David Baron

David Baron is an internationally recognized composer, keyboardist, producer, arranger and engineer. He produced the upcoming artist Jade Bird, with the hit songs "Lottery" and "Uh Huh", and co-produced the Mercury nominated "The Bride" for Bat For Lashes. He also produced and co-wrote all the songs for goth-legend Peter Murphy’s "Ninth", and was one of the two musicians on Meghan Trainor’s "All About That Bass" for which he received an RIAA Diamond Award for his role (10 million+ in sales). He orchestrated on records such as Shawn Mendes’ "Illuminate Deluxe", "Shawn Mendes", Meghan Trainor’s "Title", and Lenny Kravitz’s "Raise Vibration", and is the keyboardist on The Lumineer’s "Cleopatra". He also has appeared on records with Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, Vance Joy, Fifth Harmony, and Simone Felice. Recently, he finished the new Lumineers record and projects including Jade Bird and Conor Oberst. Currently, he is scoring the follow up to the feature film "Ashes and Snow" for Gregory Colbert and is releasing cinematic music under his own name on the UK based Here & Now Recordings label.

«I’m always looking for better pianos. I recently tried out Pianoteq and was very impressed. Really incredible. I’ll be using it in my new projects for sure.»

David Baron's official website: http://thedavidbaron.com

Sonya Belousova

Sonya Belousova’s unique career presents a rare blend of contrasting genres and forms bringing her equal recognition as a composer and pianist. Through her Youtube channel PlayerPiano, in cooperation with director Tom Grey, she has gathered millions of fans across the globe. Belousova is known for frequently collaborating with 28-time Grammy nominated producer Jorge Calandrelli. Most recently, Belousova scored Lionsgate’s Reprisal starring Bruce Willis, SXSW hit M.F.A., which earned her a coveted spot on Taste of Cinema’s 10 Best Film Scores of 2017, produced & co-composed the critically acclaimed haunting soundtrack to Stephen King’s thriller-drama The Mist, composed three original ballets, starred and served as a music producer for Mitsubishi Luxury commercial.

«As a composer and a concert pianist, I am incredibly picky when it comes to choosing a piano library. I've been struggling for years with finding a library that could offer the dynamic range, touch, and responsiveness of an acoustic piano. Until I learned about Pianoteq! Each piano is incredibly customizable. Just the fact alone that you can detune every single note and tweak any parameter you could even think of per note is what makes this piano library by far the most versatile and best sounding on the market today and definitely my go-to library from now on.»

Sonya Belousova's official website: https://www.sonyabelousova.com/

Johnny McDaid

Johnny McDaid is the prolific songwriter and producer behind a wide array of recent chart hits with Ed Sheeran, Rag n Bone Man, James Blunt, Zara Larsson. Along with his role as executive producer on Kodaline’s third Album (due in 2018), Johnny’s next project is a full album with Irish traditional band Beoga, who brought their distinctive sound to Ed Sheeran’s Irish number one single, "Galway Girl". Born in Dublin and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, McDaid moved to London in his late teens and spent a decade leading his band Vega4 before signing to Polar Patrol Publishing. Johnny has since written soundtracks and numerous songs for movies alongside Snow Patrol frontman, Gary Lightbody. McDaid went on to tour with Snow Patrol during the Fallen Empires Tour and subsequently joined the band as a full time member.

«I use Pianoteq as my main Piano Plugin for my live setup and in my studio rig. It is an extraordinary instrument. I have never played such a versatile keys plugin that responds so dynamically to your playing style and is so light on resources without compromising on sound. It can be whatever you want it to be. On stage and in the studio, Pianoteq is a must. The addons are a world of inspiration too. This is, by far, my favourite keys plugin.»

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_McDaid

Nick Glennie-Smith

Nick Glennie-Smith (born 3 October 1951 in London) is an internationally recognized English composer and conductor whose talents were sought out by the Hollywood movie industry some years ago. He has scored many well known movies including: "Heaven Is For Real", "Secretariat", "We Were Soldiers", "Lion King 2", and "The Man in the Iron Mask". He has also worked with Hans Zimmer on many films writing additional music. He has conducted the scores of many Hollywood movies and was Musical Director for the 2012 Oscars. Before moving to the USA in 1990 he was a keyboard session player in London working on many hit records, and as a youngster he was a chorister and head soloist at New College, Oxford. He has currently finished a world tour with Hans Zimmer.

