness and microphones (up to 8). Of the detailed adjustments, model adjustment is in the Standard edition and above.

Help with composing: 1 / 5

We look at whether there are features that help you make accompaniments and chord progressions.

It has no accompaniment or chord suggestions and no MIDI phrase collection.

If “help with composing” matters most to you, EZkeys 2 (5 points) is a better fit.

Variety of pianos: 5 / 5

We look at the number of pianos you can switch between.

There are more than 20 instrument packs, including grand pianos, uprights, electric pianos and harp (the number of packs you can choose is 2 to 4 depending on the edition; the Studio Bundle has them all).

How we score (Piano instrument plug-ins)

Criterion	Basis	5 pt	4 pt	3 pt	2 pt	1 pt
Realism and depth	Scale of the recordings, and fine adjustment of resonance, noise and so on	Recordings of 10 GB or more, plus fine adjustment of resonance, pedal, hammers and so on	Modeling that lets you adjust resonance and ambience, or recordings of 10 GB or more	A few GB of recordings, plus microphone and ambience adjustment	A small library	—
Help with composing	Features that help you make accompaniments and chords	Accompaniment suggestions, chord suggestions and a MIDI phrase library, all together	Two of those	One, such as creating new sounds from what you play	—	No feature that helps with composing
Variety of pianos	Number of pianos you can switch between	10 or more	5 or more	2 to 3 (including different tones of the same piano)	One	—

Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: making piano accompaniments for cover-song arrangements and your own songs. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Realism and depth" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.

Pianoteq 9 system requirements and getting started

Operating system	Windows / Mac / Linux / iOS
Plug-in formats	Standalone, VST3, AU, AAX, NKS
Trial	A free trial is available (some keys cannot be used, and the sound drops out after a while)
Other	There are three editions, Stage, Standard and PRO, and a Studio Bundle that includes all the packs

Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on September 27, 2026.

Compared with other piano instrument plug-ins

Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

Read next

• Noire: features and rating (rank A)
• Piano V: features and rating (rank A)
• EZkeys 2: features and rating (rank B)
• The Grandeur: features and rating (rank B)