Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

VARIO digital system

How can I perform a factory reset?

By using the various setting options of the VARIO App, users often requested the ability to completely reset any changes made (factory reset). This function will be part of a future update. Until then, you can specifically reset individual areas of the VARIO:

Here you can reset the sensitivity curve:

Switch to the SETTINGS block, where you will find the menu item Reset Sensitivity Curve.

Here you can save your favorite settings and return to them at any time:

In the FAVORITES block you can save four combinations of the following settings:

Volume
Hall Algorithm and Volume
echo
equalizer
Sound settings of the piano sounds

You can save your settings simply by pressing one of the four buttons for a longer time: wait until the colour of the outer ring swells and goes out again – done.

Can the VARIO also be used without an app?

Yes, the VARIO Duet also works without an app if you don’t have your smartphone or tablet at hand. With a dedicated button on the VARIO module, you can also easily switch between your favourite settings.

Are the headphones also available without cable?

No. Audio via Bluetooth (so-called audio codes such as SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD or LDAC) does not give you the feeling of playing that you expect from your piano due to high latency.

Which iPhone / iPad is the VARIO App compatible with?

The VARIO app requires iPhones from 2015 (iPhone 6S) and iPads from 2017 (iPad 5. gen.). You can view the complete compatibility list here.

What about support for Android devices?

A version for tested Android devices is under development and will be available free of charge in early 2020 for control functions of the new VARIO.

MIDI functions are available independently of the VARIO app under all mobile and desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS, Unix/Linux). You can already use MIDI functions with any app today. If you don’t have an iOS device available for initial setup, your C. Bechstein Center will be happy to assist you.

Digital Grand powered by KONTAKT

Where can I find my serial number / NI Activation Key?

The serial number or your activation key for Native Instruments’ Native Access will be sent to you by

a) sent by e-mail when purchasing via this website.

b) when purchasing via Thomann, the code was given to you by Thomann.

If you have purchased the Digital Grand via our website, please first search for the purchase confirmation and the activation key contained therein. If you do not find what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please let us know the email address you used to make the purchase.

When purchasing via Thomann, we have no knowledge of the activation key assigned to you. Please contact the Thomann service team (https://www.thomann.de/de/compinfo_contact.html).

How can I restart the download?

You can initiate a download again at any time in your user account (My Account).

How much memory does the Digital Grand allocate?

The memory requirement for the entire library is around 26 GB (gigabyte). The samples were reduced to this space requirement by means of very efficient data compression – lossless. If you want to compare: this size is about 80 GB for uncompressed libraries.

What does M/S mean?

M/S stands for center / side. The advantage of the center-side microphone is the possibility to control the stereo image very convincingly afterwards.

In M/S recording, two microphone capsules are used – as is usual with stereo recording. These are offset at a 90° angle to each other, so that one capsule records an exact “mono image”, while the other capsule records level changes to the side. Subsequently, both signals are reassembled using a special phase mixing process.

In the Digital Grand, you can use the WIDTH control to control the signal steplessly from a true mono signal to an “oversized” stereo image.

Does the Digital Grand support half pedal positions?

Yes, MIDI sustain foot pedals that output continuous controller information (CC#64) are supported. But you can also use simple hold pedals, too, which will only convert “On” and “Off”.

In the Digital Grand, the bar on the right immediately indicates the control range your pedal is reporting to the software.

digital-grand-pedals

What is a Neo-Bechstein?

The “Neo-Bechstein Grand Piano” has made history. At the end of the 1920s, one of the world’s first grand pianos with electronically generated sound was created in collaboration with Nernst and Siemens, Nobel Prize winners. With this instrument, a development was pioneered that was demanded and accepted by the market decades later.

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