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Post by Quint on Dec 1, 2016 22:06:26 GMT -6
Speaking of Imperfect Samples, any of you guys ever use their Braunschweig? I like it because it's purposefully NOT perfect. Too many of these piano libraries are "perfect" to the point of not sounding like a human played/is playing them. I still prefer a real piano but Braunschweig is a lot closer to my ears.
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Dec 2, 2016 7:30:19 GMT -6
I really like the Ravenscroft 275 now. it is just nice when you toss it into a solid room reverb to give it some depth and fatten it with some plate. you can really hear the wood in the sampling!
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Post by popmann on Dec 2, 2016 19:38:18 GMT -6
FWIW....low rent Macbook Air from 2012 w/4gb....ran fine from a USB3 thumb drive. I kept trying to choke it on polyphony, holding down the sustain pedal and going to town....nope...all fine. Unlike the PC, it was running 48khz, since I just plugged in the Kronos's USB audio/midi as interface. It did glitch up once when the laptop kicked in power management, which made me realize I was on battery power....and plug it into the wall....
I'm just wondering what the whole resource hog thing is about. I mean...compared to....what? It takes a lot of drive space. True dat. That's one resource, I suppose....hogged by ownership more than use....
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Post by bradd on Dec 5, 2016 14:49:25 GMT -6
I picked up Pianoteq Pro 5 during the Black Friday sale. So far, I'm pretty impressed. I previously used Ivory II, which was nice, but this seems more real. I would still like to hear the Garritan CFX though.
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Post by drew571 on Dec 5, 2016 17:03:39 GMT -6
check out Spectrasonics Keyscape. Best digital one I've played yet. And I'm really picky. The rhodes and other keyboards you get are also better than anything else I've heard.
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Dec 6, 2016 4:24:26 GMT -6
check out Spectrasonics Keyscape. Best digital one I've played yet. And I'm really picky. The rhodes and other keyboards you get are also better than anything else I've heard. I've heard a lot of people complain about how much of a CPU hog it is and that they can't use more than 16 voices before it starts glitching out on them. thoughts?
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Post by keymod on Dec 6, 2016 9:23:14 GMT -6
I went against some recommendations here and actually bought a Mac Mini in which I installed Synthogy's entire Ivory collection. Playing it in stand-alone mode, via midi through my Kurzweil MK152 Grand Piano is phenomenal. All three pedals work perfectly. The touch, feel and sound are superb. Latency is non-existent. The MK152 is over ten years old, but Kurzweil really nailed the feel and audio reproduction. Synthogy really nailed the VI end. I will never be able to play as good as this combo sounds. I can't imagine needing anything else for Grand Piano. I believe I can mic this live in my room and it would be indistinguishable from micing a real piano.
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Dec 6, 2016 12:58:11 GMT -6
I believe I can mic this live in my room and it would be indistinguishable from micing a real piano. Do it!! Let's hear it!!
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Post by 79sg on Dec 6, 2016 13:08:45 GMT -6
check out Spectrasonics Keyscape. Best digital one I've played yet. And I'm really picky. The rhodes and other keyboards you get are also better than anything else I've heard. I've heard a lot of people complain about how much of a CPU hog it is and that they can't use more than 16 voices before it starts glitching out on them. thoughts? I believe the complaints you hear about glitching is due to not having a machine with a lot of RAM.
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Post by keymod on Dec 6, 2016 13:30:42 GMT -6
I believe I can mic this live in my room and it would be indistinguishable from micing a real piano. Do it!! Â Let's hear it!! Chuck you should come here to listen to it in person
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Dec 6, 2016 13:58:01 GMT -6
are you far from NYC/brooklyn?
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Post by keymod on Dec 6, 2016 14:33:38 GMT -6
Maybe 2 hours
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Post by Johnkenn on Dec 6, 2016 19:51:24 GMT -6
Speaking of Imperfect Samples, any of you guys ever use their Braunschweig? I like it because it's purposefully NOT perfect. Too many of these piano libraries are "perfect" to the point of not sounding like a human played/is playing them. I still prefer a real piano but Braunschweig is a lot closer to my ears. I like it, but I wish it was more playable. Not a ton of layers.