«The Pianoteq piano module is not only the most realistic sounding piano plug-in I have ever played, but also seems so efficient in its miserly use of CPU power. How they can get that much piano to be such a small drain on computing power is as magic to me as how, when you plug two wires into a speaker, music comes out!!»

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Glennie-Smith

Paul Haslinger

Paul Haslinger is an Austrian musician and composer. He lives and works in Los Angeles. Paul began his career as a member of Electronic Music pioneers Tangerine Dream. His career in film composing began with the scoring of HBO’s Cheaters in 2000. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on the Showtime Series Sleeper Cell. Notable projects include Fear The Walking Dead, Halt And Catch Fire, Rainbow Six Siege, Underworld Awakening, and Minority Report. He is currently working with the score of the upcoming film Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, starring Milla Jovovich.

«Pianoteq has been part of my writing templates for quite some time. I particularly appreciate the modeling of historical instruments, and the "per key" customization features.»

Paul Haslinger's official website: http://www.haslinger.com

Ramin Djawadi

Ramin Djawadi is known for his melodic and memorable thematic scores. His compositions vary stylistically between classical orchestral, electronic, rock and modern genres. Ramin blends elements with careful consideration to the emotionality and narrative of each scene. The three time Emmy® and Grammy® nominated composer challenges himself with each new project. Ramin has scored an array of Film, TV, and Videogame projects. Some of these films include: "Pacific Rim," "Safe House," "Clash of the Titans", "Iron Man," as well as notable television series such as, "Game of Thrones," "Person of Interest," and "The Strain." Over the years, Ramin has strived not only to create beautiful scores but to establish his identity through his unique sound.

«Pianoteq continues to create the most beautiful piano and acoustic sounds. The organic nature of these instruments shine when used in a piece of music. The interface is functional and intuitive, making for an easy creative process. Pianoteq provides me with the tools and sounds necessary for a great sounding score. I have also begun using Organteq, which is modeled with such detail that it feels and sounds like a real instrument of the highest quality. This instrument contains a vast array of distinct, colorful pipes complemented by organically integrated noises that make for incredibly natural and compelling performances.»

Ramin Djawadi's official website: http://www.ramindjawadi.com

Hummie Mann

Two-time Emmy-award winning composer/arranger Hummie Mann has composed and orchestrated for such top-rated television series as "Fame", "Moonlighting", "Knots Landing", "ALF" and "The Simpsons". His motion pictures projects have ranged from Mel Brooks' "Dracula: Dead & Loving It" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" to Peter Yates' "Year of the Comet". Mann co-produced the Marc Shaiman scores for such hits as "Sleepless in Seattle" and "A Few Good Men", and both orchestrated and conducted the Shaiman scores for "City Slickers" and "The Addams Family". He also composed the main title theme and underscore for Rob Reiner's cult series "Morton & Hayes".

Besides his busy composing career, Mann is also the principal instructor of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program and a guest lecturer at Napier University in Scotland as well as Artlab in Copenhagen, Denmark.

«Since discovering Pianoteq, these libraries have become my first choice for piano, celeste and keyboard percussion - great sounds and easy usability. I want to spend my time composing and not messing with sounds to make them sound right - these are great right out of the box, but also highly adjustable as well!!»

Hummie Mann's official website: http://www.hummiemann.com

Mati Moon

Mati Moon is a Music Producer & composer based in LA, Tel Aviv and Berlin. He has worked with some of our most important songwriters in the music business (Diane Warren). Currently he is working on pop music with a variety of artists and also composing for film & TV. His most recent clients include T-Mobile, Mercedes Benz and Netflix. He was signed as a writer to BMG Rights and as an artist to Warner Music Group.

«The most important thing as a songwriter is to feel good about what you are making. With Pianoteq I instantly find the sound of a piano that sets the mood I am looking for. It´s so versatile, creative and the best sounding plugin out there. No need for any huge libraries anymore. It´s my go to Piano and I love it!»

