Type Piano performance and setup guide

Type Piano is a focused standalone instrument. The complete application is free, and the same performance state drives computer-keyboard input, a native MIDI controller, and the on-screen A0-C8 keyboard. This guide explains the quickest path to sound, then shows how to reason about sustain, patches, audio setup, and platform availability without assuming capabilities the application does not claim.

Start with the computer keyboard

Open Type Piano and use the illustrated typing layout to play a compact range immediately. Move the active octave when the notes you need sit outside that range, and choose a velocity level before comparing sounds. Hold Space for temporary sustain; use the visible sustain state to confirm whether released notes are being held by the pedal model. The 88-key display distinguishes physically held notes from sustained tails, which makes a stuck control easier to diagnose.

The computer mapping is deliberately a performance surface rather than a typing game. It shares note ownership with the other inputs, so a note held by a MIDI keyboard is not silenced merely because the matching computer key was released. Pointer input follows the same rule and supports glissando across adjacent keys.

Connect a MIDI keyboard

Connect and power the controller before selecting it in Type Piano. The operating system must enumerate the device before the application can offer it. Native MIDI note messages carry velocity into the engine, and sustain-pedal CC64 messages operate the same sustain state used by Space and the screen control.

If the device is missing, check the cable, USB port, operating-system MIDI list, and whether another application has exclusive ownership. Reconnect after changing the physical setup. Type Piano reports connection attention instead of treating a vanished input as a successful silent session. It does not promise that every controller driver behaves identically, so the host device list remains the first source of evidence.

Choose the right instrument

Studio Grand is the direct sampled-grand presentation. Felt Room shapes the same verified acoustic source toward a softer, closer response. Both stream velocity, release, resonance, and pedal material from the packaged Salamander bank rather than loading the whole library into memory at launch.

Classic EP is not another acoustic sample label: it is a velocity-responsive FM electric-piano engine. Glass Piano is an additive voice designed for a clearer, more bell-like attack. Compare instruments at the same input velocity and output level; otherwise a louder patch can be mistaken for a better one.

Understand sustain and release

A physical key can be released while its note remains audible because the sustain pedal is down. Type Piano tracks held and sustained states separately, releases pedal-retained notes when sustain lifts, and uses available release, resonance, and pedal layers for the sampled instruments. If notes continue unexpectedly, release Space, unlatch the on-screen sustain control, and verify that the MIDI controller is not still sending CC64 down.

Keep the audio path stable

Realtime performance depends on the host audio device, driver, buffer, and system load. Close competing audio clients when startup fails or sound breaks up. Begin with a stable buffer before attempting a lower-latency setting. Confirm that the formal sample bank is ready; the sampled patches cannot honestly fall back to an unrelated sound while presenting themselves as the packaged grand piano.

Type Piano does not advertise a fixed latency number because that would ignore the host audio path. It also does not claim to be a VST, DAW, recorder, sequencer, notation editor, or lesson platform. Use a separate recording or production tool when the job extends beyond direct standalone performance.

Verify the package boundary

The sampled voices use Salamander Grand Piano V3 recordings by Alexander Holm under CC BY 3.0. Release packaging pins the source evidence, attribution notice, legal text, filenames, sizes, and checksums. This is both an integrity control and a clear separation between Hannes Software's proprietary application and the sample library's own license.

Linux is the current public package channel. A Windows or macOS file is not considered released merely because it can be assembled: target-host signing, install/uninstall, audio, MIDI, architecture, and platform security checks must produce a passing acceptance report first. Always use the official Type Piano download page as the public package source of truth.

Return to the Type Piano product overview for the complete capability boundary and free-edition summary.