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Post by popmann on Dec 6, 2016 20:05:39 GMT -6
I know longer give any credence to people claiming VIs are "CPU hogs"....who don't understand how they impact the subsystems of a computer. I think Spectrasonics should send me a NFS copy for review on my older machines.
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Post by Quint on Dec 6, 2016 21:55:29 GMT -6
Speaking of Imperfect Samples, any of you guys ever use their Braunschweig? I like it because it's purposefully NOT perfect. Too many of these piano libraries are "perfect" to the point of not sounding like a human played/is playing them. I still prefer a real piano but Braunschweig is a lot closer to my ears. I like it, but I wish it was more playable. Not a ton of layers. Did you play the Pro version? It has more layers than the cheaper one.
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Post by popmann on Dec 7, 2016 12:06:01 GMT -6
Even though I felt the need to clarify his misunderstanding of the differences in Logic and Presonus "buffer" settings, which is often misunderstood/misused.....here.... I guess Eric doesn't need to send me a NFS copy. But, I'm not gonna turn it down. Point is--it's the drive, boys and girls. It's the drive. People had trouble with RAM back in 32bit Windows days of Gigastudio....because Windows' 32bit wasn't even 2gb of RAM without reconfiguration....so, someone buys BFD that might use 1.5gb of RAM by itself for a kit--and it's "too much of a hog". But, once the 64bit RAM was worked out on both sides of the pond, the drive is bottleneck in polyphony and load time and general "performance" of VIs. I've witnessed TWO acquaintances buy new $2k iMacs with shitty "fusion" drives this year....so, I'll say it again here: if you're buying a modern Mac for music production, you MUST buy the PCIe ONLY and that needs to be big enough for your "main use" sample libraries. 24/96 audio and "occasional use" libraries can live on a USB3 drive outside the machine. But, mainly--buying the PCIe leaves an empty 2.5" SATA bay in the machine you can put a secondary SATA SSD into....if you buy the magnetic, you can only ever have one drive, and it will be the SATA....if you buy a Fusion, you're fucked--because it uses the proprietary PCIe slot AND the 2.5" to make a single logical drive that means not user replaceable.
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Post by Johnkenn on Dec 7, 2016 17:15:03 GMT -6
SSD
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Post by drew571 on Dec 8, 2016 16:13:13 GMT -6
i have had a glitch every now and then running it in streaming mode. (the grand piano patch takes more than my 32gb of RAM if i were to preload it) haha. i just ordered and installed a 1tb SSD to run it off of that so I'll let you know if i have any issues after i play around on that for a while. I'm running an iMac 4k Intel i7 4.0 GHZ CPU. So it's not exactly a slouch.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 1, 2020 9:17:05 GMT -6
I picked up Pianoteq Pro 5 during the Black Friday sale. So far, I'm pretty impressed. I previously used Ivory II, which was nice, but this seems more real. I would still like to hear the Garritan CFX though. I mixed a song here lately and would have SWORN it was a real piano. And lo and behold it was Pianoteq. The guy said you can slightly detune to make it more realistic. And that’s why I thought it was real.
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Post by bradd on Jul 1, 2020 10:15:21 GMT -6
I switch back and forth between Ravenscroft and Pianoteq. Unfortunately, neither has quelled by desire for a real Yamaha C3x. I just need a bigger room and 30k.
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Post by Guitar on Jul 1, 2020 10:31:54 GMT -6
I was just playing Imperfect Samples Fazioli Grand and it was just gorgeous.
Also currently looking at the Sound Dust Ships Piano as it's only 35 euros and seems to sound great.
Curious what everyone else is thinking in 2020. I have Kontakt now so I am "in the market" of sampled instruments.