Mati Moon's official website: http://www.miraclerecord.com

Armand Amar

French of Moroccan origin (born in Jerusalem), Armand Amar spent his childhood in Morocco. Imbued with the sounds of instruments considered exotic at the time, the pull of that "world apart" exercised by extra-European music soon fascinated him. The musical and spiritual influences at play show through in his film scores, such as Eyewitness (2000), Live and Become (2006), Days of Glory (2006), and The Concert (winner of the César Best Soundtrack of the Year Award 2009). He recently worked on the music for Nicolas Vanier’s, Belle et Sébastien, for the Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s movie Thousand Times Goodnight, Alexandre Arcady’s 24 Jours, and Philip Muyl’s new film Le Promeneur d’oiseau. In 1994 in partnership with his friend Alain Weber, he founded the record label Long Distance for traditional, world and classical music; it now boasts more than 60 titles. His own work is released through naïve, Long Distance, Universal and Sony.

«I have for a long time been looking for a virtual piano with a beautiful sound, user-friendly interface and tiny system footprint. I found all this in Pianoteq which has now become my favourite piano plug-in.»

Armand Amar's official website: http://www.armandamar.com

Klaus Badelt

Renown film composer Klaus Badelt has worked with some of the greatest filmmakers of our time, received many international awards and honors of distinction, scored more than 35 major motion pictures, and set the tone for both critically acclaimed films and top-grossing franchises and blockbusters.

After writing scores for such films as Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Recruit, K:19 The Widowmaker, Rescue Dawn, The Time Machine, Premonition, 16 Blocks, Poseidon and many others, Klaus cemented his place as one of Hollywood's most in-demand, touted, and versatile composers.

In order to write these great scores, Klaus' Los Angeles and International studios must utilize only cutting edge music technology, tools, and equipment, and include only the finest virtual instruments and plug-ins. Klaus is currently using Pianoteq for "Asterix & Obelix: God Save Britannia", "Fly me to the Moon", and the recently finished "Shanghai Calling".

«PIANOTEQ is one of the most exciting products I've seen in quite some time. Some of my film cue arrangements are realized with over 75 tracks of audio and virtual instruments, with dozens of effects plug-ins. In these instances, it's vital to have a solid, expressive piano sound that loads quickly and requires a minimum of CPU resources. PIANOTEQ's customizable capability provides me with every type of sound required for every type of mood and situation. PIANOTEQ has become my 'go to' instrument for sketching and final production»

Klaus Badelt's official website: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046004/

Ludovico Einaudi

Composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi has been described as minimalist, classical, ambient, contemporary and deeply touching the welcome sound of stillness in a hectic world. His hauntingly beautiful and evocative music has kept him among the best-selling and most requested recording artists in the UK and Italy in particular. Besides involved in many collaborative ventures in theatre and dance, he has scored many official movie soundtracks such as This Is England and The Intouchables.

«I have been using Pianoteq for a few years and it's my favourite piano software. The sound is great, it's very easy to use, and I can easily adjust it to my sound needs. Not to mention the important fact that it's very light and it never slows down my computer when I work»

Ludovico Einaudi's official website: http://www.ludovicoeinaudi.com

Steve Nieve

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Nieve, has provided the signature sound to Elvis Costello from the first note of the Attractions right up to the present day Imposters. In addition to all the Costello Albums Steve has, Steve's remarkable keyboard stylings have accompanied Sting, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Madness, Squeeze, Burt Bacharach, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Morressey, Lou Reed, Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Vanessa Paradis, Robert Wyatt, Francois Hardy, Jane Birkin, Sandy Shaw, Allen Toussaint, Paul Weller, Kirsty Maccoll, Mick Jagger, Smokey Robinson, Barbara Bonney, Laurie Anderson, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others...

Steve resides in Paris, where he works as a film composer. A handful of solo albums the most recent ToGetHer features many of the artists Steve is associated with, singing Steve's compositions in duet. Always the piano remains at the center of his work. His hybrid-opera Welcome to the Voice, music by Steve Nieve and lyrics Muriel Teodori, (Deutsche Grammophon) fused together classical female singers like Barbara Bonney and Amanda Roocroft and rock male singers like Sting and Robert Wyatt, receiving sell out shows at the Chatelet Theater in Paris. Steve and Muriel are now creating a completely digital opera and Pianoteq software will be an important part of this creation.

«I have always been impressed by the results I am able to achieve with Pianoteq. It sounds as natural or as unnatural as I want. Pianoteq's sound editing facilities make it extremely versatile for the modern pianist with an ear to fine audio tuning. I love the slider that sets the condition of the piano from pristine to totally destroyed. The designers have thought to everything, but have managed to maintain a simple interface which never gets in the way of musical creativity. All the add ons sound equally realistic and the other important dimension is the effects section, absolutely wonderful and simple to operate. Another important consideration, the superb responsiveness of this software, that sets it apart from all other virtual pianos. Every style of music that I'm interested in is instantly playable on Pianoteq. I love working, playing and creating music with this incredibly powerful, deceptively simple software.»

