Why am I getting stuck keys when I use the Steinway Aria stand alone playe?

**rfdillon** · 05-01-2011, 08:05 PM

Folks, I am getting back into music after a hiatus, and noticed that oftentimes while playing the Steinway stand alone player with my antique Roland A-80 keyboard, I will get stuck keys. The only way I have of "unsticking" them is to turn the keyboard off and back on, which I assume is sending a MIDI reset signal of some sort. I thought the problem was with the keyboard, until I started poking around with the virtual keyboard on the Aria player and realized that the Aria player was the source of the stuck notes!
Does anyone have a solution? I have the latest Steinway patch installed and everything works great, with the exception of those horrible stuck keys. It is really very distracting and i'd like to know if there is a setting or configuration parameter that needs to be changed in order to eliminate this. It appears to be a random thing, occurring on different keys at different times, completely apart from the Roland A80, and occurs with the Aria player. Your assistance is GREATLY appreciated in advance!

**briff** · 05-02-2011, 03:30 AM

Originally Posted by rfdillon

Folks, I am getting back into music after a hiatus, and noticed that oftentimes while playing the Steinway stand alone player with my antique Roland A-80 keyboard, I will get stuck keys. The only way I have of "unsticking" them is to turn the keyboard off and back on, which I assume is sending a MIDI reset signal of some sort. I thought the problem was with the keyboard, until I started poking around with the virtual keyboard on the Aria player and realized that the Aria player was the source of the stuck notes!
Does anyone have a solution? I have the latest Steinway patch installed and everything works great, with the exception of those horrible stuck keys. It is really very distracting and i'd like to know if there is a setting or configuration parameter that needs to be changed in order to eliminate this. It appears to be a random thing, occurring on different keys at different times, completely apart from the Roland A80, and occurs with the Aria player. Your assistance is GREATLY appreciated in advance!

What Sound card (and driver) are you using?

**rfdillon** · 05-02-2011, 05:56 AM

I am using an external interface to output the sound to my speakers, an Edirol UA25ex. I am using an EMU404 as a MIDI input from the keyboard.

**rfdillon** · 05-02-2011, 06:10 AM

I am using an external interface to output the sound to my speakers, an Edirol UA25ex. I am using an EMU404 as a MIDI input from the keyboard.

**briff** · 05-02-2011, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by rfdillon

I am using an external interface to output the sound to my speakers, an Edirol UA25ex. I am using an EMU404 as a MIDI input from the keyboard.

Are you using the UA25ex in Advanced mode with its native ASIO driver?

**rfdillon** · 05-02-2011, 09:41 AM

Yes, I am using the ASIO drivers for 64 bit Windows 7.

**DRC88** · 01-13-2012, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by rfdillon

Folks, I am getting back into music after a hiatus, and noticed that oftentimes while playing the Steinway stand alone player with my antique Roland A-80 keyboard, I will get stuck keys. The only way I have of "unsticking" them is to turn the keyboard off and back on, which I assume is sending a MIDI reset signal of some sort. I thought the problem was with the keyboard, until I started poking around with the virtual keyboard on the Aria player and realized that the Aria player was the source of the stuck notes!
Does anyone have a solution? I have the latest Steinway patch installed and everything works great, with the exception of those horrible stuck keys. It is really very distracting and i'd like to know if there is a setting or configuration parameter that needs to be changed in order to eliminate this. It appears to be a random thing, occurring on different keys at different times, completely apart from the Roland A80, and occurs with the Aria player. Your assistance is GREATLY appreciated in advance!

Just curious, what "latest Steinway patch"? I checked updates and there are none.

**Jeff Hurchalla** · 01-13-2012, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by DRC88

Just curious, what "latest Steinway patch"? I checked updates and there are none.

The latest patch (update) for the Steinway is 1.04, which you already have since you got the Steinway a day or two ago.

By the way, I have the feeling the stuck notes the original poster referred to are coming from the keyboard or the MIDI interface. I once experienced horrible stuck notes when using an old and apparently broken interface- changing to a different unit of the same interface instantly fixed the problem for me. The virtual keyboard in the Steinway app/plugin isn't really meant for anything more than visual feedback that you're receiving MIDI and for auditory confirmation that it's producing sound when you click on a note, so I wouldn't rely on it for any kind of testing beyond that. A sequencer would be a much more reliable source of signals than mouse clicking the virtual keyboard, if you need to take the real keyboard and MIDI interface out of the chain for testing - plus you'd be able to see stuck notes in a score view/piano roll, etc, if there were any.

**DRC88** · 01-13-2012, 01:43 PM

Thanks Jeff.

BTW, I'm liking GAS Basic more and more. I'm so used to Pianissimo, it's taking a while to adjust to a different feeling/sounding program, as well as learning and optimizing the settings. Each has its own strengths and shortcomings and no program is perfect. But of the ones I've tried...TruePianos, Pianoteq, Absolute Pianos, Pianissimo, and GAS, I prefer the sound and feel of Pianissimo and GAS, both of which have a more natural, real acoustic piano sound to my ear than the others.

No virtual piano/keyboard combo will have the true dynamics, personality, feel and playability of a real concert grand but since I can't afford one, these programs bring the dream a bit closer without wiping out my bank account and they're always in tune. So I'm just thankful these tools exist and that there are many choices to suit each player's needs and tastes.

**Macy** · 01-13-2012, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by DRC88

Thanks Jeff.

BTW, I'm liking GAS Basic more and more.

... But of the ones I've tried...TruePianos, Pianoteq, Absolute Pianos, Pianissimo, and GAS, I prefer the sound and feel of Pianissimo and GAS, both of which have a more natural, real acoustic piano sound to my ear than the others.

No virtual piano/keyboard combo will have the true dynamics, personality, feel and playability of a real concert grand but since I can't afford one, these programs bring the dream a bit closer without wiping out my bank account and they're always in tune. So I'm just thankful these tools exist and that there are many choices to suit each player's needs and tastes.

I'm glad you are liking GAS Basic. In my opinion it doesn't do a lot wrong and therefore it is easy to like. I've paid over 4x the price for pianos that I unfortunately don't like and never use. I'll still consider a more complete version of GAS (release samples, more sampled notes and levels, better pedaling) should it ever appear. But I wouldn't judge the full capabilities of virtual pianos from the other (non-GAS) pianos on your list. They are decidedly low-end products, or modeled pianos. You may want to try some more state-of-the-art virtual pianos.