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Post by popmann on Jul 1, 2020 12:56:53 GMT -6
There's a bunch I'd like to try....most are like Spinal Tap samples....200gb....I feel like I saw a 96khz one the other day that needed it's now 1TB SSD....I saw one that "required" a 128@48khz sample buffer (meaning nothing smaller) because they're using linear time in their input scripting like Spitfires new strings which are requiring 512@48.....with strings I understand WHY....pianos, seems less clear the advantage in "waiting for context", but....Embertone Wallker55 is one....Spitifre's HanzZimmer Steinway....and then the Hammersmith from Sonicouture is one I've heard good things about.
Even though I've played some libraries that might result in a. better sound than Ivory, I've not played one that played as fluidly. Meaning....it's just seamless the velocity switching. I used Keyscape's C7 on one tune....honeslty--that's one of those bits where I'm not sure it's worth the incredibly high system toll. In general--not the C7, that was never a Steinway--it just had a cool unique tight.close ribbon mic sound on the "natural" preset. I think when they change the picture on that C7 they're changing the micing. I've learned I don't really like it at all except that "natural" picture. Usually people use really bright mics as the close in hammer mics....so, you get intimate but also condenser sizzle....pass.
I played the Garritan CFX. Wasn't mine--I think it MIGHt've been the "lite" version....it played really nicely if you WANT a Yamaha in the middle of Abbey Road. It's VERY wet. Meaning there's a lot of room in the close mics. So....I didn't pursue it further.
Anyone in Nashville remember the place where you could go down to Music Row ad PLAY VIs you wanted to buy? Man, I wish that was still a thing. I forget the name now--business install around but he closed shop and moved to Kentucky to be mail order only....back in the day, man--you could go there, play a bunch of pianos....find one that spoke to you and walk out with the DVDs. They had computers with everything loaded up to play....I would love that. I mean the Embertone isn't that expensive, but still--it's a $150 that might just play like ass. You know? And The Zimmer---I mean for 200gb and a Steinway(wasn't it recorded in AirStudios? I love the sound of that room), it's more $$....but, it's got SO many mic choices--which could make it "the only" piano that way....
I've been on a push lately to just pare it down....keep one "best" and one "best low resource". I think the Galaxy Vintage D is really hard to beat for low resources. I mean Ivory uses less resources to PLAY....but, it's 45gb on the disk...vs 6gb or something. See if I can't have a handful of varied drum kits in SD3 (maybe with one Sound City rock thing from AD2)....one Wulri....One Rhodes....I got the IK Hammond, I've been trying to use it in demos, but I DO really still think the B5 is a more accurate reproduction at least of MY C3/vintage 122. The IK and the Logic Organ are nice models, but they DO have that modeling issue, where there's something just less "right" about it in the highs.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 1, 2020 12:59:40 GMT -6
Pro Audio Solutions
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Post by Guitar on Jul 1, 2020 13:54:06 GMT -6
I was trying to load some Chocolate Audio stuff it and it was hanging up my system for almost a minute, not sure why. Had to move some stuff to the SSD. I guess I should get newer versions of these old ones I still have.
Tried the Black Album Drums and wasn't really over the moon about them. That thing is massive. The free Sennheiser Drum Mic'a thing sound probably more useful.
And the Chocolate Audio three pianos have this weird latency thing I don't understand. You have to push the "Touch Response" fader to max otherwise there is an obvious slap echo length latency when you strike a key. I just don't know why they default to sounding "slow."
Imperfect Fazioli-- I notice they call it the "black" piano now, not a copyrighted name. They sell a super duper version for the most money that's 200 GB or something. Not sure if I would really want that. I think the 30 GB libraries are plenty enough for me. This one really stands out to me though, for what I like to hear from a piano. Want to hear their other ones.
Also if anyone's looking for a free instrument that kind of blows me away, seems like something you'd pay for, try to set up the Spitfire Audio LABS on your computer. It has a few dozen instruments and the sounds are top notch. You don't need Kontakt it loads in its own free player plugin.
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Post by popmann on Jul 1, 2020 18:16:46 GMT -6
I know why they default to slow. Pianos are latent. It takes some mental adjustment, but it can feel a lot more real and I don't hit as hard once I lean into it. The problem is--if you have any systemic latency, it feels weird and stupid ADDED to that...
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