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Nieve

Jimmy George

Jimmy George is a multiple Grammy nominee for best songwriter. His songs, "I'll Always Love You", and "Just To See Her", won nominations for Jimmy, Taylor Dayne, and a Grammy for Smokey Robinson, as "Best Vocal Performer". As a studio guitarist in Los Angeles, he has played on major number one hit records, arranged and produced top recording artists such as The Temptations, The Commodores, and George Benson. Jimmy played guitar on many Motown hits for Michael Jackson, The Jackson Five, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Thelma Houston, and others. He has also appeared in concerts with Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Miles, Sly and the Family Stone, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night, and many others.

«When "digital" software and recording equipment first came on the scene, every serious musician was frantically searching for the most accurate sounding grand piano, software and hardware. There weren't really any that could be used professionally, and that was frustrating to me, as I had sold my grand piano when I moved. I was looking for a new one, and, (as an equipment guru), noticed this brand new program at the Guitar Center in Hollywood. The salesman informed me that it had just arrived, and they had not had time to set up a demo. I was a customer they did not want to lose, so I insisted they set it up so I could hear it. I still recall when I plugged in the earphones to the Korg 88 controller, the first note I played, blew me away. At first I thought it was this expensive Korg, but then I had never heard any digital keyboard sound this authentic.
Not only was I amazed, and sat there for two hours, but a line was beginning to form when we put it through some decent stereo speakers. Needless to say, they sold out that day. I was very fortunate to be one of the first to own it. Since then, I've been using my Pianoteq for almost all of my sessions. I strive to get the finest pianists in Los Angeles, and I would get the same reaction from them, that I had, when they first played it. They couldn't believe it either.
I now have Pianoteq 4 Pro, and I love it! It is rock solid as a stand-alone, or a plug-in, and the user interface is classy and beautiful. The presets are incredibly authentic, but you still have the option to tweak any sound from any preset, to your own ears, which is more fun than a task. You can save it as your own, and recall it in a second. You really have to own this, before you can truly appreciate the genius behind this product. It's that one ultimate software you didn't know you could not live without.»

Jimmy George's official website: http://www.jimmygeorge.com

BT

Composer and technologist BT is one of the most cutting-edge artists and producers for a dizzying array of musical styles. Whether composing intricate scores for blockbuster films such as Fast and Furious, and the Oscar winning Monster; writing and producing for Sting, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Madonna to creating cutting edge proprietary software tools from scratch to make it happen - BT is at the heart of it all. Juxtaposing memorable songwriting with sonic innovation and hand- designed technologies, BT crafts classically influenced, electronic overtures, ringing with living textures that are an industry source book of new and highly copied signature techniques and ideas.

«As an avid fan of the IRCAM physical modeling work, I predicted many years ago this day would come. Finally it is here, a piano model that surpasses in detail, nuance, accuracy, playability and elegance the most sophisticated of sample based libraries. Math can be beautiful, Pianoteq is proof. Play this now, you won't believe it»

BT's official website: http://www.btmusic.com

Thomas G:son

Thomas G:son has written many songs in different national pre-selections for the hugely popular Eurovision Song Contest which is watched by a hundred million television viewers every year. G:son has so far written 31 songs for Sweden and 25 songs for other European countries.

In 2012 he contributed with the winning entry Euphoria, performed by Loreen, and the Spanish entry Quédate Conmigo, performed by Pastora Soler. Other artists he has written for include Arash, Jonas Brothers, Tsukasa Maizu, NewS, Carola, Charlotte Perrelli, Nikki Ponte, Guri Schanke, Kandis, Vikingarna, Lasse Stefanz, Thorsten Flinck & Revolutionsorkestern, Dynazty, Masquerade, Sanna Nielsen, Chanée & n'evergreen, Jenny Silver, Reidun Sæther and Coral Segovia.

«Pianoteq is one of my main go-to plugins when creating new projects. I appreciate that it's so flexible to work with - small and fast loading, easy to adjust the sounds to what I really want, and it offers an excellent selection of factory presets to quickly get started.»

Thomas G:son's official website: http://www.g2publishing.net

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_G:son

Philippe van Eecke

Philippe van Eecke is a well-known, multiple platinum selling composer, producer, engineer, remixer and sound designer from Mannheim, Germany. He has been working together with Xavier Naidoo, Söhne-Mannheims, Carl Carlton and Yvonne Catterfeld only to name a few. His work includes composing, engineering and producing 10 out of 14 songs on the number one album "Telegramm für X" by Xavier Naidoo which sold over 1.4 million copies. Philippe van Eecke's philosophy "Everything is music and music is everything" describes best what drives his work as a composer and producer with a musical spectrum ranging from "acoustic photography" to the recording of natural sounds, all the way to experimental sound mutation - it all exists within the essence of music.

«Pianoteq is the best piano plugin ever! From day one I've been using it in literally every production and I'm always mesmerized and inspired by its sound! Playing Pianoteq just feels fantastic - like painting music with a natural instrument, offering a huge arsenal of colours to paint the picture in the way you want it. You can tweak the acoustic textures and materials whenever necessary, at any time! I love it for the amazing acoustic and e-piano sounds and the add-ons are incredible! But its physical modelling engine is also one of my secret weapons for sound design. It is the perfect studio tool for sculpting new, fresh or inspiring (and sometimes) crazy sounds! Pianoteq has become the number one choice VSTi for my inspiration and my daily work.»

Philippe van Eecke's official website: http://www.klangzeuger.de/

Gunnar Örn Tynes

Gunnar Örn Tynes is a front member of the experimental Icelandic musical group múm. Their music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. They are regularly touring worldwide and have released 7 albums.

«Amazing things are happening in the world of physical modeling and I think Pianoteq is the cutting edge when it comes to quality in sound and realistic feel. I have always had a problem with most digital pianos / instruments, they never capture my creative side but since getting to know Pianoteq I haven´t been able to stop playing. The idea of preserving old instruments this way is encouraging for musicians and enables them to explore a huge world of historic instruments, sounds that are actually shaped from a physical world. Musicians that travel a lot know the burden of having to carry around say a wurlitzer, vibraphone and a celesta. They now can save their backs because at last there is a fantastic, realistically sounding plugin that doesn´t deplete your computer's processing power»

Gunnar Örn Tynes's official website: http://mum.is/

Richard Harvey

Richard Harvey is a sought after film composer and conductor, collaborating with major contemporary composers including John Williams, Stanley Myers, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Maurice Jarre and many others. He has scored over 70 film and television projects up to date, from countless British television series, documentaries and feature length TV films, to major Hollywood titles, contributing to Hans Zimmer's score for the huge box office hit The Da Vinci Code (2006). He has also scored the moving historical drama feature film Eichmann (2007), the idiosyncratic French fantasy Les Deux Mondes (2007). Most recently he has conducted and arranged the score of Interstellar (2014) for Hans Zimmer and will be appearing with Zimmer at his two upcoming London concerts.

Richard has also an important presence in the Thai film industry and was honoured a Royal Invitation to work closely with executive producer Francis Ford Coppola and to score for the major historic movie "Suriyothai". His talent as a composer of film and television music has been recognised with several awards including a British Academy Award. Richard has also made several classical albums, including a Classical Record of the Year, "Italian Recorder Concertos" (1982), which remains in Gramophone Magazine's Top 100.

«Terms like sampling, modelling or plug-in, are not entering my head here... because for me, Pianoteq quite simply IS a piano! Having said that, it is much more than that, it gives you many pianos with many ways to hear and feel those pianos. Paired with a good physical keyboard the experience is tactile and inspiring and as such I feel drawn to sit and play Pianoteq in the same way that I'm am drawn to a beautiful 9' grand sitting in the corner of a a studio or on a concert stage. It has that magnetism. There have been very creditable attempts at sampled pianos around for a long while. Some are impressive (though profligate with your drive space and processing power!) but they all lack what I call the heart of a piano.... the ability to really "sing" in the middle range between A=220 and A=880. This, for me, is the the most significant edge that Pianoteq has over its likely competitors and as such feels to me rather like the dawning of a new age!»

Richard Harvey's official website: http://www.richardharvey.net

More info: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006124/

Jon Vezner

Jon Vezner is a songwriter/singer/producer. He has written songs for Kathy Mattea, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Nancy Griffith, Janis Ian, John Mellencamp and more. He has produced projects on Victory Shaw, Kathy Mattea, Dougie McLean, Danny O'Keefe and the legendary Patti Page. "Where've You Been", a song he co-wrote with Don Henry, won the ACM (Academy of Country Music), the CMA, (Country Music Association) the Grammy and the NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) awards for song of the year. He was also NSAI songwriter of the year.

«PIANOTEQ is one of the most exciting new plug-ins I've come across in sometime. It's as closer to the real thing than anything I've heard. I've found it to be very inspiring. And to add to that, being a modeled piano it requires no samples and uses hardly any resources I see no need to go through trying to mic a real piano. And especially for the project studio it is a dream come true»

Jon Vezner's official website: http://jonvezner.com

Stuart Crichton

Stuart Crichton is a successful, Australian based, international songwriter and producer who has garnered several Top 10 UK and international hits. Stuart has worked with a number of world-renowned artists such as: Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, Brian McFadden, Sugababes, Jamelia and Dame Shirley Bassey as well as contributing several top 10 UK and international hits.

«PIANOTEQ is amazing on many fronts for me, but the two most important are:
1. Quality of sound, which is unbelievable!!
2. Very low CPU usage. Which is very important to me when I am writing on my portable laptop rig.
I am currently using PIANOTEQ on numerous new productions that I am doing.
If you want quality piano sounds, then PIANOTEQ is as near to the real thing I have used. And it's a great price too!!»

Joel Corelitz

Joel Corelitz is a Chicago-based composer/sound designer. His personal brand, Waveplant, provides original music for television, film & media as well as bleeding-edge musical sound design for motion graphics. He has scored commercials on the Super Bowl as well as work featured in Stash, Motionographer, OneDotZero, and Smilefaucet. He has also been written about in both Keyboard and Future Music magazines for his production work.

«I tend to approach composition as design – focusing first on rhythm and texture, and second on melody and chords. Pianoteq is absolutely perfect for this approach. Not only is it hands down the most expressive virtual piano out there, its interface enables me to design the perfect piano for my application. It's the only emulation I can think of that is quite possibly better than the real thing»

Joel Corelitz's official website: http://www.waveplantstudios.com

Guillaume Roussel

Guillaume Roussel is a French composer/orchestrator. His career started off in 2005 when he wrote scores to several popular French TV series. In 2007, his first soundtrack of an independent movie, "Tomorrow Is Today", won the Best Score Award at the California Independent Film Festival.

Since 2010, Guillaume is part of the film score company Remote Control Productions, run by veteran composer Hans Zimmer. In 2011, Guillaume wrote the soundtrack of "Les Seigneurs" and composed additional music on "Pirates of the Carribean 4" and "The Smurfs". He has also worked as additional composer on "How Do You Know", starring Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson, and "Rango" the Video Game.

«Pianoteq is simply the only plug that allows you to work the sound of the piano like a real one, and more than that! The world of prepared music is right here with Pianoteq. That's really unique. Furthermore, the musicality of this plug is as realistic as a normal sample library. I will definitely use it a lot!»

Michel van der Aa

(© Ben van Duin) The Dutch composer Michel van der Aa (1970) is one of Europe's most sought-after composers today. Van der Aa is a child of his time. Not only the use of soundtracks but also the inclusion of visual elements in Van der Aa's compositional pallet enhances the theatrical aspect of his art. In 2002 Van der Aa completed a program in film directing at the New York Film Academy, where he learned the art of 16 mm filmmaking. In applying film images and soundtracks as additional instruments, he effectively extends the vocabulary of his music. Michel van der Aa is today 'house composer' for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam and is currently working on a new film-opera in collaboration with librettist David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas.

Van der Aa's music has been performed by ensembles and orchestras worldwide at festivals ranging from the Berliner Festspiele to Festival d'Automne á Paris, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Venice Biennale, Lucerne Festival, Autumn in Warsaw and others.

Michel Van der Aa was awarded the International Gaudeamus Prize (1999), Matthijs Vermeulen prize (2004), Siemens Composers Grant (2005), Charlotte Köhler Prize (2005) and the Paul Hindemith Prize (2006). Michel van der Aa is published by Boosey & Hawkes.

«It's hard to believe that such an impressive piano sound can come from a 15 MB software plug-in. It sounds far more vivid and realistic than the sample libraries I've tried. As a composer the next thing I did was of course to push the controls far beyond the natural limits. Very creative and wonderful for sound design! PIANOTEQ won't leave my computers hard disk anymore»

Michel van der Aa's official website: http://www.doubleA.net